He had no energy to answer the middle-aged shop owner. Hearing the question, Du Heng continued his efforts, panting as he asked, "Do you know how to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)?"

"No," the owner replied.

Hearing this, Du Heng quickly turned to Zhou Ce. "Is there anyone who knows how to perform CPR? Come over and help!"

But even though Du Heng shouted loudly, no one came forward. The onlookers just stared at Du Heng and Elder Sister in the center of the commotion.

Fortunately, Dong Yuezhang, who had run to the car for supplies, returned. Panting, he squatted by Du Heng's side. "Here's what you asked for."

Du Heng reached out to take it but then sat down abruptly to one side. "Quick, CPR, don't stop!"

Although Dong Yuezhang's usual work was administrative, he remembered the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) he had learned in school and could perform it immediately, not forgetting a single step.

Seeing Du Heng slumped to one side, he immediately took over without any fuss.

But they took turns, performing CPR countless times, until Elder Sister's breastbone felt like it was about to break. Yet, she still couldn't draw a breath, and her heart stubbornly refused to beat.

Dong Yuezhang was also exhausted, his arms aching and his back sore, but he didn't dare stop for even a moment. He looked pleadingly at Du Heng. "Du, you have to think of something! We can't go on like this. It's been too long."

Then he looked at the onlookers again. "Has 120 arrived yet? Did any of you call?"

"We called," they answered.

"I called too."

"Binhe Road is too congested; they must be stuck on the road."

Hearing their replies, Dong Yuezhang said no more and, gritting his teeth, continued his efforts.

Du Heng took a deep breath. He couldn't wait any longer. The more time passed, the lower the chances of restarting her heart. Prolonged delay could also cause irreversible damage.

Another issue was that cardiac arrest was entirely different from fainting and shock—it was far more dangerous. The methods Du Heng could think of made him hesitate due to the risks involved.

But now, with no other options left, Du Heng clenched his teeth and sat up. He had to take the risk. Glancing at the middle-aged shop owner still beside him, Du Heng said quickly, "Please, take off this Elder Sister's shoes."

The middle-aged shop owner paused for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "I get it! I've seen this before!"

He didn't explain what he understood or had seen but hurriedly began to remove Elder Sister's shoes. Du Heng, meanwhile, paid no mind to the shop owner's words and started preparing his medical kit.

Du Heng quickly prepared the silver needles he had taken out. Just as he turned to apply them, he saw the middle-aged shop owner forcefully striking Elder Sister's soles with her own shoe, producing a series of sharp SLAP, SLAP, SLAP, SLAP sounds.

Startled, Du Heng shouted, "Stop! What are you doing?"

The middle-aged shop owner stopped his actions and looked at Du Heng in confusion. "Weren't you going to slap her soles? I've seen this method. It really works."

Du Heng quickly stopped the middle-aged shop owner. "Don't hit her anymore, please! That method might work if someone has fainted and won't wake up, but it's completely useless for a patient in cardiac arrest!"

Saying this, he pushed the middle-aged shop owner aside and knelt at Elder Sister's feet. When he picked up the foot the owner had just released, he saw that in just those few seconds, the man had struck the sole so hard it was already turning blue.

Du Heng sucked in a cold breath. What a heavy hand! He decisively abandoned the idea of using needles on her soles. He quickly rolled up Elder Sister's pant leg, located the ST-36 acupoint, and inserted a needle, twirling it between his fingers. As he manipulated the needle, he said, "Please, roll up her other pant leg too."

Seeing Du Heng's actions, the middle-aged shop owner realized his well-intentioned effort had backfired. He hardly dared to breathe, immediately kneeling to roll up the other pant leg.

After Du Heng had inserted needles in both legs, Dong Yuezhang, still performing CPR, anxiously cried out, "Du, this isn't working, is it?"

Du Heng's face was taut. "Quiet! I'm not finished yet." As he spoke, he moved to Elder Sister's head. This time, he took out the 2.6-inch silver needle.

Du Heng let out a soft breath, then held it, his focus entirely on the 2.6-inch needle. He slowly inserted it into the Baihui (GV20) acupoint. He had never used such a long needle at this point, nor inserted one so deeply. The slightest tremor, the smallest deviation in the needle's placement, and even if Elder Sister lived, she could be left with cerebral palsy.

While Du Heng was inserting the needle, the sight of that long, flexible 2.6-inch needle caused an uproar among the onlookers.

"Is he a TCM doctor?!"

"That needle is so long; it could puncture the brain, right?"

"I've never heard of TCM having this ability!"

"All of you, shut the fuck up! Don't disturb the doctor while he's saving a life."

"Think you're so clever? Shut up!"

But in the time it took for the crowd to murmur, Du Heng had already completed the needling. He removed the needle, unlike the ones at ST-36, which he had left in place.

Du Heng let out a slight sigh of relief. Seeing Dong Yuezhang at his limit, he quickly took over CPR again.

Dong Yuezhang, also breathing easier, asked, "Du, will it work?"

"Ideally, to connect the upper and lower body and promote qi and blood circulation, the best points are Baihui (GV20) on the head and another key point on the lower body. But..." Du Heng's compressions became more forceful. "Time was too critical. We couldn't manage both. This was the only option."