Turbulent Skies and the Roar of Thunder-Blast Grenades

The cardiopulmonary bypass machine was a device even Simon Sun had never seen before. Watching Serena use a machine to take his place, Simon nearly knocked his glasses off in shock.

It was simply miraculous.

But the most incredible part was still to come. After several minutes of circulation, Serena directly clamped off both the superior and inferior vena cava, switching to full extracorporeal circulation. At this point, all the blood from the vena cavae flowed entirely through the cannulas into the artificial heart-lung machine, bypassing the right atrium.

Is that even possible?

Dr. Marcus Guile and Dr. Redwater stared, eyes wide. No wonder the Crown Prince said only Serena could save him—this device was so magical, was there anyone else in the world who had such a thing?

Dr. Marcus Guile and Dr. Redwater exchanged glances, both showing a trace of doubt in their eyes. Just who was Serena, and how could she possess something so extraordinary?

This thing—not to mention using it, they hadn’t even heard of it before. Such a sophisticated device was nothing like scalpels or syringes; those, at least, they could understand. But this, they truly couldn’t make sense of at all.

They wanted to ask, but remembered Serena’s warning and had no choice but to keep their questions buried deep inside.

The most complicated part was already done. Serena was preparing to cool the Crown Prince’s blood, relieved that the surgery was going smoothly. But just then, a deafening sound erupted outside the villa.

Boom... boom... It seemed even the rear mountain was shaking along with it.

What’s happening out there?

Serena’s face instantly turned pale. She quickly stopped what she was doing and looked up toward the outside.

She knew that sound all too well—it was the thunder-blast grenade. If there had only been one explosion, she could have comforted herself that maybe it was just an accidental detonation from Ninth Royal Uncle’s stock, but...

A barrage of explosions erupted, making Serena feel the ground tremble. Normally, she wouldn’t let anything distract her during surgery, but this situation left her no choice.

“This is bad—someone’s breaking in.” Dr. Redwater didn’t know what a thunder-blast grenade was, but he understood the commotion. He exchanged a look with Dr. Marcus Guile, and both turned to Serena.

Things had gotten complicated. This surgery today might...

"Master?" Simon Sun was startled by the explosions, but after regaining his composure, he looked to Serena.

Faced with the questioning looks of all three, Serena cursed inwardly. What kind of timing was this? If only they’d come earlier or later—why did it have to be now? It was enough to make anyone furious.

Serena was anxious too, worried the surgery couldn’t continue, but she kept her composure and calmly reassured, “Simon, don’t worry. Whatever’s happening outside isn’t our concern. We just need to focus on our work. If anyone asks, answer for me—I’ll need two more hours.”

At this stage of the surgery, even if Serena wanted to stop, she couldn’t. She glanced at the Crown Prince lying on the operating table and thought to herself: The Crown Prince really has terrible luck. If the attackers had arrived before the bypass was established, she might have been able to halt the operation. But now, no matter what, she had to hold out until it was finished.

Having made up her mind, Serena quickly steadied herself and solemnly implored, “Seniors, the Crown Prince’s condition can’t wait—I must continue the surgery. If anything does happen, I beg you both to buy me some time. Whatever you do, don’t let anyone break in.”

If the operating room door were blown open, even a successful surgery could still end in the Crown Prince dying from infection. If failure came from that, every one of them would regret it forever.

Serena had performed minor surgeries for soldiers during wartime plenty of times, but she’d never carried out such a major cardiac operation under these conditions. This surgery really was full of obstacles.

Serena’s composure calmed the other three. Dr. Marcus Guile quickly promised, “Don’t worry, Miss Feng. As long as we still have breath, no one will get in.”

As doctors, the medical ethics of Dr. Redwater and Dr. Marcus Guile would never let them abandon a patient.

With their promise, Serena felt more at ease. She couldn’t control what was happening outside, but she trusted Ninth Royal Uncle to hold the line. All she could do was finish the surgery as quickly as possible and move the Crown Prince.

Serena looked deeply at the three of them, said no more, and continued with the operation. Just then, footsteps sounded outside the operating room, and Ninth Royal Uncle’s voice called in from beyond the door: “Serena, don’t worry. Everything outside is under my control. You just focus on your work and leave the rest to me.”

“Uncle Nolan, don’t worry—Master isn’t worried. She says she’ll need two more hours, so no matter what, you have to buy her that time.” Simon saw Serena was busy cooling the Crown Prince’s blood, fully immersed in the surgery, so he hurried to answer on her behalf.

“Understood.” Hearing Simon reply, Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t need to see to know that Serena was now completely focused on her surgery, shutting out everything else.

That was perfect—now he could concentrate on dealing with the threat outside.

After all, no one could have predicted someone would come knocking at this moment. It was pure bad luck. Ninth Royal Uncle’s face was grim as he instructed his personal guards, “Protect the Crown Prince. Do not leave his side for a single step.”

"Yes, sir."

Ninth Royal Uncle left both his personal guards and his shadow guards behind. No matter what, they could not let anyone blast open the operating room.

After giving his orders, Ninth Royal Uncle took four elite attendants and rushed outside the villa. The attackers were well-prepared and highly skilled; Felix alone wouldn’t be able to hold them off for long.

Thunder-blast grenades!

Hmph... A flash of murderous intent flickered in Ninth Royal Uncle’s beautiful eyes. He’d never expected his act of feigning illness would fool the Emperor forever. He’d only hoped to buy some time, but now, the Emperor’s men had shown up at the worst possible moment.

And to wipe out both him and the Crown Prince in one sweep, they’d actually brought out the thunder-blast grenades that had been sealed away for years. What a grand move.

When Ninth Royal Uncle arrived, Felix Dongling was already leading the villa’s guards in battle across the river from the enemy. At that moment, Ninth Royal Uncle was deeply grateful that the river in front of the villa was wide enough—otherwise, with all those grenades raining down, they’d have been doomed.

Boom... Another explosion echoed, sending waves splashing high on the water. Thunder-blast grenades flew over one after another, as if they cost nothing, raining down on the villa.

Water sprayed sky-high, and the men in front were soaked through. Several, caught too close, were blown straight into the air by the blasts. The situation was grim for Ninth Royal Uncle.

Felix Dongling charged at the front, dodging grenades while thinking of how to counterattack. Direct confrontation was impossible—the enemy had grenades and superior numbers. Their only hope lay in exploiting the terrain.

Felix quickly assessed the situation and ordered the catapults brought out, arranging a defensive formation. But with the enemy so numerous, it wouldn’t last long. Soon, they blasted open a bloody path, threw up a makeshift pontoon bridge, and tried to storm across the river. If they succeeded, it was anyone’s guess whether the villa’s defenders could hold out for two hours...