Healing Doctor

Chapter 806 Each Generation Has Its Own Long March (Final Chapter)

"Dad, the dean has already submitted my application materials. I applied for the Outstanding Youth Award this year. The results just came out, and I passed." Ji Xiang sat formally in his chair and "reported" this to Ji Yongchang.

Ji Xiang was smiling, and you could see he was happy.

"It doesn't matter." Yoshinobu didn't show any joy or delight, but just kept boiling water and letting it cool slowly.

Ji Xiang wanted to make tea, but Ji Yongchang stopped him.

"You can't do it, I'll do it," Yoshinaga Masayuki said. "Anyone can brew tea, but to get the best flavor, you still need experience."

"Father, it's not that serious," Ji Xiang said with a smile.

Ji Yongchang looked up at Ji Xiang, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"Dad, what do you mean by 'it doesn't matter'? That's a prerequisite for becoming a National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and an academician." Ji Xiang asked.

When the topic of academicians came up, Ji Xiang's expression was calm; he simply referred to it as a noun without any other emotion.

"It's just a little fast, but there's no rush."

"I've been through a lot, and I've brewed tea thousands of times."

Ji Yongchang did not answer Ji Xiang's question. He patiently waited for the water temperature to drop a little before he began to pour the water.

Ji Xiang felt that every movement of his old man was full of rhythm, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it art.

It's like having undergone countless surgeries; those details have become muscle memory.

If it weren't a matter of life and death, Ji Xiang felt he could even perform the surgery with his eyes closed. Without using his brain, most surgeries could be completed successfully.

The saying "Master Butcher Ding dissects an ox" perfectly describes this skill.

Practice makes perfect.

"Your great-uncle has always liked you, saying you have a good heart." Ji Yongchang pushed the teacup towards Ji Xiang. "I haven't asked you for so long, how were you feeling in the spirit realm?"

"It's alright." Ji Xiang picked up his teacup and said softly, "I've experienced a lot. Sometimes I feel lost and am amazed at how complicated people really are. And sometimes I feel like I've lost my mind and made choices that I know are wrong."

"Humans are different from machines. Machines are stubborn, but they have a first-rate temperament."

"Mindset? Programs have mindsset too?" Ji Xiang asked curiously.

"Of course, I'm asking you, what have you ever done that you regret?" Yoshinobu asked casually.

Ji Xiang pondered, but he couldn't figure out what the point of his father's question was.

"To put it another way, if you could travel back in time to your university days, which was 4 or 5 years ago, would your life be different?"

Ji Yongchang used a different approach.

"No." Ji Xiang hesitated for a moment, then said with certainty.

"See, this is the first-rate character you have. That's why your uncle likes you." Ji Yongchang smiled slightly. "You can see a person's future at three years old. It's too late to start studying now. Many things are predestined."

"Dad, you still believe in this?" Ji Xiang chuckled, teasing his old man.

"Of course, the more gifted a person is, the more they believe in this, like me."

Ji Xiang felt that his father was showing off something to him, but he couldn't find any evidence.

Because Ji Xiang himself sometimes thinks that way too.

The father and son are truly cut from the same cloth.

"The next level of mentality is probably to regret, but after hesitation and agonizing, they will still make a similar choice, which is pretty much the same," Yoshinaga Masayuki continued.

"Dad, you're becoming more and more superstitious."

"In the spirit realm, that old man must have told you that there aren't many people like you who can experience empathy without being greatly affected, right?" Yoshiaki Yoshiaki mentioned the system NPC.

Ji Xiang nodded, and unconsciously sat up straight, very respectfully.

This respect is directed not only at his own father but also at the system NPCs; it comes from the heart and is natural.

"You are my son, and you have perfectly inherited this good quality from me."

"Dad, I don't think it makes any sense," Ji Xiang said seriously. "My teacher once showed me a picture of a hospital from the future. It was all automated. After a car accident, I went into the hospital with my friend, and they started doing all sorts of tests in the ambulance."

"There's no one there; everything is done mechanically, following a pre-set procedure. When you arrive at the emergency operating room, the surgeries are all performed according to the program."

"I think it's pretty good, the only problem is... is..."

"What is it about?" Yoshinaga asked with a smile.

"I once experienced this firsthand when I had kidney stones and was in excruciating pain. But my partner didn't understand and thought I was being dramatic. At that moment, I felt like the whole world had abandoned me, and everyone was full of malice towards me," Ji Xiang answered truthfully.

Ji Yongchang didn't speak, but just looked at Ji Xiang quietly, as if looking at his younger self.

"To be honest, I was deeply moved at the time. After experiencing that firsthand feeling, I realized that if all doctors understood how patients felt, there would definitely be fewer doctor-patient disputes. If all patients' families understood their feelings, it would also save families and society a lot of trouble."

"Childish," Yoshinaga Masaharu retorted calmly.

"Yes," Ji Xiang said frankly. "Dad, that kind of thinking is indeed very naive. In addition, I have encountered countless patients in clinical practice. Even if I can empathize with them, it still won't change the final result much."

"The only change might be in the patients' experience. But the issues involved are too complex, and sometimes I don't even want to think about them."

Ji Yongchang smiled as he watched Ji Xiang frown and speak his mind. "I've told you before, when faced with something new that can change everything, someone has to explore all the possibilities within our field of vision."

"So, Dad, I've thought about many possibilities, but I still don't understand the point."

"You've only explored one of thousands of possibilities. It's almost impossible to use the trivial feelings of one area to deduce the whole big plan."

"A leaf before the eyes, or blind men touching an elephant."

Ji Yongchang concluded by using two idioms to describe Ji Xiang.

Ji Xiang laughed and said, "Dad, you're swearing."

"To be honest," Yoshinaga Masaru replied calmly, "I actually tried to explore this when I was younger, but I later found that it was just part of a saturation-style exploration. It's just that you and I both have pretty good talent, so we were able to go a little further."

"Father, what if we can't go far?"

"I'll ask you, what is saturation exploration?" Yoshinaga Masayuki retorted.

"It's a real pity we can't see the whole picture." Ji Xiang didn't answer, but just sighed softly.

"Even your great-uncle couldn't see the whole picture, let alone you. But he made his own insightful guesses based on his abilities. It's like..."

Ji Yongchang pondered, trying to find an adjective, while Ji Xiang was not in a hurry.

"It's like the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. Some powerful figure used their understanding to deduce the subsequent techniques, and Zhang Wuji followed suit and practiced them, but some parts were not quite right," said Ji Yongchang.

Ji Xiang thought about it and roughly understood, but he didn't continue to discuss the matter.

"When will I be able to see my uncle?"

"We're in different fields, so I doubt we'll meet. And even if we did, what difference would it make?" Yoshinaga Masaru replied calmly.

"There's really nothing I can do, but I still miss my uncle."

"That old man in the system was among the first to enter the Spirit Realm. Do you think many people will miss him?"

"Yes," Ji Xiang said confidently.

At least Professor Zhou and Brother Lang will miss him.

"But in your world, he can only see you." Yoshinaga Masayuki said something that was hard to understand.

Although it was hard to understand, Ji Xiang understood it instantly.

He understood, but Ji Xiang still felt regret and longed for it.

"You should have already experienced the feeling of seeing a mountain as a mountain," Yoshiaki suddenly brought up this matter.

"I've been there, Dad," Ji Xiang said. "It's really embarrassing to not dare to do even the simplest thing in front of your family."

"continue."

"Dad, when you say 'seeing a mountain as a mountain,' you mean that I initially thought Lingjing and Empathy were created to resolve doctor-patient disputes and provide patients with better medical care and humanistic support. That's what 'seeing a mountain as a mountain' means."

Yoshiaki Yoshiaki's expression remained unchanged.

"The skills have indeed changed, but after experiencing the empathy countless times, I found that I've returned to square one. It's still the same old treatment, like seeing a mountain but not a mountain."

"As for seeing a mountain as a mountain again, I haven't experienced that yet."

"That's about right." Yoshiaki gave Yoshihiro a positive assessment.

Ji Xiang felt somewhat gratified.

"Leaving aside you, let's talk about me. Before I came into contact with the Spirit Realm, I was a remarkable person. This is not a boast."

As he spoke, Ji Yongchang suddenly smiled and said, "Ji Xiang, I've met a young man."

Ji Xiang pricked up his ears.

What Shen Lang taught him has become muscle memory, etched into Ji Xiang's genes.

"Once, when I was in Beijing on business, I ran into a traffic policeman. He looked familiar, and after thinking about it carefully, I realized that he was the one from the promotional video, so we chatted for a bit."

"His grades were average, his family background was average, everything about him was average. It's extremely difficult to get a government job in Beijing, but during the interview, a big shot saw him and thought that wearing a police uniform would make him stand out. The only opening was given to him."

Ji Xiang smiled, saying he had encountered similar situations many times before.

"Being good-looking and having a high level of attractiveness can be a killer feature. What about having high talent? Although it's not obvious, the benefits are even greater, for example, in a hospital..."

Ji Yongchang took a sip of tea. "To get back to the point, before I came into contact with the Spirit Realm, I thought all the heroes in the world were nothing special. But after coming into contact with them, I realized how vast the world is, full of hidden talents. They just didn't want to play with me."

Ji Xiang did not agree with his father's description of it as "playing".

"Exploring the virtual world, especially saturated exploration, consumes too much manpower. The goal is to provide some feedback, creating positive feedback as much as possible, which can alleviate some of the pressure. You are already part of that positive feedback."

Ji Xiang nodded; he roughly understood what his father meant.

"Dad, I've seen many big bosses in movies and TV shows made of artificial intelligence. Even saturation exploration can't compare to artificial intelligence, right?"

"A person is born with 200 billion brain cells. 90% of them die by the age of one, leaving 20 billion. By the age of 15, 14 billion remain. The rate of brain cell death is slowest between the ages of 15 and 25, at one per second, 100,000 per day, 3 million per month, and 100 million every 3.5 years. But after the age of 25, brain cell death accelerates, and the older you are, the faster your brain cells die."

"This is medical knowledge."

"The connections between neurons in the human brain are quite unique. According to current theories, each cell webbing has several connections in every possible direction, forming a super-large cellular network."

"Actually, I don't think so. After some preliminary research, I believe the connections are geometrically ordered. Artificial intelligence is limited by data computation; the sheer volume of calculations combined with the human brain..."

As Yoshiaki spoke, he pointed to his head and said, "Each neuron in our brain can interconnect with neighboring neurons in a specific way to form objects with complex connections."

Interestingly, the more neurons connect to a group, the more dimensions are added to the object. Using algebraic topology, scientists are able to model the brain in a virtual way, creating the effect of a multidimensional universe with the help of computers.

"During one research project, the most advanced supercomputer simply crashed."

"Intelligent systems are limited by material resources; they may appear powerful now, but they are not reliable."

Ji Xiang frowned slightly. The old man's words were somewhat disorganized and complicated, but he understood the general meaning.

This exchange turned into a stream of consciousness, which Ji Xiang found quite frustrating, probably because many related topics had not yet been fully understood by basic science.

"Therefore, we need to explore as much as we can, and you and I are both part of that."

"Can I withdraw?" Ji Xiang asked.

"You didn't sign the agreement?" Yoshiaki raised an eyebrow.

"I signed it. I signed it on my first day there."

"You can quit anytime if you want, but I can tell you clearly that there's really no point in quitting." Yoshinobu raised his hand, and the silly roe deer trotted over and sat down next to him.

Ji Yongchang, stroking the silly roe deer's head, smiled and said, "It hasn't evolved yet; everything is still in its infancy. Every generation has its own Long March, don't you think?"

Ji Xiang shrugged. He had his own understanding of his father's cryptic words, but he didn't know if his understanding was correct.

Moreover, Ji Xiang knew that once his father started speaking like this, it meant that some things were truly impossible to explain.

He suddenly thought of something.

"Father, do you think that teacher from the spirit realm is still alive in reality?" Ji Xiang asked.

"He has passed away and is in another dimension."

"Is that extracted consciousness?"

"Yes."

"I think he doesn't even have a cigarette, it's pitiful. He's already dead, what's the point?" Ji Xiang sighed.

"These are all decisions made by the individuals themselves; otherwise, they wouldn't be there."

"But he's so boring."

"This was the mission of their generation, just like you, just like me," Ji Yongchang said, then suddenly smiled slightly. "Ji Xiang, if you were to reach the end of your life, would you choose to enter the Spirit Realm?"

Ji Xiang shook his head, but after a few seconds of contemplation, he nodded.

"Father, I still don't understand why there's so much empathy in the Spirit Realm," Ji Xiang asked. "Activating the Spirit Realm consumes countless manpower and resources, and the empathy is somewhat rubbish."

Upon hearing Ji Xiang mention this point again, Ji Yongchang smiled slightly.

"Saturation exploration is only one part of it."

Ji Xiang didn't speak, but listened carefully.

"Suppose that the procedures for the future hospital you mentioned go wrong, what will happen next?" Yoshiaki asked.

Several images flashed through Ji Xiang's mind, one of which was, of course, the quiet and efficient environment of the future hospital.

But another thought took the lead—the hellish level of empathy.

If the smart system malfunctions, even the simplest refund cannot be processed.

Even setting aside the possibility of AI becoming sentient and destroying humanity, problems arising from such a low-level, primarily auxiliary, so-called intelligent system can cause immense trouble.

Ji Xiang vaguely had an answer.

"We have to consider failure before we've even considered victory. If AI really develops self-awareness, what will humanity do next? Saturation exploration. Before we even begin exploring, we need to ensure that humanity can survive without AI."

Yoshihide Yoshihide said with a smile.

Ji Xiang nodded. "Dad, indeed, can this kind of experiential knowledge be input through a human-computer interface in the future?"

"Yes, empathy is part of it," Yoshinaga Masaaki said.

Ji Xiang recalled many things, things he had experienced and felt deeply, and perhaps he would leave something behind; in short, it would improve the entire system.

"That's why I said it's just an award for outstanding young people, nothing worth paying attention to," Yoshiaki Yoshino continued. "What's important is your experience, including your upbringing and the records of your empathetic experiences."

"If AI really develops consciousness, can humans resist it?" Ji Xiang asked an unrelated question.

"How would I know?" Ji Yongchang drank the tea in the teacup in front of him in one gulp, just like that man who walked alone in the Gobi Desert of Northwest China drinking strong liquor.

"Oh, I see," Ji Xiang said softly.

Ji Xiang, who had been somewhat smug, fell completely silent at this point.

Compared to the Outstanding Young Scientists, the system is a colossal behemoth so heavy that even a glance at it made Ji Xiang feel breathless.

A colossal behemoth of historical significance.

Moreover, in order to cope with the possible crisis, countless generations have devoted their lives to exploration and research.

I am one of them.

"Get some rest. The little worldly benefits are fleeting and don't matter."

"Dad, what you're saying sounds like you're cultivating immortality," Ji Xiang teased.

"Don't you think this is something from another dimension? You can see it as leisure, and ascending to heaven in broad daylight is no big deal. It's just a different perspective," Yoshinaga asked.

"Alright." Ji Xiang didn't mind. He didn't pour any more tea, but instead picked up a glass of water and raised it to his old man.

Ji Yongchang poured another cup of tea, lightly clinked it with Ji Xiang's, and drank it all in one gulp, treating the tea like wine.

"I'm going to rest."

"Go."

Ji Xiang washed up, lay on the bed, and, holding his breath, went to the system operating room.

"Teacher." Ji Xiang bowed deeply and respectfully.

"Here you are." The system NPC smiled, just like always.

Ji Xiang recounted how he passed the review for Outstanding Young Scientists, and the system NPC neither commented nor confirmed, but simply listened to Ji Xiang's story with a smile.

"Teacher, I just asked my father, and he told me a lot."

"Your father is participating in Phase 3 of a different system's trial," the system NPC said. "Do you two communicate frequently?"

"No, this was the only time we communicated."

"What do you want to ask?" the system NPC asked.

"Teacher, are you a consciousness or do you have a physical body?" Ji Xiang asked.

"I am already dead." The system NPC said something that would normally send chills down Ji Xiang's spine.

But after listening to his father talk about it today, Ji Xiang had some understanding of the existence of system NPCs, so he wasn't surprised.

"Do you feel lonely or bored here?" Ji Xiang asked.

"How could that be?" The system NPC chuckled. "It's like going to work. I can see certain content within a permitted range each day, and that's my enjoyment, like when you perform surgery."

"Peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path is formed beneath them?" Ji Xiang said with a smile.

"I'm not that artistic. I just enjoy performing surgery, and watching others perform surgery is the same. It's just that I sometimes get itchy to try it myself."

The system NPC was just like a child, and Ji Xiang smiled too. "Teacher, when will your task be completed? Will... will..."

"Hahaha." The system NPC laughed loudly, "That kid Shen Lang calls their ability to enter the system 'physical sainthood,' but mine doesn't count. Once the mission is complete, I'll naturally return to dust. If Zhou Congwen causes trouble again this time, I'll make him pay."

"Hey." Ji Xiang chuckled, thinking of Professor Zhou and Shen Lang. "Teacher, how about we do a surgery together? You can teach me?"

The system NPC raised its eyebrows and twitched its claw-like fingers slightly.

"Teacher, I heard my father give a brief explanation of the system."

Ji Xiang explained what he understood to the system NPC, then asked, "Is that right?"

"Yes, the entire Spirit Realm system was an idea proposed by your great-uncle, and it has been quietly being developed. I was only responsible for modeling and modifying a very small part of it, which is related to medicine."

"My uncle is really something, isn't he?" Ji Xiang's face lit up.

"Of course, he's the person I admire most," the system NPC said calmly.

"So, you're living in this way, is that considered immortality?" Ji Xiang asked a seemingly random question.

"No, I don't really like it here either, it lacks a lively atmosphere." The system NPC took out a white lingzhi mushroom, and Ji Xiang counted that he had only smoked three in total.

"The cigarettes here have no flavor; Zhou Congwen must have done this. Why can't we smoke? What kind of ridiculous rule is this? We've all become spirits and we still can't smoke!" the system NPC complained.

"Teacher, how long do you think it will take to complete the task?"

"Several generations? More than ten generations? I don't know." The system NPC shook his head. He stopped talking to Ji Xiang and instead walked towards the operating room with his hands behind his back and his back bent.

"Dr. Ji Xiang, today I'll teach you other surgical procedures at the Sports Hospital," the system NPC said slowly as they walked. "You've already activated access to the system shop, so you can use purchased medications during the surgery to correct any shortcomings."

"!!!"

Countless exclamation marks appeared above Ji Xiang's head.

The potions in the system shop have amazing effects just by looking at their names; I never expected they could be brought into reality.

The system NPC only taught him one technique that doesn't exist in reality, but that was enough to make him "successful and famous".

Ke Jixiang was only slightly taken aback, then chuckled.

My father just said that fame and fortune in reality are nothing compared to such a grand mission.

Perhaps all of this is just a ripple generated during the intersection of time and space.

"Calm down, we are doctors, and we can only be doctors." The system NPC said something that Ji Xiang would never forget.

Ji Xiang nodded, his mind focused.

"What did I just say?" the system NPC asked.

"We are doctors, and we can only be doctors."

"Hands-washing".

……

End of article.

(End of this chapter)