Chapter 177: Douglas Carter's Temper Flared

"What nonsense are you talking? Isn't there a doctor right here?" Douglas Carter's temper flared as he was criticized.

The young soldier scoffed and pointed at Elena Ward. "Her? Look at how young she is. Aren't you afraid she’ll paralyze you with one wrong needle?"

The words were downright insulting.

Elena shrugged. "Fine. If you don’t trust me, have your captain come back tomorrow. There are no other doctors available now. If you want acupuncture, you’ll have to wait till morning." If they didn’t believe in her, there was nothing she could do.

She started packing up to leave.

The two soldiers moved to help Douglas Carter up.

With a sudden wave of his hand, Carter shoved them away.

"Just—just you! Give me a couple of needles. If it can ease the pain even a little, that’s enough. This is killing me." Carter gasped through clenched teeth. He’d had acupuncture before and knew it wouldn’t work instantly, but at least it could bring the pain down to a bearable level.

The soldier panicked. "Captain! This girl’s barely older than me. Aren’t you worried she’ll make things worse?"

Sweat rolled down Carter’s forehead. "If she messes up, she messes up. Everyone starts somewhere. Could it possibly hurt more than this?" He turned to Elena. "Doctor, go ahead. Didn’t you say this was a family technique? Just take the edge off. Look at me—I’m sweating bullets. I’d rather die than keep feeling this."

Elena smiled faintly. "Alright. You two, help your captain onto the bed inside. Have him lie face down and take off his shirt. I’ll need to work on his back." An opportunity had fallen into her lap—she wasn’t about to let it slip away.

You’ve come to the right person, comrade.

The soldier’s eyes widened. "Captain!"

"Captain, this is reckless!"

"Am I the captain, or are you? Help me inside. That’s an order!" Carter snapped. His back was killing him, and arguing with these two only made his mood worse.

With no choice, the soldiers helped Carter into the treatment room, removed his shirt, and settled him face down on the bed.

Leah Young grew nervous.

She leaned in and whispered to Elena, "Maybe have them come back tomorrow? If something goes wrong… This isn’t a joke. Hitting the wrong point could cause serious problems."

She’d seen patients who’d suffered botched acupuncture—twisted mouths, twitching fingers.

Elena might have been doubted, but she was still a real doctor. A medical mishap could cost her the job.

Even Director Carter’s connections wouldn’t save her from that.

Elena pulled out her acupuncture kit and alcohol swabs. "Leah Young, trust me. It’ll be fine. I won’t hurt him."

The reassurance sounded flimsy.

Unable to dissuade Elena, Leah Young followed them in.

She resolved to be a witness—if anything happened, she could at least speak in Elena’s defense.

The two soldiers glared at Elena like she was about to devour their captain.

"Listen, doc, this is our captain. Think carefully before you act. If you’re not sure, say so now. If anything happens to him, we won’t let you off easy."

"Yeah, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Doctors have to take responsibility."

Elena smiled, wiping Carter’s back with an alcohol swab. The cool sensation made him shiver, momentarily distracting him from the pain.

"Ignore them. Go ahead. It’s fine." Carter wanted to glare at his men, but the pain made it impossible to even turn his head—his attempt at intimidation fell flat.

Elena nodded, giving him a thumbs-up. With trust like that, I’ll make sure you’re up and about tomorrow.

Anything less would be a waste of my ability.

Besides, you’re my first real patient at Northland Central Hospital.

Director Carter didn’t count—that was family. This was a chance to prove myself.

"Relax. I won’t paralyze your captain," Elena assured them.

Her words only made the soldiers more nervous.

Elena poised the silver needle over Carter’s lower back, ready to insert it.

One of the soldiers suddenly blurted, "Make sure you’re aiming right! Don’t shake!"

Elena rolled her eyes. "If you keep shouting, I might actually miss. Who’s the doctor here—you or me? Your captain trusts me, but your yapping is distracting. If I slip, whose fault is that?" If she didn’t assert her authority, they’d keep treating her like a pushover.

The soldier shut his mouth but kept his eyes locked on the needle.

Two quick insertions.

Elena gently rotated the needles, her ability subtly activating.

Carter suddenly groaned.

The soldiers panicked.

"Captain! What’s wrong? Does it hurt? I told you not to let her do this!"

"Shut up!" This time, it was Elena who snapped, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Carter chuckled. "Doc, you’ve got skill. Those two needles—I feel heat spreading through my back. The pain’s completely gone." His earlier noise had been one of relief. After suffering for so long, the sudden absence of pain was pure bliss—only a patient would understand.

The soldiers fell silent.

If the captain said it worked, what else was there to say?