Chapter 3041: Onboarding and Welcome
The hospital had prepared a new dormitory for him, so he could bring his luggage and move in directly when he reported.
Xu Huo symbolically took a bag and followed the robot to the dormitory. On the way, he saw a middle-aged man being driven out by a robot, with two or three pieces of luggage thrown on the ground. The man kept pleading, begging to see the hospital's person in charge, insisting he could improve his performance. However, the robot stood in front of him relentlessly, issuing repeated warning sounds.
"Please have unrelated personnel leave the staff dormitory area. This is the fifth warning. If you do not leave, I will forcibly evict you!"
The man's eyes showed struggle, but then he noticed Xu Huo being welcomed by another robot. Realization dawned, and the struggle in his expression instantly faded into boundless despair. He stopped arguing with the robot, picked up his luggage, and left.
Xu Huo was led into the dormitory by the robot.
The environment here was indeed much better than the cabin area. The staff dormitories were independent small villas, each with its own private entrance and yard, offering good privacy. The neighbors were also very friendly. After the robot notified everyone of the new colleague's arrival, neighbors quickly sent household robots over with some daily necessities or food—though the company had already prepared these, the neighbors gave items they had purchased themselves as a gesture of goodwill.
After receiving return gifts, the household robot assigned to each home compiled a list for Xu Huo to review and suggested he reciprocate with gifts of equal value. If he didn't have time or was unsure, the household robot could handle it on his behalf.
Xu Huo asked it to take care of it, then looked over the work schedule the robot had sent.
As a newcomer, his first day's task was to familiarize himself with the operations. He would spend three hours learning from the department supervisor. After that, he could move freely around the city, and his actual work would depend on the shift schedule.
The hospital's work rhythm was four days on, three days off. On workdays, patient consultation hours could not exceed five hours. The rest of the time was free, and he could be either in or out of the hospital.
Because it was the medical industry, there were certain privileges in Yangtao City. Many venues offered doctor discounts, and relaxation areas specifically set up for doctors were free of charge.
Xu Huo reviewed the materials sent by the robot. In short, the work-related content was very sparse, while the benefits section took up most of the space.
"Doctor Xu, Supervisor Zuo is already waiting for you," the household robot reminded him.
Xu Huo put on his coat and took a portable aircraft to the hospital area.
Supervisor Zuo was a middle-aged man with an excellent demeanor. With enthusiasm and a high-pitched tone, he welcomed Xu Huo to the hospital family.
"Our hospital has a great atmosphere. Every colleague who joins here is very kind. Look, they're greeting you."
He introduced the colleagues passing by. "To welcome the new colleague, everyone has gathered here today."
Xu Huo greeted them one by one. After understanding the basic hospital structure, Supervisor Zuo took him to the hospital's rest floor.
In addition to individual break rooms, there were also a dining hall, an audio-visual room, and an entertainment hall. It was clear that a lot of money had been spent on the setup.
His hospital colleagues had prepared a small welcome ceremony for him, giving him a small gift and a little cake.
Xu Huo returned to his consultation room and opened it. It was a badge engraved with his start date.
Such badges were found in every consultation room—some in drawers, some pinned to clothes, some hung on the wall. The badge with the longest date belonged to Supervisor Zuo, who had been at the hospital for nearly five years.
Doctors turned over quickly.
On the first day, Xu Huo had no work. Supervisor Zuo sent him the work schedule. Over the next five days, he was only scheduled for two shifts. The patients he would see were arranged by the supervisor, and the email kindly reminded him that patient feedback affected the doctor's evaluation, so he needed to pay attention to his attitude during treatment.
While Xu Huo was looking at the schedule, the female doctor from the next consultation room knocked and entered. She handed him a freshly brewed tea with a flirtatious air, glanced at his schedule, and couldn't help but smile. "Supervisor Zuo is pretty good to newcomers, but the number of consultations is also tied to performance. Next week, you'd better ask him for two more shifts, or you'll end up at the bottom."
"Does being at the bottom mean elimination?" Xu Huo looked up.
The woman chuckled. "What do you think?"
With that, she spun around and left. At the door, she turned back and said in a low voice, "A piece of advice: don't think everyone with a smile on their face is a good person."
After familiarizing himself with the consultation process, Xu Huo left the hospital area. He had no shift today.
After leaving the hospital, he returned to the cabin area. It was already afternoon. The middle-aged woman had come back from job hunting and didn't look like she had been hired.
The young man, on the other hand, seemed much better off. He had successfully met his father's friend and, after spending a not-too-large fee, secured an internship position. He worked in mechanical design and showed some talent. Two design drafts he submitted today had even earned praise from his supervisor. However, since he was still an intern, he couldn't move into the dormitory yet and would have to stay in the cabin for a while.
The middle-aged woman was genuinely happy for him and asked him to keep an eye out for suitable jobs for her. The young man readily agreed.
After leaving the cabin, Xu Huo found the nearest Player's Home and went in to learn about the retirement process there.
There were two ways to enter a Player's Home. One was arranged by the government—such players had contributed to the district, and the government would take care of them until they died.
The other was self-funded. These players had no special achievements, but after degeneration or injury, they could no longer take care of themselves. The government no longer provided free household robots, and if they couldn't afford to maintain one, they could pay a relatively low fee to enter a Player's Home and receive unified care.
In theory, players shouldn't be short of money. But when the day of degeneration began, various aftereffects of evolution could appear. Mere muscle atrophy or reduced physical fitness were the mildest cases. Some might face severe pain or loss of cognitive function. At this stage, the biggest expense for players was buying the corresponding medications to alleviate these symptoms.
These medications had to be taken daily. For those not on the government's retirement list, just buying the medicine could drain them dry.
At this point, it wasn't hard to imagine what state the players would be in. However, after Xu Huo entered the Player's Home, he found that the people here were relatively calm.
A caregiver seemed to read his thoughts and said with a smile, "Household robots can handle every care task perfectly, maintaining the patient's dignity appropriately. Many irritable players become much calmer after moving in, and their quality of life in retirement improves."
"If you have any other concerns, you can consult our professional business simulation humans." The caregiver indicated she had other work to do, called over a robot, and left first.
"Sir, are you making a reservation for yourself or for a family member or friend?"