Binhai City is located in the north and named for its proximity to the sea. Although not a provincial capital, bolstered by its port and foreign trade, it was a new first-tier major city with an urban population of over six million and nearly ten million permanent residents.
Today was June 2nd, 2019. Though still early morning, the emergency department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Binhai Medical College was already bustling. Illness doesn't pick a time; it often strikes when you least want it to.
Sitting on a chair in the waiting area of the outpatient lobby, a young man in a white coat, his brow furrowed and eyes lifeless, seemed particularly out of place.
He was Liu Banxia, a resident doctor in the Department of General Surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital. Twenty-nine years old, with only an undergraduate degree, this very educational background made his life at the hospital quite difficult.
The reason for his current dumbfounded state was his uncertainty: was he hallucinating, or, just as described in novels, had he acquired a 'system'?
The interface before him was crystal clear:
Liu Banxia, Level 8, 6236/6400
Mental: 56 points
Agility: 54 points
Strength: 43 points
Endurance: 39 points
Attribute Points: 7 points
Glory Points: 35 points
Dressing Change Skill: Level 1, 4920/4999
Suturing Skill: Level 1, 4768/4999
There was also a prompt below:
Congratulations to the Host for binding the Enhancement System. Based on the Host's medical skills, you have been assessed as Level 8.
Attribute Points and Glory Points can be earned by leveling up and completing tasks. Attribute Points are used to enhance your own attributes. Glory Points are used to exchange for time in the dream space (which doesn't affect real time) and to purchase items from the mall.
We hope the Host will strive to level up, enhance themselves, practice medicine to help the world, and bring miraculous recoveries.
In the top right corner, a currently available task was displayed:
Daily Tasks (0/20): Admit 20 patients or perform one surgery as chief surgeon. Task reward: 300 experience points, 5 Glory Points.
Could it be? Just because I got electrocuted, I was lucky enough to get this system?
"Shoutian, what are you thinking about? If the director sees you like this, he'll chew you out again. There's a debridement in Treatment Room Two. If you want to daydream, go hole up in there."
Just as he was examining the system, the voice of Zhou Li, a senior nurse in the Emergency Department, sounded in his ear.
"Sister Li, I saw Qi Wentai is in; let him handle it," Liu Banxia said, stretching lazily, a hint of weariness in his voice.
"Why are you so lacking in ambition? So you lost the chance to be chief surgeon and now you're all mopey? Get your butt to Treatment Room Two, and take Xu Dan with you!" Zhou Li said, hands on her hips, glaring.
Liu Banxia wasn't afraid of her. Zhou Li had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She was outspoken and undeniably a good person. If it weren't for the fact that he often went to her house for meals with his attending physician, Shi Lei, his credit card bills and other loan payments would likely be even higher.
Besides, those in the hospital who called him by his nickname, 'Shoutian', were generally quite close to him.
He glanced at Xu Dan, the intern nurse standing eagerly beside Zhou Li. "Secretary Dan, let's go," he said.
"OH, YEAH!"
Hearing his words, Xu Dan excitedly pumped a small fist, her slightly chubby, round face beaming with joy.
She loved assisting Doctor Liu; not only was he handsome and good-natured, but even if she made a mistake, he wouldn't scold her harshly like other doctors did.
Zhou Li watched them, feeling a mix of helplessness and exasperation; taking care of these two all day was exhausting.
"Zhou Li, is Shoutian okay?" Wang Ying, the head nurse of the Emergency Department, asked as she approached Zhou Li.
"He's a bit down because he lost the chance to be chief surgeon. I scolded him a bit," Zhou Li said.
"Sigh..." Wang Ying sighed and said no more.
DING! Task Issued: The Patient Afraid of Pain
The patient has very low pain tolerance and requires the Host to perform meticulous debridement. Reward for patient satisfaction: 20 experience points, Dressing Change Skill proficiency +20 points.
Just as Liu Banxia stepped into Treatment Room Two, another task prompt flashed before his eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched. When have I ever slacked off on the job? I've been a general surgeon for so many years; the only things I'm truly proficient at are debridement and suturing.
While putting on gloves and a sterile mask, he examined the wound on the deliveryman's left knee. It wasn't small, and there was a lot of oil and grime on it.
"I was delivering food to a repair shop this morning and didn't see the engine oil on the ground. Luckily, my electric scooter wasn't damaged; otherwise, this whole month's work would have been for nothing," the deliveryman said with a bitter smile, noticing Liu Banxia staring at his wound.
"Dandan, a large bottle of normal saline," Liu Banxia said with a nod.
Life is tough for everyone. I might feel my life is hard, but this deliveryman has it even harder. All beaten up like this, and he's more worried about his scooter than his own injury.
HISS...
Just as Liu Banxia poured some normal saline to rinse the wound, the deliveryman sucked in a sharp breath and pulled his leg back.
"Doctor, it hurts! Can you give me some anesthetic?" the deliveryman asked, his face contorted in pain.
Liu Banxia frowned. In all his time doing debridement work, he'd never encountered a patient with such poor pain tolerance; even children usually held up better. If he's like this now, what will happen when I start actually wiping the wound?
At this thought, an idea sparked. Don't I have a system now? It's supposed to enhance my medical skills. When better to use it than now?
Ignoring the deliveryman for a moment, he directly pulled up the system interface, his gaze locking onto the four attributes: Mental, Agility, Strength, and Endurance.
The system was a bit of a black box. With no explanations whatsoever, it's no wonder I was skeptical after getting it.
After a moment's thought, he reasoned, Based on my experience with games, agility should increase speed, right? So, he added a point to Agility.
DING! Gained 1 point in Agility, now 55 points. Stability, speed, and tactile sensitivity increased by 1.85%.
Interesting, looks like I guessed right. But a 1.85% increase? Isn't that a bit too little? Alright, let's add five more, make it a round number.
DING! Gained 5 points in Agility, now 60 points. Stability, speed, and tactile sensitivity increased by 11.11%.
He didn't rush to debride the deliveryman's wound. Instead, he picked up a suture thread and began tying square knots. I want to directly feel what's changed in my hands.
Tying square knots wasn't a particularly difficult task; it was also a method used back in medical school to train hand speed. But I was always clumsy; my fastest record was a paltry 63 knots per minute, placing me in the lower-middle tier of his class.
But now? Without practicing in ages, I've tied more than 40 knots in just half a minute. This increase in speed is far more significant than the mere percentage suggests!
As he tied more and more square knots, Liu Banxia was beaming with delight.
"Doctor, can you give me the anesthetic?" the deliveryman asked anxiously, seeing Liu Banxia engrossed in his own activity.
"Oh, yes, yes, I'm just warming up. Don't look while I clean it. It might hurt a bit even when I apply the anesthetic," Liu Banxia said hurriedly, putting down the suture thread.
Hearing this, the deliveryman quickly turned his head to the side.
Xu Dan glanced at Liu Banxia, a hint of surprise in her eyes, her mind filled with confusion. Anesthetic? Is Doctor Liu muddled? As for Liu Banxia fiddling with the square knots instead of attending to his duties, she didn't pay it much mind. He must be trying to figure out a way to lessen the patient's suffering, she thought.
As she watched, her eyes widened. Am I seeing things?
From her perspective, Liu Banxia was still following standard procedure, one hand holding the patient's leg, first continuing to rinse the wound with normal saline.
But then, instead of administering anesthetic as promised, he directly picked up an iodophor cotton ball with sterile forceps and began wiping the edges of the patient's wound.
These actions were, in themselves, normal. What was abnormal was that Liu Banxia's wiping speed grew progressively faster, yet, paradoxically, it felt incredibly gentle to her.
Not only that, but Liu Banxia would rotate the iodophor cotton ball as he wiped, clearing a distinct, clean path on the wound.
He basically maintained a rhythm: grab a cotton ball, wipe, discard into the waste bin; grab a cotton ball, wipe, discard... and his speed grew faster and faster.
Xu Dan's eyes weren't just wide; they were nearly round, and her small mouth beneath her mask fell open in amazement. Judging by the patient's still pained expression as he waited for the anesthetic, he doesn't seem to feel much pain from the actual cleaning, she mused.
"Doctor, why don't I feel numb yet?" the deliveryman, his head still turned away, asked plaintively.
"Numb? What for? It's all done. Keep it dry when you get home. Try to take today off and avoid using your knee. Come back for a dressing change tomorrow, and you should be fine," Liu Banxia said as he covered the wound with Sterile Gauze and secured it with adhesive tape.
DING! Daily task completed (1/20).
Task 'Patient Afraid of Pain' completed. Reward: 20 Experience Points, Dressing Change Skill proficiency +20 points.
Staring at his now-treated wound, the deliveryman blinked. That's it? It didn't hurt as much as they said it would.
"Stop staring. Listen to me and take the day off. The sooner the wound heals, the sooner you can get back to earning money," Liu Banxia couldn't help but add.
"Thank you, Doctor," the deliveryman replied cheerfully.
While Xu Dan was cleaning up, Liu Banxia took off his gloves and rubbed his chin. It seems this system is real. The feedback from my hands just now wouldn't lie. My hand speed, tactile sensitivity, and stability have definitely improved a lot. Even if I can't quantify it yet, I'm clearly better than before. That deliveryman was a prime example. He's afraid of pain; he wouldn't have cooperated in some act.
At this thought, Liu Banxia's eyes suddenly lit up. It was as if a bright light had appeared on his formerly bleak path in life, guiding him forward.
Since this system is real, and it can improve my medical skills by enhancing my physical attributes, then in the remaining less than two months of my residency, can't I strive to strengthen myself and earn a chance to stay at the hospital?