47: Chapter 47 Tomorrow! The Red Zone! A New Battlefield!
Near the end of his shift, Lu Chen ran into Sister Fang at the Yellow Zone Nurse Station.
Sister Fang was organizing the shift schedule; seeing him approach, she looked up.
"Little Lu, I heard you're heading to the Red Zone next week?"
"Yes."
"The Yellow Zone will miss you. Who's going to be our department's treasure once you're gone?"
"Sister Fang, you're joking."
"I'm not joking. When you're here, the female medical staff come to the Yellow Zone much more often. Once you leave, I bet they won't come anymore, and our popularity will drop."
Sister Fang was smiling as she said this, but there was a hint of seriousness in her tone.
"By the way, did you know that several new Nurses are reporting for duty this Wednesday? One of them has been assigned to our Yellow Zone."
"Teacher Zhao already mentioned it to me."
"Her name is Shen Xiaoning, right? I read her resume; she's quite impressive. Do you know her?"
"I met her before at Guangfu Hospital."
Sister Fang's eyes darted around.
"Oh? You met at Guangfu Hospital? Under what circumstances?"
"Her brother was injured and treated at the Guangfu Hospital Emergency Department. I participated in the Suturing."
"Her brother was injured..."
Sister Fang nodded, lost in thought.
"Alright then. She'll be working with me for a while after she arrives anyway, and you won't see much of her once you go to the Red Zone."
"Yes."
Just as Lu Chen was about to turn and leave, Sister Fang suddenly lowered her voice.
"Little Lu, let me ask you something."
"Go ahead, Sister Fang."
"This Shen Xiaoning, which channel did her hiring approval come through?"
Lu Chen glanced at Sister Fang.
"I'm not sure about that."
"You're not sure..."
Sister Fang hesitated, seemingly wanting to say more, but ultimately shook her head.
"Never mind, it's not something I should worry about. Go ahead and get back to work."
Lu Chen left.
But Sister Fang's question lingered in his mind.
Which channel the hiring approval came through.
That was a very professional question.
In a Hospital, the process through which a person's hiring approval passes determines who is backing them.
Having worked in the Emergency Department for so many years, Sister Fang knew these ins and outs better than anyone.
Her asking this question indicated that she, too, sensed that Shen Xiaoning's hiring was unusual.
...
Wednesday.
The day new Nurses reported for duty.
During the morning meeting, Director Li Sen briefly introduced the new Nurses and then assigned them to the Nurse team leaders of each zone for training.
Shen Xiaoning was assigned to the Yellow Zone, with Sister Fang responsible for her training.
After the morning meeting, Lu Chen saw Shen Xiaoning in the hallway for the first time in the Central Hospital setting.
She was wearing a brand-new, white Nurse uniform, her hair tied in a low ponytail, with no makeup on her face.
It was completely different from how she looked when he met her at Guangfu Hospital.
Back then, she was a frantic family member of a patient, her eyes red, crying incessantly.
Now, she was a newly hired Nurse, standing straight, holding a notebook, listening intently to Sister Fang.
But her temperament remained the same.
Very clean, very quiet—the kind that makes you feel incapable of harboring any hostility towards her.
When Lu Chen walked past her, Shen Xiaoning saw him.
Her eyes instantly lit up.
"Dr. Lu!"
Lu Chen stopped.
"Nurse Shen, hello."
"You, how did you know I came here?"
"Teacher Zhao told me. Welcome to the Emergency Department."
A faint flush appeared on Shen Xiaoning's face.
"Th-thank you. I didn't expect to be assigned here either. I was really surprised when I found out it was the Emergency Department."
"Mm, work hard."
Lu Chen finished speaking and prepared to leave.
Sister Fang watched from the side, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
"Little Shen, you know Dr. Lu?"
"Yes! Back at Guangfu Hospital, Dr. Lu helped my brother treat his wounds, and he, he also protected us from those bad guys."
Shen Xiaoning's voice was noticeably quieter when she said the last few words.
Sister Fang looked at Lu Chen's retreating back, then at Shen Xiaoning's face, and revealed a meaningful smile.
"Alright, stop chatting for now. Come here, let me show you around the Yellow Zone."
"Okay, Sister Fang!"
Shen Xiaoning quickly followed.
After taking two steps, she turned back and secretly glanced at Lu Chen.
Lu Chen had already turned into the consultation room without looking back.
...
Over the next few days, Lu Chen continued working in the Yellow Zone while preparing to enter the Red Zone next Monday.
Every day after work, he spent two to three hours reading textbooks and literature related to emergency rescue, and the system's experience progress bar was growing slowly but steadily.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiaoning was adapting to the Yellow Zone faster than expected.
Sister Fang said her basic skills were solid; she was proficient in basic operations like injections, IVs, and medication preparation.
Moreover, she was diligent, didn't fear hard work, and rushed to do any task.
"This girl is good; she's much better than those who start slacking off right after graduation."
This was Sister Fang's private assessment to Zhao Yaqin.
Zhao Yaqin nodded as well.
"Her resume is indeed very impressive, and her evaluations during her internship were all excellent."
"It's just that..."
Sister Fang hesitated.
"There's one thing I find strange."
"What?"
"Her badge says she's a permanent staff Nurse, not a contract worker. You know how hard it is to get a permanent position at Central Hospital these days, right?"
"I know."
"She just graduated not long ago and doesn't have any outstanding research achievements or competition awards, so how did she get a permanent position right away?"
Zhao Yaqin thought for a moment.
"Maybe her test scores were good. She was indeed among the top scorers in this year's recruitment written exam."
"Being in the top few of the written exam doesn't necessarily guarantee a permanent position. Look at that young Nurse in the Orthopedics Department next door; she was first in the written exam and still has to work as a contract worker for two years first."
Zhao Yaqin didn't continue the topic.
Some things, even if you know them, are not convenient to talk about.
But Sister Fang's doubt was not without reason.
...
Friday afternoon.
Lu Chen finished treating the last patient in the Yellow Zone and was preparing to get off work when his phone vibrated.
It was a WeChat message from Shen Xiaoning.
[Shen Xiaoning: Dr. Lu, my brother asked me to thank you on his behalf. His wound has completely healed, and his arm function has recovered.]
[Lu Chen: Good, I'm glad it recovered normally.]
[Shen Xiaoning: Mm, by the way, Dr. Lu, I heard from Sister Fang that you're going to the Red Zone next Monday?]
[Lu Chen: Yes.]
[Shen Xiaoning: Then, does that mean we won't be in the same zone anymore?]
[Lu Chen: Correct, the Red Zone and the Yellow Zone are separate.]
[Shen Xiaoning: Oh...]
It was that "Oh" followed by an ellipsis, full of hidden meaning.
It was the same phrasing when their conversation ended last time at Guangfu Hospital.
Lu Chen glanced at it and didn't reply.
About two minutes later, Shen Xiaoning sent another message.
[Shen Xiaoning: Dr. Lu, if the Red Zone needs support from Yellow Zone Nurses in the future, can I apply to go over and help?]
[Lu Chen: That depends on the department's arrangements; it's not something an individual can decide.]
[Shen Xiaoning: Mm, okay, I understand.]
[Shen Xiaoning: Good luck, Dr. Lu! The Red Zone will surely be very tough; you must make sure to rest.]
[Lu Chen: Thank you.]
The conversation ended there.
Lu Chen put his phone in his pocket.
...
Sunday night.
Lu Chen did a periodic summary.
The data hadn't changed much this week; the experience efficiency in the Yellow Zone had indeed bottomed out.
But another matter caught his attention.
His Basic Theory of Emergency Medicine skill had reached 95/100 progress at the entry level.
With 5 more points, he could break through to the proficient level.
The leveling up of this skill had always been slow because it didn't gain experience through practical operations, relying mainly on theoretical study and case analysis.
But once he broke through to the proficient level, the system had prompted that it would unlock some new auxiliary diagnostic functions, which would be a great help to his work in the Red Zone.
So, he needed to read for a while longer tonight.
Lu Chen opened his textbook and read until 11:00 PM.
Then his phone lit up.
[Shen Xiaoning: Dr. Lu, you're going to the Red Zone tomorrow. Good luck! I drew a small card for you and wanted to give it to you tomorrow. Is that okay?]
Lu Chen glanced at it.
Drew a small card.
Isn't that something only elementary school students do?
He thought for a moment and replied.
[Lu Chen: Thanks, no need to deliver it personally; just leave it at the Nurse Station.]
[Shen Xiaoning: Okay!]
[Shen Xiaoning: Good night, Dr. Lu!]
[Lu Chen: Good night.]
He replied this time.
Then he turned off the lights and went to sleep.
Tomorrow.
Red Zone.
His new battlefield.