"Doctor, how is my grandson?"
Qin Guotao and Chen Yi rushed over, their faces filled with anxiety and anticipation. They hoped to hear good news.
At this moment, Fan Tianlei, Wu Wenbin, and others also hurried forward, asking anxiously, "Doctor, was Comrade Qin Feng successfully revived?"
The doctors and nurses all looked towards Dr. Liu, the lead surgeon.
Dr. Liu took a small step back, then, along with the doctors and nurses behind him, bowed deeply to the elderly Qin couple. With a mournful tone, he said, "I'm sorry, we... we were unable to save the little hero. The little hero... he has passed away..."
Boom!
This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, striking the elderly Qin couple directly.
Instantly, their faces turned completely pale, and a deep sorrow washed over the faces of everyone present.
"No! It's impossible! My grandson wouldn't die!" Chen Yi cried, rushing frantically towards Dr. Liu, tightly gripping his arm and pleading, "Doctor, please, save my grandson! He's our only grandson! Please, save him! He can't die, if he dies, how can I live? I'll kneel to you, please save him, won't you!"
As she spoke, Chen Yi was about to kneel down to Dr. Liu.
"Please don't, you mustn't!" The doctors and nurses, their eyes red, quickly helped Chen Yi up. They already felt guilty for failing to save Qin Feng, and if they accepted a kowtow from the hero's family, their guilt would be unbearable.
"The little hero's injuries were too severe. The outer muscles and cells were all necrotic, and all his internal organs had severely failed. We... we truly had no power to turn things around... Please accept our condolences..." Dr. Liu explained with a mournful voice.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi sobbed and collapsed onto the ground, "Qin Feng! So many people outside didn't go in to save him, why did you foolishly rush in! How can your grandma live now that you're gone? You're all I have left..."
"Chen Yi, don't be like this, get up," Qin Guotao, tears streaming down his face, reached out to help Chen Yi up from the ground.
"Qin Guotao, let go of me!" Chen Yi suddenly pushed Qin Guotao away as if she had just realized something. She quickly stood up, beating his chest with all her might, and wailed heartbrokenly, "Qin Guotao, you killed my grandson! You already made me send a child to the grave before my time, and now you're making me go through it again! I never agreed to him joining the army, you insisted he needed some tempering! If it weren't for you, why would my grandson have rushed into the fire to save people! Why would he have been burned alive! It's all you! It's all you! Qin Guotao, give me back my grandson, give me back my grandson~"
Qin Guotao did not resist, simply letting Chen Yi continue to beat him. His expression was one of profound sorrow, tears flowing, his heart feeling as though it were being torn apart by countless knives. If he could, he would have gladly taken his grandson's place in the rescue, endured the excruciating pain, and died in his stead. How many people could bear the pain of a parent outliving a child? Yet, he had to bear it twice, first losing his son in his middle age, and now losing his grandson in his old age. Heavens! Why!
Gao Shiwei, He Zhijun, Fan Tianlei, and the others removed their general hats. He Chenguang, Wang Yanbing, Li Erniu, Xu Tianlong, and Song Kaifei's eyes turned red, and tears began to fall. Men were not devoid of tears; they simply had not yet reached a point of profound sorrow.
Bang!
At this moment, Chen Yi's crying suddenly stopped. The next second, she collapsed to the ground, her face still streaked with tears.
"Chen Yi!" Seeing Chen Yi, his companion of forty years, faint, Qin Guotao's face instantly changed.
"Quick! See if she's alright!" Wu Wenbin shouted loudly.
A doctor quickly rushed over to examine Chen Yi. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious, just extreme grief. Take her to the adjoining lounge, an IV drip of glucose solution should help."
Qin Guotao immediately picked up Chen Yi and headed towards the lounge.
A short while later, Qin Guotao returned, his voice remarkably calm as he said to the doctor, "Doctor, can I... can I go in and see my grandson?" His current expression appeared very placid, showing no outward signs of deep sorrow, but his slight trembling betrayed him.
Dr. Liu, the lead surgeon, advised, "Sir, it's best if you don't go in. The little hero... he's too badly burned all over. It will frighten you!"
"He is my grandson, I am his grandfather! No matter what he looks like, he is still my grandson. We haven't seen each other for over a year, and I miss him. It's so cold in there, I need to go in and keep him company!" Qin Guotao said softly.
With that, Qin Guotao pushed open the door to the operating room and slowly walked in. He Chenguang and the others behind him wanted to stop him, but their hands could not reach.
The temperature in the operating room was very low. As he stepped inside, a chilling breeze hit him, making his already pale face even paler. The operating room was dimly lit, and the instruments had all been returned to their original positions. In the center was a hospital bed, covered by a long white sheet, concealing a corpse.
Qin Guotao walked to the bedside with light footsteps, so light as if he were afraid of waking the person who was supposedly sleeping.
"Xiao Feng, Grandpa is here to see you!" Qin Guotao suppressed his inner grief and said softly, "It's been a year, Xiao Feng, have you missed Grandpa? You never even called home to let us know you were safe. When I missed you, I'd call, but your phone was always off. Your grandma used to complain to me about it, saying you didn't miss her and that I shouldn't have sent you to the army."
As he spoke, Qin Guotao reached out to grasp the white sheet covering Qin Feng's head. "Why would you cover your head with a sheet when sleeping? You'll suffocate like this, you have to change this bad habit."
Qin Guotao gently pulled the sheet down. His movements were extremely light, but his arm trembled uncontrollably.
The white sheet was pulled down, but what was revealed was not Qin Feng's face. No! To be precise, it was a face so badly burned that it was unrecognizable. The features were half black and half red, a bloody mess. Looking at this face, Qin Guotao was not frightened, only his hands trembled violently. His heart felt as though it had been stabbed by an incredibly sharp dagger, which was then brutally withdrawn. This...