SFS Chapter 46 Muscles are just your camouflage
Chapter 46 Muscles are just your camouflage
The morning in Changxiang City was awakened by a strange "click" sound.
In the backyard of Renxin Pharmacy, Guan Shan was shirtless, holding two stone millstones that were originally used to press pickled vegetables, and doing lateral raises.
His muscular physique rippled with every movement, like a swarm of rats scurrying around under his skin.
Sweat streamed down his back and into his waistband, and the rising heat made the backyard look like a steamed bun shop.
Li Siyuan squatted in the corner brushing his teeth, his mouth full of foam as he watched this scene with a blank stare.
Ever since Guan Shan arrived, he felt that his dignity as a man had been severely undermined.
"Stop looking, you'll never be that good no matter how much you practice." Zhao Na walked by carrying a washbasin, mercilessly adding insult to injury, "That's talent, you're just cursed."
Wang Minyu sat in the "Truth Chair" behind the counter, still holding that stainless steel tea mug in his hand.
The water in the teacup was a little unusual today, with two "mutated mint" leaves that had just been transplanted from the system space yesterday floating in it.
This mint is really strong. Boss Liu just sneaked a sip, and now he's frantically calculating accounts behind the cashier, the abacus beads are sparking, and he says he feels like he has an Intel i9 processor in his brain, which is incredibly uncomfortable.
The system panel unfolded before Wang Minyu's eyes.
[Current Emotional Value Balance: 6500]
[System Space Crop Status: Mutant Mint (Mature Stage), Elderberry (Seedling Stage)]
[Today's task: Harvest an overconfident "healthy" patient.]
"Overconfidence?" Wang Minyu took a sip of mint water, the refreshing sensation sending a shiver down his spine.
The wind chimes rang.
What came in wasn't a person, but a mountain of flesh.
If you ignore the face and only look at the area below the neck, this person is comparable to Guan Shan.
The tight vest was stretched almost transparent by his pectoral muscles, the veins on his arms bulged like earthworms, and his thighs were so thick they could crush a watermelon.
But his walking posture was strange, like a cavalryman who had just dismounted, with his legs not together, and he had to take a deep breath with every step.
"Who is the doctor?" Flesh Mountain asked, his voice weak, a stark contrast to his massive physique.
"Register and get in line." Li Siyuan pointed to the QR code.
Meat Mountain frowned, pulled a bottle of strangely colored liquid from his pocket, and took a swig. It was some kind of high-concentration branched-chain amino acid beverage. "I'm not here for treatment, I'm here to spar with someone. I heard you have a bone-setting guy here who's really strong?"
Guan Shan, who was sweeping the floor, stopped what he was doing and looked up.
"A friendly spar?" Guan Shan chuckled憨厚ly. "I don't fight. The boss said I'd have to pay for it if I hurt anyone."
"No fighting, just muscle." Meat Mountain confidently showed off his biceps. "I'm the bodybuilding champion of Changxiang City. Recently, I've felt that my latissimus dorsi muscles are not working asymmetrically. I heard that you guys understand human anatomy, so I'll give you a try."
Wang Minyu activated the [Aura Observation Technique].
In view, the bodybuilding champion's body looked like a pressure cooker about to explode.
The muscles were indeed well-developed and a deep purplish-red, but that was the color of excessive blood flow.
Beneath this layer of red light, the kidney area appeared an unsettling grayish-brown, while a murky yellow aura swirled around the liver.
[Patient: Zhou Qiang, 28 years old, fitness instructor.]
[Symptoms: Rhabdomyolysis syndrome (intermediate stage), drug-induced liver injury, precursor to acute renal failure.]
[Causes: Overtraining, long-term use of steroids and diuretics, and daily protein powder intake exceeding the kidney's metabolic limit.]
"A muscle-building contest?" Wang Minyu put down his teacup and tapped the table. "Guan Shan, ignore him. This guy's like a watered-down pork—he looks strong, but he's already rotten inside."
Zhou Qiang's expression changed, and the veins on his neck bulged: "Who are you calling 'injecting water'? I've trained this with real skill! Do you, a weak doctor, even know what a pump feels like?"
"I don't understand the pump sensation, but I do understand creatinine." Wang Minyu pointed to Zhou Qiang's leg. "Are you feeling soreness in your thighs right now, and is your urine the color of strong tea or even cola? Also, have you been feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit frequently lately?"
Zhou Qiang was stunned. He subconsciously squeezed his legs together. The soreness had indeed tormented him for three days, but he had always thought it was because he had "trained properly."
"That's your muscle dissolving," Wang Minyu said calmly, as if he were talking about the weather. "The dissolved muscle cells release a lot of myoglobin, which clogs your renal tubules like sand. Do two more sets of squats, and you won't need to go to the gym anymore; just go straight to the dialysis center and get a yearly membership."
"Who...who are you trying to scare!" Zhou Qiang retorted stubbornly, but fine beads of cold sweat had already seeped from his forehead.
"Don't believe me?" Wang Minyu winked at Su Qing. "Draw a blood sample from him and check his creatine kinase. Do it right here; I've already prepared the test strips."
Su Qing put down the anatomical atlas in her hand, picked up the blood collection needle, and walked over.
Zhou Qiang looked at the woman dressed in black with cold eyes and instinctively wanted to back away, but his legs went weak and he sat down on the ground.
"Don't move." Su Qing grabbed his thick arm. The icy touch made Zhou Qiang shiver.
With one injection, dark red blood flowed into the test tube.
Five minutes later, Li Siyuan held the printout of the portable biochemical analyzer, his hands trembling: "Dr. Wang... Dr. Wang, it's off the charts. Creatine kinase is 25,000, while the normal upper limit is only 200."
Zhou Qiang stared at the number, his vision blurred, and he almost fainted.
"Help...help me..." The burly man instantly cowered, his previous arrogance vanishing completely. "Doctor, I don't want dialysis, I still have to play my match..."
"If you want to save your kidneys, stop taking all those random medications first." Wang Minyu took out a packet of herbs from under the counter. It contained plantain seeds, Imperata cylindrica root, and talc, all of which are strong diuretics. "Siyuan, go to that big vat in the backyard and scoop out a ladle of water."
"A large vat?" Li Siyuan's face paled. "Isn't that..."
"It's not that smelly one." Wang Minyu rolled his eyes at him. "It's a newly changed one, with water infused with the roots of 'bone-setting grass'."
Although the herb transplanted from the system space had not yet grown, Wang Minyu discovered that its roots, when soaked in water, had a remarkable effect on repairing soft tissue damage.
A bowl of water with an earthy, fishy smell, along with a dark, murky soup of Chinese medicine, was placed in front of Zhou Qiang.
"Drink it," Wang Minyu ordered. "Then go to the toilet and squat there. You can leave when you've urinated completely."
Zhou Qiang pinched his nose and forced it down.
Ten minutes later, a deafening sound of defecation came from the toilet.
Half an hour later, Zhou Qiang walked out, leaning against the wall.
Although he was pale and his legs were trembling, he was surprised to find that the soreness in his lower back had mostly disappeared, and he felt much lighter.
"Miracle doctor..." Zhou Qiang weakly gave a thumbs up, "I'm impressed. This medicine is too strong; it feels like it has cleansed my soul."
"The consultation fee is two thousand." Wang Minyu pointed to the QR code. "Also, leave that can of protein powder in your bag. Guanshan is short of feed."
Guan Shan's eyes lit up as he took the can of protein powder, as if he had received some kind of treasure.
After Zhou Qiang left, Wang Minyu looked at the system panel.
[Task complete. Gained 800 Emotion Points.]
[New formula unlocked: Power Pill (fake). Actually a high-concentration yam pill, specially formulated to treat bloating and obesity.]
"Boss," Su Qing asked while wiping the lancet, "can the water from that bone-setting herb really cure kidney failure?"
"It's incurable." Wang Minyu picked up his teacup again. "That's to rehydrate him. Rhabdomyolysis is most aggravated by dehydration. As long as his urine output increases, his kidneys can be saved. As for those herbs, they're to help unclog his drains."
He looked out at the bustling street and sighed, "Modern people, they either don't exercise at all, or they exercise to death. This isn't fitness, it's boosting the performance of crematoriums."