Overpowered Resident Doctor

Chapter 610: Chapter 609: Somber as Water

The medal ceremony was scheduled for nine in the morning.

As the time drew near, a succession of important figures began to arrive.

The chairman of Baiyulan Group, the chairman of Baining Group, the director of the PLA General Hospital, the vice president of Baining Hospital, and the head of the Celestial Blue Automation Research Institute, which had strong military ties, all arrived together.

Two of the four medical academicians from the Affiliated Hospital were present.

Two medical academicians from Binhai University Medical College also attended.

A total of seven medical academicians from other medical colleges, hospitals, and research institutes in Binhai came as well.

In all, eleven medical academicians were gathered together, making it a rare and grand event for Binhai’s medical community.

In addition, the vice president of the Chinese Medical Association and president of the Neurology Association, the president of the Binhai branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and several editors-in-chief of renowned medical journals also arrived one after another.

At 8:50 AM, the official government delegation for the ceremony and observation arrived.

They included the director and two deputy directors of the Binhai Health Commission, the deputy mayor in charge of health services, and the executive deputy mayor.

Representing the Binhai Public Security Department for the commendation and medal presentation were the department’s director and political commissar.

Accompanying them were several others, including Director Yi of the district public security bureau and Chief He Pengfei of the Dacheng Street Police Station.

The military award was presented by a minister from the military’s Joint Logistics Support Force and the political commissar of the Binjiang Military District.

Yan Feifan had a rough idea of why he was being recognized by the Binhai public security system.

He had recently assisted the police in identifying criminals and resolving a hostage crisis, so he had indeed made some contributions.

But a commendation from the military—and a First-Class Merit at that—made Yan Feifan feel a bit undeserving.

Therefore, while exchanging pleasantries with the minister from the Joint Logistics Support Force and the political commissar of the Binjiang Military District, Yan Feifan voiced his confusion directly.

"Um, Mr. Song, aren’t the military’s First-Class Merits usually awarded to soldiers? Can a civilian like me be awarded one?"

Mr. Song, dressed in the uniform of a lieutenant general, chuckled and explained, "Mr. Yan, that is generally the case. Awards like the First, Second, and Third-Class Merits are typically reserved for active and retired military personnel."

"However, Mr. Yan, you’re a specially-appointed expert at our PLA General Hospital, which makes you practically half a military doctor!"

"After deliberation among several leaders, it was decided that an exception would be made to award you the First-Class Merit as a token of our gratitude for your support and contributions to the military."

Mr. Song chuckled again. "Mr. Yan, if you’re interested in enlisting, I can fast-track the process and approve it for you right now."

He added enticingly, "As for your rank, you’d start as a Captain at the very least. It wouldn’t be out of the question to grant you the rank of Major directly."

At this, Yan Feifan shook his head so fast it looked like a toy drum.

He quickly realized his reaction might have been a bit extreme and hastily explained, "Mr. Song, it’s not that I don’t want to join the army. I’m just so used to my undisciplined lifestyle that I’m afraid I couldn’t handle the regulations and would end up disgracing the uniform."

Of course, this wasn’t the real reason.

’If I became a soldier, I’d have to hold myself to a much higher standard.’

’At the very least, when faced with certain patients, it would be difficult to ask for treatment fees that run into the hundreds of thousands or even millions, nor would it be proper to accept them.’

Yan Feifan had nothing against money.

Mr. Song seemed to guess what Yan Feifan was thinking and smiled. "Mr. Yan, there’s no need to rush your decision. The doors of our military will always be open to you."

Yan Feifan gave a sheepish laugh and quickly changed the subject. "Mr. Song, they say a Third-Class Merit costs you sweat, a Second-Class costs you blood, and a First-Class costs you your life. I don’t feel like I’ve contributed nearly enough for this."

"To be honest, I feel undeserving of this First-Class Merit. Very undeserving."

Mr. Song smiled, then his expression suddenly turned serious. "Mr. Yan, our review process for military honors, especially the First-Class Merit, has always been exceptionally strict. We never bestow it lightly!"

"The fact that you have doubts about this is both understandable and gratifying to me."

After a pause, he continued slowly, "Mr. Yan, you have no reason to feel undeserving. If you knew the true identities of the soldiers you treated, and the contributions they have made, you would understand..."

"This First-Class Merit, Mr. Yan, is something you fully deserve."

Mr. Song lowered his voice slightly and revealed, "This First-Class Merit also includes a commendation for you from the military intelligence department."

"And..."

Mr. Song returned to his normal volume and said in a deep voice, "Beyond recognizing and thanking you for your contributions to the military, this First-Class Merit also carries with it our encouragement and expectations."

"We hope that you, Mr. Yan, will achieve even greater medical breakthroughs in the future. We also sincerely hope that the cooperation between us will become even closer and deeper."

"There’s one more important point..."

Mr. Song glanced at the red-carpeted stage. "Publicly awarding you this First-Class Merit with such fanfare also serves as a warning to unfriendly foreign powers."

"Through this award, we are telling them in no uncertain terms..."

"That you, Mr. Yan, are under the protection of our military. If they dare to harbor any ill intentions, they will be met with a crushing blow from us."

A look of realization dawned on Yan Feifan’s face.

He declared with a solemn expression, "Mr. Song, I may not be a soldier, but my heart supports and loves the military."

"I will do everything within my power in my professional capacity to contribute to our nation’s armed forces and national defense..."

At nine in the morning, to the accompaniment of a grand and stirring military band, Yan Feifan solemnly accepted the Second-Class Merit from the Binhai Public Security Department, followed by the First-Class Merit from the military.

After a round of group photos, the leaders from the city and the military accepted an invitation to tour the intelligent surgical robot jointly developed by Baining Medical Technology, Baiyulan Technology, and Shenlan Automation, and watched a demonstration of its capabilities.

For this demonstration, the technicians had designed a project that was both quite difficult and cleverly conceived.

Slicing a watermelon and automatically removing the seeds.

The robot’s performance—slicing the watermelon into uniform pieces while its slender mechanical arms deftly and rapidly removed the seeds without damaging the surrounding flesh—earned unanimous praise from the observers.