Chapter 518 The Medical Team
Seeing Chen Yang get into the car, the young man in the middle was displeased. He impatiently pointed to the back row of the van and said, "Go, go, go, sit in the very back."
"You know, you're just enjoying the ride with us. We paid five hundred yuan, and only then did this scummy driver agree to take us to Qingshui Village. He still charged us five hundred yuan for the whole car, and yet he insists on earning your fifty yuan. I'm truly fed up with this black-hearted driver."
The driver did not argue. He skillfully shifted gears, stepped on the accelerator, and sped towards Qingshui Village.
Chen Yang couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the young man. He sat in the back, his gaze sweeping over the man and the beautiful woman. Finally, Chen Yang's attention settled on the old man sitting in the passenger seat.
The old man's aura was very strange. Judging by his appearance, he was merely an academic expert or professor. However, Chen Yang could always vaguely sense a trace of a cold, sinister aura.
This aura was similar to that of a martial artist, yet it was different from a martial artist's aura.
Chen Yang narrowed his eyes, eventually deciding not to dwell on it. He leaned back in his seat and looked out the window.
Although this van was old, in the vast Northeast region, especially during winter, it was much more practical than most sedans.
Its rear-wheel drive could easily climb over many snowy and icy sections. At the same time, its chassis was high, so there was no need to worry about being blocked by snow-covered ground.
After about fifty minutes, the car drove from a small town towards the mountains.
At this point, many road surfaces were already pitted and uneven due to heavy vehicle traffic. Coupled with the falling snow and ice, it had formed thick layers of ice. Chen Yang now understood why taxis were unwilling to come here.
The ground was already uneven, and now with ice and snow on the road, it had formed blockades.
A normal sedan would definitely scrape its chassis in such terrain. Ordinary ice and snow would not cause much damage to the chassis, but some very hard ice shards could damage the chassis structure of a sedan.
The van swayed back and forth as it continued forward. The young man in the middle looked impatient and said with frustration, "It's just that we're in a hurry. Otherwise, we could have taken a helicopter directly to Qingshui Village, and you wouldn't have to suffer this bumpy ride, junior sister."
Zhou Shanshan, sitting beside him, felt a little helpless upon hearing this. She said, "Senior Brother Li, this is nothing. We have an important mission to Qingshui Village this time. It's okay if it's a bit tough. As long as the mission can be resolved sooner."
Li Gang, standing next to her, said with a hint of disdain, curling his lips, "If you ask me, junior sister, we shouldn't have accepted Qingshui Village's request. You are already a renowned goddess in the field of psychiatry. You could have just looked at their request online."
"Why do you have to personally come here to treat them in Qingshui Village? I'm telling you, rough mountains and bad waters breed difficult people. If I weren't accompanying you, this trip would surely lead to trouble."
Zhou Shanshan helplessly patted her forehead. She didn't want to deal with Li Gang anymore, but Zhou Shanshan understood that she couldn't do without her senior brother's support right now.
Previously, Qingshui Village had a continuous string of over a dozen mentally ill patients. Moreover, these patients were in severe conditions, not just simple schizophrenia, but also accompanied by manic violence, self-harm, and even abnormal muscle mutations.
Although Zhou Shanshan was only a doctoral student, she was indeed well-known in the field of psychiatric medicine, considered a talented doctor.
She was in her second year of doctoral studies and had already published over a dozen cutting-edge papers on psychiatry in world-class medical journals.
She had not yet graduated, but many renowned foreign universities had already invited Zhou Shanshan to be a visiting professor.
Zhou Shanshan had declined, wanting to stay in China to develop its psychiatric field.
Currently, China's medical technology was at the forefront of the world, but the field of psychiatry lagged far behind foreign countries.
One reason was the significantly higher number of psychiatric patients abroad, and another was that China had not paid much attention to mental health in the past, lacking a systematic approach to treatment.
Even for the most common condition, depression, there were few reports in China five years ago.
Zhou Shanshan wanted to contribute her meager efforts to help China establish this area in a standardized manner.
Two days ago, she received a call for help from Qingshui Village. The village reported that in the past six months, more than ten severe cases of mentally ill individuals causing harm had occurred consecutively, and the villagers were in a state of panic.
Upon learning this news, Zhou Shanshan immediately became alert. It was clear that these newly emerging mental changes could not be due to genetics, nor could they be caused by excessive stress.
Their concentrated appearance suggested that there might be abnormal pollution near Qingshui Village, leading to such a large number of psychiatric patients in a short period.
Zhou Shanshan was currently researching similar topics, studying the impact of environmental pollution on the human nervous system. This experimental project required many cases, and Qingshui Village's plea made Zhou Shanshan feel compelled to rush over without delay.
However, as Li Gang had said, this place was remote, and someone needed to accompany her. Furthermore, environmental aspects required the support of professors from environmental science fields, and subsequent systematic analysis of local water sources, soil, and materials would be needed.
All of this required significant technical support.
Li Gang could provide Zhou Shanshan with help. After all, besides being a doctoral student in his third year who coasted through his studies, he was also the son of the renowned Li family in Beijing, possessing many resources. Analyzing soil and water sources would be easy for Li Gang.
Therefore, when Zhou Shanshan prepared to accept this mission and come, Li Gang requested to join her team and participate in this research project together, which Zhou Shanshan did not refuse.
Although Zhou Shanshan knew that Li Gang's joining the research team was purely because he wanted to pursue her.
However, at this moment, Zhou Shanshan regretted it. She realized that bringing Li Gang on such a van ride was the most foolish decision. She should have just left him at the train station and let him wait until tomorrow when a helicopter was available before heading to Qingshui Village.
Zhou Shanshan sighed helplessly and pretended to be sleepy, turning her head to look out the window.
Professor Wang, a geologist in the front, had also been silent, seemingly lost in thought.
The only sound in the entire van was Li Gang's incessant complaining.
At this moment, Zhou Shanshan realized that no matter how rich or devoted a man was, if he was too talkative, he was still annoying.
Just as Zhou Shanshan was feeling annoyed, she heard a "bang" as the front tire of the van suddenly jolted, and then the van screeched to a halt.
The driver jumped out of the van and looked at the tire. He said, "Oh no, everyone, the car has a flat tire and can't move. How about this, you all stay in the car. I'll go around and see if there's a tire repair shop nearby to find someone to help."
After speaking, the driver pulled out the car key and ran off towards the roadside.
Only a dilapidated van and the four people inside – Chen Yang – were left behind.
Seeing this, Li Gang angrily slapped the car window and shouted furiously, "Damn it, see? See? I told you long ago that no one in these county towns is reliable. Doesn't this useless driver have a spare tire in the car?"
As Li Gang was cursing, he suddenly heard the rumbling sound of a car from behind. Soon, a battered pickup truck roared to a stop beside them.
Then, four men wearing black masks got out of the pickup truck. They were armed with steel pipes and knives, and with sinister smiles, they surrounded the van.