Chapter 2: Climbing from the Trenches

Intern doctors are the lowest in the hospital—worse off than janitors.

They do the hardest work, and get scolded countless times every day. Mentors, department doctors, even nurses, and sometimes patients and their families, all criticize them. And on top of that, they don’t even get a salary.

They swallow their pride, all for the hope of someday making it big.

Once they become fully trained physicians, their benefits will improve dramatically, and life won’t be so miserable.

……

That night, Zhou Can slept more soundly than ever, feeling an unprecedented sense of ease.

In his dream, he had become a successful surgical superstar. Even the most difficult operations that baffled famed doctors were resolved with a mere wave of his hand. Tuyu Hospital beamed with pride over him, and the medical world hailed him as a modern surgical maestro.

He woke up only to realize it had all been a pipe dream.

He was still just an intern.

But one day, his dreams would come true.

A quick glance at the wall clock showed 7:10.

Since he had slept late, he ended up waking over an hour later than usual.

In the dorm, early risers were already immersed in studying or practicing basic skills—whether it was picking up beans with a toothpick or suturing.

With his internship coming to an end, the room buzzed with tension and anxiety.

Everyone was working desperately to become stronger.

Rumor had it that Tuyu’s residency recruitment was open to both in-house interns and external medical staff—a competition fiercer than ever.

Over a thousand people sat for the exam, and if twenty managed to pass, it was considered a win.

With an elimination rate of over 98%, the stakes were terrifying.

It was no exaggeration to say that one general’s success meant countless others fell by the wayside.

Life, after all, was a ceaseless battle.

Only the very best make it to top schools in elementary admissions; then middle school weeds out many, as do university and postgraduate exams.

In the end, only those who persevered would stand atop the pyramid.

After graduating, Zhou Can failed his postgraduate entrance exam.

This time, he refused to fail. He was determined to rise above.

Mornings were prime study hours—when the mind was fresh and the memory sharp. After his morning routine, seeing he still had a few spare minutes, he quickly grabbed a medical book to study.

Every renowned doctor’s rise was built on relentless daily effort.

This book—’1000 Cases of Surgical Pathology Diagnosis’—was co-authored by Professor Huang Houzhong and several distinguished surgeons. It documented a host of real-life cases.

“Female patient, 34 years old, rural resident. Seven years ago she noticed her neck was enlarging but received no treatment. Over the past two years, the swelling became pronounced and she experienced breathing difficulties, though there was no hoarseness or trouble swallowing. On palpation, several nodules were detected at the front of the neck—the largest about the size of a chicken egg, the smallest roughly a peach pit. She once visited a clinic and took ‘Iodine Sugar Pills’, but the mass did not shrink noticeably…”

Zhou Can read the case study intently.

Based on the patient’s symptoms, medical history, and test results, he began deducing the pathology.

After careful reasoning, he concluded it was a typical thyroid tumor.

Sure enough, after reviewing the expert’s diagnostic summary, it indeed turned out to be a thyroid tumor.

Eventually, after surgical treatment, the tumor removed from the patient was confirmed to be benign.

A small blessing in a misfortunate situation.

After all, thyroid tumors are often malignant.

Zhou Can had just finished reading the case.

【Pathology Diagnosis XP +0.1】

Who knew that studying could also boost his experience points? What a delightful surprise.

It seemed he no longer needed to worry about lagging behind in pathology diagnosis.

Its importance was just as crucial as surgical skills.

Pathology diagnosis tested a doctor’s integration of medical knowledge, clinical experience, analytical ability, and judgment.

Just as he was about to dive into another case, a roommate called out, “Zhou Can, come on! Being late means getting scolded!”

He closed his book and joined a few roommates as they headed to the hospital.

He was currently interning in the General Surgery Department—writing medical records, caring for patients, changing dressings, taking blood pressure, tracking progress, and assisting in surgeries, all of which were grueling daily tasks.

Don’t be fooled; even if you stand in the operating room, it doesn’t guarantee genuine surgical practice.

Following his mentor, he’d stand at the operating table for several grueling hours—sometimes even a single surgery could demand over a dozen hours on his feet. The only tasks he got were menial ones like hooking or de-skinning.

Forget about getting a chance to actually suture or close incisions.

Their mentors were of high rank—associate director level, supervising over a dozen interns.

And in the operating room, the teams were even more elite.

Attending physicians were relegated to nothing more than first assistants.

The opportunity to suture and ligate was highly coveted, with resident doctors lunging at it like hungry wolves.

There was simply no chance for an intern.

And so, the day passed by uneventfully.

Zhou Can wished he had wings so he could fly back to the dorm and practice his craft immediately.

With the training recruitment just the day after tomorrow and time extremely tight, every second was precious.

Pigskin used for suturing practice was hard to find at the market. Its specific thickness and refrigeration needs meant he usually bought it from the hospital’s academic building.

As he selected his pigskin, a thought struck him—why not also buy a white mouse to practice dissection and hemostasis?

Hemostasis had always been his weak link; he couldn’t let that drag him down.

After some careful picking, he bought a medium piece of pigskin for 40 yuan. White mice, however, were much pricier—nearly 60 yuan for a small one. He opted for the best, spending a total of 200 yuan.

At that price, most interns couldn’t afford such luxuries.

Coming from a well-off family, Zhou Can didn’t hesitate to invest in his skills.

He returned to the dorm with both the pigskin and the white mouse.

“Hey, Zhou Ge, pigskin and a white mouse again? Looks like you’re practicing until two or three in the morning!”

“Isn’t the training recruitment right around the corner? Even if the sharpened spear doesn’t gleam, it still works. You all are working hard—I can’t hold back the 211 dorm!”

Zhou Can laughed in response.

“I heard this year’s training recruitment is nationwide. Over 4,000 applicants, compared to about 2,000 in past years. This year, even getting through will be twice as hard. We’re really doomed!”

“Gu Jie, where did you get that info? Is it legit?”

His roommates instantly grew tense.

“Absolutely. And the number is still climbing. I think this year is almost a long shot!”

Gu Jie’s parents worked in the health system, so his information was reliable.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Can’s heart grew heavy.

But with so many people fighting for a spot at Tuyu, it also meant every position was incredibly coveted.

Great opportunities attract everyone—nobody could resist.

Everyone would have to rely solely on their own skills.

Zhou Can began practicing every precious second he had.

He started by making an incision on the pigskin.

【Incision XP +0.1】

Fantastic!

Only 0.2 XP away from leveling up.

Encouraged, he continued dissecting the pigskin.

Before long, congratulatory sounds filled the room.

【Congratulations! Your Incision Skill has advanced to Level 2! Current XP: 0/100. Dissection ability is at a basic resident level.】

His incision skill had reached the required level—simply awesome.

His grasp of dissection had soared to new heights. Whether making vertical or diagonal cuts, his hand was steady. Even the delicate free-hand slicing, which he used to fear, had greatly improved.

He then tried out a Level 2 incision on the pigskin.

Staring at the pigskin, he was amazed to notice the subtle texture of its fibers.

It was a new ability he hadn’t possessed before.

Gripping the scalpel, he sliced into it, and the feedback was entirely different—he could now faintly tell the difference between the epidermis, dermis, and muscle layers.

They say the most skilled surgeons can wield a scalpel to slice through a stack of paper, controlling exactly how many layers they cut. Their skill bordered on the magical.

Their blades could immediately sense the wall of a blood vessel as soon as they touched it.

This ability greatly reduced the risk of accidentally severing critical vessels or nerves during surgery.

Zhou Can’s dissection skills had already outpaced most interns.

If he reached Level 3 and attained resident status, he’d likely be able to outshine his fellow interns, carving a clear path forward.

After upgrading his incision skill, he worked diligently on suturing and knot-tying.

In less than an hour, he had placed 150 stitches.

This efficiency was several times faster than yesterday’s pace.

Moreover, his suturing work looked far superior to the typical intern’s.

Watching his experience points soar, Zhou Can felt a surge of determination.

He resolved to level up both his suturing and ligature skills to Level 3 by tonight.

Another hour passed, and the entire pigskin was covered in stitches.

In total, he had placed over 340 stitches.

He thought, if only he’d bought a larger piece of pigskin.

Glancing at the wall clock, it was just before 9.

Previously, suturing 300 stitches meant staying up until 1 a.m. Now, he had cut that time by four hours. Hard work had finally paid off—he felt overwhelmingly happy.

After stretching for a moment, he noticed that all his roommates were still hard at work.

The best among them was probably Gu Jie.

Gu Jie was practicing vascular anastomosis on the tail of the white mouse.

It was an extremely intricate task that required outstanding precision.

It could only be performed under a microscope.

“Gu Jie’s suturing might already be at or near resident doctor level,” Zhou Can speculated inwardly.

Returning to his own practice station, he fixed his gaze on the white mouse.

“Buddy, sorry about this!”

There are two common methods to anesthetize a white mouse. One involves placing it in a beaker with a cotton ball soaked in ether while continuously rotating it until the mouse is knocked out.

Zhou Can chose intraperitoneal injection for anesthesia.

Its advantages were a fast onset and long-lasting effect.

Moments later, the white mouse lay completely still, almost as if it were dead.

He secured it on a surgical wax tray and began the dissection.

After marking the incision line, he carefully held the scalpel and sliced open the mouse’s abdomen.

Compared to cutting pigskin, he felt noticeably more nervous.

Practicing on a living creature naturally evoked fears of nicking its intestines or other organs.

With one swift cut, blood immediately began to flow.

All of these factors added to his growing tension.

Fortunately, his incision skill had already reached Level 2.

That proved to be of immense help.

A neat, four-centimeter incision appeared, with the intestines remaining unscathed.

【Incision XP +0.2】

“This can’t be right—why did the XP double?”

Zhou Can was utterly astonished.

Zhou Can was utterly astonished.