Chapter 6: You only feel the pain when the knife falls on yourself

The light of the shadowless lamp was dazzling for the first time.

The indifferent light fell, and Ji Xiang's eyes stung slightly.

The feeling of lying on the operating table was truly terrible; Ji Xiang shifted, the operating table beneath him was hard, the blue sheet rubbed against his skin, and a sensation of cold and pain washed over him.

When "himself" and the System NPC went to scrub in, Ji Xiang propped his body up with his arms, unable to suppress the fear in his heart, wanting to flee.

"Ding-dong~"

The sound of a System Task arrived; Ji Xiang frowned slightly, his gaze falling to the top right corner of his field of vision.

【Temporary Compensation Task: You only feel the pain when the knife falls on yourself.

Task Content: Experience the circumcision and post-operative experience from the patient's perspective.

Task Reward: Comprehension +1, Experience Points +300.】

Ji Xiang was speechless.

Was the system messing with him?

No, Ji Xiang didn't think so.

Especially since that System NPC, though aged and decrepit, looked exactly like a world-class master when performing surgery; at the very least, the aura of the professor Ji Xiang had seen at Peking Union Medical College Hospital was many times weaker than the System NPC's.

Moreover, when he taught him surgery, a sense of kindness radiated from him from the inside out.

Ji Xiang knew that the System NPC was truly teaching him surgical skills with all his heart, without holding anything back.

And although the task was a bit absurd, the rewards were generous; besides Comprehension, there was also an Experience Points reward.

Ji Xiang thought for a moment, and in the end, he lay back down.

People die for wealth, birds die for food.

Ji Xiang mocked himself in his heart; in truth, even if he talked about running away, Ji Xiang didn't know where to run to, and deep down, he vaguely "guessed" that this was the high difficulty he had just requested.

Come on then, it was in the system anyway, so there shouldn't be any risks.

Ji Xiang pondered repeatedly, and finally, his gaze fell on the Temporary Compensation Task in the top right corner of his vision.

His emotions were complex.

The light of the shadowless lamp was cold and profound.

Gradually, Ji Xiang entered a strange state.

He vaguely understood that he was experiencing a subversive, major event!

Doctor, patient, role reversal!!

He could feel the details of performing surgery on himself!!!

One could imagine how significant this was for the improvement of his technical level.

No wonder he had to sign an agreement beforehand; Ji Xiang's mind cleared, and he calmly accepted the system's arrangement.

He was no longer afraid or terrified, but filled with anticipation.

Soon, "himself" and the System NPC returned from scrubbing in.

Putting on the sterile gown and sterile gloves, "himself" stepped up to the table to disinfect the surgical area.

Ji Xiang felt a chill in the surgical area; although he had tried his best to keep his emotions stable, he was still startled the moment the Iodophor landed on the surgical area.

His five senses seemed to be twisted out of shape; the cold sensation turned into pain, as if the scalpel were cutting into his skin without any Anesthesia.

Ji Xiang remembered the young patient Wang Daxiao had brought him to operate on during the day; at the time, he had thought the patient was being pretentious...

But now that it was his turn to lie on the operating table, the feeling was exactly the same, and the fear surrounding him was even worse than the patient's.

Next... was Anesthesia.

Ji Xiang opened his eyes just a crack, observing the movements of "himself" from a limited angle.

Movements that were originally purely skillful seemed so detestable to Ji Xiang now!

Suddenly, a detail appeared in Ji Xiang's mind—when Wang Daxiao performed Anesthesia on the patient, he used a 10ml Syringe but had switched to a 5ml Syringe needle.

This was a detail; at the time, Ji Xiang had only remembered it by virtue of his talent, but hadn't thought about it carefully.

Now that it was his turn to lie on the operating table, Ji Xiang saw "himself" drawing the diluted anesthetic, his mind clear, and he instantly understood Wang Daxiao's intention.

The choice of the Syringe needle was just a detail, but this detail had extremely significant meaning for the patient.

Just now during the surgery, he hadn't changed the needle; this was an inconspicuous mistake.

But no matter how inconspicuous, it was still a mistake.

The surgery hadn't even started yet, but Ji Xiang was already immersed in the experience, finding the place where he had made a mistake and striving to remember it, never to repeat it again.

The System NPC barely gave his operation a score of 60; what a very lenient score, Ji Xiang thought to himself.

He watched with teary eyes as the 10ml Syringe needle descended, biting his teeth tightly.

The first needle was injected at the base, the position having already appeared in Ji Xiang's mind.

But giving someone an injection and receiving one yourself felt different.

The name of the System Task—You only feel the pain when the knife falls on yourself—vaguely began to flicker, as if mocking Ji Xiang for being a coward.

It really felt different.

Really, really different!!

When performing Anesthesia on the Simulated Human, every time he injected a skin wheal with less than 1ml of diluted anesthetic, Ji Xiang didn't feel it caused any harm to the Simulated Human or the patient.

But when it was his turn, despite it clearly being less than 1ml of liquid, he felt as if "himself" had pushed an entire 10ml tube of anesthetic in!

Although it wasn't very painful, it was extremely uncomfortable; a local sensation of soreness, numbness, swelling, and pain—that feeling was indescribable.

And this was just the Anesthesia; Ji Xiang wanted to cry but had no tears.

No wonder the system gave him compensation; this sensation was truly hard to bear.

After intermittent Anesthesia at the base and waiting for a period of time, "himself" touched it and asked, "Does it hurt?"

"..."

Suddenly, a rather bad feeling descended, as if night had fallen.

Just now, he had given his own head a shot!

Could it be...

Ji Xiang's body was beyond his control, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I can feel it."

Although he tried hard to express his feelings, no sound came out.

The pain and the level of Anesthesia of the Simulated Human were marked with numbers by the machine in the system.

Damn it!

Ji Xiang was nearly on the verge of a breakdown.

Sure enough, "himself" picked up the Syringe and drew another tube of anesthetic.

Looking at the indifferent expression of "himself," if he could move, Ji Xiang would have loved to raise his hand and slap him, even if it were on his own face.

However, Ji Xiang could only feel now.

Is this what it means to be the meat on the chopping block?

Ji Xiang was still young and had not been ground down by society; this was his first time feeling so desperate.

A sharp pain came from his head, and Ji Xiang, who had always prided himself on having a heart as firm as iron, let out a silent scream in his heart.

This thing hurt like hell—it was truly life-threatening, and that is not a figure of speech.

In just an instant, Ji Xiang's vision was filled with stars, sweat broke out on his forehead, and his heart rate accelerated.

If he could make a sound, Ji Xiang was certain that he would be screaming louder and more miserably than the Patient who had watched Wang Daxiao perform the surgery.

But at this moment, it was just the beginning; the real ordeal was yet to come.

As the anesthetic was injected, Ji Xiang was in agony, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

He cursed the System NPC in his heart; he had only wanted to increase the difficulty a little and not just perform boring Circumcision, but who the hell wanted to feel the Patient's pain?

Even though Ji Xiang knew the significance of what was being done at this moment, he kept cursing in his heart.

It hurts like hell!!

It didn't take long for the anesthetic to take effect.

But "not taking long" was from the Doctor's perspective, from the perspective of "himself."

At this moment, Ji Xiang was lying on the operating table, and every second was a pain that made it hard to breathe.

That is not a figure of speech; when the needle pierced his head for Anesthesia, Ji Xiang did not take a single breath, fighting the intense pain with his whole being.

But even though the pain reached his marrow, Ji Xiang still maintained his stubbornness and dignity, holding on and not letting the System NPC stop the surgery.

It's just, it really hurts like hell.

The Anesthesia was finished, and the surgery began.

The Local Infiltration Anesthesia took effect, and there was no pain, but Ji Xiang could feel something touching him.

For a moment, Ji Xiang even suspected that "himself" was using an adze, chisel, axe, and saw to perform the surgery, and that he would surely be ruined after the operation.

The fear of being ruined down there washed over Ji Xiang like a tide, to the point that the tasks on the System Panel didn't seem as flickering or tempting as before.

But Ji Xiang did not move; he lay limp on the operating table as if his bones had been removed, left to be slaughtered.

His mind was a blank; there was no reflection and no extra thoughts.

Ji Xiang just felt it was very noisy and that time was passing too slowly; to describe it as "a day feeling like a year" didn't even quite capture it.

Entering the System Operating Room today for surgical training and successfully mastering Circumcision under the guidance of the System NPC, completing it in ten or twenty minutes, was something worth being proud of for Ji Xiang.

But now he felt that "his own" surgery was still too slow, as slow as a turtle crawling.

End it quickly; if it weren't for a sense of pride in his heart, Ji Xiang would have really wanted to beg the System NPC for mercy.

Can't hold on? No, he had to hold on.

A bizarre and inexplicable experience had finally turned into a battle between Ji Xiang and the System NPC, and between Ji Xiang and himself.

He gritted his teeth, and the sound of his teeth grinding against each other was transmitted through his bones to his eardrums, clearly audible.

"Teacher, it's finished."

Not knowing how much time had passed, Ji Xiang heard the words of "himself" and was suddenly jolted into Spirit.

Finally made it through!

Finally!!

"Not bad, barely a 60."

60?

Damn it, it wouldn't even get a 6!

Ji Xiang had completely changed; in his heart, he silently rebuked the arrogance of "himself" at that time.

End it, Ji Xiang thought.

But the end that Ji Xiang had anticipated did not appear.

A flat cart was pushed in, and Ji Xiang was lifted onto it and sent out of the operating room.

Outside, several classmates joked around, and one hateful, mischievous friend even made a gesture to flick him.

Ji Xiang was dumbfounded; had the simulation not ended yet?

The knife had already fallen on him, he knew the pain, and he had a clear understanding of his own surgery, so why hadn't the simulation ended!

After resting in the Observation Room for two hours, Ji Xiang, supported by his classmates, walked back to the dormitory with an odd gait.

By this time, Ji Xiang could no longer feel the pain; he felt that his surgery had been done well, otherwise he wouldn't have recovered so quickly.

Walking back and forth in the dormitory with an odd posture, Ji Xiang had no obstacles in his movement, and there was no intense post-operative pain in the surgical area, just a vague sense of discomfort.

But it was only discomfort; all of this was within a tolerable range.

Although his movements were normal, Ji Xiang knew that frequent friction would definitely affect the surgical incision, so he obediently lay on the bed and picked up his phone to play games to distract himself.

Time flew by as the army attacked again and again.

Eating, sleeping, and playing games were as comfortable as if he hadn't had surgery, and Ji Xiang felt that his surgery had gone quite well.

But he didn't know how long he had slept before a sharp pain, as if it were physical, sliced through his body. In an instant, Ji Xiang felt as if he had been cut in half by a machete, in unbearable agony.

He woke up from his sleep, feeling the pain surging like a tide from the surgical site.

Damn it!

The Corpus Cavernosum had become engorged during sleep... Ji Xiang was speechless.

He had heard his teachers talk about this in class, but when it happened to him, it became so clear, and it was completely different from listening to a lecture.

Sure enough, if the knife doesn't fall on oneself, one doesn't feel the pain.

Why did it hurt so much? Ji Xiang's first thought was whether the knots of his Interrupted suture would be burst open.

Although he didn't have the proper tools, Ji Xiang still opened the Gauze and performed a Pressure Bandage to check it himself.

It must not be ruined.

After seeing the incision, Ji Xiang let out a long breath; nothing was wrong, he was just being too careful.

He re-bandaged it; without Iodophor for disinfection, Ji Xiang could only make do and wait until dawn to go to the hospital for a formal dressing change.

It wasn't dawn yet, and his roommates were sleeping soundly, but Ji Xiang didn't dare to sleep again.

He was afraid of another engorgement.

Those knots that had been tied with just the right tension were also becoming unreliable.

If it happened again... such a thought appeared in Ji Xiang's mind.

But he didn't know what to do next.

This kind of thing, where success and failure are separated by a thin line, was too fantastical for a rookie like Ji Xiang.

Not to mention Ji Xiang, even an old professor like Wang Daxiao could only vaguely perceive that level; perhaps he would reach it when his performance peaked one day, but even Wang Daxiao couldn't maintain it steadily.

Ji Xiang picked up his phone and habitually started searching online.

After watching for just a few minutes, Ji Xiang was shocked by his own subconscious behavior—looking up medical conditions online, is this something a medical student would actually do?!

So everyone is the same when they reach this point, Ji Xiang sighed deeply in his heart.

But he didn't close the page; instead, he continued to read.

But there was too little nutritious content, so Ji Xiang helplessly closed the page.

In the long night, not daring to sleep, Ji Xiang could only put on his headphones and start scrolling through short videos and mid-length videos on Bilibili.

Are young people's bodies really that good? But he was just watching someone trimming donkey hooves!

Ji Xiang knew this was a rare good time in life, but for the sake of the surgery, it caused great confusion.

Early in the morning, Ji Xiang went to the hospital with dark circles under his eyes to change the dressing.

"Didn't I say to change the dressing in five days?"

Ji Xiang heard "himself" speak in an impatient tone and felt quite helpless.

This was an extremely strange feeling; being impatient with oneself, I'm afraid even science fiction novels don't have many descriptions of this.

"The Gauze fell off," Ji Xiang said calmly.

As a medical student, Ji Xiang was naturally gifted with high Comprehension, so he certainly knew what doctors feared most.

The Pressure Bandage coming off is exactly what a surgeon fears most.

Sure enough, Ji Xiang saw "his own" face look a bit ugly, with tension and anxiety written all over it; at a glance, he looked like a young, inexperienced doctor.

Arriving at the dressing room, after opening the Pressure Bandage, Ji Xiang saw a patch of blue-purple and a swollen ring, and his heart lifted involuntarily.

During his university internship, Ji Xiang worked specifically on changing dressings in the Urology Department.

To be honest, the blue-purple and swelling in front of him were not serious.

But because it was on his own body, Ji Xiang felt again and again that it was about to be ruined!

Epinephrine began to secrete crazily in his body, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

"The incision is fine, don't be nervous."

"Himself" comforted him, and Ji Xiang looked on with a mournful face as "himself" changed his dressing.

When the Gauze was completely unwrapped, the moment "himself" stared at the surgical site and even used a hand to support it, that feeling... it couldn't be called strange, it was quite peculiar.

Just seeing the edema and blue-purple, Ji Xiang's heart rate began to rise under the influence of various hormones; his heart was pounding wildly, each beat hitting his throat, as if it were about to jump out the next second.

But before Ji Xiang could experience more emotions, the scene flashed.

"Vital signs are changing; the Empathy ends here. Get up."

The System NPC's voice came, Ji Xiang's eyes blurred, the scene shifted, and he suddenly returned to the System Operating Room.

(End of chapter)