Chapter 554: Rewards After 100 Instances of Empathy

"The bad news is that in the future, you may still have to experience many more scenarios of Empathy," the System NPC said.

That seems fine, Ji Xiang thought to himself.

Ji Xiang was broad-minded; Empathy had never caused him too much trouble, and this news from the System NPC could not truly be called bad news.

Moreover, in Ji Xiang's view, being able to feel a Patient's illness was of great help to his own professional skills as a Doctor.

"Teacher, then what is the good news?" Ji Xiang asked.

The System NPC was not surprised by Ji Xiang's calm expression; he smiled and said, "The good news is that the system's built-in hidden exchange has been unlocked. Every time you experience Empathy, you will receive certain rewards."

"Is this a suggestion from Zhou Jiaoshou Congwen?" Ji Xiang asked.

"You child is all over the place; shouldn't your main focus right now be on what the exchange system can trade for?" the System NPC asked with a smile.

"I haven't seen Zhou Jiaoshou for a long time, and I miss him a bit. Every time I experience Empathy, as long as Zhou Jiaoshou appears, I feel like I've met a savior. In the future, I also want to become a Doctor like him," Ji Xiang said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"It is indeed his idea," the System NPC said. "He said it's like eating melon seeds; getting a reward immediately after every small success will make people have an urge to keep going, continuing unconsciously."

"That feels a bit mischievous."

"Indeed, that is how Zhou Congwen is. According to the document you signed earlier, we..."

"Which one?" Ji Xiang asked.

"You forgot?"

Ji Xiang recalled that when he first came into contact with the System Operating Room, the System NPC had given him a document, which he hadn't looked at very carefully at the time.

A system with such future black technology wouldn't deceive him, Ji Xiang had thought at the time. Now, he still thought so.

"Because you have completed 100 instances of Empathy, the cumulative number is already enough," the System NPC said. "Doctor Ji Xiang, you are very good, better than imagined."

"Teacher, out of more than 20,000 people, are there many who can complete 100 instances of Empathy and move to the next step?"

The System NPC looked at Ji Xiang with great interest.

The little guy was all over the place; he didn't seem to care about what benefits he could get, but instead, his attention was elsewhere.

Perhaps only by being like this could one endure the training of 100 instances of Empathy?

"Not many, about 0.3 per thousand."

"That means only 7 or 8 people passed?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Mm," the System NPC nodded. "Empathy is far more difficult than you imagine. For example, you once experienced the terminal stage of a patient with late-stage Cancer; most people would not be able to endure that experience."

As he spoke, the System NPC looked deeply at Ji Xiang. "Agony—that word is very fitting here."

"It was alright. At that time, I was mainly thinking about whether I would have any regrets in this life if it were real. Having experienced it, I roughly have an answer," Ji Xiang replied. "I actually feel that Empathy itself is a reward."

The System NPC smiled. "Let me give you an example."

Ji Xiang nodded repeatedly.

"There was a medical case: a woman suffered 80% medium-to-severe skin burns due to a liquefied gas leak. She was sent to the hospital, and the Doctor said she needed skin grafting. It would require several massive surgeries, costing 400,000 to 500,000."

"Could she pull through?"

"One step at a time; the Doctor who received her at the time was also making a preliminary estimate," the System NPC explained before continuing. "The Patient's husband disagreed, thinking the cost was particularly high, and said a friend had an ancestral medicine for treating burns at home, and that so-and-so got better after applying it a few times."

Ji Xiang fell silent and shook his head.

"After 3 attempts at communication, the Family Member became increasingly impatient. In the end, they could only record audio, take video, sign papers, and press fingerprints to process an automatic discharge. 12 days after the Patient was discharged, the director of the Burn Department at a neighboring Grade A Tertiary Hospital called."

"Was the Patient in critical condition?"

"She was already dead," the System NPC said. "Before admission, the Patient applied the ancestral secret recipe many times; she was admitted only after it was ineffective and her condition worsened. When the Patient was admitted, she had difficulty breathing, ARDS, Sepsis Shock, and blood cultures revealed G+, G-, and mold, plus Renal Failure, severe Hypoproteinemia, and Electrolyte Imbalance."

"Sigh," Ji Xiang sighed.

"You didn't go to the Burn Department, so you haven't experienced similar Empathy," the System NPC said. "Cases like this are actually very common, and they are all very difficult. To be honest, you were lucky to start with the relatively simple Urology Department."

Ji Xiang suddenly thought of this and shivered.

"Teacher, you wouldn't let me start from Hell Difficulty, and if I encounter similar cases, the perspective for Empathy wouldn't be the Patient, right?" Ji Xiang's thoughts flashed like lightning, and he immediately pressed for an answer.

The System NPC smiled. "Yes, the system does not take pleasure in torturing people. It's better not to experience the pain of burn patients; it's too difficult. And it's meaningless; it would only cause the Doctor to be unable to bring themselves to act when changing dressings because they can perceive the Patient's pain."

Ji Xiang let out a breath and asked, "Teacher, then what is the purpose of Empathy?"

"I cannot tell you that for now," the System NPC said. "However, you can obtain similar conclusions through Empathy in the future... Doctor Ji Xiang, what do you want to obtain the most?"

The System NPC asked in return.

"I want to know the purpose of the System Operating Room and why I was chosen," Ji Xiang said earnestly.

"I cannot tell you the answer for now," the System NPC smiled. "It's not that I'm being mysterious, but it involves confidentiality regulations that require applications layer by layer."

"No need to be troubled, I think it's quite good," Ji Xiang said. "Teacher, then what benefits can I get?"

"In the future, for every instance of Empathy, you can choose the perspective of Empathy yourself. Different perspectives will yield different attributes," the System NPC said.

"There is such a high degree of freedom!" Ji Xiang was surprised.

"Mm," the System NPC said. "After all, not many people can experience 100 instances of Empathy, and you recovered very quickly during the Empathy for Endometriosis, unlocking the next step of experimentation."

"Thank you," Ji Xiang smiled. "Teacher, I want to try it."

"Now?" The System NPC frowned slightly. "There are no patients right now."

"You can just pick one with a lower difficulty for me. It doesn't matter if there are no attribute points; I just want to see."

The System NPC thought for a moment and nodded.

He walked with his hands behind his back and his waist hunched, leading Ji Xiang out of the changing room and into the room next door.

This time, Ji Xiang did not have light and shadows flashing before his eyes to enter the Empathy space directly; instead, a panel appeared in front of him.

On the panel was an Outpatient Department medical record: Patient, 76-year-old male, diagnosed with Intestinal Obstruction (?).

The options included the Patient himself, with a reward of 2 points of Stamina upon successful experience; the Family Member, with no reward upon successful experience; and the Attending Doctor, with a reward of 0.2 points of Luck upon successful experience.

The strangest thing was the option to choose the patient in the bed next door for the experience, which would reward 3 points of Comprehension.

(End of chapter)