Chapter 57

The First Hospital is located in the heart of the city, a place of great prosperity. It was originally established in the 1980s, and its main building has been renovated and expanded no less than three times.

Behind the brand-new, majestic modern buildings, some old and dilapidated hospital buildings stand in a staggered arrangement. The bricks and tiles are dark blue-gray, the paint is yellowed, and slippery moss grows in the cracks. The buildings are lined up one after another, varying in height.

From a distance, the pristine white facade of the new building contrasts sharply with the gray and broken stone bricks, with a lush and verdant green belt running across it.

Like a clear dividing line, it marks two different eras, creating a strong sense of separation.

The supervising teacher walked at the front of the corridor.

Noticing that Xie Xubai's gaze was fixed on the low houses outside the window, he smiled and said, "We originally planned to demolish them during the renovation, but the previous director said that these were historical sites not written in books, so we preserved them."

The supervising teacher, a veteran in his fifties or sixties, couldn't help but sigh, "Including some nursing stations, drug display rooms... I heard that back then there were very few conditions, extremely scarce resources, and people even had to prepare their own medicines."

"Sometimes, a simple hospital bed is set up and a few thin curtains are drawn, and that's a communal ward. There's no concern about cross-infection."

Xie Xubai withdrew his gaze and nodded, saying, "I see."

However, his interest in those out-of-place old buildings was not merely out of curiosity.

Before he left, Lü Xiangcai told him that the First Hospital had been turned into a monster's lair.

However, Xie Xubai stood at the hospital entrance and looked out. The buildings under the blue sky and white clouds soared into the clouds, exuding a majestic and awe-inspiring presence.

Upon entering the hospital's main gate, the consultation hall is clean and bright, with busy staff at each window and automatic registration machines neatly arranged along the walls.

People dressed in various colors hurried past, including patients in blue hospital gowns and medical staff in white coats.

The front desk was crowded with people who were unsure of the medical process, but the nurses patiently explained it to them.

The gentle voice echoed in the noisy hall, seemingly soothing anxious souls.

—No matter how you look at it, it has nothing to do with a cold and ferocious monster's lair.

Following the typical pattern of eerie stories, those dark events that are not made public are likely to occur in the stark contrast of old buildings.

But Xie Xubai’s mentor told him that those buildings had not been used for several years.

Only after a new batch of interns arrive will they be visited as a ready-made inspirational textbook.

Xie Xubai had just observed that, apart from the cleaning staff, basically no one went that way.

The path paved with asphalt and gravel was quiet, appearing empty and lonely.

Perhaps because he often comes into contact with patients with unstable emotions, Xie Xubai was quite sensitive. He only glanced around briefly when his supervising teacher caught his eye and smiled, "Isn't this place a little different from what you imagined?"

Because Xie Xubai had been observing the environment, he deduced that the young man had not been to the First Hospital.

Actually, no, Xie Xubai came yesterday.

Knowing he was going to work in a dangerous place, how could he not scout it out beforehand?

At the time, Xie Xubai was not wearing glasses and was using his real name. He used a cold as an excuse to register for a medical appointment.

After asking about his symptoms and taking his temperature, the old doctor who treated him looked somewhat helpless: "Young man, you're very healthy. Have you been under too much work pressure lately?"

They did not sell any illegal drugs, nor did they invite anyone to participate in any secret experiments.

I really couldn't see anything wrong with it.

Even the supervising teacher, who should have been resentful of Xie Xubai, the newly appointed director, appeared kind and amiable.

Xie Xubai temporarily suppressed his doubts and replied with a smile, "Yes, it's much more impressive than I imagined."

The supervising teacher's gaze swept over Xie Xubai's face, her expression unchanged, still that kind and friendly look: "By the way, I haven't had a chance to ask yet, where did Director Xie work before?"

He said, "I was just asking casually. After all, as you know, the First Hospital has always had very strict hiring standards, and it's rare for someone to suddenly... cough cough! If you feel offended, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Xie Xubai said jokingly, "There's nothing offensive about it. It's just that we're in a new place now, and mentioning my old employer would seem a bit disloyal. I'm very devoted."

"Haha, you're joking."

The supervising teacher seemed to only mention it casually and didn't ask any further questions.

On the way, they encountered several medical staff members. When they saw Xie Xubai, most of them stopped and looked him over discreetly.

At that time, Xie Xubai had already changed into a white coat in the locker room. He was wearing thin-rimmed gold glasses and a name tag on his left chest that read "Chief Physician - Xie Yu". His hair was slightly shorter, and he had a gentle smile on his lips, showing a refined and scholarly air.

It's rather eye-catching.

So the group looked at his name tag, and then couldn't help but look at his face.

Xie Xubai glanced at the group of people, smiled politely, and nodded in greeting.

Those people seemed surprised and returned the smiles.

A clean, tidy, and grand working environment; friendly and polite colleagues; high salary; and generous benefits.

Putting aside the workload, this is really a great job.

Xie Xubai relaxed a little.

They soon arrived at the dean's office.

Typically, when a chief physician reports for duty, they do not need to see the hospital director first. They simply report to the human resources department according to the hospital's rules and regulations, complete the necessary procedures and documents, and then receive their work assignment before officially starting their job.

But his supervising teacher said that the hospital director wanted to see him at the last minute—just one minute after Xie Xubai arrived at the hospital.

The timing was so cleverly abrupt, even a little subtle, that Xie Xubai suspected the dean was secretly observing him.

It's not that Xie Xubai is narcissistic; he has always had a clear understanding and a sense of crisis about the level of attention that the title of chief physician would receive.

The office was several buildings away from the main entrance where he had just appeared, and he had intentionally stood in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras—if the hospital director really noticed him after he entered the hospital, then he was most likely another charlatan.

Lu Xiangcai was able to find very little information this time, only mentioning that the new dean's name was Fu Zong, age 53, male, married but childless, his wife had passed away years ago and he had not remarried, he was a local, and he had been studying abroad for many years.

In terms of personal identity, he appears even more mysterious than the Jiang family, which is a prestigious and noble clan.

Lu Xiangcai advised Xie Xubai that even if they couldn't build a good relationship, it was best not to antagonize him.

As if sensing their arrival, a voice called out, "Come in," before the instructor could even knock.

His voice was as cold as ice, with the deep, resonant quality of a middle-aged man, making him seem unapproachable.

The door opened, revealing a panoramic view of the office. A middle-aged man was sitting at his desk handling important matters, not even looking up when he heard the door open.

As a high-ranking and powerful manager, the current dean is excessively robust. With his sleeves rolled up, his exposed arms are incredibly muscular, and his back is straight with broad shoulders. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could kill someone with one punch.

That face looked very young; in his fifties, he had no forehead wrinkles and looked almost the same as someone in their early forties.

After the supervising teacher spoke, the dean raised his head, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, staring straight at Xie Xubai.

The undisguised aggression in his eyes was reminiscent of a ferocious predator.

The dean said, "You can go out now."

The "you" here naturally refers to the supervising teacher.

The supervising teacher sensed something was wrong, cast a pitying look at Xie Xubai that said "you'd better watch yourself," and obediently closed the door and left.

The door slammed shut, and the spacious room instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with a faint air of tension hanging in the air.

Xie Xubai remained outwardly calm and spoke first: "Hello, Dean. I heard you wanted to see me."

The dean's deep gaze met his, and with a forced smile, he suddenly asked, "Do you know how you got in here?"

A direct and to-the-point question.

Xie Xubai knew that his position was not legitimately obtained, so it was normal for him to be questioned or ridiculed.

Everything had been peaceful before, but now that difficulties were looming, he had a feeling that "the bad things I had anticipated had finally happened."

However, Xie Xubai found it somewhat strange.

His employment contract was signed by the dean through Lü Xiangcai. The dean was both an insider and an accomplice. Why would he suddenly turn against him?

After only a couple of seconds of thought, Xie Xubai carefully considered his words and replied, "I know, so I will definitely do my best in the future to live up to the position you have given me and not tarnish your reputation."

They tied the two of them together like grasshoppers on a rope.

"..."

The dean glanced at his impeccable expression and suddenly burst out laughing: "You certainly know how to raise a big banner."

The tone seemed slightly gentler, but it was definitely not a compliment.

The hospital director continued, "That's right, I personally signed your employment contract. From now on, all your performance at this hospital will be directly linked to my reputation. That's why I called you here today to tell you—"

Xie Xubai looked up.

"Give up." The dean's smile was not only contemptuous, but his eyes were also like knives, dissecting the young man from head to toe. "You are simply not suited for this place."

The office became even quieter in an instant.

The air seemed to be filled with the smell of gunpowder, as if it could ignite at any moment.

Xie Xubai looked at the dean in silence.

Being so blatantly despised and scorned, he felt more confusion than anger, which only intensified over time.

He calmly replied, "You said I'm not suitable for this place, not that I'm not qualified to stand here. This means that the reason for your dissatisfaction is not that my resume is not rich enough, but that my behavior or personality is the problem."

"But I don't think there's anything wrong with these aspects of my work."

Xie Xubai gazed into the other person's eyes with neither arrogance nor servility, his tone calm but unyielding: "Please tell me why."

"Even if you have someone throw me out, I will come in and stand in front of you countless times without a reason."

Dean: "Are you threatening me?"

“No, I respect you very much,” Xie Xubai said. “I have read your paper in advance and know that you are a serious and strict person. Unless I have done something wrong, you will not get angry for no reason.”

Dean: "Oh? You've read my paper? Which one?"

Xie Xubai replied truthfully, "All."

The dean narrowed his eyes instantly: "Is that so? Then let me ask you, in an article about optimizing the rescue effect of patients with acute myocardial infarction, I mentioned three available targeted drugs. What are they?"

Xie Xubai answered quickly and clearly.

He could clearly see that the dean's expression softened a little after he answered correctly.

However, it hasn't yet addressed the root cause of the problem.

The dean then asked a few more questions, which Xie Xubai answered one by one.

Although Xie Xubai had read them all just in case, the dean had published as many as twenty medical articles, many of which contained specialized terms that laymen could not understand. Even with his enhanced mental strength, it would be difficult for him to memorize them all.

Fortunately, the dean stopped after asking only the fifth question, took off his black-rimmed glasses, and seemed to be pondering or thinking, slowly wiping the lenses with a glasses cloth.

After a long pause, he finally relented and said, "I guess Lu Xiangcai didn't tell you what price he paid for your current position."

Xie Xubai had a bad feeling and frowned instantly: "Yes, he didn't tell me."

The dean, not missing his nervousness, chuckled and said, "So you didn't ask, and just accepted the favors of others without a second thought?"

Xie Xubai had asked, but Lü Xiangcai refused to say. Seeing that the other party was very resistant, he did not continue to ask out of respect.

Faced with the dean's mockery, Xie Xubai became increasingly uneasy. He didn't bother to explain and repeatedly asked, "Can you tell me what kind of deal he made with you?"

"Fame, fortune, and money are useless to me; all I care about is research." The dean took out a black polypropylene briefcase from under the table and opened it in front of Xie Xubai.

A strong, pungent smell of blood filled the air.

Like a stone thrown into a lake, all the illusions of tranquility and beauty until now have shattered with its appearance!

Xie Xubai stared intently at the contents of the box, his pupils dilating and trembling uncontrollably.

“Dissection material of that caliber is extremely rare.” The dean put on gloves, seemingly tenderly stroking the surface of the flesh, feeling the reflexive retraction of his fingers, and smiled at Xie Xubai, “Guess if I used anesthesia?”

Author's Note: