Chapter 2037: What Professionalism!

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Zhang Peng’s exclamation surprised both Lin Yi and Zhang Zixin.

They turned their attention to him, eager to know what had happened.

In a country like Huaxia, any death was a serious matter.

“Alright, alright, take your time and explain.”

Zhang Peng frowned, staying silent for a full half-minute before speaking.

“Okay, wait for me at the hospital, I’m on my way.”

“Brother Peng, what happened?”

Zhang Zixin asked after he hung up the phone.

“Zhang Lixia’s husband died in the hospital.”

Both were shocked by this news. None of them had expected such a sudden event.

“Did Zhang Lixia mention the cause of death?” Lin Yi asked.

“Her husband had severe pancreat.i.tis. He underwent surgery yesterday and was moved to the ICU, but he pa.s.sed away this morning.”

“That sounds quite normal,” Zhang Zixin commented.

“Severe pancreat.i.tis has a high mortality rate, and the ICU is often the last stop for many. There shouldn’t be a reason for her to call you about it.”

“But she claims that Zhang Guoping murdered her husband and wants to report it to the police.”

“What?!” Zhang Zixin exclaimed in surprise.

“Even though the two families aren’t on good terms, accusing him of murder seems far-fetched. How could Zhang Guoping kill her husband while he’s in the ICU? Has she lost her mind?”

“I have the same feeling,” Zhang Peng replied.

“But there’s no point in speculating. We should go and see for ourselves. After all, a death is a serious matter that we need to investigate.”

Zhang Zixin nodded. “Brother Lin, are you coming with us?”

“Let’s go. I don’t have anything else planned, so I’ll come along.”

With that decision made, the three of them drove to Zhonghai Second Hospital.

Although it was a top hospital, Zhonghai Second was still not on the same level as Huashan Hospital.

Upon arrival, they went to the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery Department, where they met Zhang Lixia and her son, Li Qiao.

Their expressions were starkly different—Zhang Lixia was devastated by the loss of her husband, crying uncontrollably, while her son, Li Qiao, stood by her side.

He had a gloomy face, like a dark cloud before a storm.

“Officers, you’re finally here.”

Zhang Lixia cried upon seeing Lin Yi and Zhang Peng.

“My husband was definitely murdered by them! You have to get justice for us!”

“Calm down, we’ll get to the bottom of this,” Zhang Peng said.

“Crying won’t solve anything.”

“Zixin, stay here and get more details. We’ll go talk to the doctor.”

“Got it, Brother Lin.”

Zhang Zixin and Li Qiao helped Zhang Lixia to a seat while Lin Yi and Zhang Peng went to the office of the attending physician.

The physician’s name was Liu Rui. He was slightly overweight, wore gla.s.ses, and had a rather amiable appearance.

“Officers, please have a seat.”

After they sat down, Lin Yi asked.

“Director Liu, could you tell us about the patient’s situation?”

“Yesterday, we performed a gastrointestinal resection on the patient, but even before the surgery, multiple organs were already showing signs of failure. The surgery was very high-risk, and we informed the patient of this beforehand,” Liu Rui explained.

“So today’s outcome, while unfortunate, was within our expectations. The family is understandably emotional because of their deep connection with the deceased, which makes it harder for them to accept.”

“Since there was already multi-organ failure, what was the point of performing surgery?” Zhang Peng asked.

“The organ failure was a result of the inflammation in the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. The surgery offered a slim chance of survival. Without it, death was certain.”

Lin Yi nodded slightly. Liu Rui’s explanation made sense. It was a standard treatment protocol, and there was nothing suspicious about it.

From the evidence at hand, there didn’t seem to be any foul play.

Zhang Lixia’s claim of murder seemed baseless.

“Director Liu, can we see all the medical records from the time the patient was admitted until his death?” Lin Yi asked.

“Of course,” Liu Rui replied. “I’ll have my a.s.sistant prepare a copy for you.”

“Thank you, that would be helpful.”

About ten minutes later, a young doctor entered, carrying a brown folder.

Liu Rui took the folder and handed it to Lin Yi, confidently stating,

“All the medical records are here. You can consult any expert you like, but I a.s.sure you, my treatment plan was flawless.”

“No need to consult an expert. I can understand them myself.”

“You can?”

Liu Rui was surprised. A police officer capable of interpreting medical records?

Were all police officers this skilled nowadays?

Lin Yi opened the folder, which contained a stack of records about two centimeters thick.

Most people would find the doc.u.ments overwhelming and hard to decipher, just like Zhang Peng did.

But for Lin Yi, this was child’s play.

In just a few minutes, he had absorbed all the critical information.

However, after reviewing everything, Lin Yi found nothing suspicious.

No wonder Liu Rui was so confident.

“Judging by the treatment plan, the surgery was successful. Given his condition, he should have lasted at least 48 hours in the ICU, but he died within 24 hours. Have you looked into this discrepancy?”

Liu Rui was even more surprised by Lin Yi’s question.

He hadn’t expected the officer to gain such accurate insight from the records.

Even his a.s.sistants hadn’t been able to do this.

“Officer, to be honest, this has puzzled me as well,” Liu Rui admitted.

“Based on my clinical experience, the surgery went well, and the patient had a strong chance of survival. Even if complications arose, he should have lasted 48 to 72 hours. I’m still a.n.a.lyzing the cause of death myself.”

“Director Liu, could this be considered a case of medical negligence?”

“This…”

Liu Rui smiled awkwardly. “Officer, that’s a bit harsh. Surgery always carries risks. Even a simple tooth extraction can lead to fatal complications, let alone severe pancreat.i.tis.”

Zhang Peng pursed his lips. Liu Rui’s explanation did make sense.

“Have you done a pathological a.n.a.lysis?”

“Yes, the samples have been sent to the pathology department, but based on my experience, the patient might have had cancerous changes.”

When speaking to Lin Yi, Liu Rui was much more professional.

Zhang Peng clearly didn’t have the same level of expertise.

Lin Yi nodded, pausing for a few seconds before asking,

“Director Liu, who were the doctors and nurses on duty in the ICU after the surgery? I’d like to see their information.”