Chapter 88: Breaking the Record!

"Ding-dong~"

Besides the Old Man's enthusiastic invitation, the sound of a System Task echoed in Ji Xiang's ears.

A nurse's competition counts too?!

Ji Xiang was somewhat surprised.

Focusing his mind, Ji Xiang checked the System Panel in the upper right corner of his field of vision.

【System Task: Grand Competition, completion 48%.

Task Rewards: Basic reward—1 random Basic Attribute Point, 3000 Experience Points, 8 Surgical Points.】

The task is complete?

Besides 1 random Basic Attribute Point, there are also Experience Points and Surgical Points.

Ji Xiang was both surprised and delighted.

However, the next second, he suddenly noticed the task was still there; it hadn't ended completely.

He thought of the task description.

Could it be possible to reach an even higher level? Is that what the task issued by the System NPC means?

Seeing Ji Xiang frozen in place, the Old Man smiled knowingly.

This state of Ji Xiang's matched her prediction.

It is very difficult for a nurse to make a name for themselves; no matter how much ambition they have at the start, it all eventually turns into scattered flowers and flowing water.

Not working shifts has already become the highest ideal for a nurse without a background.

As for things like head nurse or the Nursing Department, those are all floating clouds.

She had promised Ji Xiang that, barring any accidents, she would promote him to be the ICU head nurse in 3 years; the Old Man did not think there was any difficulty in this, nor did she think Ji Xiang would refuse.

But for a grassroots nurse, this opportunity was a giant cake falling from the sky.

Surprise, being stunned, being dumbstruck—all of this was within reason.

"Young man, are you married?" the Old Man asked gently.

Seeing that the Old Man had already asked a substantive question, the Director of Nursing Department of the First Hospital felt very envious and hurriedly said, "Ji Xiang, Wei Lao is talking to you!"

Ji Xiang raised his eyes and looked at the Director of Nursing Department.

She subconsciously shivered.

A sharp pain came from her sprained ankle.

"Teacher." Ji Xiang instantly figured out how to complete the task; his mood was excellent, and the smile on the corners of his mouth deepened.

The Old Man also smiled; she was a talent scout who had found a thousand-mile horse.

"Thank you for your kindness, I am not married yet, but I won't be going to the Imperial Capital."

"You're welcome, you go home first..." the Old Man said, then suddenly froze.

She thought Ji Xiang would be polite first and then agree; going to the Imperial Capital to handle the procedures with her was the only logical outcome.

But!

What did she just hear!!

"What did you say?"

"Teacher, I can't go." Ji Xiang was also helpless; he shrugged and spread his hands.

"Why?" The Old Man frowned as she looked at Ji Xiang. "Don't worry about the procedures; if you can't handle them, I will handle them for you. Going to the Imperial Capital means having a permanent position and being able to settle down. You can also come in through the talent introduction program; I can apply for all preferential policies with the hospital."

The Old Man was so stunned she lost her composure, offering countless conditions in one breath.

Ji Xiang was also very helpless; he could feel the Old Man's sincere heart.

"Teacher, I am a Standardized Training Doctor." Ji Xiang was helpless and had to tell the truth.

……

……

Bai Chuzhang was one of the Judges, which was also the purpose of his coming.

Ten years ago, there were very few doctors in the Surgery Department who could perform aneurysm surgeries; every single one who could was a top-tier talent.

Therefore, with Bai Chuzhang sitting here, no one said a word against it.

"Bai Chuzhang, Zhao Tianjiao is that person, right?"

A professor sitting next to Bai Chuzhang asked in a low voice.

Bai Chuzhang nodded subtly.

"It's a pity for Zhao Yuanzhang; he performed surgeries so well, but he went to the administrative office and let it go to waste, let it go to waste. Unlike you, who still returned to Clinical surgery."

"Tianjiao is also quite good; I heard Lao Deng mention it," Bai Chuzhang said indifferently. "His foundation is solid, and he is growing very quickly."

"That's true, like father, like son."

People scratch each other's backs; since Zhao Yuanzhang invited Bai Chuzhang, he definitely had to give him this face, as long as the difference wasn't outrageous.

The individual first place goes to the Second Affiliated Hospital, the team first place goes to the First Affiliated Hospital; the cake had already been sliced.

A young doctor walked onto the stage, bowed in respect, and began Tying Knots without any polite pleasantries.

The number of knots is one thing, and another is that one cannot tie a Slip Knot, nor can they be loose, so each doctor operated individually under the eyes of a dozen people.

It was obvious that this young doctor's emotions were not stable enough; in one minute, he actually tied three Slip Knots, and the total number was not even 90.

This is the norm; the Judges did not mock him, but merely pointed out his shortcomings and offered encouragement.

After seven or eight people, Zhao Tianjiao took the stage.

"Hello, Judges, I am Zhao Tianjiao, a Standardized Training Doctor from the Second Affiliated Hospital. I ask for your guidance."

Zhao Tianjiao was full of vigor; just his appearance alone won everyone's favor.

Without too much nonsense, Zhao Tianjiao requested a size 4 thread and practiced twice to familiarize himself with the rhythm.

"Eh? Not bad!"

The professor beside Bai Chuzhang said in surprise as he watched Zhao Tianjiao's familiar technique and rhythm in tying several knots.

"Of course, didn't I say it? Like father, like son," Bai Chuzhang laughed.

"This hand, it truly has the bearing of Zhao Yuanzhang back in the day," that professor said. "Speaking of which, the knot-tying record for the Provincial Hospital's grand competition has been held by Zhao Yuanzhang for so many years. How many young people have vowed to break it, only to fail?"

"This still depends on talent."

"Hmm." The professor nodded. "Director Bai, there was no need to give a heads-up in advance."

Bai Chuzhang smiled; Zhao Yuanzhang was cautious in his actions, and since it concerned his son's future, what was the big deal about saying a word?

Moreover, he guessed another layer—Zhao Yuanzhang knew his son was good at tying knots and had delicate technique, so this was coming to show off.

Thinking of this, Bai Chuzhang felt a little bit of disgust.

Zhao Tianjiao contacted the Timekeeper and began tying knots after the countdown.

1~2~3~

His hands were nimble, his speed extremely fast, vaguely trailing afterimages.

Fast as it was, every knot he tied was very standard; even Bai Chuzhang, who came from a neurosurgery background and was most particular about delicacy in surgery, nodded repeatedly upon seeing this.

58~

"Director Bai, I feel like young Zhao is going to break old Zhao's record."

"It's possible."

88~

There was still time, and Zhao Tianjiao's speed did not slow down or falter in the slightest; just like at the very beginning, he maintained a constant speed, and every knot remained very firm.

118~

10 seconds left!

If Zhao Tianjiao didn't tie a slip knot, the record held by Zhao Yuanzhang for over twenty years seemed about to be broken.

Those professors who had been given a heads-up in advance all looked at Zhao Tianjiao in astonishment; no one expected he could actually reach this point.

Awesome, very much!

133!

Everyone held their breath.

The record was within reach!

Although there was little time left, the competition between experts often came down to a hair's breadth.

Looking at the remaining time, it was inevitable that young Zhao would significantly surpass old Zhao; as long as he tied the knots steadily, it wouldn't matter even if his speed slowed down, as long as he didn't tie a slip knot.

"Boom~"

When the record held by Zhao Yuanzhang was broken by his son, applause erupted in the room.

Zhao Tianjiao clearly relaxed a little; his hand posture became slightly messy, and after 1 second, seeing a knot loosen, he simply gave up.

"The time isn't up yet, but the record is already broken, so let's leave it at that," Zhao Tianjiao stood up and said indifferently. "It also gives the newcomers of the future something to aspire to."

Hearing this, Bai Chuzhang shook his head helplessly.

However, Zhao Tianjiao was young after all, so being a bit arrogant was nothing.

Seeing that his knot-tying had officially ended, thunderous applause broke out.

Zhao Tianjiao wore a look of pride, waving to greet the young doctors participating in the competition.

Afterward, he glanced at the professors present, and seeing the full expectation in everyone's eyes, he became even more smug.

"Teacher, I'm done," Zhao Tianjiao said.

"Not bad, not bad!"

"Hmm, truly impressive. You broke the record of your father... Zhao Yuanzhang Jixiang in 57 seconds. This record has been held for over 20 years."

"Truly, the younger generation is to be feared."

Amidst the many praises, Zhao Tianjiao did not show humility; he believed that excessive humility was hypocrisy. He was already awesome enough, and having broken his own old man's record, both father and son were the most awesome existences in the Provincial Hospital's medical industry!

Without exception!

"I wonder how many years this record will be held," someone sighed.

This was a young person's record; Resident Chiefs around 30 years old were too embarrassed to participate in the competition, so it would likely be held for at least 30 years.

Thinking of 30 years later, that person became a bit dazed, envying Zhao Yuanzhang for having such a good son.

A successor,

A successor!

Amidst the noise, the hall door was pushed open, and a group of people walked in.

Bai Chuzhang had sharp eyes and caught a glimpse of the Old Man in the middle.

He stood up immediately and walked over quickly.

"Wei Lao, you've come," Bai Chuzhang bowed and greeted. "I am the Medical Affairs Department Director of the Second Affiliated Hospital, surnamed Bai. You can just call me Xiao Bai."

The Old Man only responded with a sound, not even looking at Bai Chuzhang, but staring straight at the competition scene.

"Wei Lao, you are..." Shen Chuzhang was puzzled. By rights, Wei Lao came from an old-school nursing background and shouldn't have any interest in a doctor's competition.

Moreover, this grand competition didn't have the Emergency Rescue of thoracic cardiac compression and artificial respiration that required medical and nursing cooperation, so how could she have such great spirit to run over here to watch the fun?

"Director Bai, Xiao Bai," Wei Lao said.

"Yes, please instruct me if there is anything," Bai Chuzhang said with a smile.

"Ji Xiang, is he your person?"

"..." Bai Chuzhang felt miserable inside hearing Wei Lao say this.

This kid must have caused some trouble for Wei Lao to see the clues.

It was just taking a test for a nurse who didn't show up, what could be so hard about that, how could there be a problem with this!

Bai Chuzhang felt a wave of annoyance in his heart, and several plans to roast Ji Xiang in the future already flashed through his mind.

But he kept his expression unchanged and smiled, "Wei Lao, he is one of our people."

"Is he really a Standardized Training Doctor?"

"Yes." Facing a major event, Bai Chuzhang's mind was very calm, "A nurse suddenly had a high fever this morning and is currently on an IV drip. We were short a person, and with no suitable hands available at the moment, we arranged for him to fill the spot."

"So that's how it is." The Old Man let out a hum.

"Wei Lao, he is young; if there is any place where he has offended you, please be forgiving."

"I wanted to poach him for our hospital, but he refused. Let's see his medical skill level; if it's just average, such a good seedling might as well come back to the Imperial Capital with me to do nursing."

What?

Bai Chuzhang felt that something was wrong with his hearing; to take Ji Xiang back to the Imperial Capital to be a nurse...

Bai Chuzhang had never even dreamed of such a bizarre and peerless thing.

"Wei Lao, he is not a nursing major."

"He can be my graduate student; in three years, won't he be in nursing?" The Old Man stared intently at the competition arena, where another young Doctor was skillfully Tying Knots.

The timer ended, 98 knots in one minute.

"Ji Xiang, you go and try." Wei Lao patted Ji Xiang's arm, "If you can't tie 140 knots in a minute, there's no future in being a Doctor; you might as well come back to the Imperial Capital with me."

The way he said that...

The professors present as Judges were all quite speechless.

Tying Knots quickly is the most basic requirement; once surgery begins, no one uses how many knots are tied per minute as a standard for evaluating a Doctor.

Surgical requirements dictate that all knots must be tied securely, so as not to have Slip Knots that cause the knot to fall off during Ligation of blood vessels, leading to secondary massive hemorrhage.

No one cares about the speed.

If there is no need to be a Doctor if one cannot tie 140 knots in a minute, then according to this standard, all the professors present would have to change professions.

The record Zhao Yuanzhang had held for over twenty years had just been broken by Zhao Tianjiao, and it didn't even reach 140.

The Old Man really is...

"98 knots, with 2 Slip Knots." A professor observing on-site gave the evaluation, "Next contestant, Second Affiliated Hospital, Ji Xiang."

"Good luck, young man." Wei Lao cheered Ji Xiang on.

However, no one present believed that the Old Man truly expected Ji Xiang to be able to tie 140 Surgical Knots in one minute.

Moreover, Ji Xiang likely couldn't tie that many knots either; the record for the Provincial Hospital medical competition stood right there, and it hadn't been broken for over twenty years.

Countless gazes fell upon Ji Xiang.

(End of chapter)