Chapter 112: Something is Really Strange (3)

‘What am I missing?’

Suhyuk stared at Paul, who was looking blankly back at him. His appearance truly didn’t fit his name - ‘Paul’. For someone with such a menacing look, ‘Paul’ seemed incongruous. In comparison, Pete’s nickname, which Suhyuk presumed someone else had given him, was quite fitting and brilliant.

“Let me ask what items can be brought inside.”

‘I doubt there would be any…’

Suhyuk recalled the briefing he received before treating the inmates. It covered various precautions and basic information about them. According to that, the individuals he faced now were hardened criminals, so lawless that even murders occurred within the prison itself.

Would they allow personal items for such individuals? If Suhyuk were the prison director, he wouldn’t permit any personal belongings.

“U-um, Officer.”

However, as if solving a mystery, Suhyuk needed to gather more information while conducting his examination. Thus, he mustered up the courage and called out to the prison guard.

“Yes, Dr. Lee?”

Fortunately, the prison guard seemed impressed by Suhyuk’s keen observation skills and was quite cooperative.

“By any chance, does this… inmate have any personal items brought from outside?”

“No, sir. The wheelchair is newly issued by the prison. He mainly uses crutches though… which were also provided by the prison.”

“The crutches too?”

“They could be used as weapons, especially metal ones.”

“I see.”

Suhyuk hadn’t personally experienced it before, but he immediately understood the reasoning behind these restrictions.

Now Suhyuk understood why Baru used his crutches all the time. However, Suhyuk’s expression didn’t brighten. Instead, it darkened further.

‘What the fuck?’

[Please refrain from using profanity.]

‘I can’t help it! I revealed your lead poisoning, but… What is missing?’]

[It isn’t missing; you just haven’t found it yet.]

Baruda differed from humans in that he remained unaffected by emotions. Although compared to their initial encounter, Baruda seemed to display more emotions now, he still resembled a robot compared to a normal human. This detachment was helpful during the diagnostic process.

‘It hasn’t been found yet…’

[The fact remains that you currently have lead poisoning. It won’t change.]

‘That… true.’

As Suhyuk listened to Baruda’s confident voice, he gradually calmed down. At the same time, his perspective broadened. To be more precise, the range of his thoughts expanded.

Suhyuk had originally been flexible-minded, quickly accepting that Baruda was embedded within his mind. With Baruda analyzing data without any biases, Suhyuk became even more adaptable.

‘Wait… Just wait.’

[I am always waiting.]

‘Damn it… That’s not what I meant. It is just me talking to myself.’

[Why waste energy like this?]

‘It helps me think better… No, nevermind.’

Regardless of how things turned out, Suhyuk shook his head at the thought of trying to explain human emotions to Baruda, who existed as mere code.

Instead of continuing the conversation with Baruda, I turned my attention back to the prison guard and Paul. They seemed relieved as they were growing tired of watching the doctor muttering while staring into space. Their expressions conveyed that they weren’t sure if it was appropriate to continue talking with me.

“This… this patient.”

“Yes, Dr. Lee?”

“Was there any physical examination when he entered the prison?”

Suhyuk’s words made Paul agitated. However, due to being tightly bound, he couldn’t cause much trouble. His voice only became slightly louder than before.

“Do you think I’ve been hiding something all this time?”

“Be quiet.”

“You’re suspecting me! Me!”

“Well, your appearance certainly raises suspicions.”

“No, based on looks alone!”

“Think about what President Lincoln said. By your age, you should be responsible for your face.”

“Hah…”

Despite being uneducated, it seemed he was aware of Lincoln’s quote. In some ways, this made sense as Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the most important figures in their relatively short history.

In any case, after effectively silencing Paul’s complaints, the prison guard turned to Suhyuk with a look of considerable pride on his face.

“We strip all inmates upon entry and perform anal inspections. It is impossible to smuggle anything inside.”

“Mm.”

Suhyuk nodded, indicating that he expected such measures. Although he had never committed crimes involving smuggling, he had seen similar scenes depicted in movies and dramas.

One has seen this often in movies or dramas. It was no different for Baruda.

[Indeed, there is nothing to be found?]

‘No, that’s not true.’

[Huh? Oh… Why are you being stubborn for no reason?]

‘Nope, look carefully.’

[Mm…]

In the past, Baru would have continued mocking Suhyuk, but now he remained silent with his mouth closed. It was quite strange, but Suhyuk had a natural talent for changing perspectives. Thanks to this ability, he occasionally discovered things even the most advanced artificial intelligence couldn’t find.

“So, do you perform CT scans or MRIs?”

The prison guard laughed incredulously at Suhyuk’s question.

“That’s impossible. We don’t have either of those machines.”

“I knew it.”

“Huh?”

“If something is embedded inside his body, we wouldn’t know, right?”

“That… Yes, that’s correct. But why do you ask?”

Instead of answering immediately, Suhyuk glanced at the medical report still held by Epps. Unlike typical reports, this one contained detailed information about the patient’s behavior. The aim was to minimize direct interaction between Paul and the university hospital’s medical team, allowing Suhyuk and others to fully understand Paul’s past actions solely through the report.

Among these details was a mention of an unfortunate accident that had left Paul with a severe limp.

“As you can see here, Patient Jean-Paul has been shot before. Correct?”

“It happened long ago. Damn.”

Even now, Paul grimaced as if he was experiencing pain from this memory. It was inevitable because his leg still had a limp due to that incident. If not for this injury, he could have done even more terrible things. Paul shook his head, unable to express these thoughts in front of the prison guard.

“He received initial treatment at El Paso. Isn’t El Paso located in Mexico?”

“Yes. Those damn quack doctors. If I had been treated here… it wouldn’t have ended up like this. There are still bullets inside my body that weren’t removed!”

The problem arose when one of the bullets lodged in his body broke into fragments. According to the Mexican doctor at the time, it wasn’t a standard bullet but rather something crafted by some gang.

Honestly, Paul couldn’t fully believe it. For starters, he wasn’t sure if he’d understood everything correctly since it was all explained to him in Spanish.

“Yes, as you can see from these subsequent X-rays, there were additional fragments lodged alongside the bullet itself.”

“That’s right… But why does that matter?”

Paul didn’t understand why this Asian doctor wanted to delve into his painful past, but Epps and Steve had a vague idea of what Dr. Shin was getting at. Baruda knew for certain.

“The bullet… Are you suggesting lead poisoning came from the bullet?”

Yes, homemade bullets could be made with lead.

Lead bullets have been banned internationally due to their tendency to fragment inside the human body, causing lead poisoning. It was somewhat ironic considering bullets themselves were designed specifically for killing people. However, governments maintained some level of decorum and refrained from using them, while gangs without such concerns continued employing them.

Bullets were created with the purpose of killing. Governments maintained some level of decorum and refrained from using lead bullets. However, groups without such concerns, like gangs, often utilized them aggressively to reduce the chances of their targets surviving. Additionally, these groups tended to view breaking laws as badges of honor.

“Ah… This is… This could be possible.”

‘Yes, it’s plausible.’

With Baruda’s confirmation, Suhyuk spoke more confidently than before.

“It is highly likely that this bullet caused the patient’s lead poisoning. It would be best to examine the area around the waist.”

“Yes, that’s right. It really makes sense.” Impressed by Suhyuk’s insight, Epps nodded continuously.

Although this case was unrelated to his subspecialty of respiratory diseases, before being a pulmonologist, Dr. Epps was first and foremost an internist. Naturally, he found it intriguing to diagnose conditions without directly examining them with surgical tools.

“So what tests should we perform?”

Epps started planning the diagnostic approach without consulting Paul, who remained silent as the patient.

“Um… In my opinion-”

“You stay quiet. I’m asking Doctor Lee.”

“Oh, yes.”

Despite having been sidelined throughout the discussion, Steve mustered up the courage to speak, only for Epps to dismiss him immediately. At this moment, Epps wanted to hear from Suhyuk, whose reasoning had led them thus far, more than anyone else.

At this moment, Suhyuk’s opinion was more important than anyone else’s since he had led them to these conclusions.

“Firstly, we won’t see anything with ultrasound. Even if we have a rough idea of where to look… it is hopeless.”

“Yes, that’s right. Moreover, there is a high chance it could be hidden by bones.”

“In such cases, a CT scan would produce significant noise.”

“That’s true.”

Anyone who has undergone a head CT scan while having dental implants or dental treatment would immediately understand what they were discussing. Metal severely interferes with CT images. Although highly skilled radiologists can still make diagnoses under such conditions, ideally, it’s better to avoid any noise.

“We can only use an MRI scan. Without contrast… let’s give it a try.”

“Since there is metal present, we need to be cautious.”

“We can reduce the tesla level.”

“Yes. Dr. Lee truly knows everything.” Epps nodded, feeling as if he was conversing with someone of his own age or even senior to him. Hank and Allison seemed to believe Suhyuk’s expertise stemmed from exceptional education, but in Epps’ view, Suhyuk was simply a genius. It wasn’t possible to attain this level of medical knowledge through training alone.

‘I really want to work alongside him someday when the opportunity arises.’

However, instead of expressing these thoughts immediately, Epps decided to focus on continuing the treatment first. He believed it might actually help persuade Suhyuk later, plus he was eager to verify the accuracy of Suhyuk’s diagnosis. Consequently, he promptly ordered the MRI scan.

“Let’s take an MRI scan. Steve, contact the MRI room. Tell them we need to check it immediately.”

“Umm… Yes, sir.”

“Guard. Is this all for today?”

“Yes.”

“Then we will head straight to the MRI room. Depending on the results, surgery may be necessary.”

“Surgery?” Paul appeared genuinely surprised at Epps’ words. He had planned to feign illness for one or two days, not expecting surgery to be mentioned. Although initially startled, he also felt excited about the possibility of being outside for an extended period if surgery were required. Consequently, he cooperated fully during the MRI, allowing Suhyuk and the medical team to swiftly obtain the images.

“The fragment is… close to the nerve.”

It hasn’t damaged anything.

“So, the current paralysis…”

Is due to heavy metal poisoning. Once removed…

“He might be able to walk again, right?”