Chapter 1: Diagnosis#
My name is Zong Zeping, and I work at the Central Hospital.
To be precise, today is just like any other day.
I left home as usual, grabbed my bag, and stepped onto the floor made of unknown composite material. It made a muffled sound as I walked on it, heading straight towards the elevator platform.
Shortly after stepping onto the platform, as the low buzzing sound started, my field of vision gradually expanded, and the surroundings began to reflect a colorful light.
With one more step forward, I entered a small space that looked like a water droplet. The wing-like object, similar to a door, opened upwards, revealing a space just big enough for one person. There were no noticeable operable instruments inside, but I was already used to it and sat down without hesitation.
The flying door above slowly closed, and I had already set the destination while on the way. All I had to do now was close my eyes and relax.
I felt myself rising on the platform, entering a mysterious world above like a sea of stars. Everything around me seemed to come to a standstill, and there were countless shining lights like shooting stars. I was just one of the many, not standing out.
Like shooting stars passing by, it felt like countless years had passed, yet it also felt like just a moment. The destination had quietly arrived.
I crossed the floating bridge, and on the glass walkway, I saw figures dressed in white clothes. The huge projection above remained unchanged over the years, and the flying cars passed by like flowing light, seemingly no different from the previous century.
I walked slowly into the corridor, and the door behind me slowly closed. The lights on the side walls and ceiling lit up one by one. Compared to the outside, the light inside was slightly dimmer, so I needed to adjust my pupils.
As I continued walking forward, I encountered something similar to a cabin door. As the door opened, it revealed a small space inside, which was used for transporting personnel.
Once the door closed, there was a momentary feeling of weightlessness, but before my body could react, the feeling suddenly disappeared as if it had been an illusion.
When the door opened again, a strong light suddenly rushed into my vision, making me squint.
What came into view were green trees, a green grassland like a carpet, blooming flowers everywhere, and a refreshing fragrance in the air. A path paved with green stones meandered forward.
This is where I work.
★★★
Let's not talk about anything else for now, let's first talk about the work to be done next.
A child was just brought in, currently in a coma. My assistant has sent me the stress test report. The patient's typical symptoms are muscle weakness and accompanying multiple sclerosis, along with certain overreactive responses.
The specific details still need to be carefully verified, but generally speaking, my assistant's diagnosis is already close to complete. According to the report, the patient has also shown certain obvious early symptoms in the past, including muscle tremors and fatigue.
At this stage, combined with the cases in the pathological database, the answer has already emerged.
I returned to my office, placed the report on the desk, and put my bag on the table. I took out a medical stethoscope from the drawer.
The patient is currently in room C0281, not far from my office.
If we take the ecological greenhouse below as the first floor as a reference, my office is on the second floor of the building, and the patient's room is on the left side not far from my office.
Now that the location has been determined, I proceed directly to the destination.
When I opened the door, my assistant had already placed the patient on the bed, and my colleague was also here.
Without much small talk, I went straight to the point, "Have you confirmed the patient's condition?"
He showed a slightly solemn expression and said, "Yes."
Then he turned to the side, as if waiting for me to confirm.
I didn't hesitate and walked quickly to the patient's side, carefully scanning her body with the instrument in my hand.
Stable heart rate, normal physical signs, well-developed organs without any lesions.
These were just surface reactions. Then I slowed down my movements and gently scanned the girl's limbs with the instrument. There was slight muscle atrophy, corresponding to the symptom of muscle weakness...
I adjusted the working mode of the instrument and scanned the girl again, paying special attention to any abnormalities from the spinal cord to the brainstem and its surroundings. The instrument reported abnormalities indicating nerve damage.
Therefore, the diagnosis is ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), commonly known as "Lou Gehrig's disease." This is a quite rare condition, and it's the first time I've come across it.
Based on the symptoms, she is in the early stages of this disease.
Unfortunately, modern biomedical science still lacks effective means to cure such diseases, so I am at a loss.
This is definitely the most absurd joke fate has played on humanity. People have overcome gravity, solved computational problems, unleashed the potential of life, but they are defeated by genes, completely defeated at the microscopic level of the world.
I turned to face my colleague. Although my mood was slightly heavy, I wouldn't forget to discuss the treatment measures for this child.
To be precise, it is conservative treatment measures, and I also have to hold onto a glimmer of hope for a future solution to this problem.
While we were discussing the plan, the girl woke up. I turned my head to the back, pretending to casually observe her.
Her complexion was paler than usual, showing slight signs of anemia. Her diet seemed healthy, and her mental state should be stable. The current diagnosis is... thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel heavy.
The girl seemed to notice me. She looked into my eyes, quickly curled up the corners of her mouth, squinted her eyes, and two dimples appeared on her cheeks. A hint of pink emerged from the sides of her nose, revealing a smile like a white lotus flower.
I quickly turned my head.
★★★
As far as I know, Xun is an orphan. Of course, here, an orphan does not necessarily mean a child who has completely lost both parents. In fact, in modern society, there is a significant proportion of orphans.
By definition, an orphan refers to a child who has completely lost the obligation of parental care and does not have a designated guardian, and who is not yet capable of independent living.
In the actual implementation process, due to various factors, people may prefer to entrust their children to such public welfare care institutions.
Hmm, to put it irrationally, this is probably human nature.
Modern marriages are based on genetics, or at least they used to be.
Two young people who are attracted to each other, with the participation of genetic testing, confirm that their genes will not produce a high probability of incorrect combinations under random pairing, thus avoiding predestined tragedies before birth.
So, who can stop such a sweet journey of love? No one.
Therefore, in most cases, people's desire to marry is stronger. Even if it is only driven by the "messenger" called dopamine, people can disregard all consequences for love.
But what if they get hit? Well, maybe there's no need to put it so euphemistically. The sweet result of two people falling in love and conceiving life together is an instinctive desire imprinted in life.
That's how orphans come about.
Our "Theresa" aunt is always so kind and friendly!
★★★
Next is the handover.
First, I contacted the amusement park. From the appearance, the park director where Xun is located is an intellectual young woman who speaks concisely and logically.
She transferred Xun's identity from the children's park to the database of the Central Hospital. Now I can extract Xun's identity characteristics to some extent, and this also means that this girl is destined to live in the Central Hospital in the future, unless there are unexpected circumstances.
Secondly, Xun will have to say goodbye to her previous relationships, which may seem somewhat unusual in such a convenient city, but the deeper reasons behind it can be discussed later.
The first visitor to come for Xun is the boy who is closest to her, or rather, this boy is also very popular in the entire amusement park. He has a good relationship with almost everyone. He is probably twelve years old, slightly taller than his peers. If it weren't for his youthful face, I would almost mistake his age.
When he saw me, he seemed a little shy and timid. One hand was behind his back, and when I paid attention to him, his face seemed to turn red all the way to his ears.
I temporarily ignored these abnormalities and spoke to him gently, "When you go in, please don't talk to her about this disease. Can I ask you for this favor?"
"Of course! No problem!" he answered without hesitation.
After explaining other details that don't need to be mentioned for now, the boy entered the ward. It didn't take long, and as I stood waiting at the door, I could faintly hear sobbing.
When he left, he seemed to be crying uncontrollably, covering his lips with both hands.
Afterwards, some other people came one after another. In summary, Karen, who is one year younger than Xun, brought a bouquet of flowers; Su Xiu, who is eleven years old, folded a paper crane; Mo Yena, who is fifteen years old, brought handmade rice balls; the park director, Haimodi, stood hesitantly at the door of the ward; and Lala, who is about five years old, grabbed Xun's finger.
Perhaps the unanimous result was that they all left, and tears fell on the green stone path...
Finally, it was time to arrange Xun's placement.
I entered the ward and saw that the girl had buried herself under the blanket. I didn't want to be rude and abruptly lift the blanket, so I sat quietly on the side and waited.
This was a double room, but usually, there aren't many patients coming to the Central Hospital, so many positions are often empty.
The room wasn't big, with two beds squeezed in, and after placing the necessary equipment and instruments, there was only a narrow aisle left.
The overall wall was white, and there was a smell of disinfectant sprayed on the bed. The white light above emitted a slightly sun-like halo, enveloping the entire room in a comfortable white glow.
A bouquet of flowers was placed diagonally on the table against the wall, with a pink paper crane pressed underneath.
Turning my gaze back to Xun's bed, I unintentionally made eye contact with a pair of teary eyes. Xun poked her head out of the blanket, seemingly suffocated after being covered for a long time, and there were obvious sweat stains on her forehead.
I thought about what I should say, but "Theresa" is better at these things. I could only silently take out some tissues and gently wipe away the tears and sweat from her face as gently as possible.
She was such a well-behaved and adorable girl. Normally, she should have the liveliness and energy that correspond to her age, but after experiencing a day full of unexpected events, she must be exhausted.
So, I didn't disturb this girl any longer and left the rest of the day to my assistant. Although I couldn't be as beloved by the children as "Theresa," at least I was much better than before.
Today's work ends here.