Shane Freak
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Chapter 1042: World-Shaking Commoner (Nineteen)
🕑 Added 2024-03-04 07:45:58 +0000 UTCIn DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List
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"Hurry! He's still breathing! Quickly stop the bleeding at the wound!"
Stark rushed forward first, but halted a moment before his armored arm made contact with Schiller. He asked, "JARVIS, what's going on? What did you and Schiller talk about?"
"The sequence of events," JARVIS replied calmly. "My logical program determined that Dr. Schiller was no longer capable of sustaining another multidimensional narrative and treatment, so I directly informed him of the situation. His mental state appeared stable before my departure."
"Stable mental state????" Stark looked at Schiller lying on the sofa and said, "How much has he been drinking? Wait, what's this medication? JARVIS, scan it for me..."
"The primary component is morphine, sir. This is a painkiller Dr. Schiller uses for treating neurogenic headaches. Preliminary analysis indicates that the dosage he has taken exceeds the recommended amount by about 230 times..."
"Hurry! Get him to vomit!!!" Stark was about to reach out to assist Schiller, but Strange immediately stepped forward to stop him, saying, "You might disturb his wound, which could injure his arteries and vocal cords. Don't touch him for now..."
"Aren't you a doctor?! Think of something quickly!" Stark shouted loudly at Strange. "Is there any medication that can dilute the effects of the painkillers he ingested?"
"I..." Strange stood somewhat helpless in place, saying, "I'm just a surgical doctor. It's been many years since I studied pharmacology. I can't prescribe medication; it could be fatal!"
At this moment, Steve stepped forward, gently moving Schiller's arm, which was delving deeper into his own wound. He placed a cushion behind his back, aligning his chest and neck to facilitate breathing.
He then opened Schiller's eyelids to check his pupils and remarked, "Luckily, he has an unusual constitution. It's just a slight overdose, akin to someone getting high. He should be able to metabolize it on his own..."
Just then, as if just realizing, Strange stepped forward again, saying, "Wait, let's deal with this external wound first. Let me think... No, the medical conditions here are inadequate. Let's get him to the hospital."
Matt immediately took out his mobile phone and said, "I'll call for an ambulance. Peter, there should be a first aid kit in the clinic. You handle the wound briefly first, preferably stop the bleeding. The ambulance will be here soon."
As Matt finished speaking, Peter had already rushed upstairs. He skillfully retrieved the first aid kit from under Schiller's bedroom bed and began to treat the wound on Schiller's neck. However, as soon as he touched the edge of the wound, Schiller murmured and instinctively reached for it again.
Peter had to use one hand to hold down his arm, but Schiller had two arms, and Peter only had two hands. The whole process could only be described as a struggle, until Stark couldn't bear it any longer and helped Peter hold down Schiller, allowing Peter to handle the wound.
Schiller, who had taken an excessive amount of painkillers, was now unconscious but had a strong will to resist.
Suddenly, Stark heard the armor on his arm emit a squeaking friction sound. He gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it! How does he have so much strength?!... Steve! Steve! Are you just going to stand there and watch?!"
Just as Steve was about to reach out, with a "whoosh," Schiller disappeared, then reappeared next to the dining table. Strange beside him paused for a moment, then said, "Oh, right, he can teleport. Wait... spatial congealment!"
He extended his hand, which emitted a golden light. Golden threads spread out and adhered to the walls of the building, congealing the space inside the clinic.
However, with another "whoosh," Schiller disappeared again, this time appearing on the stairs leading to the second floor. Steve rushed up in a single stride and pinned Schiller down.
The next moment, there was a crash from the first-floor window, and Schiller was hung on the second-floor French window, his body covered in blood from the shattered glass.
Stark rushed over in frustration, flew up, grabbed Schiller, and said, "I don't know who it was, but someone previously assured me that his teleportation wouldn't get stuck in the wall!"
Before he could finish his words, Schiller disappeared again, this time returning to the sofa, knocking over Peter, who was organizing the first aid kit.
As Peter regained his senses and shook his head, he said, "Dr. Schiller mentioned that his teleportation has a limited number of uses, at most a dozen times. Just make sure he doesn't encounter dangerous items."
"Don't you see it yet? He's the biggest danger right now!" Stark yelled.
The next moment, Strange let out a miserable scream as the chandelier that fell from the ceiling, with Schiller teleported onto it, crashed onto the ground.
With Strange lying on the ground, unable to bear it anymore, he extended his hand and activated the Time Stone. Instantly, everyone returned to their original positions. Strange pinned Schiller down and said to everyone, "Schiller will teleport randomly! Everyone, be prepared!"
Seeing Strange suddenly looking grim and several people who had been reset by time reacting, it was certain that Strange had used the Time Stone to foresee the chaos that would happen in the future.
In an instant, several people assumed defensive positions, ready to salvage Schiller wherever he teleported.
The several present were all experts, with extremely quick reactions and excellent coordination. Spider-Man used his Spider-Sense to point out possible locations where Schiller might appear, and the others swiftly moved to intercept him.
After repeated struggles, Schiller finally lay still on the sofa. At that moment, the ambulance finally arrived.
The group watched as the medical staff somewhat hurriedly lifted the blood-covered Schiller onto the ambulance, collectively exhaling with relief.
Stark was the first to extend his hands, addressing Strange, "I'm sorry about your father's passing. I shouldn't have ignored your calls, but you should also know the truth..."
Strange pursed his lips but did not retort. Frankly, using the Lizard serum as a cure was a desperate measure.
As a doctor, Strange understood better than Stark that pharmacology was a highly precise discipline. Even slight changes in a drug's composition could vastly alter its effects.
The Lizard serum was derived from genes associated with lizard limb regeneration. Whether these genes included the ability to regenerate lung cells was uncertain. Even if they did, the consequences of using them on a critically ill patient with heart and lung failure were unknown.
Strange was aware that the worst-case scenario wasn't his father's death but his transformation into a mindless lizard monster, as evidenced by the Lizard's precedent.
In fact, when he issued the critical condition notification as a doctor, he was mentally prepared. Pulmonary failure was not just a challenge in human medical history; it was also a disease difficult to reverse in magical and medical history. His father's symptoms had persisted for decades, virtually beyond salvation.
Strange took a deep breath, trying to contain his sadness, and then said, "You just came at a bad time. Otherwise, I'd be punching that big lizard."
Then, Strange pursed his lips again and said to Stark, "You know nothing about surgical medicine. You need to understand one thing: surgeons aren't responsible for diagnosis!"
"You didn't consult your uncle, didn't provide his body's vital indicators, didn't properly assess the risks of surgery, yet you wanted me to operate on him. That's not saving lives; it's killing people."
Stark fell silent too. He also realized he had been impulsive. The hospital had only provided a preliminary diagnosis, indicating that the overall situation seemed fine and surgery could be considered, so he rushed to find a surgeon.
But in reality, many routine indicators hadn't been tested yet, and it was entirely possible that just before the surgery, if some indicator was found to be inadequate, the operation couldn't proceed. Simply finding a surgeon wouldn't suffice.
Both sighed simultaneously. Steve noticed the tension between them, so he stepped forward and said, "Regardless of your previous conflicts, we all face the same problem now: What's wrong with Schiller?"
Strange opened a portal and said, "Let's go to the hospital first and see what the diagnosis report says."
The group arrived at Strange's office at the Presbyterian Hospital. Strange went to the adjacent lounge to change into a doctor's uniform and led the others to the emergency room.
Strange inquired about the situation with a nurse. Many medical terms were incomprehensible to the others, but they could see his increasingly furrowed brow.
As Strange's expression changed, the others' hearts sank gradually. After a while, Strange turned around and said, "The situation is a bit tricky. Schiller's wounds cannot heal, and basic hemostasis isn't achievable either."
"What exactly happened?" Stark asked anxiously. "What caused the injuries?"
Shaking his head, Strange said, "From the appearance of the wounds, it seems like they were caused by sharp weapons, but the subsequent treatment differs significantly from normal cases."
"The wounds can't be stopped from bleeding, none of the hemostatic drugs are effective, and there are no signs of blood coagulation whatsoever. The hospital is currently conducting tests on his blood to check for underlying conditions."
After a while, a nurse approached with a stack of papers. Strange stopped her, glanced at the diagnosis results, and then said, "It's strange. Schiller's blood test results show no issues, and all his basic bodily indicators are normal. Why then won't his wounds heal?"
Suddenly, Strange paused and found the nurse standing at the door of the hospital room. "Can I go in and take a look?" he asked.
The nurse seemed hesitant, but seeing his name on the badge, she seemed unable to refuse, so she opened the door a crack.
After Strange entered, it didn't take long for a beam of light to emanate from the crack under the door. Those observing from outside knew that he must have used the Time Stone again.
When Strange emerged, his expression was grave, leading the others to believe that Schiller had been summoned by Death himself. He sighed and said, "As expected, the problem lies with his soul. The wound is on his soul, and the wounds on his body are just symptoms."
"A wound on his soul? Why would there be a wound on his soul?"
However, at that moment, Steve, who was standing at the back, appeared lost in thought. Clearly, he had remembered something. Stark noticed the change in his expression and turned to ask him, "Do you know something?"
Steve hesitated for a moment but then spoke, "Earlier, there was a child named Robert who was under Schiller's treatment. When I went to Schiller to get a prescription renewed, I overheard their conversation."
"Of course, I didn't mean to eavesdrop." Steve showed a slightly embarrassed expression. But then, his expression turned serious again, and he said, "That child had engaged in self-harm due to psychological trauma. To console him, Schiller shared his own story."
"We all know that Schiller was once autistic. During his youth, he received treatment in a psychiatric hospital. However, when he was first admitted, the doctors weren't professional enough, and the dosage wasn't enough, causing him to lose control and bite the nurse whom he greatly admired..."
In Steve's somber narration, Schiller's figure appeared as if washed out, with a hue of tragic colors typical of another era, unfolding slowly before everyone.
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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1043: Startling Ordinary People (Twenty)
