The Anesthetist’s Arcane Gift

Chapter 3: The Speculum Challenge

“Wait, seriously? You want me to do it?”

Qibo hesitated. But this wasn’t the time to argue. Dr. Cao had given him a direct order. They were short-staffed, and as the newly arrived anesthesiologist, he had no excuse to say no.

Taking a deep breath, he walked over and sat beside the operating table. The patient, Lin Ruoying, was already under anesthesia. Under the focused surgical light, the operative field was fully exposed. It was the first time Qibo had ever been this close to a gynecological procedure — and the nerves hit hard.

He picked up a few tissues with trembling hands and started the cleansing process. It was supposed to be the nurse’s job, but today he was filling in.

“Stay calm. Stay professional,” he whispered to himself.

Across the room, Nurse Sun Xiaomei looked up from another patient and gave him a quick wink. She could tell he was nervous — the tight grip on the tissue, the way he avoided eye contact, the redness above his surgical mask.

“Fresh meat,” she murmured to herself with a smile, then went back to holding down another patient for a manual procedure.

Qibo finished the cleaning and was just about to step back when he heard Dr. Cao call from behind the privacy screen:

“Qibo, go ahead and insert the speculum. I’ll be right there.”

“…Me?”

His stomach flipped. He had only practiced this a few times back in med school, and that too on mannequins. This was a real person — and things looked a lot more… complicated.

But there was no one else available. Xiaomei was busy. Dr. Cao was still on the phone. And the patient was sedated — the window for the procedure was closing.

He reluctantly reached for the metal instrument, cold and foreign in his hands.

“Okay… insertion, then gradual expansion…”

And then, out of nowhere, a voice echoed in his head:

[Ethical System Activated…]

[Mission Assigned: Successfully insert a speculum into the patient.]

[Reward Upon Completion: 10 Anesthetic Ampoules.]

Qibo blinked.

“…What the hell was that?”

He looked around — nobody seemed to notice anything. It wasn’t coming from a speaker. It was… in his head?

“System? Mission? Anesthetics as a reward?”

But he had no time to think about it now.

He tried the first insertion — no success.

Second attempt — wrong angle.

Third — still no luck.

He gritted his teeth and focused. “Get it together, man.”

Finally, on the fourth attempt, the instrument slid in correctly. He carefully opened the blades and stabilized it.

[Mission Complete. Reward Dispensed.]

[Ethical Points +1.]

“…It even gives ethical points?”

Qibo was still panting from the stress, his mind spinning between confusion and relief. But he didn’t have long to think. Dr. Cao was finishing his call, and the real surgery was about to begin.

Little did Qibo know, this was only the beginning of his strange new life — where medical duty, hidden systems, and unpredictable challenges were all about to collide.