The paramedic in the ambulance checked on the antivenom serum availability.

The information quickly came back.

City People’s Hospital had anti-viper serum and anti-cobra serum.

The affiliated hospital had anti-Silver Ring Snake serum and anti-Five-step Snake serum.

And the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine stocked anti-Five-step Snake serum and polyvalent antivenom serum.

This was where the problem lay.

Because they didn’t know what type of snake had bitten the patient, they couldn’t just use any of the highly specific monovalent antivenom serums.

Using the wrong one wouldn’t just be ineffective; the foreign proteins in the serum could trigger a more severe anaphylactic shock and hasten the patient’s death.

The only option, it seemed, was the polyvalent antivenom serum stocked by the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which could cover a variety of common venomous snakes.

"Transfer her immediately! Get her to the emergency department at the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine," the doctor ordered decisively.

The ambulance’s siren wailed once more as it sped toward the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

...

「Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Emergency Department.」

By the time the ambulance arrived, He Li’s condition was already critical.

Her heart rate and blood pressure were dropping continuously, and her breathing grew fainter and fainter, as if it could stop at any moment.

The emergency department doctors immediately began life-saving measures.

A nurse administered an antiemetic shot and a drug to boost her metabolism.

Then, they arranged for an urgent blood test.

At the same time, He Li’s daughter, Wang Tongtong, received the call and rushed to the hospital in tears.

When Zhao Chunxiang and the others saw the family arrive and were frightened by the grave expressions of the ER doctors, they feared they’d be held responsible. They made an excuse, exchanged a look, and quickly slipped away from the hospital.

The ER doctors tried to get key information about the type of snake from He Li, who had fallen into a deep coma, but it was a futile effort.

Wang Tongtong called Zhao Chunxiang, but the woman on the other end of the line claimed to know nothing.

The doctors then examined the wound on He Li’s ankle, hoping to identify the snake from the shape of the bite marks.

Unfortunately, Zhao Chunxiang’s earlier "well-intentioned" and forceful squeezing had severely damaged the tissue around the wound. It was now horribly swollen and mangled, making it impossible to discern any clear bite marks.

All leads were gone.

With the situation critical, the emergency department immediately activated the hospital’s expert consultation protocol.

Soon, specialists from internal medicine, cardiology, and neurology all arrived one after another at the ER consultation room.

Professor Gao Guanghui, who had just finished his morning clinic hours, also hurried over, bringing Li Xu and Zhou Junwei with him.

The atmosphere in the consultation room was heavy.

He Li’s various test results and vital signs were projected onto a large screen.

"Esteemed specialists,"

The director of the emergency department looked at the crowd and got straight to the point. "The patient is in critical condition with typical symptoms of neurotoxin poisoning. However, we cannot currently identify the species of snake that bit her. We have only two options before us."

"First, we could risk using the anti-Five-step Snake serum we have in stock. The patient’s symptoms, such as convulsions and respiratory paralysis, are consistent with Five-step Snake neurotoxin poisoning. However, the signs are also similar to those of a Silver Ring Snake bite. This is just a guess, and if we guess wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"Second, we could use the relatively safer polyvalent antivenom serum. While this serum has broader coverage, it’s less specific, and its efficiency at neutralizing toxins is much lower than that of a monovalent serum. Given the patient’s critical state, it’s very likely... the dose won’t be effective enough."

The consultation room fell silent.

It was a difficult choice; either option carried enormous risk.

Li Xu had been observing the entire time without saying a word.

But he had an idea.

He thought of a special set of acupuncture techniques for treating snake venom recorded in Elder Cheng’s manuscripts.

In his notes, Elder Cheng had written with great compassion about the helpless patients he encountered in his youth—during the Republican Era in the 1930s—who had been bitten by venomous snakes.

In that era, the Dragon Country did not yet have the capability to produce and distribute specialized antivenom serums.

When ordinary people were bitten by venomous snakes, they could basically only rely on unreliable folk remedies and herbs, leaving their lives to fate.

The mortality rate was shockingly high.

The young Elder Cheng couldn’t bear to see his fellow countrymen die like that.

He immersed himself in the study of numerous ancient medical texts. He then combined this knowledge with his own profound understanding of Meridian Science and the Acupuncture Technique. After countless experiments and practical applications, he finally developed an exceptionally sophisticated method. This special technique involved needling specific acupoints to stimulate the body’s latent potential, accelerating the metabolism and expulsion of toxins.

With this set of techniques, Elder Cheng successfully snatched many lives back from the jaws of death during that era of scarce medicine.

But later, with the founding of the new Dragon Country and the advancement of modern medicine, various effective antivenom serums were developed and became widely available.

This ancient technique, which was fast-acting but also carried a risk of failure, gradually faded from the historical stage and fell into obscurity.

Although Li Xu had mastered this technique, which could be called a "lost art," he did not step forward immediately.

Because he knew very well.

’Times have changed.’

’In the modern medical system, when faced with a dangerous emergency like a snakebite, injecting antivenom is undoubtedly the most efficient, direct, and scientific method of treatment.’

’It’s the most mature solution, proven through countless clinical trials.’

’As miraculous as traditional acupuncture is, its main purpose is to support the body’s defenses and mobilize its internal energy. Its speed and efficiency in neutralizing toxins just can’t compare to modern biological agents.’

’When there are better, superior options available, to rashly step forward and try to save someone with an ancient method not recognized by mainstream medicine... it isn’t just irresponsible to the patient; it’s arrogant and conceited.’

So, he chose to remain silent.

He believed the hospital’s specialists would make the most professional and rational decision.

Today, he was merely an observer.

...

After a heated and difficult discussion, the consulting specialists finally reached a consensus.

They decided to go with the safer option—first, inject the patient with the polyvalent antivenom serum.

Although its effect might be weaker, at least it wouldn’t be the wrong choice and wouldn’t cause a more severe medical incident.

At the same time, they would supplement the treatment with a series of modern life-support measures, such as ventilator support and blood purification, hoping to help the patient get through this most dangerous period.