Chapter 15

In this new world, Zhuochuan learned from the internet that the total population of the Earth is one trillion. Each underground reserve citizen has an intelligence far surpassing that of the top figures in the modern world, let alone the ordinary citizens. To be ranked within the top 50,000 among so many people is undoubtedly to be among the elite, one in a billion.

Given the other party's strength, their ranking is still only around 50,000, which shows that the potential power in this world is even more formidable.

Of course, Zhuochuan firmly believed that this B47995 must have severely hidden his true strength. His real status should be much higher than the ranking indicated by his number.

After all, the abilities to traverse time and space and absorb the soul power of others at the moment of their death are only possessed by deities!

It was just that the other party's soul had fallen, and by becoming his soul successor, he had inherited all of these abilities.

Thinking to this point, Zhuochuan felt even more determined not to waste this opportunity.

Zhuochuan quickly pulled his thoughts back. Now, he truly began to have confidence that in the remaining two and a half months, he could rapidly enhance his strength and defeat Jie Cheng, securing his right to survive in this world.

As long as he absorbed enough soul power, there would certainly be new changes. Thinking this, Zhuochuan quickly made his decision.

"Old Xu, for the next two and a half months, I won't be going to school for training. I found a technique left by my predecessor and need to undergo special training. Please help me take a leave from school," Zhuochuan sent a message to Old Xu, then cleaned up his body and returned to the modern world.

Now, his focus needed to shift to the modern world.

The reason was simple: only in the modern world, where humans have no real research on souls, could he absorb the soul power of those on the brink of death without any reservations. No one, nor any machine, could observe that he was absorbing soul power, and no one even had the concept of it.

...

The next morning, Zhuochuan made a call, to Director Zhou.

"It's Manager Zhuo. The system is running normally now. You made me stay up all night yesterday, thank you for your hard work," Director Zhou said, his tone filled with gratitude.

"Um, it's nothing," Zhuochuan hesitated for a moment and then said directly, "Director Zhou, you know I resigned. Recently, I've been thinking about starting my own business, but I haven't found a good project. A while ago, I read online that there's a gap in the market for end-of-life care, which involves managing the final moments of terminally ill patients. No company in China is doing this professionally, so I want to start with this system and conduct some research first."

"Oh, I see," Director Zhou understood. He had discussed system modules with Zhuochuan many times before. "That's great. Our hospital, being a specialized cancer hospital, has a palliative care ward with high-risk patients. There is a need for this, so you're welcome to come and conduct your research. I'll have the IT department assist you."

For him, this was just a matter of returning a favor from yesterday. Besides, if the old system had any issues in the future, Zhuochuan could still help. He had no reason to refuse, though he felt Zhuochuan seemed a bit too eager, unlike his usual work style, almost as if he was seeking a favor.

"Thank you so much, Director Zhou," Zhuochuan sighed. "The medical industry is very competitive now. It's hard for a small company to break in. I had this idea while debugging the program in the ICU yesterday, and I couldn't wait to start. Please don't think I'm just seeking a favor."

"Hehe, don't be silly. We might need your help in the future. This favor is nothing. It doesn't violate any principles and benefits the hospital. I'll inform Director Yang, and you can arrange it with him," Director Zhou laughed and settled the matter.

Zhuochuan hung up and went to the city's specialized cancer hospital. It had been less than a few hours since he left, and he was back.

He went straight to the IT department, where he chatted with Director Yang and mentioned his intention to conduct research in the palliative care ward.

"Director Zhou just called. You can go there for research, of course. No one usually goes there," Director Yang looked at Zhuochuan, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "But Manager Zhuo, I heard from Director Zhou that you want to develop a system for end-of-life care. I know this area is basically a blank slate in China, with no competition. However, most hospitals don't have such wards, only specialized hospitals like ours and some large hospitals do. And they don't take it seriously. Even if you develop the system, the market is limited, and it will be hard to make money."

Zhuochuan smiled bitterly. He wasn't a novice and knew Director Yang was right. The customer base was small, and hospitals didn't prioritize it, making it hard to make money. But he wasn't doing it for profit. There were many ways to make money in the modern world, especially after he could soul-traverse to the new world. He wouldn't choose such a thankless task.

But he needed to find people on the brink of death to absorb their soul power at the moment of their death. He couldn't tell anyone about this, so he had to endure Director Yang's misunderstanding and good intentions.

"Thank you for your advice, Director Yang. I mainly want to find a stepping stone. As you said, there's no competition in this area. Although it doesn't have much potential now, as the quality of life improves, people's demand for dignity at the end of life is also increasing. The system I want to develop will provide a good experience for the families of patients and improve the hospital's reputation. I think it has a lot of potential for development," Zhuochuan, with years of experience as a development manager, could easily come up with various reasons.

"Indeed, as a professional, you have a long-term vision. What you said makes sense. I've seen many families regret not doing enough for their dying loved ones or making mistakes in the details, causing the elderly to pass away uncomfortably. If your system can improve this, it will indeed enhance the hospital's reputation and bring value, though it will take a long time," Director Yang nodded, still not very optimistic but acknowledging the logic in Zhuochuan's reasoning.

After barely resolving Director Yang's doubts and convincing him, Zhuochuan smoothly obtained his cooperation. He first got a set of doctor's clothes and put them on, then asked for a discarded ID badge with the label "Equipment Department" to avoid potential dissatisfaction from patients' families. After having the on-duty doctor in the ward called, he took his laptop and headed over.

After all, it was a cancer hospital with many terminal patients. The palliative care ward was quite large, with nine rooms, all of which were mostly full.

Zhuochuan didn't immediately enter the rooms. He first went to the on-duty doctor's office and greeted the on-duty doctor.

The on-duty doctor was a young woman wearing a mask, so it was hard to tell if she was pretty. Zhuochuan wasn't interested in that.

"Since you're an engineer sent by the leadership to conduct on-site research, you can go in and take a look, but remember to keep quiet. Many patients can't tolerate noise," the female doctor said coldly.

"How long can I stay inside, and when do you finish your shift?" Zhuochuan asked.

"I'm on night duty today, working both day and night. I'll hand over at 7:30 AM tomorrow," the female doctor took a mask from a cabinet, handed it to Zhuochuan, rolled her eyes, and said, "As for you, stay as long as you want. The leadership rarely comes here, so no one will bother you."

"Alright," Zhuochuan had a purpose in talking to the female doctor. He wanted to know which patients had little time left. "I have one more question. Which patients in these rooms are the most critical? I want to observe their needs first."

The female doctor was a bit impatient but still answered, as Zhuochuan was coordinated by the IT department, and she often needed their help, such as printing learning materials or copying teaching videos.

"Room 9 has the most critical patients. They have no hope. Some might not last half an hour, while others might last a day," she said, then added, "There are many family members waiting outside. If anything happens inside, come out and call me. Don't act rashly."