Chapter 615: Black curtain

Chapter 615: Black curtain

After taking down Cang Lang, James didn't go back to the hospital. He called Charles, then disappeared into the night with Cang Lang in tow.

James didn't return to JZL Medical Clinic. He went straight to the riverside villa.

After James rescued Scarlett, she had been staying at the villa to recover. To avoid being hunted by Death's Vigil, she rarely went out.

So James handed Cang Lang over to Scarlett and told her to interrogate him thoroughly about his background.

He needed enough evidence to stir things up.

Then James called Scott and filled him in on the Paxton situation, asking the police to lay off him for the next couple of days.

James needed some time to get a confession, and he also had the Eleanor Cup regional competition to attend the next day.

Scott agreed to stall as long as he could so James could wrap things up without worrying.

With that off his mind, James headed back to JZL Medical Clinic to get some sleep, and reminded Valentin and the others to stay careful over the next few days.

The next morning, James got up early to train, then headed out for the regional competition.

At the entrance of the building, he ran into Wayne.

"James, you made it!"

Wayne gave James a warm hug, smiling broadly.

"Show them what you've got today. Take first place again — I'm betting on you."

He genuinely admired James.

"You're too kind, Mr. Bell."

James smiled modestly. "I'll do my best."

"Don't give me that 'do my best' talk."

Wayne clearly had high hopes for him. "I'm waiting for you to bring home the Eleanor Cup."

"For several years now, no one from Stardust City has won. Shadow Valley players have taken it every time."

"It's embarrassing, honestly."

"But when I see you, I finally see some hope."

Wayne patted James on the shoulder. "Go out there and fight for it."

James nodded with a smile, said he'd give it everything he had, and walked into the hall.

Not far away, Rainy and her group watched Wayne embrace James so warmly, and their expressions darkened.

As far as they knew, Wayne had never shown that kind of regard for any young person before.

The regional competition that day was straightforward — candidates would diagnose patients on-site for screening.

The organizers had all one hundred candidates sit at consultation stations, each seeing ten randomly selected patients.

After the consultations, Ezra and his team would re-examine the patients.

The re-examination results would then be compared against each candidate's diagnosis and treatment plan, and candidates would be ranked from highest to lowest score.

The top ten would qualify for the provincial competition in two weeks.

Soon, the main hall of Herbal Healing Tower — large enough to hold several thousand people — was set up with a hundred consultation stations, each stocked with everything needed for traditional Chinese medicine practice.

The hundred candidates took their seats by number.

James sat down at station thirteen.

He glanced up at the two cameras above him, then took a quick look at Rainy at station fourteen, and pressed the ready button.

"James, this is real clinical work — memorizing textbooks won't cut it here."

Rainy tied her hair back and undid a button on her uniform, letting her figure show just enough to give off that professional-yet-alluring look.

She glanced over at James.

"You've barely treated any patients. Don't try to play doctor and end up hurting someone."

"If you delay a patient's treatment — or worse, get someone killed — not even Mr. Bell or Ezra can save you."

After James rejected her last time, Rainy had been holding a grudge.

She also believed that James had only done well on the theory exam because he'd read a lot and crammed. When it came to actual clinical practice, she was sure he couldn't match her.

She still thought she was above him.

James just smiled without committing to anything. "Don't worry. I won't let you down."

As they spoke, a thousand patients filed in through the hall entrance, moving in groups of ten, each group drawn by lot to a corresponding numbered doctor.

All consultations were free that day. After being seen by a candidate, patients would also be re-examined by Ezra's team to verify whether the candidate's diagnosis and treatment were correct.

This meant patients would receive accurate care, so they were all happy to cooperate.

The consultations started quickly.

The first patient to sit down in front of James was a middle-aged, heavyset man who lowered himself into the chair with a pained, lopsided posture.

He took one look at James's age and his eyes filled with contempt.

"Kid, do you even know what you're doing? If you don't, get lost — don't waste our time..."

He spat on the floor. "Damn idiot."

The nine patients behind him craned their necks, clearly not impressed with James either.

Rainy covered her mouth and laughed, watching with delight as James got a hard time.

"You have trouble sitting for long periods, and your lower back aches constantly. The reason is simple — you have hemorrhoids."

"And you have a particular sexual preference."

James didn't spare the man's feelings at all. "It's that unhygienic habit of yours that keeps making your condition come back."

The words "particular sexual preference" hit like a thunderclap. The nearby patients were stunned, mouths dropping open.

The middle-aged man nearly jumped out of his seat. "What are you talking about?! How dare you say that — stop making things up!"

"There's nothing wrong with what consenting adults do. You just need to be more careful about hygiene."

James picked up a pen and prescription pad and started writing quickly.

"Right now your symptoms haven't fully shown up yet — you might not even be aware of it yourself. But if you leave it untreated, you'll be bedridden within two weeks at most."

"If you don't believe me, press on your Du Mai acupoint."

The man scoffed. "Fine, I will!"

He reached behind himself — the Du Mai point is located just below the tailbone — and pressed down hard to prove James wrong.

The moment he did, a sharp wave of pain shot through him. He let out a cry, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, his face twisting in agony.

"That acupoint is right near the hemorrhoid area."

James handed the man the prescription. "Pain when you press it tells you how serious the condition is."

"Take this to get your medicine. Drink it for one week and the symptoms will ease up. Two weeks and it'll be fully treated."

James tilted his head slightly toward the judges' panel. "If you're still not convinced, you're welcome to go get re-examined by Ezra's team."

"You — stop saying that, stop exaggerating, this isn't happening..."

Despite his words, the man looked visibly shaken. He snatched the prescription and bolted toward the re-examination area faster than you'd expect from someone his size.

Five minutes later, he walked back out looking utterly deflated.

Every single finding was correct.

James scored a perfect score on his first patient.

Rainy's expression soured. She hadn't expected James to actually be good at this.

James paid her no attention and worked through all ten patients with the same focus — naming each condition with precision and offering sharp, effective treatment plans.

The patients left full of gratitude, praising James as a truly skilled doctor.

Three hours later, all consultations were done. Out of the hundred candidates, ten advanced from the regional round.

James scored perfectly again and topped the rankings.

Rainy had misread one condition and made errors in two treatment plans, landing her in ninth place.

When the results came out, all hundred-plus candidates turned to look at James with a mix of shock and envy.

This guy was something else — first in the theory exam, first in clinical diagnosis. He was the biggest dark horse of the year by far.

Even Ezra and the other judges couldn't help coming over to congratulate him.

"James, well done. You're through to the state competition."

Ten patients, zero mistakes, and treatment plans that were actually better than what the judges would have prescribed. Ezra was genuinely impressed.

"I run a clinic — if I didn't know this stuff, how would I treat anyone?"

James said it with a lighthearted grin. "Besides, none of these cases were particularly difficult."

"Please. So full of yourself."

Rainy, surrounded by her group of friends, shot James a disdainful look. "That's worth bragging about?"

James frowned and looked over at her. "Still better than getting a diagnosis wrong."

"What's that supposed to mean, James?"

Rainy's temper flared. "You see a few patients and suddenly you think you're something special?"

"In this world, being able to see a few patients doesn't give you the right to act like you own the place."

"And let's be honest — you know exactly why you got every single diagnosis right, don't you?"

Another woman in the group couldn't stand watching James get all the attention either. "Rainy, let's go. Mr. Bell and the others want to put him on a pedestal — we can't compete with that."

"Exactly. Something this shady shouldn't be something to be proud of."

A second woman looked at James with open contempt. "People really have no shame when it comes to chasing a little fame."

"Traditional Chinese medicine is finished."

"This whole thing is rigged."

Rainy gave James a cold smile, then turned to leave.