Chương 134: Chapter 134: The Playboy and the Genius Surgeon 

The devastating, apocalyptic shockwave violently launched Stephen backward the exact microsecond he stepped out of the portal, violently throwing him back into the corridor from which he had just emerged. He crashed heavily onto the hard stone floor, his vision blurring. 

Simultaneously, the six highly trained Kamar-Taj combat sorcerers who had remained in the corridor successfully overpowered the remaining corrupted berserkers. 

Without a shred of hesitation, a sorcerer executed a flawless, devastating vertical strike, cleanly decapitating a berserker. Panting heavily, he turned and jogged over to where Stephen was painfully picking himself up off the floor. 

"What happened in the foyer?!" 

Stephen shook his head, desperately trying to clear the ringing in his ears. "That traitor, Kaecilius... he actively charged a massive, highly concentrated sphere of dark energy. The damn thing just detonated directly in the center of the room." 

"That is catastrophic. We need to advance immediately and locate any survivors," the sorcerer stated grimly. The remaining combat mages quickly secured the perimeter, ensuring all berserkers were permanently neutralized, before moving toward Stephen. 

"Are you physically uninjured, Doctor?" The sorcerer frowned, noticing Stephen violently swaying on his feet. "Perhaps we should temporarily evacuate you back to the sanctuary?" 

"I am a highly trained medical professional. My presence is absolutely critical for triage and stabilization," Stephen waved off the concern, adrenaline rapidly overriding the concussion. 

Hearing that Stephen was an actual doctor, the sorcerers nodded eagerly. "Excellent. Stay behind us. Your medical expertise will undoubtedly be vital for our wounded brethren." 

Supported slightly by the sorcerers, Stephen quickly navigated the ruined corridor and entered the massive entrance foyer. 

The scene was absolute, chaotic devastation. The devastating blast wave had violently shattered every single piece of ancient furniture, pulverized the stonework, and scorched the walls. Fortunately, the fundamental, magically reinforced load-bearing architecture of the Sanctum had somehow miraculously survived the apocalyptic explosion without collapsing. 

Amidst the terrifying, smoke-filled wreckage, numerous Kamar-Taj sorcerers lay scattered across the floor, groaning in profound agony. 

Wong was slumped heavily against a shattered stone pillar, clutching his abdomen. Dark, viscous blood was rapidly pooling beneath him. 

"WONG!" 

Stephen instantly sprinted across the ruined foyer, sliding to his knees beside the Chief Librarian. He rapidly, professionally laid Wong flat on his back and immediately initiated aggressive, emergency triage protocols to staunch the massive arterial bleeding. 

The absolute microsecond Stephen began actively treating a patient, his entire demeanor fundamentally shifted. The terrified, hesitant novice sorcerer instantly vanished, completely replaced by the arrogant, brilliant, highly decisive apex neurosurgeon. 

"You! The sorcerer standing behind me. What is your name?!" Stephen barked, his voice echoing with absolute authority. 

"Lucian. Formerly the Chief Librarian," the sorcerer replied quickly, instantly recognizing the tone of a seasoned commander. 

"Lucian! Immediately dispatch a runner through a portal to Kamar-Taj! Order the immediate mobilization of every single available novice and intermediate disciple! We need massive manpower for Search and Rescue! Come here and aggressively apply direct, continuous pressure to this specific arterial wound! Do not stop until I tell you to! The rest of you, immediately begin systematically sweeping the wreckage for survivors! Move!" 

Stephen aggressively barked orders, completely taking charge of the chaotic scene. 

The Kamar-Taj sorcerers, recognizing his absolute medical authority, instantly sprang into action, executing his commands flawlessly. 

However, as Stephen rapidly stabilized Wong's critical injuries, his brow furrowed in deep concern. 

Wong's massive abdominal wound wasn't a superficial laceration caused by the explosive shockwave. It was a deep, violently penetrating puncture wound—likely inflicted by Kaecilius's spatial blade during close-quarters combat. The blade had definitively compromised several vital internal organs. 

The only reason Wong wasn't already dead was purely due to his incredibly dense, highly conditioned mystical physiology and sheer, stubborn willpower. 

"This field stabilization is entirely insufficient. I require a fully sterile, highly equipped surgical theater immediately," Stephen muttered, his fists clenching tightly. 

He suddenly remembered the massive, state-of-the-art Metro-General Hospital in New York where he had previously operated. 

Stephen turned to Lucian, who was diligently applying pressure to Wong's wound. "The localized medical facilities here are hopelessly primitive. I require immediate access to a world-class surgical suite. Keep him stabilized! Systematically extract every single survivor from the wreckage! I am returning to New York to rapidly prepare the facility. I will open a portal back here to extract the wounded momentarily!" 

Without waiting for a response, Stephen drew his Sling Ring and effortlessly, flawlessly tore open a stable portal leading directly to the opposite side of the planet. 

Stepping out of a quiet supply closet in Metro-General Hospital, Stephen sprinted directly toward the primary surgical wing. 

Seeing several vacant, unlit emergency operating rooms, Stephen nodded in satisfaction. He strode confidently toward the central nursing station and addressed the Head Nurse with his usual, highly demanding tone. 

"Immediately prep all available, unoccupied emergency surgical suites. Page every single available trauma surgeon and attending physician. We have a massive influx of critical, high-trauma surgical cases arriving imminently." 

The Head Nurse paused, staring at the ragged, bearded, heavily scarred man standing before her. 

"I apologize, Stephen. But your medical license was officially suspended months ago. Furthermore... frankly, you look like a homeless vagrant. You have absolutely zero authority to order a full trauma mobilization." 

Stephen frowned deeply. He aggressively planted his hands on the nursing counter, leaning forward and locking eyes with the Head Nurse. 

"I said: Immediately prep all emergency suites and page every single available surgeon! Do you possess a fundamental inability to comprehend basic English?!" 

Stephen sighed, rubbing his forehead in profound exasperation. I absolutely do not have the time to argue with hospital bureaucracy right now! People are dying! 

Suddenly realizing he had a significantly more efficient method of bypassing protocol, Stephen reached into his pocket and pulled out his cracked smartphone—the screen heavily damaged during the explosive blast in London. 

Ignoring the cracked glass, he rapidly scrolled through his contacts and tapped a specific name. 

'Obnoxious Playboy' 

Meanwhile, inside the highly secure, automated manufacturing bay of Stark Tower. 

Tony Stark, wearing an incredibly expensive, impeccably tailored Italian suit, was happily whistling a catchy tune while casually utilizing a high-powered laser cutter to slice through a thick slab of advanced, alien alloy. 

"Boss. The individual locally designated as 'Arrogant Genius Doctor' is currently initiating a phone call," F.R.I.D.A.Y. (currently piloting the S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y. drone) reported efficiently. 

S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y. effortlessly hoisted a massive, multi-ton slab of 'Uru' metal—an incredibly rare, highly durable magical alloy Tony had successfully negotiated from the Dwarven delegation earlier that morning—and placed it on the workbench. 

Tony raised an eyebrow behind his safety goggles. "Why in the world is he calling me? Did he accidentally teleport himself into a volcano? Put him through." 

The call connected instantly. Stephen's voice was tense, urgent, and completely devoid of his usual arrogance. 

"Tony! The London Sanctum was subjected to a massive, coordinated terrorist assault! Wong and Mordo have sustained highly critical, life-threatening injuries! Kamar-Taj completely lacks the necessary sterile surgical facilities. I have returned to Metro-General Hospital to execute the emergency surgeries, but the bureaucratic nursing staff refuses to obey my commands or prep the ORs!" 

Tony's casual, relaxed demeanor instantly vanished. His eyes hardened with absolute, laser-focused seriousness. 

"What is the exact, legal name of the hospital?" 

Stephen stared at his cracked phone screen as Tony abruptly hung up. He sighed in relief. 

He turned back to the highly skeptical, defensive Head Nurse. "I strongly recommend you immediately begin the mobilization protocols. We are going to be incredibly busy in precisely ten seconds." 

The Head Nurse frowned, opening her mouth to issue a formal security warning. 

Suddenly, the primary desk phone rang loudly. 

She picked it up. "Hello? Yes, Mr. Administrator. What?! Are you absolutely certain? Yes. Yes, sir. Understood. I will initiate the protocols immediately." 

The Head Nurse slowly lowered the phone, her face pale. She stared at Stephen with a mixture of absolute shock and profound respect. She gave a sharp, affirmative nod. 

She immediately slammed her hand onto the primary emergency PA button, her voice echoing clearly throughout the entire hospital wing. 

"Code Triage! All available nursing staff, immediately terminate your break cycles! Prep all available emergency surgical suites instantly! All attending trauma surgeons, report to the primary surgical staging area immediately!" 

She repeated the urgent broadcast twice, then offered Stephen a highly professional, respectful nod. 

Stephen turned toward the main corridor. Within seconds, a massive, highly coordinated swarm of nurses rapidly descended upon the supply closets, frantically loading advanced surgical instruments onto rolling trays. Under the Head Nurse's flawless, aggressive direction, they rapidly prepped multiple operating rooms. 

Simultaneously, a dozen highly skilled, elite trauma surgeons jogged out of the break rooms and offices, converging on the staging area. 

"Stephen?!" a familiar, highly surprised female voice called out. 

Stephen turned and smiled softly. "It's been a while, Christine." 

Christine Palmer stared at him in absolute, mind-boggling disbelief. "Stephen... why are you dressed like a Tibetan monk? And what are you doing back here?" 

Stephen's smile turned slightly melancholic. "That is an incredibly long, highly complicated story." 

However, he instantly pushed the melancholy aside, his voice returning to absolute, commanding authority. "Right now, I need you and the entire surgical team fully prepped and scrubbed in. We have a massive influx of critical trauma patients arriving immediately. Christine?" 

He looked directly at her. "I need you specifically acting as my primary surgical assist. We are going to personally handle the most critical, life-threatening cases." 

Before Stephen could finish his assignments, a senior male surgeon raised his hand skeptically. "Stephen... are you absolutely certain you are physically capable of performing complex surgery?" 

Stephen looked at the surgeon and nodded confidently. He slowly, deliberately raised both of his hands, holding them out for the entire surgical team to see. 

They were perfectly, absolutely steady. Not a single microscopic tremor. 

The elite surgeons exchanged stunned, bewildered glances. As world-class medical professionals, they all knew exactly how catastrophic and irreversible the nerve damage to Stephen's hands had been. It was medically impossible to heal. 

But looking at his perfectly steady hands, the debate was instantly over. Stephen Strange's hands were fully healed. The absolute apex predator of neurosurgery had returned to his domain. 

Just as Stephen successfully asserted his absolute medical authority, the Head Nurse arrived with a massive fleet of empty gurneys. "Where exactly are the incoming patients?" 

Stephen glanced at the bewildered doctors and offered a highly mysterious, slightly arrogant smirk. He casually raised his hands, executed a flawless circular motion, and instantly tore open a massive, glowing, sparking Sling Ring portal directly behind the medical team! 

The doctors gasped in absolute, unfiltered shock, staring at the impossible, glowing gateway hovering in the middle of the sterile hospital corridor. 

Through the portal, Master Lucian and a squad of Kamar-Taj sorcerers carefully carried several critically wounded, bleeding comrades on magical, floating stretchers. 

Lucian ignored the completely stunned doctors and looked directly at Stephen. "Where do we deposit the wounded?" 

Stephen loudly clapped his hands together, violently snapping the surgical team out of their shocked stupor. 

"Ignore the glowing magic portal! Rely entirely on your professional medical training! Our singular objective is to violently rip these patients directly out of the hands of Death itself! Move!" 

The surgical team instantly snapped back to reality. Pushing their profound existential confusion aside, they instinctively shifted into their professional triage protocols. They rapidly assessed the patients, directed the nurses to transfer them onto the gurneys, and frantically rushed the critically wounded sorcerers into the prepped operating rooms. 

"Follow me," Stephen ordered, gently patting Christine's shoulder and striding purposefully toward the primary surgical suite. 

"Lucian! Where is Mordo? His injuries were easily the most critical," Stephen demanded, glancing around the incoming wounded. 

Seeing the wounded being efficiently wheeled into surgery, Lucian's previously focused, determined expression instantly crumbled into profound, unadulterated grief. 

Stephen sighed heavily. Given the devastating severity of Mordo's chest wound... it was highly likely he hadn't survived the wait. However, Stephen didn't have the luxury of mourning right now. He spotted two sorcerers carefully carrying the unconscious Wong. 

"Bring him into OR-1! Now!" 

Meanwhile, back in the ruined streets of London... 

An impeccably dressed, highly sophisticated elderly gentleman stood amidst the rubble, delicately holding a glowing, ethereal soul in his hand. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes in profound satisfaction. 

"Ah... an absolutely exquisite soul. Radiating such profound, unyielding willpower and unadulterated dedication..." 

Before he could finish his villainous monologue, a massive, highly muscular, purple-clad figure violently plummeted from the sky like a meteor! 

SMASH! 

Galacta violently punched the sophisticated demon directly in the face, instantly shattering his physical avatar into dust! 

Without pausing, she casually reached out, grabbed the demon's dispersing cosmic essence, and instantly swallowed it whole. 

Noticing a single, glowing soul floating lonely amidst the dispersing demonic energy, Galacta curiously poked it with her finger. 

"Oh. I should probably hand this over to the Boss. He collects these, right?" 

Inside Operating Room 1, Metro-General Hospital. 

Christine Palmer, fully scrubbed in, stared in absolute, profound awe as Stephen Strange operated. 

His hands moved with terrifying, blinding speed and absolute, inhuman precision. He was casually, effortlessly executing surgical maneuvers so incredibly complex they bordered on the miraculous, aggressively yanking the critically wounded sorcerer back from the absolute brink of death. 

When was the last time I saw him this completely focused, this incredibly confident, this aggressively determined to defeat Death? 

It felt like a lifetime ago. 

"Suction," Stephen commanded sharply, his eyes never leaving the microscopic surgical field. 

Christine instantly snapped back to reality, efficiently manipulating the suction tube to clear the pooling blood obscuring his vision. 

For the next several hours, the two of them worked in absolute, flawless synchronization. They moved seamlessly from one operating room to the next, aggressively stabilizing and saving the lives of several critically wounded Kamar-Taj defenders. 

Finally, after six continuous, grueling hours of hyper-focused, incredibly intense emergency trauma surgery, Stephen stepped back from the operating table. 

He exhaled a massive, shuddering sigh of profound relief. Even with his massively augmented mystical stamina, performing six hours of non-stop, high-stakes surgery was incredibly physically draining. 

He glanced over and noticed Christine swaying dangerously on her feet, her face completely pale from absolute exhaustion. Stephen quickly stepped forward, gently supporting her waist to prevent her from collapsing. He grabbed a sterile glucose packet from a nearby tray, tore it open with his teeth, and gently guided the liquid into her mouth. 

The rapid influx of sugar slowly returned a faint flush of color to her pale cheeks. 

"You performed absolutely flawlessly today. You need to go rest now," Stephen said, his voice incredibly soft and remarkably gentle. 

Christine looked up at him, offering a weak, highly surprised smile. "You know... the 'old' Stephen Strange would absolutely never have noticed if someone else was exhausted. He certainly wouldn't have been this considerate." 

Stephen chuckled softly. "Well, I suppose I'm trying to be better." 

Gently supporting Christine, Stephen guided her out of the operating room. 

Pushing the heavy double doors open, Stephen was slightly surprised to find a sleek, highly advanced Iron Legion drone standing silently in the corridor. 

"It appears your surgical campaign was highly successful," Tony Stark's voice echoed smoothly from the drone's external speakers. The drone's faceplate retracted, revealing a localized holographic projection of Tony's face. He offered a highly suggestive, highly annoying smirk. "Do the two of you require some private, romantic space?" 

Stephen rolled his eyes in profound exasperation. If you already know the answer, why don't you aggressively roll away? 

Having recovered some of her strength, Christine gently disengaged from Stephen's supportive grip. "I'm going to head to the on-call room and sleep for a week. You two can talk." 

Stephen watched her walk away, a faint, longing sigh escaping his lips. He turned back to the hovering drone and aggressively slapped it hard on the shoulder plating, causing it to vibrate loudly. 

"Hey! What was that for?!" Tony complained through the speaker. 

"You know exactly why," Stephen grumbled, striding down the sterile corridor. 

"Are you planning to check on Wong's recovery status?" Tony asked, following him. 

"Honestly, I half-expected you to aggressively pursue your brilliant colleague. I have to admit, she's highly attractive. Although, naturally, absolutely nowhere near as beautiful as my Pepper." 

Hearing Tony's highly annoying, completely unnecessary comparison, Stephen's perfectly steady hands slowly clenched into tight, highly aggressive fists. 

Sensing the impending physical violence, Tony quickly pivoted the conversation. "So, where is Wong recovering?" 

"I have no idea. We have to consult the Head Nurse," Stephen sighed, forcing himself to relax his fists. 

This is precisely why dealing with this arrogant playboy is so incredibly infuriating. He possesses an unparalleled, supernatural ability to constantly push you to the absolute brink of homicidal rage. 

Tony's holographic projection nodded. "Understood. And... what about Mordo?" 

"..." 

Stephen stopped walking, staring silently at the sterile linoleum floor. 

Tony sighed heavily through the speaker. The drone reached out and gently patted Stephen's shoulder. "Don't torture yourself. You successfully saved everyone you could." 

Trying to lighten the incredibly dark, depressive mood, the drone extended its other mechanical arm. T.H.U.R.S.D.A.Y. had apparently been holding two small, exquisitely wrapped boxes. 

"Do you want a snack? I literally just dispatched an operative to purchase these. Initially, I planned to eat one myself, but it appears you desperately require the emotional stabilization of both boxes." Tony offered his signature, highly annoying smirk. 

Stephen smiled faintly, genuinely appreciating the gesture. He opened a box, retrieved one of the God of Cookery's spiritually enhanced pastries, and took a bite. Instantly, the profound, magical wave of happiness and relaxation washed over him, significantly alleviating his grief and exhaustion. 

However, he stared at the second box, hesitating. 

Noticing his hesitation, Tony scoffed. "What's the matter? Are you too terrified to make a move?" 

When Stephen remained silent, Tony confidently patted his shoulder again. "Relax! I am literally a globally recognized, absolute master of romantic seduction! I will personally act as your wingman! If I successfully help you secure a girlfriend, then out of our trio, Luke will be the absolute only pathetic loser without a romantic partner!" 

Stephen accepted the second box. He looked at the drone, hesitating for another second. 

"Alright. I'm trusting you." 

"Don't worry about it! Just start calling me 'Master' from now on," Tony bragged arrogantly. 

Stephen aggressively rolled his eyes. The two of them approached the primary nursing station. 

"Where is the patient I initially operated on currently recovering?" Stephen asked. 

The Head Nurse glanced at the hovering Iron Legion drone, then turned to Stephen with profound respect. "He has been transferred to VIP Luxury Suite 3101." 

She paused, looking specifically at the drone. "Mr. Stark, would you require a personal escort to the suite?" 

"Unnecessary. We can manage," Tony replied casually. 

As the drone projected a localized, highly detailed 3D map of the hospital and began navigating the corridors, Stephen stared at Tony in absolute bewilderment. 

"How in the world did you manage to secure such absolute, unquestioning obedience from a notoriously stubborn hospital bureaucracy in less than ten seconds?" Stephen asked. 

Tony's holographic face smirked. "Because I literally just purchased the entire hospital." 

Stephen's brow twitched violently. "Of course you did. I honestly should have just assumed that." 

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