52: You're in charge of stitching together the Red Zone after Chapter 52.
Shen Xiaoning poked her head out from the Nurse Station, watching the gold-chained man and his group walk away, then glanced at Dr. Lu, her eyes full of admiration.
Sister Meng sighed beside her.
“This young man is quite bold. When he says he won't add a street thug's WeChat, he really won't add it.”
Xiao Zhou chimed in from the side.
“Sister Meng, you should have seen his Suturing just now; it was even more outrageous than his courage.”
“Is it really that exaggerated?”
“It's not an exaggeration; my vocabulary just isn't enough to describe it.”
Meng Yan smiled and said nothing more.
But by dinner time, the news had already spread through the Red Zone Nurses' group chat.
The new Resident Physician, Lu Chen, had god-tier Suturing skills.
The news traveled fast.
By evening, even the Nurses in the Yellow Zone and Green Zone knew about it.
When Lin Xiaoyu heard the news in the Yellow Zone, her face was full of pride.
“Of course. You're only surprised because you haven't seen Dr. Lu's Suturing skills; I witnessed them long ago.”
Sun Tiantian pushed up her black-rimmed glasses.
“When did you see it?”
“Back when he was in the Yellow Zone. Dr. Lu sutured a head wound for an old man—it was absolutely beautiful.”
“Aren't you from the Green Zone? How did you see it in the Yellow Zone?”
Lin Xiaoyu's expression turned awkward for 0.3 seconds.
“I... I went to the Yellow Zone that day to borrow something.”
Sun Tiantian gave her a meaningful look but didn't expose her.
Borrowing something? Was it really an object she was after?
...
6:30 PM.
The Red Zone welcomed its second minor peak.
Within two hours, Lu Chen handled three more trauma sutures.
One was a construction worker whose back of the hand had been pierced by a nail, requiring Debridement and Suturing.
One was a night market vendor who got into a physical altercation with the neighboring stall and had his cheek slashed by a beer bottle; though not deep, the wound was on his face, requiring extremely high precision for the suture.
The last one was a college student playing basketball who collided with someone, splitting his lip and bleeding uncontrollably.
Three wounds, three levels of difficulty, three different locations.
Lu Chen handled them all perfectly.
Especially for the cheek wound, Lu Chen used the most delicate Suturing technique.
The stitch spacing was controlled within 3 millimeters, making the wound almost invisible once finished.
The vendor looked in the mirror for a long time, nearly moved to tears.
“Doctor, you saved my face. I sell grilled skewers at a stall; if I had a big scar on my face, I wouldn't be able to do business anymore.”
“Just follow normal care. There might be a slight mark early on, but it will gradually fade later.”
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
The vendor left with a thousand thanks.
Before leaving, he asked a question.
“Dr. Lu, are you working tomorrow? I'll bring you a few skewers tomorrow.”
“No need, the Hospital doesn't allow us to accept things from patients.”
“Then can I just leave them at the door?”
“That's not allowed either.”
The vendor left with regret.
As Lu Chen turned around, he noticed a few more people at the entrance of the treatment area.
They weren't patients; they were doctors.
Wu Fan stood there with a cup of coffee, looking in Lu Chen's direction.
There was also a young doctor Lu Chen didn't quite recognize, likely another Doctor on Duty in the Red Zone, standing next to Wu Fan.
“Teacher Wu.”
Lu Chen offered a greeting.
Wu Fan nodded.
“I watched your Suturing from the side for a bit just now.”
“Do you have any guidance, Teacher Wu?”
“I wouldn't call it guidance.” Wu Fan's expression was flat, but his tone carried an unusual seriousness. “I came from a surgical background before switching to emergency medicine. I've been doing sutures for many years and consider myself decent at it.”
“But honestly, I couldn't have performed that cheek suture the way you just did.”
Lu Chen didn't respond.
The young doctor next to Wu Fan also spoke up.
“I'm Sun Ji, a third-year Resident Physician. I used to think my Suturing was pretty good for the Red Zone, but after seeing your work today, I realize the gap.”
“Dr. Sun is too modest.”
“It's not modesty, it's the truth. Your control over the needle entry angle and suture tension isn't something that can be achieved with just a few years of practice; it's talent.”
Lu Chen thought to himself, 'This isn't talent, it's the system.'
But of course, he couldn't say that.
“Practice makes perfect.”
Wu Fan glanced at him.
“It's not just a matter of practice makes perfect.”
He said no more and turned to leave.
After a few steps, he turned back.
“From now on, you'll be responsible for the sutures in the Red Zone. I'll let Zhao Yaqin know.”
Lu Chen was slightly stunned.
“Teacher Wu, is that appropriate? It's only my first day in the Red Zone.”
“Appropriateness depends on skill, not seniority. Your Suturing is better than mine; there's no need for me to compete with you for this work.”
With that, he left without looking back.
Lu Chen stood in place, reflecting on Wu Fan's final words.
This man seemed cold, but he spoke very honestly.
Furthermore, his ability to calmly admit to a junior that he was inferior showed a level of magnanimity not found in most people.
Lu Chen's impression of Wu Fan improved significantly.
...
8:00 PM.
The pace of work in the Red Zone finally slowed down.
Lu Chen sat on a chair in the treatment area, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed for a moment.
His first day in the Red Zone was more exhausting than he had anticipated.
It wasn't physical exhaustion, but mental.
Every minute in the Red Zone was spent in a state of high tension; the brain was constantly working, with never a moment of true relaxation.
At the same time, he felt a sense of fulfillment that the Yellow Zone had never given him.
The complexity, urgency, and technical requirements of the cases in the Red Zone far exceeded those in the Yellow Zone.
This was where he belonged.
Shen Xiaoning walked over carrying a glass of warm water, her steps light and quiet.
“Dr. Lu, have some water.”
Lu Chen opened his eyes.
“Thank you.”
“You were so amazing today. I heard so many patients praising you over at the Nurse Station.”
“Just doing my job.”
“That's not it at all. I watched you Suturing that gold-chained guy; it was really incredible. I was mesmerized.”
Lu Chen took a sip of water.
“Aren't you supposed to be busy at the Nurse Station? How did you have time to watch me suture?”
Shen Xiaoning blushed.
“I... I saw it while passing by.”
“Passing by four times?”
“How did you know it was four times?”
“The entrance to the treatment area is opposite your workstation. I could see you in my peripheral vision every time you passed.”
Shen Xiaoning's face turned even redder, all the way to her ears.
“I... I'm going back to work.”
She turned and ran off, the water in her pitcher nearly spilling out.
Meng Yan poked her head out from behind the Triage Desk.
“Xiao Shen!”
“Present!”
“The call button for the patient in bed three is ringing. Go check on them.”
“Okay!”
Shen Xiaoning rushed over, clutching her pitcher.
Lu Chen watched her back and shook his head.
Was this girl here in the Red Zone to work or to watch him?
Forget it, don't think about that.
He took out his phone and glanced at the system panel.
Today's gains were more than expected.
A large number of Suturing procedures had brought a significant increase in skill experience points.
Especially that delicate suture on the thumb web space; because it involved high-difficulty nerve protection, it triggered an extra experience bonus.
Combined with the 50% efficiency boost from the Emergency Surgery Skill Enhancement Card, the Suturing experience he gained in a single day was more than what he'd get in a week in the Yellow Zone.