Putting his resolve into action required preparation to match.
Taesu, his eyes flashing, sent a signal to Nurse Casey.
"Hold on."
"Hmm?"
"It will only take a moment."
Taesu boldly left his spot and rushed straight to the general anesthesia machine.
The moment he arrived, his hands immediately began to move.
Because it was close by, he had already grasped the general layout.
Click, clack, snap.
Taesu’s hand movements were unexpectedly proficient.
In fact, Taesu knew how to handle most general anesthesia machines.
Furthermore, he had received direct instruction from the NGO’s top anesthesiologist, Doctor I Jakson, so he could operate them at an expert level.
He even had considerable experience, to the point where its origins traced back to Ijambak.
"SO2 normal, CO2 levels adequate, anesthetic gas volume..."
Taesu checked the numbers and finely adjusted the valve.
He directly added the lacking medications to the IV with a syringe.
Furthermore, while simultaneously monitoring the ECG, he carefully attempted to balance the patient’s precarious vitals.
"Starting with potassium, and then a cardiotonic..."
That wasn't all.
Taesu also took charge of the IV.
He replaced the depleted glucose and transfusion packs, and added electrolytes and sodium.
He also connected a new IV to the left wrist and attached an additional transfusion pack.
In fact, this was something Taesu always did in every surgery.
But not for the Japanese medical staff.
They were genuinely surprised.
"Wh-what on earth is that?"
"What’s he doing all by himself?"
"And they call him a resident?"
Swish.
The Japanese medical staff’s gazes cautiously turned toward Doctor Kuramoto.
Doctor Kuramoto, receiving those gazes, had both eyes completely bloodshot.
Tremble.
One of his cheeks was twitching on its own.
It seemed he was seething with enough fury inside to cause such a reaction.
He had expected them to be in a situation where surgery was utterly impossible and would kneel here with heads bowed.
But there was no sign of that.
Grind.
He ground his teeth at the irritation welling up within him.
Before anyone knew it, Taesu had returned to the operating table.
Replacing his surgical gloves with fresh ones, his eyes checked on the progress.
At the same time, he asked Jeong Minsu in English.
It was likely also a courtesy for the surgical team.
"It looks like the peripheral cleanup is almost done?"
"Fortunately, the wound is clean. The ribs are shattered, but nothing pierced through. The back seems to have been scraped quite a bit, so the bleeding was severe."
At those words, Nurse Casey looked at Taesu and backed him up.
"Doctor Jeong examined it at least three times. He even had Ellen and me check together, so thoroughly confirmed."
"Yet having me check too means you’re just timid."
"Seems like it."
When Nurse Casey agreed, Jeong Minsu, who was listening, denied it.
"That’s not it. I just like to be certain."
"Doctor Jeong, stop it."
When Doctor Jo Uncheol calmly scolded him, Jeong Minsu glanced around and finally shut his mouth.
The mood was calmed only for a moment.
Now was the time to proceed with the most important treatment.
Everyone seemed to sense it.
The air around the operating table slowly grew heavy.
Sensing exactly that, Taesu opened his mouth.
"Now I'll remove the branch."
Swish.
Taesu’s hand moved toward the branch.
Right as he was about to grab it.
"Everyone, stop there."
"..."
Taesu’s hand faltered, and his expression hardened.
And he slowly turned his head to look at the owner of the voice.
Doctor Kuramoto.
He came into view.
Zing.
Taesu’s gaze flashed coldly.
'So it comes to this after all?'
Jeong Minsu and the other surgical team members also hardened their expressions as they looked at him.
"..."
"..."
He must have spoken knowing it was a crucial moment.
Beep beep, beep beep.
The ECG sound had slowed somewhat, but it wasn't in a stable range.
And he was blocking them?
This couldn't be happening.
But Doctor Kuramoto seemed to think differently.
"Go stabilize the anesthesia again, and the rest of the medical staff, prepare for a lung extraction (pneumonectomy)."
"Yes."
"And make sure the traitor sees it too."
"Yes, sir!"
The Japanese medical staff, who had been sitting idly by, began to move.
Some even flashed threatening gazes toward Jo Uncheol.
Having already lost the surgery, they were now in danger of losing Jo Uncheol as well, who had changed his mind.
Taesu and everyone else could not stand by and watch such a thing happen.
Jeong Minsu and Jo Uncheol reacted especially fiercely.
"Ack."
"You bas..."
A curse was about to burst out.
At that moment, Taesu blocked them.
"Everyone, wait."
"..."
Everyone shut their mouths and glared. Taesu immediately added:
"You Japanese bastards, stop right now if you don't want to die."
"Huhu, why? Is it terrible thinking that what you did will come back to you in kind?"
Doctor Takeshi sneered frigidly.
Thud.
He took another step.
At the same time.
Taesu took a side step, approached, and immediately struck his abdomen with a side kick.
Thwack.
Taesu’s foot sank into his abdomen up to the ankle.
"Kuaaah..."
Slump.
Doctor Takeshi writhed in pain and finally rolled his eyes back, fainting.
It was a single blow.
"Kyaa..."
One of the Japanese nurses was about to scream.
Taesu spoke first.
"If you scream, you're next."
"Hup."
Clap.
She reflexively raised her hand to stifle the scream that was about to burst out.
The other Japanese medical staff froze in place.
The operating room fell silent in an instant.
Jeong Minsu looked at the collapsed Doctor Takeshi and slowly shook his head.
"It hurts a lot. I know."
It was a very small mutter, completely unrelated to the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Taesu’s gaze turned back to Doctor Kuramoto.
"Say it again."
"You think I can't?"
"So what?"
"I said I'd remove the lung."
Doctor Kuramoto answered nonchalantly.
Taesu stared at him and asked coldly.
"Why?"
"Because it's the fastest emergency treatment."
"You don't actually think that makes sense, do you?"
"It seems you're confused about the basics of emergency care. You just have to guarantee the patient's life as efficiently as possible. Only the life."
"As long as the life is guaranteed."
As Taesu chewed over those words, Doctor Kuramoto smiled a cold smile.
"You seem quite good at throwing a kick. I wonder if you can overcome a scalpel too."
Swish.
A scalpel was already in his hand.
The atmosphere around Taesu sank ever lower.
"One more question."
"Ask away."
"What is the job of a doctor to you?"
"Does it have to have meaning?"
When he replied with a question, Taesu chewed on it briefly.
"No meaning at all."
"If I had to find one, it's a great job for trampling arrogant bastards like you."
"Trampling."
"It's not bad to have a job where you're forgiven even for killing people."
Doctor Kuramoto was literally spewing nonsense.
Even in terms of numbers, the Japanese medical staff were far greater.
And some of the Japanese medical staff were targeting Nurse Casey and Nurse Ellen.
They were scheming all sorts of dirty tricks.
They were facing off like that.
"Keuk, keukeuk."
Suddenly, laughter was heard.
Everyone who had been tracing the source froze.
It was Taesu laughing at that moment.
"Hahaha."
He laughed refreshingly.
Seeing that, Jeong Minsu grew anxious.
"Taesu, what's wrong?"
"It's funny."
"What is, hey."
He shouted in a low voice, sounding genuinely worried.
Swish.
Taesu raised his hand and spoke calmly.
"No problem."
"We're surrounded by problems right now."
"I'm going to resolve them now."
"Huh?"
Jeong Minsu and the other surgical team members were bewildered.
Doctor Kuramoto sneered coldly at Taesu.
"Huhu, it would be troublesome if you've lost your mind as well."
It was then.
"That delirium seems like something you'll be experiencing soon, Kuramoto, you bastard."
Kim Hyeokgwon's voice was heard from somewhere.
Whoosh.
Everyone who turned their heads discovered Kim Hyeokgwon sticking his face through the vinyl-covered window.
"Ah."
"Seeing everyone like this makes me damn happy."
"Hyeokgwon."
When Taesu called him in a low voice, Kim Hyeokgwon replied with a bitter smile.
"When Doctor Choe mentioned it, I thought maybe, but it's flowing quite predictably."
"Indeed. Are all preparations complete?"
"Of course."
"Then please collect the trash."
Taesu made a request that no one could understand.
Had barely five seconds passed?
Bang.
The classroom door suddenly burst open.
"Gasp."
Everyone looked in surprise.
Through the open door, the guardians were entering one by one, wearing surgical gowns.
They were exactly the people seen in the truck bed.
Most were men and women in the prime of their youth, and they all radiated a murderous intent so fierce it felt ominous.
"Gasp."
"Hiiik."
Doctor Kuramoto and the Japanese medical staff were so shocked they could barely breathe.
They seemed to feel as if their bodies were being torn to shreds by those fierce gazes.
Taesu paid no heed and spoke to everyone.
"Cover the patient with surgical drapes for now."
"Yes."
Whoosh.
Green surgical drapes were spread from all directions, covering the patient's chest in several layers.
Contamination was thus blocked in the first stage.
Sepsis?
'Absolutely none.'
Taesu had treated the patient so that no problems would occur.
Jeong Minsu and Jo Uncheol lightly pressed on the drapes, minimizing contact with the outside air.
While the guardians had seized the initiative with their presence.
Kim Hyeokgwon stepped forward, peeled back the double vinyl, and entered.
Clack.
And with a cold smile, he spoke to Doctor Kuramoto and the Japanese medical staff.
"The guardians wish to have a lengthy conversation with you, and are telling you to come outside. Right this instant."
"Hu-uh."
"They said if you don't come out, they'll break in."
Kim Hyeokgwon finished speaking and smiled coldly.
The scales had completely tipped.
No one here would be able to withstand those guardians' rage.
But then.
Murmur, murmur.
Various sounds were heard from the hallway.
Then the guardians' ominous momentum flinched for a moment, and their gazes turned to one side.
Soon, two doctors in white coats entered the classroom.
One was Doctor Talon.
And the other.
"Doctor Oliver?"
Taesu's expression immediately hardened.
Doctor Oliver was not someone particularly well-disposed toward Taesu.
"Huff, huff."
Judging by his heavy breathing, he seemed to have run here.