Green Clinic.

"Adam, with your abilities, you don't need to train under Dr. House at all," Leonard reassured him. "Dr. House built his reputation through sheer effort. If he could do it, so can you."

"I know."

Adam nodded with a confident smile.

His confidence was well-founded. After all, he had a system backing him up.

"I heard that your epilepsy patient was nearly transferred to the hospital in New Jersey to see Dr. House because Sheppard couldn't find the cause of the illness."

Leonard chuckled when he saw that Adam truly didn't care. "They couldn't get an appointment with House, so they stayed, and you solved the case. Who knows? Maybe in the future, more patients won't need to bother Dr. House anymore.

"He often complains that cases aren't complicated enough to interest him. A lot of the time, it's his team who takes on cases just to keep themselves busy.

"But imagine—if you keep growing at this rate, there might come a day when there really aren't any cases left for him. That would be hilarious. I'd love to see that moment."

Dr. House worked at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey, which was still part of the greater New York metropolitan area. The medical community was small, so it wasn't surprising that Leonard knew about House's quirks.

"I'll do my best," Adam said, intrigued by the thought.

It really would be interesting...

"But maybe you'll never reach House's level," Leonard said after a laugh, his tone turning serious.

"You mean because I can't be as crazy as him?" Adam asked knowingly.

With the same level of talent, it all came down to how far one was willing to go.

The phrase "One must embrace madness to achieve greatness" seemed fitting here.

"Exactly."

Leonard posed a hypothetical: "Imagine a group of infants all suffering from the same infection. There are two possible pathogens, but time is critical, and you need to know which one to treat. Would you experiment on one baby to save the others, knowing that one might die but five might live?"

Adam fell silent.

This was one of the most difficult moral dilemmas a doctor could face.

The standard procedure would be to treat all the infants the same way—either they all survive, or they all die. In that case, the doctor bears no direct responsibility.

But if a doctor sacrificed one child to determine the correct treatment, they could save the others. However, that child's parents would undoubtedly sue, asking: Why was our baby chosen to die while the others lived? No parent would accept that.

"Any normal doctor knows what choice to make," Leonard continued, understanding Adam's hesitation. "But House? He wouldn't hesitate. He would experiment on one infant to save the rest. If he weren't incredibly lucky, do you think he'd still be practicing medicine?"

Adam shook his head.

In the U.S., organizations that protect children's rights are incredibly powerful—sometimes even terrifying. If such an incident came to light, without extraordinary luck or strong backing, House would be finished.

"And he does things like this all the time," Leonard said with admiration. "His diagnostic skills are incredible, but modern medicine presents countless possible causes for the same symptoms. Even with strong deductive reasoning, there are still cases where the only way to be certain is to test.

"The fastest way to verify a diagnosis is to stop a treatment or switch to a different one. But without solid theoretical backing, this can worsen a patient's condition or even kill them. It completely disregards standard medical protocols, making it a surefire malpractice case."

"I could never do what he does," Adam admitted with a sigh. "I just don't have it in me."

This wasn't just about civil lawsuits—it was often a criminal matter. Without protagonist-level plot armor, the risk of losing in court and going to prison was way too high.

Sacrificing oneself entirely for the sake of patients? That was truly the definition of at any cost.

Adam knew he could never go that far.

If his system didn't change, he would never surpass Dr. House.

"Someone like him is both terrifying and admirable," Leonard said with a complicated expression. "His reputation has gone beyond the medical field—many people outside the profession know who he is. A lot of people hate him, but even more secretly respect him.

"At the end of the day, he's a man willing to sacrifice everything to save lives.

"Or maybe," Leonard mused, "he's just a compulsive, obsessive maniac. Perhaps his need to solve medical mysteries has nothing to do with the patients themselves."

I save you, and it has nothing to do with you.

I just can't stand not solving the case...

"I'd love the chance to meet him in person," Adam murmured, lost in thought.

Maybe they could even be friends?

House was undoubtedly a genius—one of the best.

He might even be on par with Sheldon Cooper.

And geniuses like that could definitely give Adam a run for his money.

With mixed emotions, Adam left Leonard's office and returned to the grueling life of an intern. He was looking forward to the neurosurgery scheduled for the afternoon.

Afternoon – Operating Room Observation

A group of interns once again gathered in the observation area whenever they found a spare moment.

"This is getting ridiculous—Adam Duncan again?"

"Well, what do you expect? He's a genius."

"I heard he's close with Dr. Green. Do you think Green secretly gave him the answer?"

"Doubt it. Green is a renowned doctor, but he's not even as famous as Sheppard. Plus, this is neurosurgery, not cardiothoracic surgery. If Sheppard couldn't figure it out, how could Green?"

"Still, Sheppard did ask for suggestions. Maybe Green had a different perspective and found a solution."

"The problem wasn't actually that hard—we just didn't think of it in time. Adam beat us to it, that's all. No need to be sore about it."

The discussion grew heated, and some started making snide remarks.

It was understandable. As interns, they were struggling to gain favor with attending physicians just to get a chance to observe surgeries. Meanwhile, Adam was already assisting in one procedure after another.

The gap was maddening.

Why does he get to shine so much?!

Fortunately, Meredith and the others, though envious, were still friends with Adam. Besides, his good looks helped keep resentment at bay. They spoke up in his defense, preventing the negativity from getting out of hand.

"Alright, everyone," Dr. Sheppard said as he entered, freshly scrubbed and assisted by a nurse putting on his surgical gown. "Such a beautiful afternoon—perfect for saving lives."

Adam, as the assistant, took his place beside Sheppard, granting him an excellent view of the surgery.

This was one of the main reasons interns scrambled to get into the OR.

The closer the view, the better they could study the attending surgeon's technique.

"Dr. Duncan," Sheppard called when it was time for the aneurysm resection.

Adam stepped forward as Sheppard worked through the microscope, performing delicate surgery on the tiny nerves. A second microscope allowed Adam to watch every detail up close.

A slow smile spread across Adam's face.

This felt incredible.