However… The 256-slice CT scan would not be operational at this hour. How had she performed the scan?
This was not Zheng Ren's business, though, and he abandoned the train of thought.
Zheng Ren nodded and walked away with long strides, showing no consideration for Chu Yanzhi who was walking beside him. In his eyes, Chu Yanzhi was a patient's family member, and since her case had been solved, there was no longer a relationship between them.
His single status for many years was not without reason.
He did not know how to pick up women. Even when the lady in question showed some initiative and came to thank him, he did not know how to shoot his shot.
Chu Yanzhi followed Zheng Ren, her long legs helping her keep up. Her ponytail bounced left and right, giving her an appearance of youth and spirit.
The walk was awkwardly silent and Chu Yanzhi caved in the end.
"Thank you very much, Chief Zheng." Chu Yanzhi gave him a dazzling smile as she twirled her hair—her beauty could ruin cities and nations.
Unfortunately, Zheng Ren did not even look her way and was totally oblivious.
"You're welcome. It was a doctor's responsibility," he muttered and continued walking.
"My sister and I had a discussion. Our mother needs someone to take care of her, so we're planning on moving back to Sea City for our standardized residency training," Chu Yanzhi continued. "Initially, we wanted to finish our PhD in West China University, and considered going overseas or staying in West China, but now there's nothing more to discuss."
"Getting into the workforce early is good," Zheng Ren followed up. "Coming back and spending time with one's parents is a good thing."
It was incredibly awkward to talk to this man. Shouldn't he be a little bit more enthusiastic to talk to a pretty lady like her? Chu Yanzhi was at a loss. She had said her piece quite clearly but this wooden chief resident was oblivious.
The unpleasant silence dragged on. The sound of the stretcher wheels on the marble floor reverberated in the quiet hospital corridor.
They arrived at the general surgery department and Zheng Ren passed the patient over to the on-duty doctor. He checked on the pregnant patient whom he had operated on and found that everything was well, graciously waving off the thank-yous from the patient's family. Then, he headed off to the emergency department, hoping to get a short rest.
Only God knew if there were more acute appendicitis cases coming in tonight, so he had to recharge.
Wait. Why was this lady still following him? What was her name again? Chu Yanzhi or Chu Yanran?
Outside the general surgery department, Zheng Ren took out his phone, intending to text Xie Yiren and urge her to rest. That was when he realized Chu Yanzhi was still following him around.
"You… Why aren't you going home?"
"Chief Zheng, my sister and I have decided to take up our residency training in Sea City General Hospital. We hope to learn under your tutelage." Chu Yanzhi was frustrated. She had gone along with him and after a few words, this absentminded chief resident had forgotten her… Forgotten her… Her…
As if she did not exist!
Chu Yanzhi and her sister hated the catcalling and flirtatious men of the streets, but facing someone like Zheng Ren, she was furious at the dismissal.
She bottled up her anger and showed her hand.
At this point, she was beginning to regret their decision to come here.
This chief resident was undoubtedly blind!
"Oh, sure. But I have no power over residency training. Most importantly, I'm currently working in the emergency department; the EICU1 has yet to be established." Zheng Ren remembered that the beautiful sisters were studying intensive care. He was usually the first to receive news about medical treatments, so he was aware. "Sorry about that."
Chu Yanzhi did not hear a hint of apology in Zheng Ren's words.
"Those who specialized in intensive care can also take up anesthesiology." Chu Yanzhi smiled stiffly. "And we will take care of any issues regarding the residency training, so that isn't a problem."
There was a trick in bargaining for something you want and being desperate was not it. When was the last time she was this frustrated? The twin sisters were not used to constantly being ignored.
Chu Yanzhi felt wronged, and her tone soured.
However, her illusive tone and emotions were akin to the breeze, unnoticed by the straight-faced man before her.
"Okay then. The emergency department is short on manpower anyway, so you two are welcome to join us." As Zheng Ren walked, he sent a WeChat message to Xie Yiren and learned she was already resting in the operating room. He pocketed his phone and strode over the emergency department.
Chu Yanzhi's halted her footsteps in exasperation. Zheng Ren's professionalism was top-notch, but he had an extremely low EQ. If she had met this sort of person at school, she would have immediately disregarded them.
However, who was the desperate one now?
She was aggrieved, annoyed, and agitated.
Chu Yanzhi's existence was forgotten once again as Zheng Ren returned to the emergency department. Seeing that there were not many patients that night, he headed into the on-call duty room, found an empty rest bed and laid down.
Zheng Ren closed his eyes and entered the System's void.
Previously, when he had been ejected from the System after completing his appendectomy training, he felt that the System had a tendency to be unstable.
This time, though, the System appeared to have passed its most critical phase and the space felt relaxed.
The thatched cottage was still there. The fox carving in front of the cottage seemed more realistic than usual and the pond was bigger than he remembered, but he could be wrong.
He shouted twice but the System did not respond.
As long as the System did not appear to inform him that its energy was depleted and they had to work hard together, he counted himself lucky. Zheng Ren relaxed.
He checked his skill trees. To his pleasant surprise, after performing four different types of appendectomies, his general surgery skill points went from 1005 to 1012. Zheng Ren figured there was no need to dwell on which surgery gave more points.
This was not like a mission in an online game where one could pick and choose.
When an emergency case came in, he could not reject the case just because it rewarded less skill points.
He would have to forgo his principles, morals, and ethics to do that. He would be a devil even without the System.
The rewards were not limited to the general surgery skill tree, and other skill trees also showed improvement.
The cardiosurgery, brain surgery, genitourinary surgery, orthopedic surgery, oral surgery, and ENT1 surgery skills exceeded 300 points, reaching a Graduate level.
Zheng Ren was relieved that the intensive appendectomy training had improved all his basic skills.
As he happily looked through the skill trees, the cold, robotic female voice blared out.
[Warning! Warning! This is not a drill. This is not a drill.]
Oh? What dumb suggestion was this now?
[Unusual situation detected, please accept the new mission.]
A few bright lights appeared in front of Zheng Ren. They danced in patterns and formed Chinese characters.
[Emergency Mission: The Enemy of Fate
Mission Details: Complete all surgeries.
Mission Reward: Unknown.
Mission Duration: One day.]
[After a full day of surgeries, you must be tired, but please gather yourself; use an energy elixir if required and accept fate's challenge.] EICU = emergency intensive care unitENT = ear, nose, throat
Chapter 26 - A Battle of Attrition
Old Chief Physician Pan was too tired. He left the surgical demonstration classroom once the last appendectomy ended.
Only Chief Surgeon Liu and Cen Meng remained in the room. The cold and stifling atmosphere permeated every breath of air.
&nbs
p; That line about the appendix having no soul had earned Cen Meng a tirade from Chief Surgeon Liu that was still going strong after 30 minutes. The chief surgeon's anger was not diminishing and neither was his energy.
Cen Meng was getting a headache from the scolding and his brain felt liquid. He stared out blankly into the night sky.
An uneasy silence stretched ahead.
…
At 2:11 am, Zheng Ren's phone woke him up.
It was the general surgery department—there was a patient prepped for an appendectomy.
Zheng Ren was already informed by the System about this challenge from fate. He did not mind another surgery.
He could handle a night without sleep.
The energy elixir which he got from his first mission was still stored within the System. Zheng Ren had no clue as to its function, but if it was handed out by the System, it should be reliable.
Brimming with confidence, Zheng Ren got up from the bed.
The on-call doctor in the next bed grumbled at the disruption and flipped over to face the other side.
Zheng Ren threw on his white lab coat and headed to the general surgery department.
Preparations were already complete when he arrived. He studied the patient before him and the System clued him in: a simple case of appendicitis.
Manageable. He expected the surgery to be done in ten minutes.
Ten minutes inclusive of the placement of surgical dr.a.p.es and the patient transport post-surgery. The bulk of that time would be spent on setting up continuous epidural anesthesia, which was dependent on the anesthesiologist, Zheng Ren had no say in it.
At this thought, Zheng Ren remembered the Chu sisters and wondered about their anesthesiology skills. He had already forgotten their physical appearances, but he recalled Chu Yanzhi mentioning them doing research on intensive care in West China University. They had the skill to be anesthesiologists.
Anesthesia was vital in the operating room of any intensive care unit. Hence, intensive care and anesthesiology were intricately linked.
Zheng Ren would not be surprised if the Chu twins were certified anesthesiologists.
Sadly, he could not expect much from them as that was far in the future. It was up to him now. He pushed the twin sisters to the back of his mind and focused on the mission ahead.
After confirming the patient's details, Zheng Ren explained the informed consent doc.u.ments. Once the paperwork was done, he brought the patient to the operating room.
After waking Xie Yiren, he scrubbed in and began draping the patient.
Another surgery was due.
…
The anonymous account on Xinglin Garden started another surgery livestream.
Doctors on the site were familiar with the account. Now, all of them were being woken by an alarm on their phone.
There was no alarm set, so why was there a noise? The doctors were annoyed at the wake-up call.
When they saw that it was a notification from Xinglin Garden, they were confused. When did Xinglin Garden have a notification alarm feature?
However, when some of the doctors saw that it was a livestream from the anonymous account, they gladly logged on and watched from the comfort of their bed.
[The god is just performing appendectomies the whole night?]
[It's just appendicitis. Was there a need for such urgency?]
[I'm excited. Who knows what new methods will be shown?]
As the audience, they laid in bed while the surgeon stood; they were half-asleep while the surgeon had to be wide awake.
The doctors felt blessed.
This poor surgeon had to perform an emergency appendectomy in the middle of the night. They had it so much better, lying in their warm beds, watching a surgery livestream.
However, their enjoyment did not last long. Once the surgical dr.a.p.es were placed, the scalpel flicked and opened skin. Roughly ten seconds later, a bloody appendix was excised without much fanfare.
The only highlight was the tiny incision and the surgeon's incredibly experienced and skilled performance.
A routine appendectomy was four minutes and twelve seconds long. Some doctors had only glanced away to read the patient's case details and in that time, the surgery was over.
[That was quick!]
[Although I said there's not much exciting content, it bears repeating that that was way too quick. If it was our chief surgeon, a standard appendectomy would take around ten minutes. Side note, I'm from one of the known Class Three Grade A Hospitals.]
[Has the surgeon been doing appendectomies his whole life? That was a whole other level of proficiency!]
There were not many comments on the Xinglin Garden livestream. After a few high-difficulty appendectomies, this normal surgery did not satiate their curiosity.
The patient was lifted from the operating table. Many viewers were ready to switch off the livestream and the notification alarm, planning to get a good night's sleep.
At this point, another patient's case details appeared on screen.
[Another appendectomy?]
[Where did he find so many cases?]
[Is this the appendectomy marathon night that people talk about? I was about to go to bed, but now I'm energized. My god, have pity on me. I have five surgeries scheduled tomorrow.]
The surgical prep did not take long. Another patient was sent in.
Chapter 27 - One After Another, One After Another
Zheng Ren had no time to check on the patient. When the patient was transported in, he made a cursory glance to gauge the severity of the disease.
The enemy's attack was fierce. Zheng Ren smiled. It did not bother him.
To a man who had performed a few thousand appendectomies in the System without food, water or rest, this was nothing.
This patient was diagnosed with periappendicular abscess. It was more complex than the previous patient but it would not cause many complications.
Open up the skin. Separate the tissues, fat layer, muscles and peritoneum. Find the appendix. Cut the appendicular artery and ligaments. Excise the appendix. Drain the abscess. Flush the surgical site. Suture.
Eight minutes and twelve seconds. The surgery was complete.
There was no commotion. In the wee hours of the morning, the half-asleep doctors watched the surgery silently from the comfort of their beds.
Periappendicular abscess was a more severe and complicated symptom of appendicitis. Nevertheless, each step taken by the surgeon was clear and purposeful. The surgery was effortless and his skill suggested that he had tens of years of experience.
However, the viewers were tired and there were minimal interactions. No one commented '6661'.
Everyone just watched wordlessly.
The interesting but smooth operation was akin to a lullaby, lulling the doctors into a state of sleep.
One surgery…
Two surgeries…
Three surgeries…
Five surgeries…
It was a strange night but not unusual. On certain nights, they would have a particular disease breaking out without warning in the population. The medical personnel would nickname such nights, for example, The Night of Appendices or The Night of Gall Bladders.
Zheng Ren was not so lucky to get The Night of Appendices.
Usually, ten incoming patients with appendicitis would have qualified it as The Night of Appendices, but ten cases was just the start of Zheng Ren's night. His luck was really bad as it stood.
The first general surgery department of Sea City General Hospital was buzzing with activity. Doctors and nurses were rushing about, attending to families, preparing patients for surgery, briefing them about postoperative care.
Surgical skills were one thing but a patient's hospitalization from admission to discharge required many other details.
Ding dong. A clear sound echoed in Zheng Ren's ears once he completed a surgery.
[Class S mission, life or death challenge completed.]
The col
d, robotic female voice of the System announced that the knife at Zheng Ren's throat had been lifted.
[System rewards have been accredited earlier. The host should keep up the good work.]
Zheng Ren was not disappointed to hear that there were no additional rewards. After all, he had received the best one in the form of the System's training. Wanting anything more would just be his greed talking.
There was still another mission to be accomplished, the one from the enemy of fate. Its reward was unknown but Zheng Ren believed in the System's generosity when it came to rewards.
The System did not adhere to step-by-step upskilling restrictions and seemed to be rushing him.
He was eager to see this mission through.
He resumed his work. He would perform all the appendectomies as they came.
Ten surgeries…
Fifteen surgeries…
Before he realized it, the sun had risen from the horizon.
Xie Yiren was numb and felt no weariness or excitement. She looked on impassively as Zheng Ren operated, occasionally handing him the requested instruments.
The first general surgery department had fallen into utter chaos.
He completed the fifteenth appendectomy. His nineteenth, if one included the four appendectomies he did yesterday.
Nineteen patients in nineteen hospital beds.
The general hospital's ward occupancy was always at full capacity throughout the year. The sudden spike in patient numbers placed enormous pressure on its medical personnel.
The matron from the first general surgery department and other matrons in the hospital were putting in extra time to coordinate the frontline. Five general nurses were also sent to the department to assist.
The pressing matters were addressed but resources were still insufficient.
There were not enough staff and the first wing ward was on the brink of collapse.
The first general surgery department had 55 standard hospital beds and all were occupied at this very moment. Additional beds were lined along the corridor all the way to the entrance.
One patient came with at least two accompanying nurses, some with more. There were more than ten people crowding the corridor—the scene was not unlike a morning market.
The Surgeon's Studio c1-799 Page 17