One o'clock in the afternoon.
Dai Lin reentered the hospital using his spatial shuttle ability.
The pure white corridors, with a sci-fi feel, gave him a strong sense of unreality.
In the hallways, doctors in white coats passed by him from time to time, as if it were just an ordinary hospital.
The Wraith Surgery Department and the Department of Spectral Internal Medicine were both on the fifth floor of the outpatient building.
Without approval, doctors were not allowed to leave their assigned outpatient areas, so they couldn't even easily go to other floors.
Inside the outpatient lobby, the number of patients was not large, appearing more like those private hospitals and markedly different from the always crowded and chaotic public tertiary hospitals.
Dai Lin counted the patients sitting in the waiting area; there were fewer than twenty people.
All of these people... had they all come to the hospital because they were afflicted by various supernatural curses?
The so-called Department of Apparitions was set up according to the classification of ghosts. Resentful Spirit is a scientific term for a type of ghost that can cause physical harm and even life-threatening risks to humans.
There was still half an hour until the outpatient clinic opened.
Dai Lin arrived at the fourth consultation room of the Wraith Surgery Department.
He opened the door and entered. At this moment, there was nobody else in the consultation room.
Suddenly, a figure flickered in the consultation room, and then he saw Gao Heyan appear in front of the desk!
"You've arrived quite early," Gao Heyan said as she turned on the computer on the table, "During the clinic later, you'll be responsible for recording patients' medical histories. Don't speak needlessly. Interns like you rarely get to learn in the outpatient clinic; usually, they help out in the inpatient department, so you'd better cherish this learning opportunity. It could greatly enhance your survival skills in the hospital later on."
Dai Lin vaguely felt that Gao Heyan was rather cold towards him, completely different from Yin Wuque's attitude.
However, she was right; it indeed was a great learning opportunity for an intern. Back when he was at medical college doing his internship at the hospital, he could only help out in the inpatient department, but in the outpatient clinic, he certainly could learn a lot.
"We start seeing patients in half an hour. I'll check today's appointment list first. I should remind you that anything can happen during the outpatient period. Whatever happens, don't scream or panic; it would only increase the patients' anxiety," Gao Heyan spoke while starting up an Excel spreadsheet on the computer, "Also… no matter how dangerous, don't hide. I can ensure your safety. Sitting here as a doctor means you represent the face of our department."
"Understood," Dai Lin nodded solemnly, "I'll study hard."
Since working here was an unavoidable fate, Dai Lin chose to strive to learn about paranormal medicine. Ordinary doctors save lives, and paranormal doctors do the same.
Only, paranormal doctors face much greater medical risks than ordinary doctors.
...
Several hours later.
"Hmm, no major issue," Gao Heyan said after completing the diagnosis, and began writing a prescription in front of the patient.
Unlike public hospitals where a consultation might last only a few minutes, the doctors here could take their time with patients due to the lower patient volume. She would only write a prescription after feeling confident about the diagnosis.
Writing all prescriptions by hand was a habit of Gao Heyan.
"All set, just go to the first floor Cursed Object Room to pick up the cursed object. Remember, use the cursed object once in the morning and once at night, according to the manual, and there won't be any problems, no more and no less. Given that your house is so close to the cemetery, it's not surprising you're experiencing ghostly oppression leading to sleep paralysis at this level. You've come to see us early, so it won't have much of an impact on your life or health. Make sure to take the outpatient manual, and bring it with you next time."
Dai Lin handed the outpatient manual he had written to the middle-aged man, and of course, Gao Heyan had also recorded a copy in the computer.
The patient, a middle-aged man, took the prescription and outpatient manual, still anxious as he said, "Is this, this all it takes? There won't be any problems?"
Dai Lin had often encountered such outpatient clients in his clinical experience, who, despite a doctor's assurances, would still remain anxious and insecure.
Gao Heyan nodded and added, "If you're not reassured, you can have a soul ultrasound done. If you'd like one, I can put in the order for you."
"Ultrasound? Can a soul even be subjected to an ultrasound?"
"Ultrasounds are generally used to check for ghostly possessions. For deeper curses, you need to go to the Spectral Radiology Department for a CT scan to detect them. Your symptoms are quite typical, and in my judgment, they are nowhere near the level of a curse."
"How much does an ultrasound cost?"
"Our fees for diagnosis and registration are the same, all in Spiritual Therapy Points. In your case, one ultrasound will cost 240 Spiritual Therapy Points. I can give you some time to think it over. My clinic is open every day except Sunday this week."
Spiritual Therapy Points... these are the points deducted by the dean based on an assessment of the overall value of the patient's future life. The reduction of Spiritual Therapy Points signifies that something will be missing from the patient's future life, but what that is, the patient will never know.
Gao Heyan spoke in a light tone, but the middle-aged man seemed very anxious, still not convinced. He turned to Dai Lin and asked, "Doctor, what do you think, can I really just go back like this? This sleep paralysis by a ghost, it's really too terrifying."
What could Dai Lin say? As a surgeon, he should respond that sleep paralysis is essentially a neurological condition, but in this case, the patient was truly experiencing "ghost" oppression during sleep.
"You should listen to Doctor Gao," Dai Lin could only respond. "She has much more experience than I do."
After some thought, the middle-aged man reluctantly picked up his prescription and left the consultation room.
"The Department of Spectral Internal Medicine and the Department of Apparitions..." Dai Lin inquired, "What's the essential difference between the two? What he's experiencing, it can't be considered a Resentful Spirit, can it?"
"It's very hard to determine which department a patient should see based solely on their symptoms until we have the imaging results. You were a surgeon before; you should understand this. Although Resentful Spirits have the term 'resentful' in them, they aren't necessarily the kind of ghost you're imagining," Gao Heyan explained patiently to Dai Lin. "Generally speaking, apparitions refer to ghosts that do not cause physical harm to humans. These kinds of ghosts are more about causing mental trauma, like hallucinations, dreams, or the fear that comes from appearing repeatedly in front of the patient... And the situation with this patient is almost beyond the scope of mental trauma."
Dai Lin quickly noted this information in his notebook and nodded.
"Alright, the afternoon clinic is over. There's an evening clinic later, so go have dinner first. You can eat in the hospital cafeteria or go out to the real world. Just make sure to come back on time for the night clinic."
"Okay, I got it."
As the sun sank westward... the night reclaimed its rule over the earth.
The woman holding a business card arrived at a plaza in the heart of W City.
Her expression grew more and more troubled.
This plaza, 365 days a year, was always filled with groups of elderly women dancing.
But today, it was empty, void of anyone, including the stray cats that usually lingered around.
Her panic intensified... now, wherever she went, it became eerily deserted. Even while walking on main roads, she would inexplicably end up on winding paths.
Then... she began to hear strange footsteps behind her!
Following that... she pulled out the business card.