94: Chapter 94 Facing Danger with a Broken Body! Bearing Heavy Responsibilities Despite Severe Wounds, Showing True Heart in the Face of Crisis (4)

"Engineer Mu, you're finally awake! Rest assured, the core reactor is completely safe now. The temperature has long since dropped to normal thresholds, and we've successfully sealed all the leak points. You've truly performed a great service!" Zhang Hongyuan tightly held Mu Li's hand, his voice choking up. His face was filled with unavoidable heartache and admiration, and his tone carried a hint of self-reproach. "It's our fault. We shouldn't have let you push yourself so hard, shouldn't have let you take such a huge risk and rush here with half your life already gone from illness, only to collapse from exhaustion. For now, don't think about anything or worry about anything. Just rest well. We've already arranged an ambulance to take you to the hospital immediately. We'll definitely use the best medicine and find the best doctors to make sure you recover as quickly as possible."

Hearing this, Mu Li gave a weak, gentle nod, his lips barely curling into a gratified smile. Then, he slowly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep—to be honest, he was truly far too exhausted. Over the past few days, from being kidnapped and tortured to rushing to the project site in the rain with his unhealed injuries, and then leading the high-intensity emergency repairs, the intense physical pain combined with extreme mental tension had long since drained every ounce of his strength. Now that the crisis was finally resolved, the taut string in his heart finally snapped. He could no longer hold on, but at last, he could rest in peace for a while.

Everyone carefully lifted Mu Li into the ambulance, fearing that even the slightest movement would pull at his wounds and cause him more pain. The ambulance immediately sped toward the nearest hospital with its lights flashing and sirens wailing. Outside the window, the morning sun was slowly rising. Golden sunlight spilled across the damp earth, completely dispelling the gloom and darkness left by last night's rainstorm. It illuminated this land that had just survived a crisis and endured hardships, and it lit every step of the ambulance's path. Mu Li lay quietly in the ambulance, his brow slightly relaxed. Gone was the usual tension and the bone-deep determination; in its place was a visible exhaustion and a rare sense of peace. In his palm, he still tightly clutched a small fragment of a sealing blanket. The fragment wasn't large, but it felt exceptionally heavy—it was the best testament to his strenuous struggle against this major crisis, a symbol of his adherence to his original intent and his assumption of his mission, and a heavy medal of honor for risking his broken body after enduring torture.

In truth, Mu Li knew in his heart that his body would likely never return to the way it was before. The branding iron wounds on his back hadn't fully healed, the old injuries to his lumbar spine were aching anew, and now he had coolant burns as well. These pains might follow him for the rest of his life, and he feared he might never be able to fully devote himself to scientific research like he used to. Yet even so, he didn't regret it at all. From being kidnapped by Overseas Forces and subjected to various tortures, refusing to reveal a single word of the core technology even while imprisoned, to later rushing to the project site amidst a violent storm with a body covered in scars, he had never wavered, let alone retreated. He always remembered his original intent and his mission, knowing that he carried the core interests of the country and the safety of countless people on his shoulders. As long as the country and the project needed him, no matter how difficult or dangerous, even if he only had half a life left, he would step forward without hesitation. He would use his broken body to do everything in his power to protect the nation's core energy technology, the safety of countless people, and the never-changing faith in his heart.

Three days later, Mu Li slowly woke up in the hospital's intensive care unit. This time, his injuries were even more severe and complex than when he was first rescued—besides the branding iron wounds and lumbar fractures that hadn't yet healed, there were now minor coolant burns. Combined with the severe physical exhaustion from overexertion, the difficulty of treatment had suddenly increased significantly. The medical team didn't dare to be the least bit careless. They immediately adjusted the treatment plan and initiated a comprehensive regimen of "Emergency Stabilization, Injury Recovery and Lumbar Care, and Anti-Debility and Sequelae Prevention." Everyone gave their all, solely to stabilize Mu Li's condition as quickly as possible, help alleviate his pain, and ensure a speedy recovery.

During the first few days of his admission, the primary task was to stabilize Mu Li's vital signs and alleviate the physical weakness caused by overexertion, as well as the piercing pain from the coolant burns. The medical staff continuously administered nutrient solutions and energy mixtures every day to gradually replenish his depleted physical strength. At the same time, they constantly monitored his blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature, not daring to miss even the slightest change for fear of any accidents, doing everything to ensure his vital signs stabilized as quickly as possible.

Some may not know that coolant is no ordinary substance; it is a highly corrosive, low-temperature medium. Therefore, the burns it causes are completely different from the common high-temperature scalds we usually see. The core damage it brings is a dual injury of "corrosive irritation + low-temperature frostbite." The wounds mostly appear as whitened epidermis, edema, and ulceration, and deep tissues are particularly prone to ischemic necrosis. Furthermore, the pain is extremely intense, healing is very slow, and it can lead to local tissue adhesion later on, making treatment exceptionally troublesome. Thus, the specialized treatment for such burns must follow the core principle of "neutralize first, then debride, then repair, and prevent adhesion." Every step must be precise, without the slightest negligence.

The medical staff immediately performed emergency neutralization on the areas where Mu Li had coolant burns—mainly his hands, neck, and a small part of his forearms. They used a 2% sodium bicarbonate solution to repeatedly rinse his wounds. Each rinse lasted no less than 15 minutes, and the flow rate was strictly controlled throughout the process, fearing that if the water flowed too fast, it would scrub the wounds and cause Mu Li secondary injury. The purpose of this was to neutralize the acidic corrosiveness of the coolant and reduce its continuous irritation of Mu Li's deep tissues, thereby lessening his suffering. After the rinsing was complete, the medical staff used sterile gauze to gently dab his wounds dry, not daring to rub them at all for fear of hurting him. Subsequently, they applied medical frostbite repair gel, which contains recombinant human epidermal growth factor to promote wound healing. The medical staff carefully and evenly covered his wounds and the surrounding 0.5-centimeter area with the gel, forming a protective film that could both isolate external irritation and slightly alleviate the stinging pain from the low-temperature frostbite.

For daily wound care, the medical staff adopted a "layered dressing change + sterile isolation" model. Because the frequency of movement in the hand and neck wounds differed, the methods for fixing the dressings were also different. For the burn areas on the hands, the medical staff chose waterproof sterile foam dressings. After fitting them to the wounds, they gently wrapped and secured them with elastic bandages. This ensured the dressings wouldn't easily fall off while also avoiding pressure on the blood circulation in Mu Li's fingertips, making it easier for him to perform slight finger movements later. For the neck wounds, the medical staff chose breathable sterile hydrocolloid dressings, which could better fit the curves of the neck and prevent the dressings from falling off due to Mu Li's daily movements like turning his head or swallowing. The medical staff changed Mu Li's dressings twice a day. Before each change, they would rinse his wounds again with sterile saline to clean away residual secretions and ointment. Then, using sterile forceps, they carefully peeled away the necrotic epidermal tissue from his wounds. If the necrotic tissue was deep, they did not force the peeling, fearing damage to his dermis that would worsen his injury. After cleaning, they reapplied the repair gel and an antibacterial ointment—silver sulfadiazine cream was chosen. This ointment is highly targeted and can effectively prevent bacterial infections that easily occur in corrosive wounds, minimizing the chance of Mu Li's wounds worsening due to infection.

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Honestly, Mu Li has been incredibly resilient throughout this journey.

Unlike the burning pain from the branding iron wounds on his back, the coolant burns caused a piercing, bone-chilling agony.

Especially when they came into contact with water or were accidentally bumped, the pain would intensify sharply, something an ordinary person could never endure.

While changing his dressings, Mu Li would often tremble slightly from the pain, his body drenched in cold sweat, yet he never made a sound.

He remained silent, merely clenching his other hand into a tight fist until his fingernails were almost digging into his flesh, stubbornly bearing all the torment without ever crying out in pain or complaining of fatigue.

Once Mu Li's vital signs stabilized, the focus of treatment shifted to healing his old injuries and managing the sequelae.

For the branding iron wounds on his back that had not yet fully healed, the medical staff continued with debridement and nursing care, while also adding infrared irradiation therapy, administered twice daily for fifteen minutes each time.

This infrared therapy primarily utilized the warming effect of infrared rays to promote blood circulation in the wound area, accelerate healing, and reduce scar proliferation, which would help minimize scarring and alleviate some of the pain caused by the aftereffects.

As for his lumbar fracture, in addition to the previous waist support fixation, the medical staff added traditional Chinese medicine bone-setting and acupuncture treatments, performed three times a week.

The TCM doctor responsible for the bone-setting and acupuncture was highly professional; each time, they used gentle techniques to massage the acupoints on Mu Li's lower back, relieving tension and pain in the lumbar muscles.

The acupuncture targeted the meridians around his lumbar spine to promote bone repair.

After each acupuncture session, Mu Li would feel a dull, aching sensation in his lower back, but after this subsided, he could clearly feel that the pain had lessened significantly.

Therefore, even though he had to endure considerable discomfort during each session, he never refused and always cooperated actively.

Everyone knew that because Mu Li had previously been kidnapped and tortured, and later braved the rain to rush repairs on the project, his lumbar rehabilitation training had been constantly interrupted, making his recovery slower and more difficult.

Considering this, the medical staff specifically formulated a step-by-step rehabilitation plan, not daring to rush things for fear of increasing the burden on his lumbar spine.

At the beginning, it was just the simplest lumbar stretching, practiced for ten minutes a day, allowing him to gently move his lower back while lying flat, keeping the range of motion to a minimum to avoid straining the fractured area; as long as he could move it a little, that was enough.

A week later, the medical staff slowly increased the training intensity, guiding him in simple lumbar and back muscle exercises, such as the five-point support method—which involved lying flat, supporting his body with his head, elbows, and feet, and then gently lifting his hips, holding for five seconds each time, doing three sets a day, with five repetitions per set.

This movement looked extremely simple and was nothing to a normal person, but for Mu Li, it was exceptionally difficult.

Each time he lifted his hips, his lumbar spine would send out sharp, intense pain, and the wounds on his back would also be pulled, making him break out in a sweat from the pain.

He was often exhausted after just one set, his whole body trembling, but he never gave up halfway.

Even if his form faltered or he felt like he couldn't hold on due to the pain, he would grit his teeth and persist in completing his daily training quota, never once slacking off.

Besides this, the medical staff also took targeted intervention measures for the various sequelae Mu Li suffered from, trying their best to help him alleviate the pain and reduce the impact of these aftereffects.

For example, regarding his frequent late-night wound pain and lower back pain, in addition to administering long-acting painkillers, the medical staff also provided hot compress care before he went to sleep every day, using warm towels on his back and lower back to gradually soothe his pain and help him get a good night's sleep.

Furthermore, for the symptoms of dizziness and fatigue caused by his extreme physical weakness and severe injuries, the medical staff arranged half an hour of oxygen therapy for him every day and adjusted his nutritional meals, specifically adding ingredients that nourish Qi and blood, such as red dates, longan, and Chinese yam, to gradually improve his physical weakness and allow him to slowly regain his strength.

As for the issues of stiffness in his fingertips and scar proliferation, the medical staff arranged for someone to give him hand massages every day, applied anti-scarring ointment, and insisted on stretching exercises, helping him little by little to restore the flexibility of his fingers and minimize the troubles caused by scar proliferation.

During his treatment, everyone was very concerned about Mu Li's condition, and no one ever let him feel alone.

Every day, after finishing his work on the project, Zhang Hongyuan would rush to the hospital to visit him without delay.

Sometimes he would accompany Mu Li during his rehabilitation training, chat with him to relieve his psychological pressure, or explain the progress of the project in detail so that Mu Li could rest easy and not have to keep worrying about it.

Lin Wei also came often, bringing homemade, light, and delicious meals she had prepared herself to supplement Mu Li's nutrition; after all, no matter how good hospital food was, it couldn't compare to the taste of home.

Lin Wei would also chat with Mu Li to alleviate his boredom, help him wipe his body, tidy up his clothes, and take care of him with meticulous attention.

Chen Feng would also come regularly to report the progress of the investigation into the Brother Hus Criminal Syndicate and the security deployment at the project site, allowing Mu Li to recuperate with peace of mind and not worry about these troublesome matters.

Yet even so, Mu Li never forgot his responsibilities or the nuclear fusion power station project.

Although he was confined to his hospital bed and extremely weak—feeling dizzy and tired just from talking too much—whenever his physical condition allowed, he would find time to review project documents and hold video conferences with team members to understand the situation on the project.

Sometimes, when the medical staff saw him like this, they couldn't help but urge him to rest more, telling him not to worry too much about the project and that taking care of his health was the most important thing.

But each time, Mu Li would smile and wave his hand, saying, "It's fine, really. I'm just looking over project matters; it makes me feel more at ease, and it helps distract me from the pain. It's not a problem."

In truth, everyone knew that it wasn't about distracting himself from the pain; he simply couldn't let go of the project or the nation's core interests.

Even while suffering from severe injuries, he always kept his responsibilities and mission in mind.

Thus, under the professional treatment of the medical team and the careful care of Zhang Hongyuan, Lin Wei, Chen Feng, and others, Mu Li's body slowly began to improve, getting better day by day.

The wounds from the coolant burns slowly healed, and that piercing, bone-chilling pain disappeared.

The branding iron wounds on his back slowly scabbed over, fell off, and grew new, tender flesh; although they still left hideous scars that looked a bit frightening, at least they no longer hurt.

The pain in his lumbar spine was also significantly relieved; he was already able to sit up on his own, and even walk a few steps with the help of his waist support.

The symptoms of dizziness and fatigue from before had also lessened considerably, his mental state was getting better and better, and there was gradually some color in his face, no longer as pale and weak as before.

However, the medical staff repeatedly urged Mu Li that the sequelae left by his lumbar fracture and deep branding iron wounds could not be completely eradicated.

He had to persist with long-term rehabilitation training, wear his waist support every day, and not slack off.

He also had to avoid overexertion and catching a cold; the slightest lack of attention could worsen his condition.

He also had to be extra careful with his diet, keeping it light and nutritious, avoiding spicy or greasy food.

He also had to come to the hospital for regular check-ups.

Once any symptoms like increased wound pain, dizziness, or fatigue appeared, he had to come to the hospital for medical attention immediately and not delay, otherwise, the injuries would easily recur, which would only be more troublesome and painful.

Mu Li listened carefully each time and agreed to everything.

He knew that the medical staff were doing it for his own good, and he also wanted to recover as quickly as possible and return to his post, so he would definitely cooperate fully and take good care of himself.