Chapter 19 Dr. Gao is Quite Confident

"The retest essentially determines who stays and who goes. Aren't you going to check again?"

"I've already checked!"

"Alright then!"

The examiner didn't say much more, a staff member came over with a special marking pen, wrote the number 50 on the rat, and then handed it over to the judging panel.

The judges immediately got busy.

"I'm done too."

The hand raised belonged to a man in his mid-thirties—clearly someone engaged in community medical services.

During the preliminary round, this person was likely within the top three.

"Mine is ready too!"

Gao Jian was the third to submit his work.

Subsequently, seven or eight more people handed in their tests.

Those able to submit half an hour early were generally the competitors with strong surgical skills.

...

Time flew by, Zhou Can was idly awaiting the results while casually observing the guy next to him perform the surgery.

It seemed like his rat had already died.

Yet he persisted in completing the vascular anastomosis of the rat's tail.

Watching his clumsy suturing technique, Zhou Can felt as though he were seeing his former self, before acquiring the Experience Points system.

"Time's up! All contestants, please stop your surgeries. Staff will come to collect your rats. Please remain seated for now."

The two-hour surgical period was far too long for Zhou Can.

But for some competitors, the time was too tight, and they hadn't even completed their surgeries.

As the rats were collected and handed over to the judges, they were jointly reviewed and scored.

"Scores will now be announced. Number 50, Zhou Can, scored 30 points."

A gasp of surprise arose from the audience.

Such a difficult surgery, and yet someone managed to get a perfect score; that's incredible.

And Zhou Can was the first one to submit.

How strong exactly is his surgical skill?

Many competitors looked at him with more than just admiration; their regard bordered on worship.

If they knew that Zhou Can had also carried out an additional, highly challenging neurovascular anastomosis, they'd be completely awestruck.

"Number 14, Jin Mingxi, scored 29.6 points. Number 5, Gao Jian, scored 29.5 points. Number 47, Yang Chan, scored 29.4 points..."

The examiner announced the scores of all 50 contestants.

The fact that Zhou Can, the quickest to submit, had the best score was unexpected to everyone.

And he was so young.

The worst-scoring dozen or so contestants all received zero points because their rats had died.

Squad Leader Yang Chan's capabilities were genuinely strong, second only to Gao Jian.

She was a paragon among female intern doctors.

No wonder she won the appreciation of Zhang Bihua, the director of obstetrics, she truly is exceptional.

"Esteemed judges, may I ask why Zhou Can scored full marks?" Gao Jian, who originally considered first place within his grasp, could hardly believe that Zhou Can got a perfect score while he received only 29.5 points.

He was especially eager to know where exactly the gap between him and Zhou Can lay.

Not just him, other competitors were also very curious.

"Everyone wants to know?"

The examiner smiled slightly.

"Then let me explain why Zhou Can's surgery received a full score from the judging panel. Firstly, rat number 50 lost the least amount of blood during the surgery. For instance, Jin Mingxi, who came in second, and the third-place Gao Jian, were mainly docked points for excessive blood loss during the surgery."

As the words fell, the examiner played the footage of Zhou Can's surgical procedure on the big screen.

Turns out, the organizers had already quietly recorded the entire process of their surgery.

All contestants watched intently and carefully.

Zhou Can was seen making a clean incision on the rat's abdominal skin layer; as the blood began to squirt, he quickly reacted and cauterized the bleeding points.

And his techniques were extremely precise and swift.

To stop a bleeding point, he needed scarcely half a second.

What's more terrifying was that there were no errors.

It really was 'stop as soon as you touch.'

Such exquisite hemostatic skills made the other contestants feel inferior.

"His separation and removal of the left lung, subcutaneous tissue suturing, all were impeccable. Furthermore, the anastomoses of all four tail arteries were successful, and the vascular function was almost identical to pre-surgery. Just these alone would be enough to warrant a full score from the judges."

Gao Jian detected an implication in the examiner's tone.

He asked in astonishment, "Does the surgery Zhou Can performed have even more outstanding points besides what's been mentioned?"

The highlighted points already mentioned were enough to leave many contestants far behind.

Were there more significant highlights? Everyone was astonished.

"You're quite perceptive. Take a look, everyone."

The examiner then took out three cages, each containing a rat.

They had recovered from the anesthesia.

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The numbers written on their backs were also clearly visible.

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"The rat in this cage is number 50, operated on by Zhou Can. This one is number 14's rat, operated on by Jin Mingxi, and this one is number 5, operated on by Gao Jian. They've all awakened from anesthesia now. As everyone can see, number 50 is still full of vitality, number 14 can move slowly, whereas number 5 is almost curled up and motionless."

The more successful the surgery, the less harm the patient experiences.

Conversely, if the surgery is subpar, the patient will suffer significant damage.

That's also why patients try every means to give a red envelope to the primary surgeon before surgery, hoping that the surgeon will take extra care during the operation because of the gift.

Just from the postoperative state of the rats, one can easily tell whose surgical skills are the highest.

"Next, I'll conduct a small experiment for everyone to see the gap between yourselves and Zhou Can."

The examiner took out a long-nosed lighter and burned towards the tail of rat number 5.

The rat did not feel any pain and showed no reaction.

The same happened when the tail of rat number 14 was burned.

Finally, when he burned the tail of rat number 50.

"Squeak!"

The rat let out a painful shriek and quickly withdrew its tail.

The candidates couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

"My God, Zhou Can not only successfully anastomosed the blood vessels of the rat's tail but also its nerves."

Comparing goods drives one to discard the inferior; comparing people can be crushing.

Only now do they finally understand how vast the gap is with Zhou Can.

"Zhou Can, you're a cheater! Clearly, you have the talent to be number one, yet you claimed it was luck that got you to the retest!" The female intern who had mocked Zhou Can pouted and rolled her eyes in frustration.

A man's words are a ghost that deceives.

She will never easily believe Zhou Can, this 'big liar', again.

Zhou Can made her redefine what it means to be modestly self-effacing.

Yang Chan was seated just one seat away from Zhou Can, her bright eyes intently focused on him.

"Hey! Zhou Can! Didn't you say your medical skills were poor? You even dared to deceive the class leader; after work, I must take you out for a meal at your expense," she said, partly to save face.

She has always been the most outstanding student in class 512.

After her internship at Tuya Hospital, her journey was smooth sailing, advancing triumphantly and even gaining the appreciation of the director of obstetrics.

Then there's Zhou Can, who was average in his studies. Having interned at Tuya Hospital for nearly a year, he was also virtually unnoticed.

Until today's residency recruitment exam, Zhou Can shone bright like a rising comet, dazzling everyone.

The brilliance he exuded dimmed all other candidates.

Even geniuses like her and Gao Jian were left behind by Zhou Can.

Her pride, which she always held onto, was being ground into the dust by Zhou Can.

Out of embarrassment and annoyance, she used the authority of the class leader to deal with him.

Naturally, from another perspective, her words carried a hint of coquettish whining.

This was a customary tactic for a beauty to alleviate awkward situations.

"Sure, pick any of the best five-star hotels in the city. What do you want to eat? Feel free to choose when the time comes."

Zhou Can came from a wealthy family and definitely didn't lack money.

Not to mention paying for one meal, even ten meals wouldn't be an issue.

To dine with a beautiful lady, he was more than willing.

"Oh, I forgot you are a rich son, not short of money. I was thinking of making you 'bleed' a bit, to feel the pinch for a few days. Never mind, let's wait for another chance for you to treat me," Yang Chan said with a disappointed wave of her hand.

For ordinary people, treating someone to a big meal can hurt the wallet for quite some time.

But for a rich young master like Zhou Can, it was too easy. To allow her to choose any five-star hotel and order anything was too generous.

Facing someone like that, she was completely outgunned.

"Any more questions?"

The examiner asked with a smile.

The candidates who had raised questions before all bowed their heads in silence.

Even Gao Jian, arrogant as a dragon, had to admit defeat respectfully: "There are mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people. Today, witnessing Zhou Can's surgical skill, I'm thoroughly convinced. However, the retest accounts for 30 points of the total, and I'm only half a point behind Zhou Can. I should score higher than him in pathology diagnosis and written examination. The first place is still mine."

Up to this point, Gao Jian still believed he was the only one who got the pathology diagnosis right.

"Heh, Dr. Gao, you're quite confident! The total score ranking is being calculated, and it will be announced shortly."

The examiner smiled noncommittally.

More than 1500 candidates were eagerly awaiting the final total score ranking.

The recruitment notice at Tuya Hospital stated that only 11 general residency students would be recruited, meaning over 99% of them would be eliminated.

Of course, the actual number of admissions would be based on the hospital's final decision.

With so many outstanding candidates this year and the number of applicants over double that of previous years, it's likely that the hospital might slightly increase the number of admissions.

Zhou Can's residency spot was definitely secure.

As for getting first place, he had no certainty.

He definitely hoped to take first place.

It wasn't just a great honor, but also extremely beneficial for his future development.

"Please keep quiet, I will now announce the total scores of the top 20 candidates."

The voice of the examiner rose again.

The room fell silent.

Everyone was anticipating the verdict of fate.