Chapter 2: System, NPC

Is this the System Space?

This is the legendary System Space!

Ji Xiang was a bit dazed, but felt even more delighted.

A few days ago, Ji Xiang woke up and inexplicably discovered a faint light screen in the upper right corner of his field of vision.

The light screen was completely empty, without any prompts.

There wasn't even a beginner's tutorial.

Regarding this, Ji Xiang even suspected he was hallucinating or had some issue with his eyeballs, such as floaters.

But it was hard to associate such a large thing with floaters.

A tiger's body shuddered, feeling bored and dull.

Ji Xiang had always felt his Luck was pretty good, so it wouldn't be a surprise if a System fell from the sky and hit him on the head.

Yet that light screen was like an annoying floater from eye disease; although it didn't obstruct his vision, it always drew Ji Xiang's attention, and it remained empty.

Unexpectedly, on his first day at the hospital, the moment his hand touched a Patient after getting on stage, the System activated.

Ji Xiang glanced at the Operating Rooms on both sides of the corridor, not knowing how to operate it.

"27149, is your name Ji Xiang?"

A voice came over.

Ji Xiang was stunned for a moment; asking for his name was understandable, but what was this hellish serial number 27149?

It seemed somewhat familiar, but in his haste, Ji Xiang couldn't recall why.

It must be his serial number; over twenty thousand, quite far back, and he wondered what the lucky ones before him had received, Ji Xiang thought chaotically to himself.

"Yes," Ji Xiang replied subconsciously.

"Doctor Xiao Ji, come here."

The door to the nearest Operating Room opened, and a Doctor wearing isolation clothing, a cap, and a mask waved at Ji Xiang.

He was hunched over, his right hand somewhat withered and deformed, looking slightly strange, as if it were a chicken claw.

Ji Xiang shivered.

If not for the environment here, he would have thought he had encountered a ghost.

That System NPC in the System Space seemed very old, his words carrying endless vicissitudes.

After calling him over, he stood with his hands behind his back and his waist hunched in the corridor of the System Operating Room, waiting for Ji Xiang to approach.

Standing like a deep pool or a towering mountain, the demeanor of a grandmaster emerged naturally.

Ji Xiang subconsciously raised his right hand and pointed at himself.

The System NPC nodded, not wasting words, and went straight to the point, "Tell me about the relevant points regarding Circumcision."

After speaking, seeing Ji Xiang walk over, the System NPC hunched his waist and turned to walk into the Operating Room.

Ji Xiang hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and followed him inside.

The Operating Room was standard, just like the ones Ji Xiang had seen, with nothing peculiar about it.

"Ji Yisheng, when a senior Doctor asks a question, you must answer immediately," the System NPC said in a deep, serious voice as he saw Ji Xiang enter.

"..."

Ji Xiang was stunned; he looked at the System NPC again with suspicion.

In various novels and TV dramas, wasn't the role of a System NPC to provide guidance? How could he be saying such strange things about a senior Doctor?

"In the coming days, I will teach you how to perform surgery; the first surgery is Circumcision," the System NPC explained when he saw Ji Xiang wasn't speaking. "Now, tell me your understanding of this procedure."

Although the other party was just a System NPC, the pressure of a senior Doctor was full, even greater than the pressure brought by the Director of Teaching back in school.

"Circumcision..."

Ji Xiang subconsciously began to "report" his understanding of the surgery to the System NPC.

This was a rather strange feeling.

In various works, Ji Xiang had seen all sorts of systems, some cold and aloof, some foolish, but none gave Ji Xiang such an incomparable sense of reality as the System NPC before him.

The System NPC's gaze was gentle; Ji Xiang quickly calmed down, accepted all of this, and began to recite the knowledge he had learned from textbooks.

Ji Xiang was a straight-A student, his basic knowledge was quite solid, and the theory of Circumcision was a piece of cake for him.

"Not bad, your basic knowledge is considered solid," the System NPC nodded in approval after hearing Ji Xiang finish.

Ji Xiang let out a long breath without realizing it.

It was just like facing the strictest teacher in school and luckily passing the test.

"First, I will explain the local anatomical structure to you, and then I will take a look at your technique."

"Hmm?"

Ji Xiang stared blankly at the "Patient" lying on the operating table.

Although he knew that all of this was likely not real, he still had some complex emotions—the Patient was too realistic, and Ji Xiang's hands were trembling a little.

Ji Xiang had once dreamed of becoming a surgeon, but when this opportunity appeared before him, he lost his nerve.

"This is a 3D-printed Simulated Human," the System NPC explained understandingly to Ji Xiang.

"This isn't virtual?"

"No," the System NPC said. "I won't explain the specifics; for now, it is... they call this a beginner's tutorial, which is a type of benefit."

When mentioning the beginner's benefit, the System NPC's speech stuttered slightly, as if his memory was insufficient.

Ji Xiang was a bit puzzled, but the doubts in his heart had received a definitive answer, and he happily walked to the operating table...

"Slap~"

A burst of pain came from Ji Xiang's back.

"Who is your teacher?"

"Did they not teach you Aseptic Operation?"

"Performing surgery without scrubbing in?"

The System NPC's string of stern questions left Ji Xiang speechless.

Who knew the System Space would be so realistic? Ji Xiang muttered to himself, but he still obediently turned to find a place to wash his hands.

The System NPC followed behind Ji Xiang, his gaze putting considerable pressure on Ji Xiang.

In contrast, the fast-talking Wang Daxiao seemed so cute and amiable.

Ji Xiang stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the System NPC in front of the operating table; the shadowless lamp shone with a blinding white light, and a sense of sanctity welled up.

Disinfection, laying out sterile drapes—everything was the same as a routine surgery.

"The Corpus Cavernosum is a cylinder thin at both ends, with one on the left and one on the right, located on the dorsal side. The left and right corpora cavernosa are tightly joined, extending forward, thinning at the front, and embedded within the depression on the underside of the head."

The System NPC held the most common type of blade, explaining to Ji Xiang while cutting open the Simulated Human's skin.

"Tea... cher..."

Ji Xiang hesitated, stuttering as he spoke.

"What is it?" the System NPC asked.

Ji Xiang stared blankly at the anatomical region; the anatomical structures were displayed clearly and cleanly before him, simple and distinct.

He definitely isn't a real person; he must be a system program, otherwise, how could the local anatomy be done so well? This thought flashed through Ji Xiang's mind.

"Aren't we supposed to be doing a Circumcision?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Circumcision is just the surface, just like the system's anatomical structures—it's only the literal meaning." The System NPC used the sterile forceps in his hand to point at the White Membrane covering the Corpus Cavernosum.

Ji Xiang was a bit confused and tilted his head to look at the System NPC.

"There was a Patient who arrived at the hospital after a car accident in the emergency room; after examination, the preliminary diagnosis was Spleen Rupture."

Uh...

Ji Xiang was a bit dazed; why was the System NPC telling him this?

Going from Circumcision to Spleen Rupture, how was the System NPC even less reliable than Wang Daxiao?

Moreover, Wang Daxiao told some funny jokes, but the System NPC was rambling nonsensically from Circumcision to Emergency Rescue.

"Ji Yisheng, I am asking you what you would do if you were the Clinical doctor receiving this Patient."

Ji Xiang was a novice, but he had been diligent during his internship and had always followed the Chief Resident on duty.

Struggling to recall, he said tentatively, "Insert a gastric tube, a Urinary Catheter, collect blood, prepare blood, find a senior doctor to see the patient, and prepare for emergency surgery."

"Although I can't say it's entirely correct... let's not dwell on that. This Patient was ordered to undergo Urethral Catheterization before surgery. During the catheterization, it was discovered that the patient had a Redundant Prepuce, and after the catheterization, the prepuce could not be reduced. The doctor was asked to perform a Manual Reduction."

"..."

Hearing the System NPC bring the topic back to the prepuce, Ji Xiang immediately understood what he meant.

"After the Laparotomy and Splenectomy, it was discovered that the patient's prepuce was not fully reduced and had retracted to the Coronal Sulcus.

The prepuce tightly constricted the Coronal Sulcus, causing the head to become congested and swollen. A second Manual Reduction was performed, but due to severe swelling, the reduction failed. Later, a Preputial Release was performed, and the patient recovered after treatments such as soaking in Potassium Permanganate Solution."

After the System NPC finished speaking, he looked deeply at Ji Xiang.

"Teacher, I understand," Ji Xiang said solemnly.

He understood what the System NPC before him meant.

Just like the details Wang Daxiao mentioned intentionally or unintentionally in reality, the devil is in the details.

"That's good, continue."

For ten minutes, the System NPC laid out the local anatomy as clearly as if he were butchering an ox, and he explained every structure and relevant Medical Record to Ji Xiang without a hint of impatience.

Ji Xiang, who had been hit by a pie falling from the sky, was not overjoyed, but quickly immersed himself in it.

This opportunity was too rare; not to mention having a System NPC with Clinical experience that was extreme to the Extreme Point explaining things, just having an "Anatomical Teacher" was precious.

The medical school Ji Xiang attended was considered "wealthy," with eight students "sharing" the teachings of one Anatomical Teacher in local anatomy class.

For schools with insufficient Anatomical Teacher reserves, it was common for one class to use one Anatomical Teacher.

As for the matter of having exclusive access to an Anatomical Teacher as he did now, Ji Xiang wouldn't even dare to dream of it.

And looking at the situation, it seemed to be inexhaustible.

This kind of thing only existed in the dreams of medical students.

Now, the dream had come true.

If he didn't know how to cherish this, it would simply be a crime.

Ji Xiang forgot the passage of time, and even forgot that before entering the System Space, he was still on the operating table and Wang Daxiao had asked him to "help" for a moment.

The System NPC explained very thoroughly, and Ji Xiang benefited greatly.

The System Panel in the upper right corner of his field of vision had also changed, but Ji Xiang was not in a hurry; he knew what was important. He could look at the System Panel later; the current task was to learn Circumcision and local anatomical structures.

After an unknown amount of time, the System NPC finished explaining the local anatomy of the palm-sized area, "You perform the operation."

"Me?"

Ji Xiang was a bit surprised, but more than that, he was excited.

Only medical students understood how precious this opportunity was!

A System Nurse pushed a flat cart in, and Ji Xiang consciously assisted the System Nurse in lifting the Simulated Human onto the cart before watching the cart leave.

The Simulated Human was then replaced. Ji Xiang did not forget the System NPC's previous teachings; he scrubbed in, changed clothes, laid out sterile drapes, and stood in front of the table as if performing surgery.

The process was flawless, and the System NPC did not reprimand Ji Xiang, but silently stood in the assistant's position and slapped the scalpel into Ji Xiang's hand.

With one cut, the surgical field was bright red; several small arteries on the prepuce were severed by Ji Xiang, and blood spurted out.

Seeing this scene, Ji Xiang's hands suddenly went limp, and he was at a loss.

He wasn't squeamish about blood, but he hadn't expected this to happen.

When the System NPC was doing the anatomy just now, he had seen almost no red, to the point that Ji Xiang thought there was no blood in the vessels of the Simulated Human's anatomical structures.

However,

The facts told Ji Xiang that his thinking was wrong.

"Teacher..."

"You cut too deep," the System NPC replied indifferently.

"But I didn't see any problems when I watched you perform the dissection."

"Let me give you an example," the System NPC said, illustrating with another example.

This time, Ji Xiang did not interrupt the System NPC's words, but instead pricked up his ears to listen.

"A long time ago, a neurosurgeon who was quite famous domestically went to the Montreal Neurological Institute for an exchange. After watching several surgeons operate, he felt that even a top-three neurosurgical center in the world was nothing special, and that their surgeries were worse than his own."

"Three days later, when he saw a world-class Expert perform surgery, he finally realized where the gap lay."

"Is the difference that big?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Not to mention the intraoperative awake craniotomy, lifting the skull to perform surgery, touching functional areas at any time to observe, and asking the Patient about their condition. When the CT scan came out the day after the surgery, the domestic Doctor nearly dropped his glasses."

Lifting your skull... So the System NPC is also this unreliable! Ji Xiang was dazed for a moment.

"After a routine Frontal Lobe Tumor Wedge Resection, local tissue edema is the most common presentation. But the wedge resection performed by a world-class Expert shows a clear triangular resection mark on a cranial CT."

"Simply put, the brain tissue of a Patient operated on by a top-tier surgeon shows no complications like edema or hemorrhage."

"..."

Ji Xiang was silent; he was stunned by the System NPC's words and couldn't react for a moment.

Frontal Lobe Tumor? Ji Xiang had never seen surgery for such a high-end disease.

But even just cutting skin and subcutaneous tissue causes swelling for about half a month; brain tissue is so delicate, how could it not have edema!

Ji Xiang wanted to refute, but when the System NPC performed the local dissection earlier, there was indeed no obvious hemorrhage.

The iron-clad facts were laid out before Ji Xiang.

Is this the technique of a world-class surgeon? Although Ji Xiang saw it with his own eyes, he could not believe it.

A few seconds later, Ji Xiang suddenly realized—this is a blatant show-off!

The System NPC used an example to tell him that he is a world-class surgeon!

What is a humblebrag?

This is it!

(End of chapter)