Demons Beside You

Knock, knock, knock—

At night, Chen Zhao heard rapid knocks on the door.

“What time is it?” Chen Zhao blearily opened his eyes. The sky outside the window was still dark.

“Chen, can you hear? It’s me, Ethan…”

Chen Zhao got up in the dark and kicked something.

Woof—

“Human, you’re stepping on me.”

“How come you haven’t gone back to Hell?”

“I don’t want to go back yet.”

Chen Zhao ignored Beelzebub and went to open the door. “Ethan, what’s wrong?”

“Chen, I heard Vincent say that you’re a doctor?”

“Was. Not anymore.”

“Something happened to a guest here. Can you go and check? I don’t want him to die in my motel.”

Chen Zhao rubbed his forehead. “Did you call the ambulance?”

“The closest hospital is half an hour away. You can send him to heaven instead in half an hour.”

“But I don’t have a doctor’s license.”

“Don’t worry. I know the rules. I won’t say anything.” Ethan pulled a few tens out of his pocket. “Take this as your payment.”

“Wait. Let me go get my tools.”

Chen Zhao had taken all his property out of the country this time. Most were medical equipment. However, the cost of transporting everything was more expensive than the equipment themselves. Chen Zhao’s heart had hurt for a long while.

Chen Zhao had worked in the emergency room before. The conditions were inhumane though, so he had himself transferred to the surgical operations department. However, it turned out to be even more stressful than the emergency room.

After turning a corner and passing three rooms, Ethan pushed a door open and led Chen Zhao in.

Chen Zhao saw a young girl trembling on the ground. There was spilled white powder beside the table.

“She is overdosed?” Chen Zhao asked.

He immediately checked her pulse, pupils, and heartbeat. The heartbeat was slow, her blood pressure was low, pupils were constricted, and lips were purple.

“I don’t have Naloxone.” Chen Zhao’s expression was serious.

“Is there anything you can do?”

“The fastest ambulance needs thirty minutes?”

“Can’t help it,” Ethan said helplessly. “She’s only sixteen. I hope she can survive. Please do your best.”

Chen Zhao thought for a moment. This girl inhaled the drugs. This meant that if he could force her to vomit, he could reduce the symptoms of the overdose. She could at least survive for half an hour.

He took out a set of silver needles and inserted them into her qimen, tiandu, and lingtai pressure points. He’d learned this acupuncture technique from a friend of his father. However, he never saw that man after his father passed away.

These three pressure points were connected to the stomach and could stimulate vomiting.

However, he waited for a minute and the girl had no reaction.

Chen Zhao’s expression changed slightly. Lifting the girl’s shirt, he touched her stomach.

“Empty stomach. Ethan, do you know when’s the last time she ate?”

“She hasn’t gone out in two days. Yesterday, she called me to get her food, but she didn’t call me today. Any problems?”

Drugs made one weak in the first place. If she had an empty stomach, it was even easier for her to overdose. It was the most fatal if she ingested the drugs but couldn’t dilute it with food.

“We must stuff food into her and then make her throw it up along with the drugs.”

“Hurry and get food,” Chen Zhao said.

“Can you make her eat?”

“I can try. If I don’t, she won’t be able to make it past thirty minutes.”

As soon as Ethan left, Chen Zhao immediately said to Beelzebub, “Use your abilities to make her eat.”

Drug addicts didn’t have much of an appetite because drugs affect one’s biological functions, causing the body to make wrong judgments.

Long-term drug abusers may even cause permanent damage to their body. (So never do drugs. There are no reasons or excuses.)

This girl was unconscious, so it would be difficult for regular feeding to be effective.

Her consciousness was still there though. This was a natural instinct. However, Chen Zhao felt himself getting hungry…

“Dammit, why are you using it to me?”

“You’re in the vicinity and I can’t be that precise, so you’re affected too. Next time, remember to move away.”

“Food’s here.” Ethan was fast and carried a large amount of food over.

“Meat won’t work. Shove bread and soda into her mouth. Do you have chopsticks? Never mind…” Chen Zhao propped open the girl’s mouth with his fingers.

Meat could get stuck if swallowed without chewing. You should never force feed an unconscious person with meat.

“Is this alright?” Ethan couldn’t help but be worried at seeing Chen Zhao shove food in so aggressively.

“Since we don’t have the medicine or emergency equipment, this is the only solution. Otherwise, we’ll just watch her die.”

Suddenly, he saw an apparition crawl out of the girl. Her soul!?

“Go back!” Chen Zhao roared. The apparition lay back down in fright.

The next moment, the girl’s body convulsed. Then with a cry, she began throwing up. Chen Zhao and Ethan exchanged glances, both letting out a long exhale.

“Tell her to eat something. When the ambulance comes, take her to the hospital for another checkup.” Chen Zhao cleaned up his stuff and prepared to leave.

People like this girl were common in this country. Chen Zhao was an outsider, so he didn’t plan on becoming the incarnation of justice and fight in this war against drugs. He didn’t plan on becoming a mentor and educating this girl, either.

“Chen, you’ve worked hard.”

Looking at the girl, Chen Zhao shook his head and left with his equipment case.

Chen Zhao went to sleep again. He didn’t stretch and get out of bed until noon.

After washing up, the man and dog went out to look for food. There was a burger shop around a hundred meters from the motel. After eating their fill, Chen Zhao and Beelzebub went back with full stomachs.

“Chen, you’re up?” Ethan was playing on his phone at the counter. When he saw Chen Zhao, Ethan greeted him first.

“Good mor…no, noon.”

“Chen, do you have a business card?”

“Business card? No. You want my business card?”

“I don’t, but I think you need one.”

“Why?”

“If you want to work as a doctor.”

“I don’t even have a medical license right now.”

“What I mean is, you can be a non-staff doctor. Believe me, you don’t need to get a license because you won’t get it. You just got to America, so there’s no way you can pass the test. I can introduce you to some clients who pay with cash. This way, you won’t get caught. Of course, I’ll need a cut.”

“Is it dangerous?”

Chen Zhao was a bit hesitant about Ethan’s suggestion. He knew that a medical license was hard to get in America. Plus, he only had a Chinese degree. America might not even accept it.

Ethan was suggesting for him to give up on the legitimate path and become a wandering street doctor.

“Don’t worry. The clients I introduce you to definitely won’t report you to the police or government.”

“No, I mean, are your clients safe? I don’t want to be the health consultant for the mafia or something.”

“I don’t know any mafias. Some might be involved in the underworld, but don’t worry. If I introduce clients to you, I’ll definitely ensure your safety first.”