Death Spiral [Infinite Flow] - Chapter 108

Chapter 108 – Without a Key 20

Since Xu RenDong came out unconscious this time and Lian Qiao had even put tape around his mouth, there was no one to hear the vague sentence from the elevator. But anyway there’s no use getting caught up on this and Xu RenDong was too lazy to care.

Back in the present world, the days passed peacefully. The two spent a quiet and sweet weekend at home and arrived at the hospital early on Monday.

Lian Qiao’s foot injury had not yet reached the time of review but Xu RenDong was worried that he had exerted himself too much in the instance, which would affect the long-term prognosis, so he made an appointment with the chief surgeon in advance.

The Orthopedics and Traumatology Department was overcrowded and each wounded person was also accompanied by at least one family member, so the entire waiting area was a mess. Xu  RenDong registered Lian Qiao’s name and planned to find a place to sit down and wait, but Lian Qiao said, “Let’s go to the Cardiology Department first.”

Xu RenDong was stunned: “What’s the point of going there?”

Lian Qiao said in surprise: “What? You forgot? You promised me that you will come to the Cardiology Department after the instance finishes to find out what’s going on with your heart.”

Xu RenDong just remembered that he had been resurrected in the elevator and during this resurrection, the pain in his heart was so painful that his entire person curled up into a ball and he was unable to stand upright for a long time.

He didn’t take it seriously. After all, he had experienced more pain than this before. But Lian Qiao insisted on taking him to check so he didn’t resist.

The Number 1 Cardiology specialist was naturally hard to get in to see. Xu RenDong also is a new patient. Without an appointment, naturally he wouldn’t be able to add his name to the registration list. Lian Qiao was limping around and said he wanted to go to the triage desk to find out which specialist consultant was better. RenDong tugged at his sleeve and shook his head. {Um I’m not sure why or if it’s a reprinting error, or the author is getting lazy but she often just writes RenDong instead of Xu RenDong from now on, and not just in the context of Lian Qiao referring to him by a shorter name as they’re more intimate. She seems to do it just randomly. I’ll just follow her lead.)

“I don’t have to see a consultant, you can just call a regular registrar. I’m so young, what could be wrong with my heart?”

In fact, he knew why he felt a pain in his heart- Lian Qiao had just died tragically in front of him in the last reincarnation. Heartache was a strange thing. It’s only that he can’t tell this to Lian Qiao so he could only pretend to be nonchalant and uncaring about his illness.

Lian Qiao frowned, obviously unwilling to agree. The nurse in front of the triage table pushed on her glasses and interjected: “It’s your first time here, so you really don’t need to rush to see a specialist. Go and see a registrar first, they will ask you about your condition and do the appropriate tests. Then when the test results come out, you can see a specialist then. It will save a lot of time.”

Lian Qiao thought about it and agreed. The two went to the registration window to line up again and got an ordinary number from the Cardiology Department. This time, Xu RenDong’s name was quickly called in the broadcast and he was arranged to go to the last clinic room in the corridor to see a doctor.

“Hello.” As soon as Xu RenDong entered the room, he habitually said hello.

There was a stack of medical records and a desktop computer on the desk. The young female doctor with a ponytail raised her head from behind the desktop, she had clear eyes behind black-rimmed glasses. The moment she saw Xu RenDong, her pupils shrank slightly.

“It’s you?”

“Why are you here?”

Lian Qiao and the female doctor exclaimed out loud at the same time but Xu RenDong was stunned into silence. He looked at the female doctor and then at Lian Qiao: “You know each other?”

After hearing this, Lian Qiao was even more surprised. He opened his eyes wide and pointed his hand to the desk: “Jiang Li! You don’t know her? The one from the Russian matryoshka instance!”

Xu RenDong followed his fingers and saw a name placard on the desk. The words “Jiang Li,  Attending Physician” were written on it. The Russian matryoshka was his first instance, which was 400,000 words away {lol yes author wrote this} and he certainly did not remember the face of this woman. But as soon as he saw the word “Jiang Li”, he subconsciously felt a chill in his neck and remembered this person.

Wasn’t this the one who sliced his neck, repaying his kindness with revenge?!

Xu RenDong couldn’t help but change his face and said “oh” in a complicated mood.

“…Let’s review your illness first.” Jiang Li was wearing a white coat and was still professional. She glanced at the registration form in Lian Qiao’s hand, clicked the mouse and Xu RenDong’s medical information appeared on the computer screen. She started typing on the keyboard while inquiring, “What’s making you feel uncomfortable?”

Xu RenDong was not comfortable but he really didn’t dare to see Jiang Li as a doctor. He was even more afraid that his ID card, home address and other information would be displayed on the computer. Lian Qiao knew nothing about the tragedies he had experienced and in fact felt as though he’d run into an acquaintance, and told her Xu RenDong’s situation with great peace of mind.

Jiang Li recounted the details while recording: “It’s been in pain before, but it has gotten worse recently?”

Xu RenDong nodded.

Jiang Li gave out a bunch of checklists and explained to him what tests he should do, the reasons behind doing it, how and where to have the tests done and how long it would take to get the report… Her tone was calm, patient and meticulous. She didn’t mention the instance, as if Xu RenDong was just an unfamiliar, regular patient.

When the two left the clinic, Xu RenDong was still in a trance and had an unreal feeling. On the contrary, Lian Qiao had already begun to search for the location of the blood test window.

Lian Qiao was leaning on crutches, obviously he was still a crippled injured person but he held a checklist and took Xu RenDong to go around and find the places he needed. Xu RenDong saw that he was familiar with the map and seemed to be familiar with the hospital setting. When queuing at the door of the electrocardiogram room, he asked, “Is there anyone in your family who is a doctor?”

Lian Qiao’s expression suffocated, then he turned his head and smiled at him: “Yes. Both my parents are.”

Xu RenDong let out an “oh” without thinking much and moved his eyes to the distance. However, Lian Qiao slowly moved the two crutches together, freeing up one hand,and gently held RenDong’s hand.

There were people coming and going in the corridor. Lian Qiao had his sleeves covered and no one would notice that the two young men secretly intertwined their fingers.

RenDong felt a little strange and looked at him inquiringly. Lian Qiao touched his nose and said uneasy and apologetically, “I’m sorry, I should have brought you home earlier to meet my parents but…”

Xu RenDong remembered that they had talked about this topic. Although Lian Qiao was an internet celebrity broadcaster with millions of fans, he was actually also a runaway from home. His parents think that playing games was not a proper job, not to mention staying at home all day and doing live broadcasts. The conflict has not been resolved even until now and bringing a boyfriend back at such a time to ‘meet the parents’ was obviously adding fuel to the fire.

Xu RenDong was not in a hurry to see his parents but felt that, as an older person, he should give Lian Qiao some help and advice. Unfortunately, he was an orphan himself and had no experience in this area. He really can’t think of anything.

Fortunately, the ECG room called Xu RenDong’s name at this time and halted this awkward topic.

Pulling the curtain around him, Xu RenDong took off his shirt and lay on the examination bed. He was examined by a very young female doctor. She was wearing a cap and mask, obscuring her face and only showing a pair of big black eyes. She was shy and embarrassed to look at him.

“It’s a little cold, please bear with it.” The young female doctor whispered and then neatly connected the instrument to his chest.

Xu RenDong looked at the ceiling, still thinking about what happened just now. Suddenly he heard the little doctor say “Huh?”.

“What’s wrong? Is there any problem?” Xu RenDong turned his head to the side. The little doctor stared at the computer screen, her delicate brows furrowed deeply.

As soon as she opened her mouth, she said reassuringly “There is a small problem on the electrocardiogram, don’t worry, let me call your outpatient doctor first.”

Xu RenDong was used to seeing big winds and waves. He doesn’t care about such small problems as heart disease. He stared at the pale fluorescent lamps on the ceiling, his heart like stillwater and vaguely heard the little doctor say to the other end of the phone:

“The ST segment is elevated… um, but it doesn’t look like an acute myocardial infarction… No medical history? I didn’t check it before. Then it’s hard to say…”

When the little doctor came back, Xu RenDong had already put on his clothes. He sat on the examination bed and looked at the petite female doctor calmly: “How is it?” 

The  little doctor said, “Dr. Jiang asked you to do another echocardiography… Well, it’s the echocardiography of the heart. She said that the referral was already given to you.”

Xu RenDong wasn’t sure if Lian Qiao’s list of referrals had ultrasound of the heart so he called him in. Lian Qiao felt that Ren Dong had been inside for much longer than the others and had long grown uneasy in his heart. Now that he was called in, he was even more nervous.

The little doctor showed them the way to the ultrasound room and at the end she comforted: “Don’t be afraid, it’s nothing major, just to rule out other problems.”

Xu RenDong had a very good impression of this little girl.

When they came to the ultrasound room, a large number of people lined up again. This time he was examined by a middle-aged bald male doctor, who was not as gentle and meticulous as the little doctor.

The male doctor squeezed some ice-cold transparent liquid on his chest and then took the instrument and smeared it on his chest. It was both uncomfortable and felt weirdly cold and itchy. After the examination was over, the male doctor threw a stack of paper wipes at him and said with a blank face: “It’s done. Wipe it yourself off.”

Xu RenDong: “…” He felt as though he had encountered a ruthless scumbag.

The report came out quickly. Lian Qiao frowned when he saw it.

Although Xu RenDong could not understand all the medical jargon but just by seeing the words “reduction in function” and “lack of movement”, he knew that his heart was not normal.

After the two completed all the inspections, they went to Jiang Li with the report. Jiang Li was sitting in front of the computer and as soon as she saw Xu RenDong, she said, “I have already read the report on the computer. There is something wrong with your heart…” She paused for a while, as if she was considering her words carefully and then gestured with her eyes. Lian Qiao closed the door of the clinic.

Lian Qiao quickly closed the door and asked, “What’s the problem? Is it serious?”

Jiang Li didn’t answer him, just looked at Xu RenDong and said, “Have you been emotionally stimulated recently?”

 Xu RenDong thought about it and said: “I’ve been a little anxious.”

“It’s not just anxiety.” Jiang Li took out a pen and paper and drew an electrocardiogram on the white paper, “Look, a normal person’s electrocardiogram looks like this. And yours—” she pointed at the strange-shaped waveforms on Xu RenDong’s ECG and said, “When you look at these waves, doesn’t it look a bit like a crock pot?”

Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao got together to look at the ECG and it did appear somewhat interesting.

Jiang Li said: “This is a very special waveform, indicating that you may have a very rare heart disease. The Japanese who discovered this disease named it after the ECG image, they called it ‘octopus pot cardiomyopathy’. Because this electrocardiogram looks very much like the pot the Japanese use to catch octopus. In fact, this disease has a more popular name…”

“—Broken Heart Syndrome.” {Also known as Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.}

Lian Qiao was stunned and immediately turned to look at Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong was not very surprised by the result. He nodded and easily accepted the reality. He asked, “Is it fatal? Is there any treatment I can do?”

Jiang Li smiled: “It’s not that serious. This kind of disease usually doesn’t show any symptoms. You will only get sick when your mood fluctuates violently. But the problem is… you know.”

Xu RenDong nodded calmly. In the instances, ghosts were rampant and people would die at every turn.

You can’t bring rosary beads to chant 24 hours in order to keep your mind calm.

Lian Qiao frowned. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t say anything.

Jiang Li said there was no cure for the disease. The disease was originally caused by severe emotional stimulation. As long as it was not stimulated that would be the best and there was no possibility of total cure. She prescribed some emergency medicine for RenDong and was about to habitually remind him of a few things {probably to rest and stay calm} but then remembered it was impossible for Xu RenDong. So she didn’t say anything.

The two were about to leave the clinic but Jiang Li stopped them again and suddenly asked, “Do you remember Yuan XueMing?”

Xu RenDong thought for a while,and finally remembered the big brother-like character in the first instance.

Jiang Li said: “He lives in the ICU of our hospital. Do you want to go see him?”

Xu RenDong turned to look at Lian Qiao: “Want to go?”

Since Jiang Li announced his diagnosis, he felt that Lian Qiao was in a very heavy mood. He thought perhaps it was better to go home early to coax Lian Qiao. Unexpectedly, Lian Qiao had returned to his usual expression at this moment, smiled slightly at him and said, “Since we’re already here.”

Okay, then let’s go.

ICU visits are only half an hour each day. It stands to reason that family and friends are not allowed to enter the ICU during non-visiting hours but Jiang Li wore a white coat and led the two of them through the staff passage. They entered the intensive care unit without any obstacles.

A nurse sat in front of each bed in the ICU, lowering her head to record something. They looked up from time to time to glance at the monitor. Yuan XueMing’s bed was in the innermost one. Lian Qiao and RenDong walked all the way and found that all the patients were in comas, with tubes inserted all over their bodies. The atmosphere was very depressing.

Coming to Yuan XueMing’s bed, Xu RenDong saw a completely unfamiliar face. The man on the bed had sunken cheeks and his face was as blue and black as a dead man. Only the beating numbers on the monitor proved that he was not dead.

Although Yuan XueMing in memory was sickly, he was far less frightening looking than at this time. Xu RenDong recalled what Yuan XueMing said at the beginning, “Only here, do I feel that I am still alive”. He was very emotional.

Jiang Li still had something to do, so she entrusted the two to Yuan XueMing’s ward doctor and left.

After all, Xu RenDong was not Yuan XueMing’s family. The ward doctor has been in charge of Yuan XueMing for several months. He had never before seen these two people among Yuan XueMing’s family members so he couldn’t help but be a little curious: “Are you acquaintances of Jiang Li?”

Xu RenDong casually said “yes”. The ward doctor suddenly sighed and said, “Jiang Li is also a pitiful person.” 

RenDong and Lian Qiao exchanged a surprise glance at each other. Only then did they learn from the doctor that Jiang Li’s boyfriend passed away not long ago.

No, it’s not actually her boyfriend. The more accurate term should be her husband. A few months ago when they returned from the doll instance, Jiang Li married her boyfriend. Jiang Li was a young up and coming doctor in the hospital, considered one of the backbones of the busy cardiology department. She treated patients on the front line every day and didn’t even have time to go on a honeymoon.

They had planned to take a marriage leave at the end of the year to make up for this regret. Unexpectedly, Jiang Li’s husband died just after the schedule was set.

The cause of death was simple: acute myocardial infarction.

Coincidentally, Jiang Li was on the night shift in the hospital that night and happened to rescue a patient with acute myocardial infarction. In the early hours of the morning, when she came out of the operating room and informed the patient’s family that the operation was successful, she received a call from her father-in-law, telling her that her husband had gone.

According to her father-in-law, his son felt chest tightness and discomfort before going to bed at night but he didn’t take it seriously. The old couple thought that their daughter-in-law was a doctor and planned to tell her the next day when their daughter-in-law came home. They didn’t expect that this delay would be forever.

 “Acute myocardial infarction. Although this problem is urgent, there are some early signs. If Jiang Li was not on the night shift that day, maybe she could have found out earlier. If her husband was sent for emergency surgery, his life would be saved. It’s a pity…” The doctor said.

It sounds like he missed the chance for rescue but Xu RenDong feels that the real cause of Jiang Li’s lover’s death may not be a heart attack, but something he encountered in an instance. As for why Jiang Li did not enter the instance with her lover that night but stayed on the night shift in the hospital, it was unknown.

Xu RenDong recalled the short contact with Jiang Li just now and could not see the slightest sign of grief in her. Back then, in order to save her lover, Jiang Li sliced up her benefactor Xu RenDong without hesitation. Now that her lover has died suddenly, it was impossible for her not to be sad.

Xu RenDong suddenly thought that Jiang Li had just said that broken heart syndrome was a very rare disease.

It was so rare and yet she was able to diagnose it at a glance. Did you study this disease specifically, or…

When they came out of the ICU, the sun was just right. Xu RenDong turned his head and saw that the sun had painted Lian Qiao’s profile with a layer of gold light. He looked like a beautiful teenager in a Japanese drama and had a gentle sadness about him. 

Aware of his gaze, Lian Qiao suddenly turned around. His eyebrows curved and a warm smile appeared. The sadness disappeared.

Xu RenDong stared at him for a long time and suddenly thought: I can’t die.

Xu RenDong’s sadness and worries disappeared as soon as he left the hospital. But Lian Qiao’s thousands of sorrows would really start at this time.

A few days later, Lian Qiao suddenly packed up and said he was going home.

 Xu RenDong asked: Why do you suddenly want to go home? How soon will you be back?

 Lian Qiao pulled the suitcase and said with a smile: “Do I still need a reason to go home?”

Xu RenDong felt that what he said made sense and overlooked the fact that he had never answered the second question.