31. A Second-Stage Mission with Generous Rewards

"Don't worry, let me give you an examination first," Luo Hao comforted the man gently.

The man had never expected that he might actually be ill. Whenever he started working, he would feel dizzy. Not just others, but even the man himself had assumed it was just a bout of laziness.

"Doctor, I'm not going to die, am I?"

The man spoke as if joking, but his smile was stiff; he was clearly frightened.

"Once we find the problem, it won't be a big deal," Luo Hao smiled slightly. "Come with me; I'll take you for an examination."

"What kind of examination?"

The man and Wang Guohua asked in unison.

"A vascular ultrasound. For now, I suspect a problem with the subclavian artery."

Subclavian artery? Vascular occlusion?

Wang Guohua fell silent. Although he had rich clinical experience and high surgical skills, they were limited to general surgery. He only had a superficial understanding of most other clinical fields. He didn't know much about the subclavian artery that Luo Hao mentioned. He didn't dare to comment, fearing he might show his ignorance. As a senior department head, he still needed to save face; if Luo Hao were to retort, it would be difficult to handle.

"Doctor, what exactly is wrong with me?" the man asked anxiously. He never imagined that a casual question would lead to a real diagnosis.

"Have you seen a traditional Chinese medicine doctor at home?" Luo Hao suddenly asked.

"I have. The old doctor in our village said I didn't have a pulse anymore."

"I see." Luo Hao nodded. "I once encountered a patient, 78 years old. When he was brought in, I checked his pulse and couldn't feel it, so I thought he had passed away."

"Uh..."

"But the patient was clearly still breathing, so I immediately asked my mentor to come and take a look. My mentor checked the patient's carotid artery—the position right here on the neck." Luo Hao pointed to his own neck as he spoke. "There was a blood pressure; it wasn't that the pulse was gone, just that it couldn't be felt at the wrist."

"So, what was that about?" the man asked.

Wang Guohua also pricked up his ears, listening intently.

"Generally speaking, this situation could be an aortic dissection or subclavian steal syndrome."

"What?" The man was stunned.

It wasn't just the man; even Wang Guohua was dumbfounded. Subclavian steal syndrome? What was that?

Wang Guohua slowed his pace and eventually stopped at a corner, not following Luo Hao to perform the ultrasound on the man. Hiding in the corner, he quickly pulled out his phone. Not wanting to forget the diagnosis Luo Hao had given, he typed it into a search engine.

It really existed!

Wang Guohua began to study it carefully. Subclavian steal syndrome refers to a partial or complete occlusive lesion in the proximal segment of the subclavian artery or at the origin of the vertebral artery from the brachiocephalic trunk. Due to the siphon effect, it causes retrograde blood flow in the ipsilateral vertebral artery into the distal part of the ipsilateral subclavian artery, leading to vertebrobasilar ischemic attacks and symptoms of ischemia in the affected upper limb. This disease can cause cerebral ischemia or upper limb ischemia symptoms.

The description online was basically similar to the man's condition. Simply put, it meant the pulse could not be felt, worsened after activity, and was mostly seen in the elderly; unilateral cases were common, while bilateral cases were rare.

Wang Guohua held his phone blankly, as if he wanted to absorb every word on the screen. Every word he had said to the man not long ago echoed in his mind, and Wang Guohua felt ashamed. "Incompetent at practicing medicine"—these four words were the dirtiest thing a doctor of his generation could say to a peer. There was no exception; it was even more frustrating than being cursed at. At this moment, Wang Guohua felt he was truly "incompetent at practicing medicine."

His aged face flushed red. After a long moment of daze, Wang Guohua slowly walked toward the ultrasound room.

"The diagnosis is fairly clear. There is plaque in the subclavian artery. Not many middle-aged people get this disease. Based on the medical history, I believe it appeared after the fracture two years ago."

"Doctor, what should I do?"

"Check into the vascular surgery department and get a stent placed where the plaque is."

The conversation between Luo Hao and the man reached Wang Guohua's ears.

It was confirmed? That was fast. Normally, a vascular color Doppler ultrasound couldn't be done in the evening, and Wang Guohua's mind was full of doubts. However, he didn't suspect that Luo Hao was lying. Luo Hao's sunny smile naturally carried a power that made people trust him. Could it be that he just happened to catch a senior doctor who hadn't left work yet?

Wang Guohua walked over and saw the patient putting on his clothes. He looked around. Other than the doctor on duty, there was no one else in the ultrasound room.

"Director Guohua, who are you looking for?" the ultrasound doctor asked.

"Who performed the vascular color ultrasound on the patient?" Wang Guohua asked directly, making no attempt to hide his curiosity.

"I did." Luo Hao walked up to Wang Guohua with his usual smile. "Director Guohua, the diagnosis is quite clear: left subclavian steal syndrome. I have already advised the patient to go to the vascular surgery department for follow-up treatment."

"You?!"

"Yes."

"You know how to perform a vascular color ultrasound?" Wang Guohua was stunned. An ultrasound for an ovarian cyst or liver cyst was one thing, but a vascular color ultrasound was entirely different. Being able to perform one and being able to evaluate the scan to give a definitive diagnosis were two different things.

"I know a little bit," Luo Hao replied modestly.

"..."

Wang Guohua fell silent.

"Director Guohua, it's getting late. Aren't you going home? I'm planning to order some food. Would you like to join me?" Luo Hao asked.

"No, no." Wang Guohua waved his hand. "I'm heading back now. Why aren't you leaving yet?"

"I just saw a patient, him," Luo Hao gestured toward the man. "I need to go back and complete the outpatient medical record and write out the examination orders. There's a lot of paperwork."

Wang Guohua felt a shiver of respect, and his estimation of Luo Hao rose significantly. Not only was he good at diagnosing, but after giving the patient a satisfactory and definitive diagnosis, Luo Hao was also meticulous enough to complete the outpatient medical records! The ultrasound might have been done for free, but the billing order had to be processed. Although this was the mindset of a cynic, it was the only way to ensure he had solid evidence in case the man decided to lodge a complaint later. One could be a good person, but the prerequisite was to ensure one's own safety.

Wang Guohua looked at Luo Hao carefully. Young, sunny, and full of vitality. All these beautiful words could be used to describe Luo Hao, yet his actions and methods were as sophisticated as a slippery, veteran attending physician who had spent years in clinical practice and seen countless medical disputes. Several different images swirled in Wang Guohua's field of vision, eventually merging into one, becoming a part of Luo Hao.

*Sigh.*

Wang Guohua didn't speak; he just waved his hand and turned to leave. If Wen Youren had even half—no, a third—of Luo Hao's cleverness, his current achievements wouldn't be so limited. Wang Guohua felt a bit of regret, even more sighing, and a touch of pity.

[People say men are boys until they die, but a boy...]

Luo Hao's phone rang. He glanced at it and answered.

"Mr. Luo, your car is due for maintenance. Let me know which day is convenient, and I'll take it to the provincial capital."

"The provincial capital, huh." Luo Hao pondered, remembering the invitation from Liu Haisen and Director Shi. It was appropriate to visit the "superior hospital" and make some connections.

"I'll check the time. You don't need to come pick it up; I'll drive it over myself."

...

...

With Wang Guohua's help, the ERCP surgery was successfully carried out. Wang Guohua lived up to his reputation as the "Number One Blade" of Donglian City, then and now; his surgical level was high, his theoretical foundation was solid, and his social network was broad. Patients with refractory gallstones and bile duct diseases were admitted one after another, and after completing the relevant examinations, they underwent surgical treatment.

The system tasks were completed rapidly. A few weeks later, on a weekend, as an ERCP surgery concluded, a "ding-dong" sound rang in Luo Hao's ears.

System task completed!

[Main Task: Smaller Trauma, Greater Possibilities (Phase 1) completed. Task content: Complete 100 interventional surgeries. Task duration: three months. Task reward: Random attribute point +1, 100,000 experience points.]

The random attribute point was added to Spirit, bringing Luo Hao's spirit stat to 15. A warm current flowed through his limbs and bones, just like in fantasy novels where the protagonist consumes a celestial treasure; Luo Hao felt as if he had an endless supply of energy. Furthermore, in a daze, Luo Hao vaguely felt he could hear the inner thoughts of the people around him.

That was too absurd!

Luo Hao glanced at Chen Yong, who was doing odd jobs nearby. Could this be what it felt like to be a mage? It seemed more intuitive and greater than the luck stat; a thought appeared in Luo Hao's mind. But he immediately laughed it off. If 15 points of Spirit could give him such a strong intuitive perception, what about his 34 points of Luck? It was working in the dark; he just hadn't noticed it yet.

"Ding-dong~"

[Main Task: Smaller Trauma, Greater Possibilities (Phase 2). Task content: Complete 1,000 interventional surgeries. Task duration: six months. Task reward: Random attribute point +15, Lucky Draw +1, 1,000,000 experience points.]

Oh my, the rewards for the second phase of the continuous task were so generous that Luo Hao was stunned. Not to mention the attribute points and the lucky draw, the experience points alone were enough to level him up. Seeing the Level 4 surgical skill bar less than halfway full, Luo Hao felt a thrill. Level 5 surgery should be equivalent to the top level in the province; even at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, he could stand on his own.

Perform surgeries! Perform surgeries!!

Luo Hao thought happily. He directly ignored the geometrically increasing number of surgeries. The number 1,000 was just a placeholder; the goal was what mattered.

"Little Dr. Luo, I think I can try the next basket-net stone extraction surgery," Wang Guohua said.

Chen Yong lowered his head on the side. He wanted to try, too. After a dozen or twenty surgeries, not only Wang Guohua but even Chen Yong was eager to try. However, whether comparing seniority or anything else, Chen Yong knew he would definitely be ranked behind Wang Guohua. Compete? The example of his mentor, Jiang Wenming, was right before his eyes. Besides, his mentor hadn't even competed; he just knew more and could do more, yet he was still sent to the outpatient clinic.

"Director Guohua, you perform the next surgery, and I'll assist you," Luo Hao smiled. Although facing the "massive" task of 1,000 surgeries, Luo Hao didn't try to "hoard" all the surgeries for himself. Although he hadn't been in medicine long, Luo Hao had seen many types of doctors, including the Wen Youren style—never letting go, monopolizing "high-end" surgeries in the region through various means. This approach worked well, but once there was a backlash, the person involved would face tremendous pressure. Moreover, Luo Hao's personality was cheerful, and he didn't care about such small things. Plus, since the patients were all admitted by Wang Guohua, it wouldn't make sense for him to hog the surgeries.

The hallucination caused by the 1-point increase in his Spirit had long since receded like the tide; Luo Hao no longer felt he could hear others' thoughts. But after speaking to Wang Guohua, Luo Hao seemed to sense something and said with a smile, "Director Guohua, Dr. Chen's skills are also improving very quickly."

Wang Guohua curled his lip. "Am I going to compete with you guys for surgeries?"

His gaze was like a knife, but Chen Yong's eyes narrowed into a slit, sparkling.

"I'll build as big a stage as you have the ability to handle. What I fear is that you don't have the ability!" Wang Guohua continued. As he said this, he suddenly realized he was no longer the director of the Mining General Hospital's general surgery department.

Luo Hao "sensed" the fluctuation in Wang Guohua's emotions and said with a smile, "Director Guohua, we still need you to safeguard us."

"Tsk, just empty words." Wang Guohua was disdainful.

"It's true. When I was studying in the Imperial Capital, there was an exam at the neighboring TCM college, and a guy there needled himself twice and ended up paralyzed."

"!!!"

"This incident alarmed the vice president of their affiliated hospital, who is a person from our area, a highly skilled old TCM doctor. He personally took action and needled him for 7 days before bringing him back."

"Wu Chang'en from the provincial capital?" Wang Guohua asked.

"Yes, that's President Wu. I knew you would know him, Director Guohua." Luo Hao kept coaxing Wang Guohua to talk.

"Are TCM students that reckless? Needling themselves into paralysis! That's too much," Chen Yong said, surprised.

"It must have been an accident. I'm not sure where he needled himself, but I went to visit him at the time. He was fine after a week, jumped over the wall, and we went to an internet cafe to play games."

"You actually play games!" Chen Yong stared at Luo Hao with wide eyes.

"Uh, I played occasionally when I was in school, but my skill wasn't good enough, so I stopped." Luo Hao slipped up and offered an explanation.

"Skill not good enough? I see your hand speed is very fast; maybe your understanding of the game wasn't good enough. It's okay, tell me what you play, and I'll teach you. There are indeed many details in the game; you can't rely on hand speed alone..."

As Chen Yong continued, Luo Hao, seeing he had misunderstood, explained.

"I joined a club's training camp, but I didn't get first place. Later, the club said I could participate in official competitions, but I had to be a substitute. It happened to be the time for my internship, so I refused."

*Damn!*

Chen Yong cursed viciously in his heart. So that was what "not good enough" meant. Without even trying, Luo Hao had shown off again.

%￥&%￥%

Chen Yong started cursing silently in his mind.

The patient's vital signs were stable, and they lifted the patient onto a stretcher and returned to the ward. Wang Guohua went to discuss the extracted stones with the patient's family, and Luo Hao asked Chen Yong to accompany Wang Guohua while he took the patient back to the ward.

Along the way, Luo Hao carefully pondered the second phase of the long-term main task. It was impossible not to be tempted by such generous rewards. But surgery wasn't a one-man show; others wanted to be the primary surgeon, which created conflicts. Luo Hao wanted to avoid conflicts, but that clashed with his goal of quickly completing the surgeries. That was life, and Luo Hao was indifferent; he could only take things as they came. Plans definitely never changed as fast as reality.

...

Returning the patient to the ward, Luo Hao habitually stood by the ECG monitor to observe the patient's vital signs, avoiding any accidents during the transfer. While watching the values on the monitor, Luo Hao searched for new surgical procedures in the system. There were as many minimally invasive surgical procedures as there were stars in the sky; after just a few glances, Luo Hao found three or five that could be performed at the Mining General Hospital. The main issue for the hospital was the severe brain drain, which made it impossible to implement many new procedures. The training of a doctor took years. If a pilot was worth his weight in gold, then an experienced and skilled doctor should be similar, or even more precious. After all, a doctor's level and rich clinical experience were cultivated with human lives. Talent loss meant a ten-year cycle to retrain, which gave Luo Hao a blue ocean. He should find time to talk to Wang Guohua and launch a few more new projects so that the second phase of the long-term main task could be completed as soon as possible. Although Luo Hao was peaceful and indifferent, he had a dream—one day to max out his surgical skills and return to school. That would be returning home in glory.

Luo Hao stood by the patient's bed, staring at the numbers on the monitor while "daydreaming." Before he could chat with Wang Guohua, someone had already beaten him to it.

...

"Mentor, I'm discharged. Thank you for your hard work during this time." Wen Youren pulled Wang Guohua into his office. "You too, I'm here or not, this office is yours; why are you still dealing with them in the doctor's office?"

"Rules are rules. A director can be approachable, but some things can't be done," Wang Guohua said casually. "Youren, it's good that you're back. I filled in for you for a while, and nothing went wrong. From now on, focus on practicing medicine and performing surgeries properly."

"I know, mentor." Wen Youren's lips moved, but some words remained unsaid.

Wang Guohua saw it clearly. He didn't sit in the seat he had occupied for decades. The position determines the perspective; a 20-year-old might not understand this, but Wang Guohua did. Retiring meant retiring; coveting this position was ultimately not good. Wang Guohua sat on the bed and said lightly, "As for surgery, I will try not to touch it if I can help it; you can feel free to perform your surgeries with confidence."

He clearly stated his intention. Wen Youren was startled. *Try not to touch it if I can help it—what does that mean?!*

"Recently, I assisted Luo Hao in over twenty ERCP surgeries and gained quite a lot of insight. Don't worry, I won't touch normal surgeries, but if anything goes wrong with an ERCP, a surgeon still has to step in to clean up the mess."

"..." Wen Youren saw a light in his mentor's eyes, especially when he mentioned Luo Hao.

"I'll say this much—it's time to learn some new technologies," Wang Guohua said lightly.

"Mentor, you..."

Wen Youren hadn't expected that in just ten or twenty days, his mentor would be "flipped" by Luo Hao. He said awkwardly.

"You..." Wang Guohua shook his head; some things were better left unsaid. After all, the two of them had worked together for twenty years; some things were understood without being spoken.

After Wang Guohua left, Wen Youren sat in the office, gnashing his teeth in hatred. To secure this position as director, he had schemed so much, offended so many people, and driven away so many doctors in their prime. He hadn't expected that just when everything was stable, he would be backstabbed by Lin Yuming from the medical affairs department. This knife was Luo Hao.

To this day, Wen Youren's heart was still bleeding. *I don't believe he has no flaws at all!* Wen Youren thought. He pondered for a long time until it was almost time to get off work before heading to the medical records room.

"Director Wen, why are you here to organize medical records yourself?" the staff member in the records room asked in surprise. The work in the records room was to organize discharged medical records and archive them. Incomplete records were stacked to the side, and doctors from relevant departments were notified via phone or WeChat groups to make revisions. Once revised, they were archived. This was the normal process. Usually, junior doctors did this; at most, it would be an attending physician. Deputy directors and above rarely appeared in the records room.

"I'm here to find a few records." Wen Youren tried to make his tone as soothing as possible.

"This..." The staff member looked at the clock.

"You go home first; don't be late to pick up your kids. I'll lock the door when I leave. Don't worry, what's here that you're afraid of losing?" Wen Youren forced a smile, trying to look gentle.

"Then you can look at the records yourself; I'll go change and head home." Hearing that he wouldn't be delayed, the staff member happily chimed in.

Wen Youren waited until they had all left before starting to look for the records of patients on whom Luo Hao had performed surgeries in the OB-GYN and general surgery departments.

102 records!

When Wen Youren saw this number on the computer, he felt terrible. In such a short time, Luo Hao's own surgical volume had reached this level! One had to know that Wen Youren's own surgical volume per year was only around 200. Although one was puncture and ERCP and the other was laparoscopy and open surgery, there was still a difference. But Wen Youren's expression was solemn, like he was facing a formidable enemy. A massive amount of surgery could cultivate a clinical surgeon; Wen Youren knew this better than anyone. That was how he was cultivated back then.

After a few minutes, a sneer flashed across Wen Youren's lips. *I don't believe Luo Hao can be flawless.* The medical affairs department? How great could the medical affairs department be? If there really was a major issue, he wouldn't hesitate to report it with his real name! Every time he thought of Luo Hao standing on the stage during a hospital-wide consultation, talking eloquently and even warning him not to interfere, the fire in Wen Youren's heart burned fiercely.

He printed out the record numbers related to Luo Hao and looked for them one by one. Since no one from the records room was there, Wen Youren simply took all 102 records, put them in his car, and took them home to study carefully.

There was a saying in the medical field: "If nothing goes wrong, it means you're not doing enough surgery." For Luo Hao to complete so many surgeries in such a short time, it would be strange if nothing went wrong! The reason it had remained calm was because the medical affairs department was backing him, and there were many things he didn't know. The more Wen Youren thought about it, the more certain he became of this view.

After an hour of searching for records, Wen Youren returned home satisfied. He didn't even eat dinner; he started studying Luo Hao's records in the study. After reading the first record word for word, Wen Youren was stunned. He had never seen anyone write medical records so well—almost every word was deliberate, flawless, the standard "Grade A" medical record.

*Impossible, absolutely impossible!!*

Wen Youren elevated his importance of Luo Hao even further and started reading the second record. Still no problems. *How is this possible!*

Third... Fourth...

He didn't know what time it was when he rubbed his eyes in a daze. He hadn't picked out a single flaw! Wen Youren often said, "Not everyone can perform surgery, but who can't pick out flaws?" This was said for the medical affairs department to hear. But when he truly couldn't find a flaw in the dozens of medical records in front of him, Wen Youren couldn't believe it was real.

After hesitating for a long time, Wen Youren decided not to look at the medical records anymore and picked up the phone instead. *So you, Luo Hao, can call in favors? My connections are broader than yours!* Wen Youren thought with hatred.