Healing Doctor

Chapter 2 System, NPCs

Is this the system space?

This is the legendary system space!

Ji Xiang was a little confused, but mostly delighted.

A few days ago, Ji Xiang woke up and inexplicably found a faint light screen in the upper right corner of his vision.

The screen was empty, with no prompts whatsoever.

There isn't even a beginner's tutorial.

In response, Ji Xiang even wondered if he was hallucinating or if there was something wrong with his eyes, such as floaters.

But it's hard to associate something this big with flying mosquitoes.

The tiger's body trembled, and it lost all interest.

Ji Xiang had always thought he was lucky, so it wasn't surprising that a system fell from the sky and hit him on the head.

But the light screen was like an annoying floater for those with floaters; although it didn't obstruct the view, it always attracted Ji Xiang's attention, and it was completely empty.

Unexpectedly, on my first day at the hospital, the system activated the moment I touched a patient on the operating table.

Ji Xiang glanced at the operating rooms on both sides of the corridor, unsure of how to proceed.

"27149, is your name Ji Xiang?"

A voice came.

Ji Xiang was stunned for a moment. He could understand asking for his name, but what was this weird number 27149?

It seemed somewhat familiar, but in his haste, Ji Xiang couldn't recall why it felt familiar.

It must be his own number, over 20,000, quite high up. He wondered what the lucky ones ahead of him had gotten. Ji Xiang's mind raced with random thoughts.

"Yes," Ji Xiang answered instinctively.

"Dr. Ji, come here."

The operating room door recently opened, and a doctor wearing an isolation gown, cap, and mask waved to Ji Xiang.

He was hunched over, and his right hand was somewhat withered and deformed, looking rather strange, like a chicken claw.

Ji Xiang shivered.

If it weren't for the environment here, he would have thought he had encountered a ghost.

The NPC in the system space seemed to be very old, and his words were filled with endless vicissitudes.

After greeting him, he stood with his hands behind his back and a slight bow in the corridor of the operating room, waiting for Ji Xiang to come over.

With its profound depths and towering peaks, the grandeur of a master naturally arises.

Ji Xiang subconsciously raised his right hand and pointed to himself.

The system NPC nodded and, without wasting words, got straight to the point, saying, "Just tell me about the key points regarding circumcision surgery."

After saying that, the system NPC saw Ji Xiang walking over, so he hunched over and turned to walk into the operating room.

Ji Xiang hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and followed him inside.

The procedure was standard, just like any Ji Xiang had seen before, nothing unusual.

"Dr. Ji, a senior doctor is asking you a question, and you must answer it immediately," the system NPC said solemnly as Ji Xiang entered.

"..."

Ji Xiang was stunned, and he looked at the system NPC with renewed suspicion.

In novels and movies, aren't the roles of system NPCs supposed to be guides? Why is he talking to me like a senior doctor, using such strange language?

"In the days to come, I will teach you how to perform surgeries. The first surgery will be a circumcision." Seeing that Ji Xiang remained silent, the system NPC explained, "Now, tell me your understanding of this procedure."

Although the other party was just a system NPC, the doctor's words were full of pressure, even more so than the pressure from the head of the teaching department when I was in school.

"Circumcision of leather bags..."

Ji Xiang subconsciously began to "report" his understanding of the surgery to the system NPC.

It's a rather strange feeling.

Ji Xiang had seen all sorts of systems in various works, some aloof and some silly, but none of them gave him the same unparalleled sense of realism as the system NPC in front of him.

The system NPC's gaze was gentle, and Ji Xiang quickly calmed down, accepted everything, and began reciting the knowledge he had learned from his textbooks.

Ji Xiang is an academic star with a very solid foundation of knowledge, so the theory of circumcision is a piece of cake for him.

"Not bad, your basic knowledge is quite solid." The system NPC nodded in approval after hearing Ji Xiang's words.

Ji Xiang let out a long breath without realizing it.

It's like getting by by sheer luck when facing the strictest teacher in school.

"I'll explain the local anatomical structure to you first, and then I'll observe your technique."

"Um?"

Ji Xiang stared blankly at the "patient" lying on the operating table.

Although he knew that this was probably not real, he still had some complicated emotions—the patient was too realistic, and Ji Xiang's hands were shaking a little.

Ji Xiang once dreamed of becoming a sorcerer, but when the opportunity presented itself, he chickened out.

"This is a 3D-printed mannequin," the understanding system NPC explained to Ji Xiang.

"Isn't this virtual?"

"No," the system NPC said. "I won't go into details, but right now... they call this a beginner's tutorial, it's a kind of perk."

When talking about newbie benefits, the system NPC's speech faltered a bit, as if it was running out of memory.

Ji Xiang was somewhat puzzled, but his doubts were answered, and he happily walked to the operating table...

"Snap!"

Ji Xiang felt a sharp pain in his back.

Who is your teacher?

"Didn't they teach you aseptic techniques?"

"No hand scrubbing during surgery?"

The system NPC's series of stern questions left Ji Xiang speechless.

"Who knew the system space would be so realistic?" Ji Xiang thought to himself, but he still obediently turned around to find a place to wash his hands.

The system NPC followed behind Ji Xiang, and his gaze put considerable pressure on Ji Xiang.

In contrast, Colonel Wang, who talks a lot of nonsense, is so adorable and kind.

Ji Xiang stood shoulder to shoulder with the system NPC in front of the operating table. The white light of the operating room lamp was dazzling, and a sense of holiness arose spontaneously.

Disinfection, laying out sterile drapes—everything was the same as a routine surgery.

"The corpus cavernosum is a cylindrical body that tapers at both ends. There is one on the left and one on the right, located on the dorsal side. The two corpora cavernosums are tightly joined together, extend forward, taper at the front end, and are embedded in the depression on the bottom of the head."

The system NPC held a very common blade and explained to Ji Xiang while cutting open the simulated human's skin.

"teacher……"

Ji Xiang hesitated for a moment, then stammered.

"What's wrong?" the system NPC asked.

Ji Xiang stared blankly at the dissection area, where the anatomical structures were neatly and clearly displayed before him.

"He's definitely not a real person; he must be a system program. Otherwise, how could he do such a good job of local dissection?" This thought flashed through Ji Xiang's mind.

"Aren't you going to have a circumcision?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Circumcision is just the tip of the iceberg, like a systemic anatomical structure, it's just the literal meaning." The system NPC tapped the white membrane covering the corpus cavernosum with the sterile forceps in its hand.

Ji Xiang was somewhat puzzled and turned his head to look at the system NPC.

"There was a patient who came to the hospital in the emergency room with injuries from a car accident. After examination, the initial diagnosis was a ruptured spleen."

Uh……

Ji Xiang was a little confused. Why was the system NPC telling him this?

From circumcision to spleen rupture, how come the system NPC is even more unreliable than Colonel Wang?

Moreover, Colonel Wang tells some humorous jokes, but the system NPCs inexplicably veer from circumcision surgery to emergency care.

"Dr. Ji, I'm asking what you would do if you were the clinician treating this patient."

Ji Xiang is a newcomer, but he was quite dedicated during his internship, always accompanying the head of the ward on duty.

After struggling to recall, he said nervously, "Inserting a nasogastric tube and a urinary catheter, drawing blood, preparing blood, finding a senior doctor to see the patient, and preparing for emergency surgery."

"While it can't be said to be completely correct... let's not dwell on this. This patient underwent preoperative balloon catheterization as instructed by the doctor. During the catheterization process, it was discovered that the bag was too long. After the catheterization, the bag could not be put back into place. Please have the doctor manually reposition it."

"..."

When Ji Xiang heard the system NPC mention the topic of handbags, he immediately understood what he meant.

"During the exploratory laparotomy and splenectomy, it was found that the patient's bag was not completely returned to its original position and had been pushed back into the coronal sulcus."

The bandage was tightly constricting the coronal sulcus, causing congestion and swelling of the head. A second attempt at manual reduction was made, but due to severe swelling, the reduction failed. The patient subsequently recovered after treatment including release of the bandage and immersion in potassium permanganate solution.

After the system NPC finished speaking, he gave Ji Xiang a deep look.

"Teacher, I understand," Ji Xiang said seriously.

He understood what the system NPC in front of him meant.

Just like the details that Colonel Wang mentioned intentionally or unintentionally in real life, the devil is in the details.

"That's good, continue."

In ten minutes, the system NPC meticulously dissected the parts of the ox, explaining each structure and related medical records to Ji Xiang without the slightest impatience.

Ji Xiang, who was hit by a windfall, was not overjoyed, but quickly became engrossed in it.

This opportunity is too rare. Not to mention having a system NPC with extremely rich clinical experience to explain things to you, just having a "silent mentor" is invaluable.

Ji Xiang's medical school is quite "well-funded," and eight students in the regional anatomy class "share" the teachings of a cadaver.

In schools where there isn't a sufficient reserve of cadavers, it's common for one cadaver to be used per class.

As for having a cadaver all to himself like he does now, Ji Xiang never even dares to dream of it.

And it seems like they have an inexhaustible supply.

Such things only exist in the dreams of medical students.

Now, her dream has come true.

If you don't appreciate it, it's practically a crime.

Ji Xiang forgot the passage of time, and even forgot that he was still on the operating table before entering the system space, and that Colonel Wang had asked him to "help" him.

The system NPC explained things in great detail, and Ji Xiang benefited greatly from it.

The system panel in the upper right corner of his field of vision had also changed, but Ji Xiang was not in a hurry. He knew what was important and could look at the system panel later when he had time. His current task was to learn about circumcision and local anatomical structures.

After an unknown amount of time, the system NPC finished explaining the partial dissection of the small area and said, "You take over."

"I?"

Ji Xiang was somewhat surprised, but more excited.

Only medical students truly understand how precious this opportunity is!

A system nurse pushed a trolley in, and Ji Xiang consciously helped the system nurse lift the mannequin onto the trolley before watching it leave.

The simulator was then replaced. Ji Xiang did not forget the teachings of the system NPC. He washed his hands, changed his clothes, and laid out sterile sheets, standing in front of the stage as if he were performing surgery.

There were no errors in the process, and the system NPC did not reprimand Ji Xiang. Instead, it silently stood in the assistant's position and slapped the leather opener into Ji Xiang's hand.

With a single cut, the surgical area was a deep crimson, and several small arteries on the bag were severed by Ji Xiang, gushing blood.

Seeing this, Ji Xiang's hands went limp, and he was at a loss.

He wasn't afraid of blood; he just hadn't expected it to turn out this way.

When the system NPC performed the dissection, there was almost no red color, leading Ji Xiang to believe that there was no blood in the blood vessels of the simulated human anatomy.

but,

The facts proved that Ji Xiang was wrong.

"teacher……"

"You went too far," the system NPC replied calmly.

"But I saw that there was nothing wrong when you performed the dissection."

"Let me give you an example," the system NPC explained once again.

This time, Ji Xiang did not interrupt the system NPC, but listened attentively.

"A long time ago, a neurosurgeon who was somewhat well-known in China went to the Montreal Neurosurgical Center for exchange and study. He watched several surgeons perform surgeries and felt that even the world's top three neurosurgical centers were nothing special, and their surgeries were worse than his own."

"Three days later, when he saw a world-class expert performing surgery, he realized the difference."

"Is there a big difference?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Not to mention the general anesthesia and wake-up call during the operation, the need to lift the skull to perform surgery, constantly touch functional areas to observe, and ask about the patient's condition. When the CT scan came out the day after the operation, the doctor in China almost broke his glasses."

Lift your skull... Turns out even system NPCs are this unreliable! Ji Xiang was momentarily dazed.

"Local tissue edema is the most common symptom after a wedge resection for a common frontal lobe tumor. However, wedge resections performed by world-class experts can clearly show triangular resection scars on head CT scans."

Simply put, when top-tier surgeons perform surgery, patients do not experience complications such as brain edema or hemorrhage.

"..."

Ji Xiang remained silent, stunned by the NPC's words, and didn't react for a moment.

Frontal lobe tumor? Ji Xiang had never seen surgery for such a high-end disease before.

But even just removing a piece of skin tissue causes swelling for about half a month. Brain tissue is so delicate, how could it not swell!

Ji Xiang wanted to refute, but there was indeed no obvious bleeding when the system NPC performed the local autopsy.

The undeniable facts were laid bare before Ji Xiang.

Is this the technique of a world-class practitioner? Ji Xiang saw it with his own eyes, but he couldn't believe it.

A few seconds later, Ji Xiang suddenly realized—this was blatant boasting!

The system NPC gave him an example, telling him that he was a world-class mage!

What is Versailles?

This is!

(End of this chapter)