Chapter 779: Future Cyberpunk

"Go chat with the Old Man for a bit." Ji Xiang patted Lin Jiuze on the shoulder. "When you have time, go home and visit more often; your father is quite interesting."

"Heh." Lin Jiuze's face was gloomy as he let out a cold laugh.

"It's just paying for a foot bath. You're a dignified professor from Massachusetts; are you worried the old man will wash you into poverty?"

"It has absolutely nothing to do with spending money."

"Sigh, look on the bright side, he's at such an old age now." Ji Xiang comforted him. "The elderly just want a bit of fun; it's good to talk to him. By the way, did your father work on ternary computers when he was young?"

"Mm."

"If that's the case, it's truly a pity."

Lin Jiuze had some things he wanted to say, but he hesitated and didn't let them out.

Ji Xiang also sensed what Lin Jiuze was about to say, but he didn't ask either, returning to the hotel to wash up and rest.

Lying on the hotel bed, Ji Xiang held his breath and focused, arriving at the System Space.

After greeting the System NPC, Ji Xiang told the System NPC everything Lin Jiuze's father had said today.

Especially the part where Lin Jiuze's father said they were the last few generations of doctors; Ji Xiang definitely had to get to the bottom of this.

The System NPC's expression was indifferent. "Oh, we are walking on two different paths. You know, a country cannot bet all its resources on a single path. After all, if one researcher studies in the wrong direction, it's just an individual problem; if a country goes in the wrong direction, that's a problem for over a billion people."

Ji Xiang's expression shifted slightly.

"Doctors will be replaced sooner or later. He is right about that, though the description of 'three or four generations' is slightly off." The System NPC gave Ji Xiang a definitive answer.

"Teacher, what exactly do you mean by the different paths you mentioned?"

"Heh." The System NPC smiled without answering, but in an instant, he asked with a beaming smile, "Doctor Xiao Ji, your technical level is getting higher and higher. In the future, if artificial intelligence can do better than you, will you use the resources in your hands to do everything in your power to stop the emergence of artificial intelligence?"

"Ah?"

Ji Xiang didn't understand.

"Once artificial intelligence exists, your importance will inevitably decline." The System NPC looked at Ji Xiang and calmly stated a fact.

"From being pivotal and welcomed by everyone to being forgotten once you leave, many retired leaders cannot handle this change; it is even common for people to fall ill because of it."

"I don't think so." Ji Xiang knew the topic was serious; he didn't smile, but said very earnestly.

"Heh, that's not necessarily true." The System NPC looked at Ji Xiang with a smile. "People always grow old, and the youth who once fought the evil dragon will sooner or later turn into that evil dragon."

"Teacher, let me ask something I shouldn't—what about you?" Ji Xiang was a bit unconvinced and asked with a hint of sharpness.

"Heh." The System NPC wasn't angry; instead, he looked at Ji Xiang and smiled kindly.

Ji Xiang also knew he had been sharp and pulled the topic back. "Teacher, what is the future of medicine like?"

The System NPC asked, "Do you want to try it?"

"Uh..." Ji Xiang hesitated, then looked up with curiosity. "Teacher, can there really be no doctors in the future? I always feel that cold machines cannot replace us."

The System NPC smiled without answering.

"Teacher, are there really no doctors left in your era?"

"There are." The System NPC said, "But it is already worlds apart from the work of today."

"Teacher, I want to go see!" Ji Xiang was even more interested in this.

"Actually, it's quite boring, just as you said—the machines are cold."

Ji Xiang was silent, just looking at the System NPC with eager eyes.

"Go take a look then." The System NPC understood Ji Xiang's meaning; he smiled slightly and slowly led Ji Xiang to the Operating Room next door.

"As for me, I truly miss the era when there were doctors."

"Why, Teacher?"

The System NPC didn't answer Ji Xiang's question; he continued to ramble on, like an elderly person.

"But there were many benefits back then, too. You'll know once you go see."

Light flickered, and a familiar voice suddenly appeared in Ji Xiang's ear.

"Xiao Ji, hold on, don't you dare fall asleep! Wake up, damn it, wake up right now!!"

It was Shen Lang!

At the same time, a sharp pain came from his left leg.

"Damn it!" Ji Xiang cursed.

"Your phone is still there, while you're still conscious, hurry up and wipe it!" Shen Lang handed over the phone and said urgently.

Ji Xiang was speechless.

"Hurry up! The ambulance will be here soon."

"Lang Ge... there's nothing shameful on my phone." Ji Xiang said, enduring the pain.

"Stop talking nonsense, who dares to let people see their phone." Shen Lang rambled on while grabbing Ji Xiang's hand and shoving the phone into it.

"Lang Ge, I'm really fine." Ji Xiang gave a bitter smile, his words only half-finished.

"Don't you fall asleep!" Shen Lang tore open Ji Xiang's shirt and lowered his head to listen to Ji Xiang's bilateral breath sounds. "It's nothing major, just chat with me. There's nothing here right now, no way to perform emergency rescue, so you must not fall asleep."

"Lang Ge, I'll be fine." Ji Xiang felt a sense of closeness to Shen Lang and comforted him in return.

"I know, back in the day I even survived rabies, this is nothing." As Shen Lang spoke, he suddenly picked up the Jade Pendant that had fallen on the ground.

"Damn, Xiao Ji, this thing is broken." Ji Xiang was stunned for a moment, remembering the origin of this item.

One day, a monk came to the Pediatrics department to beg for alms, and Shen Lang told him to recite the Diamond Sutra; if he could recite it, he'd give him money.

But Ji Xiang found it tedious, so he spent 100 yuan to buy a Jade Pendant.

The monk claimed it had been blessed; Ji Xiang knew it was fake, but he had worn it ever since.

"Look at that, what did I tell you? This thing blocked a blow for you." Shen Lang said.

"Lang Ge, at the time you seemed to say this thing was completely useless." Ji Xiang had nothing to say about Shen Lang's fickle style.

"Can't I have been wrong?" Shen Lang didn't care and continued to ramble with Ji Xiang. "I heard from Cong Wen that this stuff costs 400 yuan a ton over in Yiwu. Tell me, how long can you wear that?"

"A one-off deal," Ji Xiang said with a smile. "If we both end up unemployed, Lang Ge, you can take me to sell Jade Pendants."

Huh? Why did he say unemployed?

Just as Ji Xiang was about to recall, a sharp pain interrupted his train of thought.

"I've actually studied this," Shen Lang chuckled. "What you're selling with this stuff is just psychological expectation."

"What?"

"The quality is super poor, otherwise it wouldn't be sold by the ton. It's bound to break in a year or two, and you just can't sell high-quality ones."

"Why?" Ji Xiang saw a glint in Shen Lang's eyes.

"Breaking once a year, that's blocking a disaster for you. Don't you think you'd have to buy... ask for another one?" Shen Lang laughed. "This is a long-term business; what you're selling is peace of mind."

"Tch." Ji Xiang felt extreme disdain for Shen Lang's nonsense.

"Cheer up, why do you look so wilted?" Shen Lang patted Ji Xiang's shoulder hard.

"I'm fine, I just can't catch my breath after you patted me twice, probably... cough, cough, cough~" Ji Xiang began to cough.

"I checked, no rib fractures. You're a grown man, why are you so delicate?" Shen Lang said. "Hang in there, your luck is considered good today."

Looking at the twisted and deformed car not far away, Ji Xiang also felt fear.

"You're not married yet, you should think more about romantic moments, think about sweet nothings."

"Lang Ge, look at you saying that, aren't you unmarried too?"

"If I got married I'd just have to get divorced, so I'd rather not marry at all; that counts as getting it right in one go." Shen Lang said these improper words while looking into the distance.

An Emergency Vehicle, taller than in Ji Xiang's memory, came rushing over with an "Awoo, awoo, awoo" sound.

Ji Xiang even felt like this vehicle had no wheels.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Ji Xiang's current position did not allow him to examine the structure of the Emergency Vehicle closely.

Shen Lang let out a long breath.

"Lang Ge, why does this vehicle look so big?" Ji Xiang asked in confusion.

But as the Emergency Vehicle rushed over, the snake-coiled-around-a-sword emblem on it became clearly visible; he hadn't seen wrong.

"Are you really dazed from the crash?" Shen Lang's hand rested on Ji Xiang's radial artery. "Blood pressure is fine, we'll talk once we're on board."

The Emergency Vehicle stopped with almost a drift less than 5 meters in front of Ji Xiang.

The door opened, and two... two... stiff robots walked down from the vehicle.

Truly sci-fi!

Ji Xiang suddenly remembered the topic of unemployment from earlier; it seemed to have something to do with them.

Although the robots looked clumsy, their movements were actually extremely rapid; they had no human perception, nor joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness, and after getting off, they immediately began measuring blood pressure and performing a physical examination.

After the check revealed no spinal injuries and diagnosed a Femoral Shaft Fracture, they lifted Ji Xiang onto a stretcher.

It was different; it was indeed different from what he imagined and from reality.

The robots lifted the stretcher more steadily; he didn't even feel any vibration when boarding or when the stretcher moved on its rollers.

This thing is good! Ji Xiang thought.

The joy and delight of seeing something novel suddenly made Ji Xiang forget the pain.

He estimated he weighed about 180 jin now; if it were the medical staff and stretcher-bearers jumping off a real-world Emergency Vehicle, it would take 3-4 people to get him on.

And it wouldn't necessarily... it certainly wouldn't be steady, and he would suffer a bit.

The robots couldn't be called infinitely strong, but they were enough to lift him, and they had energy to spare, with absolutely no vibration to pull at his wounds.

In Ji Xiang's memory, border guards and delivery riders had just started using Exoskeletons, Mechanical Power Arms, and the like.

Just as he was thinking this, Ji Xiang's train of thought was suddenly interrupted.

In Ji Xiang's understanding, an Emergency Vehicle was just a simple ambulance, but as he lay on the stretcher, an arc-shaped metal object suddenly enveloped him.

Visible to the naked eye, a light ring was flashing inside the arc-shaped metal object.

"Lang Ge, what the hell is this!" Ji Xiang shouted.

"Is there something wrong with your brain too?" Shen Lang asked in confusion, but he only muttered that to himself before shouting loudly for Ji Xiang to stay quiet, and in the meantime, Shen Lang put on Lead Clothing.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz~"

The buzzing sound rang out.

Ji Xiang couldn't see the images outside, but Shen Lang could; he comforted Ji Xiang, "It's fine, systolic pressure is 90, looking at it now it's just a simple Femoral Shaft Fracture, just go to the hospital for surgery."

"What is this thing?" Ji Xiang asked subconsciously, then immediately found the relevant memory in his mind.

It turned out that modern Emergency Rescue now performs examinations directly on the Emergency Vehicle based on AI's autonomous judgment.

Miniaturized CT and other imaging devices could diagnose the vast majority of emergency traumas with high probability.

None of this required the presence of a human Doctor; as long as a Family Member was there to soothe the patient's emotions, that was enough.

The next second, Ji Xiang felt his arm being bound, followed by a slight stinging sensation.

Uh...

The machine had already begun establishing Intravenous Access and drawing blood.

The most critical thing was that the blood sample wasn't being stored to be sent to the Laboratory Department at the hospital for testing; Ji Xiang saw the machine's lights flashing, which should mean it was currently analyzing it.

Sure enough, in less than 1 minute, Shen Lang said, "Hemoglobin is fine, no need for a Blood Transfusion for now, and other tests are fine too. See, your Lang Ge's basic skills are still there, I told you you were perfectly fine."

Ji Xiang was somewhat stunned; he hadn't expected his emergency examination to be completed before even reaching the hospital.

This speed!

It lived up to being future medicine.

Looking around, Ji Xiang saw oxygen and even equipment like an Anesthesia Machine.

It's just that they looked a bit different from what was in his memory.

Soon, the Emergency Vehicle stopped steadily, and Shen Lang didn't step up to help; he just stayed by Ji Xiang's side, soothing his emotions.

The stretcher lowered, the wheels underneath popped out, it turned directly into a flatbed cart, and it "drove" toward the Emergency Department on automatic pilot.

What the hell!

Ji Xiang felt like he was cargo.

A flatbed cart "drove" out from the Emergency Department and brushed past Ji Xiang.

It was just that the patient had no family member accompanying them, so they were likely a "John Doe."

The flatbed cart did not go to the Emergency Rescue Room as Ji Xiang had "guessed," but instead arrived at the operating room.

Up until this point, Ji Xiang hadn't encountered a single Doctor or Nurse; the whole process felt like it was haunted.

"Lang Ge, where are the people?" Ji Xiang asked.

"People? What people?"

"The doctors, the nurses, where did they all go? Why is it so quiet here? Are you pranking me?"

"Is there something wrong with your brain?" Shen Lang muttered to himself in surprise. He then turned to find a machine, pulled up the Head CT images, looked at them repeatedly for over ten seconds, and then carefully examined the diagnostic opinion provided by the Intelligent System.

"Everything is fine, why are you talking nonsense?" Shen Lang asked, puzzled.

Ji Xiang's heart was a bit chaotic; he vaguely remembered that in this era, only a very small number of doctors existed, and they weren't called doctors, but were similar to Engineers who performed maintenance and upgrades.

There was no sound in the operating room, and many items were sliding along the Magnetic Levitation Guide Rail, as if it were haunted.

Ji Xiang could "hear" a buzzing sound in his ears; although he knew it was all an illusion, a place with no sound was just too bizarre, and Ji Xiang found it hard to accept for the moment.

"Xiao Ji, you just have a Femoral Shaft Fracture, it's nothing, you'll be discharged soon after the surgery," Shen Lang comforted him.

"Lang Ge, who is performing the surgery on me?"

Shen Lang looked at Ji Xiang as if he were an idiot and reached out to touch his head.

"No fever, so it shouldn't be a problem with the Intelligent System," Shen Lang then said self-deprecatingly, "For so many years, there have only been 3 suspected cases of the Intelligent System malfunctioning; its diagnosis and misdiagnosis rates are much more stable than ours... than human doctors."

Ji Xiang was somewhat dazed.

He then saw a bag of Fresh Frozen Plasma "slide" over along the Magnetic Levitation Guide Rail.

A robotic arm installed the Fresh Frozen Plasma, and at the same time, the Red Blood Cell Suspension slid over as well.

The entire rescue process was operating in silence; Ji Xiang felt like he was dreaming.

"Lang Ge."

"Hmm, what is it, Xiao Ji?"

"Tell me a story." Ji Xiang stopped asking questions and instead slowly asked Shen Lang to tell him a story.

As he spoke, Ji Xiang carefully watched the rescue process.

The room was likely an integrated machine, and his vital signs and the like were definitely all in the host computer, which provided various treatments based on changes in his vital signs.

Treatments included but were not limited to Blood Transfusion, intravenous drips, monitoring vital signs, and preparing for surgery.

"Don't let your imagination run wild," Shen Lang laughed, "Since you're already at the hospital, I'm not afraid of you sleeping. Xiao Ji, why don't you sleep for a while?"

Ji Xiang widened his eyes and shook his head; ten-plus minutes later, a voice came from the intercom.

It wasn't a cold, mechanical female voice, but the gentle voice of a Nurse; this must be the person controlling things from behind the scenes, Ji Xiang guessed.

That person told Shen Lang through the loudspeaker to prepare for surgery and requested that the Family Member leave.

"I'm going to go sign some papers and then come back to stay with you."

"Sign what papers?"

Shen Lang didn't answer Ji Xiang's question; he turned and left in a hurry.

Of course it was the pre-operative consent form; Ji Xiang cursed himself for being so stupid.

But was Shen Lang qualified to sign? He and Ji Xiang were supposed to be colleagues, so even if he signed, it probably wouldn't have any legal effect.

Ji Xiang was very confused.

But before Shen Lang had even walked out, the machine began to sterilize, and Ji Xiang felt a needle-like pain in his back.

"Anesthesia is in progress, please bear with it."

That woman was still speaking.

It was a continuous epidural, not general Anesthesia, Ji Xiang judged.

Moreover, there was no need to position the body for the Anesthesia; by arching the back to open the gaps between the vertebrae, it allowed the anesthesiologist to perform the puncture more simply and easily.

The Intelligent System seemed to have X-ray vision, "seeing through" his body structure at a glance.

After the slight pain, Ji Xiang didn't feel too uncomfortable, and as the anesthetic took effect, the pain from the Femoral Shaft Fracture had already eased or even disappeared.

Ji Xiang had experienced the Empathy of the pain of a Clavicle Fracture.

He clearly remembered how desperate he felt when he was sitting on an extra bed in the hallway, not daring to move while waiting for surgery.

Although the pain was tolerable when not moving, the bone-deep pain when he had to ask someone for a power bank because his phone was dead was truly unbearable for Ji Xiang.

He wanted surgery but couldn't get it; it was said that there were more critical rescues in the operating room upstairs—a Clavicle Fracture?

To a doctor, it was completely non-existent; one could even just wear a Clavicle Strap and recover on their own in a few days.

Back to the present, although he hadn't seen a single Doctor or Nurse, the rescue process was methodical, and from a doctor's perspective, he couldn't find any problems at all.

The diagnosis and such had already been concluded on the 120 Emergency Vehicle.

How should he put it? Ji Xiang felt that apart from the coldness, there were no other sensations.

Right!

No sensations!

Ji Xiang suddenly realized this point; he was stunned to notice that his pain seemed to have started to subside after he got on the 120 Emergency Vehicle.

As for when the Intelligent System had administered the pain medication to him, Ji Xiang had no idea at all!

Why would it be like this!

The education Ji Xiang received clearly pointed out—use pain medication with caution for trauma patients.

He had also seen patients rolling around in pain, crying for their parents, while the doctor dared not give any painkillers for fear that symptoms would be masked and go unnoticed, leading to the patient's death.

But the Intelligent System is not afraid.

It is likely that when the patient was loaded onto the Emergency Vehicle and started an IV, the fluid contained analgesics to alleviate the pain caused by the Femoral Shaft Fracture.

Ji Xiang let out a breath.

It's fucking advanced!

Compared to the medical industry he worked in, this cold atmosphere before his eyes is just like Cyberpunk 2077.

But it absolutely lacks that decaying, wasteland background; all that exists is professionalism and indifference.

"Anesthesia complete. Please lie still, Mr. Ji Xiang. The surgery will begin in 1′12″ and end in 32′22″."

Ji Xiang took a deep breath, letting himself calm down.

"I'm here," Shen Lang's voice came over.

He changed into sterile scrubs and hurried into the operating room.

Following Shen Lang's entry, the operating room door closed.

For an instant, Ji Xiang thought of the System Operating Room; it seemed some of the structures were similar.

"Lang Ge, can you sign for my surgery? Does it not require an immediate family member?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Geez, are you role-playing?" Shen Lang looked at Ji Xiang with some pity. "Xiao Ji, we both miss the days when we were doctors, but this damn thing is truly useful. Don't be obsessed."

"……" Ji Xiang was stunned for a moment.

"I'll go sign and request to accompany you in the operating room. Because I have a Surgeon's practicing certificate, it's allowed," Shen Lang smiled. "Don't worry, I definitely won't pass out."

"Do many people pass out?" Ji Xiang asked.

Shen Lang thought Ji Xiang was role-playing because he was injured, so Shen Lang's tolerance for Ji Xiang was extremely high.

He watched with a smile as the robotic arm performed disinfection on Ji Xiang, chatting with Ji Xiang with his hands behind his back. "At the very beginning, when Family Members came in, some would vomit in the operating room, others would be scared into a Myocardial Infarction, and the most ridiculous one was a Family Member who wanted to fight the Intelligent System to rescue their relative."

"So that's why a Surgeon's practicing certificate is required?"

"Yeah, why else?" Shen Lang shrugged. "Don't you worry, the surgery will start soon."

The sterile drape blocked Ji Xiang's line of sight.

This point seemed no different from "the past."

"Is the surgeon also the Intelligent System?"

"Why else?" Shen Lang smiled with disdain. "Stop acting so innocent!"

"……"

"Doctors have surgical error rates, get tired, and have uneven skill levels. But these shortcomings simply do not exist for the Intelligent System."

"They are forever cold, forever calm, forever indifferent."

Speaking of this, Shen Lang seemed to recall a joke, and he laughed out loud. "Xiao Ji, when I was in school, our history teacher gave us a lecture, and the teacher shocked me with a single sentence at the very beginning."

"What sentence?"

"History is just the names of dead people."

"!!!"

Ji Xiang was stunned for a moment.

The way this was said, at first glance, seemed a bit improper, just like Shen Lang himself.

But upon careful reflection, the more he thought about it, the more profound it felt.

Ji Xiang was shocked by this seemingly cynical structuralism, and ripples stirred deep within his calm heart.

"Impressive, right? At the time, I almost listened to the rest of the class on my knees."

"It is very impressive!" Ji Xiang remarked.

"But later, the teacher brought up this sentence again, and I listened carefully; this time I understood. The teacher said that history is what makes people wise."

"!!!"

"Back then I thought, when you hear a sentence, regardless of whether there is a problem with it, as long as it is shocking and unique enough, you treat it as a golden rule.

Is this the root cause of 【forever teary-eyed, forever being deceived, forever failing to learn a lesson】?"

"Hahaha, you're right, aren't you?"

(End of this chapter)