Chapter 18: Empathy Once More

"Mo Laoshi, I'm sorry."

Ji Xiang looked at the completed surgery, knowing he had overstepped, and apologized in a low voice.

"Apply the bandage." Mo Jiaoshou shook his head helplessly and said softly.

The surgery was already done, and it was done quickly and steadily; what else was there for him to say?

Although he could have been furious about this, Mo Chenggui didn't want to. He was simply stunned by Ji Xiang's technique and was left speechless.

Ji Xiang sighed; he knew he hadn't acted correctly.

There are some things that shouldn't be snatched away just because one knows how to do them.

He hadn't even taken his Physician Practice Certificate exam yet; if a problem arose, wouldn't Mo Jiaoshou have to take the fall for him?

If a real conflict broke out, perhaps he would never be able to be a doctor again.

However, seeing the results of his surgical training in the System Operating Room manifested, Ji Xiang felt wonderful inside.

Truth is infinite, but every inch of progress brings its own joy.

It was just a small Circumcision, but having made progress, Ji Xiang felt joy in his heart.

"Mo Laoshi, I'll take the Patient out." After finishing the Pressure Bandage, Ji Xiang said respectfully to Mo Jiaoshou.

Mo Jiaoshou nodded without saying anything else.

Ji Xiang let out a breath, resolving that for the next surgery, he would be a good assistant to Mo Jiaoshou and not steal the spotlight.

Although young, Ji Xiang had a strict upbringing and understood the most basic principles.

After sending the Patient out, Ji Xiang took advantage of the interval between the two surgeries to find a quiet place, held his breath, and entered the System Space.

"Teacher." Seeing the System NPC standing outside the operating room, hands behind his back and waist slightly bent like a statue, Ji Xiang greeted him.

Time was limited and they couldn't chat much, but Ji Xiang had successfully completed a surgery and felt joy, so he wanted to come in and share it with the System NPC.

"Mm, you're here," the System NPC said.

"I just completed a Suture Device-Assisted Prepuce Excision," Ji Xiang said with a smile.

"I can feel it when you perform surgery," the System NPC said. "You did alright."

"I think I stole the spotlight."

The System NPC looked deeply at Ji Xiang and shook his head slightly.

"Teacher... I..." Ji Xiang couldn't understand the meaning in the System NPC's gaze; he vaguely felt that his joy seemed to make the System NPC somewhat unhappy.

"Do you want to see the Patient's condition?" the System NPC asked.

"Ah?"

Ji Xiang was startled, but immediately said, "Teacher, I have no problem with that."

He had originally only wanted to share the joy of a successful surgery with the System NPC, but he hadn't expected this Old Man to require him to experience Empathy.

It seemed the System NPC didn't care much about him stealing the spotlight.

The System NPC didn't instruct Ji Xiang as he had last time, but instead led him directly into another operating room.

The space flickered, and after entering, Ji Xiang found himself lying on the operating table, while the System NPC had disappeared.

Ji Xiang took a deep breath; his Local Infiltration Anesthesia had been done quite well, and the Patient had not felt pain during the surgery.

As for the heart-wrenching pain of that extra needle to the head, it didn't exist, so Ji Xiang wasn't afraid.

Plus, the System NPC had said last night that the pain level of a Stapler Circumcision was only between 3-4, which was not unbearable.

All of this kept Ji Xiang's emotions stable.

"Xiao Ji, you should feel the stapler first," Mo Jiaoshou said. "This thing is truly convenient, and there are many benefits after the surgery. As for the downsides—the biggest downside is that it's expensive."

Lying on the operating table and listening to Mo Jiaoshou's words, Ji Xiang found it somewhat amusing.

Expensive is expensive; using a stapler has many benefits.

A surgery takes 5 minutes; it's simple and worry-free. It's not just worry-free for the Doctor, but the Patient also suffers less.

If he could improve his surgical level further, the speed would be faster and the results would be better.

"Young man, scars are a man's medals..."

Mo Jiaoshou's comforting words were as usual, and Ji Xiang fast-forwarded to the part about girlfriends and female friends.

However, he didn't care about any of that; what Ji Xiang cared about most was whether his Local Infiltration Anesthesia would hurt.

Only when the needle lands on oneself does one know the pain; Ji Xiang had quite complex feelings about this Empathy system.

"He" began the Anesthesia; the pain was okay, and Ji Xiang carefully appraised "his own" technique.

He felt it; according to the pain scale, it should be a 1, or even less than 1, like a mosquito bite.

Especially compared to the extra needle to the head during the last Empathy session, his progress was significant!

The Anesthesia effect was great; at least with his psychological expectations, Ji Xiang didn't feel any discomfort from the surgery.

If he had to say there was any, it was just a little bit of tension and anxiety; everything else was fine.

The surgery was done quickly and well; after it ended, Ji Xiang was sent to the Observation Room.

After a few hours of observation, Ji Xiang left the hospital holding three boxes of Anti-inflammatory Drug.

Although the surgery was a sterile one and theoretically there was no need for oral Anti-inflammatory Drug, Ji Xiang, in both the roles of Doctor and Patient, believed it was necessary.

It was just taking Anti-inflammatory Drug for a few days; it was fine to use as a placebo.

As for the abuse of Antibiotic, Ji Xiang thought that was nonsense; the field that abused Antibiotic the most was animal husbandry, and he didn't have the ability to not eat meat at all.

Ji Xiang returned once again to the "familiar" dormitory.

The effect of the anesthesia in the surgical area was gradually wearing off, and the pain was very slight; Ji Xiang felt a bit proud.

His progress was obvious; if not for the bone-deep pain of that extra needle last time, he wouldn't have realized where he needed to improve.

Of course, the role of the System NPC was also huge.

If not for him, he could never have mastered Perfect Level Local Infiltration Anesthesia, even though Local Anesthesia didn't have a level display.

The pain from the Suturing device is just as written in the articles; it doesn't hurt.

However, having had the experience last time, Ji Xiang did not move around recklessly, but instead tried his best to distract himself.

Without the inadvertent friction from walking, without watching videos of trimming donkey hooves, and without scrolling through those pretty young ladies in short videos, Ji Xiang held a copy of the *History of Ming* and read it quietly.

If there were still a reaction to this, Ji Xiang would have nothing to say.

Jokes aside, his roommates silently did things like helping Ji Xiang get his meals; Ji Xiang lay honestly on the bed, still holding the *History of Ming* and reading until the small hours of the morning.

But...

Just like the donkey hoof trimming videos, at 12:11 AM, Ji Xiang still sensed a tiny bit of discomfort.

Sigh.

Ji Xiang sighed; being able to get the effect of an adult film from reading history books was truly a helpless matter.

He recalled the experience the System NPC had told him and got up to urinate.

Although only a little bit came out, Ji Xiang was extremely careful and safely passed this hurdle.

Some things still require rich Clinical experience to handle; before this, Ji Xiang had never known there were similar solutions.

The Corpus Cavernosum was no longer engorged, and feeling completely relaxed, Ji Xiang lay back on the bed.

The *History of Ming* couldn't save his life either; he might as well sleep.

Closing his eyes, Ji Xiang couldn't help but start recalling the entire surgical process. After all, the knife had fallen on his own body; it was impossible not to think about it.

Insert the bell-shaped head cover into the foreskin, adjust the length and direction of the inner and outer foreskin plates, use a nylon strap or zip tie to fix the foreskin onto the bell rod, then insert the bell rod into the circumcision device and tighten it with the knob...

The series of steps were all very steady, without the slightest flaw or loophole.

As Ji Xiang thought, he gradually drifted into dreamland.

The next morning, Ji Xiang began to change his own dressing.

Unwrapping the Pressure Bandage he had wrapped with his own hands, Ji Xiang felt all the details. He suddenly felt that this was also quite good; changing perspectives to feel and improve was also quite good.

Moreover, having Empathy once brought extra rewards, which gave Ji Xiang the feeling that it was worth it, even super worth it.

Opening the Pressure Bandage, Ji Xiang examined the Titanium Nails, comparing in his heart the difference between Titanium Nails and Suture.

It seemed... there was a small problem.

Ji Xiang squinted his eyes and saw a little bit of red at the frenulum.

Bleeding? No way. Ji Xiang observed carefully for ten minutes, his waist aching and back hurting.

This posture was very strange, quite strange; Ji Xiang was hunched over like a large shrimp.

If it weren't for Ji Xiang's good physical flexibility, he wouldn't have been able to see it at all.

Ten minutes later, Ji Xiang determined there should be no problem, re-bandaged, and lay back on the bed.

The high tension during yesterday's surgery and the fear of sleeping, worried that Corpus Cavernosum engorgement would cause the Titanium Nails to fall off, left Ji Xiang somewhat exhausted.

Recalling the surgical process in his mind and confirming that what he did was fine, Ji Xiang soon fell into a deep sleep.

In his sleep, Ji Xiang dreamed that he had become the world's greatest Surgeon, bringing the dying back to life, respected by people wherever he went.

Hehe~~

Ji Xiang's sleep was not deep; he knew this was a dream. Dreaming in the System Space—does that count as a daydream or Inception?

Although becoming an awesome Surgeon was wonderful, it was a pity that he was already old by then, and his prostate had certain problems.

The wet feeling in his underwear after urinating was very uncomfortable, but in a trance, Ji Xiang realized: did he wet the bed?!

He woke up with a start, the area between his legs wet and uncomfortable.

Ji Xiang sighed; feeling these things in the System Space was indeed somewhat uncomfortable.

He sat up, preparing to change his underwear and dressing to keep the surgical area clean. But the moment Ji Xiang sat up, a patch of bright red caught his eyes.

Blood!

It was actually blood!!

Bleeding in the surgical area, soaking through the Pressure Bandage!!!

Ji Xiang was suddenly stunned, instantly falling into a state of high tension.

This feeling was different from last time; there was no pain, he didn't see the "swimming ring" of edema or bruising, but instead saw blood!

And a large amount of blood at that!!

It's over, did it break?

Blood vessel rupture, ischemia and hypoxia leading to necrosis... a series of sequelae appeared in Ji Xiang's mind.

In an instant, his hands went numb; Ji Xiang looked at the patch of crimson, at a loss for what to do.

But Ji Xiang tried hard to suppress his fear, kept as calm as possible, and dialed the 120 emergency number at the first opportunity.

After being lifted onto a stretcher, the Emergency Doctor asked about his medical history and couldn't help but laugh or cry.

"One of your nails popped open after engorgement; it's nothing, don't worry," the Emergency Doctor comforted Ji Xiang. "Just go to the hospital and get a stitch."

Ji Xiang felt it silently; before he knew it, he gritted his teeth, his face turning ashen.

If something goes wrong with a surgery you performed yourself, you have to bear it, don't you?

"Look at how nervous you are," the Emergency Doctor said with a smile. "It looks like a lot of blood, but it's actually less than 20ml, just a little bit; it just looks scary."

"When you work 120, especially in the summer, I'm not afraid at all when I see guys from barbecue stalls fighting after drinking too much and covered in blood. The ones that are the scariest are the ones who don't have a single scratch on them but are lying on the ground twitching."

Ji Xiang sighed in his heart and gave the Emergency Doctor a smile to show he understood.

He wasn't afraid of blood; he was sad and heartbroken.

The surgery was done well, so how could it bleed?

Ji Xiang was completely baffled.

Arriving at the hospital, the Emergency Department doctor took one look and had someone send Ji Xiang to the Urology Department.

"Doctor, what is going on?" Seeing that the person receiving him was an old professor, Ji Xiang asked.

"Staplers are just like that," the old Doctor replied. "They are standardized items; the staples are pre-designed when they go in, so there's no way to pay attention to the tension like with Manual Suturing. It's normal for a few staples to fall out, don't be nervous."

Being told not to be nervous again, Ji Xiang had completely regained his calm and wasn't nervous at all; his thoughts were on the System long-term task.

It seemed the circumcision surgery using a stapler was indeed simple and worry-free, but just like an assembly line, it was hard to achieve the most, most, most satisfactory result.

But wanting the most satisfaction—how could that be so easy?

This time the System was relatively humane and didn't deliberately torture Ji Xiang; he felt almost nothing during the Anesthesia and Suturing. The old Doctor finally applied a very neat Pressure Bandage to Ji Xiang and inspected it with satisfaction.

"Awoo—!"

Outside the dressing room, a pig-like squeal rang out.

Ji Xiang shivered.

"What happened?" Ji Xiang asked in a low voice.

"Sigh, don't mention it." The old Doctor's mood was a bit low; while letting Ji Xiang put on his clothes and stand up, he said, "Our Head Nurse... is a man."

Male Nurses and male Head Nurses weren't very common, but they existed; they weren't as rare as pandas.

"He's 40 and only just made up his mind to get his foreskin cut." The old Doctor washed his hands, washing his forearms clean along the way; the sound of rushing water came, stirring up Ji Xiang's urge to urinate.

"The closer the person is, the easier it is for something to go wrong. Your bleeding really counts for nothing; he had postoperative bleeding, and his lower abdomen swelled up—it's estimated to be around 300ml. We're just about to take him to the operating table for incision and drainage."

"..."

At these words, Ji Xiang was floored.

The System grandfather was still kind-hearted and soft-handed, not letting him experience this worst-case scenario of direct postoperative hematoma in the lower abdomen.

Ji Xiang walked out of the dressing room with trembling steps and saw over a dozen Doctors gathered in the ward, whispering to each other.

He looked over; the male Head Nurse's lower abdomen had a huge hematoma, black and purple, the skin stretched until it was a bit shiny.

Oh my...

If it were him, Ji Xiang felt he would be woken up by the System NPC again.

Seriously, damn it!

There was no need for Empathy; just by looking with his eyes, Ji Xiang could perceive the male Head Nurse's pain.

Amidst the pig-like squeals, the male Head Nurse was lifted onto a flat cart and taken all the way to the operating room.

Ji Xiang left the Urology Department with a flustered, strange, mincing gait.

It was damn scary; this was still the smallest surgery in the Urology Department, and the person who performed the surgery on that male Head Nurse must have been the Director.

Even so, things still went wrong.

Thinking of this, the excitement, smugness, and pride Ji Xiang felt after successfully completing one surgery dissipated like smoke and clouds.

Be careful and cautious, be careful and cautious, Ji Xiang repeatedly warned himself in his heart.

He hailed a taxi and returned to his dormitory. He was in no mood to chat with his roommates and went to bed feeling dejected.

The surgical area had severe edema, but Ji Xiang had psychological expectations. He reinforced it with a suture, and no further trouble arose in the following days.

Time passed like water, and a week went by.

Ji Xiang wasn't sure how long the System wanted him to experience this, but he estimated that once the staples fell off completely and it healed well, it would be about right.

However, when changing the dressing a week later, an accident still happened.

During this time, Ji Xiang didn't mess around but insisted on changing his own dressing in a weird posture.

Opening the Gauze, Ji Xiang saw that the two staples next to the one that had fallen out and bled were also starting to loosen.

If it were just loosening, it wouldn't count for much; Ji Xiang was mentally prepared.

But!

But!!

But!!!

Near the staple wounds, Ji Xiang clearly saw yellow discharge!

It was pus!

Ji Xiang's heart jumped into his throat.

Pus—postoperative infection!

When the Empathy came, Ji Xiang absolutely did not have this psychological expectation.

Infection, necrosis, amputation... it felt as if a cold wind had blown past, chilling him to the bone.

But Ji Xiang still tried hard to restrain his emotions to avoid being woken up by the System NPC again.

Closing his eyes, Ji Xiang calmed down for a long time, and only after his emotions were slightly stable did he start changing the dressing again.

Observing carefully, it wasn't as serious as Ji Xiang had imagined.

It should be local exudation with a slight inflammatory reaction, not the foul-smelling pus drained from empyema patients he had seen in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department.

While changing the dressing, Ji Xiang's hands were shaking involuntarily.

Although he judged that it was fine, words like "ruined"... "amputated"... lingered in his mind, unable to be shaken off.

After changing the dressing, Ji Xiang still couldn't rest easy, even if it was in the System.

He took a taxi to the hospital to find a Doctor to change the dressing, and asked many questions tirelessly until the Doctor in charge of dressing changes in the Urology Department looked extremely unpleasant, at which point he stopped.

He added a course of Anti-inflammatory Drug, and Ji Xiang also bought Kangfuxin Liquid to use with Iodophor for disinfection.

After all, he was half a Doctor; Ji Xiang still understood the most basic common sense.

But things went contrary to his wishes.

From then on, Ji Xiang changed his own dressing every day and stared carefully at the exudation every day.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but the exudation seemed to be increasing, though Ji Xiang wasn't sure.

Day after day passed, and the situation didn't progress toward the staples falling off naturally as Ji Xiang had imagined. Moreover, the pain in the wound increased during dressing changes, to the point where Ji Xiang needed to take painkillers to endure it.

On the ninth day, more than two weeks post-surgery, a row of staples had half-detached; Ji Xiang gritted his teeth, used scissors to cut the staples, and then pulled them out.

As the nail came out, a long trail of pus followed behind it, emitting a faint stench and stained with a few streaks of blood.

"!!!"

Ji Xiang froze, his mind going blank.

It was indeed an infection; under the influence of the body's own immune response, the initial infection had not only failed to improve but had grown increasingly severe.

It's over...

"Snap~"

Ji Xiang suddenly woke up.

His heart was pounding wildly; even without an Endoscope, Ji Xiang could guess that his face must be deathly pale.

"Scared again?" the System NPC asked with hands behind his back.

Ji Xiang squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, confirming the scene he had just witnessed during Empathy, and asked blankly, "Teacher, why was there bleeding, and why did it get infected?"

"Didn't I tell you when teaching you the circumcision using a stapler that there is a possibility of postoperative bleeding? That is why you must carefully inspect the site before bandaging after the surgery to avoid accidents."

"As for the infection, that is also a type of complication; there is nothing strange about it."

The System NPC's tone was flat, without any hint of reproach, yet Ji Xiang was too ashamed to lift his head.

The surgery he had thought was foolproof had failed again...

"Rest assured, the surgery you just performed should be fine; you simply omitted one step," the System NPC comforted him.

"Check for the possibility of bleeding, and if there is a possibility, add a couple of stitches?"

"Mm." The System NPC smiled and reached out to pat Ji Xiang on the shoulder. "Surgery is a very serious matter. Learning a surgical procedure is indeed a happy thing, but it is accompanied by even more trepidation."

What the System NPC said was a bit strange, but Ji Xiang understood his meaning.

Nodding vigorously, Ji Xiang still saw a sea of bright red before his eyes.

"When performing surgery, remember the eight characters: be careful and cautious, as if walking on thin ice," the System NPC admonished.

"Teacher, I understand."

After speaking, Ji Xiang looked at the System NPC and asked earnestly, "Teacher, is there a way to avoid infection as much as possible?"

"Strengthening detail management can help avoid it as much as possible. But, Doctor Xiao Ji, take note: it is only as much as possible."

"Teacher, I want to learn!"

After the experience of Empathy, Ji Xiang was filled with dissatisfaction regarding his own surgery. Even though the System NPC had made it very clear that this Empathy had nothing to do with the surgery Ji Xiang had just completed, and was merely a collection of various complications.

But having experienced that horror, Ji Xiang wanted to patch the loopholes in his surgery as much as possible; even if there was the slightest possibility, Ji Xiang wanted to achieve it.

In the System Operating Room, one surgical training session after another was underway. The light from the shadowless lamp was quite bright, and Ji Xiang was quite focused.

(End of this chapter)