Chapter 17: The Surgical Gauntlet

“My maximum operation time is set at 30 minutes—there’s still plenty of time. Why not double-check?” The examiner was clearly impressed by the morally upright young doctor.

This was his polite reminder for a recheck.

“Thank you, examiner. I’ve already double-checked and now request to submit.”

Zhou Can was utterly confident in his surgical skills.

“Alright!”

The examiner nodded in resignation.

One of the evaluators hurried over to Zhou Can.

While picking up the Pigskin to inspect it, the evaluator offered him some advice.

“Kid, you’re fast! But surgery isn’t just about speed—you have to value quality too… Hmm, well, this quality is actually excellent!”

The incision was neat, and he hadn’t damaged the two hidden red catheters.

The skin layers were perfectly aligned, leaving no gaps.

Even the tension test yielded impressive results.

The knots were flawless and seamlessly merged with the skin; the sutures were secure and tidy.

It was almost unbelievable—could this really be intern-level performance?

Even the resident at Tuyu Hospital might only measure up to this.

After the inspection, the evaluator looked at him in surprised appraisal.

With an awkward smile, he said, “I stand corrected—if the operation is both swift and superb, then there’s no issue.”

He then recorded the scores on Zhou Can’s tablet.

Anatomy: 9.5; Suturing: 9.5; Ligature: still 9.5.

The preliminary test didn’t include Hemostasis—likely due to the exorbitant cost of the monopolar Electrocautery Knife. The cheapest ones cost tens of thousands, and with over 1,500 candidates, the expense would be astronomical!

Tuyu Hospital’s funds for standardized training recruitment were clearly limited.

The examiners had to economize wherever possible.

Judging by the evaluator’s look of admiration, Zhou Can’s scores were certainly high.

“What? He’s not only fast, but his suturing is excellent too?”

How could this be?

Gao Jian nearly dropped his jaw in disbelief.

His hand trembled, nearly causing a misaligned stitch.

Frightened, he quickly refocused and stitched carefully. Zhou Can had already outpaced him in speed; any error in scoring would reflect poorly on Imperial Capital Medical University.

Yang Chan also looked at Zhou Can in utter amazement.

Today, this old classmate had repeatedly surprised her.

Forcing her to redefine her impression of this wealthy scion.

In her experience, rich kids were just spoiled playboys—lazy, indulging in debauchery, and forever boasting about their wealth. Nothing more than freeloaders.

In five years as classmates, she’d never even spared him a real look.

Now she realized that the man she had dismissed not only possessed impeccable medical ethics, but his skills far exceeded her previous assumptions.

Her earlier impression of him had been remarkably superficial.

A wave of guilt washed over her.

…

The 30 minutes flew by in the blink of an eye.

The evaluators worked quickly, finishing the scoring for all candidates in no time.

“Alright, the preliminary scores are out. Now you can check your rankings. The top 50 will advance to the next round.”

Preliminaries were 30 points—and so will be the second round.

Those who didn’t make it to the next round were essentially doomed to elimination.

“Over there, a higher-end operating table is ready. Candidates ranked in the top 50, please take your tablet and move over for the next round.”

Following the examiner’s pointed direction, fifty temporary operating tables were lined up in a row, each equipped with advanced tools like the Electrocautery Knife.

Judging by the situation, the final exam would certainly include a hemostasis test.

Zhou Can reviewed his preliminary ranking—28.5 total points, ranked fourth.

This meant three candidates had scored higher than him.

There’s always someone even better.

It looked like there were many top-tier candidates among the contenders.

But that was expected—aside from interns, the recruitment also attracted doctors with over ten years of experience.

Though many hailed from county hospitals or regional centers, their vast surgical expertise far surpassed that of interns handling a scalpel for the first time.

Thankfully, Zhou Can had elevated all his skills to level three; otherwise, today’s exam would have been very risky.

Candidates who didn’t advance sat dejectedly in their seats.

Those who succeeded were filled with pride, basking in the envious glances of their eliminated peers.

The moment Zhou Can stood up, all eyes locked on him.

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that he commanded everyone’s undivided attention.

“Can, great job! Keep it up!”

“Zhou Can, your brothers can’t stick with you till the end. You have to restore some dignity for our dorm.”

In his dorm, Zhou Can was the only one to advance.

Even Gu Jie had been pushed out of the top 50.

This showed just how fierce the competition was this year.

Even now, the battle wasn’t over. There were only 11 positions available for full residency.

Meaning that out of the 50 who advanced to the second round, another 39 would face ruthless elimination.

Zhou Can gave a determined nod to his roommates, promising not to let their expectations down.

He briskly made his way toward the second-round operating table.

Passing by a female candidate, she shot him a complex, somewhat bitter look and said, “Yesterday I saw you buying so many White Mice. I assumed your surgical skills were poor—I never expected you to be so reserved and make it into the top 50.”

This female candidate was none other than the intern who had once mocked Zhou Can for buying White Mice.

“Heh, just a stroke of luck.”

Zhou Can’s abilities went far beyond just making the top 50.

I suspect she still underestimated him.

“Xiaolu, not just you—I’ve been deceived by him all five years!” Yang Chan declared, clearly eager to confront him.

As the class monitor, she often played the role of a mini-teacher.

She was strict yet caring toward all her classmates.

Seeing Zhou Can excel like this filled her with genuine happiness.

“I’ve never deceived the class monitor; you just never paid attention to a little guy like me,” Zhou Can replied with a smile, turning the tables.

“Oh, come on now—stop talking nonsense!”

Yang Chan shot him a flirtatious, sidelong glance, exuding charm.

For a moment, Zhou Can found himself completely captivated by her look.

The title of Class Belle was clearly well deserved. Her striking appearance, combined with her fiery spirit and unique allure, was unforgettable.

“All candidates for the second round, please proceed. Let’s move on, old classmates—good luck!”

Yang Chan felt a bit uneasy under his intense gaze.

She led the way toward the second-round area.

Zhou Can silently admired the class monitor’s ability as she too advanced.

Generally speaking, women tend to be at a disadvantage in both physical strength and manual dexterity. In the field of surgery, there are far fewer female doctors than male.

It’s an inherent handicap.

For her to break into the top 50, the effort behind the scenes must have been enormous.

By the time Zhou Can reached the area, only one seat remained.

He quickly settled into it.

“Before the second round begins, let me announce something: as per tradition, the candidate who tops the overall exam in clinical skills, nursing, and general residency training will receive a generous reward. In addition to a cash prize of 5000 yuan, the hospital will offer extra benefits—such as full assistance in obtaining a practicing license, direct employment contracts post-residency, accelerated promotions, and priority for advanced training.”

These were all very tangible perks.

The candidates’ eyes lit up with fervor.

Each of them set their sights on the coveted top spot.

“Now, here are the rules for the second round: Each candidate will receive one White Mouse. Surgical Task One—remove the left lung of the White Mouse, perform suturing and hemostasis, and close the chest cavity, ensuring that the mouse survives. Surgical Task Two—transect the tail at an appropriate position and conduct a vascular anastomosis to ensure proper blood flow to the severed tail.”

Both tasks are highly challenging.

In particular, opening the chest and removing the left lung is nearly equivalent to Level-Three surgery.

Keep in mind that Level-Three surgeries require at least an Associate Chief Physician as the lead surgeon.

The candidates couldn’t help but wonder: is this truly a residency recruitment, or are they selecting for attending physicians?

Well, Tuyu Hospital is just that exceptional.

If you can’t meet their standards, you’re eliminated immediately.

Perhaps it’s because Tuyu Hospital has taken an elite path over the past decade. Its exacting standards in recruiting clinical talent have propelled its ranking higher and higher.

Many hospitals that once outperformed it have now been left far behind.

Some predict that in ten years Tuyu Hospital might rank among the top ten nationwide.

Removing a lung demands exceptional precision in incisions, hemostasis, suturing, and ligature. Any deficiency in one of these could lead to surgical failure.

The candidates who advanced were all extremely skilled.

For geniuses like them, the more challenging the surgery, the more they thrived.

How else could they demonstrate their uniqueness without performing a high-caliber operation?

Each one was brimming with confidence, ready to showcase their exceptional talents.