The minke whale turned its black and white eyes and stared at Zhang Zian. He responded with a calm and gentle look, and at the same time, he rubbed its smooth and soft skin with his palm.
Zhang Zian didn't know what had worked. Was it the eye contact, the tone of his voice, or the body contact? But he was sure that it was trying its best to restrain itself and avoid hurting anyone during the struggle. It proved that it understood that they were helping it relieve its pain.
The pain of a single suture was not as painful as cutting flesh or pulling out the harpoon, but it would require at least a dozen or even dozens of stitches. Could it endure such continuous pain?
Zhang Zian was hesitant to call Sun Xiaomeng over. After all, she was a licensed veterinarian. She was much more familiar with suturing animals than he was.
He thought about it again. She had sutured many wounds, but that was only for small animals like cats and dogs. She probably didn't have similar experience when it came to suturing such a huge whale.
Besides, it would take some time for her to gain the minke whale's trust, and what they lacked the most was time.
As for injecting anesthetics, she might not be sure of the dosage for such a big and heavy animal. If it was too little, it would be useless. If it was too much, it might not wake up.
Zhang Zian's ankle felt cold. He looked down and saw that the seawater had already reached his feet.
The tide was rising.
"Ah! The tide is rising! "Xiao Zhi also noticed the situation.
Zhang Zian stood up and looked at the sea. He was secretly anxious. "Why isn't the fishing boat here yet? The efficiency is too low … "
The rising tide was the best chance to drag the minke whale back into the water. If they missed it, they would be in trouble when the tide fell.
Splash! Splash!
The tide came in waves due to the moon's gravity, and each wave was higher than the last. The cold seawater was more comfortable for the minke whale, but it hindered the human's movement. When the tide reached their waists, they would not be able to stand steadily in the sea. They had to retreat, or else they might be in danger.
Huang's phone rang, and he quickly picked it up.
"Where did the two of you run off to? Are you coming home for dinner or not? " A fierce voice came from the phone's speaker, and Zhang Zian, who was standing beside him, could hear the roar of a lion.
Huang smiled awkwardly at Zhang Zian, handed the kite handle to Xiao Zhi, and ran a few steps away to answer the phone.
"Go back now! Go back immediately! We found a beached whale on the beach, and it was injured. We are helping it return to the sea … "
Old Huang's voice came from afar.
"Injured? Who was hurt? Xiao Zhi was injured? I'm telling you, Huang, if Xiao Zhi gets hurt, I'll fight you to the death! "
"No! It's not Xiao Zhi. It's a whale that was injured and stranded on the beach … "
"Bullshit! Do you think I'll believe that? "
Huang was scolded badly by his wife. He had to take a picture of the minke whale and send it to his wife. Only then did his wife's anger subside a little. She asked him to hurry home after he was done.
Zhang Zian couldn't help but sigh. It was good to be single!
Xiao Zhi, on the other hand, was already used to his parents' daily routine. He pestered Zhang Zian with all kinds of questions, because he thought that Zhang Zian could use the Swiss Army knife to do a lot of tricks, which made him feel very magical.
Huang hurriedly said a few words, hung up the phone, and walked over with an awkward smile. "She's just a woman who hasn't seen the world. I don't want to lower myself to her level … Let's continue."
Seeing that the tide was rising higher and higher, they really couldn't delay any longer.
Zhang Zian had already told the father and son what to do, so he didn't say anything more. He patted the minke whale's head and prepared to suture it.
The flesh near the edge of the wound had already started to fester. The rotten flesh had to be cut off before suturing, and this step was very painful.
With every cut, Zhang Zian could feel the minke whale tremble. Maybe it was his comfort, or maybe it was the rising seawater that made it feel at ease. Although it was in pain, there was a limit to how much it struggled. It only shook its head or tail, and tried not to move its body.
Fortunately, the whale's subcutaneous fat was very thick, and fat did not contain nerves, so there was not much pus on the flesh. The area of the wound itself was relatively small, and there was no pus in the deeper parts. After a few cuts, the rotten flesh was removed.
The seawater continued to rise, and in the blink of an eye, it had already reached half of their calves. The water under their feet had already been dyed red by the whale's blood.
Zhang Zian was tired and nervous. His forehead was full of sweat, and the sweat hung on his eyebrows. It was very itchy, but he didn't have time to wipe it off.
After cutting off the rotten flesh, Xiao Zhi handed him the needle with the kite string.
Zhang Zian used the small pliers on the Swiss Army knife to hold the needle in his right hand, and his left hand tried to gather the minke whale's skin together. He pierced the needle into its skin like he was sewing clothes.
The minke whale was getting more and more used to the pain, or maybe it was already numb to the pain. The needle and thread piercing through its skin did not make it struggle more violently.
Huang and Xiao Zhi had already turned their heads away when they cut off the rotten flesh. They could feel their own skin hurting just by looking at it.
Zhang Zian had never done needlework before, and the minke whale itself was trembling slightly. The stitches were crooked and ugly, and they were not symmetrical at all. If this was a medical exam, he would definitely fail.
However, the effect of suturing the wound was almost immediate. As the wound closed, less and less blood flowed out.
The whale's skin was too slippery and tough, and the "needle" was not very sharp. Zhang Zian's suturing skills were even worse. After a long time, the web between his thumb and forefinger of his right hand was sore and numb. There were a few times when the whale trembled, and the needle slipped out of the pliers. Even the Swiss Army knife itself almost fell out of his hand.
Although the needle slipped, it did not fall into the water because it was connected to the cotton thread.
If it was a surgery on a human, the needle would definitely have to be changed, or at least re-sterilized. However, time was tight, and he couldn't care less. He picked up the needle again and continued suturing. Whales had much stronger resistance than humans anyway, so he hoped it could survive.
Since the whale swam in the sea with a relatively large range, Zhang Zian was worried that the wound would split open while it was swimming. The stitches were very dense, and it consumed a lot of kite string.
Huang carefully released the string, and looked up at the surrounding sea from time to time, looking for traces of the Fishery Administration Boat.
Zhang Zian took the time to ask Xiao Zhi to leave the place and retreat further away, because the rising sea water had already reached the calves of the two adult men. Xiao Zhi was short and light, and he was swaying left and right by the tide. He could fall at any time.
Xiao Zhi could not bear to leave, but under his father's urging, he still retreated further away. He stood on the reef and stared at them worriedly, afraid that they would be washed away by the sea.
Suddenly, he saw a black spot in the sky from the corner of his eye.
He rubbed his eyes and looked carefully, then shouted in surprise, "Dad! Look over there! There's a boat coming! "
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