16: Chapter 16 Laparoscopic Appendectomy (Master Level)
Lu Chen stared at the [Available Gacha Draws: 1] on the system panel for a long time.
To be honest, he had saved up this draw since the first time he saved someone; he had been reluctant to use it.
Mainly, he didn't know what it would produce.
If he pulled something useless, it would be a total loss.
But on second thought, keeping it wouldn't earn any interest, so he might as well just use it.
Besides, he needed more skills now to support his future work in the Emergency Department.
"Draw."
He muttered silently in his heart.
The system responded immediately.
A virtual wheel appeared before his eyes, densely packed with various prize pools.
There were gray common slots, blue rare slots, purple epic slots, and a very small number of golden legendary slots.
The wheel began to spin.
The speed grew faster and faster, and Lu Chen's heartbeat accelerated along with it.
The pointer swept past a gray slot.
It swept past a blue slot as well.
Then it began to decelerate.
Slower and slower.
Slower and slower.
The pointer wobbled on the edge of a purple slot, almost coming to a stop.
Then it slid forward slightly by one slot.
It stopped.
It stopped on a golden slot.
Lu Chen's pupils constricted slightly.
[Congratulations to the Host! You have drawn a Golden Legendary reward!]
[Obtained Skill Book: Laparoscopic Appendectomy (Master Level)]
[Skill Description: Master the entire operational process of Laparoscopic Appendectomy, including the establishment of pneumoperitoneum, Puncture positioning, mesentery processing, appendiceal base ligation, and stump purse-string Suturing. Surgical precision reaches the level of a senior Attending Physician.]
[Learn immediately?]
Lu Chen froze for a second.
Laparoscopic Appendectomy.
Master Level.
This skill precisely filled the largest void currently in his skill tree.
He now had Master Level Manual Hemostasis, perfect level Suturing, and Proficient Level Basic Surgical Operations.
But he lacked a complete, independent surgical skill that he could perform from start to finish.
Appendectomy is one of the most basic and classic surgeries in surgery, and it is a mandatory introductory course for all surgeons.
Moreover, Laparoscopic Appendectomy is currently the most mainstream surgical method in clinical practice.
This skill came at the perfect time.
"Learn."
Lu Chen did not hesitate.
The system prompt sounded.
[Skill book in use...]
[Knowledge infusion in progress...]
A massive stream of information instantly poured into Lu Chen's mind.
The insertion angle of the Veress needle, the Puncture positions of the trocars, the tactile feel of controlling the laparoscope, the cutting force of the ultrasonic scalpel, the anatomical layers of the mesoappendix, the knot-tying technique for base ligation, the stitch spacing control for purse-string Suturing.
Every step, every detail, was clearly etched into his memory.
It wasn't the kind of rote textual memory, but rather practical experience accompanied by muscle memory.
It was as if he had already performed thousands of appendectomies.
The entire process lasted for about thirty seconds.
The information flow stopped.
Lu Chen opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
He had an entire set of complete surgical plans in his head; from preoperative preparation to postoperative care, he knew every link by heart.
[Skill learning complete!]
[Laparoscopic Appendectomy: Master Level (Progress: 0/100)]
[Skill panel updated]
Lu Chen looked at the updated panel, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
On his current skill panel, there were already five skills.
Manual Hemostasis, Master Level.
Suturing, perfect level.
Basic Surgical Operations, Proficient Level.
Internal Medicine Diagnostics, Entry Level.
Laparoscopic Appendectomy, Master Level.
The first three were what he started with when he awakened the system, Internal Medicine Diagnostics was slowly accumulated in the Emergency Department, and this last one was just drawn.
The five skills covered surgical procedures, internal medicine diagnosis, and independent surgery—three different directions.
Although he was still far from being truly omnipotent, at least the framework had been built.
"Next, I just need to find an opportunity to use this skill."
Lu Chen closed the panel and rolled over.
The iron bed frame gave a creak.
He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.
He slept very soundly.
Because he knew he had become a little stronger again.
...
The next day, Saturday.
Twelve o'clock noon.
After finishing his half-day shift, Lu Chen prepared to go to the Cafeteria for lunch.
The Cafeteria of Jiangcheng City Central Hospital was on the basement level of the outpatient building; it wasn't very large, but its advantage was that it was cheap.
One meat dish, two vegetable dishes, plus rice, cost eight yuan.
Two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, plus rice, cost twelve yuan.
Lu Chen usually ate the eight-yuan one.
Occasionally, he would add a chicken leg as a luxury, which only cost ten yuan.
He sat down in a corner with his tray and began to eat.
There were quite a few people in the Cafeteria, most of whom were medical staff wearing white coats or blue surgical scrubs.
Lu Chen lowered his head to shovel rice into his mouth when a conversation suddenly drifted into his ears.
The voices weren't loud, but the Cafeteria's acoustics were good, and he could hear clearly.
"Bro, you have no idea. A female patient came to the clinic yesterday, and after coming in, she didn't say anything, she just asked if I had a girlfriend first."
"For real?"
"Why would I lie to you? I was stunned at the time. Later, her best friend in the back said she just came to see handsome guys, and the registration fee was wasted."
"Come on, with your looks, you can attract patients to register?"
"What do you know? In my six months in the Orthopedics Department, several female patients have added me on WeChat. Last week, one even asked me out for dinner."
Lu Chen raised his head and glanced in the direction of the voice.
The speaker was a young male doctor, looking to be twenty-six or twenty-seven years old.
He was wearing a white coat, his hair was gelled and combed meticulously, and his appearance could indeed be considered handsome.
His chest badge said Orthopedics Department; he should be a Resident Physician or a trainee.
Sitting next to him were several male doctors of the same age, eating while listening to him brag.
"Do you know what my biggest distress is?"
That young doctor from the Orthopedics Department sighed, a look of pain on his face.
"No idea."
"Being too handsome is really distressing."
The people next to him almost spat out their food.
"Just shut up, Gu Bai."
"I'm serious, you guys don't understand that feeling. Every day at work, people are staring at you, even during rounds there are Nurses secretly taking pictures from behind, and after work, there's a pile of WeChat messages on my phone. Don't you think it's tiring?"
The young doctor called Gu Bai continued.
The expression on his face was the kind of artificial affectation where he clearly enjoyed it but insisted on putting on a distressed look.
"Last week I posted a picture on my Moments, taken in front of the Operating Room while wearing surgical scrubs. Guess how many people liked it?"
"How many?"
"Two hundred and thirty-seven."
"Come on, that's because your selfie angle was good. Change the angle and your true form will be revealed."
"Bullshit, my face has no dead angles from three hundred and sixty degrees."
Gu Bai touched his chin with a confident look.
"And I'm telling you, that female doctor who was interning in the department last month came to borrow textbooks from me every day. She borrowed them eight times, the same book eight times. Think about it."
"That is indeed a bit interesting."
"And that little Nurse in the Rehabilitation Department next door, she blushes every time she bumps into me in the elevator. Last time she even pretended to press the wrong floor and went all the way to the Orthopedics Department with me before getting off."
"Are you overthinking it?"
"Overthinking? Go to the Orthopedics Department Nurse Station and ask around, ask who the handsomest doctor in Orthopedics is, and see if it's my name, Gu Bai."
The people around all laughed; some agreed, some jeered, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
Lu Chen listened for a while, felt nothing, and continued eating with his head down.
He had no interest in this kind of topic.
Being handsome or not couldn't be eaten as food.