Super Doctor - Chapter 59

The ring—an external auxiliary device of the system—could now perform direct blood tests, a privilege Xu Ze gained after advancing to Level 1. This method was the most straightforward, efficient, and discreet. Unlike traditional blood tests requiring microscopic analysis, it operated invisibly, undetectable to the subject. Truly a godly tool for… well, saving lives (not the other dubious activities that first came to mind).

Yet, when Xu Ze reviewed the blood test results, he was stumped. No signs of infection or abnormalities showed up. Even the physical examination revealed nothing unusual. So what was causing the symptoms?

After some deliberation, Xu Ze decided to recheck the lymph nodes for caution.

He had the patient lie on the examination table and methodically palpated the usual sites: pre-auricular, post-auricular, mastoid… then supraclavicular, axillary, inguinal… The more he checked, the more baffled he became. Not a single swollen lymph node anywhere.

Finally, only the popliteal fossa (the area behind the knees) remained. Xu Ze raised an eyebrow skeptically—lymph node swelling there was rare, especially since the patient’s legs showed no signs of infection. As expected, the area felt normal, except for a slightly rough patch of skin…

Just as Xu Ze sighed and prepared to withdraw his hand, a beep echoed in his mind—the system’s alert:

“Ring detection: Abnormal finding. A 0.3×0.3cm eschar detected in the left popliteal fossa. Analysis suggests high probability of tsutsugamushi (mite) bite mark…”

Xu Ze froze. “Tsutsugamushi?”

A second later, his memory supplied the details. His eyes lit up. “Scrub typhus! It has to be scrub typhus!”

He quickly lifted the patient’s left leg for a closer look. There, hidden in the inner crease of the knee, was a barely noticeable black scab the size of a mung bean—easy to miss unless you knew what to search for. Confident now, Xu Ze asked, “Did you visit any grassy or wooded areas recently?”

The patient blinked. “Yeah, I took my daughter to the botanical garden last week. Why?”

Xu Ze smiled. “Alright, you can sit up now.”

Seeing Xu Ze’s confident expression, the patient grew hopeful. “Doc, did you figure it out?”

“Scrub typhus,” Xu Ze confirmed. “You were likely bitten by a mite in the grass at the botanical garden. That’s why you’ve had recurrent high fevers. I’ll consult with Dr. Zhang, but we’ll adjust your medication. A few days of targeted treatment should resolve it.”

“Wait—a bug bite caused all this?” The patient gaped.

Xu Ze nodded. “This particular mite can. Fortunately, we caught it early. The right medication will work effectively.”

Relief washed over the patient. After days of misery, the fear of some grave illness finally eased.

Meanwhile, Dr. Zhang, overhearing the conversation, felt equally reassured. While he couldn’t diagnose it himself, he trusted Xu Ze’s meticulous nature. If Xu Ze said it was scrub typhus, it likely was.

“Youth sharpens perception,” Dr. Zhang mused, impressed. “He must’ve spotted a telltale sign I missed.”

Xu Ze approached him. “Dr. Zhang, I found a characteristic eschar in the left popliteal fossa. It’s scrub typhus.”

“An eschar?” Dr. Zhang recalled the textbook signs and nodded. “Are you certain?”

“Yes. High fever, conjunctival injection, and no other abnormalities—this fits.” Xu Ze handed over the revised prescription, replacing the previous potent antibiotics (cefoperazone-sulbactam, clindamycin, ribavirin) with targeted ones: oral doxycycline and IV ciprofloxacin, plus supportive fluids.

Dr. Zhang scanned it and signed off. “Looks good. Proceed.”

The patient, observing their calm confidence, finally relaxed. “This young doctor’s way more competent than yesterday’s.”

…

Later, in the Dorm

Back in his room, Xu Ze showered and borrowed his absent roommate’s computer to log into QQ. He hadn’t checked it in over a month due to his grueling training. The moment he opened it, notifications exploded—beep beep beep!

Most were group chats, but three stood out: a verification request, and offline messages from Qing’er and Xiao Hao.

Qing’er had taken second place in a violin competition—proof of her hard work. Xu Ze typed a quick note of praise.

Xiao Hao’s message, however, made him chuckle. The kid had gotten a girlfriend. Xu Ze replied with brotherly teasing, though inwardly he wished Xiao Hao would focus more on academics like Qing’er. “That boy lives for basketball. If only he’d mature a bit faster…”

Then he checked the verification request. The username made him smirk: “Little Demon from the Silk Cave.” He accepted and added her, then absentmindedly browsed Xingda University’s forum.

A blazing red headline instantly froze his blood:

“Sun Lingfei Spotted at UBC Café with Mystery Man—Did She Confess First?”

The gossip section was flooded with comments.

Xu Ze’s stomach dropped. “Is this… about me?”

Heart pounding, he clicked the post. Sun Lingfei’s influence was terrifying—the thread, uploaded mere hours ago, already had thousands of replies.

As he read, cold sweat broke out. Someone had spotted them at UBC Café yesterday, eavesdropped, and caught Sun Lingfei’s table-slamming declaration:

“You’re going to be my boyfriend!”

Then Xu Ze’s face paled further.

Oh no.

The eavesdropper had definitely heard her shout his name.