Chapter 2

No one had called 120.

Bark couldn’t wait any longer and directly picked up his father, carrying him on his shoulders and running!

Bada Cheng, lying on his son’s shoulder, actually felt quite comfortable, not at all bumpy!

The railway hospital wasn’t far from here, but a kilometer was still a strenuous distance for an ordinary person. However, passing through the bustling and noisy market street, with many people watching curiously, Bark adjusted his breathing and arrived in a flash. The security guard at the entrance, seeing the scene, quickly helped them rush into the emergency department. Bark carefully placed his father on the emergency bed and took out the work ID from his father’s work uniform pocket: “Employee medical, leg fracture, no open wound, already positioned and restored, local abrasions not disinfected yet…”

The emergency doctor, already in surgical scrubs, was a bit stunned: “Then… what do you want me to do? Nurse! Disinfect and administer a tetanus shot, apply a cast…”

The nurse had already untied the bandage, revealing two metal wiper frames, and chuckled: “Your splint is quite resourceful…”

The doctor still reached out to touch the injured area and was surprised: “Broken?” To be honest, with such a quick delivery, the wound muscles hadn’t had time to swell or become inflamed. By his experience, he couldn’t feel the break, indicating how accurately it had been set!

The key was that Bark had done it without anesthesia.

Bada Cheng regained his strength and was proud: “My son! My son set it…” He didn’t even realize he was the patient.

The doctor recognized the skill: “Your technique is quite neat, steady, accurate, and decisive. Which hospital are you from?” Setting bones isn’t difficult; anyone can do it. The challenge lies in knowing the bone’s condition and displacement by touch alone, and restoring it perfectly. Many doctors today rely on CT scans and X-rays before they dare to operate. Being able to set bones blindly is a sign of expertise. If he knew that this dark-faced man had glanced and set the bone in an instant, he would have been amazed.

Bark replied calmly: “Home-stay Academy…” The young doctor laughed.

In the battlefield, every moment counts. A slow hand could mean a head wound. After countless drills, how could he not be fast?

Railway employees have their conveniences. Liu Shufen quickly brought Bada Cheng’s medical card, and the medical expenses were fully covered. Neighbors, one after another, rushed to the hospital upon hearing the news.

The man who ran the black tricycle was also a familiar face in the dormitory area. His wife looked anxious: “Old Ding was detained!”

As soon as she spoke, a sharp voice was heard: “That’s him! He smashed my car and hit me… Officer, I want to press charges for intentional harm! He’s clearly crazy from poverty and trying to extort money!”

Bark, standing by the bed, looked over his mother’s shoulder and saw the suit-clad man, still covered in dirt, pointing at him angrily, with two police officers frowning.

Liu Shufen, though a primary school teacher, wasn’t a refined lady. She jumped up and started cursing: “What are you doing! Driving and hitting people, not allowing rescue, only caring about your broken car! I hit you!”

Most of the onlookers at the accident scene were neighbors from the dormitory area. They had spread the news, and now, under Liu Shufen’s encouragement, the scene was lively: “Officer, he almost hit little Bark too, it was a serious incident…”

The suppressed anger from the accident scene erupted with the advantage of numbers.

“He started it, little Bark was saving people, and he still tried to hit them, I can testify!”

“Extortion? He fell down immediately, you’ll be paying a fortune, believe me, two old ladies could lie under your car right now!”

The police were overwhelmed by the noise. An old police officer, recognized by the crowd, arrived: “Old Ji! You come and judge, Old Ba was hit and trapped under the car, not only did he not allow rescue, but he also hit little Bark. If not for little Bark saving his father, Old Ba might have become a flat piece of paper!”

This man, likely skilled in rhetoric, spouted it out quickly and clearly, and the crowd fell silent for a moment. The old police officer saw Bark: “Little Bark? You’re back?”

Bark vaguely remembered this neighbor who worked at the railway police station and nodded: “Yes, the situation was urgent, saving lives should be the priority, I don’t know much else.” He was indeed unfamiliar with the current domestic policies and laws. In Europe, putting people first wasn’t just a slogan; it was a reality, regardless of economic development.

Old Ji frowned at the suit-clad man: “You say he hit you, are you injured? Since you’re at the hospital, get a check-up, but don’t pretend to have a headache. You never mentioned a headache before. Where did he hit you?”

The suit-clad man actually lowered his head, searching his body before pointing to his abdomen: “Here! It hurts…”

The young police officer, who had been following him, was already impatient: “You didn’t cry out in pain? Filing a false report has consequences. Go for an X-ray now. If there are no injuries or damage, you’ll be charged with a false report!”

The woman who had been taking photos on her phone couldn’t find any evidence, as Bark’s move was too quick. She helped lift the man’s shirt: “Here, right here…” But there was nothing but a pile of fat, no marks. That punch was very precise, not damaging the skin or muscles, just affecting the diaphragm to disrupt breathing and bodily functions temporarily.

So, there were many people cheering, and other patients also poked their heads out, many from the railway system, and those who knew the family joined in.

Old Ji waved his hand: “Alright, alright… The traffic police are already at the scene. You were at fault, and the insurance company will handle the compensation… What are you still fussing about?”

The man was不服气 (unwilling to give in): “Compensate for my medical expenses!”

Liu Shufen was so angry she laughed: “If not for my son, I would have lost my life today!” She grabbed something nearby and threw it, startling the couple, and the crowd cursed them.

The man, either obsessed with money or genuinely attached to his car, dared to stand against the crowd: “It’s a new car! Even if the insurance covers the repairs, it won’t be worth much. Your unlicensed black tricycle should compensate for the depreciation…”

The three police officers were almost dismissive but had to mediate: “So you don’t agree with the mediation… The car has insurance, we only handle civil disputes. Go for a medical examination now…”

They actually had to protect the couple and escort them out!

This was a group mocking, almost everyone present. Bark was somewhat amused and puzzled. Was it really necessary? A car he could lift by himself, how rich could it be?

This was a poor and rough area, and the old state-owned unit didn’t have many obedient citizens.

As the police escorted the couple out, someone whispered: “That car… wasn’t it smashed to pieces? I’ll go pick up a wheel…” and left.

Others, realizing what was happening, followed: “I’ll take a rearview mirror, my motorcycle needs one…”

“The seat is nice, good for resting in the shade…”

They all said goodbye to the family, promising to bring chicken claw soup, pig trotter soup, and other nourishing soups to visit Old Ba, and left in a rush.

Even the detained Old Ding, holding Bada Cheng’s straw hat, hurried over: “Your father kept saying he wanted to eat pig head meat… He said he wanted to drink with you, I’ll go see if I can find a fender to fix my tricycle!” and ran off.

Bark saw them off: “Thanks, Uncle Ding. I’ll drink with Dad, and thank everyone later.” Soon, the empty ward was left with just the family of three.

Liu Shufen felt like crying again, looking at her tall, dark son and her husband lying in bed, feeling a mix of joy and sorrow.

Bada Cheng’s eyes were fixed on his son, full of emotion, as if he had been given morphine, not caring about the pain in his leg.

Bark, familiar with such injuries, suggested: “Let’s go home. It’s easier to take care of everything there. This is just about recovery, I understand this.”

At this moment, anything he said was fine. Liu Shufen held the IV bottle, and Bark carried his father to complete the discharge procedures. With the leg already in a cast, there was no worry about deformation, and carrying him this way, Bark realized how light his once towering father was, and how strong he had become.

Bada Cheng, with little education, seemed to share a bond with his son. Not wanting his son to be unhappy, he shouted for a drink as soon as they left the hospital, ignoring the doctor’s advice. Bark nodded: “It’s for circulation, a little won’t hurt, let’s be happy!”

Liu Shufen quickly bought a small bottle of liquor from a convenience store.

They were truly happy.

Under the night sky, Bark carried his father, who held a bottle of liquor and a straw hat with pig head meat, taking a sip and a bite, extremely happy!

Liu Shufen, holding the IV bottle, was also smiling.

As they passed the accident site, the family was stunned. The insurance company’s tow truck had arrived, but the car was just an empty frame!

Without the wheels, the mechanics lifted the light frame and threw it onto the tow truck: “What’s the point of repairing this? The damage is just the shell, how can it be repaired into a computer?”

Bark, carrying his father, and his mother, laughing, walked a short distance and heard a scream: “My car…”

The police’s voice was also “helpless”: “The insurance company asked you to wait for the tow truck. You left it on the side of the road and went to the hospital. Discuss the responsibility with the insurance company. Please sign the police report, or come to the station and wait for news?”

In this railway dormitory area, finding the wheels was like a dream.

The suit-clad man’s face was ashen.

Bada Cheng, not a heavy drinker, fell asleep quickly after a few drinks. Bark told his mother to rest and took a shower, changing into his father’s undershirt and shorts, and sat on a stone bench by the wall of the dormitory building under the moonlight.

The heavy feeling in his heart finally became clear.

He had returned like a deserter, leaving everything in Europe behind. If he were to stay with his parents, what could he do?

The feeling of heaviness he felt standing in the family area’s courtyard became even clearer!

Poverty!

This place was still as poor as ever. He had thought that the hard-earned money from his life-and-death struggles would change his and his parents’ lives forever.

But after seven years in Europe, having earned the reputation of a life-and-death judge in the mercenary industry, he returned to his parents with empty hands. What could he do now?

He didn’t worry about the large sum of money in a German local bank, which would be transferred to his parents’ account in China if no new deposit was made within a year, to prevent his unfortunate death in the bloody battlefield. Although he couldn’t operate the funds in China, the money was safe.

But Bark knew he had a psychological issue, even a disgust for the war-tainted money. The key was, what should he do now? Sell the house and live off the savings until old age?

Or join the idle, bullying neighbors?

Bark felt he couldn’t do that, being a strong, able-bodied man…

Be a killer? That was indeed his specialty, but in this society, illegal activities would only worry his parents.

Be a doctor? That was more complicated. He was as skilled as a famous 68W-coded battlefield medic, a SOCM (Special Operations Combat Medic), but all his skills were honed in blood and flesh in battle. Besides his comrades and the mercenaries who knew his reputation, he had no official credentials. Moreover, he didn’t think his battlefield emergency skills would be of much use in this society, except in cases like today’s accident.

The bottle of liquor was already at his lips, the strong smell of cheap liquor made Bark pause. Having spent years with Eastern European comrades, he could drink, but… feeling a bit down, he still raised the bottle.

The ugly faces of the seemingly successful suit-clad couple from today flashed in his mind… Poverty should not, and would not, be a word associated with him.

The page turned, and the advertisement began.

The page turned, and the advertisement ended.