Chapter 1

Joseph Zeigler, the heir of the richest man in the city, suddenly develops a rare acute illness, leaving the whole medical department completely stumped.

In my past life, I pull three all-nighters buried in medical journals from around the world before finally landing on the safest conservative treatment plan.

Derek Chapman, the newly hired doctor, dismisses my approach. He scans the lab sheet using an AI diagnostic app and insists that a simple minimally invasive procedure is all it takes to eradicate the problem.

I publicly point out the AI app's misdiagnosis, driven by my duty as a doctor. Derek, unable to accept the humiliation, leaves the hospital in a huff, accidentally falls into a river, and drowns.

Helen Walker, the head of the department, has resented me ever since then. She leads a cyberbullying crusade against me online.

She breaks down crying in front of the cameras, saying, "If Dr. Lund hadn't bullied the newcomer out of sheer jealousy, he wouldn't have been distracted enough to fall into that river. Dr. Lund is supposed to be compassionate as a doctor, but all he has is just pure jealousy!"

I eventually jump to my death from a building because of the relentless cyberbullying.

I open my eyes again to find myself back on the day Derek holds up his phone, loudly bragging about the AI's diagnosis. I take a backseat of my own accord this time. "These youngsters nowadays are absolute medical prodigies. If the AI says it is safe to operate, I will let you take the lead surgeon position for this case."

Chapter 1

"Your conservative treatment approach is way too outdated, Dr. Lund. Mr. Joseph's time is far too valuable to sit in a hospital for half a year doing physical therapy and taking medication."

I instantly snapped out of my daze after hearing that contemptuous voice.

Derek Chapman, a new doctor in our department, was the one speaking. He held up his phone to show an AI medical consultation app called CyberDoc on the screen. He tapped the screen a few times and triumphantly surveyed the colleagues and the patient's family with a smug grin.

"I entered Mr. Joseph's ultrasound data and blood test results into this AI program, and the latest algorithm from Astoria gave a very clear diagnosis.

"Mr. Joseph isn't suffering from some complicated lesion due to a rare condition. He just has a standard retroperitoneal cyst. He'll be fine once he gets a simple laparoscopic surgery. He'll be discharged in three days, with zero chance of relapse."

I couldn't help but tremble all over when I heard those exact words again. I had actually been reborn. I had actually returned to the day that reshaped my whole life.

In my past life, I had pulled three consecutive all-nighters trying to uncover the truth behind Joseph Zeigler's condition—the heir to the powerful Zeigler family—digging through nearly a decade's worth of local and international medical journals.

His lesion was located in a very precarious spot and involved a rare vascular malformation, making any hasty surgery extremely likely to cause severe hemorrhage.

That was why, when Derek began boasting about his diagnosis, I openly reprimanded him without showing any mercy.

Derek felt so publicly humiliated that he stormed out of the hospital in a fit of rage, only to slip into a river and drown. His death marked the beginning of my nightmare.

Helen Walker, the head of department who was having an affair with him, abused her authority to access the hospital's surveillance footage.

She selectively edited the video before posting it online, then hired online trolls to manipulate public opinion. "Jealous Doctor Publicly Humiliates Young Medical Genius, Driving Him to Jump into a River!"

I became the most hated person on the internet in a single night. I was bombarded with death threats online, and my home address was doxed. I was utterly devastated when Dad suffered a sudden heart attack because he couldn't bear the online harassment.

Those self-proclaimed "justice seekers" livestreamed on their phones when the ambulance arrived, blocking the entrance to the apartment complex. They shouted in unison, "A murderer's father doesn't deserve medical care!"

I watched helplessly as Dad passed away right there on the stretcher. I was so overwhelmed by despair that I jumped from the hospital's rooftop.

"Jasper Lund! What are you spacing out for? Did my groundbreaking approach leave you speechless?"

My continued silence only fueled Derek's smugness.

He turned to Frank Zeigler, the patriarch of the Zeigler family, who was sitting to the side, and said ingratiatingly, "You can rest assured that current AI technology is far superior to those old-fashioned doctors who only go by the book, Mr. Frank. Mr. Joseph will be back on his feet once we cut out that cyst."

Frank had already been dissatisfied with my conservative approach. He felt that the lengthy treatment period would interfere with Joseph's engagement banquet with his fiancee the following month.

His eyes instantly brightened the moment he heard what Derek said. "Why did you insist on putting Joseph through months of medication if this can be solved with a simple minimally invasive procedure, Dr. Lund? Is that your way of trying to make extra money off the Zeigler family?"

Frank questioned me sharply, his voice dripping with hostility.

I took a deep breath and suppressed the painful memories of my past life. I then looked up, flashed a polite smile, and said calmly, "I have to admit, the younger generation nowadays is truly impressive.

"I'm getting so old that my approach has become outdated. I can't really keep up with all this high-tech stuff youngsters use nowadays."

Chapter 2

Derek was caught off guard by my sudden praise, but he still managed a slight huff. "I'll give you credit for knowing your place."

I turned to Frank and said with absolute sincerity, "Dr. Chapman makes a good point, Mr. Frank. If AI can handle the diagnosis and treatment and get Mr. Joseph home in three days, that is definitely the best approach.

"I was being way too conservative with my approach earlier, almost compromising Mr. Joseph's treatment. I'm truly sorry, Mr. Frank."

I shifted my attention to Derek and continued, "That said, since Dr. Chapman came up with this diagnosis using the latest AI technology, the surgery should obviously be performed by Dr. Chapman himself—as he understands it best—or by the senior doctor supervising him.

"I'm not knowledgeable enough about this approach, so I won't overstep."

Just as I said that, a cough echoed from outside the office. Helen, our head of department, walked in with her hands behind her back, giving me a slight scowl. "What kind of attitude is that, Dr. Lund? Mr. Joseph is your patient. You can't just dump your patients onto someone else."

I couldn't help but sneer inwardly as I looked at her pretentious expression. "I'm not trying to hand off my patient to someone else, Dr. Walker. I'm just making way for someone better suited for this case.

"Dr. Chapman is using state-of-the-art AI medical technology. I'm certain that if a talented surgeon like you oversees the surgery, Mr. Joseph's surgery will be guaranteed to succeed."

Helen glanced at Frank after hearing that, a flicker of greed flashing in her eyes. She knew that it would be a monumental accomplishment if she successfully treated Joseph.

Derek had come to the same realization. He anxiously grabbed Helen's arm and said, "I'll definitely be able to do it if you're there to guide me, Dr. Walker!"

Frank made the call, saying, "Dr. Walker will head the team since she's the expert here. You'll both be rewarded handsomely by the Zeigler family as long as Joseph is back on his feet and discharged in three days."

Hearing that, Helen made a firm promise on the spot. "You can rest assured that Mr. Joseph is in good hands, Mr. Frank!"

I was about to go and handle the transfer paperwork after Frank left, but Helen suddenly stopped me. "Come to my office, Jasper."

I followed Helen, discreetly pressing the button on the recorder in my pocket.

Helen got straight to the point once we reached her office.

"Derek just bailed you out on Joseph's case, so it's only fair the department compensates him. You are to hand over that national grant research on complex retroperitoneal tumors over to Derek. He'll be listed as the first author, while you'll be listed as the second, Jasper."

I was utterly stunned. I had spent two years working myself to the bone on that research project. It was the result of two years of painstaking work and my sole chance at making associate chief.

I glared at her and asked, "You've got to be kidding me, right? Derek can barely read a basic anatomy diagram, yet you're making him the first author? You're robbing me in broad daylight, Dr. Walker!"

Helen slammed her hand on the desk and barked in rage, "Jasper Lund! How dare you speak to me like that! Do you not know that the department resources have always been allocated collectively?

"Derek just took that difficult case off your hands, so he needs a major publication to justify his surgical approach. It's about the collective honor of the entire department, Jasper!"

Derek stood off to the side with his arms crossed, a smug grin on his face. "You shouldn't be this selfish, Dr. Lund. You're already 30, so missing out on a promotion for a year or two won't kill you. I'm young and building my career, so I need these credentials to stick around at a top-tier hospital.

"I've also bailed you out of that tycoon's case. Is trading one research project for that really so unreasonable, Dr. Lund?"

I laughed in disbelief, my voice trembling with anger as I asked, "You think that's a troublesome case? I already had a full treatment plan mapped out for Joseph.

"Derek just wanted to steal the spotlight, completely ignoring patient safety to step into an OR with nothing but a useless app. Do you really dare present this to the board for review?

Helen completely dropped her facade. She pointed directly at my face and bellowed, "Shut up! You're handing over this research project to Derek, whether you agree to it or not, Jasper!"

I gritted my teeth in fury, enraged by their blatant attempt to steal my work. "I won't agree to it! I have all the data secured on my own encrypted hard drive, so you can't just steal it.

"I'll take this up to the Medical Affairs Office and report this directly to the hospital director! I'd like to see if you're the only one running this hospital, Helen Walker!"

Chapter 3

I turned and reached for the doorknob, but Derek grabbed the back of my collar and yanked me backward with full force. I crashed into the cabinet before hitting the floor with a heavy thud.

"You ungrateful fool!" Helen rushed over and tightly restrained my arms. "Go bring me the agreement, Derek!"

Derek retrieved the Primary Author Transfer Agreement and a pen out of the drawer. He then smirked maliciously, grabbed my right hand, and forced me to sign the agreement.

"Get off me!" I fought back with everything I had, but I couldn't overpower the two of them.

"I don't think a signature alone is enough to stop him from turning around and making a scene later, Dr. Walker," Derek said, staring at the signed agreement as a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

"I've got it covered, Derek," Helen said, smirking. She took out a pre-loaded syringe from her white coat.

I widened my eyes in surprise the moment I saw the syringe. "I-Is that liquid phencyclidine? W-What the hell are you trying to do?"

It was a powerful dissociative hallucinogen—a large dose injected straight into the bloodstream would cause violent agitation, hallucinations, and aggression.

"You want to know what I'm going to do, huh? I'm going to make you look like a madman driven insane by jealousy!" Helen plunged the needle into my vein and forced the drugs straight into my system after saying that.

It took less than ten seconds for the cold liquid to take effect. I felt my vision blurring and my heart pounding wildly. I even felt a violent, uncontrollable urge for rage and bloodshed surging from within me.

"That takes care of that!" Helen released me, stood up, and straightened her clothes.

Derek quickly tore his white coat and hit himself hard enough to leave two bruises on his face. He then pulled open the office door and rushed outside, yelling, "Help! Dr. Lund has lost his mind! He's trying to kill me!"

I stumbled out after him and tried to explain myself, but I had lost control over my own mind.

There were already people gathered all along the hallway.

Derek stood behind the crowd, pointing at me as he yelled, "Dr. Lund lost his mind just because I took over Mr. Zeigler's surgery! He attacked me in the office and threatened to kill me! He's a total madman!"

In that instant, the colleagues and patients' families around me started pointing fingers at me.

"Dr. Lund has always been so composed. What made him blow up like this today?"

"I heard Derek snagged the Zeigler family's surgery, so Dr. Lund is probably upset about it."

"I can't really blame him, though. I mean, a reward from the richest man in the city was probably worth a lot. If it were anyone else, they'd be upset too."

It was too noisy. I could only see twisted, monstrous figures around me, roaring and trying to tear apart everything in their path. "I'll kill all of you! I'm going to kill you!"

In the midst of the chaos, I tackled a distinguished-looking elderly man.

I eventually regained consciousness, only to find myself strapped to a bed in a secure psychiatric ward. Helen and Derek were standing by the bed, looking down at me with contempt.

Helen scoffed and said, "You left Mr. Zeigler with a concussion, so Mrs. Zeigler, the CEO of Zeigler Group, gave the order to lock you away in this place for life, Jasper."

I was instantly dumbstruck after hearing that. I couldn't believe that I had actually assaulted someone of Frank's status. I couldn't even imagine what would happen to me.

Derek shoved his phone right into my face before I could even wrap my head around it. "You should check this out. Your father spent two hours groveling on the concrete steps by the hospital entrance, begging for mercy until his forehead was bloody."

I was heartbroken when I saw Dad bowing so submissively with his face covered in blood. I knew that fighting back at this point would only kill Dad, though.

I suppressed my overwhelming hatred and said through gritted teeth, "I know I'm in the wrong now, Dr. Walker and Derek. I'm begging you—please let me go. I'll serve as your ghostwriter from now on, handling your research and earning the credentials you need for promotion!"

Helen was tempted by the offer. She hesitated for a while before she undid my restraints and ordered, "Strip off your clothes! We're taking some photos as collateral! You'd better do it; otherwise, you can just die here and let your father collect your body!"

Chapter 4

I was overwhelmed with humiliation and rage, but I still gritted my teeth and slowly unfastened my hospital gown with trembling hands.

Helen put her phone away after taking the photos, looking pleased with herself. "If you breathe a single word about this, these photos will be all over the internet by tomorrow. Get out of here now."

I was dazed and disoriented as I walked out of the psychiatric ward's iron door, but I didn't head straight home. Instead, I went directly to an independent forensic lab to get an expedited toxicology screen on my blood.

Helen had injected me with liquid phencyclidine, which would remain in my bloodstream for days. That blood result would serve as conclusive evidence that she had deliberately harmed me.

I went straight home after getting the test results. I was utterly devastated when I noticed Dad's knees covered in bruises, but I still managed to hold it in and lied that the hospital had cleared my name and given me some time off. I instantly locked myself inside my room once I took care of Dad.

Joseph had done nothing wrong in this whole situation. If Derek really sliced through that malformed venous plexus mimicking a cyst, Joseph would undoubtedly lose his life on the operating table.

I had to save Joseph—not only because of my duty as a doctor but also because doing so would give me the leverage I needed to fight back.

I stayed up all night reviewing the imaging scans and worked out the only treatment plan that could save Joseph's life. It relied on the core of the research project Derek had stolen from me. I immediately contacted my mentor in Germavia and arranged for the latest interventional catheter to be flown in urgently.

Over the next three days, the head nurse kept messaging me with updates on Derek's outrageous behavior. She mentioned that Derek received a Porsche from the Zeigler family and left it parked in the hospital director's personal parking space.

She then said that Helen bragged to everyone about her gifted mentee, while spreading rumors that I was mentally unfit.

It was the morning of the third day, and I finally received the equipment case air-shipped from Germavia.

I threw on a black tracksuit, put a mask over my face, and quietly made my way into the second-floor observation deck of the surgical department with the case in hand.

Inside the observation deck, the monitors aired a real-time feed from OR 1.

Maria Zeller, Joseph's mother, was waiting right outside with a squad of bodyguards in black, radiating an intense, suffocating presence.

Inside the OR, Derek stood proudly as the lead surgeon, while Helen served as his first assistant in support.

Derek used the forceps to point at the shadow on the laparoscopic feed, proudly showing off his diagnosis. "Do you see that, Dr. Walker? It seems like the AI diagnosis was completely accurate. It's nothing more than a common cyst since the borders are distinct."

Helen breathed a sigh of relief as well. "It really is spot on. Get the harmonic scalpel ready and begin the excision."

I kept my eyes fixed on the monitor. I knew very well that it wasn't a cyst capsule but an optical illusion created by a massively dilated, malformed venous plexus. That fragile wall of blood vessels couldn't possibly endure the high-frequency vibration of the harmonic scalpel.

In the meantime, the harmonic scalpel chimed as it powered on. Derek, brimming with unearned confidence, went straight for the edge of the "cyst" without hesitation.

A few seconds later, the once-clear image on the monitor was instantly obscured by blood spraying out with the force of a high-pressure water jet.