“Hmm… the diagnosis is correct!” Old Doctor Zhang nodded slightly after hearing Xu Ze’s explanation. Everything matched his own observations. He then picked up the prescription Xu Ze had written and began to examine it carefully.
Hearing that Old Doctor Zhang had confirmed his diagnosis, Xu Ze felt a slight sense of relief, but he was still a bit nervous. After all, Old Doctor Zhang was extremely meticulous when it came to prescribing medication. Even though the diagnosis was correct, there was no guarantee that the prescription would meet his standards.
Fortunately, after reviewing the prescription, Old Doctor Zhang’s eyes showed a hint of satisfaction. He picked up his pen, signed his name on the prescription, and handed it back to Xu Ze with a smile. “Not bad. Take this to the patient for the injection.”
“Alright…” Xu Ze nodded happily. Gaining Old Doctor Zhang’s approval was no small feat. He took the prescription and quickly went to administer the injection to the patient.
The clinic was unusually busy today. In the more than a year Xu Ze had been working there, he had rarely seen so many patients. He had been running around non-stop from six in the evening until eleven at night. By the time he returned to his dorm, he was completely exhausted.
Lying in bed, Xu Ze couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the thought of how busy he had been. He hadn’t even had a chance to sit down. If every day was like this, earning those 800 yuan wouldn’t be easy. Moreover, he had barely spent any time in the consultation room today, so how was he supposed to learn anything? Still, it was a good sign that Old Doctor Zhang had started letting him prescribe medication. It meant he was beginning to trust Xu Ze’s abilities, and hopefully, he would be able to learn more in the future.
The next day, when Xu Ze saw the waiting room filled with patients just like the day before, he couldn’t help but lightly slap himself and mutter, “Since when did my words become so prophetic?”
The work that followed was monotonous and exhausting. Administering injections, preparing medications, and constantly shuttling between the preparation room and the injection room left Xu Ze with no time to visit the consultation room. His back and legs were starting to ache, and as he looked at the syringes and medications on the treatment table, he sighed softly. It seemed like the days ahead wouldn’t be easy. He just hoped Old Doctor Zhang might consider giving him a raise.
“Doctor, we’re out of medication!” Hearing the call, Xu Ze quickly shook off his frustration and hurried out with a bottle of medicine.
As Xu Ze ran back and forth between the preparation room and the injection room, sweat dripping from his forehead, a faint “beep-beep” sound echoed in his mind: “Cell energy overflow increasing, system energy storage accelerating… 48%… 49%…”
By the time he returned to his dorm at 10:50 PM, Gangzi and Pangzi were still engrossed in World of Warcraft. They glanced up and greeted Xu Ze before returning to their game.
Luozi, noticing Xu Ze’s exhausted expression, showed a hint of concern and said with a smile, “Xu Ze, I passed by the clinic today and saw how busy it was. You must be working really hard lately.”
“Yeah, it’s been crazy these past couple of days. I barely have any time to rest at the clinic,” Xu Ze replied with a bitter smile, shaking his head. “I’m going to take a shower now.”
“Alright, get some rest after your shower. We have imaging class tomorrow morning,” Luozi said, then added, “Xu Ze, maybe you should focus more on your studies and try to get a scholarship. It would make things easier for you.”
“A scholarship?” Xu Ze chuckled lightly and shook his head. “I’m not holding my breath for that. You know my grades—they’re not bad, but they’re not top-tier either. How can I compete with the top students in the student council?”
Luozi sighed. He knew Xu Ze wasn’t slacking off, but most of his time was spent at the clinic. Xu Ze was just barely passing his courses, and it wasn’t easy for him.
After his shower, Xu Ze felt refreshed and quickly fell into a deep sleep. In his dreams, a certain program activated once again: “System energy storage has reached 52%. Initiating primary genetic optimization… Beep-beep…”
As a faint, rapid beeping sound echoed in his mind, a strange energy began to surge from somewhere deep within his brain, slowly spreading throughout his body.
Xu Ze’s hair and skin began to emit a faint glow, though it went unnoticed by Gangzi and Pangzi, who were fully immersed in their game below. Luozi, who had already fallen asleep before Xu Ze, was lightly snoring, completely unaware.
The glow continued intermittently for an unknown amount of time. During this period, Xu Ze’s cells underwent a remarkable transformation. They shrank and then divided, making his muscles and bones denser and more compact. A faint gray substance began to seep out of his pores along with his sweat…