Sports Medicine Master System

Chen Yu walked past with his bag, his head lowered.

"Chen, over here."

To one side of the passageway, a crowd of reporters waved at Chen Yu.

Chen Yu acted as if he hadn’t heard them, not breaking his stride.

But after a couple more steps, Chen Yu suddenly stopped. He frowned slightly, then strode over to one of the reporters and asked in a low voice, "What did you just say?"

The reporter’s heart skipped a beat as Chen Yu stared him down. Gritting his teeth, he quickly said, "I was asking if Hardaway’s injury absence is intentional. Because last month, he missed several games for all sorts of bizarre injuries."

"And it’s not just him. There’s also Olajuwon and Ewing. Some people are saying you guys are doing it on purpose—that they aren’t really injured. Is it the same situation this time?"

The other reporters surged forward, their eyes fixed on Chen Yu as they waited for his answer.

Chen Yu’s expression was grim. "First of all," he said in a low voice, "Hardaway only missed two games last month, not ’several’ as you claimed."

"Second, everyone knows how he was injured this time; I don’t need to repeat it for you. As for Olajuwon and Ewing, they also missed games due to injuries. If they were healthy, I wouldn’t have them sit out. So next time you write a report, investigate the situation properly first."

With that, Chen Yu turned and walked away.

Once in the corridor, he ran right into Brian.

"What’s wrong?" Brian asked, seeing Chen Yu’s grim expression.

Chen Yu shook his head. "It’s nothing. Just ran into a reporter spouting nonsense. He claimed Hardaway isn’t really injured and that we’re faking it. It’s ridiculous."

Brian understood. He scratched his head, feeling a little guilty for some reason.

The media’s speculation wasn’t entirely baseless.

Last month, the Phoenix Suns had Olajuwon and the others sit out some less important games as a precautionary measure for their health.

The reason given to the public was injury—things like knee soreness or back muscle tightness.

As a result, some media outlets claimed the Phoenix Suns were deliberately resting healthy players.

"By the way, will Hardaway be able to return by the start of the playoffs?" Brian asked.

The previous instances were tactical, but this time, Hardaway was genuinely hurt.

During yesterday’s game against the Jazz, Hardaway was driving for a layup when Ma Long brought him down in midair. He braced his fall with his right hand, injuring his wrist, and immediately headed back to the locker room.

He went to Chen Yu’s clinic that night for an examination. Fortunately, there was no fracture, but his exact return date depended on Chen Yu’s evaluation.

The crucial thing was that with only three games left, the season was about to end. The playoffs were set to start as early as the 20th, leaving Hardaway less than ten days to recover.

On top of that, it was his dominant right hand that was injured, which was a major issue.

"Don’t worry, it’ll be fine," Chen Yu said with a smile, reassuring Brian.

Yesterday’s injury had actually led Chen Yu to an unexpected discovery.

His system had a total of seven categories.

First Aid, Medical Treatment, Pharmaceuticals, Rehabilitation, Psychology, Nutrition, and Training.

Chen Yu naturally used Medical Treatment, Pharmaceuticals, and Rehabilitation the most.

He also used Training and Nutrition. They would accumulate experience points through daily use, and occasionally, like winning the lottery, he would get a "treatment effect" to proc.

Chen Yu knew the effects of Training, and he also knew that Nutrition would enhance the effectiveness of specially designed meal plans.

For a fat-loss plan, for example, it might provide a certain boost to its effectiveness.

But those effects were harder to trigger, and their benefits were only noticeable with long-term use, so Chen Yu rarely used them.

But the one he used even less, or rather, had almost never used, was Sports First Aid.

As the name suggested, it was for on-site emergency treatment when an athlete was accidentally injured during a game.

However, Chen Yu had never really encountered such a situation.

Sometimes, his work in the emergency room would increase his experience points in this area, allowing him to acquire first aid effects.

When Hardaway was injured yesterday, Chen Yu, while treating the injured wrist, had a sudden impulse and used a Bronze Level first aid effect.

It increased first aid effectiveness by twenty percent.

Only afterward did Chen Yu realize just how good the effect was.

Hardaway had a sprained wrist. The most common symptom in the acute phase is swelling, yet yesterday, Chen Yu noticed that the swelling on Hardaway’s wrist wasn’t severe.

Having treated so many trauma injuries, Chen Yu was incredibly experienced. He knew that with an injury like Hardaway’s, the swelling should have been much worse.

But even twelve hours after the injury, the swelling was still very minor.

Chen Yu immediately realized it was probably due to the first aid effect he had used.

The purpose of Sports First Aid was to make a rapid on-site diagnosis and apply the correct treatment, ensuring the injury wouldn’t worsen.

Moreover, proper on-site treatment also aids in subsequent recovery.

Without this first aid effect, Chen Yu figured Hardaway would have probably needed two weeks to recover.

But now that he had used it, a week would likely be enough.

This was why Chen Yu could confidently tell Brian that it would be fine.

"As long as it’s fine." Brian let out a long sigh of relief. The team had gone almost a full season without any major injuries. If Hardaway’s absence at the very end caused the Phoenix Suns to be eliminated, it would be terribly unlucky.

The two of them walked toward the practice court together.

Brian said, "You should tell them the situation later so they don’t worry, especially with the playoffs about to start."

With the playoffs imminent, their star player getting injured was devastating news for veterans like Ewing, who were desperately fighting for a championship. It was as if the sky had fallen.

"Don’t worry. That’s why I came today."

If not for that, Chen Yu would have stayed at the clinic to treat Hardaway’s wrist.

Even with the boost from the first aid effect, a quick recovery would require him to apply plenty of rehabilitation effects.

Brian nodded, but couldn’t help sighing again.

Hardaway’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. It was a crucial moment for determining playoff seeding.

The top three spots in the West were now more or less set: the Kings, the Spurs, and the Lakers.

The Phoenix Suns were in fifth place, right behind the Mavericks, with only one win separating the two teams.

The two teams were scheduled to play each other once more in the final three games of the season.

If the Phoenix Suns wanted to secure home-court advantage for the playoffs, they had to win at least two of those games, and the final game against the Mavericks was an absolute must-win.

But without Hardaway, all bets were off.

"But there is some good news," Brian added with a smile. "The Knights have a terrible record this year, so the first-round pick we got from them in that trade should be pretty high. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a great pick out of it, like the first overall."

Amidst a pile of bad news, there was at least one silver lining.

The Knights were currently second to last in the East. Although the season wasn’t over, based on the current trajectory, their record would likely end up being the fourth or fifth worst in the league. If they were lucky and landed fourth-worst, they’d have a 12 percent chance of drawing the first overall pick, which wasn’t half bad.

From that perspective, trading away Robinson was still worth it.

Besides, the player they got in the trade, Teylon Hill, was in decent form after his return. While his scoring ability was a disaster—worlds apart from Robinson’s—he could at least play defense.

Chen Yu didn’t want to crush Brian’s optimism.

’A twelve percent chance, maybe even lower, and he’s gambling on getting the first pick? Does he really think we’re the Magic?’

After practice, Chen Yu hurried back to the clinic.

He had just parked his car when a sudden knock on the window made him jump.

Turning his head, he saw it was Gerrard.

It was now mid-April, and the VIP clients at the clinic had been gradually discharged, so most were already gone.

Inzaghi and Maldini had been the first to be discharged, with Nesta following close behind in early April.

Desler and Scholl, who had been admitted even earlier, were also discharged in the first part of April to return to Germany and prepare for the World Cup.

Even McDyess had returned to Denver to continue his rehabilitation.

Of the VIP clients, only Gerrard and Van Bronckhorst, who had a torn cruciate ligament, were left.

In fact, Gerrard was also nearly recovered. He would probably be able to return to the United Kingdom by the end of the month.

"What are you doing? You scared me," Chen Yu said, opening his car door.

Gerrard, his face etched with anxiety, asked why he couldn’t get through to Chen Yu’s phone.

"Did you call me?" Chen Yu glanced at his phone. Sure enough, there were several missed calls.

’I must have put it on silent while driving and didn’t notice.’

’What’s wrong?’ The guy had called him seven or eight times in a row.

’But he looks perfectly fine, nothing seems to be the matter.’

Gerrard said, "It’s David—I mean, Beckham. You know who he is, right? He’s injured. Coach Eriksson contacted me. He wants David to come to the United States for treatment, so I rushed over to find you."

As he spoke, Gerrard slammed a frustrated fist on the roof of Chen Yu’s car.

This was Beckham, England’s most famous player! For him to get injured right before the World Cup was a devastating blow for the Great Britain Team, as if the sky had fallen.

Chen Yu silently glanced at the roof of his car out of the corner of his eye. Just as he was about to speak, Gerrard’s phone rang again.

Another international call.

Gerrard glanced at the number, and his expression changed slightly. "It’s Sir Ferguson."

He quickly answered the phone and stepped aside to talk.

Chen Yu leaned over and pulled his bag out of the car.

’I thought the world was ending. Turns out it’s just this?’

’Beckham. Of course, Chen Yu knew who he was.’

’But Chen Yu had treated plenty of superstars.’

’Take Ronaldo, for instance. By the time your Beckham was getting nominated for World Player of the Year, Ronaldo had already won it twice in a row.’

’They’re not even in the same league.’

’So Chen Yu really wanted to tell Gerrard, ’Kid, can you please calm down?’’

A moment later, Gerrard finished his call and came back. He offered the phone to Chen Yu, saying Sir Ferguson wanted to have a word with him.

But Chen Yu didn’t take it. He picked up his bag, locked his car, and said, "There’s no need. Just arrange for him to come directly to the United States. We can discuss the details after I’ve examined him."

’The man isn’t even in the United States yet. What’s the big rush?’

Chen Yu patted Gerrard on the shoulder and walked away briskly.

Compared to Beckham, Chen Yu was currently more concerned about Hardaway’s condition.

What Chen Yu didn’t expect, however, was that the group from the United Kingdom was in a complete panic. Early the very next morning, Beckham appeared at the clinic in a wheelchair.

Accompanying him was his agent—a familiar face, Tony Stevens.

’Chen Yu was even starting to suspect that every player in the Premier League was signed with SPX.’

Then there was his family: his father, Ted Beckham.

His wife, Spice Girl Victoria, wore sunglasses. Even though her baby bump was clearly visible, she was dressed fashionably and, importantly, was holding the hand of Beckham’s eldest son.

They had brought the whole family.

Then there was Manchester United’s manager, Ferguson, and the England National Team’s manager, Eriksson, plus their assistants. A whole chaotic crowd of them had shown up, looking like a tour group.

And finally, there were the countless reporters who had surrounded the clinic’s main entrance, making it nearly impenetrable.

The last time there had been a scene like this was during Ronaldo’s surgery.