Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 262 All living beings suffer
The effects of the "Eight Sufferings" are not explicitly stated to apply to humans.
But what is the smallest unit?
Before Zhai Da could think it through, the lustful, fat orange cat was still getting closer and closer. The calico cat was just too attractive to the male cat, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that there was a living person standing in front of him.

He wished he could just grab the calico cat by the neck and give Zhai Da a performance of forcibly taking advantage of the cat.

Zhai Da tried to shoo the cat away with his foot, but it didn't react.

So he simply gave the other person a light kick in the butt, which scared them away.

As soon as the pursuers left, the calico cat immediately darted into the nearby convenience store. This cat was semi-free-range; the convenience store was the one that fed it when Old Xu wasn't around.

As for whether Sanhua can keep her cookies in this spring season, that depends on luck.

Of course, it's also possible that Sanhua herself will go into heat in a few days and pursue freedom and openness?
A minor incident made Zhai Da even more curious about the effects of the "Eight Sufferings" on people. After a moment of contemplation, he sent a message to his mother saying that he would not be coming home for dinner, and then hailed a taxi.

They went to the Second People's Hospital of Dongyang County.
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The Second Hospital is one of only two comprehensive hospitals in Dongyang County, and its level is Class II-C.

Level II refers to a county-level regional medical center with 100-500 beds, while Level C refers to the lowest level of medical care at the hospital level.

It's just not very good overall.

Yes, this is another unit related to the wool textile factory. It is said that it was the factory's staff hospital decades ago. Later, it was taken over by the county and renamed Dongyang People's Hospital, but locals still refer to it as the Second Hospital.

The "corpses" of wool textile workers are truly scattered throughout the county.
By the way, this is also where Zhai Da woke up after his rebirth, and he has never been here since.

After getting off the bus, Zhai Da bought a mask at a small shop near the entrance, put it on, and went directly to the emergency department.

The decor is outdated, the metal seats are worn and the terrazzo floor looks like it has a layer of stains that can't be cleaned.

No one paid him any attention. Zhai Da found a corner with a good view and sat down, starting to observe everyone.

There were four or five patients in the lobby. Three of them probably had minor illnesses like colds and fevers, and one guy had a rash allergic reaction.
"Doctor, I ate a honeydew melon and my whole body is itchy."

But in Zhai Da's eyes, these people were no different.

He wasn't in a hurry, and just waited patiently while constantly observing the surrounding corners.

He wanted to find the "insects" to see if even these small creatures could see the "eight sufferings".

After a while, they actually made a profit.

In a corner where no one was paying attention, there was a spider, about the size of a fingernail, with long, thin legs, lying on its web waiting for prey.

After a slight hesitation, Zhai Da decided to investigate further.

His "nimble hands" allowed him to precisely and quickly grab the spider's three legs.

It's a bit disgusting, but bearable.

The spider, which had been motionless, immediately began to struggle frantically, but of course it was all in vain; it had no strength to break free.

In Zhai Da's view, the spider, which was the size of a fingernail, actually showed a reaction.

It is a faint green flame.

Does this seem to represent a "will to survive"?
Zhai Da held the spider in front of his eyes and confirmed that it was not his imagination, even though the flame was extremely small.

Even insects can see "intense desire"—this set's effect is quite amazing!
He had already checked on the way; the Eight Sufferings are a Buddhist concept.

These are birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, encountering those one hates, not getting what one wants, and the five aggregates of suffering. Only the last one has a more abstract meaning, which roughly means that there are too many distracting thoughts, and it can also be said to be the summative source of all suffering.

He has only activated the suffering of birth, the suffering of death, and the suffering of not getting what one wants.

If one were to gather all eight sufferings, wouldn't one be able to understand most of the thoughts and states of sentient beings?
Especially with "illness and suffering," how can one possibly discern one's health condition?

It's definitely stronger than the green rarity [Mystic Code]. The system is indeed fair; you get what you pay for.

Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps and the sound of a cart being pushed outside the door. A man ran in, carrying three bags of different sizes, and holding up his ID card to register immediately.

"Doctor! My wife's water broke!"

The on-duty "doctor" calmly said, "Don't panic, your water has broken but there's still a long time before delivery."

Immediately afterwards, a hospital bed was wheeled in, seemingly brought in by an ambulance. On it sat a slightly plump woman whose face was a little pale, but her spirits seemed good.

Zhai Da immediately looked over.
Sure enough, a strange feeling arose in my mind, as if I could see through the bulging belly.

The information surfaced little by little, like memories being unearthed: boy, health is slightly above average, upright position, panic.

This is the fear that arises from the instinct of the fetus as it perceives that the familiar environment is changing; it can also be described as the "suffering of birth."

The pregnant woman did not stop and was pushed inside. Zhai Da quickly lost his sight and senses.

Zhai Da touched his chin. It was almost like an electric eye ultrasound, but the drawback was that it was only useful for pregnant women.

Whether she's pregnant or not, you can tell at a glance.

However, it doesn't seem to be of much use to him personally. What does it matter to him whether other people are pregnant or not?

Unless they set up a stall outside the hospital to show people whether it's a boy or a girl.
After sitting for another half hour, several more patients arrived, all of whom were ordinary patients, so Zhai Da decided to leave.

Go home early, have a chat with Little Wooden Head, and see what flavor it is today, whether it's sweet or not.

Just as he reached the emergency room entrance, an ambulance came speeding by, stopping at the very edge of the road, almost hitting Zhai Da.

The emergency bed was carried down, and blood dripped down, turning into small dark red dots on the ground. Zhai Da immediately thought of the old elm tree from a few hours ago.

When he saw the person on the emergency bed, he was overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity.

During the day, there's Mr. Liu who knows how to transplant!
At this moment, the middle-aged man's face was ashen, and his whole body was still trembling violently.

For the first time, Zhai Da finally caught sight of the so-called "deathly suffering." A string of red numbers appeared above Master Liu: 55:14.

It quickly became 55:13
Less than an hour!

"Get out of the way! 999! Emergency!"

Several more workers, looking like coworkers, got off the bus, each with a dejected expression.

Zhai Da immediately ran after the group, but was quickly stopped. He turned to the workers and asked, "What's wrong with Master Liu?"

One of them was the excavator operator who worked during the day. Upon seeing Zhai Da, he sighed.

"We were doing road construction at night when a drunk driver hit us. We put up signs, but that guy just drove right through the cones. Mr. Liu was smoking by his car with his back to us and didn't even try to avoid us."

The worker said to Zhai Da, "Hey boss, you'd better get rid of that tree as soon as possible. It felt eerie when we were digging it up this morning."

Zhai Da frowned slightly, but didn't say anything more; there was no point in bringing it up now.

At that moment, a nurse came out and asked, "Are Liu Kai's family members here? Who are you?"

“I am his coworker.”

"Take this form and register him."

The man rubbed his hands together and said, "Doctor, we don't need to pay for this, do we?"

The nurse, who probably explained similar questions often, said helplessly, "Registration is for the system to enter information, but it's best to pre-deposit 5000 yuan. He's seriously injured, and it definitely won't be enough."

Legally speaking, hospitals have an obligation to provide emergency care even if they have no money. However, in practice, this often results in many "bad debts."

For example, some people take advantage of the hospital's inability to refuse to treat a dying patient, so they refuse to pay a penny, refuse to provide identification for fear of being held accountable later, and often say things like, "I didn't ask you to treat me, so I shouldn't have spent so much money" after the patient wakes up.

There isn't a modern system in China that directly and forcibly deducts money or debts from ordinary people, so after much back and forth, doctors may end up paying out of their own pockets.

The rescue efforts inside will not stop, but the families outside cannot be allowed to feel that "it doesn't matter if I don't pay."

Sure enough, the workers probably weren't familiar with Master Liu, and fearing they wouldn't get their money back, they hesitated and even hesitated to register.

It's understandable, mainly due to a lack of understanding or even distrust of hospitals, insurance, and legal mechanisms.

A slender hand reached out and took the form: "I'm his friend. Let me handle this. His condition is very bad. Please do everything you can to save him. Is 20,000 enough?"

Zhai Da's expression was calm. The advantage of having strong economic power is that life always weighs more on the scales, even if it is someone else's life.

He doesn't need to bear the cost; it's just a matter of him paying in advance.

These words, though they may not offer any real help in the emergency room, at least reassured the medical staff. The nurse nodded and said, "That's enough. Our resources are limited, but with your words, we will do our best to save them."

Zhai Da nodded and went to complete the formalities.

After registering and depositing 20,000 yuan for medical expenses, Zhai Da stood in front of the emergency room with the receipt in hand.

That countdown was undoubtedly "deathly," accurate to the second. According to the system, the more unexpected the cause of death, the shorter the time to detect it in advance. How should this be understood?
Can you see the car before you're hit by a drunk driver? Or does the "cause" of being hit lead to the "imminent death" only begin after the initial impact?
The most important question is whether this countdown can be reversed.

Or was it a predetermined death?

Zhai Da suddenly understood the meaning of the system prompt. If understanding the "eight sufferings" is the so-called wisdom root, what is the point of merely "seeing"?
Was Master Liu's ordeal related to the execution of Old Yu? Did it already possess "evil" characteristics before becoming equipment? Is there something outside of this system in reality that hasn't been summarized or categorized by humans?

Zhai Da even thought of Ge Qiaoqiao's "talent in physiognomy".
My mind was racing with thoughts, and time ticked by.

Sure enough, the construction company boss or contractor arrived soon. Upon learning that Zhai Da was the person in charge of transplanting the trees, he immediately transferred 20,000 yuan to Zhai Da.

Then the police said that the drunk driver had been taken to another hospital for a blood alcohol test. The reason he wasn't taken to the second hospital was probably to avoid a conflict.

Finally, the lights in the emergency room went out, and everyone looked up. A moment later, the nurse came out again.

"The patient is lucky; the internal bleeding has stopped, but the condition is still critical. They need to be transferred to the intensive care unit. Haven't their family members arrived yet?"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The construction team leader said, "The family is on their way. Master Liu is from Shandong Province."

The unconscious Mr. Liu was wheeled out, and Zhai Da stared intently at him.
The suffering of death has not disappeared!
But the string of numbers representing the time became 22:23:13, which is 22 hours, almost a day.

He received an important piece of information: the timing of death can be changed! It is not predetermined!

“Our conditions here are limited, and the intensive care unit is rudimentary. He needs to be transferred to the ICU of a major hospital. I will help you contact a top-tier hospital in Lian City. It would be best to send him away tonight.”

Clearly, proper medical treatment can delay or eliminate the "pain of death." But it also means that if Mr. Liu lies here doing nothing, he won't last more than a day.

Fortunately, the construction team leader was decisive and immediately went with the nurse to complete the procedures, and the patient will be transferred to another hospital tonight.

Seeing that the matter was over, Zhai Da let out a sigh of relief.

The effects of the Eight Sufferings are not complicated, but when they are reflected in people's hearts, they reveal the myriad aspects of human nature.

The more you know, the more confused you may become.

Seeing the insect's strong will to survive, Zhai Da admitted that he had the thought of "letting it go".

Seeing the newborn fetus instinctively evoked concern, a wish for the safety of both mother and child, and a cheap blessing.

Seeing that Master Liu was dying, his willingness to help was artificially amplified; otherwise, since he didn't understand medicine, how could he tell if it was urgent, and it wouldn't have aroused any extra sympathy.

For Zhai Da, who is not a Buddhist, this set is just a tool.

But if one day he truly gathers all eight sufferings, and then looks at this mundane world again, perhaps he will no longer see mountains as mountains, nor water as water.

This is probably why the system included a note saying "What is the cost?"

(End of this chapter)