Chapter 12: New Surgical Techniques

"Teacher, wait a moment." Ji Xiang called out to the System NPC.

"What is it?"

"I see Surgical Points on the System Panel; what is their purpose?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Purchasing Surgical Training Time, purchasing potions to replenish Stamina and Spirit, and there are even potions to alter genes..."

"Wait a moment!"

Ji Xiang was truly stunned this time.

There were actually potions to alter genes?!

Potions to alter genes!

"Teacher, potions to alter genes? Is this for real?" Ji Xiang asked blankly.

"There is only a thin line between a genius and a madman, you know that, right?" the System NPC asked.

"I know."

"Due to legal regulations, there aren't many abilities that can be changed. For example, changing the sense of taste by causing a mutation in the TAS2R38 Gene."

What the hell is the use of that? Could it be that after changing the sense of taste, one can get results just by tasting a patient's routine urine test?

Whether it's sweet or salty...

Ji Xiang muttered to himself.

Of course, this was just a joke; the use of changing the TAS2R38 Gene was significant, it was just that Ji Xiang didn't need it for the time being.

"For example, strengthening bones by causing a mutation in the LRP5 Gene."

"Can it achieve the effect of an Exoskeleton?" Ji Xiang became excited.

"It is used to treat diseases like stress fractures, mainly congenital ones. Used on a normal person..."

As the System NPC spoke, they gave Ji Xiang a deep look.

"It has nothing to do with a Doctor, and I do not suggest you redeem such drugs."

"Are there any others?"

"Strengthening Agility, enhancing the biochemical reaction of Alpha-actinin-3." The System NPC continued, "I strongly suggest you purchase the Alpha-actinin-3 drug after you have saved up enough Surgical Points."

"..."

Ji Xiang was a bit bewildered.

The system could actually strengthen Agility!

"Enhancing disease resistance, for example, the CCR5 Gene mutation targeting leukemia."

"This doesn't have much use," Ji Xiang said.

"Are there any others, Teacher?"

Leukemia had nothing to do with him, so Ji Xiang automatically excluded it.

However, his mind was active, and he had already thought of many uses that the System NPC hadn't mentioned.

"One you could use is the Short Sleep Gene; the DEC2P384R gene mutation allows you to rest for only 3-4 hours a day."

"The ALDH2 alcohol tolerance gene mutation can make you drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."

"The Tetrachromatic Cone Cell Gene mutation allows you to possess four independent light-sensing channels and switch between them and normal human vision."

The System NPC spoke very broadly, but the more Ji Xiang heard, the more horrified he became.

Any gene mutation is a huge change, as far as an individual human is concerned.

Whether it is antiviral or alcohol tolerance, whether it is the Tetrachromatic Cone Cell or short sleep, they sound like they don't have much use, but in fact, if used well, they can completely transform a person.

"Teacher..."

Ji Xiang's mouth was dry; he, who was always calm, swallowed his saliva.

"Heh." The System NPC chuckled, "Opening the System Mall is a very long process, and even if it is opened, purchasing potions is an extremely difficult matter."

"When can it be opened?"

"You can open it by completing the Long-term Main Quest." The System NPC said, "Opening the System Mall is a reward."

After finishing, Ji Xiang vaguely heard the System NPC curse in a low voice, mentioning something about Zhou Congwen and something about messing things up.

They must be cursing the designer of this system, Ji Xiang thought to himself.

The causal connections within this were very complex; Ji Xiang didn't want to know how the system came to be, but only wanted to know just how strong he could become.

Higher, faster, stronger—this is engraved in human genes.

The fact that his classmates envied him for being called by Mo Jiaoshou to perform surgery on his second day visiting the Second Affiliated Hospital was actually also the genes at work.

Ji Xiang also had an extremely strong desire for this.

"Teacher, the Long-term Main Quest seems very simple." Ji Xiang wanted to test the System NPC's bottom line, so he said it as if he were being casual.

"Simple? No." The System NPC had already seen through everything and smiled kindly, "Perfect Level surgery is very difficult; you will know once you do more of it. Don't hold onto particularly high hopes; before you, only 9.28% of system hosts successfully completed the first Main Quest."

"!!!"

His serial number was 27149; out of over twenty thousand people, less than 10% completed that simple task?

Ji Xiang stared intently at the System Panel in the top right corner of his field of vision.

Although the progress bar under the Long-term Main Quest was still very short, it was visible to the naked eye.

Completing it didn't seem like such a difficult thing.

"By the way, there is one very boring change." The System NPC suddenly said leisurely, "A research result from the laboratory, but it has no use, so under my insistence, it did not appear in the System Mall."

"What is it, Teacher?" Ji Xiang's curiosity was piqued by the System NPC.

"Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder; data shows that one can be happy and pleased up to 324 times per hour, with the average value being 63 times."

"!!!"

"As a disease, it is an uncontrollable mode, but after the gene mutation, it is a controllable mode. It is used for resting after fatigue, to relax the body and mind completely."

"That..."

"You are still young, and your self-control is very poor," the System NPC said. "We'll talk about it later."

Ji Xiang looked at the System NPC, who was walking with hands behind their back and a hunched waist, feeling a bit puzzled by the stooped silhouette.

The System NPC was very serious—at the very least, countless times more serious than Wang Daxiao or Mo Jiaoshou. But the more such a straight-laced person said something improper, the more lethal it was.

For example, right now.

"Drugs that change genes, there aren't many that are safe; others are still in the Phase I clinical stage," the System NPC said, walking into the operating room.

Ji Xiang had an illusion that these major events capable of changing the human body seemed less important to the System NPC than performing a single surgery.

"Do you know about talent?" the System NPC asked suddenly.

"I know... I think I know."

"Actually, many talents, in essence, are just genetic mutations."

After hearing the System NPC's words, Ji Xiang was filled with longing. His heart was thumping, and his fingers moved slightly.

"For the surgery I'm teaching you today, a portion of your Experience Points can be shared," the System NPC said.

Ji Xiang was still immersed in the skill of copying others' talents and unable to extricate himself, until he was slapped awake by the System NPC.

"Teacher, I was distracted," Ji Xiang said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine, be more focused in the future," the System NPC said. "A portion of the Experience Points from Manual Foreskin Suturing can be shared."

"!!!"

"12,000 Experience Points; every type of Urological Surgery will have a 10% Experience Point share."

"What about the entire Surgery Department?" Ji Xiang asked.

"1%."

Ji Xiang thought about it carefully, and it seemed reasonable.

A Doctor who can perform Kidney Transplantation at Level 9 has no reason not to be able to perform a circumcision; the higher the level of surgery, the more one needs to lay a solid foundation.

It's just that sharing 12,000-plus Experience Points only results in 1,200 points, which is a little bit low.

Ji Xiang smiled; he was being a bit greedy.

Scrubbing in, entering the operating room, and disinfecting, the System NPC took a Foreskin Circumcision Device and demonstrated it for Ji Xiang once.

Placing the Bell Base inside the foreskin and covering the head. Using a zip tie to fix the foreskin opening onto the pull rod; during this, Ji Xiang noticed that the System NPC did not perform Blunt Dissection on the foreskin adhesions.

He knew this wasn't because the System NPC forgot, but because the technical level was so high that the Bell Base of the Stapler completed the Blunt Dissection through a few subtle wrist movements during the insertion process.

Subsequently, the System NPC inserted the pull rod into the center hole of the shell, reaching the tail end. They installed the adjustment knob and tightened it clockwise until the end of the pull rod was flush with the end of the adjustment knob.

Removing the safety catch, firing the cutter, and gripping the handle. After about 8 seconds, they released it, rotated the adjustment knob counter-clockwise, withdrew the Bell Base by about 4-5mm, rotated it left and right, and continued to withdraw the cutter and Bell Base.

The surgery was complete.

The entire surgical process was ridiculously simple.

"Did you understand?" the System NPC asked.

"Understood... I think I understood... maybe."

Ji Xiang answered "humbly."

Facing the System NPC, who appeared to be an existence with maxed-out surgical skills, Ji Xiang knew that his "understanding" and what the System NPC meant by "understanding" were likely two different concepts.

So in the end, he wasn't sure, and could only draw out the end of his sentence.

"Then you try it yourself."

"Teacher, I have a question." Ji Xiang raised his hand to ask, like a student in a classroom.

"Go ahead."

"The stapler makes foreskin removal very simple, and it's fast. I feel like the previous manual surgery is meaningless. Why is that?"

"The stapler's surgical speed is fast, it's procedural, there is rarely post-operative bleeding, and it can be rapidly popularized on a large scale—these are all advantages. But the disadvantages are also very obvious..."

As they spoke, the System NPC looked up and stared seriously at Ji Xiang.

Their gaze was profound, leaving Ji Xiang stunned.

"Accumulating Surgical Points and Experience Points, besides doing tasks and performing surgeries, actually has another way," the System NPC changed the subject.

"Ah?"

"Becoming a Patient and experiencing the Patient's feelings," the System NPC said. "The previous one was a beginner's gift package, so it gave a different reward. It will be very hard to get rewards for Comprehension in the future; rewards will mainly be Experience Points, and there won't be many Surgical Points."

In an instant, Ji Xiang remembered that he had been lying on his bed in the dormitory watching videos of repairing donkey hooves, and he had actually been looking at the stitches.

So that was it; he had only felt less than half of it last time and gained one point of Comprehension.

It seems that base stats are more "valuable" than Surgical Points and Experience Points.

If one could obtain Surgical Points through Empathy, then this was indeed a shortcut.

But a shortcut is a shortcut; the moment he thought about having to feel the Patient's pain, Ji Xiang got a headache.

Every gain requires a sacrifice.

Ji Xiang nodded but didn't speak.

The System NPC didn't urge Ji Xiang to make a decision, but continued to teach him how to perform the surgery.

The main technical point of Stapler-assisted Foreskin Circumcision is stability; as for the overly detailed use of the stapler head to perform Blunt Dissection, that was absolutely not something a Doctor at Ji Xiang's level could achieve.

He wasn't in a rush either, learning the surgery step by step.

The surgery was quite simple, but Ji Xiang didn't stop after becoming proficient; instead, he kept doing it tirelessly.

The *click-click-click* sound of the stapler echoed in the operating room. In the end, he averaged 9 minutes per surgery, a speed so fast that Ji Xiang felt like he was taking off.

Yet the System NPC didn't say a single extra word, just silently acting as an assistant to help Ji Xiang.

Without the System NPC's evaluation, Ji Xiang felt a bit regretful.

If only the System NPC could be as shocked as Mo Jiaoshou after watching the surgery—Ji Xiang's ambition was not fulfilled.

Only when the Endurance Value was completely exhausted did Ji Xiang leave the System Operating Room.

He felt himself lying on the bed, his right hand tentatively squeezing, as if he were gripping the handle of a cutter and squeezing it hard.

A faint "click" sound came, and the Muscle Memory from countless surgical training sessions naturally welled up in Ji Xiang's heart.

This feeling is great, Ji Xiang thought.

As for the entrance exam for Standardized Training Students, Ji Xiang had long since forgotten it entirely.

For a top-tier student like Ji Xiang, this was not an issue at all.

(End of this chapter)