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Chapter 40

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Chapter 40: Doctor

Zheng Ren advised Little Zhao along the way, "Don't start a live broadcast if someone passes away. If he is a grumpy one, you might end up walking hand-in-hand with his soul across the Naihe Qiao."

Little Zhao took Zheng Ren's advice seriously. Soon, they arrived at Sea City General Hospital.

This was the first time Zheng Ren rode a scooter and he took a huge interest in it instantly. Its speed aside, the fact that it could easily weave through traffic was more than enough to pique his interest.

Zheng Ren parted ways with Little Zhao upon reaching Sea City General Hospital and went to the emergency department to look for Old Chief Physician Pan.

The emergency department remained chaotic as usual with multiple fistfights, injuries from falls and alcohol intoxication requiring gastric lavage… Zheng Ren was confused. Why had they drunk alcohol in the middle of the day? Not only that, but they had been binge-drinking as well.

Zheng Ren squeezed past a group of onlookers and walked straight toward Old Chief Physician Pan's office.

When he passed the resuscitation room in the emergency department, he heard a high-pitched whistling sound as if from a flute, a typical sign of an acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma.

The doctors and nurses were busy resuscitating the patient in the resuscitation room.

"2mL of diprophylline for intravenous injection!"

"Add one ampoule of epinephrine!"

"Tracheostomy set prepared. Notify the general surgery department to perform tracheostomy when necessary."

Zheng Ren changed his mind and went to change his attire first before going to the resuscitation room.

None of them greeted Zheng Ren as they were still busy trying to revive the patient.

A male in his twenties was lying on the hospital bed with a girl, presumably his girlfriend, holding his hand beside the bed and crying.

Zheng Ren observed the patient whose symptoms and diagnosis were revealed in the upper right corner of his vision.

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He spread his hands helplessly after seeing the diagnosis.

"Patient's family member, please leave the room," said Zheng Ren in a deep voice.

The girl in a red shirt raised her head with tears welling up in her eyes. In her opinion, Zheng Ren's words were indicative of an even more severe illness and the patient would require aggressive resuscitation in the intensive care unit.

"Doctor…" The girl could not form a complete sentence as she was out of breath from her constant crying.

"Don't worry, just leave the room first. I'll explain the situation to you later," replied Zheng Ren.

The girl was reluctant to let go of the boy's hand.

What beautiful love, but why had nobody developed such fondness for him? However, he was aware of his limitations, especially after acquiring the System.

Poverty, ugliness, and a strong body odor—and there had been no change of clothes after being fully occupied with work for three to five days. Who would like him in this state?

"You're delaying the rescue. Get out now!" Zheng Ren roared after noticing that the girl was still in the room. The words on the upper right corner of his vision had started to glow red, which meant that the boy's condition had worsened and was approaching a critical state.

Zheng Ren's tone was stone cold and impolite. "We need to rescue him, so leave now!"

A total lack of tender and protective feelings toward a girl; no wonder he had remained a bachelor until now.

The girl's crying intensified after she was pushed out of the room.

Every ambulant patient and family member in the emergency department noticed the commotion and gathered around the scene. Little Zhao also joined the crowd with a cell phone in his hand, his livestream having already begun.

"Wait here. I'll come out and explain his condition to you later," instructed Zheng Ren with a commanding voice before entering the resuscitation room and closing the door.

His method was simple and rough, but he had no choice because it was absolutely impossible to reason with the patient's family right now.

"Control the dosage, his condition will improve soon," said Zheng Ren.

"Chief Zheng, the patient already has signs of laryngeal edema," the nurse reported, shining a penlight into the patient's mouth.

"It's okay. Start a 10mg intravenous injection of dexamethasone, as well as an intravenous infusion of 250mL normal saline and three ampoules of diprophylline at sixty drops per minute. Attach an ECG machine first and pay attention to the oxygen saturation."

An intravenous fluid drip was quickly attached at Zheng Ren's request. The ECG reported a heart rate of 132 beats per minute and an oxygen saturation of 80 percent, which were the typical signs of acute respiratory distress.

The doctors and nurses on the scene waited for Zheng Ren's instructions but he merely stood beside the patient quietly with his arms folded.

"What about the resuscitation? Why did Chief Zheng administer three ampoules of diprophylline and do nothing afterward?"

"Keep quiet. This is our new chief resident and I've heard that Old Chief Physician Pan likes him very much."

"So what? We still need to resuscitate him. Are we just going to stand here and wait for the patient to die?"

Zheng Ren, whose hearing seemed to have improved somewhat after being in the System for a long time, overheard the nurses' whispers.

"It's alright." Zheng Ren turned around and smiled. "This patient's condition is special. I'm guessing that his symptoms will be relieved in around three minutes. The administration of a large dosage of drugs will slow down his metabolism and cause other complications to occur."

The doctors and nurses on the scene stopped their discussion after hearing Zheng Ren's polite and confident words. He was the chief resident, after all. He had to bear the responsibility and face the patient's parents if something bad happened to him.

The fact that they remained silent did not mean that they trusted Zheng Ren's decision, which was why they still paid close attention to the patient's condition.

The patient already had a laryngeal edema. Was he expecting to solve the problem by administering diprophylline only? What a joke!

However, a few minutes later, the patient's respiratory rate had gradually stabilized and his heart rate had decreased to 110 beats per minute, which none of them had foreseen.

His lips cyanosis had alleviated as well and his condition had improved drastically.

What… What the hell was this? After the doctors and nurses realized that the patient's condition had gradually improved as they did nothing at all, they turned to Zheng Ren in disbelief.

"Young man, are you awake?" Zheng Ren tapped the patient's shoulder gently.

The patient waved his hand to indicate a yes.

"Reduce the oxygen flow to 3L per minute. I'll explain the situation to the patient's family." Zheng Ren tapped the patient's shoulder gently again to comfort him and left the room.

"You, stand up and talk to me," said Zheng Ren a little roughly after exiting the room and noticing the girl sobbing on her knees.

"Doctor, how… how is he?"

"He is fine, so why are you even crying? The patient's condition has stabilized. I'm here to explain his illness and I need your cooperation," said Zheng Ren.

"Okay." Knowing everything was fine, the girl quickly wiped her tears, sniffed forcefully and stood.

The girl, who was in her early twenties, had short hair and slightly rough skin. It was obvious that her family was in a bad way. Her shoddy eyeshadow was a mess, with black powder smeared around her eyes, making her look like a huge panda.

She was wearing a red sweater and Zheng Ren could even detect a pungent chemical smell that was characteristic of cheap clothing from it.

Rich or poor made no difference in the doctors' eyes, but of course, it was a whole different story to the hospital authorities.

"The patient's condition is stable. I'm guessing that he can go home tomorrow after one night of hospital stay for observation," Zheng Ren reassured the girl.

"Huh?" The good news was unexpected and the girl was having a hard time believing it.

Little Zhao squeezed to the front of the crowd and found a position with a decent view as the live broadcast continued.

The crowd was dumbfounded as well.

"His face was purple when they carried him into the room. Is already he dead and the doctor is actually consoling his family?"

"Doctors wouldn't have the courage to do this. Perhaps his condition has really improved."

"Are you kidding me? Only a few minutes have passed. It's not like the doctor gave him an elixir of life and brought him back from the dead."

Soft whispers traveled among the crowd. Little Zhao, who was focused on the livestream, remained quiet as he was unsure if whatever Zheng Ren had mentioned just now was true. He merely moved the phone camera around and recorded the expression of everyone on the scene.

"Take off your shirt and the patient will be fine," said Zheng Ren.

Boom! An explosion occurred in the crowd.

Was he a perverted doctor? He dared ask the patient's family member to take off her shirt?! What a shameless b*stard!

IndexChapter 41

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Chapter 41: Color Hypersensitivity

"What the f*ck! What kind of lousy doctor is this?!"

"I swear I'll kill him if he dared to speak to me in that way."

"Is this the medical standard of Sea City General Hospital?"

The voices in the crowd started to become louder and the raging fire was about to get out of control.

Little Zhao winked at Zheng Ren repeatedly to warn him about the imminent danger but went completely unnoticed.

"Why are you guys shouting? Are you doctors? If you're so smart, then you might as well treat the patients yourself!" Little Zhao, who believed in loyalty, stood up for Zheng Ren in the end.

"Did you buy this shirt today or just planned on wearing it today?" asked Zheng Ren while ignoring the exasperated crowd.

"…" The girl was stupefied.

In what way was her shirt related to her boyfriend's condition?

Even so, she nodded in response honestly. "Today is the first anniversary of our first meeting. I bought this shirt a few days ago but today is the first time I put it on. We initially planned to have lunch together but I didn't expect…"

Tears started welling up in her eyes again.

"Don't cry," Zheng Ren raised his eyebrows and proclaimed. "Your boyfriend suffers from a rare condition called color hypersensitivity. This shirt was the cause of his allergic reaction."

"…"

Not just the girl, but the crowd was flabbergasted as well.

Color hypersensitivity? What in the world was that?

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"To put it simply, it's fine if your boyfriend takes a short glance at this uncommon red color, but if he keeps staring at it, a stress response will occur in his body, hence the allergic reaction," Zheng Ren's confident voice soothed their minds.

His diagnosis was clear and the treatment was also simple.

"Take off your sweater and be careful later. We'll transfer the patient to the observation unit after this. He has to fast for twelve hours to prevent any sort of irritating food from causing another allergic reaction," Zheng Ren advised.

The girl nodded vigorously and took off her sweater without the slightest hesitation.

She wanted to fold her sweater and put it away, but was unable to do so as she only carried a small handbag with inadequate space.

Gritting her teeth, she threw the newly purchased sweater into the rubbish bin.

"Don't!" Zheng Ren understood the mindset of the poor and stopped her immediately. "I'll keep it for you. Keep all your valuables with you and you can take it from me when the patient is discharged. It's a pity to throw new clothes away."

Little Zhao and the crowd was dumbstruck. Was this the diagnosis?

A patient on the verge of death had been treated just like that?

"Chief Zheng, the patient's heart rate has returned to normal and oxygen saturation is at 100 percent. Can I transfer him to the observation unit?" asked a nurse.

"Sure, go ahead. He's fine now."

The crowd started buzzing with excitement and the scene became chaotic again as the patient was wheeled out from the resuscitation room to the observation unit.

"Has he really recovered? Was his condition really serious just now?"

"Very serious. I saw him with my own eyes when the ambulance came. His face was purple, his hands seemed to be purple too, and he was frothing at the mouth. It was a scary sight!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Would his girlfriend cry her eyes out if his condition wasn't serious?"

Little Zhao, who had regained his composure quickly, stared at his cell phone with dozens of comments flooding the live broadcast room. Obviously, this livestream had gained a good amount of popularity.

"Brothers, send me gifts for witnessing the awesome work of the divine doctor!" He had not forgotten to get his cut despite the hectic moment.

As the whole process had been completely unexpected, the viewers in his live broadcast room were extremely enthusiastic and started bombarding the online streamer with various stream rewards—free fishballs, airplanes, and even rockets.

[Broadcaster, what did he do just now? Can you explain it again because I didn't see it.]

[Broadcaster, can you send me your coordinates? I'll visit that hospital whenever I get sick. He is indeed a divine doctor.]

[I've sent you a rocket. Please send positive energy to the divine doctor!]

Little Zhao felt like a dog with two tails as he stared at the comments in the live broadcast room. How long had it been since his livestream had gotten this popular? There were so many rewards. Perhaps the emergency department was a better place for a livestream after all because it was livelier… No! It was due to Brother Zheng's superb medical skills. None of the viewers would be willing to send him rewards if he put a dead patient on his livestream.

Zheng Ren pushed the crowd aside and brought the patient to the observation unit on a stretcher trolley.

He passed Old Chief Physician Old on the way. Chief Physician Pan, who had not expected him to return so soon, walked over with his head up and a quick pace, unsure what he was up to.

"He'll be put under ECG monitoring for two hours. Everything should be fine once it stabilizes completely." Zheng Ren then advised, "Don't forget what I told you just now."

"Okay." The girl nodded in response.

"Doctor, thank you." The boy wanted to take Zheng Ren's hand and express his gratitude, but Zheng Ren was already at the doorstep. Left with no choice, he uttered his gratitude with difficulty.

"No worries," replied Zheng Ren as he walked out of the observation unit, and smiled upon seeing Little Zhao chatting with an onlooker with his cell phone up. Then, he walked toward Old Chief Physician Pan's office, knocked on the door and entered the room.

Old Chief Physician Pan was shocked upon noticing Zheng Ren. "Why did you come back so soon? Go home quickly and get a good rest."

"I'm still young. I can bear it." Zheng Ren smiled. "I can't relax yet until I've seen the postoperative patients myself."

Old Chief Physician Pan understood Zheng Ren's mindset as that was exactly what every surgeon would feel. They would have trouble sleeping if they did not examine their patients after surgery.

If the patient had a serious surgical condition, insomnia would be inevitable.

"Let's go for a ward round," said Old Chief Physician Pan.

That was precisely what Zheng Ren was waiting for.

He was a chief resident in the emergency department. If he went to the first general surgery department for a ward round without Old Chief Physician Pan's company, he would have definitely drowned in their saliva.

However, anyone who dared to criticize him while he was accompanied by Old Chief Physician Pan would feel the old man's wrath. That was beyond question.

They both valued efficiency, so they left the emergency department and darted toward the first general surgery department.

Old Chief Physician Pan explained the staff allocation progress to Zheng Ren along the way.

The hospital management was very supportive especially after witnessing Zheng Ren's outstanding surgical performance today.

However, one more week was required to allocate the nurses and equipment, and the hospital management had planned to place house officers under standardized training to fill up the vacancies in the emergency department.

Old Chief Physician Pan could not possibly trouble hospital management any further because It was known to all that there were not enough doctors in the hospital.

At least the plan was beginning to take shape which pleased Zheng Ren a lot.

Soon, they arrived at the first general surgery department, which was overcrowded with patients and had had beds added up to the end of the corridor. They could not even see where it ended at first glance.

Even Zheng Ren was a little surprised. Were all of these his postoperative patients?

Old Chief Physician Pan aggressively summoned the doctors in the first general surgery department and started the ward round.

There was no leader in the first general surgery department as Chief Surgeon Liu had been hospitalized in the CCU for treatment of his myocardial infarction. Thus, even if they wanted to disobey the culprit's command, they simply lacked the courage to do so.

Every time the group arrived at a patient's bed, the doctor in charge of that bed would quickly explain the patient's condition.

There were too many patients and normally, Zheng Ren had to spend some time trying to recall the identity of each one and the reason for their surgery.

However, Zheng Ren was able to remember every single one of them—their identity and surgical condition—clearly as if they had been seared into his brain. There was no need for the doctors to introduce the patients at all. He was unsure this was due to the System

"The patient's condition is stable with good recovery."

The constant repetition of that phrase pleased every patient and their family members. The cacophony of smells in the corridor seemed to have become less pungent as everyone's joy lightened up the atmosphere.

They walked to room number five. Then, a thin and withered figure appeared before Zheng Ren before they entered the room.

Thud! The figure collapsed.

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Chapter 42: Postsurgery Ward Round

Zheng Ren instinctively pulled Old Chief Physician Pan aside, believing the sudden movement to be an attack from a patient's family.

As a doctor in the hospital, not knowing a self-defense might get yourself killed.

Half a second later, Zheng Ren realized that it was an old lady kneeling before him and Old Chief Physician Pan.

"Uh…"

"Old lady, what are you doing? Come, get up." Old Chief Physician Pan bent over to help her stand.

"Both of you are my saviors!" the old lady said as she gripped Chief Physician Pan's hands tightly. Tears were flowing down her cheeks.

Zheng Ren quickly scurried away into a corner. He was a mere chief resident who did not deserve an elderly person's fervent gratitude.

He did not want to push his luck. The System might give him another moronic life or death mission to complete.

"You living buddha, you saved my granddaughter," the old lady spoke through tears as she stood with the help of Chief Physician Pan.

Zheng Ren studied the old lady curiously.

When he spoke to the family prior to the surgery—including the parents of the pregnant patient—no one expressed much concern over the patient's wellbeing. In their eyes, the unborn son was the priority.

Now, this old lady here was thanking them for saving her granddaughter.

Zheng Ren suddenly felt that his surgical work was worth it in the end. He felt appreciated.

Old Chief Physician Pan was flustered but had dealt with such situations before. He ushered the old lady into the room with a few words. Zheng Ren carefully followed, wanting to check on the patient's recovery status.

A round of questioning informed Zheng Ren of the patient's wellbeing. A day after the surgery, she had already passed gas and was able to consume porridge.

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Her complexion was much better than the last time Zheng Ren saw her. She was half-prone on the bed.

When the patient saw Old Chief Physician Pan walk in, she tried to sit up to convey her heartfelt gratitude.

Old Chief Physician Pan pushed Zheng Ren ahead. "This man is who you should thank. He was your surgeon."

Realizing her mistake, the young pregnant patient became sheepish.

The husband, grandparents, and parents were all crammed into the small hospital room. Multiple hands shot out to help the patient when she tried to sit up. They avoided eye contact with Zheng Ren and their movements were stiff.

Their help was unceremoniously driven away by the old lady.

Perhaps in the old lady's eyes, only she could care for her granddaughter. The others were just ingrates and though she might be old, she was not oblivious.

Zheng Ren instantly got the patient to lie back down. Being able to pass gas and eat just a day after surgery was good progress. Zheng Ren did not want to chance her getting on her knees.

The information on the right corner of his vision stated that she showed no signs of infection or other complications. The threat of miscarriage had also vanished and she was on the path to a speedy recovery.

All was well. Zheng Ren gave a few words of encouragement to the patient and promptly dragged Old Chief Physician Pan out of the room.

"Not used to the thanks? This sort of expression is common for rural folks." Old Chief Physician Pan was in a good mood after witnessing the pregnant patient's recovery.

"I just don't like the family… Except for the old lady," Zheng Ren confessed. The incident with that particular family was a sore point and he wanted to get that off his chest.

Zheng Ren did not need to elaborate. Old Chief Physician Pan understood what he had experienced that day.

Anyone with at least five years of clinical experience would have had to handle similar scenarios. As for Old Chief Physician Pan, he had had it down to an art.

"You'll get used to it." Old Chief Physician Pan gave Zheng Ren a faint smile, unbothered by it all.

One had to have an open mind or be prepared to resign.

After completing their rounds in the first general surgery department, Old Chief Physician Pan took Zheng Ren to the second general surgery ward.

When Chief Surgeon Sun of the second general surgery department learned the two men were coming, he volunteered to accompany them without hesitation.

He hosted them with grace and warmth, very much like a chief resident would when the head of a surgical department dropped in for a check.

Once they left the second general surgery department, Old Chief Physician Pan commented to Zheng Ren. "That man knows his place."

They were done with the general ward patients and proceeded to the special demands ward.

When they reached the second floor, a shout was heard. "Miss, why are you on your feet?"

Old Chief Physician Pan and Zheng Ren were startled and quickly made their way into the room.

A slender and tall lady stood inside with her hands gripping the hospital bed guardrail.

The lady was seriously 1.8 meters tall. While there were still hints of frailty about her, her elegance shone through.

"Zhou Jinxi?" Zheng Ren asked in a confused tone.

Zheng Ren had never performed an endoscopic transrectal appendectomy in real life prior to this and was therefore unclear about the recovery process. According to existing literature, the patient would be able to stand, pass gas and consume liquid food after a day. Walking would possible be on the second day, and discharge on the third.

However… This Zhou Jinxi lady was on her feet just six hours after surgery.

Both Old Chief Physician Pan and Zheng Ren were shocked.

"Yes. It's you two…" Zhou Jinxi held onto the guardrail and carefully balanced herself. Her big eyes sparkled as she spoke.

"I am the chief surgeon of the emergency department, last name Pan. This man here is my soldier and the one who performed your surgery, Zheng Ren." Old Chief Physician Pan's voice was filled with pride when he mentioned Zheng Ren was his subordinate.

"Ah!" When Zhou Jinxi heard that Zheng Ren was the surgeon, she hopped onto the bed and hid under the blanket like a startled rabbit. Her scarlet face was obscured by the cloth.

"…" Was this shyness?

In the eyes of the stone-faced, unparalleled and godlike doctor, the patients he treated were genderless.

Heh, no wonder he was single to this day.

"Miss Zhou, we are here to check on your recovery," said Old Chief Physician Pan as his tone softened. He was well-versed with people's reactions and knew how to comfort Zhou Jinxi's timid soul.

Her assistant persuaded her for five minutes before she was willing to remove her covers. She answered Zheng Ren's questions with a red face.

Zheng Ren was grateful that her rate of recovery was exceptional. The difficult surgeries that he had to perform had all been on younger patients who stood a better chance when it came to postsurgery healing.

Zhou Jinxi's lower right quadrant of the abdomen showed no signs of pain. A physical check of the surgical site revealed no point tenderness, rebound tenderness or muscle guarding.

Zheng Ren would not be surprised if this lady tried to escape the hospital tomorrow, judging from her buoyant attitude.

His lips curled at the thought. He told the assistant to make sure Zhou Jinxi stayed in bed for a whole day before allowing her to move about.

Old Chief Physician Pan's phone rang as Zheng Ren was about to ask about passing gas.

"Hello. Yes, that's me." Old Chief Physician Pan answered the phone and walked out of the hospital room.

"Yes. I'll head over to the emergency room now!" His tone became awe-inspiring.

He hung up and turned to Zheng Ren, face stern and serious. "Mass poisoning in the city. 120 ambulances dispatched. Let's go."

"How many victims?" Zheng Ren asked.

"As of now, severe cases are in the dozens. We don't have the full numbers yet."

Dozens? This was truly a mass poisoning event.

IndexChapter 43

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Chapter 43: Emergency Rescue!

Old Chief Physician Pan and Zheng Ren jogged in silence to the emergency department.

Once they arrived, Old Chief Physician Pan instructed the department to reject patients that had minor illnesses and to refer them to other hospitals.

He announced that a mass poisoning had happened and the general hospital was limiting their medical resources to only the critically ill. Most patients obeyed the orders and left on their own accord to seek medical attention elsewhere.

Some patients who were not in a rush stayed back to watch the drama unfold.

However, a small portion of patients started making a fuss. They had come all the way to the hospital only to be rejected? Weren't hospitals supposed to save the sick and dying? If they were not tending to the sick, who else was supposed to?

Old Chief Physician Pan gave the protesting uncles, ranting aunties, and raving hoodlums a cold stare. He did not dignify them with a response and headed off to manage the emergency department's clinical decision unit.

The patients who could be discharged were discharged, with the paperwork left for another day. The wards were cleared as much as possible to make room for the coming storm.

Five minutes later, the general hospital's administrative board arrived at the emergency department and got to work. A reshuffling of the rosters was done and more doctors and nurses were brought in to increase the emergency department's capacity.

After all, a big incident like this happened only once every few years. The emergency department did not require such capacity on an average day, and the timely reallocation of resources was expected for emergencies.

Seeing the arrival of the hospital administrative board, a middle-aged female patient ran up and clutched at the sleeves of the prominent Director Xiao.

A tantrum thrown by a middle-aged person was often frowned upon by the public and Director Xiao was no exception.

Seven minutes later, the nearby police force came to provide their assistance.

The national emblem shone under the light. People who were making a fuss quieted down.

Nine minutes later, the sirens of the ambulances could be heard from a distance. All the personnel were at their positions, ready for the battle.

Zheng Ren and the other nurses gathered at the emergency entrance to greet the ambulances. He was not obligated to be there but figured an early diagnosis could save a life.

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The ambulances arrived, tires screeching. Wisps of white smoke rose into the sky. There were tire marks where the ambulances pulled up in a hurry.

The stretcher that was pushed out made Zheng Ren stumble.

The patient's exposed skin was greyish blue, very much like an alien from the movie, 'Avatar'.

'This is a bad omen,' Zheng Ren thought. The patient was suffering nitrite poisoning.

Ever since he started training in the System, Zheng Ren's memory had improved by leaps and bounds.

Nitrite poisoning was a rare illness—mentioned in a few sentences in medical textbooks. Once he left medical school and entered the workforce, Zheng Ren had not seen a single case of it.

The few sentences from the textbook stood out in his memory, clear as day.

He concluded that this was a case of nitrite poisoning from the patient diagnosis in the right corner of his view. The patient was currently in a potentially fatal state of circulatory shock.

Zheng Ren grabbed onto the stretcher and started to dash.

Every second was critical in determining the patient's outcome.

"Nitrite poisoning! Prep the methylene blue and the potassium permanganate solution!" Zheng Ren ordered as he pushed the stretcher.

His voice echoed down the hospital corridor.

Little Zhao was hidden in an inconspicuous corner of the emergency department watching a livestream. When he heard Zheng Ren's voice and saw him pushing a stretcher down the corridor, his heart swelled with admiration.

Right now, this normal everyman who had no money, no house and no girlfriend was larger than life.

"Methylene blue, large volumes!" Zheng Ren instructed loudly as he passed Director Xiao.

He sounded like a director, his voice full of authority.

Director Xiao was momentarily surprised. In the background, that unreasonable middle-aged woman was still throwing a tantrum despite the police presence.

Zheng Ren let go of the stretcher and said, "IV line, 250 milliliters 10% glucose with 140 milligrams methylene blue. At the same time, flush the stomach with potassium permanganate."

The stretcher trolley left Zheng Ren's hands and the standby nurses at the emergency room took over expertly.

Zheng Ren walked up to Director Xiao and said seriously, "We need more methylene blue. Our usual stock in the emergency department won't be sufficient."

"You're bullying an old lady! I'm not done with you! This is an injustice!" The middle-aged woman grabbed at Director Xiao's collar and screamed like a maniac, ignoring the police officers by her side.

Without a word, Zheng Ren stepped up and flung the woman's arm aside.

He did so without restraint, and the annoying woman lost her footing and stumbled back into the crowd. Startled, she dropped onto the ground and started bawling, her two hands slapping the floor. "These doctors are trying to kill me! The police too!"

"Please take care of this. There will be more patients coming in." Like a king, Zheng Ren gave instructions to the police officers. Then, he turned to Director Xiao and said, "Our stock won't be enough and we need to ask the city council for help. If the city's stock is insufficient, we'll have to seek aid from neighboring districts."

With that, Zheng Ren turned and left, sparing no time to explain the situation.

Every second counted in the emergency room. Director Xiao's countenance was grim as he directed the chief of the medical administration division to stockpile all the methylene blue in the hospital. He did not bother to set his collar before calling up the city council.

Methylene blue, also known as methylthioninium chloride, was typically used for surgical markings. Hence, there was not a large supply of it in the hospital as demand was usually low.

The red blood cells of a healthy human or animal contained substances that could reverse the formation of methemoglobin such as vitamin C and glutathione.

If the concentration of nitrite ingested was enough to overwhelm the body's ability to equilibrate its oxidation, the person or animal would show symptoms of nitrite poisoning.

Methylene blue would be reduced to leucomethylene blue through catalysis by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Leucomethylene blue could then reduce the heme group from methemoglobin to hemoglobin, regenerating the methylene blue. This reversible reaction allowed it to be reused.

This theory was not common knowledge to the emergency medical personnel on scene. Despite that, they were aware of the severity. Cyanosis, shallow breathing and low blood pressure; anyone with clinical experience would know the patient was already in a state of shock.

If they could not improve the patient's condition, the reduced blood perfusion would soon lead to a decrease in kidney function, cerebral edema and ultimately death.

After briefing Director Xiao, Zheng Ren went into the emergency room. At this moment, he never considered if the tone he took with the director would land him in trouble.

The patient laid on the emergency bed with his shirt cut open and thrown aside. His chest was peppered with countless patches connected to an electrocardiogram. Intricate but orderly cables transmitted electronic signals from the patient's body to the device which produced numbers and graphs.

Blood pressure 50/20, heart rate 40, oxygen saturation not detected!

Normally, such readings on a patient was a lost cause.

The matron was bent over setting up an intravenous line. Three jabs and none of them saw any blood flow. Cold sweat dripped from her forehead and drenched the sterile surgical cap in less than 20 seconds.

The patient's survival was dependent on the intravenous line.

The patient's blood pressure was at 50/20 with a weak pulse. Even the large veins like the jugular and the femoral vein were shrunken and difficult to locate among the muscle tissues.

"Allow me." Old Chief Physician Pan held a surgical kit. He removed the patient's pants and started to search for the femoral vein. A central venous line was a procedure done frequently back in the day but was rarely required now.

The situation was dire. Even after peeling open the skin and muscles of the inguinal area, the femoral vein might have become clear, transparent connective tissue that challenged a physician's eyes and experience.

Furthermore, this method was very slow. Zheng Ren could hear the sirens of the 120 ambulances within his mind.

Without hesitation, Zheng Ren entered the System and shouted, "I want to buy some intensive training time!"

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Chapter 44: Mission: A Buddha to All

The robotic female voice reverberated through space. However, it was not in response to Zheng Ren's shout. It was here to deliver a mission.

[Emergency Mission: A Buddha to All

[Mission Details: Rescue management of mass poisoning cases in the emergency department

[Mission Reward: 300 skill points, 1 silver chest, 30000 experience points for every 100 patients successfully rescued.

[Mission Duration: 1 day.]

The System was more generous this time around. Zheng Ren was dumbfounded by the mission. Its rewards were unbelievable. He did not know what the silver chest contained but the 300 skill points and 30000 experience points were enough to entice him.

However… Zheng Ren cursed. The System Shop had no central venous catheterization training.

'Are you f*cking kidding me?' Zheng Ren thought.

Every wasted minute, no, every wasted second could cost the patient's life.

Suddenly, the panicking Zheng Ren was blessed with an idea. Interventional surgeries usually started with an artery cannulation, right?

What he wanted to perform was a central venous catheterization, and while they were not the same procedure, the principles were similar.

Why not give it a try?

There was no time to debate the matter. Zheng Ren selected the interventional surgery training module and out came some options, the first of which was vein and artery cannulation.

Without a second thought, Zheng Ren selected it. He was no longer calculative, expending all 14076 of his experience points on intensive training time.

234.6 minutes; not even four hours. That was all the time Zheng Ren could afford.

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The System's operating theater rose from the ground. Zheng Ren entered without further delay. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he started the intensive training.

…

Another patient was brought in from the ambulance, in just as severe a condition as the first patient—circulatory shock due to poisoning.

When the patient was pushed into the emergency room, Old Chief Physician Pan had just opened up the first patient's skin and was separating the subcutaneous tissue to find the semblance of a femoral vein.

"Venous catheterization kit, prepare for disinfection," Zheng Ren said in a scratchy voice, just waking up.

"Bring in a patient, stat!"

The patient was lifted onto the emergency bed as fast as possible and Zheng Ren got to work.

The patient was in supine position with their feet elevated 15 to 25 degrees above their head to increase venous pressure and blood flow.

This was to ensure venous pressure remained higher than atmospheric pressure, minimizing the risk of an air embolism during central venous catheterization.

Zheng Ren tore open the patient's top. His show of strength was nearly animalistic. He placed a 500ml water bottle between the patient's shoulder blades. As they were a tad underweight, Zheng Ren switched the water bottle out with a softer bottle of saline solution.

The aim of the bottle was to open up the chest area, allowing the shoulders to fall back and elevate the section between the clavicles. It would push the subclavian vein nearer to the clavicle and further away from the apex of the lung.

Then, Zheng Ren turned the patient's head to face him. This placement reduced the angle between the subclavian and jugular veins, making it easier to guide the catheter downward in the direction of the superior vena cava.

"Look here. Make sure the next patient is in the same position." Zheng Ren wanted to shout the words, but his sore throat made it impossible. The few nurses around him were his only audience.

"Yes!" the nurses replied.

The position was easy, the objective clear. It was not a difficult task.

Gloves went on his hand, a needle at the ready. Once the insertion point was located, Zheng Ren began the procedure.

He did not follow the textbook protocol of subclavian vein catheterization—puncturing one to two centimeters below the midshaft of the clavicle, with the needle angled horizontally and pointed in the direction of the sternoclavicular joint.

Instead, he chose the infraclavicular block as the insertion point, which was below the clavicle and lateral to the midclavicular line.

The nurses had seen subclavian vein insertions before, but the situations had not been as dire and the patients did not have such low blood pressure readings.

Had Zheng Ren lost his senses? Why did he pick the wrong insertion point?

In the midst of the chaos, they did not manage to warn him. Zheng Ren's hands were steady and quick, and the nurses could only watch as he pressed his left hand on the patient's chest.

He pressed down onto the skin with his left thumb until it was level with the costoclavicular ligament and marked the point, then removed his thumb and proceeded to puncture the skin there.

All this was curated from thousands of books' worth of literature regarding subclavian venipuncture and hands-on practice from the System's intensive training.

During training, all the simulation mannequins had been positioned in the correct way. At first, Zheng Ren completed the procedure in three minutes, which was a bit slow. Toward the end, he could finish with one simulation mannequin in under a minute.

He used 234.6 minutes in the System training to complete 452 venipunctures.

This number might have been lower than some doctors from the emergency departments and intensive care units of larger hospitals, but Zheng Ren had completed them in one go. All the simulations were high-difficulty patients with low blood pressure and low blood volume.

Challenges came with great rewards. Zheng Ren's phlebotomy skills could be considered among the best in the country.

No one would get the chance to perform hundreds over high-difficulty venipunctures. Only the System could provide such opportunities.

Blood flowed on the first attempt!

It was not standard procedure but the results were evident. The seasoned nurses around Zheng Ren were stunned.

This kind of high-difficulty venipuncture usually took at least five minutes. It involved multiple punctures and maneuvers to find the vein, seemingly dependent on luck. Five minutes to get into the vein was for experts.

Yet, how long did Chief Zheng take? Excluding the time it took to position the patient, it had been only two minutes. No, not even two minutes, one minute…or less. In the blink of an eye, venous blood was seen to flow out.

"Fix an IV line and administer the methylene blue." Zheng Ren held the catheter and raised his voice when he saw no one following up with the next step.

He could not shout as his throat was totally wrecked. The previous panic-induced a release of epinephrine and dopamine in his body, keeping him in an excitatory state.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" The nurses around Zheng Ren woke from their stupor, took the venous catheter and connected it to the infusion tube.

"Maximum flow rate. Once the infusion is done, continue with the glucose solution. Then, perform a gastric lavage," Zheng Ren instructed.

"Yes!" replied the seasoned nurses in unison. They were from other departments but had been reassigned to face the emergency.

He allowed the nurses to administer the treatment and went to position the other patients.

Zheng Ren took the needle and thread from the catheterization kit and started to secure the subclavian vein catheter.

He moved without delay as if under an army general's command.

Once the stitches were done, he watched the glucose and methylene blue solution drip in the drip chamber. Only then was he reassured.

The next patient was already positioned for the procedure. Zheng Ren took off his gloves and rubbed his hands with an alcohol-based sanitizer. He opened the catheterization kit, put on a new pair of sterile gloves, and got to work.

IndexChapter 45

Index

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Chapter 45: Lightning Speed

Old Chief Physician Pan was in the zone, hands gripping the hemostatic forceps as he searched for the shriveled, pale vein.

Thinking back to the war, he was reminded of the many comrades who had suffered hemorrhagic shock. A femoral vein catheterization had been his bread and butter back in the day.

His eyesight was a bit blurry and he could not clearly make out the tissue structure beneath the skin. Perhaps it was old age catching up, but if he did not operate, who would? Youngsters these days very rarely had experience with such invasive methods. His familiarity was built on the lives of others. Where would these rash youngsters find that many patients with hemorrhagic shock to practice on?

Five minutes later, Old Chief Physician Pan finally found the femoral vein and successfully established a catheter access. A bottle of glucose and methylene blue solution was hung on the intravenous stand. He let out a long exhale as the liquid dripped.

Although he was slower than before, finding the femoral vein within five minutes—while not a perfect score—was a pass. He was satisfied with himself; he was still up to it.

Straightening his back, Old Chief Physician Pan could almost hear the cracking of his vertebrae.

One still had to accept his age. Old Chief Physician Pan gave a bitter smile and suddenly realized Zheng Ren was nowhere to be seen.

This chief resident that he wanted had put on a stellar performance, the current patient's diagnosis being one of many already.

Nitrite poisoning was something most people would go about their lives never witnessing. In his younger days, Old Chief Physician Pan had only come across one case and had had to flip through the books for the treatment. Unfortunately, the patient's illness was too severe and they passed away before methylene blue could be obtained.

The many surgeries before, plus this correct emergency diagnosis and treatment, was proof of Zheng Ren's abilities!

Where was he, though?

Old Chief Physician Pan looked around. What he saw made him gasp in surprise.

There were twelve beds lined behind him; seven or eight patients had been shifted into a special position. Some patients with central venous line access had been lifted onto stretcher trolleys and moved into the observation room.

Zheng Ren was hunched over, concentrating fully on central venous catheterization.

Old Chief Physician Pan sighed. Youngsters truly had quick eyes and deft hands.

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A moment passed and he realized Zheng Ren was not only quick, he was lightning fast.

Somewhere along the line, Xie Yiren had joined the fray. She quietly stood beside Zheng Ren and assisted him. Between opening the catheterization kit, disinfection, puncturing, stitching and stabilization…the whole process took around 30 seconds?

Old Chief Physician Pan thought he might even have overestimated the time.

As Zheng Ren was stitching and fastening the catheter, Xie Yiren was already preparing the next patient.

This was way too fast.

Other than Xie Yiren, Zheng Ren had about twenty medical personnel around him.

Some were moving patients from one of the 120 ambulances onto emergency beds.

Some were hastily preparing the glucose and methylene blue mixture solutions.

Some were attaching intravenous bottles to catheters and hanging them onto intravenous stands, their drip rate set to maximum.

Some followed Zheng Ren to secure the catheter with dressing once the stitching was complete.

Some delivered the patients that already had subclavian vein catheters to the observation room next door.

The whole operation was smooth and orderly like the flow of a river. In the time that Old Chief Physician Pan had taken to complete a femoral vein central venous access, Zheng Ren had accomplished more than ten subclavian vein catheterizations.

'Haih, I am old,' Old Chief Physician Pan thought to himself. He was a bit sad but grateful.

The future belonged to the young. He would contribute in whatever way he could.

"What is the stock level for methylene blue? And the central venous catheterization kits?" he asked.

"We're running out," the matron answered with dread in her voice. The sirens of the 120 ambulances melded into one. There were still the patients with minor poisoning or those who needed urgent medical attention but opted to come to the hospital in a private vehicle instead of waiting for an ambulance.

It was total chaos outside the emergency rescue room as more and more patients flocked to the hospital. Sea City General Hospital was the best medical care facility in the city. When something was not right with their family, the first thing most people would do was to bring them over to Sea City General Hospital for a check-up.

Even if the city responded swiftly with appropriate patient distribution, their control only extended over the ambulances. The patients in private vehicles all ended up in Sea City General Hospital.

Old Chief Physician Pan's eyebrows furrowed. What was happening here? Why had there been so many cases of nitrite poisoning?

He abandoned that train of thought. It was not something a doctor should concern themselves with. As medical personnel, he should be focusing on saving people.

Old Chief Physician Pan came up by Director Xiao's side. No words were exchanged, but the pair of weatherbeaten eyes shone with alertness. He stared directly at Director Xiao without any pretense.

Although the chief physician said nothing, Director Xiao understood the unspoken message.

The hospital still had a large supply of central venous catheterization kits, so those were not a problem. On the other hand, the whole hospital's stock of methylene blue had been exhausted, which meant that incoming patients would not be able to receive treatment.

Without treatment, the patients would simply be awaiting death in the hospital.

On the receiving end of Old Chief Physician Pan's knife-sharp glare, the already high-strung Director Xiao became furious. The glare read like a challenge to an argumentative man like him.

"Why are you looking at me? The hospital doesn't have enough stock. I've contacted the city!" Director Xiao roared in fury, as if expressing his displeasure at the situation and at himself.

The office director had never seen Director Xiao this angry. He nearly felt like going up to stop any fights from happening, but hesitated out of fear.

"You are the hospital director. Who the hell am I supposed to ask if not you?" Old Chief Physician Pan said. "If a patient dies, you're good as gone. I'll have you know that a lot of people are waiting for you to make a mistake."

The words were not said in anger or frustration, but as a cold reminder to Director Xiao of the truth. Even when swearing, Old Chief Physician Pan did not raise his voice, which made the reminder much more foreboding.

Based on what he said, Old Chief Physician Pan would not mind giving a nudge when push came to shove.

No one doubted the power behind Old Chief Physician Pan's nudge.

Unless the accident was ruled to be due to negligence, a director's position was untouchable. However, Director Xiao did not want much trouble. More importantly, he was a business director who came from the clinical field. All the commotion in the emergency rescue room rekindled the fiery passion in him.

Director Xiao went through a series of facial expressions. Then, he snatched the phone from the office director's hand and made a call. Once the call connected, he immediately shouted into the phone. "Methylene blue! I want all your stocks of methylene blue shipped to Sea City General Hospital!"

"I don't care about any problems that arise. If it doesn't reach us in ten minutes, I will hold a directors' meeting tomorrow and remove all your company's products from our shelves!"

High-handed and unreasonable.

During a critical time in the hospital, such tactics were a comfort to the people.

The uproar from patients and family members outside died down after hearing his call, as if a savage beast had been unleashed in the emergency rescue room.

Director Xiao made phone call after phone call.

There was no time to wait for the city council to arrange for supplies. According to standard procedure, it would take at least another 30 minutes to an hour to arrive when such a threat was at hand.

He could admit what Old Chief Physician Pan said was true. If a patient were to die, he would be in big trouble.

Rather than face this alone, Director Xiao was willing to rescind some lucrative deals; no one would come out of this unscathed.

Zheng Ren was in the eye of the tornado, wordlessly performing central venous catheterizations. Regardless of the patient's age or gender, he took a solid 25 seconds for each of them.

After each completion, a glucose bottle was hung above and methylene blue flowed like a mini waterfall into the patient's subclavian vein. The solution would circulate peripherally and then into the liver where it would take part in the metabolism process to remove the nitrite.

The hospital stock of methylene blue was diminishing. As the last bottle was opened and mixed with 10% glucose solution by a nurse, a Wuling SUV appeared in front of the emergency entrance.

The vehicle seemed to be in much more of a rush than the ambulances. One could almost see sparks erupting from the vehicle's sudden stop.

A middle-aged man with a beer belly came down from the car wearing a suit. He carried a box of methylene blue and hurried into the emergency department.

"Director Xiao, eight minutes!" The pale-faced man deposited the box on the floor. His breathing was loud and labored like a pair of bellows. He seemed incredibly tired.

Director Xiao's expression changed for the better when he saw the arrival of the methylene blue. He said to the man, "Inform the Health Department and ask about the situation in the city. Take the initiative."

Then, he went to monitor the patients with Old Chief Physician Pan and relocated patients who were responding well to treatment to other wards.

IndexChapter 46

Index

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Chapter 46: Unboxing Rewards

246 subclavian vein catheterizations. It took three hours in total including preparation time.

In the emergency department, all medical personnel had forgotten the passage of time and were solely focused on the lives that required saving.

They were all doing their best.

Zheng Ren completed another central venous catheterization and looked up. The emergency bed opposite him was empty. That was the last nitrite poisoning patient.

It was over? Really?

Zheng Ren was a bit surprised.

Repeating a procedure for such a long time was bound to paralyze a doctor, especially someone like Zheng Ren who had exchanged all his experience points for surgical training time in the System and practised a few hundred venipunctures. After that, he had performed two hundred more catheterizations in the emergency room. Although a catheterization was not comparable to an actual surgery, the sheer number of them was enough to make Zheng Ren feel tired.

Zheng Ren turned and asked, "Any more patients?"

"I'll ask." Xie Yiren had also noted the lack of patients and walked out to inquire, a spring in her step.

Watching Xie Yiren's retreating figure, Zheng Ren noticed the alterations made to her lab coat. The waist was pinched and showed off her perfect curves in each movement.

It was unlike the others, whose lab coats made them look shapeless and unflattering.

In a flash, Xie Yiren was back. Her mask was removed to reveal a flushed face. She spoke excitedly from the door, "Chief Zheng, there are no more patients. Old Chief Physician Pan said he would handle the hospital admissions and that you should stay put."

"Okay," Zheng Ren mumbled a reply.

Once the end was confirmed, fatigue flooded his body.

During the rescue, Zheng Ren had operated single-mindedly to save all the patients' lives.

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His lethargy, hunger and basic human needs had been overshadowed by the epinephrine and dopamine released in his body. He had been unaware of his body's needs.

Zheng Ren had not even kept track of the mission given to him by the System.

What was the mission again? Zheng Ren could not recall. Faced with the 'Avatar'-like patients that kept coming in, he had no time to think about the experience points he would gain.

There were only subclavian vein catheterizations, methylene blue infusions and nitrite poisoning on his mind.

Ambulance sirens and the desperate cries of families filled his ears.

The end. It was finally the end.

Zheng Ren walked to the door and the world suddenly started to spin. His vision went blurry and he knocked into Xie Yiren.

"Ah!" Xie Yiren pushed Zheng Ren away. A loud bang echoed as his head crashed into the door. His boneless body collapsed onto the floor.

Seeing Zheng Ren on the floor, Xie Yiren was stunned. A moment passed and she called out. "Help!"

That was the most-repeated word in the emergency department today, especially this afternoon.

All the patients with nitrite poisoning were already receiving treatment, so who was yelling for help? Did a patient suddenly take a turn for the worse?

A few doctors and nurses put down their non-urgent work and came to check on the situation.

They were surprised to find Xie Yiren shouting. "Little Xie, what's wrong?"

"Chief Zheng fainted!" Xie Yiren was still stunned and did not know what to do.

Did she cause it? Maybe… He was the one who fell into her… This pervert!

He was not injured, right? What if he hurt his brain?

Xie Yiren's mind was filled with images of trepanation and drainage for intracranial hemorrhage.

A few medical personnel hurried to help Zheng Ren up.

Zheng Ren was sweating profusely. The people who helped him up had wet hands after.

"Move him to the bed!" a doctor said.

Zheng Ren only fainted for a moment. He was half-awake now.

He could feel the changes in his body. Mustering all his strength, he spoke, "Help me sit, don't move me. 20 milliliters of glucose, injected, then another bottle of 10% glucose."

He was weak, lightheaded, sweating, and there was ringing in his ears—the symptoms of low blood sugar. Zheng Ren only realized now that he had not eaten for almost 24 hours.

The last proper meal he had was supper with Xie Yiren, the crayfish.

That seemed like a long time ago.

Hearing Zheng Ren's medical instructions, everyone's panic abated as they figured it was likely hypoglycemia.

Soon, a large syringe of syrupy 50% glucose solution was injected into Zheng Ren's veins as he leaned against the wall. Sitting on the floor, he gulped down the 10% glucose solution.

Sweat dripped down from Zheng Ren's hair. Some family members of patients were heartbroken to see him. They wanted to ask after him and maybe send him some food, but Zheng Ren's pallid complexion made them hesitant.

A human's heart was made of muscles. If these were the people who usually wrote nasty online posts about doctors without ethics, even their hearts would be wrung upon seeing the doctor who fought tooth and nail for each patient collapse from exhaustion.

A phrase appeared in their hearts: what a great doctor!

A few minutes passed and the symptoms of hypoglycemia abated. Zheng Ren felt revived.

Although he had little interest in food, he had to at least consume something at regular intervals.

The previous night of appendectomies had exhausted him. After today's endoscopic transrectal appendectomy, he had gone home and taken a small nap before coming in again to check on his patients.

He had totally forgotten to eat.

Tsk… He had to pay more attention next time.

The emergency department corridor was filled with hospital beds. Zheng Ren felt sincerely happy and giddy at the sight of the bluish tint gradually fading from the patients' skins.

This was perhaps the happiest moment for doctors and nurses.

Wait, the System had given him a mission with a pretty substantial reward. The thought slowly crept into his mind.

Zheng Ren took a big gulp of the glucose solution in his hand. The syrupy glucose entered his oral cavity and into his esophagus, all the way down to his stomach. He could feel his energy restored as the gastric mucosa[1] rapidly absorbed it.

He lowered his head and feigned resting to enter the System.

Sweat splattered from his lowered head like raindrops from a cloud hanging above.

[Emergency Mission: A Buddha to All, completed.]

The cold, robotic female voice of the System rang out as soon as Zheng Ren arrived.

[Completed a total of 246 subclavian vein catheterizations, zero failures.Total rewards are 750 skills points, three silver chests, and 75000 experience points.]

Jackpot!

That was Zheng Ren's first thought.

During the emergency, he had no time to think about the mission. Now that the crisis was over and he could reap the rewards, his happiness was only natural.

His general surgery skills set was originally at 1360. After the intensive training for cholecystectomy and venipunctures, plus the 246 subclavian vein catheterizations, it had risen to 1690.

A subclavian vein catheterization was a normal procedure without much complexity, and therefore the resultant increase in skill points was limited.

It was likely that most of the points came from the cholecystectomy training.

He still had 180 skill points saved. Including the skill point reward from this emergency mission, he now had 930 skill points at his disposal.

Based on his skill level in other types of surgeries, whatever skill tree he chose would instantly elevate him to the rank of Graduate.

The rank of a deputy senior chief surgeon was in his grasp. It felt really good. Zheng Ren figured he should give some thought to whichever specialty to invest points in.

After all, he was a miser who would split even a dollar.

The emergency rescue was an outlier. It was normal for humans to be impulsive.

These skill points and experience points were his just rewards. Floating before Zheng Ren, there were also three shiny, silver chests.

Zheng Ren did not play games and had thus never spent money for in-game treasure chests. Who knew that the System would contribute to his collection of life experiences?

As he was not a gamer, let alone a paying one, Zheng Ren had no basic knowledge of draw rates. He knew nothing about the generosity and harshness of Lady Luck[2].

His heart fluttered with intentions as all three silver chests opened.

The light was radiant!

[1] Glucose absorption occurs in the duodenum onward. Author may have mistaken their scientific facts.

[2] In some chinese online games, 欧皇 (European King) and 非酋 (African Chieftain) are used to call lucky and unlucky players respectively.

Chapter 47

Index

Book

Chapter 47: A Drop of Water in Need Shall Be Returned with a Spring in Deed

The radiant light subsided and Zheng Ren saw three books before him.

They were identical to each other.

The System was being lazy. There were no surprises as the silver chests held the same thing.

Zheng Ren did not consider this the short end of the stick. Perhaps if he had a bit more luck, he could have obtained a much better reward.

The three books were skill books that could raise any skill tree to the Graduate rank.

If he were to calculate their value, each of them was worth approximately 1000 skill points.

Zheng Ren was a bit disappointed. He would rather have had 3000 skill points. In addition to the 930 skill points he had saved, he would have been able to reach the general surgery Master rank.

He did some calculations and decided to store the three skill books away for another time.

Zheng Ren was still slightly traumatized by the System's death threat. He wanted to be equipped for the unforeseeable future.

A backup was necessary.

Much like the venipuncture skill set, if Zheng Ren had not had a few thousand experience points in reserve to purchase intensive training, he would not have been able to save so many patients.

He was not unintelligent. Back when he was in the orphanage, he read the many books donated by kind people from all over the world. After school, he would work multiple odd jobs to earn a living and still managed to get into the country's top medical school.

When it came to his postgraduate research, any supervisor who was not blind had been willing to take him.

Zheng Ren was gradually picking up on the System's behavior. Every mission given to him would beget patients of corresponding illnesses that required his attention.

In a way, the System had some minor predictive powers.

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Then… Should he take up interventional surgery? Zheng Ren pondered. The thought of putting on a lead apron to have a go at interventional surgery crept into his mind.

It was just a thought. For now, Zheng Ren had yet to turn it into action.

The experience points in the System were precious. 75000 experience points would buy him less than 21 hours of intensive surgical training.

For a completely unfamiliar surgical procedure, 20 hours was good for nothing.

This was different from when the System gave him 20 days worth of intensive training. Back then, there had been some distortion within the System's time and space, as if the surroundings would crack at any second.

Zheng Ren had a feeling the System was in danger then, which was why he had been given 20 days of intensive training. It was an act of desperation on the System's part.

Now, Zheng Ren would slowly save up his training time.

His biggest problem now was not improving his surgical skills, but getting some solid rest time. He was already suffering hypoglycemia.

Zheng Ren did not want to end up in a funeral house tomorrow, watching the detestable hospital administrative board deliver an insincere eulogy for him.

Inside the System space, he was able to recover mentally, but his physical body was lagging behind.

There was no new mission from the System but the space seemed to be altering. At some point, Zheng Ren sensed danger approaching and within a heartbeat, returned to the real world.

…

"That's him! That son of a b*tch hit my mother!" A loud cry sounded nearby.

"It's him! He was the one who trampled me! A doctor, no less! More like a piece of sh*t!" A middle-aged lady pointed at Zheng Ren and spat angrily. The lady who had grabbed at Director Xiao's neck was back in the hospital with renewed vigor.

She ignored the fact that Zheng Ren had not actually trampled her.

Zheng Ren's blood sugar was returning to normal. His body was clammy with a film of sweat slowly drying on his back.

Zheng Ren lifted his head and saw a giant figure looming above him. An exposed neck and arms were covered in tattoos of a dragon motif. A heavy chain, thick as a finger, hung on the heavyset man's neck. There were others with him.

The corridor was filled with anxious patients and families. They carefully gave way to the fierce-looking man.

There were few who dared to stand up to someone like him.

As the rescue work had already ended, the police force tasked to maintain order had left.

Hearing the loud voices, two hospital security guards peeked out from the security room.

"F*ck you!" the heavyset man swore. His eyes were narrowed as rage bubbled in him.

The guards had an amused look on their face. Without a second thought, the security room door was shut.

The loud bang serenaded the tense situation and Zheng Ren's trepidation.

Zheng Ren felt helpless. Such incidents were all too common in the hospital.

The security guards were contract laborers dressed in security uniforms. If a fight did break out, they would not dare get involved. If someone got hurt, they would be fired without question. The hospital would then provide compensation and apologize to the injured party.

Zheng Ren did not blame the security guards for turning a blind eye. They were just working-class men trying to get by.

Now, how would he deal with this situation?

He guessed he would have to take a beating.

Every day, there were cases of medical personnel being assaulted nationwide. Xiang Ya Second Hospital was the most gutsy hospital when it came to the matter, but what happened in the end? The whole situation was chilling.

Facing this mountain of a man, a thought crossed his mind. If he was injured, would he be able to perform surgery on himself under local anesthesia?

Although he was afraid, he did not show it.

He knew it would not help his case.

He was going to get a beating regardless, so why make the effort to beg for mercy?

Zheng Ren silently got up from the floor. He shook his shoulders and neck.

A few trembling doctors and nurses wanted to defuse the situation but were overwhelmed by the heavyset man's aura. They were civilized people who had never been in a fight before, and were all bark and no bite.

"Oh? The little man wants to give it a go?" The heavyset man grinned. He clenched his giant fists. From a few feet away, Zheng Ren could hear his knuckles cracking.

Zheng Ren was not ready to fight back. He had no knowledge of close-quarter combat, so what were his chances?

He was only loosening up his muscles so that he could recover faster after the beating.

Silence enveloped the hospital corridor as everyone looked at each other quietly.

"What are you doing?" Xie Yiren burst into the room and ran to Zheng Ren, arms raised to protect him with her body.

A bitter smile formed on Zheng Ren's face. Xie Yiren's small and slender figure was nice to look at but it was useless in a fight. One punch would break her bones.

He covered her mouth with his hand and pulled her back so that she was behind him. He had accepted his fate. He could only hope that this little lady did not get involved.

The heavyset man was pleased with the terror he invoked in people. Like a cat that had cornered a mouse, he grinned cruelly at Zheng Ren. "You're quite a brave one. Wanna fight me?"

Zheng Ren smiled sardonically. It would be a joke to try to talk sense to this man.

This was the difference between the educated and the uneducated.

Zheng Ren tried to recall the self-defense techniques done by the man in the emergency operating theater before.

He realized that he was not capable of replicating them. That man must have been in many fights to be able to move so fluidly.

Luckily, Old Chief Physician Pan had gone to find more hospital beds. With his temper, he would probably have volunteered to join in the fight with Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren was a young man and could take a beating. Old Chief Physician Pan was the opposite; a fracture could mean very bad things.

Zheng Ren hunched his body and guarded Xie Yiren in a corner. His hands were around his ears. The stance was incredibly awkward.

"Young man, this doctor is a lifesaving buddha," an old man murmured from one of the hospital beds in the emergency department corridor.

His quiet voice traveled through the soundless corridor. Many heard his words.

His symptoms of nitrite poisoning were mild, likely due to reduced food intake typical of the elderly.

After the administration of intravenous methylene blue, the blue tint had faded from his skin and he was on the path to recovery.

"Dad, stop talking," a 40-year-old man whispered into the old man's ear while giving the heavyset man a placating smile.

"Coward!" The old man slapped his son across the face in a fit of anger. "Was this how I brought you up?"

This time, the old man's voice was louder. Two bulging veins appeared on his head.

There was not much strength in him. His voice, though raised, was still soft.

However, the slap was a wakeup call for everyone present. The atmosphere in the hospital corridor was momentarily charged.

The slap had shaken the middle-aged man. "Dad, control your emotions. Watch out for your blood pressure." If his father lost his temper and suffered a brain aneurysm, there would be even more trouble.

"A drop of water in need should be returned with a spring in deed!" The old man struggled to get up from the bed. "This doctor has spent all his energy saving people and you're all just going to sit there and watch him get beaten up? Go away! Don't hold me, I don't have a son like you!"

IndexChapter 48

Index

Book

Chapter 48: Doctor, Thank You

The middle-aged man, who was well-mannered and slightly plump, turned red after being scolded and slapped by his father.

The patients may not have known what had happened when they arrived at the hospital, but more than a hundred family members on the scene witnessed everything through the open door of the resuscitation room.

Most of them had no idea why Zheng Ren had provoked the unreasonable old woman, but none of them were fools. They could vaguely guess the reason behind that incident.

The slap had landed on the face of the elderly man's son, but many onlookers on the scene could feel the heat burning in their cheeks as well.

The sight of the old man struggling to get up off the bed and refusing to heed his son's advice sent needles into every onlooker's heart.

It caused pain rather than numbness.

"Don't you have any shame coming here?" A lady in her thirties stood up and pointed angrily at the arrogant elderly woman by the huge man—the Black Tower. "Aren't you sick? Didn't you say you were dying? How are you still alive and kicking? Are you having terminal lucidity? Hurry home and buy yourself a coffin. It would have to be very thick just to contain your attitude."

"You—" The harsh words confused her. Before she could retaliate, the middle-aged woman walked to the middle of the corridor, placed her hands on her waist and criticized loudly, "My family member was the first to reach here and he was nearly dead at the time. You weren't even sick and yet you're constantly creating a f*cking mess!"

"That's right. I saw her hitting the police officer too."

"Yes, she said she was dying and even grabbed the director's collar. If Doctor Zheng hadn't shoved her aside then, the antidote wouldn't have arrived on time and the patients could have died."

"It wouldn't just have been one or two casualties if that happened."

Every family member had the same thought on their minds.

All patients had had skin with blue-gray discoloration when they arrived at the hospital. Moreover, the disease had been so quick that perfectly healthy men had turned blue and collapsed in moments, skirting the line between life and death. It had been an unbearable sight for everyone.

It was clear to everyone that the resuscitation process had been done without delay in the hospital and the patients' conditions had gradually improved.

After someone took the lead in retaliating against these interlopers, a second stepped up…

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A third…

Then the fourth…

More and more people joined the crowd.

A larger crowd boosted the courage and intensified the guilt of those who did not dare stand against the Black Tower earlier.

Like a fire burning deep within their souls, it made them uncomfortable.

The elderly man was right—doctors were lifesaving buddhas, and that troublesome elderly lady… was simply an imp.

The uproar was continuous and unrelenting. Nobody knew when the verbal assault turned physical, but someone suddenly threw a water bottle at the Black Tower and his lackeys.

This was immediately followed by even more bottles raining down on the group of troublemakers.

Black Tower, whose face had turned purple after realizing that he had incurred the wrath of the public, pointed at the crowd and tried to restore his image by arguing with them, but what could he do when he was constantly pelted by bottles? Left with no choice, he buried his head under his arms and escaped the hospital.

The doctors and nurses around Zheng Ren started persuading everyone to calm down and prioritize recuperation once the troublemakers had fled the scene.

"Doctor Zheng, thank you." A family member walked toward Zheng Ren and bowed deeply.

"That's too kind of you. It's my responsibility anyway," replied Zheng Ren with a silly smile.

Xie Yiren poked her head out and stared at the scene curiously.

Other family members expressed their appreciation to Zheng Ren one after another.

These honest people may flinch and yield to evil forces, but this did not mean that they did not understand the principle of justice. The majority of them may have preferred to deal with it in silence, but no one would retreat if an opportunity arose.

The commotion went on for some time and Zheng Ren, exhausted, finally finished receiving thanks from almost all the family members.

This scene… made Zheng Ren feel like they were paying their respects to the deceased at a funeral… and of course, he was the aforementioned corpse.

"Where is Xie Yiren?" asked Zheng Ren upon turning around and noticing that she was missing.

"She said she was going to buy food for you," replied a physician as he hurried back to document some medical records.

It was one thing to rescue patients in the emergency department, but it was another to complete lots of annoying and draining paperwork after that.

Oh, Xie Yiren was much better in terms of intimacy and care toward people.

'I accidentally ran into her just now. Do I need to apologize to her?' This thought lingered in Zheng Ren's mind for some time.

As a single-minded and insensible man, it was not unusual that he did not understand what had transpired then.

After the ward and hallway became quiet, Zheng Ren decided to forget about it and go for a ward round instead.

When he visited the ward, there were still approximately a hundred patients left in the emergency department. The observation unit in the emergency department had been fully occupied and even the corridor was full of extra beds.

No one informed him that the addition of hospital beds was currently prohibited in Class Three Grade A Hospitals.

The patients' conditions were stable and their 'Avatar'-like bluish-gray skin had slowly regained their original yellowish color, which had a particularly dramatic visual impact.

Zheng Ren's mind was at ease as long as the patients' conditions had stabilized. He then instructed the doctors on duty to inform him immediately if there were any changes in the patients' conditions.

His clammy skin, which was due to diaphoresis secondary to hypoglycemia, felt extremely uncomfortable.

After giving it some thought, Zheng Ren called the anesthesiology department and informed them he was going for a shower if the situation did not require his attention. Unexpectedly, the anesthesiologist was particularly enthusiastic in his agreement. Zheng Ren then hung up and went straight to the operating theater.

The change in the anesthesiologist's attitude compared to before was presumably due to his overwhelming admiration for Zheng Ren performing dozens of surgeries consecutively.

Other departments did not offer showers; the operating theater was the only place that had such a high-end arrangement, which was why anesthesiologists would feel particularly annoyed at doctors who came to take a shower for no reason whatsoever. Zheng Ren had initially planned to politely discuss this issue but failed to anticipate the anesthesiologist's enthusiasm.

Even though the conspiracies and deception of the outside world were also common in the hospital, highly-skilled medical personnel tended to get special privileges. That was beyond question.

Zheng Ren felt comfortable and refreshed after taking a shower. The anesthesiologist then handed him a Yuxi[1] and they started taking a puff in a small smoking area.

Smoking was prohibited in the hospital, but there were just too many chain smokers in the medical field.

The anesthesiology department had converted a small storage room with a window into a smoking area. That way, smoking addictions could be fed and second-hand smoke could be prevented from lingering in the hallway.

"Chief Zheng, when did you become so proficient?" The anesthesiologist expressed his admiration. "Those who worked overtime last night idolized you despite their exhaustion."

Zheng Ren responded with a sheepish grin.

"Dozens of appendectomies in one night; that was awesome." The anesthesiologist smiled. "Let me tell you something, beware of Chief Surgeon Liu. He is definitely not a good guy."

"Alright, noted."

"I've been working for almost thirty years and I'm in my fifties now. What haven't I experienced so far?" the anesthesiologist said earnestly and sincerely, "A postgraduate student from Union Medical College Hospital came to our hospital ten years ago. Three years after that, Chief Surgeon Liu seized a medical dispute that wasn't even related to him and persuaded the patient's family members to make matters worse. As a result, the student was sent to the suburbs to raise rabbits."

Sea City General Hospital had a long history. During the Great Famine, a piece of land in the suburbs had been requested by the city to serve as a farm to help sustain itself. After the Chinese economic reform[2], living conditions improved and the crops produced continued to feed medical staff at Sea City General Hospital.

However, the farm had been sold to a real estate agent a long time ago and converted to a series of high-rise buildings since.

This was what Zheng Ren had heard on the grapevine, anyway.

"Mistakes are inevitable in the medical profession, right? Even with those, someone will be there to trouble you at all times." The anesthesiologist continued giving Zheng Ren advice and experience. "From nothing to something, and a small issue to a huge matter."

Zheng Ren nodded vigorously as he felt the same way too.

"Follow Old Chief Physician Pan closely. He is a great god," the experienced anesthesiologist concluded.

These sorts of heartfelt words would usually be vague and indirect. The anesthesiologist on duty today had given a lot of advice, a hearty talk despite their unfamiliarity, and Zheng Ren was grateful for him.

Then, his cell phone rang; it was Old Chief Physician Pan.

Zheng Ren picked up the phone quickly and pointed at it to signal that he had to leave.

The anesthesiologist felt slightly regretful because he had not yet managed to ask about the nitrite poisoning incident. However, it was probably unwise to stop Zheng Ren who was likely exhausted after the intense rescue operation. After they bid farewell to each other, Zheng Ren left the operating theater and answered the call.

"Little Zheng, someone is looking for you," said Old Chief Physician Pan.

[1] 玉溪, a cigarette brand in China.

[2] Known in the West as the Opening of China.

IndexChapter 49

Index

Book

Chapter 49: Vicissitudes of Life

Zheng Ren hurried back to the emergency department and saw Old Chief Physician Pan chatting with someone in the hall. They seemed very happy and laughed heartily from time to time.

That person looked familiar, but who was it?

It was practically impossible for Zheng Ren, who had late-stage face blindness cancer, to remember anyone unless he met that person every day.

This was a fact even if he had an IQ of over 150 or a photographic memory.

It was undoubtedly a SS difficulty rank to ask someone with face blindness to posthumously identify a stranger with whom he had met only a few times.

"Chief Physician Pan, I've returned," said Zheng Ren as he approached them.

"Old San was looking for you and said that he wanted to thank you, so get off work, have your dinner and rest up at home," replied Old Chief Physician Pan.

Zheng Ren finally got a clearer look at the visitor and Old Chief Physician Pan's words reminded him of the man's identity. He was the butler of the richest man in Sea City—Elder San.

Why would Chief Physician Pan address Elder San as Old San? Zheng Ren could not figure out their relationship.

"Elder San, we meet again." The corners of Zheng Ren's lips curled up gently and elegantly.

"Doctor Zheng, you've done extraordinary work despite your young age. Very impressive indeed," Elder San complimented.

"Let's not stand on ceremony here." Old Chief Physician Pan waved his hand and stopped their small talk authoritatively. "The hallway is full of hospital beds, so I'm not going to invite both of you to my office. I heard Zheng Ren was unconscious due to hypoglycemia just now. Old San, take him to dinner quickly. I'm warning you, if anyone dares to force him to drink, I'll trouble you tomorrow."

Elder San smiled and waved his hand to assure Old Chief Physician Pan that this would not happen.

"Chief Physician Pan, how about the patients…" Zheng Ren was worried about any unforeseen event that could happen to the hundreds of patients with nitrite poisoning.

That was usually the case for anyone working in the medical field. Even the most skilled doctors could not prevent an accident from happening.

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They were saved, but who could guarantee that there would not be any liver or kidney failure? Who could ensure that the profound circulatory shock secondary to nitrite poisoning would not cause any complications?

"Do you think that the hospital will stop operating in your absence?" Despite the rebuke, Old Chief Physician Pan's gaze was full of kindness as if he was staring at his youngest and most beloved son. "I permit you to shut down and sleep tonight. I won't look for you even if the sky collapses."

Zheng Ren nodded in response.

Every doctor—be they junior doctor, experienced senior attending doctor, and those who did not have the luxury to return home such as chief residents, deputy chief consultants and senior consultants—would have their cell phones on all the time.

If their phone rang in the middle of the night and the call was from the hospital, their adrenaline would soar immediately before the call was even answered. Having a lie-in and waking up on the wrong side of the bed were atypical of them.

It was just like how Sea City General Hospital mobilized every single person it could to join the huge rescue operation today. Hundreds of patients were waiting to be saved, and a lot of medical staff had to work together to achieve that goal.

If they were relying on Zheng Ren alone… Most of the patients would have gone cold.

Zheng Ren smiled and nodded.

"Doctor Zheng, this way, please." Elder San's words and mannerisms were tailor-made to make others comfortable and warm.

After bidding farewell to Old Chief Physician Pan, Zheng Ren and Elder San left the emergency department.

There was a black limousine parked in front at the main entrance. However, Zheng Ren had not studied luxury vehicles before, so its manufacturer and degree of grandeur remained a mystery to him.

An honest-looking chauffeur in a suit and bow tie opened the car door and invited them into the car with a slight bow.

Zheng Ren noticed that the doors were hinged at the rear and opened outwards in opposite directions, unlike ordinary family cars or SUVs that had conventional doors which opened in the same direction.

After Zheng Ren entered the car and spoke with Elder San for a while, an overwhelming fatigue consumed his body.

The human body was not made of steel after all.

His body had automatically secreted adrenaline during the resuscitation process, which made him forget his exhaustion and hunger, but all of them came back with greater intensity once everything had been resolved. The only thing Zheng Ren wanted to do right now was to lie in bed and get a good night's sleep.

Even a luxury vehicle could not escape traffic congestion when night fell.

Almost half an hour later, the black limousine finally reached the entrance of an simple, plain-looking and small courtyard.

There was a black, sumptuous signboard on the lintel with four quaint and unsophisticated words written on it—Red Clay Small Pavilion.

Two servants at the entrance opened the car door and escorted both Zheng Ren and Elder San into the courtyard in silence.

The soft susurration of a stream flowed through a rock garden of a small courtyard, creating an illusion of a corner of paradise in the bustling city.

However, Zheng Ren showed no interest in these unique designs as he lacked a single artistic cell in his body.

What a joke. Those who could afford these splendid decorations had no financial difficulty, but Zheng Ren had endured countless hardships just to survive. How could he possibly have the luxury to appreciate these impractical items?

A lady in a red trench coat and sporting black shoulder-length hair welcomed them as they entered the courtyard.

"Doctor Zheng, it's nice to finally meet you," the lady… or perhaps the girl greeted politely.

Her pastel-white skin glistened as if she was a fairy carved from solid, pure jade. She was stunningly gorgeous.

She had lovely eyebrows and beautiful hair that danced with the wind. Her eyes shone brightly like dazzling stars as though her gaze held the power to see through Zheng Ren's heart.

Zheng Ren actually found it difficult to estimate her age.

Judging by the open-mindedness and a good sense of judgment in her gestures, she was perhaps in her late thirties or early forties, as those were the temperaments of a successful career woman who had been working for more than ten years.

However, from her eyes and brows that had a slight hint of youth, she appeared to only be in her twenties.

Zheng Ren was momentarily stunned. Smiling gently, he walked forward and extended his hand.

Her cold fingers brushed lightly against Zheng Ren's palm like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water. It gave him the impression that she was unconcerned with material values or ordinary life.

"I'm Bu Li, Bu Yunge's daughter. Doctor Zheng, this way, please." The woman called Bu Li courteously gestured to invite Zheng Ren into the house.

He was able to recall the identity of Sea CIty's richest man with the surname Bu. Moreover, Bu Yunge had had at least ten multidisciplinary consultations before his surgery, so it was natural that his name was still fresh in Zheng Ren's memory.

However, he felt the name Bu Li sounded strikingly old-fashioned for Bu Yunge's daughter.

After they entered the house and sat down, some chefs with white toques so tall they almost touched the ceiling brought cooking utensils to the dining table and started cooking various delectable dishes on the spot.

Zheng Ren had never seen such a scene before, but he was not interested in or impressed by the spectacular view.

In his opinion, they were just escargots and undercooked steaks.

Zheng Ren's calmness piqued Elder San's curiosity. The atmosphere was lively, especially as the various anecdotes he shared whetted Zheng Ren's interest as well.

Bu Li would join the conversation from time to time and comment on the dishes or national goings-on. Although she was not very chatty, her words enriched Elder San's jokes and stories.

Zheng Ren's appetite was not satisfied as the food tasted bland and the steak was undercooked, which made him miss the food skewer stall in front of his house.

If he could simply indulge in some barbequed meat and a cold bottle of cola, he would be content.

The lethargy on Zheng Ren's expression was getting worse. Elder San and Bu Li, both smart and savvy, met each other's gaze before Bu Li said, "Doctor Zheng, regarding my father's surgery, I would like to thank you for doing the right thing."

"You're welcome. That's what doctors are supposed to do," replied Zheng Ren with a smile.

"There's no such thing as supposed. If my understanding is correct, you had to take the fall no matter how well your performance was." Bu Li understood the trouble Zheng Ren had faced.

All worldly affairs were similar.

Zheng Ren kept quiet and smiled.

"It was actually a blessing in disguise. Doctor Zheng, Old Pan actually thinks highly of you after you were transferred to the emergency department. You have a promising future ahead of you," replied Elder San.

"Haha, I'm used to it by now." Zheng Ren then added calmly, "You'll meet all kinds of people in the hospital, so you'll learn to take everything easily after a while.

"For example, the caregivers for most vegetative patients are usually their mothers.

"Spouses normally prefer to give up on treatment.

"The child who cares for their parents was not the most favored one at home.

"If any woman comes for treatment of ectopic pregnancy, you have to first catch the man who sent her to the hospital and not let him escape. Otherwise, no one will pay for her medical expenses."

Zheng Ren's voice was calm and dull as if he was an elderly man who had understood the world thoroughly, sitting alone in front of the fireplace with a blanket on his knees and recalling the past while cold wind rampaged outside the house.

The vicissitudes of life turned the atmosphere gloomy there and then.

Elder San nodded as he had already experienced these matters.

Bu Li's gaze was dull as she replied, "Doctor Zheng understands worldly affairs well. Every family has its own issues, but they're similar to the problems frequently encountered in society. That's just not worth it."

After letting out a heavy sigh, she smiled warmly and lifted the gloomy mood as if spring had fallen. "Let's not discuss this any further. Doctor Zheng, I've something that requires your assistance."

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