American comic: From Beijing with Love, starting with a mutant.

"I'll go inside for a bit."

Zhou Xingxing looked at Dr. Qiu, who had followed him out.

Dr. Qiu frowned: "He just had his third debridement, and the risk of infection in the wound is extremely high. Even a single speck of dust could kill him."

"I know what I'm doing," Stephen Chow said softly. "I can only help him calm down the turbulent blood pressure in his body so that he suffers less."

Dr. Qiu stared at him for a few seconds before finally giving in. She turned to the nurse and instructed, "Strict disinfection, wear the highest level of protective gear. Don't touch any of his wounds. Monitor the data closely, and stop immediately if there's even the slightest fluctuation."

"clear."

Stephen Chow took off his suit and put on a protective suit.

The ward was quiet.

The infusion pump operates at a fixed rhythm, and the heart rate on the bedside screen remains around 120.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Old Zhou placed his right hand on the intact skin of Luke's left arm near his shoulder.

The internal energy is slowly sent in.

First, go to the heart and lungs to stabilize the rapidly beating heart. Then, gradually disperse the energy along the still-circulating blood vessels.

The burned tissue was completely necrotic, but the surviving muscle groups gradually became less stiff under the soothing influence of Qi.

Internal energy is not a magic elixir; it cannot restore dead flesh.

But this stuff can help this kid get through the toughest few days.

My heart rate dropped from 122 to 106, and stabilized at 94 a few minutes later.

On the hospital bed, Luke's only movable left hand twitched slightly.

He tilted his head with difficulty toward Stephen Chow.

A few minutes later, it stabilized at 94.

On the hospital bed, Luke's only movable left hand twitched slightly.

His head tilted with difficulty toward the direction where Stephen Chow was, his chapped lips opening and closing several times before finally managing to squeeze out a faint, intermittent breath.

"Brother Zhou...is that you?"

Stephen Chow glanced at his protective suit and said, "I'm wrapped up like a steamed bun, how can you still recognize me?"

"The smell of smoke." Luke took a light breath.

"Smoking is strictly prohibited in hospitals! Your brother Zhou has always been a law-abiding and excellent cadre, I have never smoked in the hospital."

Luke didn't respond to the joke.

He remained silent for a long time before asking in a hoarse voice, "How's Linzi?"

"Three acres were burned."

"Is anyone injured?"

"No one but you."

Luke's shoulders slowly relaxed.

After a while, he continued, "Brother, I can't feel my wings anymore."

"It couldn't be saved."

"Can it still grow?"

"With current medical methods, it won't last long."

"Where are your eyes?"

"There's no way to restore it for the time being."

"Does your right hand need to be amputated?"

Stephen Chow looked at the arm resting beside him.

"Amputating below the elbow is currently the safest way to save your life. However, you're already awake, and the doctor will explain all the risks and circumstances to you in detail. No one can make that decision for you."

Luke said "Oh" and turned his face to the other side.

The ward fell silent again, and Stephen Chow continued to channel his internal energy.

"Brother Zhou."

"Um?"

"Looking like this... will the department still want me?"

Stephen Chow didn't say anything.

Luke took this brief pause as an implicit answer. His speech suddenly quickened, tinged with a panicked eagerness to distance himself.

"Brother, I'm not trying to get my salary from my company."

"Without wings, I can't fly up to do aerial patrols. With my eyesight gone, even if there are pests in the fields, I won't be able to locate them. If my right hand is also cut off... I won't even be able to hold the soil samples I bring back for testing."

"I'm...useless now."

When he said the last word, his voice trembled violently.

"People from Yinfeng have said before that damaged assets should not occupy beds. They should be recycled if necessary, and sent to the incinerator if necessary."

"I understand the rule."

Luke gripped the sheet with his left hand, then quickly let go.

"If it's inconvenient for you to support an idle person, just buy me a ticket once I can walk. I'll find a place myself and won't cause you any trouble."

"Are you done talking?"

Stephen Chow asked.

Luke hummed in agreement.

"Then it's my turn."

Stephen Chow slowed down his internal energy and leaned closer.

"This time, you were injured on duty, not your abilities were rendered useless."

"The Academy of Agricultural Sciences has already approved your work-related injury claim. All subsequent medical expenses, nursing care fees, and long-term rehabilitation costs will be covered by your employer. Your basic salary during your medical leave will continue to be paid in full."

"Third, no one touched your things in your single dormitory at the research institute. All the documents on the table are still in their original places. The old professor specifically had the last batch of soil samples you collected that day refrigerated and sealed, and the labels still bear Luke Shaw's name."

"The fact that you can smell the smoke from my unlit cigarette through the disinfectant means that your senses are still intact."

"If you can't fly in the future, you can do indoor sample screening. If you can't see, you can be fitted with a voice localization device. If you lose your right hand, the bureau will provide you with the best assistive device."

"If a job is not a good fit, we'll reassign it; if we don't have enough equipment, we'll add more."

"Even if none of these methods work, you can rest assured and follow the prescribed long-term recuperation procedure."

"You saved more than just three acres of forest. If the fire had crossed the firebreak that day, and the storage depot behind it had exploded, more than half of the county would have been affected."

Stephen Chow tucked the blanket in for him.

“But I didn’t think that much about it at the time.” Luke’s throat bobbed a few times. “The professor said that the forest had been planted for fourteen years. Every tree was raised from the height of half a chopstick.”

"When it became popular, I thought... I can't let his fourteen years be gone."

"Luke, listen carefully. You'll always be a member of Bureau 749."

The heart rate at the head of the bed is elevated.

Luke opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he finally asked, "So... can I still call you Brother Zhou from now on?"

"Call me whatever you want. Just don't do what Anton did and check my expense reports. You can call me godfather."

Luke wanted to laugh, but the sound he uttered aloud aggravated his injury, causing him to wince in pain.

"Don't move."

Stephen Chow then sent over some more internal energy.

"Your only task now is to focus on recovering. Don't cause the unit additional costs for secondary treatment."

"Two boxes of fragrant pears have been sent from Korla," he said. "I'll save a few for you once you can eat something."

Luke hesitated for a moment. "Has Edith been here?"

"I've been here before."

"Will there be any left?"

"This is indeed a serious problem."

Two knocks suddenly came from outside the glass, and Stephen Chow turned his head to look.

Leonardo da Vinci was wearing a blue surgical gown with an old apron printed with peonies over it, and he was holding a modified electric pressure cooker in his arms.

A transparent observation window was cut in the middle of the pot lid, which contained a pale yellow culture medium.

Two transparent films, each only the size of a coin, are swaying in the liquid.

Dr. Qiu stood to the side with a dark face, his eyes twitching. He had never seen a pressure cooker used for tissue culture in his life.

Leonardo da Vinci was arguing with Dr. Qiu next to him, "Who told you that wings can't grow back?"

Dr. Qiu stared at the contents of the pot.

"The growth tissue at the stump has completely deactivated; how did you manage to culture it?"

Leonardo da Vinci straightened the glasses that had been repaired with insulating tape.

"Just because the living don't want to work doesn't mean the dead can't be rehired!"

He patted the pressure cooker. "The adult specialized tissue re-employment guidance and cultivation device, thanks to my unremitting efforts, has achieved a preliminary success rate of 17.6%!"

"If they're lucky, mayflies might not only be able to continue flying, but their wings might even grow wider."