A few minutes later.
Ding! You have completed the task. You earned 50 Skull Coins, +50 surgery experience, Special reward +1.
Ding! Due to uncontrollable special circumstances, the Pig-Headed Demon’s favorability has turned into fear. Pig-Headed Demon’s fear +50.
The Pig-Headed Demon trembled uncontrollably, sitting there with a dazed expression.
On the other side of the counter, Lin calmly sat in his white coat, holding a quill, writing his medical report slowly.
He pushed a small batch of medicine forward.
"These medicines: half for oral use, half for topical application. Take them twice a day at regular intervals. After about two days, your eyesight should start to recover. Of course, if you want a faster-acting medication, the price will be ten times higher."
"Please proceed with payment. Including the surgery fee, medicine fee, nursing fee, and the eye socket fee you’ve already paid, the total comes to 546 Skull Coins. If everything’s fine, please sign here."
Lin looked up with lifeless eyes and said politely,
"Thumbprint is fine too."
The Pig-Headed Demon trembled as he extended his hand and stamped it on the report.
He shakily pulled out a large money pouch from his chest, placing over 500 Skull Coins on the counter and muttered,
"Can I leave now...?"
Lin nodded at the coins.
His gaze then shifted to the still-bulging pouch.
But the next moment, his eyes were drawn to the Pig-Headed Demon’s large, protruding belly.
Ding! You have triggered the Pig-Headed Demon’s hidden quest, "Strange Belly". Completion reward: +50 Skull Coins, +50 surgery experience, Unlock the ability to perform visual diagnosis.
The Pig-Headed Demon turned to leave.
Lin suddenly reached out, stopping him. "Wait!"
The Pig-Headed Demon instinctively shuddered.
"What now?!"
He turned around, just in time to see Lin adjust his monocle. The eyeball popped off the desk with a thud, only for Lin to calmly pick it up and reattach it.
Sanity -1
Lin shook his head. "I noticed some new issues with you. If left undiagnosed, it could cause unknown effects on your body."
The Pig-Headed Demon bared his tusks. "Don’t lie to me! I hate being deceived!"
Lin said seriously, "I’m a doctor. I don’t deceive people. Everyone who comes into my clinic is my patient, and I’m responsible for their health. If I see a problem and don’t tell you, that would be the true lack of medical ethics."
Seeing Lin's sincere and serious expression, the Pig-Headed Demon reluctantly sat back down on the stool in front of the counter, hesitating.
"What’s the problem? I feel fine."
Lin put on a mask. "Extend your hand. I’ll check your pulse."
The Pig-Headed Demon hesitantly placed his pig-hair-covered arm on the counter.
Reluctantly, he trusted Lin one more time.
Lin remained calm as he placed his hand over the demon's pulse, feeling carefully.
Diagnosis experience +1
Diagnosis experience +1
Diagnosis experience +1
Gradually, the Pig-Headed Demon noticed Lin frowning, and his heart instantly jumped into his throat.
"Is it really that serious?" he asked nervously.
He feared nothing more than seeing a doctor frown—it could only mean bad news.
Lin withdrew his hand and looked at the Pig-Headed Demon with a serious expression, frowning.
"The problem isn’t too big, but it’s not insignificant either. It depends on how we handle it."
The Pig-Headed Demon grew more nervous. "What’s the problem?"
Lin solemnly said, "Ectopic pregnancy."
"…"
"…"
There was a brief silence, with cold wind howling in from outside the door.
The next moment, the Pig-Headed Demon roared and grabbed Lin by the collar, angrily lifting him up.
"Are you kidding me, you quack doctor? Are you mocking me? I’m giving you one more chance to organize your words!!"
Lin remained calm, adjusting his monocle. He replied seriously,
"The pulse told me so. There’s no mistake. You need to trust my medical skills."
The Pig-Headed Demon hissed, "I don’t have that kind of problem!! I’m a boar!!"
Lin nodded gravely. "That’s why I said it’s an ectopic pregnancy. If it’s true, it would be even more complicated. You would need a deeper gender reassignment surgery. It’s a heavier burden for you."
"…"
"…"
The Pig-Headed Demon trembled and released Lin’s collar, slumping back down onto the stool.
"What are you thinking?"
"I’m thinking about how to get rid of it!" The Pig-Headed Demon ground his teeth in anger, eyes filled with fury.
"Don’t think about useless things."
Lin adjusted his collar, sitting back at the counter, and calmly said,
"Have you been feeling abdominal bloating, nausea, lack of appetite, or bleeding lately?"
The Pig-Headed Demon slammed the table, fighting to suppress his trembling and humiliation. "Tell me how I’m bleeding!! What do you mean by bleeding?!"
Lin continued to write, adjusting his monocle.
"Please don’t be agitated. It’s just a routine question. Other than bleeding down there, have any of the other symptoms occurred?"
The Pig-Headed Demon gritted his teeth, eyes nearly bursting. "What if they did? Are you saying I ate something wrong?!"
Lin calmly adjusted his monocle again and glanced at him. "How long has this been going on?"
The Pig-Headed Demon ground his teeth. "A month!"
Lin continued writing calmly. "When was your last… encounter? Do you have any bad habits, like excessive physical activity or using certain questionable tools?"
The Pig-Headed Demon stood there in a daze, his arm shaking. "Try asking me that again."
Clearly, this question enraged him.
Lin raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Fine, I won’t ask that. Let’s move on."
"In your most recent… encounter, did you feel any pain down there…"
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Lin furrowed his brows, making a hand gesture. "Like tearing pain?"
This time, the Pig-Headed Demon couldn’t hold himself back.
He grabbed Lin by the collar, enraged, and roared,
"I’ve had enough of you!"
"Explain to me what tearing pain is! What does tearing pain feel like?!"
Lin extended his hand, pressing firmly on the demon's chest. He shook his head.
"Calm down. Further diagnosis requires professional equipment, but this is just the process I must follow as a doctor. It’s all for your health, for your own good!"
"I’m sure you don’t want to be left with a chronic problem, do you?"
The Pig-Headed Demon snorted heavily through his nostrils, his chest heaving with rage, but eventually, after Lin’s reassurances, he let go.
Reassurance experience +1
Reassurance experience +1
Reassurance experience +1
Lin straightened his collar, set down his pen, glanced at him, and shook his head.
Lin quickly continued, "There’s also the possibility that you ingested something with unnatural strength, causing a mutation inside your body, which leads to the false appearance of pregnancy!"
"Because I can tell you're not in good health—your dark circles are heavy, your face is pale, and your wrists are cold. Have you been feeling hungry lately, no matter how much you eat? And do you feel hungry all the time?"
The Pighead Demon hesitated and sat back down.
Although his previous skepticism remained, this time, what Lin En said hit the mark. He had indeed been feeling hungry often lately, and even binging couldn't seem to quench that hunger.
"How do you know?"
Lin En remained calm. He stood up, took a wooden basin from behind the room, filled it with clear water, and then retrieved a bottle of light green potion from under the counter, pouring it into the basin.
Whoosh—
A swirl of green smoke shaped like skulls rose from the basin.
Lin En clapped his hands and said, "This is a summoning potion. If there is an evil spirit or some kind of unnatural parasite in your body, this potion will reveal the truth."
The Pighead Demon eyed him warily, sniffing the air with his snout. After confirming there was no immediate danger, he hesitantly extended his hand into the wooden basin.
The moment he did, a chill surged up from his abdomen.
"This... this is!" His expression changed slightly.
The green water in the basin began to bubble violently, and strange black mist slowly rose from his body.
Just as that happened, his stomach suddenly contracted with sharp pain, and a mocking face bulged from his belly.
"Hehehe! Hehehe!"
"Ow—ow—" The Pighead Demon froze, his hair standing on end.
"My stomach! My stomach!"
The mocking laughter suddenly shifted into eerie crying.
"Waa—waa—"
Seeing this, the Pighead Demon was horrified.
"What the hell is this?!"
Bang—
Without hesitation, Lin En grabbed a frying pan from the side and smashed it into the protruding face on the Pighead Demon’s stomach, flattening it.
The crying and laughter ceased instantly.
Thud—
The Pighead Demon plopped down on the bench, dazed. "This... this..."
Lin En calmly pushed the wooden basin aside, saying, "Initial diagnosis: possession by an evil spirit. But judging by the effects of that blow, it’s not fully formed yet. You’ve really hit the jackpot by running into me."
At that, the Pighead Demon completely believed him.
He fell to his knees, trembling. "Little brother, I was too aggressive earlier! Please don't take it to heart. Please save me! Save me!"
He was genuinely afraid.
If it had been an actual evil spirit coming after him, he might not have been scared. But with an evil spirit growing inside his stomach, he had no way of dealing with it!
Lin En calmly picked up a pen. "Do you remember eating anything unclean recently?"
The Pighead Demon trembled. "A month ago, when I was out, I remember eating a little ghost. I inhaled it in one go. Other than that, I only eat pigs and humans."
Lin En thought for a moment.
Then he looked up, seriously saying, "Let’s cut it open and take a look!"
...
A short while later.
In the dimly lit operating room, a few candles and copper mirrors cast beams of light on the greasy, bloated belly of the Pighead Demon.
The Pighead Demon lay trembling on the operating table, looking uncomfortable.
"You're just going to cut me open like this? Aren’t you going to diagnose me more thoroughly first?"
Lin En put on gloves and a mask, calmly disinfecting the surgical knife.
"Quick and decisive, simple and brutal. Trust my diagnostic skills and my professional ethics. I’ll make an incision in your stomach. If I can remove it, I will. If I can’t..."
The Pighead Demon trembled. "Then I’ll remove you!"
Lin En shook his head.
He took out the bone-cutting knife his teacher often used and began sharpening it right in front of him.
Whoosh—whoosh—
The Pighead Demon lay motionless, staring at the iron hooks hanging from above and the various grotesque organs soaked in large jars nearby.
For some reason, he felt like a pig about to be slaughtered on the butcher’s block.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Sparks flew from the sharpening of the knife.
"Stop! Stop!"
The Pighead Demon couldn’t stand the screeching sound of the knife being sharpened.
"Almost done," Lin En said, cleaning the now sharp surgical knife in a disinfectant solution, and when he picked it up again, the blade gleamed.
Lin En walked up to the Pighead Demon, pressing his ear against his greasy stomach to listen.
Then, professionally, he took a pencil and marked a cross on the lower part of his abdomen.
"Are you ready?" Lin En asked calmly.
The Pighead Demon trembled. "Ready..."
Click—click—click—
Lin En pressed a button beneath the operating table, and the Pighead Demon’s limbs were immediately locked in place by iron shackles.
"Ow—ow—" The Pighead Demon screamed in terror.
Lin En frowned, holding the knife. "Stop shouting. I haven’t even started yet. These handcuffs are to prevent you from struggling and interfering with my surgery. It’s for your own good."
The Pighead Demon trembled. "Have you ever performed surgery on anyone before?"
Lin En nonchalantly sharpened a knife and fork, calmly saying, "I’ve seen my teacher butcher pigs. You’re my first patient. But I’m confident in my surgical skills."
"..." A brief silence.
"Ow—ow—I don’t want it anymore! I don’t want it anymore! Ow—let me go! Let me go!!"
The Pighead Demon shouted, struggling frantically.
Lin En’s gaze turned cold. He shouted, "What are you talking about! The knife’s already been sharpened! You’re not scared that your belly’s going to keep swelling, and the evil spirit’s going to burst out, are you?!"
"You’re on my operating table now, so I’m responsible for you. You’ll undergo this surgery whether you like it or not!"
Thud—
Screaming—
...
Half an hour later.
[Skill in Knife Work +10]
[Skill in Knife Work +10]
[Surgical Ability +1]
The Pighead Demon lay motionless on the operating table, his body twitching constantly. He had lost track of how many times he’d passed out from pain, only to wake up again.
At that moment, a loud cry echoed through the operating room.
"Wow—"
Lin En smiled, holding the little demon, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Congratulations, the surgery was a complete success."
And before him, the page of the baby demon appeared.
[Possessed Evil Spirit Baby (Unformed)]
[Race]: Evil Spirit
[Attribute]: Chaotic Evil
[Level: 1]
[Description]: An evil spirit formed from resentment and ghostly energy, having absorbed a large amount of livestock blood essence. Once fully formed, it will devour the host’s soul and flesh, growing stronger and eventually becoming a disaster.
The Pighead Demon mumbled in a daze, "S-sew it back up..."