Chapter One: The Devil Among Angels

Shanghai, Jimin Hospital.

“Dr. Chu! We… we might not be able to save this patient.” The nurse stared at the flat line on the monitor, her eyes brimming with despair.

Chu Feng glanced at her and said, “Why all the fuss? I’m the surgeon in charge. If the patient dies, it’s not your responsibility.”

The nurse nodded slightly. She was just an assistant, after all. Still, Chu Feng’s calm and collected demeanor left her feeling uneasy.

As Chu Feng’s assistant, she’d witnessed scenes like this more than once. Even after so many times, she still struggled to understand this strange man.

Over the past months, whenever Chu Feng was the chief surgeon, hardly a single patient survived—there were more than a dozen who hadn’t made it. Other doctors whispered behind his back that his scalpel wasn’t a surgical tool, but rather the scythe of the Grim Reaper!

Despite his low success rate, Chu Feng was revered as a miracle worker among the city’s elite and powerful. They flocked to him, undeterred by his reputation.

This paradox was something the young nurse simply couldn’t comprehend.

Chu Feng, naturally, noticed her complicated expression. But such things—especially the opinions of others—hardly concerned him.

He released the deceased patient’s arm and glanced at his wristwatch.

The dial was peculiar, spinning rapidly. After twenty-five revolutions, it stopped, and the number on the face changed from twenty-five to fifty.

“At last, I’ve absorbed another. Heaven is truly unfair—good people die young, yet someone as wicked as this lived for twenty-five years? If heaven won’t be fair, I’ll right the balance myself.”

The watch on Chu Feng’s wrist displayed the number fifty—representing lifespan. He’d nearly died for this artifact, but fortunately, its powers were formidable. Not only could it absorb the remaining years of the dead, but it had another function as well.

A few minutes later, Chu Feng and the nurse left the operating room.

“Dr. Chu, how did the surgery go?”

“Nurse Han, what’s the patient’s status? Was the anesthesia smooth?”

As soon as they stepped out, Director Ma Mingwei and several doctors crowded around, anxiously asking about the outcome.

Ma’s anxiety was understandable—the patient was rumored to be a major figure in Shanghai’s underworld, with dozens of subordinates awaiting the result. If the operation failed, the consequences would be dire.

Dealing with a medical dispute among ordinary people was hard enough—let alone with these ruthless types.

In contrast, Chu Feng was unruffled. He lit a cigarette and said in a low voice, “Nurse Han, you tell them the result. I’m tired of repeating myself.”

The nurse could only smile bitterly, as if the operation had actually succeeded.

Under the hopeful gazes of the director and other doctors, she gathered her courage and said, “The operation failed. The patient has been declared dead.”

Ma Mingwei nearly blacked out at the news.

The other doctors reacted even more strongly.

“Chu Feng! Are you here to save lives or end them? How can your success rate be so abysmal?”

“Our hospital is disgraced to have a doctor like you!”

The doctors, all well-educated, could barely contain their fury at Chu Feng’s nonchalance in the face of failure.

This wasn’t the first time, either—they’d tolerated it before, but this time was different. If those gangsters stirred up trouble, who could predict the outcome?

Chu Feng flicked his cigarette into the bin and said coolly, “Director Ma, Old Mr. Li should have about twelve minutes before his next attack. If you’re so free as to stand around and insult me, I can keep you company.”

At these words, Ma Mingwei felt a lump in his throat and fell silent.

He quickly signaled the other doctors, “Back to work, all of you! Disperse!”

He turned back to Chu Feng with a forced smile. “My colleagues were only worried about the patient, Xiao Chu. Please don’t take it to heart. We mustn’t delay Old Mr. Li’s treatment!”

The departing doctors glanced back repeatedly. If not for Chu Feng’s status, their complaints would have gone far beyond mere words.

Chu Feng sighed and shook his head. “These days are truly exhausting. If only someone in the hospital could ease my burden. But… ah, what a lot…”

He cut himself off with a chuckle and walked away, leaving the nearby doctors bristling with indignation.

As they watched Chu Feng swagger off, those dissatisfied doctors were filled with confusion.

He failed so many surgeries and still boasted like this—what went on in his mind?

“Director, is he mentally stable? Keeping a doctor like him around is a real risk…” one attending physician muttered to Ma Mingwei.

He could never forget how, just a few days ago, Chu Feng had publicly called him useless—an insult he still couldn’t swallow.

“Director Ma, in just one month, the number of deaths under his hands is more than we can count on our fingers. If this goes on, he’ll ruin the hospital’s reputation. If even a doctor like this isn’t fired…”

The complaints flew thick and fast.

Ma Mingwei was caught in a bind.

He gritted his teeth. Though he felt the same as the others, the hospital desperately needed a doctor like Chu Feng right now.

He couldn’t and dared not dismiss him.

“Enough! Losing a patient is an uncertainty, but bringing one back from the dead—that’s real skill! If any of you can do that one day, you’re welcome to act as boldly as him. Now get back to work!”

Silenced by the director, the doctors fell quiet.

For all their resentment of Chu Feng’s arrogance, they couldn’t deny his medical prowess.

Their resistance was only to his brash personality.

For someone so young to possess such profound skills was almost unheard of.

A miracle worker who could bring the dying back, yet also a harbinger of death—these two extremes coexisted in Chu Feng, making him the most talked-about doctor at Jimin Hospital.

Creak—

Chu Feng pushed open the door to the ward for retired officials.

On the bed lay an old man—Old Mr. Li, the patient Director Ma had spoken of earlier.

Before retirement, he’d held the top position in the province’s relevant departments. Even now, his son was a key figure in one of Shanghai’s most powerful offices.

Old Mr. Li wished for peace and limited visitors, yet today there was a young woman at his bedside.

Her eyes were bright as she chatted with him, long hair cascading over her shoulders, lips gently upturned in a perpetual smile, skin smooth as a polished apple.

As Chu Feng entered, Old Mr. Li took the girl’s hand and said, “Dr. Chu, I must trouble you again today. Let me introduce my eldest granddaughter, Li Yuewu! You young people have more in common—you’ll have plenty of chances to get to know each other.”

As he spoke, Old Mr. Li appraised his granddaughter with a half-smile, then glanced at the tall Chu Feng. No one could tell what he truly meant by his words.

“Hello, I’m Chu Feng, chief surgeon at Jimin Hospital.” Chu Feng extended his right hand politely to greet Li Yuewu.

Despite his extensive experience with women, he found few as fresh and lovely as her.

Unexpectedly, Li Yuewu made no move to shake his hand.

“So you’re the doctor my grandfather mentioned? Aren’t you a bit too young? How skilled could you possibly be? My grandfather can’t stop singing your praises.”

She scrutinized Chu Feng, her gaze and tone full of disdain.

Her attitude irked Chu Feng. Clearly, a pure appearance didn’t guarantee a gentle temper.

He straightened his collar and coughed. “I’m about to treat Old Mr. Li. Please leave the room now. To ensure no one disturbs me, you’ll need to stand guard at the door.”

“You!” Li Yuewu stamped her foot, never having been spoken to like this.

“Why should I watch the door for you? I won’t!” she protested angrily.

Chu Feng narrowed his eyes, smiling. “Right now, I’m your grandfather’s attending physician—the only one in the hospital willing to treat him. Is that reason enough?”

“Don’t exaggerate! I don’t believe for a second there isn’t another doctor in all of Shanghai who could replace you! If you keep this up, we’ll take him elsewhere for treatment—leave, now!” Li Yuewu was fuming.

She shot Chu Feng a glare, then looked to her grandfather for support—but Old Mr. Li’s face had gone pale as he lay on the bed, sweating profusely.

“Grandpa, are you all right? Where does it hurt?” Li Yuewu asked in concern.

He coughed heavily, his voice weak. “Dr. Chu is in charge now. Do as he says, Yuewu—don’t be stubborn. Leave the room…”

“But Grandpa…” She hesitated, but finally obeyed, bowing her head as she left.

As she passed Chu Feng, she couldn’t resist warning, “If my grandfather doesn’t get better, don’t even think about being a doctor in Shanghai again!”

After she left, Chu Feng helped Old Mr. Li recline comfortably, then began acupuncture.

But the acupuncture was only a front—his true purpose was to transfer the lifespan stored in his watch into Li’s body. Watching the dwindling years, Chu Feng couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

Harvesting lifespan by ending villains was relatively easy, but using it to heal required ten times as much!

He’d already spent decades of accumulated lifespan on Old Mr. Li’s treatments. To fully cure him would take roughly thirty more years.

Chu Feng had killed many wicked men in the hospital, but needed Old Mr. Li’s connections to smooth over the inevitable troubles. If not for this, he never would have paid such a price to save him.

All the years Chu Feng had collected were for one purpose—to save someone who mattered more to him than his own life.

“Old Mr. Li, one more course of treatment and you’ll be completely cured,” Chu Feng said calmly as he removed the needles.

Old Mr. Li’s face lit up with gratitude. “Dr. Chu, you’re truly remarkable. Thank you so much. My granddaughter’s always been spoiled—please forgive her and don’t take her words to heart.”

“You are a wise and respected man, Mr. Li—I have the utmost admiration for you. Since we’re, in a way, friends across generations, I must tell you: your granddaughter, Li Yuewu, has a hidden ailment—and it’s quite serious.”

At these words, Old Mr. Li was utterly shocked.