A 17-year-old Chinese boy is understood to be in a stable condition after being stabbed through the head with a knife during a row over a computer game.
Local media in the northeastern Chinese province of Jilin reported that Xiao Wei was playing Counter-Strike against online opponents at a Mishazi
cyber cafe when the attack occurred.
It is believed that the teenager did not lose consciousness and was able to walk to a local hospital with the 14cm blade embedded in his skull, as shown in a spectacular x-ray image which was published on a Chinese blog site.
"His face was covered in blood, but he was still conscious,' Professor Yan Shijun, deputy director of neurosurgery department of the hospital, said in comments published on the Daily Mail website.
X-rays and CAT scans confirmed that the knife did not come into contact with any main arteries or nerves, however Wei is believed to be at risk of post-surgery complications including brain damage and seizures.
Wei was playing Counter-Strike with an 18-year-old friend, identified as Huang.
Huang told media that a group of people in the cafe, who had been their opponents in the game, approached the pair and accused them of using a software hack to cheat their way to victories.
They were then allegedly pulled out onto the street and beaten. Huang said he was stabbed through the arm during the attack.
Local police are believed to be investigating the incident and are expected to monitor CCTV footage from the cyber cafe, which gaming blogs suggest is popular with the area's youths because of lax admission rules.
- NZ HERALD ONLINE
