Patients who had undergone surgery rested on the additional beds with intravenous drips. The situation led to some dissatisfied families.
As this was happening, new patients were turning up at the general hospital's first general surgery department. The medical staff were desperate and losing hope.
The hospital chief on duty1 was woken from his slumber. He got down to managing the lack of hospital beds and manpower to cope with the influx of patients.
Zheng Ren's crazy night of appendectomies was like the domino that triggered the chain of events in the general hospital.
Under the instructions of the hospital chief on duty, the second general surgery department began accepting spillover patients. More matrons, doctors, and nurses were called back for extra duty.
The general surgery department of the hospital ran like intricate machinery with Zheng Ren as the motor that powered it.
One appendectomy patient after another was sent to the lower level. Any idle patient monitor was dragged to the general surgery departments. The electronic beeps of ten or more heart monitors formed a hectic tune.
In the end, the hospital chief on duty rang up the chief of the department of hospital administration and called some shots. Low-risk patients could forgo vital sign monitoring.
At 5:34 am, the second general surgery department corridor was also filed with hospital beds.
New patients were still coming into Sea City General Hospital.
One after another.
One after another.
Zheng Ren had lost count of the number of surgeries. A thought was stuck in his head: 'Must get an assistant.'
The assistant would only help move the patients onto the operating table.
It was extremely exhausting. Zheng Ren's back felt like breaking.
In the surgical demonstration classroom, Old Chief Physician Pan slept with his palm supporting his head.
Chief Surgeon Liu wore a stony expression as he watched the screen.
Was Zheng Ren a robot? Over twenty appendectomies and Chief Surgeon Liu had spotted no error. Every surgery was top-notch and Zheng Ren showed no signs of weariness.
Disappointment caught up with Chief Surgeon Liu. He had highly suspected that if ten more appendectomies came in, Zheng Ren would complete them perfectly as well.
Damn it all!
The doctors who had fallen asleep watching the surgery livestream on Xinglin Garden woke up.
Their eyes were greeted with an ongoing surgery. It was as if time had stopped and they had woken at the exact moment they fell asleep.
Had he performed a whole night of appendectomies?
The livestream video counter had reached 32. The doctors could not believe their eyes.
Had he completed over twenty appendectomies overnight?
It was a frightening thought!
This level of efficiency and proficiency was unparalleled in the medical field. Their views on life had been smashed into pieces, the shattering sounds echoing in their hearts.
[He did 28 appendectomies in the later half of the night? Question to others: what was your highest record for a Night of Appendices? Mine is nine.]
[Eleven. I was exhausted at the end and slept for a whole day.]
[Eight. I was only done by 3pm the next day. Didn't even take a break.]
The doctors talked among themselves and the final conclusion was just worship—worship of this highly-skilled, highly-experienced surgeon that had limitless stamina.
As time passed, some people picked up on a problem. Based on simple calculations, over thirty patients with acute appendicitis in a single hospital meant that this hospital covered a population of over a million.
In a big city with its population in the millions, there would be at least five to ten Class Three Grade A Hospitals. How was it that so many acute appendicitis cases ended up in one hospital?
Their suspicions did not extend further but made the livestream less credible. The techniques had been outrageous to the point where they questioned their lives.
This was fate; the eccentric could not be explained with logic.
At 7:48 am, the anesthesiologist came into the operating room to take over for the tired night shift doctor. He balked at the stack of anesthesia records.
How many surgeries did this f*cker do?
"What the hell were you guys up to last night? Why is there not a single disposable sterile gown left?" The operating room matron's furious shouts could be heard. A chatroom slang used to describe someone who has incredible skills. - hospital chief on duty
Chapter 28 - Unprecedented
Sea City General Hospital would allocate around thirty sterile surgical instrument kits for the night shifts to handle emergency surgical cases, as they were in short supply.
Zheng Ren's crazy night of surgeries not only depleted that stockpile, but also some of the kits prepared for elective surgeries.
No one had expected the general surgery department to perform almost forty emergency surgeries in just one night.
"Matron, Zheng Ren has performed thirty-seven surgeries since last night."
"Thirty-eight. One case went in just now."
The matron was dumbfounded. "Zheng Ren? That Zheng Ren?"
"Yes, that Zheng Ren."
An enigmatic riddle, but the matron understood the conversation perfectly.
Everyone who knew that Zheng Ren had completed Professor Ichiro Moriyu's unfinished surgery last time tried to avoid any form of discussion regarding this topic as hospital management had imposed a gag order on it.
"Thirty-eight surgeries in one night?" asked the matron in disbelief.
"Yes, and there are more than ten patients in the general surgery department waiting in line for surgery right now."
"Impossible!" The matron refused to believe such an illogical claim. "I'm going to take a look."
The matron had a higher authority than most ordinary senior consultants from any department in an operating theater. In other words, the matron was an aggressive tigress, the king of the operating theater!
After changing into a surgical attire, the matron entered the operating theater with a smile on her face and said, "Yiren, you must be tired."
Xie Yiren raised her head in response. Her gaze was blank and confused after a restless night in the operating theater even as Zheng Ren remained energetic as usual.
Success would have been within Chief Surgeon Liu's grasp if his opponent was merely an ordinary person like Xie Yiren.
"Matron, you're here." Some vitality returned to Xie Yiren.
"Oh my God, why didn't you take a break in between?" the matron complained. "Little Zheng, couldn't you have given some consideration to your colleagues?"
Zheng Ren resected the inflamed appendix and threw it into the specimen container along with the medium-sized curved forceps, which caused a loud clang when it landed.
"Haha." He giggled in response.
"Yiren will rest after this surgery is over and I'll find a substitute for your subsequent surgeries." The matron waved her hand and made a decision directly without waiting for his consent.
"Okay," answered Zheng Ren.
"I don't think it's a good idea…" replied Xie Yiren hesitantly.
"What's wrong? Do you think all surgeries can be finished in one day? Who will take care of the patients if every doctor and nurse is exhausted?"
Before the matron could direct her snide remarks at Zheng Ren, she saw him hold out his hand, and Xie Yiren efficiently passed him a suture for running a subcuticular suture.
Huh? Was that it? The matron was astonished and confused. How long had it been, three minutes? The surgery was complete?
"Next." Zheng Ren went outside and asked a doctor from the first general surgery department to assist with the patient transfer. Then he said to Xie Yiren, "Go and get some rest."
"The surgery…"
"Don't worry. I'm still here, right?"
The matron assigned a highly skilled scrub nurse
who had vast experience in assisting surgeons to Zheng Ren after his latest surgery was finished. After that, she dragged Xie Yiren out of the operating theater straight to her office.
"Any drinks for you?" asked the matron.
"Sister, I just want to sleep right now," replied Xie Yiren weakly as she slumped down with fatigue.
"Kid, why were you even risking your health? Zheng Ren is a heartless b*stard who has no sense of humanity and compassion. You're the apple of my eye in the nursing department. What should we do if you fall sick due to exhaustion? My initial plan was for you to lie low in the emergency department and consider it paid leave, but I didn't expect Zheng Ren to take full advantage of you like this," complained the matron.
"It's okay. Chief Zheng is very good at his job and I've learned a lot from him," replied Xie Yiren with a big yawn.
"Oh? What did he perform throughout the night?" The matron was getting closer to the truth, just like an old wolf sneaking up on its prey. There was no way she would believe that Zheng Ren had performed almost forty surgeries in just one night.
In fact, no one would believe such an absurd story at all.
"One acute appendicitis in the second trimester of pregnancy, four acute appendicitis in obese patients, eight perforated appendicitis, eleven acute phlegmonous appendicitis, fourteen… No, fifteen simple acute appendicitis cases." Even though Xie Yiren was sitting bleary-eyed and her limbs hung limp as if her muscles had given in to gravity, she remembered every surgery perfectly and even counted them off her fingers.
"Huh?" The matron was astonished. The rumor was true? How was it even possible?
"What's wrong?" Xie Yiren's mind was on the brink of shutting down.
"Get up and go to bed." The matron threw Xie Yiren onto the bed and hurried to the scene to make some arrangements.
There were lots of troublesome issues that required the matron's attention at the moment.
Since so many sterile surgical instrument kits had been used in just one night, what about the elective surgeries during the day? Such an issue was unprecedented in her thirty years of being a matron.
Chapter 29 - How Can A Man Say
Ding dong…
A clear and melodious sound emerged in Zheng Ren's mind as he was in the middle of an operation.
Huh? Mission accomplished?
Then, the System's cold, emotionless, robotic female voice resurfaced.
[Mission Hostility From Peers accomplished. Time remaining: 16 hours 23 minutes and 43 seconds. Outstanding performance. 2332 experience points acquired. Mission reward… Calculating…]
Zheng Ren's speculation was correct, which brightened up his mood.
However, what the hell were these experience points? There were only skill points for skill trees in the System's setting, right? Where did these experience points come from?
Suppressing the joy and excitement deep in his heart, Zheng Ren concentrated on the appendectomy at hand.
It was just a simple case of acute appendicitis, so the surgery would be completed in no time.
Two minutes and fifteen seconds later, the wound was closed with a running subcuticular suture and a dressing was applied to the wound. After that, he transferred the patient to the hospital bed with the help of the anesthesiologist and a doctor from the first general surgery department.
"I'm going to take a break. You'll anesthetize the next patient first," said Zheng Ren.
The anesthesiologist, who had just rotated his shift and was currently in an energetic state, nodded in response as he figured Zheng Ren would be worn out after performing almost forty surgeries without rest.
Zheng Ren went to a corner of the operating theater, took off his dark green sterile surgical gown, threw it directly onto the floor instead of the red biohazard bin, and slumped to the floor without tidying himself up.
This was a common phenomenon for medical personnel working night shifts, especially when dealing with emergency cases. The doctors and nurses of the operating theater were used to it and none of them considered it tragic or distressing.
It was a necessary means for survival. A fussy attitude would do no one any good.
Zheng Ren closed his eyes and dived into the System.
The mysterious world had regained its normal appearance after the completion of almost forty surgeries. In fact, the fox statue in front of the thatched cottage appeared more realistic, the pond seemed to have expanded, and the air… had the same purity as usual. Zheng Ren, whose respiratory system had acclimatized to polluted air in the city, coughed involuntarily upon inhaling such fresh and clean air.
[Calculation completed. Mission reward: System Shop unlocked. Rational purchases are advised. Mission Ten Perfect Surgeries accomplished. Mission reward: 150 skill points, free intensive training in the System's operating theater for twenty days.]
The robotic female voice disappeared immediately afterward, leaving its sound echoing throughout the mysterious world.
These rewards… were awesome.
Zheng Ren knew that he had been presented another golden opportunity, especially after the benefits of his intensive training in the System's operating theater last time.
It was better to learn surgery by practicing on the mannequins in the System than on the precious cadavers in medical institutions.
Moreover, the mission reward this time offered a longer timeframe for intensive training than what he had in the appendectomy training last time. What a generous System, indeed.
Instead of searching the source of the disappeared voice, Zheng Ren went to check on his skill trees first.
Almost forty surgeries in one night had accelerated the growth of the skill trees as if they had been fertilized by high-quality farmyard manure.
There was a gratifying increase in the general surgery skill tree from an initial 1005 to 1067 skill points, but what could he possibly do with 150 skill points from the mission reward when he still had a long way to go to reach the peak of the Expert rank at 5000 skill points?
His skill trees in other domains had developed as well but they were not as obvious as the general surgery skill tree.
A Shop? What the hell was that? After observing his skill trees and getting a rough idea of his current standard, he started searching for the Shop in the System.
A command was sent telepathically and the so-called "Shop"—which was basically a screen—emerged before his eyes.
"..." What kind of nonsense was this?
There were no decorations or fabulous designs to adorn the facade as if there was nothing else the System cared about other than surgery.
This was a practical and utilitarian System.
Zheng Ren started admiring the goods in the Shop. The first item that caught his eyes was a set of equipment for general surgery with a price tag of 15000 experience points under it.
Oh… The experience points were currency to buy items in the System. Well, could he not just use gold ingots for item purchases? Zheng Ren started sweating after misinterpreting the function of experience points in the System.
Below the price tag lay a brief introduction of the item.
There was a vast collection of general surgical instruments, many of which were unknown to Zheng Ren, and they had various functions such as automatic disinfection, mild repair of damaged structures after separation of the connective tissues, and so on.
Those were some good stuff, but they were currently beyond Zheng Ren's affordability.
The Shop not only offered instruments and equipment for general surgery, but also other specialties as well.
Their functions were almost similar, but there were subtle differences which Zheng Ren would learn and require only after his skills had improved further.
With the extra-long large curved forceps as an example, Zheng Ren had profound knowledge in its manipulation after his arduous training in the System, but the forceps available in Sea City General Hospital were atrocious and nearly cost him two perfect surgeries last time.
/> Well, all of these had to wait until he had saved up enough experience points. Besides, even if he did purchase instruments from the System, how was he going to bypass the rules and bring his own instruments into the operating theater?
However, this trouble was none of his concern at the moment.
The last mission's reward—intensive training in the System's operating theater for twenty days—was exactly what Zheng Ren yearned for the most.
He had no idea how to activate this reward, which seemed to have no real form; perhaps it was not a physical entity at all, despite searching in the System for a long time.
"System, how do I activate the reward for intensive training?" asked Zheng Ren, who had failed to locate the operating theater after exploring the tiny area in the mysterious world.
The System was cold and apathetic as usual as it responded to Zheng Ren's question with glacial silence.
Well, there was nothing he could do about it. After contemplating for some time, Zheng Ren decided not to add his 150 skill points into the general surgery skill tree.
What would he do if the System had a crazy energy spike again and assigned him another mission which would result in death upon failure? It was better to save up some skill points as they could prove useful later on.
After admiring the surgical instruments in the Shop again, Zheng Ren left the cold and deserted mysterious world, drooling.
"Hey, don't play dead. It's time for surgery." The anesthesiologist woke Zheng Ren up by kicking his t.h.i.g.h gently.
Zheng Ren woke up from a ten-minute rest and realized that time normally passed at the same rate in both reality and the System. If the System was trying to freeze and maintain static spacetime just like how it did in his previous intensive training, its energy reserve would be depleted as if it was some sort of emergency response.
Every cell in Zheng Ren's body was brimming with energy as he got up off the floor, presumably due to faster energy restoration in the System. He might need to experiment on that theory some other time.
"Alright, I'm getting up now," said Zheng Ren.
"Are you sure you can do it?" asked the anesthesiologist.
After all, Zheng Ren had performed almost forty surgeries in one night, which was something unheard of in the anesthesiologist's entire life. Logically speaking, Zheng Ren should be worn to bits by now.
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