Chapter - 6016

After the doctor contacted the police, before their arrival, another white patient was brought in exhibiting the same symptoms as the previous cases.

Soon, three police cars pulled up at the emergency department of Silverwing Hospital.

The lead officer immediately spoke with the director of the emergency center.

The director rubbed his forehead and sighed, "It’s truly bizarre. Several foreign patients have been admitted here in one night, and all of them have overdosed on sildenafil. One of them is still in critical condition."

The officer asked in surprise, "Sildenafil? Is that Viagra?"

"Yes," the director nodded in confirmation. "That’s what we commonly refer to as Viagra. The side effects of this medication aren't usually severe, but anyone who experiences strong reactions has likely taken too much."

The police officer said awkwardly, "Doctor, it seems these foreigners have overdosed on Viagra. Is it really appropriate for us to intervene? If news of this gets out, it might give the impression that our Aurous Hill police are dealing with the issues of foreign visitors and could lead to negative consequences."

The director responded, "While I'm concerned that these foreigners may be up to no good, I've heard about how foreigners enjoy themselves. Television often talks about parties hosted by hip-hop stars or billionaire tycoons on private islands. I worry they might engage in inappropriate behavior here and embarrass us. What should we do?"

The officer hesitated momentarily.

They generally shied away from handling cases involving foreigners, as these often entailed dealing with numerous individuals and, at times, the involvement of embassies.

However, if it turned out to be a public safety or even criminal matter, they couldn't just turn a blind eye.

In frustration, he proposed, "How about we first verify their identities, check their residences in Aurous Hill, and see if they’re from the same group? Also, are the patients in stable condition here able to be questioned briefly?"

The director replied, "The patients who have undergone gastric lavage are stable, but they do have elevated blood pressure from the overdose and may still feel somewhat unwell. However, they should be able to answer questions."

The officer said, "Are there any empty wards available?"

"Yes," the director confirmed. "There are no other patients in the emergency department tonight, aside from them."

"Great!" the officer declared, "Please prepare two wards, start with the first two patients, and we'll question them separately."

"No problem!"

At that moment, Hank had just finished his gastric lavage, and the doctor had administered some blood pressure medication, leading to a slight improvement in his condition.

As two nurses wheeled his bed out of the emergency room, they prepared to move him to one of the wards.

He found himself in the largest area of the emergency center, where more than a dozen beds were designated for emergency patients. There were no proper partitions, only privacy curtains separating each bed.

Patients brought in for emergency treatment who were temporarily stable would be placed here first, allowing doctors to monitor their conditions easily.

Yet, these individuals remained oblivious to one another's circumstances.

As Hank was pushed out and passed between the curtains, he suddenly realized that all the patients in those cubicles were his comrades.

One of them noticed him as well, and their eyes met. Hank quickly inquired, "Angel, what happened to you?"

Angel replied, sounding weak and disheartened, "I’m in deep trouble, Hank. I might be out of luck. I took a handful of sildenafil tablets, but they didn't work, and I blacked out. I only woke up three minutes ago..."

He then asked, "What about you, Hank? What's wrong?"

Hank responded, both surprised and angry, "Unbelievable! I'm in the same situation as you! I nearly died today!"

A nurse, proficient in English, overheard their conversation and cautioned, "You two should minimize your talking; you're still not stable."

Hank asked her, "Miss Nurse, where are you taking me?"

The nurse answered, "To a private ward."

Hank asked in surprise, "Am I still in danger?"

The nurse replied, "That’s something to discuss with the doctor. Asking me won’t help."

As she spoke, Hank was pushed into a nearby private ward.

No sooner had the nurse settled him in than two uniformed policemen entered. One of them looked at him and said, "Hello, I’m an officer from the Aurous Hill police. I need to understand why you were admitted for emergency treatment due to an overdose of sildenafil."

With a sigh of frustration, Hank said, "Why did I overdose? It was because I took too much..."

The officer asked again, "What made you take so much sildenafil?"

Hank, feeling even more dejected, replied, "Because I couldn’t perform!"

The officer thought to himself: "These foreigners are quite open."

He reminded Hank subtly, "Be aware that in our country, participating in promiscuous gatherings is considered a crime."

Hank exclaimed, "But I didn’t partake in any promiscuous activities! I said I couldn’t perform! I was just impotent... Officer, are you intentionally mocking me with these questions?"

The officer felt a bit embarrassed by Hank's response; it did seem more like a personal issue on Hank's side.

Clearing his throat, he asked again, "Are the other Americans who overdosed your friends?"

Hank nodded, "Yes, they are."

The officer continued, "Did you all take sildenafil at the same time?"

Hank quickly clarified, "No! I don’t want to be accused of harassment. We arrived in China unexpectedly and didn’t book a room together; we stayed in different hotels, and I wasn’t with them when I took sildenafil. I have no idea why they ended up here."

The officer stated, "The information from the doctor indicates that the others, like you, also overdosed on sildenafil and required emergency treatment. One of them is still in a critical condition."

After relaying the information, the officer asked in confusion, "Excuse me, but do all of you suffer from erectile dysfunction?"

Hank replied dejectedly, "That’s impossible. I’ve never had this problem before tonight. I just couldn't last long enough or maintain an erection, so I needed assistance from some medication. But today has been so strange; no matter how much I took, it just didn’t work..."

The police officer reflected: "What kind of people are these...?"

He continued, "We’re here to determine if you engaged in any form of group promiscuity and to check if someone might have poisoned you while you overdosed on the drugs. Since you all took them on your own and didn’t actually engage in group activities, we won’t get involved. If you need help, contact your embassy. If necessary, we can arrive at that decision on your behalf."

Hank was taken aback. How could he possibly involve the embassy over something so embarrassing? If any indiscreet person spread news back to China, he would be humiliated.

He quickly replied, "No, no, we’re nearly recovered and just plan to leave the hospital to return to the United States today."

"That’s good to hear," the officer said with a sigh of relief. "Alright then, we won’t bother you any longer. Focus on resting and recuperating."

Once the police finished speaking, they left the room.

Hank was overwhelmed with questions swirling in his mind.

He pondered, "Everyone seems so brave when we were partying together, yet all of a sudden, we’re all impotent? This doesn’t make any sense..."