Chapter 37: Upgrading (Part 1)

General Manager Wu didn't pay any attention to Ji Xiang, nor did he say anything unnecessary.

He was just a Standardized Training Student on a three-month rotation; it didn't matter if he didn't think much of him. Everyone would go their separate ways soon, so there was no need to say too much to him.

It was just that this little guy was a bit strange. He looked indifferent, but when he explained the patient's condition earlier, he was precise and meticulous, even more professional than himself.

General Manager Wu suppressed his doubts and began to focus on the Suturing.

Ji Xiang watched General Manager Wu suture quietly. It only required one stitch. After it was finished, Liu Yunqing, who was in the same Standardized Residency Training, seemed still dazed, while Lu Kai felt it was too little and hadn't seen enough.

Seen enough? Ji Xiang didn't think so.

The scene of blood and gore he had caused by his own operational errors in the System Space was simply too terrifying; just one stitch was the best thing possible.

After watching, Ji Xiang turned and left. As he walked, he took out his phone to greet Mo Chenggui. He was in a hurry to get home and enter the System Space; the newly purchased Endurance Potion was still fresh. Ji Xiang calculated that these potions could almost support him in raising a certain surgical procedure to LV6.

"Why is that kid so indifferent?" The Nurse caught a glimpse of Ji Xiang turning and leaving without even greeting General Manager Wu, so she asked.

Interns, trainees, and Standardized Training Students with zero emotional intelligence like that were not uncommon.

"Who knows." General Manager Wu also caught a glimpse of Ji Xiang leaving in a hurry. He couldn't understand at all what the point was of this young man coming to the Emergency Department once. Not wanting to appear too petty, he changed the subject and asked, "Do you have a boyfriend now?"

"I do," the Nurse said with a smile.

"What's he like?"

"Pretty good, high emotional intelligence."

"Oh? For example?" General Manager Wu asked while bandaging the Patient.

"For example, when I'm on my period, he tells me to drink more hot water."

"..."

"..."

General Manager Wu and the two Standardized Training Students all looked up in astonishment.

"That works?" General Manager Wu asked. "Truly, women in love are unreasonable."

"Psh, he transferred me 10,000 yuan and added a note in the transfer description—'drink more hot water.' How about that, high enough emotional intelligence?"

Ji Xiang made a call to Mo Jiaoshou and rode his bike home.

"Dad, I'm back," Ji Xiang said as he entered the house.

Ji Xiang's father was rolling two walnuts in his hand, making a clicking sound, and watched the returning Ji Xiang in silence.

Seeing that his face was ruddy and full of energy, Ji Xiang's father felt relieved.

"Did you eat dinner?"

"I did. I went to a private hospital to perform surgery with Mo Jiaoshou today, and we had barbecue after we got off the table."

Ji Xiang's father was still a bit worried. He looked him up and down, and seeing that Ji Xiang had no abnormalities, he nodded.

"I'm going back to my room to rest," Ji Xiang said, heading straight to his bedroom and closing the door.

Ji Xiang's father sighed and went to the study to make a phone call.

"Xiao Ying, Ji Xiang is indeed a bit strange right now."

"How so?"

"He went straight to his bedroom when he got home, acting all secretive, unlike before. However, he said he was performing surgery with Mo Jiaoshou today and was busy all day; he looks fine physically."

"I'm monitoring him; the data is normal, don't worry."

"Alright then. I'll keep an eye on the night shift; call me if anything happens."

Ji Xiang did not know that he had added countless worries and confusion to his parents.

Back in his bedroom, Ji Xiang changed into pajamas and lay down on the bed without washing up.

Entering the System Space, Ji Xiang first bowed to the System NPC, "Teacher, I'm here."

"Hmm."

"Teacher, you told me to exchange for 13 bottles of Endurance Potion. I calculated that I can raise one surgical procedure to LV6, and I'm just a little short of LV7."

Ji Xiang looked at the System NPC and asked impatiently, "If I reach LV7, there will be those level 3-4 skills, right?"

"Yes," the System NPC nodded.

Although it wasn't hard to guess, Ji Xiang could figure it out, and he felt a bit gratified.

"The new skill is—Senior Doctor's Gaze."

Senior Doctor's Gaze?

Ji Xiang scratched his head. What kind of strange skill was this?

"Have you ever been through a major emergency rescue?" The System NPC asked, seeing that Ji Xiang didn't understand.

"I have. I wanted to help, but the teacher performing the rescue turned around, we bumped into each other, and I got scolded."

"What was different about him at that time?"

Hearing the System NPC say this, Ji Xiang tried hard to recall.

That was not a pleasant memory, and since Ji Xiang had no masochistic tendencies, he had long since put it out of his mind.

Now that the System NPC asked, Ji Xiang thought for a long time before saying, "Irritable, his voice was very loud, and he would start yelling at the slightest thing. Not just at me, but at the nurses too."

After finishing, Ji Xiang added, "Before the Patient arrived, the teacher was laughing and joking with the nurses and me. But once the emergency rescue started, the nurse missed the first needle, and I felt like the teacher's expression was as if he wanted to strangle the nurse."

"That... is indeed a bit irritable. It is indeed hard to hit peripheral veins in cases of hemorrhagic and Traumatic Shock. Why not perform a Deep Vein Puncture? Why bother?" The System NPC muttered.

Ji Xiang didn't speak, but watched the System NPC quietly, waiting for his explanation.

"That's basically what it means," the System NPC continued. "When facing difficult surgeries or rescues, the surgeon will involuntarily enter a certain state, which we call the Senior Doctor's Pressure, mainly manifested by having knives in their eyes."

"Is it just a bad temper?" Ji Xiang was somewhat disappointed with this skill.

He was just a Standardized Training Student; whether it was yelling at Professor Mo, Wang Daxiao, or a Nurse, he feared he would have to report to the Department of Science and Education the next day.

"Of course not," the System NPC said. "All kinds of abilities are improved: hand speed increases, the error rate decreases—there are still many benefits."

Ji Xiang's DNA stirred.

If there were so many benefits, a 6-7 skill sounded quite good.

"Start the training," the System NPC said.

"Wait!" Ji Xiang said hurriedly. "Teacher, I have two questions."

"Go ahead."

"First, which surgical procedure should I improve?"

The System NPC didn't even think, saying directly, "I naturally suggest you improve Manual Suturing that doesn't use instruments."

"Why? Using a stapler has so many benefits, and the surgery is worry-free and effortless, plus the Patient's acceptance level is relatively high."

"Standardized products are hard to suit everyone," the System NPC explained. "Truly top-tier surgery involves analyzing and operating based on specific circumstances. You want to complete the Long-term Main Quest..."

Ji Xiang had almost forgotten about that unreliable Long-term Main Quest; hearing the System NPC mention it now, his ears perked up.

"It's impossible to complete it by relying solely on a stapler."

Was it that rigid? Ji Xiang didn't quite understand what the System NPC was saying, but he went with the flow; whatever the System NPC said, he listened.

"Okay." Ji Xiang squinted and smiled. "Teacher, the second question is my own conjecture."

"If I do surgical training in reality, would it be more cost-effective than leveling up in the System Space?"

The System NPC expressed regret that Ji Xiang used the word "cost-effective."

"The benefit of doing surgical training in reality is that your Stamina is sufficient, so you can do more. But the disadvantage is that training is just training; it cannot replace surgery."

Ji Xiang already regarded the System NPC as a close teacher; after a simple discussion, Ji Xiang was even stingy enough to plan to do training in the real world when his Stamina was about to be exhausted, waiting until that last bit of Stamina was completely used up before drinking an Endurance Potion.

The System NPC was also helpless against this "stingy" guy; although what Ji Xiang said was a bit of a hassle, it was indeed the most efficient method.

After the discussion, the surgical training began.

8+1 Endurance Value could allow one to run three or five full marathons in reality; his physical strength was very abundant.

In the System Space, Ji Xiang performed surgery after surgery.

Having the System NPC as an assistant was many times more comfortable than having Professor Mo or Wang Daxiao as an assistant.

6000 Experience Points were in hand, and the remaining Stamina was no longer enough to support another surgery; Ji Xiang felt exhausted.

He said goodbye to the System NPC and went to the real world to do skill training, consuming the little remaining Stamina so that the Endurance Potion could reach its maximum effect.

Returning to the bedroom, Ji Xiang felt sore in his waist and legs.

He barely managed to get up, picked a Suture Kit from the instruments his mother had sent, found a few packs of thread, and began suturing a Banana Peel.

The feel of a Banana Peel was countless times worse than a Simulated Human, but Ji Xiang could see the Experience Points rising bit by bit, which comforted his heart.

Enduring the trouble of physical fatigue, Ji Xiang did the training almost entirely through Muscle Memory.

In the distant Shanghai, on the 58th floor of a landmark CBD, the lights were bright.

The innermost hall was cordoned off, and everyone entering and exiting wore a White Uniform, as if it were a biological experimental base, completely out of place with the prosperity of Shanghai, the lights of the CBD, and the red men and green women of The Bund.

"Beep, beep, beep~~~"

On the big screen, the data began to change, and the data curve rose sharply, as steep as a cliff.

"Holy cow!" A researcher had been staring at the big screen, and the alarm sound interrupted his daydream.

Looking at the steep data graph, the coffee cup in his hand shook slightly, and coffee spilled onto his White Uniform.

However, he, who had mysophobia, did not notice.

"What's wrong!" Another person ran over, but was instantly shocked by the steep graph as well.

"The boss's son is really not human, such fast hand speed!"

"Impossible, right? Did the information collection system go wrong? The boss's son is only in his early 20s; his hand speed can't be this fast."

The steep data graph was still soaring, and it only stabilized when the APM value rose to around 310.

Several researchers stared at the graph, dumbfounded, their saliva almost dripping out.

"With this hand speed, he could totally go participate in an esports league; why..."

"Young people, it's normal to lose control when the mood strikes. I passed by the boss's office and heard her on the phone; it seems her son's body has been hollowed out."

"Tsk tsk, using such high hand speed, as long as it's a person, they'd be hollowed out. Let alone a person, even a mountain would be hollowed out."

"That's about it, I'm going to call the boss."

Indeed, APM 310; for anyone, it's about the same; it's estimated that he's even rubbed out sparks, damn it.

In ancient times, when drilling wood to make fire, if one had such high hand speed, humans could have eaten hot food a million years earlier.

Five minutes later, Ji Xiang's mother, wearing a White Uniform, walked in quickly.

However, the data on the screen was still maintaining its peak APM value, even slightly higher than 310.

"Uh, it's not over yet? Truly gifted." The researcher said in astonishment.

【Is it fate, is it love, is it childhood innocence, or is it an accident; there are tears, there is guilt, there is sacrifice...】

Ji Xiang's father's phone rang.

"Xiao Ying, what did you find?"

"What is Ji Xiang doing!"

(End of this chapter)