"It's fine."
Lin Yi gave a relaxed smile. "I don't like anesthetics; they have side effects."
The lead surgeon froze for a moment, then nodded. Since Lin Yi insisted on this requirement, he had no choice but to comply.
There was no real danger to life in this kind of surgery, so he wouldn't force the issue.
"Young man, you'll have to endure it then!"
After saying this, the lead surgeon instructed the nurse to prepare for the operation.
The fact that Lin Yi was not afraid of pain did not mean he wouldn't feel it, but this level of pain was within his tolerable range.
Thinking back to when he fell from the summit of West Star Mountain, that was far more painful—it was the kind of pain where your internal organs felt like they had been displaced...
"Young man, how did you get injured?"
The lead surgeon, Sun Weimin, was an experienced surgeon. He possessed excellent medical skills, but he was also highly skilled at reading people.
Although Lin Yi had a gunshot wound, he didn't look like the type of criminal suspect the police usually brought in. Therefore, Sun Weimin took the initiative to strike up a conversation to distract Lin Yi and help alleviate his pain.
"In a bank. I was shot by a robber."
Lin Yi understood Sun Weimin's intention perfectly. In reality, how easy was it to distract someone like him?
Since childhood, Lin Yi had been trained never to let his guard down or allow his attention to wander under any circumstances.
"I see."
Upon hearing this, Sun Weimin's suspicion was confirmed; the young man was a victim, not a suspect. He relaxed his tone and spoke more freely: "The situation must have been very tense at the time, right?"
"It was alright."
Lin Yi smiled. "Actually, I could have dodged it. But there was a girl behind me. If I had dodged, she would have been in trouble, so I had to take the bullet head-on. Sounds a bit foolish, doesn't it?"
Lin Yi had seen similar news reports in the mountains before—people who did good deeds were called fools, while the indifferent and selfish were called smart.
Thus, Lin Yi spoke with a hint of self-deprecation.
"Huh?"
Hearing how Lin Yi had been injured, Sun Weimin felt an immediate surge of admiration. "Young man, you are truly great! That's not being a fool; that's a hero saving a beauty! So, did that girl fall in love with you at first sight?"
"After that, I was taken hostage by the robbers. Who knows what she was thinking?"
Lin Yi gave a bitter smile. "At that moment, she probably didn't even think I took the bullet for her. After all, the criminal aimed at me."
"Even so, that's still very commendable! Young man, you know how to sacrifice yourself for others!"
Sun Weimin greatly appreciated Lin Yi. "What's your name?"
"Lin Yi. It's in the medical records," Lin Yi smiled.
"Haha, my apologies. I deal with so many patients every day that I rarely pay attention to these details," Sun Weimin said somewhat sheepishly.
The surgery proceeded smoothly. Lin Yi neither screamed nor moved his leg erratically, allowing Sun Weimin to complete the minor procedure very quickly.
Lin Yi's reaction surprised him. Despite receiving no anesthesia, Lin Yi had remained so cooperative and steadfast. It seemed this young man's willpower was truly extraordinary!
After the surgery, Song Lingshan arrived at the ward to take Lin Yi's statement, only to run into the lead surgeon, Sun Weimin. Sun Weimin naturally spoke highly of Lin Yi: "Officer Song, this young man is truly rare. He sacrificed himself for others; he should be a model for social propaganda! You should award him a Citizen Excellence Award for Bravery!"
"What do you mean?"
Although Song Lingshan admired Lin Yi's calmness in the face of the criminal, it didn't quite count as "sacrificing himself for others."
When Chu Mengyao had given her statement, she hadn't gone into great detail about the specifics of Lin Yi taking the bullet in the bank; she had only mentioned he was shot by a criminal. Therefore, Song Lingshan was unaware of the underlying truth.
"Oh? You don't know? When that happened, Lin Yi clearly could have dodged the robber's shot. But he saw a girl behind him, and if he had dodged, she would have been hit. So, he stood his ground and took the bullet!"
Sun Weimin praised him enthusiastically. "I've never met a young man with such a sense of justice and compassion!"
Song Lingshan frowned. *Is this for real? It sounds like a story. Besides, is a bullet something you can just dodge because you want to?*
She was a former special forces instructor; even she couldn't guarantee that one could dodge a bullet just by trying. Was Lin Yi somehow more capable than her?
Song Lingshan found it hard to believe. "Dr. Sun, who told you this?"
"Lin Yi told me himself!" Sun Weimin replied.
"He said it himself?"
Song Lingshan was stunned. *Can we believe everything someone says about themselves? He's probably just bluffing you. I could claim I can kill an elephant with one punch, but would anyone believe me?*
Seeing her skepticism, Sun Weimin smiled. "The boy didn't even use anesthesia to remove the bullet, and he didn't even utter a sound of pain. Based on that level of fortitude, I believe what he says."
Sun Weimin had many other matters to attend to, so he couldn't chat with Song Lingshan indefinitely. After a few more words, he walked away, leaving Song Lingshan to push open the door and enter Lin Yi's ward.
Lin Yi originally wanted to get up and leave immediately, but that would be a bit too conspicuous. Since his injury was to his leg and not his arm, he decided to play along and lie on the hospital bed.
"Lin Yi, can we take the statement now?"
For some reason, seeing Lin Yi lying there with his leg crossed, Song Lingshan felt he was incredibly provocative.
"You can."
Lying on the bed, Lin Yi looked up at Song Lingshan. From this angle, he realized her figure... was on par with the adult film star he had seen this morning. Furthermore, upon closer inspection, Song Lingshan was quite beautiful. *Mmm... uniform temptation...*
Perhaps sensing that Lin Yi's gaze was unusual, Song Lingshan instinctively followed his line of sight down to her own body, and her face instantly flushed red.
Due to long-term, high-intensity training, Song Lingshan's figure was exceptionally good—so good that it actually troubled her. She found it inconvenient and had even considered liposuction, but thought it would be too embarrassing and decided against it.
It had been fine in the special forces; under strict discipline, no one paid much attention to her physique, so she hadn't cared much.
However, since starting her job, she often had to perform missions in plain clothes and frequent places where all sorts of people gathered, which made her feel uneasy. Men were constantly eyeing her with lecherous looks, and she often felt like kicking them to death.
But what Song Lingshan hadn't expected was that she was wearing her uniform, yet Lin Yi still dared to stare at her like that. It was truly unforgivable!
Song Lingshan gave a cold snort and sat in the chair beside Lin Yi's bed, pondering how she could give this kid a little lesson...
Suddenly, thinking of the injury on his leg, an idea struck her...
(End of Chapter)