Chapter 66
Double chapters for this week! Enjoy guys! (03/24/2025 - 03/28/2025)
“Mm?”
Captain Kim Young-jae of Patrol Killer Medium 288 doubted his ears.
Someone else had just uttered the word “departure” in his place.
Turning around, he saw a man he’d never seen before, wearing a doctor’s coat.
“What the hell…”
He was about to explode in anger when someone blocked his path.
It was Lieutenant Colonel Kim Nak-chul.
“Victory!”
Captain Kim Young-jae was a soldier to the core—and a sailor at that.
So the moment he saw the rank insignia of a lieutenant colonel, he snapped to attention and saluted out of instinct.
Even though he and Lieutenant Colonel Kim were close, attending the same military church every week.
“Hey, hey. At ease. When did you get here? I thought you were on patrol duty nearby today?”
“Yes, I was. I’ve been standing by since the mobilization order came in earlier.”
“Ah, good thing it’s you then. Get us to Incheon Port as fast as you can.”
“Incheon Port… Understood. But who the hell is that guy?”
Captain Kim Young-jae asked with a face full of complaint, pointing at Kang-hyuk.
Kang-hyuk was barking orders at the deck crew like they were his subordinates.
“Hey! Move that out of the way! We’re laying the patient down here! Keep it dry—prop that up over there!”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers followed his orders flawlessly, even though they had no idea who he was.
They just assumed that any man in his thirties wearing a white coat had to be a [military doctor].
Though, admittedly, Kang-hyuk’s hair was far longer than that of a typical soldier.
Then again, [military doctors] weren’t exactly known for their regulation haircuts.
Even the captain standing next to him, Lee Kang-haeng, would look like a civilian the moment he took off his uniform.
“Ah, that guy.”
Lieutenant Colonel Kim nodded, his expression suggesting he understood exactly why Captain Kim was so pissed off.
The Navy was a different beast from the Army.
And sailors, especially those stationed on ships, might as well be considered an entirely different breed.
Ships were closed-off and dangerous environments.
Onboard, the chain of command had to be absolute.
The captain was effectively the king of the vessel.
So to be bypassed and given orders like this—it made sense that he’d be upset.
“He’s a trauma surgeon from Hanguk University Hospital, came with the Central Rescue Unit.”
“Trauma surgery? Never heard of it.”
“Me neither. It didn’t exist when I was in training.”
“Then what’s with all the theatrics? Isn’t he just loading a patient?”
It wasn’t unheard of for patrol boats to be used for patient transport.
After all, it was the fastest vessel on Baengnyeong Island.
Captain Kim himself had been deployed for transport missions a few times.
But a doctor like Baek Kang-hyuk, stirring things up like this? First time for that.
“Ah. He’s not just transporting.”
“Not just… What?”
Captain Kim’s jaw dropped as he saw surgical stands being set up right on the deck.
He nearly ran over but was stopped by Lieutenant Colonel Kim.
“They’re performing surgery.”
“Surgery…? On a boat?”
“Yeah.”
“Sir—no, Lieutenant Colonel—this is a patrol killer! It’s not even a corvette! It sways like crazy!”
“I know. He knows too. He just said to pilot the ship to Incheon Port—he’ll handle everything else.”
“What if the scalpel slips or something…?”
What if he somehow ended up partly responsible?
The thought silenced Captain Kim with pure dread.
Lieutenant Colonel Kim was just as nervous.
But what could he do?
He’d already seen an impossible surgery with his own eyes. He was in Kang-hyuk’s pocket now.
“So just do what you always do…”
He was still trying to convince Captain Kim when Kang-hyuk’s shout rang out from behind.
“Hey! Get us moving already!”
Peeking over his shoulder, he saw the patient was now positioned in the middle of the deck.
There was no proper operating room on a patrol boat this small.
So they had apparently decided to operate right there on the deck.
“Uh…”
“Just get us moving. If something goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility.”
“Lieutenant Colonel…”
“Come on. Our soldier’s arm isn’t moving. We need to hurry.”
“Ah, understood.”
Captain Kim nodded reluctantly, an expression of resignation on his face.
Then he barked orders to his subordinates.
“PKM-288, prepare to depart!”
“Victory!”
Salutes echoed across the ship, and the vessel slowly pulled away from the port, heading toward the seas off Baengnyeong Island.
“Hmm.”
At that moment, Kang-hyuk was gazing down at Private First Class Kim, who was still conscious.
“Urgh…”
He groaned constantly, but he remained alert enough to respond to questions.
From a medical standpoint, this was great.
But with surgery imminent, it wasn’t exactly welcome.
‘Even if it’s just an arm, there’s no way I can perform [nerve anastomosis] while he’s fully conscious. I’ll have to put him under. The problem is…’
(T/N: A surgical procedure where two nerve ends are connected to restore function, often used in nerve repair or grafting after trauma or severance.)
The portable monitoring equipment he’d brought from the hospital was running dangerously low on battery.
Even on a high-speed patrol boat, it would take over three hours to reach Incheon Port.
The West Sea was broader than most imagined.
‘Well… I don’t need machines to tell me [oxygen saturation].’
(T/N: A measure of how much oxygen the blood is carrying as a percentage of the maximum it could carry. Normal levels are typically between 95–100%.)
There were plenty of physical indicators, like lip color.
Besides, Kang-hyuk had other methods.
Ones most wouldn’t believe.
“Let’s knock him out first. Give him the [analgesic] over there.”
“Should I use [Pethidine]?”
(T/N: A powerful opioid [painkiller] used to relieve moderate to severe pain. It also has mild sedative effects and is often used before or during surgery.)
“Yeah.”
“Understood.”
At Kang-hyuk’s command, Captain Lee Kang-haeng quickly administered the [Pethidine].
It was a well-known [opioid analgesic] with mild sedative properties.
Of course, relying on that alone for surgery would be madness.
“Give him some [Midazolam] too.”
(T/N: A fast-acting [benzodiazepine] used for sedation, anxiety relief, and inducing sleep before medical procedures. It also causes short-term memory loss and muscle relaxation.)
“What? I didn’t bring any—”
“I did. Use this.”
Kang-hyuk pulled an ampoule from his coat pocket and handed it to Kang-haeng.
Captain Lee didn’t even have time to wonder why this man casually carried around controlled substances. He simply did as instructed.
“Uh, uh…”
The effects of the [Midazolam] were immediate. Private First Class Kim closed his eyes and began to snore.
Whether he’d been a snorer before was anyone’s guess.
Normally, such a powerful sedative caused muscles to loosen more than usual, narrowing the airway.
That made snoring almost inevitable.
“What’s his oxygen saturation?”
“93%. Should I start bagging?”
“93. No, it’s fine. Just tell the nurse officer to stay on standby.”
“Understood.”
It would have been ideal if the [oxygen saturation] was at 100%.
That was the normal level, after all.
But the human body was built to comfortably endure levels down to 80%.
In fact, even lower levels didn’t immediately lead to anything critical.
Kang-hyuk had even once been on a transport ship with a broken [pressure control system] and seen his [oxygen saturation] drop below 60%.
‘You don’t die that easily.’
Thinking that, Kang-hyuk picked up the [disinfectant].
He didn’t wipe the area clean with gauze like usual.
He just poured it.
Dribble.
Even as the brown [povidone-iodine] solution hit the wound, Private First Class Kim barely twitched.
He seemed to be in a deep sleep.
Kang-hyuk nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. You can see where I’m holding, right?”
He pointed to his left hand, which was tightly pressing down on the wound.
Captain Lee Kang-haeng was already amazed that just applying pressure had stopped the bleeding.
More than just seeing—it was like he was staring through it.
“Yes.”
“When I give the signal, pull that part tight. Top and bottom.”
“Top and bottom…”
“Yeah. There’ll be some blood. Don’t freak out too much.”
“Yes, yes.”
Captain Lee stared at the wound with tense eyes.
But Kang-hyuk didn’t signal just yet.
Instead, he scolded the captain for just standing there staring.
“Do it when I say so. What, you gonna cut before even doing the anesthesia?”
“Ah…”
“Use your head. Think.”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
It made Captain Lee feel like he’d gone back to his residency days.
Back then, he’d gotten chewed out constantly too.
‘Wait, what? This guy’s not even my professor…?’
He started wondering if Kang-hyuk even had the right to yell at him like that.
Splash.
Just then, PKM-288 finally passed Baengnyeong Island and entered the open sea.
No matter how clear the weather, the ocean was always merciless.
Crash.
Endless waves slammed mercilessly into the boat’s hull.
Each time, the boat shook without resistance.
More than Captain Lee had expected.
‘Can a surgery even happen here?’
He imagined himself holding a scalpel in this situation.
‘Ugh.’
It was a nightmare just thinking about it.
If it were him, the moment he put the scalpel to the patient, he’d probably end up slicing somewhere completely unintended.
“What are you doing? We haven’t even started yet, so grab the gauze.”
“Ah, yes. But what…?”
“You’re not gonna do anesthesia? Just slice right in? Man, you’re brutal. What is this, some kind of Marine Corps mindset? You know they call that abuse nowadays, right?”
“N-No, not at all. I—I was just about to start the anesthesia.”
“Good. Pull the skin around the wound with the gauze.”
“Y-Yes?”
Captain Lee started to do as told, then widened his eyes in hesitation.
And there was Kang-hyuk, staring daggers at him while holding a vicious-looking syringe.
“You crazy? Hurry up and pull it already.”
“N-No… It’s shaking so much. What if you stab my hand by accident…?”
“Pfft, unbelievable.”
Kang-hyuk scoffed at what seemed like a pretty reasonable concern.
Then, as if he’d figured something out, he nodded knowingly.
“Ah… You aiming for [colorectal surgery], by any chance?”
“Huh? I mean… yeah, I’m considering it…”
“That explains it. I should’ve known. Makes sense now.”
“So I don’t have to hold it?”
“No. You still do. I understand—but you’re still holding it.”
“What kind of logic is that…”
“Just hold it, you bastard.”
“Y-Yes.”
Overwhelmed, Captain Lee gave in, and Kang-hyuk began the [anesthesia].
Crash.
It was a critical moment, but the sea didn’t care.
It kept pounding the boat relentlessly.
Still, there was one person who remained unfazed.
Stab.
Kang-hyuk inserted the needle as calmly as if he were in an operating room.
Not a millimeter off—it went exactly where he aimed.
“Whew.”
Captain Lee exhaled in relief, just glad the needle hadn’t pierced his own fingers.
Stab.
The [anesthesia] continued.
“Whew…”
Captain Lee kept sighing.
It took almost ten more minutes before Kang-hyuk could finish the procedure.
Compared to usual, it took nearly ten times longer.
He could feel sweat building up inside his gloves.
Tension.
It was a rare sensation for Kang-hyuk.
“Phew. Good work.”
Oblivious, Captain Lee cracked a joke, eyeing the pale skin around the wound.
Kang-hyuk shook his head.
“That was just the [anesthesia]. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Ah, yes.”
“The next part is key. I’ll deal with the blood vessels first, then continue the rest of the surgery.”
“Blood vessels…”
