Chapter 35: Failed Rescue

Man Jie sat opposite Ji Xiang, looking as if life had lost all meaning.

Unlike just a moment ago when she was all smiles, the moment she stepped out of the 120 Emergency Vehicle, she looked as if she had been stared at by Medusa; all vitality drained from her, and she turned into a stone.

Hearing Ji Xiang ask her a question, a glimmer of life flickered in Man Jie's eyes. She sighed, "It's all because you men are messing around; what the hell are you playing with catfish for! You don't know anything!"

Ji Xiang hadn't expected the matter to escalate to such a level; he didn't dare speak, quietly letting himself be scolded.

However, after scolding him twice, Man Jie looked at Ji Xiang with curiosity.

"Little Ji Yisheng, you really don't know?"

"Mm, I don't know."

"You don't have a girlfriend?" Man Jie's eyes lit up, and she pressed him further.

"I've never dated; I was always studying when I was in college."

Man Jie looked at him as if he were a rare creature, clicking her tongue in wonder.

"I have a little apprentice; you two would be quite a match. Do you want to try getting to know her?" Man Jie asked.

"……"

Ji Xiang knew that nurses and the Head Nurse liked to play matchmaker, but they were currently on a 120 emergency call; how could Man Jie be in such high spirits?

"Still a virgin, impressive!" Seeing Ji Xiang's blank expression, Man Jie laughed, "Today, big sister will teach you something fresh."

A bad premonition lingered over his entire body.

"You men, oh, watching little movies or flying solo isn't enough, you have to rack your brains to come up with other things." Man Jie looked disdainful, "First, choose a carp, mainly the kind without teeth. Catfish—that thing has sharp teeth in its mouth, and you dare to mess with it? You really aren't afraid of death."

Ji Xiang seemed to understand a little and nodded repeatedly.

"For a carp, calculate it according to your own length; usually, a 40cm carp is enough for most people."

As she spoke, Man Jie sized Ji Xiang up.

Ji Xiang felt a bit embarrassed by her gaze.

"Hahaha." Man Jie laughed loudly, "Find a bathtub, put the fish in, and then suddenly grab it. When the fish is oxygen-deprived, it will open its mouth, you understand?"

"Mm." Ji Xiang was still somewhat blank.

"Then you stuff it in; the fish has a swallowing reflex, just like when it eats." Man Jie said, "It's said that this thing is addictive. There was an old patient who came back three times; the first time it was a catfish, and there were scratches. The last time, it was actually a damn Northern Pike!!"

"And then?"

"Severe injury, finally sent to the Urology Department for emergency surgery overnight. I heard it was a pretty serious wound; they even did some kind of filling."

"……"

Although Man Jie didn't go into too much detail, Ji Xiang roughly understood what she meant.

It even has a swallowing reflex...

Ji Xiang subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva; associating it with swallowing, he felt waves of nausea.

"You'll know when you get there. By the way, you know how to handle it, right?" Man Jie finally remembered that Ji Xiang not only lacked a girlfriend but was also a rookie in clinical practice, and she asked with concern.

Ji Xiang recalled the scene where Mo Jiaoshou squeezed the catfish and it fell off, and he nodded with full confidence.

"I've seen it; it's not difficult."

"As long as you know how."

Soon, the 120 Emergency Vehicle arrived downstairs, and Ji Xiang picked up the Emergency Kit and hurried upstairs.

The scene that followed was similar to the one at the shop next to Feiyang Barbecue; there were wails of ghosts and howls of wolves, chilling to the ear.

The Patient was struggling while holding onto a catfish about 50-60cm long.

He didn't know whether to use force or not. He had only one thought—to make the catfish calm down and make sure it didn't bite him.

But a catfish out of water is not that obedient; it kept moving in his hands.

"Hurry up, hurry up, why are you so slow!" an old man urged and complained.

Ji Xiang hurried to the Patient's side, recalling Mo Jiaoshou's movements at the time as he walked.

It shouldn't be hard, Ji Xiang cheered himself on.

Especially since performing circumcisions these past few days had added countless amounts of confidence to Ji Xiang, and combined with his natural aptitude and extremely high Comprehension, although Ji Xiang didn't get arrogant, he felt in his heart that he was a once-in-a-century genius.

When a genius meets a system, what will the result be?

It's like a heavenly thunder striking a ground fire; he would definitely become the most awesome doctor in a short period of time.

Plus, with the Patient lying on the ground wailing incessantly, Ji Xiang didn't think too much; he stepped forward, reached out, and grabbed the fish gills.

According to Ji Xiang's expectations, he imitated Mo Jiaoshou's movements, and the next second the catfish should have let go.

However!

Reality gave Ji Xiang a fierce slap in the face, making a loud sound.

Not only did the catfish not let go, but it bit down even harder.

Ji Xiang was stunned, watching helplessly as a stream of fresh blood flowed out from the catfish's mouth.

This damn thing... it bit an artery...

Ji Xiang subconsciously tried to pull the catfish out with his hand.

But the catfish's teeth were hooked, commonly known as barbs; the Patient let out a miserable scream and shook violently.

Blood flowed like a river.

The screams echoed in Ji Xiang's ears, and he was instantly dumbfounded.

What on earth is going on?!

Why could Mo Chenggui reach out and pinch the catfish off, but when he pinched it, the catfish bit down even tighter?!

Ji Xiang's thoughts spread out flat in his mind, but the Patient's screams and the sight of bright red blood flowing from the catfish's mouth were extremely shocking, causing Ji Xiang to freeze up; his mind went blank, and he couldn't recall the details of Mo Jiaoshou's movements at all.

"Little Ji Yisheng, what are you doing!" Man Jie scolded in a panic. She ran over, wanting to squeeze Ji Xiang to the side, but Ji Xiang subconsciously gripped the catfish tightly and wouldn't let go.

Man Jie's movement caused Ji Xiang's hand to tighten on the catfish, and as his body retreated half a step, the catfish was also pulled back slightly.

The barbed teeth carried flesh and blood; the Patient let out a miserable shriek and fainted away.

Fresh blood flowed everywhere; Ji Xiang's mind went blank, and now four characters were written there—Medical Malpractice.

Ji Xiang was panicked and flustered, his hands and feet numb.

A surge of sudden anxiety struck his heart, and golden stars flickered before his eyes.

The next second, Ji Xiang returned to the System Space, where the System NPC stood before him with a solemn expression.

Although the System NPC looked decrepit with his hands behind his back and his waist hunched, Ji Xiang could feel the reproach in his gaze.

However, having just personally experienced a failed rescue, Ji Xiang's heart was filled with dark clouds.

The Patient's wailing, the blood-dripping Catfish mouth, as well as feelings of duty, loss, and so on, were all mixed together; Ji Xiang felt a bit nauseous.

He hurriedly ran to the side of the red bucket in the operating room and began to dry heave while hugging the bucket.

The System NPC did not speak either, just quietly watching Ji Xiang.

A long, long time later, Ji Xiang wiped away the tears that had fallen from the corners of his eyes at some unknown moment and helplessly returned to stand before the System NPC.

"Your rescue this time could be given a negative score," the System NPC said solemnly. "You brought irreparable harm to the Patient; it would have been better if you, this Doctor, didn't exist!"

Ji Xiang was so ashamed he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

In fact, he could have made excuses—that he was a Clinical rookie, had no Attending Teacher to teach him, and that it was his first time encountering such a bizarre case, and so on.

But deep down, Ji Xiang knew that as the circumcision progressed, both surgeries had reached LV4, Hand Speed+6, and the pride he felt after stunning everyone with his skills had already emerged and spread.

Added to that was the fact that he had watched Mo Jiaoshou remove the fish just by pinching it, which made him feel that if Mo Jiaoshou could do it, he could too.

But after trying it in the System Space, the facts proved that he could not.

Fortunately, this time it was the System NPC who had made him the Doctor rather than the Patient.

If he were the one lying on the ground... Ji Xiang shuddered, and a wave of heart-wrenching pain radiated from his lower body.

There was no need for the System to help him with Empathy; Ji Xiang knew how crude his previous actions had been, and that while performing Emergency Rescue, he had not only failed to solve the problem but had made it even more serious.

He lowered his head.

"Tell me about your feelings this time," the System NPC suppressed his displeasure and said calmly.

"Teacher, it is like this."

Ji Xiang recounted the situation he had seen by Peiyang Barbecue, focusing on explaining the technique of Mo Chenggui, Mo Jiaoshou.

Solving the problem with a single pinch looked simple and easy, but it was actually full of Clinical experience.

That was the style of an old Doctor, and the style of an old Doctor with considerable skill at that.

As Ji Xiang spoke, shame grew in his heart.

The System NPC seemed to know what Ji Xiang was thinking; he sighed and comforted him, "This is your first time encountering this kind of situation, it doesn't matter, I will teach you."

"Thank you, Teacher." Ji Xiang still vaguely saw the fresh blood flowing from the corner of the Catfish's mouth before his eyes, and the Patient's miserable shrieks rang in his ears; he said the "thank you" absent-mindedly.

The System NPC reached out a hand, and like a magic trick, a fish appeared in his hand.

Ji Xiang was stunned for a moment; the System NPC really dared to do anything! Could he even do things like creating objects out of thin air?

Seeing Ji Xiang's strange expression, the System NPC smiled slightly, "It's a small prop from the System Mall, not created out of thin air."

"Oh, oh, oh." Ji Xiang looked at the fish in the System NPC's hand, feeling exceptionally curious.

"The anatomical structures of fish are much the same; I will take you to dissect it and see."

Ji Xiang was taken on a wondrous journey by the System NPC.

He had never imagined that to be a Doctor, one not only had to study human anatomical structures but also the anatomical structures of fish.

The System NPC's level was extremely high, and it was not just reflected in human anatomy.

His explanation was profound yet simple, and Ji Xiang soon understood the key points of Mo Jiaoshou's operation.

Having only watched it once was not enough; no wonder he had made such a huge blunder.

Fortunately, it was in the System Space; if it had been in the real world... Ji Xiang heard the roar of the Patient's painful crying in his ears again.

The System NPC had explained it clearly, and Ji Xiang had understood it, but he still felt it was not enough.

"Teacher," Ji Xiang asked, "can I try it myself?"

The System NPC seemed somewhat troubled; he frowned and pondered.

Ji Xiang was a bit confused; in the System Space, Anatomical Teachers were used freely, so why did a single fish make the System NPC so troubled?

When he said this, he had originally just been being polite and hadn't intended to cause trouble for the System NPC.

After a moment, the System NPC said, "Let me discuss it."

The System NPC did not say who exactly he was discussing it with.

"Teacher, if it's troublesome, then forget it," Ji Xiang said hurriedly, "I was just saying it casually."

"You have understood it, yet you are still cautious enough to want to try it yourself; that is a good thing," the System NPC smiled. "To buy a fish, you must enter the System Mall; after all, you haven't completed the first Main Quest yet."

So that was it!

Ji Xiang scratched his head and gave a silly laugh.

Judging by the System NPC's meaning, he should be able to get an early look at the various items sold in the System Mall and their prices, which would have a very profound impact on his future work.

(End of this chapter)