Chapter 785: The Righteous Knight and the Great Demon King

"That's all for today's lecture; there are some things you really should have understood back in university." A hint of acrimony appeared on Lin Jiuze's stiff face as he smiled and said to Dr. Merz, "I hope you'll be prepared, because you should know that during a damn surgery, I might not give you any further explanations."

"After all, it is surgery, and you are also a surgeon. You know clearly that when performing surgery, especially high-level surgeries that you cannot reach, I cannot be distracted. As for how much you can learn, that depends on yourself."

Dr. Merz was furious, but even with his anger burning, he was unwilling to look at Lin Jiuze any longer.

Looking at this dog of a man for too long made him dizzy.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ji Xiang. This young surgeon had already been mythologized at Massachusetts General Hospital, but Ji Xiang was very relaxed right now, reading... reading... an ordinary textbook.

A thought stirred in Dr. Merz's heart.

Surgeons rely on talent.

So-called talent is rarely quantifiable; this is a result of the limitations of existing science.

Just like how people who work out can take steroids, which can cause the nuclei in certain muscle cells to multiply rapidly within 4-8 weeks; this has a very obvious effect on muscle growth.

Therefore, countless fitness enthusiasts and professional athletes ignore the side effects of steroids.

But there are those gifted individuals whose muscles naturally have more nuclei than the average person; this is what is called talent.

Ji Xiang must be that kind of highly gifted surgeon, which is why he could successfully complete such mind-boggling surgeries.

Whether it was Neymar or Zhao Dali, the results presented on the football pitch confirmed this point.

However!

That young doctor named Ji Xiang was young after all, and neither his foundational theory nor his mindset was stable enough.

Talent, foundation—these words appeared in Dr. Merz's mind; it seemed he should start from this young doctor's weaknesses.

Dr. Merz ignored Lin Jiuze's sarcasm and mental attacks; he stood up and came to Ji Xiang's side.

Ji Xiang was reading "Urology Department," and Dr. Merz determined at a glance that it was just a basic textbook.

Exactly as he had guessed!

This kind of young person is arrogant, full of talent, and still constantly trying to make up for their foundational flaws.

But they are sensitive, irritable, and have countless shortcomings.

To shake this young man's heart before the surgery, to make him hesitate, waver, or even give up—a thought rose in Dr. Merz's heart.

This was the ultimate answer to defeating an opponent.

As for Lin Jiuze's claim that he could teach him how to perform surgery on the operating table, Dr. Merz didn't believe a word of it.

"Dr. Ji Xiang, hello, I am Dr. Merz from Massachusetts General Hospital." Dr. Merz introduced himself to Ji Xiang seriously for the first time.

"Got it." Seeing that Dr. Merz was serious, Ji Xiang stood up, shook his hand, and then sat back down to read.

Truly lacking in manners, Dr. Merz thought to himself, but he didn't rush to do anything; instead, he watched Ji Xiang.

Generally, when someone is being watched, they feel uncomfortable regardless of what they are doing.

But this young man was different; he was reading the textbook very seriously. Dr. Merz even felt that he was memorizing every word in the textbook. As for himself standing to the side, Dr. Merz felt that this young doctor hadn't noticed him at all.

No one disturbed Ji Xiang or Dr. Merz; time flew by, and soon it was time to get off work.

Lin Jiuze wanted to take Dr. Merz back, but was refused by Dr. Merz.

Regarding Dr. Merz's attitude, Lin Jiuze only cast a suggestive look.

Dr. Merz was worried that Lin Jiuze wouldn't let him interact with Ji Xiang, but fortunately, Lin Jiuze said nothing.

Ji Xiang glanced at the time, closed his book, and turned to change his clothes.

"Dr. Merz, aren't you going back to rest? Is the jet lag really okay? Every time my father goes abroad and comes back, it takes him 3-4 days to adjust to the jet lag; it's really a troublesome thing." Ji Xiang came out wearing casual clothes and asked.

"Dr. Ji Xiang, your surgical completion rate is extremely high; it has already become a myth in our hospital's Sports Medicine department. I want to follow you and see, to see the daily life of such a young man kissed by God."

Ji Xiang only listened to the gist, knowing Dr. Merz's intention; he treated all other flattery as air.

This skill was learned in the System Operating Room.

Every time the system NPC instilled something, Ji Xiang did exactly this.

"I'm going to the Emergency Department; Meng Laoshi is on duty today." Ji Xiang raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Do you have time? I usually don't leave the Emergency Department until very late."

"That would be truly wonderful!" Dr. Merz said happily.

Ji Xiang had no intention of interacting with Dr. Merz; he strode toward the Emergency Department.

The New Year was approaching, yet there was not the slightest atmosphere of the New Year in the Emergency Department.

As usual, there was a cold wind in the hallway, and doctors and nurses wearing down vests with the Second Affiliated Hospital logo were busy.

Meng Qingfei looked up, saw Ji Xiang, and tossed the keys over.

Helping Meng Qingfei write orders and perform suturing, it wasn't until 7:00 PM that the first peak period was finally overcome.

Seeing that there were no more patients outside, Meng Qingfei breathed a temporary sigh of relief.

"Xiao Ji, I heard an NBA star is coming for surgery? Is that true?"

"Ha, Meng Laoshi, you already know. Wembanyama is coming; do you want his signed jersey or a basketball?"

"No need. It's a hospital; gossip spreads fast." Meng Qingfei smiled, then saw Dr. Merz.

"This is..."

"A doctor from the Sports Medicine department at Massachusetts General Hospital, here to learn surgery." Ji Xiang introduced him very casually.

"..." Meng Qingfei hesitated for a moment.

He found it hard to connect Massachusetts General Hospital with coming to the Second Affiliated Hospital to learn.

"Meng Laoshi, do you get time off for the New Year?" Ji Xiang asked.

Meng Qingfei looked at Ji Xiang as if he were looking at a monster.

Ji Xiang felt a bit embarrassed.

"I mean, on New Year's Eve, is it your shift?" Ji Xiang hurriedly tried to make up for it.

In the Emergency Department, there are no days off; whoever is on the rotation is on duty. Anyway, every position is filled; it's impossible for the hospital to have no one on duty.

Ji Xiang felt a bit strange; why did he ask such a stupid question?

In an instant, Ji Xiang thought of the hospital he had gone to when he fractured a bone in his Empathy.

There were absolutely no medical staff; the entire process was handled by an Intelligent System, including surgery, IV drips, Blood Transfusion, and so on.

Although it was only a fleeting glimpse, that kind of future hospital had left an indelible impression in Ji Xiang's heart, though he didn't know when.

"I'm on the twenty-ninth shift this year!" Meng Qingfei's face glowed as he spoke of this.

Starting his time off after the night shift on New Year's Eve, almost without missing the New Year, was indeed something worth being happy about.

"Xiao Ji, this..." After Meng Qingfei finished speaking, he felt it was a bit awkward for Dr. Merz to be standing to the side, so he asked Ji Xiang.

"He wants to follow me to see my daily life." Ji Xiang was also quite helpless.

"Sit down." Meng Qingfei was relatively easygoing; he smiled and took out his phone to start ordering food.

"This doctor is named Merz, right? Xiao Ji, ask him what he wants to eat. My English is 'mute English'; my spoken language is almost zero, so I won't make a fool of myself."

Ji Xiang exchanged a few words with Dr. Merz, then said to Meng Qingfei, "Dumplings will do, any filling is fine; Dr. Merz isn't picky."

Meng Qingfei didn't dawdle and started ordering.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

A young woman stood at the doorway with a look of trepidation on her face. The door was open, and she knocked, drawing the attention of the few people in the room.

"What's wrong?" Meng Qingfei glanced over, felt she wasn't a patient for the Surgery Department, and asked casually while using his phone to order food.

"I have a severe headache, and there are too many people in the Internal Medicine Department. Could you please trouble yourself to write me an order for a CT scan?"

"Xiao Ji, you go."

Meng Qingfei beckoned to Ji Xiang.

Ji Xiang sat in front of the computer opposite Meng Qingfei, asked the Patient for her medical card, and began to write the order for her.

After finishing the order and collecting the fees, Ji Xiang handed the receipt to the Patient and asked if she knew where to go.

The Patient knew, and after forcing a smile at Ji Xiang, she left.

It was easy to see that the Patient was very uncomfortable.

However, it was just a headache; neurological pain, primarily Trigeminal Neuralgia, was the most likely cause.

It was very troublesome to treat, and there were very few full recoveries.

Ji Xiang did not give the Patient any extra sympathy; helping her by writing the order early so she could get the examination done was already the extent of what Ji Xiang could do.

After the incident where he couldn't perform surgery, Ji Xiang felt he had changed a lot.

"Dr. Ji Xiang, why does the Patient not seek treatment at a community hospital instead of coming to a higher-level hospital? And she only came here to get an examination order; it is simply a waste of medical resources," Dr. Merz asked.

"We are a Fly Restaurant," Ji Xiang described according to what Bai Chuzhang had said.

Dr. Merz listened, dumbfounded.

Although he didn't understand what a Fly Restaurant was, Ji Xiang's subsequent description was simple and easy to understand.

Dr. Merz was completely unable to accept the medical workflow here, but he didn't say much, his mind pondering the matter of "magic attacks."

Rules cannot be used as a magic attack item.

The Surgery Department was relatively quiet now, so Meng Qingfei and Ji Xiang chatted while intermittently handling patients who returned after their examinations.

Luck seemed pretty good today; they weren't disturbed while eating dumplings.

Ji Xiang and Meng Qingfei finished eating at the same time, while Dr. Merz had only just figured out three dumplings.

"I'm full."

"Why do you eat so fast?" Dr. Merz asked.

"Isn't it the same in your emergency room?"

"I haven't been to an emergency room in many years; that place is like hell. My god, I can't even think about it; I feel like I will definitely have nightmares today," Dr. Merz shrugged.

"I've already burned to 39 degrees, why don't you doctors care whether I live or die!"

A voice came from the hallway. Meng Qingfei shook his head with a smile, went to wash his hands, and walked out while wiping his hands dry on the back of his White Uniform.

It must be that the Internal Medicine Department couldn't handle it; this kind of highly self-centered Patient still needed to be handled quickly, otherwise, it would lead to a complaint.

The crying child gets the milk; allocation based on who makes the most noise—this is very common.

Ji Xiang followed behind Meng Qingfei and saw him say a few words to the Internal Medicine doctor before beckoning the feverish Patient to the Surgery Consultation Room.

"Your hospital's service attitude is really not good at all! What kind of place is this!" the Family Member complained.

"Heh heh, it's actually quite good," Meng Qingfei said while prescribing medicine for the Patient. "I know a friend whose spouse was pregnant and getting a Three-dimensional Color Doppler Ultrasound. When she first went in, a young person was doing it, and she was very unhappy and grumbled a bit."

"As a result, before the results were out, she was called by name again. This time it was the Expert consultation room, where there were five doctors inside. The one doing her B-ultrasound was a middle-aged doctor, with four doctors in their twenties standing by his side."

"Pfft," the Family Member sneered.

Judging by his expression, he completely failed to understand what Meng Qingfei was trying to express.

"This time it took over thirty minutes, but there were still no results, and my friend's spouse was called in again."

"The third time she entered the Three-dimensional Color Doppler Ultrasound room, sitting in front of the machine was an old doctor with white hair, groomed meticulously. Standing by his side were over ten doctors, ranging from forty or fifty years old to those in their twenties, with all age groups represented."

The Patient and the Family Member were silent.

"The fetus had a heart problem, and in the end, it was the old Expert who gave the definitive diagnosis. Now the child is three years old, has been taking medicine for three years, and is just preparing for surgery."

"Sometimes, you know..."

Just as Meng Qingfei was speaking, a thud suddenly came from outside the door, followed by a scream.

"I didn't touch her, she fell down by herself."

Someone explained.

Meng Qingfei leaped up and rushed straight out.

"We haven't finished getting our order yet! Where are you going!!" the Family Member roared.

But neither Meng Qingfei nor Ji Xiang paid him any mind.

The fainting Patient was right at the door of the Surgery Consultation Room. Ji Xiang caught a glimpse and was stunned—it was actually the young female Patient who had the headache and had come to the Surgery Department because no one was available to write her an examination order.

Ji Xiang judged that she was fine and that it should be a tension headache, but he never expected that after the Patient returned, she would collapse unconscious right at the door of the Consultation Room.

The Patient was still clutching her medical imaging films in her hand.

After a brief physical examination and ruling out spinal issues, Meng Qingfei called for people to lift the Patient onto a gurney and send her to the Emergency Rescue Room.

He hurriedly snatched the film envelope from the Patient's hand.

"Our prescription hasn't been finished yet! You come back right now!!" the Family Member in the Consultation Room roared.

Meng Qingfei acted as if he hadn't heard, walking with long strides toward the Emergency Rescue Room.

Ji Xiang didn't go back to finish the remaining work either; the unconscious Patient before him had captured his attention, and as for the feverish Patient... their vital signs were stable, so being an hour or so late was no issue at all.

The young female Patient most likely had a brain hemorrhage or a cerebral infarction, but precisely because she was young, Ji Xiang had habitually asked about her past medical history and trauma history, both of which were negative, so he hadn't thought of this at the time.

Ji Xiang felt a slight pang of guilt.

"Click—" Meng Qingfei inserted the films into the film viewer.

The Head CT image was very clear; there was nothing wrong!

Ji Xiang had guessed wrong; it wasn't a brain hemorrhage, nor was it a cerebral infarction.

Meng Qingfei paused for a moment, examined the films carefully again, and still couldn't find the source of the problem.

Returning to check on the Patient, the Patient was conscious, but had numbness in her left limbs and speech impairment.

The Patient had obvious neurological deficits, yet the film that had just been taken showed nothing!

Meng Qingfei's brow furrowed as he ran through one Differential Diagnosis after another in his mind.

Ji Xiang quietly went to a corner, held his breath, and focused his mind to enter the System Operating Room.

"Old Meng, what's going on?"

"A headache patient who came to me for an examination because your room was crowded, and she ended up like this after returning. No past medical history or trauma history, and the Head CT is fine too. It's strange; if there's nothing wrong with the brain, how could she have syncope combined with neurological deficits?" Meng Qingfei described briefly.

The Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor had a Nurse call the Neurology Department Chief Resident down for a consultation while performing a physical examination.

Similar to the conclusion of Meng Qingfei's physical examination, the Patient likely had an infarction or hemorrhage in the head.

Coupled with the severe headache, everyone suspected that the possibility of a Subarachnoid Hemorrhage was extremely high.

However!

The Head CT imaging results did not support their judgment.

Meng Qingfei and the Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor faced the films with troubled expressions, silently "reading the faces" of the images.

"Meng Laoshi, why don't we do a comprehensive examination?"

Ji Xiang's voice came from behind.

"Comprehensive examination? Check what?" Meng Qingfei's heart stirred, and he asked in a deep voice.

"There shouldn't be a problem with the head; I suggest checking the blood vessels and the heart."

"!!!" The Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor turned back and looked at Ji Xiang as if he were an idiot.

This was only because it was Ji Xiang; if it had been any other Standardized Training Student, it wouldn't have been just a couple of looks.

"The Patient has neurological symptoms; why don't we just do a Cervical Spine MRI," the Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor said.

"I still suggest looking at the neck blood vessels and the heart," Ji Xiang insisted.

"As for the heart, the Emergency Department doesn't have an Echocardiogram, so we can't check it. Are you sure? If you are sure, we can apply to the Medical Affairs Department to have a doctor from the Ultrasound Cardiology Room come in for overtime," Meng Qingfei asked.

He was familiar with Ji Xiang, so he respected Ji Xiang's opinion.

"Old Meng, what kind of joke are you making?" the Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor said in surprise. "The Patient has neurological symptoms; does it make sense to look at the heart?"

"Emmmm..." Meng Qingfei pondered.

He also felt it didn't make sense; saying that just now was purely because he trusted Ji Xiang's judgment.

"How about this: you contact the Neurology Department and see what their opinion is; do whatever needs to be done. I'll contact the Ultrasound Cardiology Room and the Vascular Color Doppler Ultrasound, and find someone to come and perform the examinations," Meng Qingfei proposed a compromise.

The Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor frowned, wanting to say something, but since Meng Qingfei was taking all the responsibility on his own back, the Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor had nothing more to say.

Dr. Merz also noticed that the atmosphere was wrong; he waited for the unfamiliar Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor to go check on the Patient before coming to Ji Xiang's side.

"Dr. Ji Xiang, what happened?" Dr. Merz asked.

Ji Xiang briefly recounted the situation.

Dr. Merz's eyes widened. "My God, you actually want to check the Patient's heart? Are you suspecting that a young female with no past medical history has a Myocardial Infarction? Even if it were a Myocardial Infarction, it would most likely be shoulder and back pain, not a headache."

"Besides, an Electrocardiogram is being done right now; I think the Electrocardiogram is the way to solve the problem, not a color ultrasound of the heart.

The most critical thing is that the Patient has neurological symptoms. My God, it's really hard to believe how you don't even know such a basic thing."

Ji Xiang glanced at Dr. Merz.

Why was this guy saying so much?

Dr. Merz had finally seized an opportunity after following Ji Xiang for several hours; it seemed Dr. Ji Xiang was the type of doctor with maxed-out surgical talent but weak basic knowledge.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to exert huge psychological pressure on him might be helpful for the surgery.

Dr. Merz couldn't imagine how many more people would come seeking treatment after another world-famous sports star successfully completed surgery at this small hospital.

That was money!

It was money!!!

It was cash that didn't require dealing with those damn insurance companies!

"Dr. Merz, I think you had better consult with an experienced doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital," Ji Xiang said seriously. "Otherwise, your ignorance might turn into a joke."

"!!!" Dr. Merz was shocked; Ji Xiang didn't have the slightest bit of a young doctor's anxiety; he seemed to believe his diagnosis was completely correct.

"Dr. Ji Xiang, the Electrocardiogram is already done, and your foolish diagnosis of a suspected Myocardial Infarction will also be proven wrong," Dr. Merz said confidently.

Although he was an Expert in Sports Medicine, his foundation was solid, and furthermore, the Patient's situation was relatively simple; Dr. Merz was full of confidence in his own judgment.

This was a good way to strike at Ji Xiang, and Dr. Merz would absolutely not give it up.

Just as he was speaking, the Electrocardiogram was finished, and the strip of paper printed from the machine was snatched away by Dr. Merz.

The Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor was stunned for a moment; seeing the blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreigner, he didn't understand the situation and didn't dare to move to snatch the Electrocardiogram back.

"Dr. Merz is an Expert from Massachusetts General Hospital," Meng Qingfei explained briefly, then leaned in next to Dr. Merz to look at the Electrocardiogram.

The Patient's Electrocardiogram was normal, and Meng Qingfei sighed.

Ji Xiang must have judged wrong, and he was wrong by a wide margin.

"Dr. Ji Xiang!" Dr. Merz waved the Electrocardiogram in his hand, making a rustling sound like a flag, "The Patient's condition is exactly as I expected; it is not a heart-related problem at all."

"Dr. Merz, this is not Massachusetts, and you do not have a license to practice medicine here. If you say one more word, I will contact your embassy," Ji Xiang said, looking at Dr. Merz with disdain.

"!!!" Dr. Merz did not expect Ji Xiang to say such a thing.

Embarrassed into anger?

Dr. Merz was not only unafraid, nor was he worried about Ji Xiang's words; instead, he felt that Ji Xiang was already panicking at this moment, like the big villain boss in a movie who would soon fall before the knight of justice.

Faced with iron-clad facts, he still dared to forcefully argue, and even mentioned the embassy!

Dr. Merz felt that Ji Xiang was already on the verge of a breakdown.

"You are really very long-winded," Ji Xiang said coldly.

"Dr. Ji Xiang, your judgment is wrong. Our medicine is Evidence-Based Medicine; the evidence is right here," Dr. Merz shook the Electrocardiogram in his hand again.

Meng Qingfei could roughly understand the exchange between Ji Xiang and Dr. Merz; he snatched the Electrocardiogram and handed it to the Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor.

"Xiao Ji, do you still insist on doing other vascular and heart examinations?" Meng Qingfei asked in a low voice.

"Yes," Ji Xiang said very firmly, "I suspect the Patient has..."

Before Ji Xiang could finish, his words were interrupted by Dr. Merz.

"Young doctors must have a sense of awe for medical care; just because you are good at surgery doesn't mean you can do well in Emergency Rescue. Besides, is your surgical level really as high as you imagine?"

Dr. Merz said, looking into Ji Xiang's eyes.

"When Evidence-Based Medicine already has evidence, do not make pointless, erroneous persistence. The longer you persist on the wrong path, the louder the sound of ridicule awaiting you will be!"

(End of this chapter)