I Am Diagnosed as a Medical Titan

Pan Wen grunted, then apologized profusely.

’I thought a master’s notebook wasn’t something you could just scribble in!’

After getting his QQ, Lin Han turned and left.

Pan Wen and the other two were left standing in place, their hearts swelling with emotion as they watched his ramrod-straight back.

"Did you see that?" Pan Wen said with a sigh. "Even the way he walks is so precise. He’s definitely a true master, completely dedicated to academics. River God’s network... it’s truly unfathomable."

"Yeah, yeah!" The others beside him bobbed their heads in agreement.

...

...

Two in the afternoon, at the Southern Medical University Clinical Skill Center.

Lin Han trailed at the back of the group, his calm gaze sweeping over the practical training rooms on either side.

Leading the group were Li Tuo, the team leader from Zhongshan University Medical School, and Gong Nian, the head of the South China Region competition’s organizing committee.

In 2008, Zhongda Medical College was ranked fifth in the nation and was the undisputed powerhouse in the entire South China Region.

As the perennial champions of the skills competition, the Zhongda team naturally received special treatment compared to other schools.

Gong Nian personally accompanying them to scout the venue was the best proof of this.

"Teacher Li, our Zhongda is the anchor of the South China Region."

Gong Nian said as he led the way:

"You’ve taken first place in previous years. The burden is even heavier this year; the higher-ups have very high expectations for this competition."

Li Tuo nodded, his tone steady. "Don’t worry, Director Gong. The students were all chosen through a rigorous selection process. There won’t be any problems."

Gong Nian stopped, looked around, and lowered his voice. "Teacher Li, let me give you a little inside information..."

"What is it?"

"The focus of this year’s assessment won’t be the usual by-the-book suturing and knot-tying. You’re a seeded team, so you have to show your true abilities. I can’t leak the exact tasks, but what I can say is, have your students pull their thinking out of their textbooks and think more about real-life emergency trauma situations."

Li Tuo understood Gong Nian’s meaning and nodded. "Thank you for the heads-up, Director Gong."

After Gong Nian left, Li Tuo turned to face the five competing students behind him.

"You all heard him. The competition uses a combined ’thinking + practice’ format. ’Thinking’ means answering questions, and ’practice’ is a multi-station assessment. You enter through Door A, pass through four stations sequentially, and exit through Door D. Each station is eight minutes. There’s no time to think; the test begins the second you push open the door."

The students all took out their notebooks to take notes.

"Don’t waste your energy on rote memorization of procedures. This time, they’re testing your clinical adaptability. There might not be perfectly sterile conditions in the exam room, and they might simulate crises like massive hemorrhaging. You need to be mentally prepared."

Lin Han stood where he was, jotted down "trauma, adaptability" in his notebook, and then closed it.

He wasn’t particularly interested in these descriptions of the routes and format.

In his view, medicine was an exceptionally pure science.

Whether you entered through Door A or Door B, no matter who the examiner was, the depth of an incision, the spacing of sutures, and the angle of a puncture were all constants.

As long as you had the raw skill, all external interference was negligible.

"Alright, you have ten minutes to yourselves. Familiarize yourselves with the locations of the exam stations and the restrooms. Don’t wander off."

Li Tuo waved his hand.

The group dispersed.

Lin Han walked down the corridor alone, observing the various classrooms.

As he rounded a corner, he heard the sound of chatting and laughter coming from a break room up ahead.

The door to the break room was ajar, and a sign on it read: Southern Medical University Team.

Lin Han had originally planned to walk right past, but the conversation inside made him stop.

"Where should we go for dinner tonight? How about some clay pot congee?" a male voice said.

"Sounds good. Let’s relax a bit. Our intensive training is pretty much over anyway," another voice chimed in.

"To be honest, I’m not feeling any pressure for this competition at all," the first speaker said with a laugh. "With him on the team, we’re guaranteed at least second place in the team total. And first place in the individual competition is a sure thing. We can just tag along for the ride and chalk it up as experience."

"That’s true. The students from other schools are probably going to get depressed having to compete against him."

"Forget the other schools. As long as we don’t hold him back and just get through the procedures smoothly, we’ll get our piece of the glory."

Outside the door, Lin Han’s brow furrowed slightly.

He turned his head and peered through the crack in the door.

Inside, several students from Southern Medical University were sitting around. Some were drinking water, others were scrolling through their phones, and a few were leaning back in their chairs chatting, looking completely relaxed.

They showed no signs of tension, despite the major competition being just around the corner.

Just then, another guy from the Zhongda team, Qiao Fan, walked over. He had clearly overheard the conversation as well.

Qiao Fan lowered his voice and said to Lin Han, "Why are the Southern Medical University students so arrogant? Are they treating this competition like a joke? ’First place is a sure thing’? Do they even know we from Zhongda are here?"

Lin Han withdrew his gaze, his tone calm. "Don’t be affected by external distractions."

Qiao Fan was indignant. "It’s not that I’m being distracted, it’s that their attitude is infuriating! The competition hasn’t even started, and they think they’ve already won? Even we have to practice until midnight every day."

"If they’re not being blindly arrogant, then they must have an ace up their sleeve," Lin Han stated, laying out the logical possibilities. "It has nothing to do with us. Just focus on our own performance."

With that, Lin Han turned and walked back.

He wasn’t angry about the Southern Medical University students’ attitude, just puzzled.

Medicine is a rigorous discipline; one should never have the complacent thought that victory is a sure thing.

Back at the assembly point, team leader Li Tuo was standing by the window on the phone.

When he hung up, his expression was grave.

He scanned the students and said in a heavy tone, "Everyone, over here."

Qiao Fan and the others immediately gathered around.

"I just went to the organizing committee to submit our documents and took the opportunity to ask about the other schools," Li Tuo said, looking at the group. "Did any of you just think that us taking first place in this competition was a sure thing?"

Qiao Fan didn’t speak, but his expression said it all.

Li Tuo sneered. "You’d better put that pride away. Southern Medical University has produced a monster this year."

Hearing the word "monster," Lin Han looked up.

"Teacher Li, what’s the situation?" Qiao Fan asked.

"Southern Medical University has a student this year who just published a core research article as the first author in the *Chinese Journal of Surgery*."

The surrounding students fell instantly silent.

The *Chinese Journal of Surgery* is the top journal in the domestic field of surgery.

Forget undergraduates; even many Attending Physicians might not be able to publish a single article in it after years of trying.

"That’s not all," Li Tuo continued. "During the massive pile-up on the Ring City Expressway a few days ago, the ER at Affiliated Hospital No. 1 was overwhelmed. This student was given special permission by the hospital leadership to participate in the entire rescue process in the ER’s red-tag zone. He even went into the operating room and acted as the primary surgeon in suturing a ruptured organ. And..."

"I heard he proposed a new surgical approach that received extremely high praise from the director of hepatobiliary surgery at Affiliated Hospital No. 1."

As soon as he said this, the corridor fell deathly silent.

Qiao Fan was stunned for a long moment before he managed to stammer, "An undergraduate? Acting as the primary surgeon? And publishing in a top-tier journal? Is... is that even allowed? Couldn’t it be that Affiliated Hospital No. 1 is just trying to create a star, and they intentionally put someone else’s paper under his name?"

"Whether they’re creating a star or not, the fact that the provincial department leadership has taken notice means this person’s skills can withstand scrutiny. Don’t use your own limited experience to judge others. So, when the time comes, on the competition field, we absolutely cannot let our guard down."

Lin Han stood to the side, his gaze flickering.

If it had just been students talking, he wouldn’t have taken it seriously. But since even their teacher was saying it, it seemed... the story was likely true.

At this thought, Lin Han’s breathing hitched almost imperceptibly.

He liked powerful opponents.

If someone really existed who could reach such heights as an undergraduate, then this South China Region final would finally be worthwhile.

"Let’s go. Back to the hotel," Li Tuo said. "Rest this afternoon. We’ll meet in the conference room tonight to go over the emergency procedures one more time."

The team turned and left the Clinical Skill Center.

Lin Han walked at the very back.

He glanced back in the direction of the Southern Medical University team’s prep room, Li Tuo’s words replaying in his mind.

First author, lead surgeon in a rescue, a new surgical approach.

Each term represented an incredibly high professional barrier.

Lin Han tightened his grip on the notebook in his hand.

’Seeing is believing.’

’Regardless, I hope you perform well when the time comes.’

’And I hope... that I’ll get to see something truly impressive.’