Chapter 87: At a Loss

In the command hall of the police headquarters in H City, the capital of H Province, more than a hundred officers, including the deputy chief, stood frozen in place like statues, not moving an inch.

Several dozen doctors in white coats had also arrived. They carried all manner of medical instruments, busily examining the immobilized officers.

"Dr. Wang, how is it? When will they wake up?" the mayor, Qin Tiannian, who had hurried over, asked a middle-aged doctor.

Dr. Wang was the most renowned medical expert in H City.

Yet Dr. Wang only shook his head and sighed. "Mayor Qin, that's hard to say. This is the first time we've encountered anything like this. Right now, the deputy chief and the others have entirely normal vital signs, but why they have fallen into a coma, we still need to study in detail."

"Dr. Wang, you must think of a way to get the deputy chief and the others awake as quickly as possible!" said Zhou He, the director of the police headquarters, his voice thick with anxiety. "This matter is of great importance!"

Mayor Qin was equally anxious. "Dr. Wang, I'll give you ten hours. By noon tomorrow, no matter what, you must make the deputy chief and the others wake up!"

"This... we'll do our utmost, but whether they can wake up, we truly can't guarantee it!" Dr. Wang wiped the sweat from his brow.

Though the difficulty was enormous, with the mayor's ironclad order, he did not dare disobey.

As time passed, the doctors used acupuncture, injections, and even drugs with peculiar odors for the officers to inhale. But the dazed policemen remained dazed, motionless as carvings.

Seeing this, Director Zhou and Mayor Qin both looked grim, hearts burning with impatience as they paced back and forth.

The police were supposed to be the steadfast shield guarding the people's safety, yet even the command hall of the police headquarters had been infiltrated by criminals, who had turned the deputy chief and so many officers into mindless husks. What would ordinary citizens think of that?

How could their safety be guaranteed in the future?

The repercussions of this incident would be extremely severe, and there was a very good chance it would reach the president's office in Dragon Capital, the seat of the Hualong Federation.

The director was the head of the H City police, and Mayor Qin was the top official overseeing the police. If what happened tonight in the command hall were to become public, both of them would have to answer for it.

From then on, their careers would carry an ugly stain, and promotion would become difficult.

So, no matter what, Director Zhou and Mayor Qin had to find a way to make the deputy chief and the officers wake up quickly, and prevent this matter from leaking out.

They also could not keep a lid on it for long. After all, a secret cannot be buried forever. That was why Mayor Qin had issued such a severe order to Dr. Wang.

Dr. Wang was so anxious that sweat covered his forehead as he and the experts who had arrived continued to discuss and experiment.

But as time ticked by, there was still not the slightest effect. The deputy chief and the officers remained as wooden as ever.

At last, Dr. Wang suggested, "Mayor Qin, Director Zhou, the medical equipment here is too limited. I propose moving the deputy chief and all the officers to H City First Hospital, where we can give them full-scale treatment."

"No!" Mayor Qin cut him off at once. "If we move more than a hundred people in such a large operation, it will certainly attract the media's attention. Once this matter is exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable."

What Mayor Qin said was true. In the Hualong Federation, freedom of speech was highly valued, and even a mayor could not restrain the news media.

"Then..." Dr. Wang said awkwardly, "even if we move the deputy chief and the others to First Hospital, we still have no confidence that we can make them wake up by noon tomorrow. If they stay here, it is even less possible."

Director Zhou said, "What equipment do you need? I'll have people send it over."

Dr. Wang shook his head. "Many sophisticated medical devices take a long time to install, and they require specialists to calibrate them. Besides, this place simply cannot accommodate such equipment."

For a moment, both Mayor Qin and Director Zhou were at a loss.

"Continue treating them. Director Zhou and I will go outside to discuss this," said Mayor Qin.

Dr. Wang nodded.

Qin Tiannian and Zhou He walked out of Command Hall Number One. In Command Hall Number Two, another deputy chief was overseeing the capture of the remaining fugitives and the members of the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group.

From time to time, deep voices and police reports drifted out from inside.

Qin Tiannian lit a cigarette and took a heavy drag, then frowned. "Old Zhou, should we move the unconscious officers to First Hospital or not?"

"Mayor Qin, if it really comes to it, I think we may have no choice but to move the deputy chief and the others to First Hospital. After all, if time drags on and something happens to the deputy chief and the officers, that's more than a hundred lives at stake," Zhou He said after a moment's thought, his worry plain.

At this, Mayor Qin flicked the half-smoked cigarette to the ground and crushed it under his heel. With a long sigh, he made a difficult decision.

"Very well. Even if it costs us our positions, we must save the deputy chief and the officers!"

"Yes, Mayor Qin, that is only right!" Zhou He agreed.

Having reached their decision, the two immediately pushed open the doors of Command Hall Number One and went back inside.

"Mayor Qin, Director Zhou, what have you decided?" Dr. Wang asked.

Mayor Qin glanced at the deputy chief and the others, still frozen in stupor, and said in a deep voice, "Move all unconscious police personnel to First Hospital at once!"

"Understood!" Dr. Wang's expression eased somewhat at those words.

At once, everyone began preparing for the transfer.

At that moment, two people strode rapidly toward Command Hall Number One: a strikingly voluptuous and alluring female officer, and a young man with a crew cut and slightly dark skin.

They were Fang Jing and Chen Xian, who had rushed over without pausing for breath.

"What are you doing?" Fang Jing stopped a police officer and asked.

"Mayor Qin and Director Zhou want us to take our unconscious colleagues and the deputy chief to First Hospital!"

Hearing this, Chen Xian said to Fang Jing, "Tell them to stop. Don't send them to First Hospital. It will be useless even if you do. Modern medical methods simply cannot solve the problem of the officers' coma."

"All right!" Fang Jing immediately shouted, "Everyone stop!"

At her cry, the police all turned to look toward Chen Xian and Fang Jing, and their hands paused in mid-motion.

"What is going on?" A doctor in a white coat stepped out, frowning as he addressed Fang Jing.

He was Dr. Wang.

Fang Jing repeated Chen Xian's words. "Master Chen said..."

"I don't care what master you mean. Right now, please move aside immediately and stop interfering with our work!" Dr. Wang believed only in science.

Fang Jing's face turned cold, and she was about to continue trying to persuade him.

"Dr. Wang, what's wrong?" At that moment, Mayor Qin and Director Zhou walked over.