Chapter 665: Mo Chenggui's Tattered Down Jacket

Liu Zhuren's expression was dim; he sighed inwardly, then turned his head to stare intently at Ji Xiang.

Mo was likely suffering from Cancer, the kind that caused hemoptysis; how many years he could live was uncertain.

Right now, this matter was the biggest hurdle Ji Xiang had ever encountered.

Whether he could get past it depended on Ji Xiang himself.

Since he had spoken up, the difficulty for Ji Xiang to clear this hurdle had suddenly increased, and it was likely he would take a massive tumble.

Ji Xiang's expression was solemn, a glow seemingly radiating from between his brows as he stared intently at the reconstructed images of the 64-slice enhanced CT.

This child, he still isn't resigned to it, Liu Zhuren thought.

Doctors must be objective. But doctors are human, and it is absolutely impossible to remain objective at every moment.

Especially when it involves one's own friends and family, one will always think of "what ifs," assumptions, possibilities, and so on.

Ji Xiang was now committing a major taboo!

"Xiao Ji, what did I tell you just now? No matter what you see, do not speak," Liu Zhuren said softly.

He was also worried that if Ji Xiang's stubborn temper flared up, he might just trip himself up in front of everyone.

If he couldn't step down from the stage, and he himself couldn't do anything to Ji Xiang, how awkward that would be.

"Zhuren, but I really don't think it's Cancer," Ji Xiang said, bowing his head, his posture extremely low as he explained gently.

Liu Zhuren was slightly satisfied.

At least Ji Xiang hadn't lost his reason and maintained a humble attitude toward him.

"I also don't think it's Cancer; I suggest doing a PET-CT."

Liu Zhuren had just been somewhat satisfied when he was startled by Lin Jiuze.

But infinite doubt immediately welled up in Liu Zhuren's heart.

If it were said that Ji Xiang wasn't being fair or objective, it would be excusable; after all, when Ji Xiang first came to the Second Affiliated Hospital, he was personally mentored by Mo Chenggui and Wang Daxiao, and their relationship was very good and harmonious.

His teacher had Cancer, and it might be very serious; it was excusable for Ji Xiang to lose his objectivity.

But Lin Jiuze didn't know Mo Chenggui at all, at most they were nodding acquaintances, so how could he say such a thing!

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" the CT Room director said sternly, pointing at the film on the computer. "There is currently a 99% probability that it is a Malignant Tumor; any doctor who knows a little bit about imaging would reach this conclusion."

"If it isn't a Malignant Tumor, is it Tuberculosis? Is it Pneumonia? Or an Inflammatory Pseudotumor?"

"Bullshit."

As the CT Room director spoke, he finally used a reprimanding tone.

He glanced sideways at Lin Jiuze, and suddenly his brain felt dizzy; he didn't know when his eyes had become cross-eyed.

"Tumor Markers don't rise 100% of the time; many Tumor patients have normal Tumor Markers. You cannot rule out Lung Cancer just because the Tumor Markers are normal."

"The Blood Routine shows the White Blood Cell Count is also on the high side; it might be Pneumonia, Lung Abscess, etc., but a typical Lung Abscess isn't like this. A typical Lung Abscess would have high fever, a very high White Blood Cell Count, and the Patient would cough up a lot of purulent sputum, and so on."

Lin Jiuze said this bit by bit, performing a Differential Diagnosis in front of everyone.

Yet every point he made brought the confirmed diagnosis closer and closer to a Malignant Tumor.

Everyone was somewhat confused.

"The most common symptom of typical Tuberculosis is hemoptysis, as well as fever, fatigue, night sweats, and so on. The Patient has had a low-grade fever for the few days they have been hospitalized; one really cannot easily rule out the possibility of Tuberculosis. However, the Chest CT doesn't look like Tuberculosis, so that point can also be ruled out."

"Lin," Liu Zhuren said, enduring waves of dizziness, "what exactly are you trying to say?"

"I am highly certain the Patient does not have Lung Cancer, but I cannot yet say for sure what the specific diagnosis is."

"..."

"..."

The crowd was speechless.

What was Lin Jiuze playing at!

"I think everyone's attention is perhaps focused on the Tumor. The Patient self-reported a recent low-grade fever; they did not measure their temperature themselves before hospitalization, and their temperature was 37.5 degrees Celsius upon admission."

"Assume—I say assume, because the Patient hadn't measured their temperature before—assume the Patient has had a prolonged fever, the causes are generally a few types: infection, Tumor, AIDS."

"!!!"

"HIV is negative," Liu Zhuren said, very displeased.

If it weren't for the fact that he felt dizzy whenever he looked at Lin Jiuze, Liu Zhuren would definitely have glared at him to express his anger.

People who return from the United States are just unscrupulous.

"The remaining high-probability causes are infection and Tumor; there is also a very small probability of some rare rheumatological and immunological diseases, which we will not consider for the time being."

"For the rest, we must continue to..."

Lin Jiuze was speaking incessantly about his Differential Diagnosis and understanding of Mo Chenggui's illness, but before he could finish, a voice came.

"The down jacket Mo Laoshi is wearing."

"..."

"..."

Everyone, including Lin Jiuze, was stunned.

What did Mo Laoshi wearing a down jacket mean?

Liu Zhuren looked at Ji Xiang with deep worry; he raised his hand and patted Ji Xiang. "Xiao Ji, I know you are very sad. How about this: you go rest for a while first. I'll handle things here; don't worry."

After finishing, Liu Zhuren felt it wasn't enough, so he continued, "I value the opinions of you and Lin very much, so let's first invite Lu Zhuren for a consultation to screen for diseases in the Rheumatology and Immunology Department."

"That should be fine, right? You go rest first."

"Zhuren, that's not what I meant," Ji Xiang said softly. "I saw a down jacket in Mo Laoshi's ward; it's already worn to shreds."

Liu Zhuren's heart felt as if it had been grabbed by an invisible hand, tightening abruptly.

Xiao Ji was very sad; he just hadn't shown it yet, keeping it deeply hidden in the bottom of his heart.

While everyone else was focused on the Malignant Tumor, Xiao Ji had already begun to notice the down jacket Mo was wearing.

Sigh...

Actually, Mo earns quite a lot; he's just stingy.

Liu Zhuren thought to himself, feeling slightly saddened.

Ji Xiang's words caught the attention of Lin Jiuze, and his mind stirred slightly, "Down jacket? Bird Allergy?"

Without waiting for anyone else to ask, Lin Jiuze said to himself, "Bird Allergy mainly manifests as skin itching, and sometimes eczema-like changes such as erythema and papules appear.

Skin allergies belong to a type of Metamorphic Reaction; after an allergen enters the body, it prompts the body to produce corresponding antibodies, triggering an antigen-antibody reaction, manifesting as erythema, papules, wheals, and accompanied by stinging, burning, prickling, and tightness sensations."

"There is a very rare probability that Bird Allergy can lead to Interstitial Pneumonia."

"But the Patient's Enhanced CT does not show Interstitial Pneumonia."

His rapid-fire words left everyone stunned, and only Ji Xiang said, "There are exceptions to everything; I think it would be better to do a PET-CT or a Puncture Biopsy first."

Liu Zhuren listened blankly.

Bird Allergy—he had never heard of this diagnosis before.

But Lin Jiuze's theoretical knowledge was countless times richer than his own; as soon as Ji Xiang spoke, he "muttered to himself" a whole bunch of things, explaining Bird Allergy clearly.

Perhaps...

It seems...

Possibly...

Is it like this?

His originally firm heart wavered slightly, and Liu Zhuren, full of suspicion, re-examined the scans.

(End of this chapter)