The Surgeon's Studio

by Stayrr

“Primum non nocere.” First, do no harm. – Hippocrates Zheng Ren—an ordinary general surgeon in a cruel medical world whose efforts went unnoticed. His struggles are real…until he is blessed with a system and gifted with skills that exceeded even the best surgeons in the world. Alone in the world with no one to depend on, Zheng Ren uses his exceptional gift to challenge the skeptici

5. 129

The Surgeon's Studio #Chapter 129: Freedom And Honesty - Read The Surgeon's Studio Chapter 129: Freedom And Honesty Online - All Page - Novel Next

Chapter 129: Freedom And Honesty

"Is this Wei Feng? Please come to my office." The lead editor hung up immediately after finishing the short sentence.

Wei Feng thought delightfully, 'The lead editor is going to praise me in person!'

His footsteps were brisk and light as if the goddess of luck was welcoming him with open arms and treating him with kindness.

The path to success,

Was right in front of him.

He lifted his foot and,

Stepped forward,

Like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate and,

Transformed into a dragon!

As for the bones and flesh buried beneath him,

Who cared anyway?!

"Knock-knock-knock!" He regained his composure upon reaching the lead editor's office and knocked on the door.

"Please come in," The lead editor's voice traveled from the other side of the door.

'A girl who uses her family background to act superior to me,' Wei Feng thought contemptuously, but his emotions were well-concealed as he entered the room with a polite smile on his face.

A smart-looking, short-haired woman in her late-twenties sat behind the desk while reading a printed copy of the article in her hands.

She was Tang Xiu, a lead editor of the news and information department.

"Wei Feng, good work on your article," said Lead Editor Tang plainly.

The smile on Wei Feng's face deepened, but he maintained a certain degree of formalities without putting on a smug look.

"I'm just a newcomer serving my journalism internship. This is all thanks to your guidance." Wei Feng reluctantly complimented the lead editor, but there was not the slightest hint of disinclination noted in his tone.

"However, this news will bring a huge impact on society, so forget about it," said the lead editor indifferently as she put the printed article down and pushed her black-framed spectacles.

What?

What!

What...

Lead Editor Tang's words exploded in Wei Feng's ears like a thunderous boom, violent to his ears.

Something was wrong! This must be a shady deal!

Wei Feng was instantly infuriated.

This must be a backroom deal! Someone must have persuaded this f*cking b*tch to suppress this news under the table!

His heart began to race at an incredible speed. His brain instantly went into overdrive as multiple thoughts whizzed past his mind like a bullet train.

"You can go back now. Keep up the good work. I have faith in you," said Lead Editor Tang coldly.

Enraged, Wei Feng lost his head and rooted to his spot.

It was undeniably a good article. He had spent most of his already low salary to search for an informant. In order to produce a detailed and accurate article, he had also visited Sea City General Hospital, a godforsaken place, in the middle of the night, and had even dealt with a group of people who smelled heavily of booze and tobacco.

All those hard work but for what?!

His sole purpose was to publish news that could send everyone in shock!

Who the hell did she think she was to disallow that?!

Wei Feng quickly calmed down, sorted out his emotions and suppressed his rage. "Lead Editor Tang, can I ask why?"

"The influence is too huge, and the content isn't suitable. Once it's published, it'll bring lots of trouble to the company."

"As a free and honest journalist, I perform tasks with a clear conscience," replied Wei Feng loudly with a straight face, almost getting impressed by his own words.

"I know this article will offend some people, but no matter what kind of resistance or pressure awaits me, even if I'm physically threatened or—"

"That's enough!" Lead Editor Tang raised her head and stared at Wei Feng coldly. "Are you sure what you said is true?"

"I'm sure!" answered Wei Feng energetically.

He had to endure the overwhelming stress, and the idea of resigning and exchanging his article for a job in a major newspaper firm in the South even occurred to his mind in this instant.

The major newspaper firm in the South loved this type of news.

Lead Editor Tang picked up her cell phone, seemingly sending messages on WeChat.

This very sight irritated Wei Feng even further. In his viewpoint, she was obviously planning on giving him a cold shoulder.

This was Lead Editor Tang's unspoken words. "This matter ends here. This draft won't be published to keep the newspaper office out of trouble."

'Trying to avoid trouble and bring about peace?! No wonder this is just a small newspaper office in a remote city.' Wei Feng sneered.

"Lead Editor Tang, I understand your concern." Wei Feng decided to put up a fight.

The article was simply too good. Once it was published on the right platform, he was certain that a bright future would be waiting for him.

He would regret it for life if he backed off now.

Wei Feng had seen the "greater world", so he was unwilling to spend the rest of his life rotting in Sea City.

"If the newspaper office receives unnecessary stress because of my article, I owe you a sincere apology," Wei Feng said coldly, "But the ownership of this article belongs to me, and I think it deserves a better place. I won't let the society—"

His phone rang all of a sudden and interrupted his speech.

"This isn't a presentation in a university and no one will listen to your lecture. Please be quiet and take a look at the photographs." Lead Editor Tang gave Wei Feng a cold and piercing gaze.

Wei Feng was taken aback. Photographs? Had someone taken a photograph of him giving money to the informant or receiving cash from the professional troublemakers?

A shiver ran down his spine as he turned on his cell phone.

In the first photo, the family members were holding a silk banner high in the air, surrounded by a huge crowd, at the main entrance of Sea City General Hospital.

The second photo, which had been taken from a different angle and much closer than the first, showed a man holding the silk banner with densely embroidered words clearly seen on it.

'They...' Wei Feng's heart sank immediately.

'Please, let this be the last picture.' He desperately prayed in his heart. However, when his finger swiped to the left, a picture of a dark corner appeared before his eyes.

It was a photo of him and the yellow-toothed, tattooed man.

The yellow-toothed, tattooed man was stuffing a stack of red banknotes into his hands.

Seeing that Wei Feng was frozen on the spot, Lead Editor Tang picked up the printed article and threw it onto his face.

"Aren't you going to resign? Take your article and get lost!

"F*cking idiot, not only had you received money, but you had also left evidence behind!

"It's a good article, and I really want to endure all kinds of pressure and publish it, but you've been blackmailed! You dared to lecture me about fairness and freedom?!

"Didn't you want to take it to a place that it deserves to be in? Get out, now! Right away! Immediately! It belongs to the trash can, so throw yourself into the garbage bin along with it!

"Scumbag!"

The smart and competent Lead Editor Tang cursed out loud, unable to control her anger.

Blood drained from Wei Feng's face as the papers floating weightlessly down onto the ground like snowflakes.

...

...

In Sea City General Hospital emergency ward.

Zheng Ren was reading a book, Chang Yue was documenting medical records, and Su Yun was playing on his phone behind Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren would check on the patient with tetanus every half an hour on average.

Even though there was no significant improvement noted in the patient's symptoms following the infusion of tetanus toxoid, at least there was no further deterioration either.

The absence of deterioration proved that the drug had worked, which was a good sign.

Half an hour later, Zheng Ren once again stood up to check on the patient.

"Chief Zheng, are you not going to wear a mask?" asked Su Yun as he trailed behind Zheng Ren.

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Chapter 130: Honor Over Life

"The patient's illness doesn't transmit via airborne. The patient's room has a strong smell so I don't wear masks," Zheng Ren replied in a deadpan manner.

They all knew which hospital room had a strong smell.

The rooms all had ventilation. Sometimes the room was crowded with family, leading to a drop in air quality but never a strong smell.

The tetanus patient was from the countryside and had lower hygiene standards. In addition to the closed door and windows, a foul smell permeated through the room.

Every doctor who made their rounds thought the previous doctor would wear a mask, but no one did in the end.

The doctors were aware of the implications of putting on a mask.

The patient's family would notice the doctors only wore the mask when entering their room. It would wound their pride.

Although it was the prerogative of medical personnel to don a mask when making the rounds, Zheng Ren, Chang Yue, and Su Yun decided against it for the sake of the patient and the family.

The patient was in a stable condition now. The abnormal posture of the patient had relaxed a bit after the administration of the tetanus toxoid but the patient's limbs were still restricted with straps.

Zheng Ren performed a thorough check of the patient's limbs for any signs of necrosis.

The check up was done in 30-minute intervals and this was the sixth visit. Chang Yue noted down the muscle tension and the angle of the arched back each visit.

From the data collected, they could infer the patient was on the right track toward recovery.

Zheng Ren felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

It was his first time encountering a tetanus patient and he went with the treatment plan from a medical book.

Medical textbooks were a reliable source of information. Zheng Ren wondered if he should update his book collection with some new edition textbooks.

He had the fourth edition surgical handbook when he was in medical school. They should have the eighth or ninth edition now with more updated procedures contained within.

Chang Yue bid the patient's family farewell and they exited the patient's room. The door quietly closed behind them and everyone took a deep breath of fresh air.

It was almost lunchtime. They visited a few more patients on their way out.

Thanks to his superb surgical skills, the patients were all healing well.

They were greeted with warm smiles all around.

Zheng Ren knew the generous smiles were mainly meant for Chang Yue.

Treatment was only 30 percent of the work, care was 70 percent. Chang Yue clearly did a very good job attending to the needs of the patients and their families.

They walked into one of the hospital rooms and saw a looming figure.

The large man was tidying up the cushions, a task typically done by the nurses. The mess could be attributed to the influx of hospital visitors.

The man was focused on the task. His big hands patted the cushions and smoothed out the creases.

The other two occupants in the room had been admitted for more than five days but once the critical period was over, they snuck out to go home. As such, the room appeared tidier than the other rooms.

"Fan Tianshui," Chang Yue called out.

"Yes." The heavyset man turned and saw Chang Yue and Zheng Ren. He gave them a wide smile.

This was the patient with gangrenous appendicitis whom Chu Yanzhi rescued on the night Su Yun and Chang Yue finished 11 cartons of Snow.

The patient recovered in record speed from the severe infection. He could be discharged after less than one week of hospital stay.

The man was made of something else.

"You should stay a few more days," Chang Yue said.

"No, it's alright." Fan Tianshui stood with his back straight as a pole. "I wouldn't want to owe the hospital too much."

His words were honest and earnest.

"Chief Resident Zheng, Fan Tianshui has requested to be discharged. No fever in the past four days. No swelling or discharge at the incision site. A successful recovery overall," Chang Yue reported to Zheng Ren.

A voluntary discharge only required the patient's signature but Chang Yue relayed the patient's status out of habit.

"Have you spoken to him about the job?" Zheng Ren asked.

He remembered Chang Yue had asked him if he could help this patient.

Zheng Ren had contacted Little Six and managed to get him a job as a security guard.

He could not guarantee it was good pay but it was better than being jobless and homeless.

Judging from Fan Tianshui's habits, Zheng Ren figured he had some military background. Zheng Ren had always respected the army.

Fan Tianshui's mannerism and behavior definitely did not tarnish the army's reputation. Zheng Ren did not know how the man ended up on the streets but he would rather let his condition deteriorate than commit any crime.

Fan Tianshui once protected the country with his life and now, he put honor above his life. Zheng Ren could respect that.

"Yes. I had to persuade him for two solid days before he accepted," Chang Yue said with a smile.

"That's good. About the medical bill, didn't Chief Pan settle it?"

"Debt must be repaid," Fan Tianshui said in a tone that brooked no dissent. "I must also thank all of you who have cared for me during my stay here."

"It's not an issue." Zheng Ren did a final check up to assess the patient's status. If all was well, he could leave the hospital.

The sutures were thick and obvious. Fan Tianshui probably could remove them himself.

"Dr. Zheng, I will give you my contact number as soon as possible," Fan Tianshui said as he took two steps forward. His fighting spirit was palpable. "You can contact me for anything. I'm reliable."

His commitment made Zheng Ren smile.

"I'm serious," Fan Tianshui emphasized. He was worried that Zheng Ren took him as a joke.

"I heard you were willing to pay the compensation even though you did not harm the man who accused you."

"He's a civilian. I went into the army to protect the country." Fan Tianshui scratched his head in embarrassment. "Dr. Zheng is a good man. Doctors are incredibly important on the battlefield and the soldiers will always go after anyone who harms them."

Zheng Ren was reminded of the battle in Southern Xinjiang decades ago. One side targeted the enemy's field hospital and incited an uproar. The enemy returned the volley with heavy artillery that rained down on their base.

Fan Tianshui stood to face them and bowed in a perfect right angle. Then, he took his meager belongings and walked out of the room.

"Where is Dr. Zheng..." Thanks to his quick reflexes, Fan Tianshui avoided collision with a passerby. He gave the person an apologetic smile and left.

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Chapter 131: Are You Dr. Zheng?

"Chief Su, why are you here?" Zheng Ren said in surprise.

Chief Su from the obstetrics and gynecology department was walking toward him. The last they met was a few days ago when they went to check on the placenta abruption patient.

"Let's talk in the office," Chief Su said.

They went into the office. "Thank you for yesterday night."

"Anytime." Zheng Ren lowered his head in respect when talking to the department chief.

"Then, there is something that I would like your help with." Chief Surgeon Su did not beat around the bush.

Two days before, at midnight, her deputy chief had rushed off to check on the situation. She was an old horse in the department and had been quick to get the details from the chief resident.

It had been a tricky situation. Although the sun had yet to rise, the deputy chief called the obstetrics and gynecology department chief.

Chief Surgeon Su reached the patient's room early in the morning. She took a look at the patient's charts as the chief resident communicated the incident. After knowing the relevant details, she rubbed her forehead and sighed.

'Do not fear trouble. Admit your mistakes. That is the rule.'

However, this patient was a difficult person. If the hospital did not compensate, there was the possibility of the family coming at her with matchsticks and gasoline.

There were a few people she could reach out to for help but she had been uncertain who was the more reliable candidate.

The next morning, as Chief Surgeon Su was ruminating about possible solutions, she overheard some chatter from the staff. It appeared the patient's family had held a banner in gratitude in front of the emergency department entrance last night.

A weight was lifted from Chief Surgeon Su's chest. It must have been Old Chief Physician Pan's doing.

She went to thank Old Chief Physician Pan and found out Zheng Ren was the one who solved the problem.

Youngsters these days were wild.

The medical field was full of ambitious and talented people looking for an opportunity to shine. Every doctor would encounter a case beyond their abilities and wish for a miracle worker to come save the day.

It was an honor to know friends or coworkers who had the expertise and experience to solve a problem.

Zheng Ren's was one of those doctors. Chief Surgeon Su learned that he was the one who performed the surgery. She had also heard rumors of him completing 49 back-to-back appendectomies.

Initially, she did not believe the rumors.

A lot of rumors were exaggerated as they passed from mouth to mouth, therefore she placed little weight in them.

Chief Surgeon Su only started to notice Zheng Ren after he helped the obstetrics and gynecology department with two difficult cases.

The recent one was the emergency case at midnight. The patient had suffered from postpartum hemorrhage. If she had died in their care, Chief Surgeon Su would have a million and one questions to answer.

If that had happened, the patient's family would have acted in the total opposite to what she heard today. She was glad the situation was resolved.

A thought entered Chief Surgeon Su's mind and she smiled. "Do you remember the pregnant patient who was vomiting?"

A look of surprise came across Zheng Ren's face. He tried to recall the patient he saw in the obstetrics and gynecology department.

"You were right about the diagnosis. We did not manage to save the baby." Then, she continued with a smile, "But, next time, we will be able to."

"That's good to hear."

"Another thing, Chief Zheng. I have a friend whose child is suffering from appendicitis. He asked for a referral. Are you free today?"

This...

It was the first time Zheng Ren encountered such an offer so he felt a bit awkward.

Usually, a patient would call up a doctor they were familiar with for consultation. Zheng Ren was not accustomed to referrals for surgeries.

He had been an ordinary resident doctor. Why would anyone want him specifically for their surgery?

Now, he was the chief resident of the emergency department. His surgical skills were acknowledged by the department chiefs so surgery referrals were going to be a norm.

"Yes. I'll always have time for Chief Surgeon Su," Zheng Ren said and smiled.

Chief Surgeon Su nodded. She did not expect any less from Zheng Ren.

"Then let me connect the both of you. Once the fast is complete, you can start with the surgery." A pause later, Chief Surgeon Su continued saying, "Thank you for today, Chief Resident Zheng."

Zheng Ren knew she was referring to the postpartum hemorrhage patient.

A short exchange later, Chief Surgeon Su left.

"Who knew you could hold a proper conversation sometimes." Su Yun brushed the mop of hair covering his forehead.

"Of course. It's basic respect for the elders," Zheng Ren replied.

Zheng Ren's phone rang after a few minutes. It was Chief Surgeon Su's friend.

Zheng Ren asked about the patient's fasting time and gave some details about the procedure. He gave them directions to the second floor of the emergency department building. The man thanked Zheng Ren profusely before ending the call.

Zheng Ren texted the WeChat group and informed them about the surgery preparations.

Soon, hurried footsteps echoed in the emergency ward corridor.

A middle-aged woman appeared with four panicky elders, asking for a Dr. Zheng.

Hearing his name, Zheng Ren stood up to greet them.

The middle-aged woman was taken aback by the young man. She assessed Zheng Ren and asked a few seconds later, "You are Dr. Zheng? The one who was on the phone with my husband?"

"Yes."

"You are the surgeon suggested by Chief Surgeon Su?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Aren't you a bit young?" one of the eldery asked with doubt in their tone.

"Didn't Chief Surgeon Su say she would get the best surgeon in the hospital?"

"Doesn't look like it. This boy is too young."

The four elders discussed among themselves as Zheng Ren stood aside. The woman was beginning to feel embarrassed.

They could opt for another surgeon or hospital but it was rude to discuss it in the face of the surgeon.

"Dad, Mom, shut up," the woman whispered harshly.

"I'm disappointed in how you two are handling this!" the old man with a squarish jaw said.

He was a septuagenarian with ruddy cheeks and a healthy physique. He spoke in a hushed tone but the words still registered in Zheng Ren's ears.

"I said I would find an experienced doctor to look at Yaya but you guys disagreed. I'm not trying to find fault but this surgeon is way too young to be performing surgeries. What if something happened!"

Zheng Ren could only watch this drama play out as he stood there awkwardly.

He would be fine with whatever the patient's family decided as it was their choice. Zheng Ren was not about to boast his surgery skills.

"Please keep your voices down. No one is forcing you to have the surgery here. At least have some decency to not trash-talk in front of us." Su Yun's face was drawn into an unhappy scowl.

"You..." The old man pointed at Su Yun. Halfway through, the man regained his senses and realized he had overreacted. He glared at Su Yun and turned to the middle-aged woman. "Wait a minute. Let me make a phone call."

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Chapter 132: Pigtailed Patient

"Mannerless." Su Yun huffed.

Zheng Ren smiled, unaffected.

If he was an ordinary person visiting a clinic, given the choice between a young doctor and an old doctor, he knew he would go for a senior doctor.

Experience was an important part of medicine.

Therefore, the patient's family was not wrong in their decision. Their response was just overly dramatic and straightforward, eliciting some discomfort in others.

Zheng Ren did not take their words to heart. He gave them a polite smile, then turned to leave.

"You are being too nice," Su Yun muttered unhappily.

"And you have a temper. No wonder you don't want to be a doctor." Zheng Ren chuckled.

A moment later, Zheng Ren's phone rang.

Before he could answer the call, a few figures appeared at the office door. Leading the group was the square-faced old man with ruddy cheeks.

The old man stared Zheng Ren down. Doubts swam in his eyes.

"You called?" Zheng Ren asked as he waved his phone.

"Chief Pan gave me your number?" the old man said incredulously.

"You mean Old Chief Physician Pan from the emergency department? If so, then yes," Zheng Ren said with a nod.

"...

The old man had rang up Old Chief Physician Pan but he was in an important meeting with the hospital administration to negotiate for more staff, resources and support.

Old Chief Physician Pan spared only a moment to hear the old man's request about an appendectomy and directed him to Zheng Ren.

The old man's heart sank when he heard the name, Zheng Ren.

It was the same last name in the same emergency department. There could not be two Dr. Zhengs, right? It was possible but not probable.

Still, the old man dialed the number with optimism.

A phone rang from the office.

Now...

This was awkward.

"Dr. Zheng, Chief Surgeon Pan recommended you," the old man said gingerly.

After the previous commotion, the old man would not blame the doctor if he refused to take their case.

He misjudged the young man.

Now, he had to swallow his pride and ask this man to save his granddaughter.

"I see. Where's the patient?" Zheng Ren asked.

Zheng Ren's question prevented Su Yun from sneaking in a few snide comments. Su Yun shot Zheng Ren a glare.

"Her father is bringing her over now."

"Let's head over to the treatment room. We'll do a simple check up first," Zheng Ren said calmly.

A few minutes later, a middle-aged man arrived with a small figure by his side. The man's face was etched with worry while the child clutched at her abdomen.

The elders were outraged at the scene.

The girl had a determined look on her face, unlike her father who was visibly worried.

"Yaya..." The elders fussed over the girl.

The old man with the ruddy cheeks turned to the father. "How could you let Yaya walk here?"

"She wouldn't let me carry her..." Yaya's father said in defense.

"Grandpa, I can walk. It doesn't hurt as much." The young girl had pigtails that gave her a cute, playful vibe. Her voice was soft and sweet, very likable.

"That's not acceptable." The elders started to argue and complain about what they had witnessed.

At the top right corner of Zheng Ren's vision, the System showed the little girl's diagnosis, acute appendicitis.

It was a simple case.

Pain was subjective to each person. Some people could suffer from a perforated appendix and endure the pain to the point of developing gangrenous appendicitis but this young patient looked like she was on the verge of giving up.

The patient was in her teens, likely fifteen or sixteen years old[1].

She laid on the hospital bed, face scrunched up in pain. Her body was curled up like a prawn as she clutched her abdomen.

She was a strong girl. Even in pain, she tried her best to smile. She maintained her smiling face in hopes the elders would calm down.

"Little miss, could you lie flat on the bed for me?" Zheng Ren asked with a kind smile. He wanted to establish a good first connection with the patient.

"Okay," the pigtailed girl uttered. She did her best to turn over in the bed.

A fetal position lessened the pain felt in the abdomen. Hence, when she tried to extend her body, the pain hit her hard.

Her eyebrows knitted together as she gritted her teeth, trying not to make any sounds.

'This child is trying to stay strong for the family. Such a good child,' Zheng Ren thought.

These days, children like her were a rare find.

"Yaya, slow down." The elders crowded around the hospital bed to help the girl but she rejected their assistance.

With a grim smile, she slowly shifted her body so that Zheng Ren could perform the check up.

Zheng Ren palpated her abdomen and her legs instinctively curled up.

There were signs of point tenderness and rebound tenderness at the lower right quadrant of the abdomen but no muscle guarding.

Based on the medical report provided by her father and the symptoms described by the patient, his diagnosis of acute appendicitis was correct.

Although he had the System's guidance, Zheng Ren still preferred to base his diagnosis on the clinical data.

After all, it was a matter of life and death.

If the case was not life-threatening, a thorough assessment never hurt.

"Am I very sick?" the pigtailed girl asked Zheng Ren.

"Just a little," Zheng Ren replied with a smile. "We just need to do a short surgery, then you'll be back to normal."

"Oh. Okay," the girl continued in a serious tone, "I searched for my condition and it should be appendicitis. There are invasive and non-invasive treatments, but I think surgery would be a better choice. I don't want to deal with chronic pain."

'What a bright child,' Zheng Ren thought.

The girl was wise beyond her years.

It was commendable that she did not make a fuss over the pain. She could even make an educated guess about her condition and decide on the treatment plan.

"Little girl, be careful when you're searching online. Some information on the web is false," Zheng Ren replied in a teasing manner.

Self-diagnosis was a phenomenon that irked many doctors. For the sake of financial gains, many search engines' top results were sites that required some form of payment.

As these sites prioritized profits, they often contained false information to misdirect their readers.

One had to screen through the sites to identify the legitimate ones.

"I know how to differentiate the site, don't worry," the pigtailed girl said knowingly.

She was an independent and smart girl despite her child-like appearance.

Zheng Ren gave her a smile. He brought her father to process her admission and left the elders to fuss over the child.

The diagnosis was confirmed and the pigtailed girl was admitted to the hospital.

The girl had started fasting beforehand and once the admission procedure was complete, Zheng Ren ordered the nurses to prepare the patient.

The preoperative skin preparation and intravenous line set up was done swiftly.

Su Yun ferried the girl up to the third floor in a stretcher trolley while Zheng Ren brought the informed consent documents to the family members. He watched their faces pale as he detailed each step of the procedure.

[1] Based on the patient's mannerism, I believe the author meant to say five or six years old.

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Chapter 133: Obedient and Independent

Informing the family took almost ten minutes and by the end of it, the family members were pale as ashes.

Every pre-surgery briefing ended this way as doctors explained all the potential complications that could arise from surgery.

The probability of complications was one in a thousand, some were one in ten thousand.

The possibility of complications was enough to scare most patients' families, especially this family who adored the pigtailed girl. To the family, signing the informed consent documents felt like signing a death warrant of their precious granddaughter.

Zheng Ren did not rush them. The Chu sisters needed at least ten minutes to prepare the anesthesia and that should be enough time for the family to make a decision.

After saying his piece, Zheng Ren waited patiently for the family to sign off the documents.

"Dr. Zheng, the surgery will be a success, right?" the old man asked meekly. The color from his cheeks had faded due to worry and anxiety.

"This surgery has a high success rate but complications do occur in a tiny population of patients," Zheng Ren explained. He was careful with his words.

Medical doctors were not allowed to promise any outcome.

Hence, the rise in popularity of miracle doctors and traditional chinese physicians among the public.

The wait continued until a middle-aged man came downstairs to inform Zheng Ren that the patient was anesthetized and ready for the surgery. At last, the family decided to go ahead with the surgery and signed the documents.

Zheng Ren left the paperwork for Chang Yue and went to change before heading to the operating room.

"Big sisters, both of you are so pretty. I want to become a doctor like you when I'm older."

"Big sisters, do you like spicy strips? Once I'm healed, I'll share mine with you."

"Big sisters...

The pigtailed patient was talking with Chu Yanran and Chu Yanzhi when Zheng Ren walked in. There was no hint of fear in the child.

The presurgical preparations were already done. Su Yun stood at the usual spot as the assistant. He held the surgical gauze and mosquito clamp up with a solemn expression.

Zheng Ren scrubbed in and changed into the sterile scrubs. He assumed his position as the lead surgeon.

The girl was chatting with the Chu sisters when Zheng Ren made the first incision.

The subcutaneous adipose layer was thin and Zheng Ren was able to part the tissues quickly.

"Will there be a scar?"

The question came when Zheng Ren located the swollen appendix. He proceeded to clamp the appendicular artery.

"I won't be able to wear a swimsuit if there's a big scar."

Once the appendicular artery was ligated, Zheng Ren removed the appendix.

"If there's a scar, I should get a tattoo to cover it."

The clanging sound of metal hitting metal echoed in the operating room as the clamp was tossed into the surgical tray. The excised appendix laid in the tray together with the surgical instrument.

"Doctor..."

The young girl's imagination had just started and the surgery was already over.

Zheng Ren took the surgical tray to show the family members. This patient was referred to him by Chief Surgeon Su and the family also had ties with Chief Physician Pan. Zheng Ren figured he should interact more with the patient's family, for the department chiefs' sake.

Outside the operating room, the four elders were pacing anxiously. None of them would take a seat.

The middle-aged woman had tried to coax them but all she got were snappy remarks.

Criticisms from decades ago were lobbied at her.

When the doors of the operating room swung open, they were met with Zheng Ren in his surgical scrubs, face covered by a surgical mask. He walked out with a red and swollen appendix served on a surgical tray.

"The surgery is done. We'll send the appendix to the labs for some tests," Zheng Ren explained.

"Will she be okay?" one of the elders asked nervously.

During the briefing, Zheng Ren had mentioned the symptoms of appendicitis overlapped with that of appendix cancer, though the probability was low.

"From the naked eye, there's nothing to be worried about." Zheng Ren chose not to hide the truth from the elders.

Their anxiety and frustration was understandable to Zheng Ren.

He was not one to seek revenge for the earlier misunderstanding. He elaborated on his observation, "Come and look at this appendix. There is minimal inflammatory edema and the tissues show no sign of malignancy from the naked eye."

"How about the parts that we can't see?" the elder asked. She was more riled up after hearing Zheng Ren's explanation.

"That's why we need to send it to the pathology lab but the probability is very low," Zheng Ren clarified calmly despite feeling frustrated.

"Mom, Dr. Zheng already said it's fine," the middle-aged woman said to the old woman.

"Yaya is your flesh and blood! How can you be so apathetic?" the old lady retorted emotionally. Tears sprang to her eyes.

"There is no cause for worry. The pathology tests will take three to five days but you can ask Chief Surgeon Su to help expedite the process if you're worried. The experts who have viewed many specimens can more or less judge with their naked eye."

"Is it a certainty?"

Zheng Ren could not guarantee it.

He shook his head and left.

Hopefully with the Two-Child Policy in effect, there would be fewer situations like this.

Zheng Ren was happy for the girl. She had family who cared and supported her, unlike himself. He had to support himself through each stage of life.

Despite all the love and attention she got, the girl learned to be self-reliant.

Zheng Ren could only hope for the child to continue her path to independence.

He went back into the operating room. Su Yun and Chu Yanzhi were readying the stretcher trolley.

He did not follow them to the patient's room. He passed the appendix sample to Xie Yiren and went to change.

He sat in the smoking area of the changing room and accessed his mission list.

The duration provided for the mission, One Tree Does Not Make A Forest, was one week. Zheng Ren had to assess each patient's case and decide who should wield the scalpel. He would not risk a patient's life just to complete the mission.

Today's patient was a referral by Chief Surgeon Su and Old Chief Physician Pan, hence Zheng Ren performed the surgery.

Now, he had a problem.

Su Yun had bragged about his ability to learn any surgery after a one-time observation. Zheng Ren believed him. After all, he had witnessed Su Yun perform a perfect appendectomy.

Perhaps Zheng Ren could let him try his hand at a laparoscopic appendectomy or hernia repair surgery. Maybe he could let him handle a case of acute cholecystitis.

Zheng Ren mulled over the thought. He should just observe for now. He was not interested in the 3D Reconstruction of CT Scans which was the mission reward. After all, it was a supplementary skill that mostly benefited a CT scan radiologist.

Zheng Ren put out the cigarette in his hand and pocketed his cigarette pack.

He put on his white coat and walked out of the changing room.

The emergency ward was quiet at this hour. No patient wanted to stay in the hospital any longer than required. Once their conditions met the criteria for discharge, they quickly packed their bags and left for home.

Chang Yue was talking to the girl's family while Su Yun sat in a chair and scrolled his phone.

"Dr. Zheng, thank you so much," the middle-aged man took Zheng Ren's hands and thanked him.

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Chapter 134: Red Packet

Words of gratitude poured from the father's mouth. Zheng Ren smiled politely at the father.

They exchanged contacts as the father wanted to treat him to a meal once the little girl was healed.

The middle-aged man grazed past Zheng Ren as he left the room. Zheng Ren discovered a thick red packet in the pocket of his white coat.

The red packet, which rested inconspicuously in his pocket, was of considerable thickness.

The sleight of hand was done in a smooth fashion that suggested the father did this often.

The red packet was slotted into Zheng Ren's coat pocket with featherlight movements. The gesture was not ostentatious but sincere.

When Zheng Ren discovered the red packet, he raced after the patient's father but he was gone.

Zheng Ren's only intention was to visit the patient. It was not proper to receive a red packet when the patient was still in recovery.

"Chang Yue, if you could take this to pay off the hospital admission charges." Zheng Ren decided to delegate the work to Chang Yue.

"Oh, sure. That's a thick packet," Chang Yue remarked. The exchange caught Su Yun's attention and he asked Zheng Ren, "It's a sincere thank you from the family. Why are you returning it?"

There were two types of red packets.

The first type was given by insistent families prior to the surgery. The doctor would either accept the money or put up a meager resistance, then accept the money. If the surgery had a low success rate, the doctor would hand the money over to the hospital payment counter.

The second type was given after a successful surgery.

These were usually a token of appreciation by the patient's family that was genuine.

Doctors typically would have a good sense of the patient's condition post-surgery. Hence, accepting the sincere gesture from the family reflected their confidence in the patient's recovery.

However, Zheng Ren declined the post-surgery red packet.

"There's 3000 yuan here," Chang Yue exclaimed after counting the bills.

"How generous. I thought they were all ten yuan bills. 200 yuan would have been sufficient." The sharp-tongued Nancy boy had to open his mouth and ruin everything.

"Use it to cover the patient's bills and bring back a receipt," Zheng Ren said calmly.

"Why won't you take it?" Su Yun pressed on.

"Why should I?" Zheng Ren challenged.

"After docking the contributions, you should be getting around 3500 yuan per month even with overtime. As a chief resident doctor, you're saving on rental but you must have plans for marriage sooner or later. Which lady would want someone who has no money, no time, no house and no car?" Su Yun said truthfully.

"I'm worried things may go wrong," Zheng Ren replied.

There were patients who gave red packets and recorded the incident for blackmail.

It was an unavoidable problem. It did not matter how well the surgery went.

Sometimes, rejecting the red packet would backfire. There had been cases whereby patients falsely claimed the doctor accepted bribes and went on to protest in the crowded areas of the hospital.

It was a tricky situation.

"Drama queen." Su Yun turned his focus back to his phone.

Zheng Ren had only accepted one red packet from a patient in his entire medical career.

It was a liver cancer patient under his care. The surgery was done by a professor from Sorcery Capital but Zheng Ren dedicated much of his time to care for the patient.

After the patient recovered, Zheng Ren provided him with some basic counselling.

Although Zheng Ren was not a counselor, he had done some reading on the topic before giving counsel. He encouraged the patient to conquer his fear of cancer.

They spent a lot of time talking.

Three years later, on an autumn night, Zheng Ren saw the patient at his doorstep. The patient thanked him in a few simple words and passed him an envelope containing 2000 yuan.

That was the only monetary gift Zheng Ren had ever accepted.

Zheng Ren was not willing to share this story with Su Yun.

Soon, Chang Yue came back with a deposit slip. She gave the piece of paper to the patient's family.

The family could reject the money but not a deposit slip. During the discharge, a missing deposit slip would complicate the billing process.

The family took the deposit slip begrudgingly.

Moments later, Zheng Ren got a call from the patient's father.

Through the phone, the man conveyed his dissatisfaction at Zheng Ren without being overbearing. He explained how the red packet was a form of thanks from the family.

In the end, Zheng Ren allowed the man to order lunch for him.

There was no more fight in Zheng Ren.

Thirty minutes later, two men in Golden Spiral Restaurant uniforms arrived at the emergency department with four lunch boxes.

The dishes were laid out like magic.

Herbal soup with fish maw and sea snail, fried pork strips, honey roasted pork, crispy pork belly, braised pigeon, boiled clams, spicy salted mantis shrimp...

Each dish came with a short introduction by the Golden Spiral Restaurant employees, explaining the source of the ingredients, how it was the freshest in the market and how the masterchef personally prepared them.

The whole point was to boast the restaurant's top-tier food and service.

Zheng Ren was initially excited to watch the presentation but as more and more dishes were placed onto the table in the on-call room, he lost interest.

These dishes must have cost more than 3000 yuan.

Zheng Ren had never been to the Golden Spiral Restaurant but he was aware of their reputation.

This was a heartfelt thank you from the man. Zheng Ren texted the Chu sisters and Xie Yiren to join the feast.

Xie Yiren's eyes bulged when she saw the table full of food.

On the day the roads froze over, Xie Yiren had been adamant about eating out. This table of food was a jackpot for a foodie like her.

They were all friends so she was not shy. After washing their hands, they sat down and started eating.

"Delicious!" Xie Yiren chewed on a piece of fried pork strip. Then, she drank the herbal soup with fish maw and sea snail.

"Yummy."

"This is good too."

"This tastes amazing."

Zheng Ren watched Xie Yiren praise each dish. He figured a rich woman like her would have eaten these dishes before yet she seemed incredibly fascinated with each bite.

'She is truly a food connoisseur,' Zheng Ren thought.

He had a small appetite. He was full after two bowls of seafood porridge and a bowl of herbal soup.

"Now, do you regret not taking the money?" Su Yun asked.

Zheng Ren chuckled and said nothing more.

He ended the conversation just like that.

"Yiren, don't gorge yourself. It's bad for the stomach," Chu Yanran said. She took a small sip of soup.

"I'm not eating a lot," Xie Yiren mumbled in between bites. "I have a friend who went to a buffet a few days back. Ate so much, his pancreas acted up and now he's admitted in the gastroenterology department."

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Chapter 135: Unfair Competition

"How much had he eaten?" asked Chu Yanran, surprised.

"Just a decent amount of food. I heard that the dishes in that restaurant are delicious, and it offers unlimited oysters and American lobsters too."

"American lobsters are smaller in size. Australian spiny lobsters are much better."

"They're almost the same. When my father had driven a car to chase antelopes in Africa last time, we had had seafood there and it tasted so good. The lobsters were quite big too," Xie Yiren said seriously, "But I still prefer hotpot, especially the hotpot restaurants in Chengdu."

'This is love.' Zheng Ren could see the gleam in Xie Yiren's eyes.

She would get so excited when talking about food.

Zheng Ren sat quietly nearby and savored the peaceful moment as everyone chatted and laughed during the meal.

It was nice for all of them to enjoy a meal together under the lively atmosphere.

Xie Yiren was slow and attentive in devouring her food. However, not only was adequate sleep a luxury for medical staff working in the emergency department, but it was also difficult for them to leisurely enjoy their food.

An emergency case arrived before she could finish her food.

A patient constantly pressing on his stomach was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and was sent to the ward.

Zheng Ren made a signal for them to slowly enjoy their meal before heading out to examine the patient and confirm his diagnosis.

Chang Yue wiped her mouth with a piece of tissue paper, put on her white coat, took a notepad out of her pocket and went along with Zheng Ren.

Su Yun quietly trailed behind Chang Yue with his head lowered.

Before Zheng Ren could examine the patient, another patient in a wheelchair was pushed into the ward.

Generally, if the doctors on duty encountered difficulties in the consultation rooms, Zheng Ren would have to go down and personally diagnose the cases. However, if the diagnosis was definitive, the patients would be directly transferred to the ward.

These two patients suffered from acute uncomplicated appendicitis and required surgery.

Coincidentally, both of them had been fasting after a simple breakfast in the morning due to abdominal pain.

The patients would undergo surgery soon as they had fasted long enough.

Both patients' family members quickly went to settle the admission process.

Perhaps none of them would be in such a hurry if there was only one patient awaiting surgery, but when two acute abdomen cases arrived simultaneously, the sequence as to who would undergo the surgery first would be a big deal for the patients and family members.

Needless to say, everyone wanted to undergo surgery first, especially the latter patient who had arrived a minute too late as he would waste time waiting for the elevator.

If the patient was placed second on the list because of this, he would have to endure the agonizing pain for at least an hour.

Anxious, both patients' family members quickly completed the hospital admission process, trying to outcompete each other.

They paid no attention to Chang Yue's preoperative counseling and signed the preoperative informed consent documents without the slightest hesitation.

A few family members even attempted to give a red packet to Zheng Ren in an empty room, but he smiled and rejected the kind offer.

What a joke. He did not even dare to accept a red packet gifted for a successful surgery with minimal risks, let alone a red packet given preoperatively.

This was a tricky issue as both patients' family members were glaring fiercely at each other and hoping that they could undergo the surgery first.

Smoldering fires of fury could be vaguely detected in their conversation in this instant.

"Let's go together." Zheng Ren made the final decision.

Su Yun and Yang Lei would operate on a patient and he would handle the other case. He had witnessed Su Yun's skills and knew that his standard had definitely reached the level of a lead professor. Moreover, with the help of Yang Lei, a senior general surgeon, the surgery should end well.

If Zheng Ren was fast enough to complete his surgery sooner, he could assist them if any problems arose.

The decision had been made. The multiple-choice question needed not to be answered anymore.

Adults never do multiple-choice questions anyway. They basically wanted everything.

The Chu sisters and Xie Yiren had gone to the operating theater for surgery preparations. Fortunately, there were adequate staff during the day, so the nurses would not complain when two surgeries were carried out simultaneously.

Su Yun's eyes shone brightly in excitement when he heard Zheng Ren's decision.

In terms of physical attractiveness, Su Yun figured that he was unrivaled in the whole world, the same went for surgery as well.

He would surely be the best general surgeon when given time for practice.

Unsurpassable in the same category.

Su Yun, who had assisted Zheng Ren in past surgeries, was aware of his surgical standards and firmly believed that he would reach the same height in the future.

Since he was given a chance now, he might as well give it a try.

Despite his apathy in becoming a doctor, he had always been naturally competitive. His enthusiasm would decrease only when he confirmed that he was in a class of his own.

Otherwise, he would not have insisted on the transfer to the emergency department.

Zheng Ren and Su Yun wheeled the patients into the operating theater after preoperative preparations—preoperative skin preparation and intravenous cannulation—were complete.

The Chu sisters went on separate ways to anesthetize the patients. As usual, Xie Yiren would assist Zheng Ren in surgery, and another scrub nurse was assigned to Su Yun and Yang Lei.

Zheng Ren chose to operate on the older patient with a relatively higher surgical difficulty.

Geriatrics usually had thicker, calcified iliolumbar ligaments, so it would take a longer time for continuous epidural anesthesia to take effect.

After performing a surgical scrub, Su Yun passed by Zheng Ren's operating theater and instantly became downhearted upon noticing that the anesthesia was still ongoing.

Even if he won, this was still an unfair competition.

Yang Lei took the initiative to scrub up first before he began to disinfect and drape the surgical site.

He had performed the same procedures numerous times in the first general surgery department. After all, the most a junior doctor could do in surgery was to assist the chief surgeon by disinfecting the surgical site or pulling the retractor.

How much he could learn from it depended solely on his own understanding.

That was why he particularly admired Zheng Ren, a man who could soar into the sky once an opportunity was presented, which was a rarity in today's world.

As for Su Yun... Yang Lei had heard through the grapevine that he was skilled in performing surgery, but for some unknown reason, he had gone to work in ICU instead of the general surgery department when he had first arrived in Sea City General Hospital.

After Yang Lei applied the last surgical drape on the surgical site, Su Yun directly stood at the chief surgeon's position and began disinfecting the site for the last time.

Yang Lei was unconcerned about his current role. After all, this was merely an appendectomy, a surgery that he had done numerous times and was fed up with.

Even so, he still acted cautiously and meticulously in his first surgery with Su Yun.

Since Zheng Ren let them work together, he had to check every detail and make sure the surgery was uneventful.

Soon, he appreciated Su Yun's surgical skills.

The skin was incised just until the capillary network above the subcutaneous layer in one go. That was amazing!

Nothing more, nothing less. The end result was just perfect.

He then bluntly dissected the tissue without using electrocauterization for hemostasis.

Damn, this guy was good!

Yang Lei admitted that he had limited talent, but instead of being consumed with jealousy, he would only feel envious of those born with great talents.

Blunt dissection was completed, the peritoneal cavity was exposed... Yang Lei soon found out that he had to be very alert to perfectly perform his tasks as a first surgical assistant.

Su Yun's maneuver was simply too fast and accurate, and he could not afford to get distracted even for a split second.

After ensuring that the peritoneum was well-protected and the appendix was fully exposed, the appendicular artery was then separated, clamped and transected. Everything was done according to the standard in surgery textbooks.

The inflamed appendix was removed and thrown into a specimen container.

Before the surgery had begun, Yang Lei, a general surgeon, had nursed some grievances about Su Yun's role as a chief surgeon.

However, the truth revealed that Su Yun was indeed very good at performing surgery.

Yang Lei was dazed and confused. Were geniuses really that powerful and could steamroll every opponent with ease?

Following the peritoneal cavity irrigation with warm normal saline, Yang Lei immediately aspirated the contents using an aspirator with a suction tube attached.

Su Yun began closing the peritoneal cavity after ensuring the absence of active bleeding spots.

"That was fast. There isn't any active bleeding, right?" A voice came from behind Su Yun.

Yang Lei raised his head and saw Zheng Ren.

"Yes. There aren't any, I've checked. Blood loss is minimal... with a visual estimation of 3mL," answered Yang Lei.

"Good." Zheng Ren praised.

"Your anesthesiologist is rather slow," Yang Lei leisurely chatted with Zheng Ren while pulling the retractor for better exposure of the surgical field.

That was how it was in the operating theater. Major accidents could happen if none of them mutter a single word.

"Huh? Chu Yanran was quick in administering anesthesia, and I've already completed my surgery."

Already...

Completed...

Yang Lei was unsure if he was having an illusion, but Su Yun seemingly stunned for a very brief moment.

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Chapter 136: Scientific Research In Imperial Capital

"You guys go ahead with the abdominal wound closure. I'll head downstairs with the patient first." Relaxed, Zheng Ren left the operating theater after ensuring that their surgery was uneventful as well.

The moment he stepped out of the operating theater, he suddenly realized something and decided to take his time by chatting with the patient instead. The conversation continued until Su Yun and Yang Lei's surgery was complete before the patients were wheeled out together.

All family members were pleased to see that the patients were transferred out simultaneously without any problems noted. What else could they complain about when it ended perfectly?

Zheng Ren noticed that Su Yun appeared downhearted upon their return to the ward, but he was too lazy to entertain that guy. Who knew what happened to the arty man?

...

...

The weather became colder each day. When the last leaves had fallen, it signified the official arrival of harsh winter.

Admission, resuscitation, surgery and hospital discharge... Everything was the same as the days went by.

Zheng Yunxia was discharged from the hospital, but her disease was not entirely cured.

She would have to return for a consultation in thirty-five days, and she most likely required another interventional radiological treatment for her condition.

Fortunately, the patient with tetanus did not have respiratory arrest due to timely treatment, and she had recovered after ten days and was discharged from the hospital.

The family members were very thankful during the hospital discharge.

Poverty restricted their ability to show appreciation with financial rewards, so they purposely purchased a pack of candy for Zheng Ren before leaving the hospital.

Zheng Ren ate a candy, which tasted sweet, before putting the precious gift into the cabinet.

Normal days were like a tranquil sea, peaceful but dull, and every rescue operation would disturb this calmness like a storm sending monstrous waves crashing in all directions. Zheng Ren, like a boat rising and falling amongst the mountains of angry waves, would use his knowledge and proficiency in surgery to turn the tide and regain peace every single time.

Su Yun gradually believed that Zheng Ren's surgery skills were definitely superior to his. Perplexed, he started reading the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery book that Zheng Ren had been reading as if trying to find an answer to his doubt.

Half a month had passed, and the continuous side mission One Tree Does Not Make A Forest had long been completed. Zheng Ren, who had obtained the Master rank in the 3D image reconstruction of CT scan skill, had also gone to the CT room to get acquainted with the staff and assist them during his free time while trying to find any possibility of applying this technology on emergency treatment and surgery.

However, Zheng Ren had disappointingly found out that the System was as slippery as an eel.

This skill had nothing to do with the emergency department at all.

Come to think of it, all emergency cases required speedy treatment, but 3D image reconstruction of CT scan required around one day on average.

Argumentative haters may provide a counterexample, but that probability was lower than one-thousandth or even one-ten-thousandth, completely insignificant.

Anyhow, Zheng Ren did not care much about it. Nobody could predict the future, and he could not perform emergency surgery for the rest of his life either. There were so many elective surgery cases in the world, why would he abandon them all for emergency cases?

'The skill will be useful someday.' Zheng Ren comforted himself.

After half a month of hard work, he had accumulated 3223 points in his general surgery skill tree, and had saved 1939 skill points in his inventory. He had earned dozens of skill points in interventional radiology as well, but it was getting increasingly difficult to obtain more points by performing simple surgeries at the Master rank.

Thus, he was glad that he did not rashly upgrade his general surgery skill to the Master rank.

Even when he flawlessly completed a tier-three surgery, he could only obtain a few points in his Master ranked interventional radiology skill tree. However, the same surgery would award more than ten points to his Expert ranked general surgery skill tree.

The difference was humongous.

Therefore, Zheng Ren resisted the temptation to do it the easy way and was prepared to lay a solid foundation for his general surgery skill tree.

In his inventory lay two skill books that could raise a random skill to the peak of the Graduate rank. He had also accumulated 231260 experience points, which could be converted to approximately 64 hours of surgery intensive training time.

Zheng Ren was greatly satisfied as he now possessed the ability to cope with any trouble that came his way.

He turned a blind eye on the three silver chests that he had thrown into the System.

The troublemakers and cheaters had taken turns to hold the silk banner high in the air outside the emergency building for three days without even taking a rest at night. It had been an agonizing experience for them.

In the end, the incident had attracted lots of attention and had become a unique scene in Sea City General Hospital.

Following the group's quiet disappearance three days later, Little Six informed Zheng Ren that the troublemakers had gone to visit another hospital.

Zheng Ren naturally did not have the heart of Saint Mary. He would not care whether the professional troublemakers, who had nearly cost him his future, would live a healthy and prosperous life.

One day, when it was already past four o'clock and almost time to get off work, Old Chief Physician Pan suddenly called Zheng Ren and asked him to come to the office.

Old Chief Physician Pan looked serious when Zheng Ren entered the office, but the joy underneath his solemn expression was clearly detectable.

"Sit, Little Zheng," Old Chief Physician Pan said, cutting straight to the point, "I just received a call from Professor Pei, saying that a new scientific research in Imperial Capital requires the participation of young, talented interventional radiologists."

"Imperial Capital? Scientific research?" Zheng Ren was in doubt.

"He didn't mention any specific details, and I'm not in the right position to inquire for more information too. Perhaps a new surgical technique has reached the final phase and can be applied in clinical settings," Old Chief Physician Pan smiled and said, "People who can devote their lives to research are really rare nowadays."

"I'm a chief resident. The emergency wards—" Before Zheng Ren could finish the sentence, Old Chief Physician Pan interrupted him and said, "Will the Earth stop spinning in your absence? Once you're gone, I'll make a request to promote either Su Yun or Yang Lei to chief resident."

Zheng Ren thought about it and knew that his words made sense.

Any hospital that depended only on one individual would surely meet its doom in the end.

"When will I go?" asked Zheng Ren.

"He said it's up to you, you can go whenever you feel like it. You also know that scientific research can't be finished in one night, so don't worry too much about it. Besides, a lot of experts will be present, so there is nothing you can possibly do over there, but don't forget to expand your social network. They can help you greatly in the future," replied Old Chief Physician Pan.

"Okay," Zheng Ren said, "I'll depart in a few days. There's no rush anyway."

"Alright." Old Chief Physician Pan nodded in response. In his opinion, the best moment would be the next time when Professor Pei called him to urge Zheng Ren for a speedy departure.

However, he seriously thought that Zheng Ren's participation would serve no purpose in Imperial Capital and merely considered it as a vacation awarded to Zheng Ren for his recent diligence and hard work.

They continued chatting for a while. Then, a phone call interrupted them while Zheng Ren was reporting some difficult surgeries which he had performed these past few days.

"Chief Zheng, there is an emergency case of hemorrhagic shock," said the caller briefly and immediately hung up.

"Let's check it out." Old Chief Physician Pan immediately stood up and walked out of the room.

The emergency resuscitation room was in chaos. The nurses were measuring blood pressure and attempting venous cannulation, and a doctor was examining the patient while instructing a nurse to inject drugs from time to time.

However, the patient was obviously suffering from a severe hemorrhagic shock as there was no flashback of blood noted after several attempts at cannulation.

"Let me." Zheng Ren quickly walked forward, opened a sterile pack of central venous catheterization equipment and began the procedure.

"Chief Physician Pan, Chief Zheng, the patient was sent here via an ambulance four minutes ago. The systolic pressure at that time was 50mmHg and the diastolic pressure was undetectable. He has a thready and rapid pulse with a rate of 163 beats per minute," The doctor on duty quickly reported the medical history. "Physical examination revealed that the patient has board-like rigidity of the abdomen, so a visceral rupture is suspected."

A doctor in charge of ultrasonography hurried over with a B-scan ultrasonography machine.

A diagnosis was written on the System panel floating on the upper right corner of Zheng Ren's vision—ruptured hepatic aneurysm complicated with hemorrhagic shock.

An aneurysm was a common... Not really a disease, but an abnormal dilatation of an artery due to a weakened vessel wall.

Since the capillary network was dense, any rupture would lead to a huge amount of blood loss.

No one knew what had caused the aneurysm in this patient to rupture in the first place and result in a massive hemorrhage.

The central venous line was established at the first attempt as evidenced by the flashback of a small amount of deoxygenated blood.

"Replace lost fluids, collect blood samples and prepare for surgery!"

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Chapter 137: You Never Know Which Comes First, Tomorrow Or Accident

The main purpose of the blood collection was to determine the patient's blood type for subsequent transfusion.

Blood transfusion was the best method to treat hemorrhagic shock.

"A large amount of fluid is seen in the hepatic fossa with minimal fluid accumulation noted in the Morison's pouch. The suspected cause is hepatic rupture leading to intraperitoneal hemorrhage," the doctor reported the ultrasonographic findings.

"What surgery are you going to do?" asked Old Chief Physician Pan.

"Interventional radiology for hemostasis," Zheng Ren replied, "Notify the operating theater to prepare corresponding equipment."

The nurse had connected the intravenous infusion drip at this time. Then, she threw a pack of dextran and an ECG monitor to the stretcher trolley, which Zheng Ren quickly escorted to the operating theater.

"Chief Physician Pan, I'll leave the preoperative counseling to you." Zheng Ren disappeared around the corner in a flash.

Old Chief Physician Pan wore a stern expression, fully aware of the patient's critical condition.

An undetectable diastolic pressure was equivalent to decreased intravascular volume due to rapid blood loss. The mortality risk remained high even with surgical intervention.

Zheng Ren rushed to the emergency operating theater to perform the surgery. In the meantime, Old Chief Physician Pan began to direct the medical staff to preserve and mark the patient's clothes under video surveillance as evidence.

These were not meaningless.

Countless unidentified patients were admitted to the hospital each year. After they were successfully rescued, they found out... No one knew if this was the truth, but they claimed that they lost their belongings and demanded compensation from the medical personnel. It was a common trend in the current world.

Therefore, emergency rescue was often delayed by these trivial matters, and as to whether anyone perished because of this, nobody knew.

Fortunately, this patient was in a critical state and required immediate surgical intervention, and Old Chief Physician Pan, who had not gotten off work, could help Zheng Ren deal with this issue. If this incident happened in the middle of the night, the legal procedure of preoperative counseling alone would take too much time and probably cost the patient his life.

Sometimes, apart from the doctors' expertise, fate was another important factor to ensure a patient's survival.

A cell phone, fully accessible without a password lock as the patient was an elderly man, was found among his belongings.

Old Chief Physician Pan searched through the recent contact history and called a number with an ID named Darling.

"This is the Sea City General Hospital emergency department.

"Are you Tang Guoqing's family member? Please come to Sea City General Hospital emergency department immediately. Your father has severe intra-abdominal bleeding and requires urgent surgical treatment.

"The patient has gone to the operating theater, but there are some procedures that need to be done.

"His condition is very serious, so I can't guarantee the success of surgical treatment."

Old Chief Physician Pan calmly and objectively explained the situation to the family member before putting the phone into a clean yellow biohazard bag, which was then sealed by a nurse.

Even though the family member had been informed about the situation, the patient still had to undergo surgery without waiting for his family to sign on the preoperative informed consent documents.

Soon, a staff from the medical administration division arrived at the emergency department. Old Chief Physician Pan then urged him to begin recording the situation and authorize that the emergency surgery was greenlighted.

Old Chief Physician Pan speculated that the emergency surgery had begun at this moment, which was considered a minor violation of rules, but negligible when a life was at stake.

Approximately ten minutes later, a woman with a pair of rimless spectacles in her late-twenties hurried into the emergency department.

She was bare-footed. Perhaps she had thrown her high heels somewhere along the way as it had impeded her movement speed.

"Nurse, I'm Tang Guoqing's daughter. Where is my father? How is he? What happened to him?" asked the woman anxiously.

Tears had made wet tracks down her chalky-white face and ruined her beautiful makeup, but she cared none of it and bombarded a nurse with questions.

Her voice was loud, impatient and impolite.

The nurse, who had been working in the emergency department for a long time, empathized with the family members and patiently replied without expressing any resentment, "The chief is in the office. Please speak with him."

Acknowledging the nurse's instructions, the woman hurried to Old Chief Physician Pan's office, knocked on the door and entered the room without waiting for a response.

She was in such a hurry that her left shoulder accidentally knocked on the door frame with a loud bang.

Paying no attention to the pain in her left shoulder, she quickly asked, "Chief, my father..."

Her breathing was ragged, and the words that managed to escape her mouth sounded sharp and cold. The remaining words vanished into the air, leaving the sentence hanging and unfinished.

"You must be Tang Guoqing's family member, yes?" asked Old Chief Physician Pan.

The woman nodded, trying but failing to speak. Tears spilled down her cheeks along with her head movement, messing up the already ruined makeup even further.

"Your father was sent here via an ambulance. According to the witness, he had been strolling around in Central Park and immediately collapsed after leaning heavily against a tree." Old Chief Physician Pan had already grasped all available information in a short time. That way, at least the family members would understand that the incident was self-induced rather than a direct result of external trauma or a traffic collision.

"His blood pressure was very low at the time of arrival. His systolic pressure was 50mmHg and diastolic pressure was undetectable, that was why I've decided to send your father to the operating theater for emergency surgery. We're trying our best to save him now."

Old Chief Physician Pan's honest and serious expression made the woman's heart sink instantly. Tears burst forth like water from a dam and streamed down her cheeks.

"Now is not the time to cry," Old Chief Physician Pan immediately stopped her and said, "I want to explain the surgery to you. Although I've been given authorization to proceed with the surgery, I still have to talk to you about it."

The woman nodded.

"Are you the patient's daughter? Please show me anything that can prove your identity," asked Old Chief Physician Pan.

The woman looked through her handbag and took out an exquisite card case that contained her identity card, work card and press pass, and the name Tang Xiu entered his eyes.

"A lead editor in a newspaper office?" Old Chief Physician Pan nodded and began explaining the surgery to her.

Tears of fear blurred Tang Xiu's vision.

She felt that the entire world was painted in grey after Old Chief Physician Pan finished the explanation.

The patient's condition was extremely serious and the chance of survival was only ten percent, perhaps even lower than the predicted percentage.

Even if the patient was successfully pulled back from the brink of death, the chance of recovery in the ICU remained low as well.

When she first read through Wei Feng's article, she also agreed that the hospital should not perform surgery in the family members' absence.

If it was not for the fact that she had received tremendous pressure that had coerced her to change her mind, she definitely would have published Wei Feng's article to correct this "unethical trend" in the medical world.

Now that Tang Xiu was going through the same situation herself, all she could feel was confusion and despair.

"Since emergency care was given in a timely manner, there is still hope. I'll take you to the operating theater now. You'll wait outside and inform your family in the meantime." Old Chief Physician Pan comforted her.

Timely manner? Tang Xiu was grateful to the kind-hearted citizen for his prompt action instead of turning a blind eye. Although he just let her father remain on the ground, at least he had called 120 on time.

The doctors in Sea City General Hospital had begun the rescue even in the family members' absence.

This undoubtedly reduced further blood loss and increased her father's chance of survival.

Her logical sense told her that her father would depart this life if the doctors had to wait for her arrival.

This was contrary to her initial belief, but...

At this moment, she completely forgot that the family members had the fundamental right to be informed and decide.

It was extremely difficult for people to feel empathy when they had not experienced the same situation themselves.

The difference between the onlookers and the family members' perspective was worlds apart, so huge that it was beyond Tang Xiu's imagination.

She absent-mindedly followed Old Chief Physician Pan. Her ability to think was completely lost.

Her father had been fine all day, but how did he end up in Sea City General Hospital with a life-threatening condition? Unexpected events really could happen at any time.

'You never know which comes first, tomorrow or accident.'

She was scared that when she arrived at the operating theater, the surgeon would come out and apologize that they had tried their best.

She was scared that the stretcher trolley would be covered with a white sheet with her father's pale, cold face underneath it.

She was scared that her father would suddenly draw his last breath, and she would not be able to bid her last farewell.

She was scared that the ill-intentioned fate would make the nightmare come true

She was scared...

Chapter 138: You Should Work On A Higher, Wider Platform

Old Chief Physician Pan and Tang Xiu had just arrived outside the operating theater, but before she could inform her family members, the doors of the operating theater flung open and a stretcher trolley was wheeled out from inside.

Tang Xiu was stunned. There was no white sheet on it.

Her father's greyish-white hair accentuated his ashen-grey complexion, which made him look like he had met his end.

On the stretcher trolley sat a girl in a blue surgical gown. Her posture was particularly awkward as she repeatedly squeezed the self-inflating bag to provide positive pressure ventilation.

The medical field was alien to Tang Xiu, but a knowledgeable person like her vaguely knew that the self-inflating bag was a type of artificial ventilation, a method to deliver oxygen to her father.

Sorrow instantly consumed her heart.

Tears started pouring from her eyes in a seemingly endless flow.

'He is dead... The surgery failed...' Countless negative thoughts popped into her mind.

A chill went down her spine. The world turned into a blur.

Tang Xiu held onto the stretcher trolley and cried.

It was a silent wail.

However, everyone on the scene could detect the grief and pain in her broken heart.

Chu Yanran sat curled up atop one corner of the stretcher trolley and attentively compressed the self-inflating bag, with Su Yun pushing it in the back and Zheng Ren controlling its direction in the front.

Like a driver slamming on the car brake, Tang Xiu slowed the stretcher trolley down and Chu Yanran nearly fell down.

Zheng Ren, who was standing lateral to the head end of the trolley, quickly supported Chu Yanran and rebuked angrily. "Who the hell are

Old Chief Physician Pan quickly pulled Tang Xiu away and said seriously, "Don't interfere with the rescue. He isn't dead."

Not dead? She failed to understand this simple phrase even when she was pulled away by Old Chief Physician Pan.

Her mind had gone blank in this instant

It seemed to be good news or probably a deliberate act of consolation from the doctor, but she could not contain her overwhelming grief and continued to cry silently.

"The patient's family member," replied Old Chief Physician Pan to Zheng Ren.

"Are you alright?" asked Zheng Ren out of concern, relieved only after Chu Yanran shook her head and narrowed her eyes as if smiling at him.

The stretcher trolley was pushed into the hospital bed elevator once the doors slid open.

"Chief Physician Pan, ask her to wait for me here. I'll speak with her after sending the patient to the ICU." Zheng Ren's voice traveled across the slowly closing elevator doors.

Old Chief Physician Pan had seen numerous joy and sorrow throughout his life, so naturally, Tang Xiu's dejection was within his expectations.

However, he made no attempt to console the woman. After all, any words of comfort would be pointless when she was emotionally unstable right now.

More importantly, how should he comfort her when he had no clue if the surgery had been successful? It was better to steer clear of careless statements and irresponsible remarks in the medical field.

The muffled sobs coupled with the howling wind outside the window created a ghastly atmosphere in the spacious but empty hall outside the operating theater on the third floor.

Even so, Old Chief Physician Pan, a war veteran, remained unbothered about it.

A strong yang energy could drive all evil spirits away.

He recalled the moment just now and attentively searched for details. Judging from Zheng Ren's expression and manner, the surgery should have been successful.

This chief resident was really good.

The emergency department had received three to five similar cases this month, and each of them had been successfully treated.

This time, there should be no problem as well.

Old Chief Physician Pan was slowly pacing in the hall with his hands on his back, wondering if he had missed any details during the surgery explanation just now.

It was inexcusable to be a hindrance to Zheng Ren, a competent man.

More than ten minutes later, Zheng Ren walked up via the fire escape with Chu Yanran trailing behind him. Su Yun was nowhere to be seen.

"Zheng Ren, you've returned." Old Chief Physician Pan made a gesture in the meantime.

Zheng Ren acknowledged the hint, nodded and whispered, "Very successful."

Finally, it took the weight off his mind.

Tang Xiu assumed a fetal position on the ground with her shoulders trembling with every sob.

"Are you the patient's family member?" Zheng Ren stood in front of her and asked.

Tang Xiu did not seem to hear him at all and continued sobbing on the ground.

Zheng Ren asked a few more times, but Tang Xiu remained unresponsive as if her brain had been fried. Left with no choice, he took out his phone. "Are you busy?

"Come to the operating theater.

"Yes, a family member is too deeply in grief for communication.

"Yes, that's right. Once you arrive, I'll sort out the angiographic footage. The surgery is a success, don't worry."

Zheng Ren hung up and said to Old Chief Physician Pan, "Let Chang Yue communicate with her."

Old Chief Physician Pan, who was fully aware of Chang Yue's superb communication skills, knew that Zheng Ren's arrangement was logical and did not mind about his personal decision making as well. Then, he asked with a smile, "How did you do the surgery?"

Zheng Ren patted Chu Yanran's shoulder and gestured to her to leave first while they waited for Chang Yue's arrival. After that, he replied calmly, "He has a traumatic rupture of hepatic hemangioma. I've injected an embolization coil after locating the bleeding artery."

"So simple?"

"This is more complicated," Zheng Ren explained, "The artery is relatively thick, and its lumen couldn't be fully closed with an embolization coil alone, so I've used four absorbable gelatin sponges to complete the task."

Zheng Ren's explanation sounded dull and uninteresting, but Old Chief Physician Pan could imagine the intense tension and prudence he must have experienced while performing the surgery against the clock.

"How is the patient now?" asked Old Chief Physician Pan.

"His systolic pressure has reached 80mmHg and diastolic pressure was detectable upon his arrival at the ICU. His heart rate has reduced as well, so I think the hemorrhagic shock should have been controlled by now," Zheng Ren reported, "I'm still worried, so I've asked Su Yun to take care of him for the time being. If everything goes well, he can be extubated tomorrow and discharged from the ICU."

"Good." Contented, Old Chief Physician Pan gave Zheng Ren a kind and proud gaze.

They chatted for a while and finally saw Chang Yue walking at full speed.

After assigning the task to Chang Yue, Zheng Ren and Old Chief Physician Pan entered the operating theater.

In the operator's console room, Zheng Ren explained the surgical process to Old Chief Physician Pan while editing the angiographic footage.

Old Chief Physician Pan's thirst for knowledge greatly surprised Zheng Ren.

He was almost seventy years old. Even though he was still physically strong with a flawless eyesight and hearing, and walked like the wind as well, it was impossible for him to involve himself in interventional radiology.

There was no way he could perform interventional radiology-assisted surgery in his lifetime.

In that case, was there any point in him learning interventional radiology? Zheng Ren had no idea and was too lazy to think about it. Perhaps the old man was curious, or maybe he wanted to master a new clinical skill that could come in handy when dealing with certain emergency situations.

Regardless of what Old Chief Physician Pan had in mind, Zheng Ren would definitely satisfy his simple request—explanation of surgical procedures.

Having seen the surgery process, especially from the shocking bloom of "smoky flower" until its complete dissipation, Old Chief Physician Pan was convinced that the surgery had been successful.

Although he had not personally performed the surgery, he had read through related articles and understood its fundamental principles and difficulties behind its manipulation.

The words sounded easy and the surgery seemed simple, but Old Chief Physician Pan knew that all surgery difficulties had been solved with Zheng Ren's expertise.

If the surgeon had been someone else, the patient might have perished due to excessive bleeding before the bleeding artery could have been located.

An idea suddenly emerged in Old Chief Physician Pan's mind as he quietly watched Zheng Ren editing the angiographic footage.

"You should join the scientific research in Imperial Capital. I'll call Professor Pei in my free time."

"Huh?" Zheng Ren turned his head and looked at Old Chief Physician Pan in doubt.

"You should take your skills to the next level. It'll be a waste of talent if you stay in Sea City."

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Chapter 139: The "Lucky" Escape

After the angiographic footage was edited, Zheng Ren and Old Chief Physician Pan walked out of the operating theater.

Chang Yue and Tang Xiu were nowhere to be seen, presumably in the emergency ward right now. Amazed, Zheng Ren habitually complimented Chang Yue internally for her superb communication skills.

The family member's emotions had gone out of control, and yet Chang Yue had been able to calm her down within twenty minutes. Her ability was simply amazing.

Zheng Ren returned to the emergency ward after bidding goodbye to Old Chief Physician Pan.

He entered the office and saw Chang Yue trying her very best to comfort Tang Xiu.

Tang Xiu was wiping the tears that had ruined her makeup with the tissue paper Chang Yue provided.

"Chief Zheng, you're back," said Chang Yue immediately after seeing Zheng Ren.

"Yes. You're the patient's family member? What's your name?" he asked.

"..." Tang Xiu was momentarily stunned, but she quickly regained her composure and replied, "Hello, Doctor Zheng. I'm Tang Xiu, the daughter of the patient you've just rescued."

She stood up and politely extended her hand.

Zheng Ren gently shook her hand and felt a cold moisture on her palm.

"Please sit down. I'll explain to you about the patient's condition, and then we'll go to ICU together, but you can't enter the ward, so you won't be able to visit your father today. If everything goes well, you can visit him tomorrow," said Zheng Ren as he opened the computer and brought up the angiographic footage that he had just edited.

Everything from the cause of disease onset to the patient's condition at the time of onset, and finally to the emergency resuscitation and surgery was explained in a concise manner.

Tang Xiu, whose emotions had stabilized, started shuddering out of anxiety again.

According to Zheng Ren, her father had had a ruptured hepatic hemangioma leading to profuse bleeding from a blood vessel that was only a few millimeters thick. If he had been admitted a minute too late, he definitely would have passed away.

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Zheng Ren clearly explained the details with the footage so that Tang Xiu could understand it better.

The large smoke signified the dissipation of life energy, and the last angiographic image revealed that the deadly smoke finally disappeared. The whole process seemed simple, but the shock and fear was indescribable in the family member's heart.

Tang Xiu could hear the sound of her heart throbbing against her ribcage in more than ten seconds of stunned silence.

The beatings were so intense,

As if in the next second,

Her heart would burst through her chest.

Tang Xiu forced herself to calm down before she stood up and deeply bowed to Zheng Ren.

"Thank you, Doctor Zheng," she said seriously.

"You're welcome," Zheng Ren waved his hand and said, "The patient isn't out of danger yet. You can thank me when he is discharged from the hospital."

"I would never have the chance to thank you if you didn't act in a timely manner." A complicated feeling gnawed at her heart.

She once again recalled the article written by Wei Feng not long ago.

That was a memory that she tried but failed to wipe away.

There came a certain moment in life when every human had to face their true self.

If her superiors had not given the order to attach the evidence where the troublemakers had blackmailed the reporter, she would have happily published that article on the front page.

One would learn to empathize only after he had been in others' shoes.

If Tang Xiu had been given a second chance, she would definitely have smashed the article right at Wei Feng's face.

Her initial excitement when she first read the article, the despair upon hearing the horrifying news and the joy after escaping from the nightmare... Inside her heart was a chaotic mess of emotions.

"Let's go to the ICU." Zheng Ren walked out of the office.

Tang Xiu quickly caught up with him and asked, "Doctor Zheng, does my father have a high chance of recovery?"

"Yes," Zheng Ren answered confidently, "However, lots of red blood cells and plasma had been infused due to massive hemorrhage, so complications such as DIC may arise. Please wait outside, I'll check on the patient."

Zheng Ren pressed the doorbell and entered once the door was unlocked.

All types of incurable diseases and critical illnesses were sent to ICU, a place responsible for clearing up every mess in the hospital.

It was still as busy as ever. Zheng Ren could even hear a cacophony of sounds from various monitors and ventilators in the ICU corridor.

The sound involuntarily quickened his heart rate and pushed his mind into a state of high alert.

"How is the patient?" Zheng Ren came straight to the postoperative patient after entering the ICU and asked.

"He has regained consciousness from general anesthesia, and his condition remains stable so far. I've told him that he needs a ventilator to assist his breathing for one night," replied Su Yun, who was sitting on a chair while repeatedly tapping a paper with the tip of a pen.

The patient's vital sign readings on the monitor had normalized, and his systolic pressure had reached 100mmHg. The bloody red fonts on the System panel at the upper right corner of Zheng Ren's vision gradually faded as well, a clear sign that the patient had basically gotten out of immediate danger.

"Okay." Zheng Ren nodded and scanned through the patient's postoperative test results. Just when he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly recalled something and asked, "What do you want for dinner? I'm going to order food for delivery."

"No thanks," Su Yun lazily stretched himself and said with a smile, "Yiren just said that she found a new barbeque restaurant. Once the patient's condition stabilizes, we'll head out for dinner."

"..."

"Chief resident, take care of your home."

"..." Zheng Ren turned around and left without any hesitation.

A chief resident indeed lived a miserable life.

He could only stay in the hospital and wait for emergency cases while his buddies happily went out for dinner. Although he had no interest in food, he actually enjoyed the moments spent together with the group.

'That's a bummer. In that case, perhaps I can check if there are any trauma cases awaiting wound closure in the emergency department. Practice makes perfect, right?'

Zheng Ren thought along the way.

Upon exiting the outermost doors of the ICU, Tang Xiu stepped forward eagerly, but was afraid that he came out with bad news.

After seeing Tang Xiu's hesitant and worried look, Zheng Ren said directly without keeping her waiting, "Your father has regained consciousness from anesthesia, but massive blood loss has rendered his body weak, so we've used a ventilator to assist his breathing for a night to reduce cardiac workload. I think he can be transferred to the emergency ward tomorrow morning."

Zheng Ren's words completely took a load off her mind.

"Thank you, Doctor Zheng."

"No problem." Zheng Ren waved his hand and left the scene.

Relieved, Tang Xiu began to call her mother and other relatives to inform them about the bad news and the relatively good news.

'F*ck you, Wei Feng!' She cursed internally while making the phone calls.

If the chief editor had allowed the publication of Wei Feng's article, Doctor Zheng would have been suspended. That was the simplest punishment of all.

If that had been the case... a cold corpse would have been waiting for her today.

The more Tang Xiu thought about it, the greater her fear. Without giving a damn to her image, she slumped against the wall, using it to support her weight.

The coldness from the wall seeped into her body and froze her soul.

'Luck is on my side,' she thought emotionally after a long while.

...

...

Zheng Ren returned to the emergency ward, took out a book of emergency first aid and began his revision. He had completely forgotten about the academic conference that Old Chief Physician Pan wanted him to attend, and as for the invitation card, he had absolutely no clue where he had placed it last time.

However, since he was a chief resident in the emergency department, there was nothing wrong with him gaining knowledge of emergency first aid.

At half-past five, Xie Yiren ran down and asked Zheng Ren what he wanted to have for dinner.

Zheng Ren hesitated for a while, and Xie Yiren merely looked at him as if staring at a fool.

Xie Yiren was unable to comprehend his thinking. How could anyone dislike food? How boring would life be if everything in the world tasted the same?

Yes, Zheng Ren was indeed a boring man.

Without waiting for his answer, Xie Yiren told him not to order food and pulled Chang Yue out of the room.

Yang Lei trailed behind them like a ghost. He shifted his gaze between Xie Yiren's back and Zheng Ren, and silently gave him an ambiguous smile.

Everyone was gone, and every patient who could ambulate had returned home as well. The emergency ward felt quiet and empty in this instant.

Zheng Ren read his book attentively.

The phone rang at past seven o'clock.

He accepted the call and heard a high-pitched cry among the chaotic noises in the background from the other side of the phone.

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Chapter 140: A Robbery In The Emergency Department

F*ck! What the hell happened again?!

The sharp, chaotic noise instantly sent Zheng Ren's entire system into overdrive.

His blood pressure and heart rate skyrocketed.

This was a common reaction during emergency situations. Therefore, most doctors and nurses working in the emergency department had varying degrees of arrhythmia and required metoprolol tablets to relieve their symptoms.

Zheng Ren experienced palpitations, chest tightness and dyspnea, but the urgency forced him to ignore them as he stood and rushed down to the emergency department.

When passing the nurses' station, he simply informed them of where he was going and instructed them to call him in case anything happened. Then, he ran to his destination at full speed.

Onlookers were staring at a commotion in the halls and the corridors, which were filled with a cacophony of smells—disinfectants, the acidic stench of vomit and the metallic scent of blood.

The tenseness silenced everyone except for a few ignorant children whose hysterical crying rebounded off the walls and echoed throughout the emergency department like an aria.

Zheng Ren weaved his way through the crowd toward the scene.

What in the world had happened? Was it a cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death? Had someone ingested paraquat, necessitating immediate treatment, or...

Countless thoughts whizzed through his mind.

Hesitant and afraid, a few security guards stood outside the medication store of the emergency department treatment room.

Upon seeing Zheng Ren's arrival, the lead security guard approached him with a bitter expression and whispered, "Chief Zheng, a man is stealing narcotics."

An invisible fist seemed to clench Zheng Ren's heart and slow his heartbeat.

It was not a rescue operation, but just as troublesome as one.

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After the leniency in narcotics control many years ago, drug-related crimes had constantly afflicted China.

However, as regulations became increasingly stringent, at least two men were required to safeguard the keys to the drug storage room as if the drugs were top-secret documents in the National Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. If absolutely necessary, a doctor licensed to prescribe drugs would write a prescription, which was then reviewed by two nurses before the patient could receive any.

In addition, every empty ampoule had to be returned in exchange for new drugs.

Due to the implementation of strict regulations and constant anti-crime activities, evil forces had been forced to stay out of trouble and hide in the dark.

Today's incident had not occurred in a long time.

Zheng Ren pushed the crowd aside and saw an ashen-faced nurse covering her mouth with trembling hands and huddling up in a corner of the treatment room, trying desperately to swallow the fear in her throat so her whimpers would not provoke the robber.

Her knuckles were visibly white with effort.

An emaciated man about one meter seventy was trying to unlock every drawer and cabinet with the keys in his hand.

There was a black tattoo on his arm, but it was so badly inked that Zheng Ren had to observe very closely before being able to vaguely make out a dragon.

A watermelon knife in his left hand danced in rhythm with his uncontrollable muscle tremors.

Zheng Ren knew that anyone who exhibited such behavior was dangerous and beyond reason.

He had no clue how to handle this situation. Whether it ended in peaceful resolution or bloodshed depended on his decision now.

How would this end? No one knew the answer.

"Why can't I open it?!" mumbled the young man angrily after numerous failed attempts at unlocking the drawer. His voice sounded so croaky and slurred that both Zheng Ren and the nurse curling up in the corner failed to understand his words, let alone communicate with him.

He then picked up a bottle of normal saline and hurled it at the nurse in the corner.

However, his uncoordinated movements diminished his accuracy and the bottle ended up hitting a cabinet with a loud crash.

The sound of shattered glass was so harsh that the nurse huddling up in the corner quickly covered her ears and screamed at the top of her lungs.

The scream seemed to provoke the young man, who had completely lost his mind. With bloodshot eyes, he pointed the knife at the nurse and mumbled something Zheng Ren could not catch.

Seeing the situation going out of hand, Zheng Ren kicked the half-closed door without giving a damn about the consequences.

"Boom!"

The young man, like a wild beast acting on primal instinct, was instantly attracted by the thunderous noise.

He turned around and fixed his gaze on Zheng Ren.

Muscle spasms contorted his face, causing a fine trickle of drool to leak from the corner of his mouth. That, coupled with the meaningless groans from his throat, was indeed a horrifying sight.

Despite it being his subconscious that drove him to draw the young man's attention, it still sent a shiver down Zheng Ren's spine.

In the emergency department, he had encountered ruffians, unreasonable families and troublemakers.

However, none of them had ever been as dangerous as this irrational young man right now.

"Spread out, move away!" Zheng Ren vigorously waved his arms and instructed the onlookers to back off.

The security guards had enough professionalism to know that if the man went crazy, he would spark a bloodbath in the emergency department.

Expecting the onlookers to overwhelm the lone man with their huge numbers... was practically impossible.

"Spread out! Move out of the way!" The guards assisted Zheng Ren in dispersing the crowd.

Those who had spider-sense and detected danger earlier quickly backed away.

However, the gap they left behind was immediately filled by even more nosy parkers.

Zheng Ren's heart was consumed by bitterness as he faced the irrational young man and the ignorant crowd of fascinated spectators.

The thick wall of onlookers extinguished his last hope to make a run for it. Not only would he be unable to push the crowd aside if he attempted to escape, but any attempt would also inevitably put patients and their family members in harm's way...

The consequences would be catastrophic!

Zheng Ren's back was already against the wall when he tried to take two steps away.

A savage smile appeared on the man's face. He pointed the knife at Zheng Ren and tried to mutter something, but he simply could not put his thoughts into words in his current state of mind.

'I'm wearing only surgical attire and a white coat. Would it be better if I had a cotton-padded coat on me?' Like any ordinary person who faced danger, Zheng Ren's mind wandered elsewhere and a completely irrelevant thought popped into his brain.

He was not a martial artist and simply lacked the capability to defeat the robber alone.

He had attracted the robber's attention and given up the idea of fleeing the scene solely because of his firm adherence to the principle of humanity.

When the feral robber walked out of the treatment room, knife in hand, only then did the bystanders in the front understand what was going on.

The crowd shrieked and scattered immediately.

The children's hysterical crying and the screeches of terror created chaos, resonating violently in the air.

Zheng Ren scanned the area and tried to find something to defend himself. However, the red, hard plastic benches were welded to the ground precisely to prevent them from being used as weapons in conflicts.

How about the office? That was too far and he would never reach there safely.

The young robber seemed to have completely lost his sanity and forgotten his initial purpose of visiting the emergency department.

'That f*cking doctor is trying to stop me. Kill him!'

That was all that filled his mind.

Raising the watermelon knife, he rushed at Zheng Ren with murder in his eyes, but after two steps, his legs suddenly gave way and he stumbled.

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Chapter 141: Strong Survival Instinct

Before Zheng Ren could react, a figure charged past him at lightning speed, like a cheetah.

In the blink of an eye, the young robber was already on the floor with his elbow twisted underneath a large foot.

It was a professional maneuver to subdue an opponent as it fully conformed to one's body mechanics and ergonomics, but simply knowing about it did not mean Zheng Ren was able to execute it.

"Doctor Zheng, we meet again." Fan Tianshui smiled.

Zheng Ren had long forgotten about this man ever since he was discharged... half a month ago?

However, his features were so unique that Zheng Ren, who had late-stage face blindness cancer, could easily recognize him.

The big-boned Fan Tianshui had gained considerable weight compared to his initial emaciated frame half a month ago.

The added bulk made him look sturdy rather than simply being plump.

Just like a lion.

"Why... Why are you here?" asked Zheng Ren curiously.

"The company has been paying attention to the Sea City General Hospital emergency department. After we were informed about ongoing trouble, I rushed here as soon as possible," Fan Tianshui said, "Manager Lian will be arriving soon."

Zheng Ren was aware that 'Lian' was Little Six's surname, but was used to addressing the man as Brother Six.

This was really...

'Being kind has its own advantages too,' Zheng Ren thought.

"Have you called the police?" he asked loudly.

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"They should be arriving soon," answered one of the nurses from afar.

Zheng Ren sighed in relief. His heart rate gradually normalized, but the irregularity in his heart rhythm was still there.

It was a small issue, though.

He went to console the frightened nurse still huddled in the corner of the treatment room.

She was an experienced nurse in her thirties.

A senior nurse was required to supervise junior nurses during night shifts in the emergency department and keep them from panicking during an emergency.

After he comforted the nurse for a while, Little Six and the police arrived at almost the same time.

The officers were particularly professional in dealing with malicious cases that could endanger public safety.

The young robber was escorted back to the public security bureau first before every involved staff member was interviewed and their confessions recorded in a quiet room.

Old Chief Physician Pan also arrived along with a chief from a sub-bureau. After he grimly inspected the department and ensured that all medical personnel were only mentally traumatized rather than physically injured, he began discussing the issue with the bureau chief, relieved.

Unlike his usual method of communication with patients, his mannerisms were particularly imperious when speaking with the chief.

The chief merely stood ramrod-straight, like a recruit receiving a lecture from a senior squad leader.

After statements had been taken, Zheng Ren noticed that the emergency department had regained its peace and approached Old Chief Physician Pan to give his report. The old man merely asked him to return home immediately to rest and get over the traumatic experience, promising to properly handle the situation.

Old Chief Physician Pan was capable of solving almost every issue that came his way, so Zheng Ren agreed, unworried.

A few hours later, Zheng Ren returned to the emergency ward, dead on his feet.

The few minutes of tension had been more exhausting than ten consecutive surgeries. Adrenaline and dopamine had been released in large quantities, but once the stressor had gone, an overwhelming fatigue consumed his body.

Upon returning to the office, he was astonished to see Xie Yiren sitting cross-legged on a chair, wearing a pair of white airpods while playing on her phone.

Two large rabbit ears on the headphones accentuated her cuteness.

"Why are you here?" asked Zheng Ren, dazed.

"Hey, you're back!" Xie Yiren merely detected his presence at the door without actually hearing his question. After she raised her head and saw Zheng Ren, she quickly removed her headphones and jumped off the chair.

"Why are you here?" Zheng Ren repeated, realizing that she had been distracted.

"I brought you food," Xie Yiren replied, "This barbeque is very delicious."

"How delicious?"

Xie Yiren gestured with her hands, mimicking a multi-storey building. "This much."

The adorable girl's youthful vitality reinvigorated Zheng Ren and alleviated his fatigue.

He laughed and patted Xie Yiren's head. "Where is the rice?"

"I heard that you were speaking to the police when I came back just now, so I left it on the water heater. What happened?" She finally remembered to ask about the incident.

"It was just a small issue," replied Zheng Ren with a smile, unwilling to scare Xie Yiren.

"Then hurry up and have your dinner. It'll go cold if you wait any longer." Xie Yiren leaped to retrieve the packed food.

Her fair-skinned hands were clean and unpolished, natural like a beautifully carved jade.

Zheng Ren could even detect her infinite love for delicious food as she opened the bags of food one after another.

There was a gleam in her eyes as she elaborated on their taste and texture.

'She is a typical foodie,' Zheng Ren thought.

He did not have much love for food and considered it a means to fill his stomach. If there was no hunger and food was not required for his survival, he would probably choose not to eat at all.

Eating was simply a waste of time.

"Try this, it's very delicious. Unlike ordinary rib fingers, you can actually savor the depths of flavor in your mouth.

"Try this. It'll stimulate all your taste buds without giving you a greasy feeling and make your heart explode with joy."

"..."

Zheng Ren tasted each dish while listening to Xie Yiren's enthusiastic descriptions. He failed to detect the depths of flavor, nor did he experience explosive sensations on his taste buds.

"How are they?" asked Xie Yiren with her big, round eyes full of excitement.

"Delicious," answered Zheng Ren against his conscience.

In his opinion, this was merely food, and the only differences lay in their content—protein suppressed appetite for a longer period of time.

However, his strong instinct for survival prevented him from blurting out the truth. No matter how insensible he was, he had to show some respect for his precious life.

"My bestie, the one hospitalized in the gastroenterology department for acute pancreatitis a few days ago and discharged recently, also went for a barbeque today." Xie Yiren smiled, her crinkled eyes like crescent moons. "She liked it and ate a lot as well."

"She had acute pancreatitis, it's best not to binge-eat." Zheng Ren was a killjoy.

"She had recovered anyway. Besides, she wasn't really binge-eating because her stomach could only expand so much." Xie Yiren argued.

"Have they gone home?" asked Zheng Ren.

"They wanted to play mahjong after dinner, but it's alien to me, so I sent them back to my house first before delivering food to you. I think they're still in the middle of their game."

'They're really indulging themselves,' Zheng Ren grumbled internally about their luxurious lifestyle.

"I'm afraid to stay alone in a house, anyway. The more the merrier, right?" continued Xie Yiren as she stared at Zheng Ren happily, anticipating compliments whenever food entered his mouth as if she was savoring the taste herself.

In order not to disappoint Xie Yiren, Zheng Ren ate very slowly while racking his brain for numerous compliments every time he took a bite of the barbecued meat.

This was more... agonizing than when he had faced the young robber just now.

The thought popped up naturally without him actually realizing it.

Suddenly, his phone rang while he was halfway through the meal.

His heart rate that had normalized once again accelerated to more than 110 beats per minute. When a chief resident's cell phone rang, especially for doctors like Zheng Ren, it usually meant the arrival of an emergency case.

"Chief Zheng, there is a patient with a stab wound in the emergency department. Please come down and take a look at him."

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Chapter 142: Don't Use Knife In A Quarrel (Part I)

After telling Xie Yiren to summon the group of pleasure-seeking doctors for overtime, Zheng Ren stuffed the rest of the meat into his mouth.

In the emergency department located on the first floor, a woman helplessly stood in the resuscitation room, covered in blood with fear written all over her face.

Zheng Ren quickly reentered the emergency department and glanced at the patient on the bed. On the upper right corner of his vision floated the System panel with a diagnosis painted in light red—splenic rupture complicated with hemorrhagic shock.

"A forty-five-year-old man was stabbed on the left upper quadrant of his abdomen an hour ago. His blood pressure was at 80/60mmHg upon arrival at the hospital," the emergency doctor on duty in the general surgery division reported, "An emergency B-scan ultrasonography revealed a 3.5-centimeter deep effusion that did not reach the thoracic cavity."

The spleen was located below to the left diaphragm, so it was necessary to rule out a thoracoabdominal injury when managing a trauma patient.

If the patient had a collapsed lung and required artificial ventilation in the operating theater... Death would be imminent.

Even though the System did not report a punctured lung or traumatic pneumothorax, Zheng Ren remained vigilant and examined the man's respiratory system with a stethoscope. Air entry was equal on both sides of the lungs without any crackles or rales.

This should be an uncomplicated trauma case.

"Where are his family members?" asked Zheng Ren.

"There she is." The doctor furtively pointed at the stunned woman in the resuscitation room. "I heard she stabbed her lover in an argument."

"..."

What a tough woman!

However, Zheng Ren had no desire to resolve a lovers' quarrel. He called out to the woman and brought the patient to a thoracoabdominal CT scan to ensure the absence of pneumothorax before pushing him to the emergency operating theater.

Su Yun, who was already waiting at the entrance, wheeled the patient into the operating theater along with one of the Chu sisters while Zheng Ren proceeded to change out of his attire.

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Judging from the patient's blood pressure, his condition was actually not serious.

'Perhaps I don't have to remove his spleen,' Zheng Ren thought after judging the situation.

He changed, performed a surgical scrub and put on a gown.

The Chu sisters had anesthetized the patient and Su Yun had performed all necessary preparations such as disinfection and application of surgical drapes on the operative site. All of them were solemnly standing by beneath the surgical lighthead and waiting for Zheng Ren to march into the battlefield.

Zheng Ren had a feeling that he was now a professor, something that he still had not gotten used to. After all, Su Yun's current tasks had been his responsibility during his time in the first general surgery department, and the chief surgeon had occasionally disallowed his participation after surgical drapes had been applied.

He had decided on a course of action after thinking about it along the way.

A surgical scalpel was placed on his outstretched hand.

Zheng Ren then made a 20-centimeter incision along the left costal margin.

The surgery was broadcast live in Xinglin Garden at the same time.

[The god hasn't broadcast his surgery in a while.]

[What's this case about? Huh? It's a rare case of splenic rupture.]

[It's an uncomplicated case of splenic rupture and the blood pressure isn't dangerously low either. Just perform a splenectomy and the patient can be discharged in a week, not a big deal at all.]

The first batch of viewers chatted leisurely before the surgery officially began.

A simple splenectomy posed no difficulty for all general surgeons.

After all, destruction was always easier than construction.

[That's a big and wide incision. I think this host surgeon is different.]

[Who knows? You can actually see some similarities in their techniques.]

[Fast, isn't it? It's just a splenectomy, how slow can you go?]

In the livestream, an aspirator with suction tube was plunged into the peritoneal cavity once an opening was created on the peritoneum. Viscous, dark red blood gurgled up the tube.

The blood around the incision was soon extracted. Pushing the aspirator deeper into the cavity, the host surgeon opened the peritoneum and put protective measures on the peritoneal membranes.

[A surgical assistant really makes the operation much easier.]

[Of course, that's why there is a saying, "you can't perform a surgery alone."]

[Watch the host surgeon's past surgeries; most of them had been completed single-handedly. A surgical assistant would shorten the surgery by a few minutes at most.]

The doctors watching the livestream had an inexplicable confidence in the host surgeon, developed after observing hundreds of amazing surgeries.

When the peritoneal membrane was protected, it was time to expose the peritoneal cavity.

Su Yun aspirated the remaining blood in the cavity while Zheng Ren inspected the spleen and found a two-centimeter wound with blood constantly oozing out of it.

The wound was compressed with a sterile gauze to minimize blood loss before Zheng Ren quickly examined other abdominal organs such as the liver, pancreas, stomach, retroperitoneal blood vessels, surrounding intestines and duodenum.

Fortunately, it was just a simple splenic rupture; the same diagnosis given by the System.

Massive hemorrhaging had caused the ruptured spleen to shrink without adhering to the surrounding tissue. Zheng Ren took it out of the wound and carefully passed it to Su Yun.

[Wow, what is the host surgeon going to do? Repair the spleen?]

[Sure looks like it. This patient's injured spleen can be surgically repaired.]

[Unless the spleen is severely ruptured, we would normally proceed with repair. A splenectomy is simply too easy.]

[Can you stop bullsh*tting? If something goes wrong during a splenic repair surgery, the patient would most likely have to go for reoperation.]

Many doctors watching the livestream had their own opinion on whether to proceed with surgical repair or the more violent method—direct removal of the ruptured spleen.

Doctors with slightly inferior skills rarely had the courage to repair a ruptured spleen.

The post-segmental nephrectomy hemorrhaging that Zheng Ren had treated a few days ago posed the same risks that now plagued this spleen.

Both the kidney and spleen were fragile organs. During repair, suture knots would not hold in mild injuries, and any unnecessary increase in strength would cause a secondary rupture in severely traumatized organs.

After passing the ruptured spleen to Su Yun, Zheng Ren used several pieces of large sterile gauze to fill the splenic fossa.

The entire procedure was done speedily and cautiously without causing any secondary damage to other organs.

Su Yun had already examined the direction and depth of the wound while Zheng Ren was busy compressing the splenic fossa.

The wound was located on the superior border of the spleen with a depth of approximately three centimeters.

After Zheng Ren filled the splenic fossa with gauze, he reached out again for a needle holder along with a suture thread.

A standard 3# suture needle was used, along with an absorbable suture thread size 1-0.

Su Yun held the ruptured spleen firmly for Zheng Ren to close the wound using the vertical mattress suture technique.

[Er... Why is the host surgeon moving so fast? Are they not worried about secondary tears?]

[They know what they are doing. After all, they have performed this procedure multiple times, so they can't slow down even if they want to.]

[That's still so scary. One time I repaired a ruptured spleen and accidentally tore it due to excessive strength.]

This was not a standardized surgical procedure. Some surgeons from lower-ranked hospitals had never performed surgical repair of a ruptured spleen in their entire career. They would usually proceed with a splenectomy to prevent secondary injuries that could require reoperation.

Following closure of the wound, Zheng Ren placed the needle holder beside the patient's thigh. Xie Yiren then picked it up, wiped the blood off and placed it onto the instrument table while stealing a peek at Zheng Ren's movements from time to time.

After a surgical knot was made, Xie Yiren gently placed a pair of scissors on Zheng Ren's outstretched palm.

Excessive suture thread was cut and thrown away, and the wound was irrigated with warm normal saline.

Everything was done according to protocol.

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Chapter 143: Don't Use Knife In A Quarrel (Part II)

Warm normal saline was used to irrigate the peritoneal cavity. Even though the surgery completion rate on the System panel was high and would reach 100 percent following the closure of the abdominal surgical wound, Zheng Ren still cautiously examined the peritoneal cavity for any active bleeding spots.

This was probably a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder that every surgeon suffered.

A detailed examination was absolutely necessary as reoperation due to postoperative hemorrhaging would be more damaging to the patient than simply undergoing one surgery.

A reoperation had a higher risk of complications.

Two thousand milliliters of warm normal saline was poured into the peritoneal cavity and aspirated until the fluid gurgling along the tube became light-colored and less turbid. Then, Zheng Ren and Su Yun closed the abdomen together.

Chu Yanran had been observing the patient's vital signs and progression throughout the surgery.

At the beginning of abdominal wound closure, she made a note on the intraoperative anesthesia record and prepared medication for the patient's anesthesia recovery.

On the other hand, Chu Yanzhi chatted leisurely with Xie Yiren for a while and stood behind Zheng Ren and Su Yun to observe the surgery's progress from a different angle.

Each abdominal wall layer was sutured accordingly. As the last layer was being sutured, the patient gradually began to regain consciousness.

Since he had been admitted just in time, blood loss remained minimal and he merely suffered mild hemorrhagic shock. Thus, he did not need to be intubated or ventilated post-surgery.

However, due to a lack of nurses in the emergency department, Zheng Ren decided to transfer the patient to the ICU for one night.

The cost of treatment in the ICU would not exceed ten thousand yuan a day. If the patient's postoperative blood tests revealed a hemoglobin count over 80, blood transfusions would be unnecessary.

He could get through the recovery phase with his hematopoiesis alone.

Following the completion of surgery, Zheng Ren remained onsite to assist with the patient transfer to a stretcher trolley, which was then escorted to the ICU by Su Yun and Chu Yanran. After that, he took a shower and changed his clothes before returning to the emergency ward.

Su Yun was nowhere to be seen as he was adhering to standard procedure.

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Since it was a postoperative emergency surgical case, Su Yun would normally stay in the ICU and monitor the patient for one to two hours. When the patient's condition had stabilized and no additional treatment plan was required, only then would he return to the emergency department.

An hour later, Zheng Ren informed the nurses on duty of his temporary absence before putting on a white coat and heading to the ICU to check on the postoperative patient's condition.

Unless the surgery was very simple, every surgeon would do this as long as conditions permitted.

In the ICU, the patient had regained consciousness and his condition had stabilized.

However, analgesia had been administered for the pain at the incision site, so he was currently asleep at the moment.

Monitors revealed that the patient's vital signs were stable as well. However, Su Yun was not making calculations with pen and paper by the ventilator and various monitors as he did the other critically ill patients.

Instead, he was chatting leisurely with the nurses.

Zheng Ren had no idea what they were talking about, but he could clearly see the euphoric smiles on the nurses' faces as they spoke softly.

Apart from the slight discomfort of the ventilator tube, the old man with a ruptured hemangioma had basically stabilized and his blood pressure had normalized as well. Zheng Ren then explained the situation outside to him and calmed him down.

He was recovering well, which was a good sign.

Zheng Ren smiled and left.

All the chairs in the corridor were fully occupied with multiple sleeping bags laid all across the floor, but he had no idea if the patient's lover was among them.

That was usually the case in the ICU. Family members were restricted from entering at all times, which was a necessity to prevent transmission of bacteria to patients' exposed airways which could lead to secondary bacterial infection. Thus, they had no choice but to sleep outside, even on the floor as the hospital did not have a lounge.

The patient who had undergone surgery today was considered a minor case and could be transferred out of the ICU the next day, so his family had to suffer for only one night. However, for patients who were critically ill and relied on ventilators for life support, their families would be forced to wait outside indefinitely.

Zheng Ren called out the family member's name several times. His voice was loud but not deafening.

A sound could be heard from the fire escape, so he pushed open the door to have a look.

Tang Xiu and the middle-aged woman were smoking in the fire escape.

Upon seeing Zheng Ren, Tang Xiu was momentarily stunned and subconsciously offered him her fashionable cigarettes.

Zheng Ren waved his hand in response.

"The patient is recovering well, so you can expect a transfer out of the ICU if everything goes well," said Zheng Ren.

The news exhilarated both Tang Xiu and the middle-aged woman, but they were soon in doubt. Which patient was Doctor Zheng referring to?

Zheng Ren also smiled. "Both are fine."

This put their weight off their minds.

"Lovers' quarrel?" Zheng Ren pretended to be relaxed and asked tentatively.

Embarrassed, the middle-aged woman bit her lip and nodded.

"Why did you use a knife?"

"He is an honest man, but there are lots of wedding ceremonies this month and he asked for money to be gifted as a wedding present," the middle-aged woman said in defense, "You also know that high school tuition fees are very expensive and each make-up class costs a few hundred yuan. Both of us are ordinary employees who earn just enough money to live on. The money he requested was basically all of our savings."

"You don't have to use a knife either." Zheng Ren smiled kindly. "Now you have to pay more for the treatment fee."

The thought of spending more money shattered her heart and contorted her face.

"Fortunately, you sent him here in a timely manner, so the fee isn't high. When he is transferred to the emergency ward, I'll try my best to minimize the cost as much as possible," said Zheng Ren.

"Thank you so much." The middle-aged woman nodded vigorously. "The medical expenses can be covered by insurance, right?"

"Impossible." Zheng Ren shook his head. "Medical insurance doesn't cover traffic collisions or knife injuries. Besides, even though this was a lovers' quarrel, you can still be sued for assault and face imprisonment."

The woman's expression sank immediately.

"However, your lover won't prosecute if he doesn't hold a grudge. After all, if there are no complaints from civilians, there won't be any response from officials as well," Zheng Ren said grimly, "When he is transferred out of the ICU tomorrow, don't act tough and just apologize nicely. If he is in a good mood during his recovery period, he can be discharged earlier and you'll spend less as well. If his condition worsens due to rage, subsequent medical charges will be astronomical."

Zheng Ren kept up the white lies until the middle-aged woman finally nodded in embarrassment and swore never to repeat the same mistake again.

That was the objective of his constant persuasion. Even though he was not as talented as Chang Yue, he had achieved the Master rank in understanding family members' mindsets after working in the medical field for years.

It was better not to end the conversation hastily when speaking with scared family members who had impulsively and rashly harmed their loved ones.

"Doctor Zheng, how is my father?" asked Tang Xiu anxiously after noticing that Zheng Ren and the middle-aged woman's conversation had ended. She had been waiting quietly the whole time.

"The old man is fine. He has regained consciousness and hears me perfectly, but he can't speak at the moment due to the ventilator needed to assist his breathing. Don't worry, he'll be fine after being extubated tomorrow."

Both patients' smooth recoveries put a smile on both Zheng Ren and the family members' faces.

"Thank you, thank you." Tang Xiu was at a loss for words. All her thoughts coalesced into a flurry of gratitude and nothing else.

Zheng Ren waved his hand, left the fire escape and returned to his office via the elevator.

Xie Yiren had already left the hospital. Zheng Ren read through the WeChat group and saw that all of them had returned to their respective homes as they had lost interest in continuing to play mahjong after the emergency surgery.

Icy winds howled outside the building, but it was warm and cozy inside the hospital.

The first half of the night had been hectic in contrast to this peace and quiet.

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Chapter 144: The Hard-Hearted and The Soft-Hearted

The next morning, Old Chief Physician Pan brought along for his ward round Zheng Ren, Su Yun and Yang Lei to check the two patients who had undergone surgery yesterday in the ICU.

The blood pressure of Old Man Tang, whose diastolic pressure had been undetectable upon admission yesterday, had normalized and was currently stable. The blood tests conducted this morning showed that the hemoglobin had increased to a low normal level and coagulation remained unchanged, but there was a mild derangement noted in both liver and kidney functions.

However, these subtle changes were insignificant to the doctors.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man with a ruptured spleen was eager to leave the ICU.

The unceasing monotonous sounds of ventilators and various monitors could easily drive a person insane.

Content and proud, Old Chief Physician Pan chatted with ICU Chief Qian for a while and made arrangements for the patients' transfers before leading his 'soldiers' out of the ICU.

In the hospital, only the skillful could earn others' reverence.

The emergency wards gradually became established following Zheng Ren's arrival, which greatly satisfied Old Chief Physician Pan.

Even so, that did not stop him from demanding more manpower, greater budget allocation and policy implementations from hospital management.

After the ward round in the emergency observation unit, Old Chief Physician Pan quickly took his leave to torture all related personnel to realize his goal.

No one would allocate more staff and budget to a new department without constant pressure. Even if they did, the most they would provide a senior consultant were meaningless policies.

A powerful senior consultant could naturally make use of policy to promote the growth of the department, but if the senior consultant was a coward... none of it would matter.

Upon returning to the emergency ward, Zheng Ren began to document the transferral of both postoperative patients from the ICU.

Chang Yue would handle subsequent paperwork later. Despite the tediousness, she quickly completed the task without complaint.

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The patients were transferred from the ICU to the emergency ward an hour later.

There was a flaw in the initial design of the emergency ward—there were no single rooms.

Chang Yue meticulously arranged a relatively quiet room for both patients so that they could have speedier recoveries in an undisturbed environment.

In the same room lay a few patients who had undergone surgery three to five days ago. They would usually return home once infusion was complete, glad to no longer have to put up with the smell of disinfectant.

Treatment plans were modified according to patients' conditions, and tedious tasks such as patient-doctor communication and medical case documentation were Chang Yue and Yang Lei's responsibility.

Zheng Ren sat in his office and quietly read his book.

The symptoms he had experienced yesterday had subsided after a quiet night.

A series of footsteps approached in the corridor after a while.

'They are probably friends and relatives visiting patients,' Zheng Ren thought, detecting a floral scent even from his office.

"Chang Yue, inform them that flowers are prohibited in the ward," he instructed.

Chang Yue acknowledged the instruction and went out to communicate with the visitors.

Some patients were allergic to pollen and would develop hypersensitivity reactions of varying degrees.

Since they seldom had contact with various beautiful flowers, they would usually place the flowers gifted by family or friends on windowsills in the ward, unwilling to throw them away. However, immune systems were affected to a certain extent after surgery, leading to exacerbation of allergic reactions.

That was why Zheng Ren asked Chang Yue to stop them.

However, the effectiveness of such warnings was actually limited. After all, Zheng Ren could only educate visitors, but whether they would heed his advice or not... There was nothing he could do about it.

Even if they insisted on disregarding his advice, Sea City General Hospital would still lack the courage to forcibly discharge the patient.

If this had happened twenty years ago, large hospitals in Imperial Capital and Sorcery Capital would likely resort to this method, but following the advancement of social networks, such an event had become a rarity in the current world.

If a patient was forcibly discharged from a hospital due to failure to comply with regulations, news about doctors acting with utter disregard for human life would shortly after be published on the internet.

It was best to avoid controversy. Everyone had to bear the consequences of their own actions. There was no other way.

Soon, Chang Yue returned to the office with a peculiar look on her face.

"What's wrong?" asked Zheng Ren.

"They're from Sea City Metropolis Daily, and the leader of the group is the chief editor," answered Chang Yue softly.

Er... The newspaper office reminded Zheng Ren about the night when professional troublemakers had invited a reporter to the scene.

Even though it had been successfully resolved in the end, the mission Distortion of Human Nature or Loss of Moral Values still haunted him from time to time.

Spokespeople, the right to freedom of speech, uncrowned kings... these terms made Zheng Ren feel helpless.

He was reluctant to entertain them. The chief editor of a newspaper office; so what? He was not going to use their newspaper to improve his reputation, so he ignored the group and quietly remained in the office to continue his book.

After a while, a group of men appeared at the doorstep, led by an elegant, dignified and white-haired man in his fifties.

When he noticed that every doctor was occupied with work, he knocked on the door.

"You are..." Zheng Ren raised his head and asked despite knowing the answer.

"Hello, Doctor Zheng. I'm Li Weiren, chief editor of Sea City Metropolis Daily."

"Hello, Chief Editor Li. What can I do for you?" Zheng Ren had a bad impression of them. His expression made it clear that he would have never invited them into his office if conditions permitted.

Chief Editor Li was taken aback.

"Metropolis Daily? Isn't that the workplace of the reporter who had threatened to defame our doctors for performing surgery without the familys' consent half a month ago?" A lazy voice drawled from behind Zheng Ren.

Chief Editor Li looked embarrassed.

How long had it been since the mature and dignified chief editor was humiliated?

Unless one's father was murdered or wife abducted, who would willingly offend the voice of the people?

He had not expected to encounter both hard-hearted and soft-hearted men in the Sea City General Hospital emergency ward.

"So you're a big shot in the newspaper office. Please, come in quickly. Would you like a cup of tea? Oh, my apologies, we only have plain water, it might not be up to your standards." Su Yun continued to goad them. "Please, don't just stand there and come in quickly. We don't want to get exposed by news claiming that the doctors in Sea City General Hospital torture family members and conceal patient's conditions on purpose. We could get fired from the hospital if that happened."

Su Yun had no intention to stand up and welcome them. Instead, his head remained low throughout the conversation, allowing his bangs to dance freely.

This was the first time Zheng Ren appreciated Su Yun, a sharp-tongued nancy boy, whose biting words felt relieving in this instant.

Closing the door and unleashing Su Yun seemed like a good choice.

"Doctor, I think there has been some misunderstanding between us." Chief Editor Li brushed his embarrassment aside and put on a warm smile.

"Haha." Su Yun merely chuckled in response.

Gossip dies at a wise man's ears, and conversations die when someone chuckles. That was a rule of life.

The cold atmosphere stifled every breath as awkward silence dominated the room.

Chief Editor Li had failed to anticipate the sheer hostility of the emergency ward, leaving him to stand outside the office.

'What was that young reporter's name again? Wei Feng! F*cking idiot, you're doomed!' he grumbled internally.

Truth was debatable and open to interpretation. Although the matter at hand and the management remained the same, the newspaper office's attitude today was completely different.

If the newspaper insisted on clarifying the case, all they would get was humiliation.

This time...

"Doctor Zheng, are you there?" a deep voice traveled from behind the crowd.

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Chapter 145: A Brown-Noser Only In The Operating Theater

Zheng Ren was puzzled when he heard the voice, but Chang Yue immediately stood up and asked, "Brother Sui?"

"Yes." The speaker seemed to be afraid of the well-dressed group and merely stood outside, not daring to enter.

"Please, come in," Chang Yue greeted the newcomer enthusiastically; weaving through the crowd without even so much as sparing them a glance, she pulled an honest-looking man into the room.

The man was carrying a basket with a confused look on his face.

Zheng Ren felt a sense of familiarity, but was unable to recall his identity.

"Chief Zheng, he is the family member of the patient that had tetanus." Chang Yue remembered Zheng Ren's late-stage face blindness cancer and reminded him.

"Oh, please take a seat," Zheng Ren stood and said warmly, "How is the madam doing at home right now?"

"She is recovering well." The group of well-dressed men outside the room made the visitor feel uneasy.

"That's good." Zheng Ren smiled.

"This... This is..." The patient's son started stammering and said honestly, "This basket of eggs are laid by homebred chickens. My mother asked me to give these to Doctor Chang and Doctor Zheng."

He placed the basket down and removed the decolored blue floral cloth, revealing the eggs within.

Eggs from homebred chickens were smaller than commercially sold eggs, but contained higher nutritional value.

Zheng Ren did not understand the properties of homebred eggs, nor was he willing to look into them.

However, since this was heartfelt gratitude from the patient's family member after his mother had been discharged from the hospital, Zheng Ren accepted the gift with a sincere smile.

"You came all the way from home for this. That's too kind of you," said Zheng Ren.

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"It's not far at all," the patient's son quickly waved his hands and said, "I woke up only at half-past three in the morning. Besides, there's nothing much to do on the farm anyway. These are fresh eggs I've collected over the past few days, while those on the top are newly harvested and still warm from the henhouse this morning."

Although it was only a small gift, it meant a lot to Zheng Ren.

Before he could manage a response, Su Yun's eccentric voice rang out behind him.

"Are you not afraid of making headlines for receiving a gift from a patient's family in front of reporters? 'Family Member Forced To Gift Red Packet After Repeated Hints From Doctors In Sea City General Hospital'.

"That doesn't sound striking enough. How about Family Members Fear Doctors? Short but powerful. Reporter Wei, which one sounds better, in your opinion?"

The patient's son merely stood in place, uneasy and confused.

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Chapter 146: Paralytic Nerve Plexus Regression Syndrome

Since it was approaching noon soon, Chang Yue insisted on inviting the patient's son to a nearby noodle restaurant for lunch.

The patient's son quickly rejected the kind offer, but Chang Yue was firm in her decision.

Yang Lei went along with Chang Yue. Zheng Ren, who was unable to leave the hospital, spoke to the patient for a while and saw them out before heading to the cafeteria.

If subsequent issues would take more than ten minutes to complete, every experienced clinician would have to perform a very important task before taking their leave—a ward round.

Only when all patients were stable could one remain undisturbed. Otherwise, they would be in constant anxiety over any potential emergency and unable to enjoy any meal in peace.

Zheng Ren went for the second ward round of this brand new day.

Every patient, including the two that had been transferred from the ICU to the emergency ward, was in a stable condition.

The war of words in the office just now had embarrassed Tang Xiu, but Zheng Ren pretended as if nothing had happened.

He treated her father the same as he did all other patients in the ward.

The patient's vital signs were stable. Apart from slight abdominal distention, he experienced only mild postoperative pain, which was one of the benefits of interventional radiology.

Zheng Ren speculated that the pain was a result of peritoneal inflammation secondary to accumulated blood in the peritoneal cavity. He then took a while to convince him not to return home tonight.

What a joke. His condition had pushed him to the brink of death yesterday afternoon, and he wanted to return home now?

Even though there was no place like home, doctors were at least always available in the emergency ward and could immediately wheel the patient into the operating theater for an exploratory laparotomy, which was far safer than wasting time waiting for an ambulance at home.

Thus, he firmly denied the patient's request to return home.

Tang Xiu's father was merely trying his luck, but after being informed that ambulation would be possible in one day, the old man finally managed a warm smile.

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The patient with splenic rupture, who was kept nil by mouth until he passed gas due to laparotomy, was currently lying on his bed and chatting happily with his wife. Judging by their hearty laugh from time to time, it seemed like their relationship was stable and harmonious.

Who could have thought that the wife had stabbed her husband, leading to hemorrhagic shock only yesterday?

Anger was one's worst enemy. A quarrel was perfectly normal, but the consequences were disastrous once one party started using brute force.

Zheng Ren entered the room and talked to the patient's wife for a while. Seeing that the patient was recovering well after the surgical repair of his ruptured spleen, he informed them that he would be able to ambulate after passing gas and eating today.

Every patient in the ward was in a stable condition, but his work was far from complete. As chief resident, Zheng Ren still had to go for a ward round in the emergency department as well.

Su Yun had not followed Chang Yue to lunch; it was presumably due to the emotional trauma of eleven boxes of Snow or simple unwillingness to communicate with the family member that she had brought along.

They both went for a ward round in the emergency department along with the doctors on duty. As usual, there were no misdiagnosed cases or patients in critical conditions, and the cases admitted consisted of minor illnesses and mild injuries that could be settled with topical administration of anti-inflammatory drugs or injection of osmotic diuretics.

That was good news. The stable conditions soothed Zheng Ren's mind and maintained his heart rate at 80 beats per minute.

'Eat, sleep and wait for emergency cases to arrive.' He drew up the day's work schedule.

He left the observation unit and gave a few instructions to the doctors on duty. Just as he was about to leave the department, he saw two family members pushing a small stretcher trolley into the emergency building.

On the trolley lay a thin and withered old woman in her seventies.

"What happened to her?" asked Zheng Ren as he quickly approached them.

"My grandma fell down when crossing the road a few days ago, and now she has trouble walking on her own," answered a sturdy young man in his twenties.

"Get a wheelchair over here." Zheng Ren gave an instruction to someone behind him.

Whoever—Su Yun or one of the doctors on duty—returned with it was none of his concern.

On the upper right corner of his vision floated the System panel with its words painted in green, signifying nothing wrong with the patient. Perplexed, Zheng Ren took a closer look at the old woman lying on the trolley.

Her skin was heavily wrinkled and her eyes narrowed into a slit with wet tracks vaguely visible down her sunken cheeks, presumably due to tooth loss from advancing age, making her look especially haggard.

Several layers of thin mattresses had been placed on the trolley, above which she lay, buried beneath a thick quilt.

She appeared dusty and travel-worn.

'Did they push the patient over? That's insane!' Zheng Ren thought.

"You pushed her all the way here?" asked Zheng Ren tentatively.

Another older family member answered bitterly, "My mother can't stand, and she could feel uncomfortable in a car, so we had no choice but to push her here."

'Her family members are dutiful,' Zheng Ren thought.

A general surgeon on duty arrived with a wheelchair, and several people assisted with patient transfer from the trolley.

Zheng Ren, who had doubts in his mind, suddenly released his grip on purpose and immediately made to grab onto her.

The moment he let go, the old woman stumbled toward him.

She was not in any danger as Zheng Ren was using his body to break her fall.

However, he noticed that the patient suddenly contracted her right thigh to support her body.

Many thoughts and differential diagnoses flashed past his mind in that instant, and he came to a conclusion after cross-referencing it with the information on the System panel.

"Where was she injured during the fall last time? Did you consult a doctor after that?" asked Zheng Ren as he pushed the wheelchair to the emergency resuscitation room.

"She was fine except for an accidental knock to her head. We went to a rural clinic for consultation afterward and were told that she was fine, but we have to be careful of potential complications such as delayed traumatic intracranial hemorrhage. Once it happens, she can end up paralyzed or even die. Two to three days later, she gradually lost her ability to walk, so we brought her to a township hospital where she underwent B-scan ultrasonography and a CT scan, but the results were normal."

Upon reaching the resuscitation room, Zheng Ren took the test results that the family had brought along and carefully read through the imaging films.

Everything looked fine.

There was no intracranial hemorrhage, fracture or abdominal visceral bleeding, but why was she paralyzed?

Zheng Ren stood in front of the radiographic film viewer and pondered, leaving the family members confused and worried.

They fought the urge to question Zheng Ren and interrupt his train of thought.

However, if they did not inquire... Sea City General Hospital was the largest hospital that they could think of. If her condition remained undiagnosed, the elderly woman could end up not being able to stand for the rest of her life.

"Is she pretending to be sick?" Su Yun stood behind Zheng Ren and asked softly.

Zheng Ren shook his head and remained silent.

"This is a rare condition called paralytic nerve plexus regression syndrome," he said grimly as he approached them.

"..."

Su Yun and the general surgeon on duty were bewildered.

What the hell was that? Why had they not heard of such a diagnosis before this?

Zheng Ren's solemn expression and confident tone fueled their doubts even further.

"Huh?" The patient's family members were stunned.

The diagnosis sounded serious.

The elderly woman was not deaf and clearly heard the diagnosis. Then, two rows of tears streamed down her cheeks.

"But you're lucky," said Zheng Ren plainly.

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Chapter 147: Old Horses

The patient's family was shocked at the sudden news.

"I have just returned from a conference in America and they had a patient with the same condition," Zheng Ren lied reassuringly, loud enough that he could be heard by the patient. "I brought back a type of medication that's very effective in treating such an illness but it's a bit pricey."

"She'll be cured?" the elder son of the patient asked immediately.

"It has a 100% cure rate," Zheng Ren replied confidently without any of his usual disclaimers.

The on-call doctor had a look of confusion. 'Hasn't Chief Resident Zheng been in the emergency department's operating room for the past few weeks? When did he fly to America? Did he mean he went to a lecture delivered by an American?

'And he has a cure that 100% works?

'That doesn't sound very scientific.'

Su Yun realized Zheng Ren's intentions after the second sentence and ignored the unfolding drama. The soft curls on his forehead bobbed as he lowered his head.

"Doctor, just tell me the price and I will get the money ready," the patient's son said.

"There's no rush," Zheng Ren said as he motioned for the son to calm down. "Your mother has been suffering from the illness for quite some time. We will administer the cure first, and then you can make the payment."

With that, Zheng Ren strode out of the emergency department rescue room.

A moment later, a nurse walked in with a 20ml syringe.

"Intravenous injection," Zheng Ren said.

The family members were brimming with hope and worry at the same time.

Their hopes were on the miracle cure working... but a negative thought nagged at the back of their minds. What if the miracle cure failed? Was she going to spend her whole life paralyzed?

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"Done. She should be able to walk after five minutes," Zheng Ren said, "She should come in for a booster dose a week later, then all should be well. Come with me, I'll write a bill for you."

Zheng Ren walked out of the room without a glance back at the patient.

Su Yun, who just snapped out of a daze, said mindlessly, "There won't be any issues as long as Old Chief Physician Pan is here."

Zheng Ren only chuckled at his words.

Su Yun carried on with the questions, ignoring Zheng Ren's cue to stop talking. "You're sure it's just delusion and not a rare disease?"

"Yes. If I made a mistake, a dose of calcium gluconate won't do any harm," Zheng Ren replied.

"Really..." Su Yun made to accuse Zheng Ren of being irresponsible but changed his mind at the last second. The costs of MRIs and medical tests were beyond the means of this patient's family.

Zheng Ren was right. If it was a wrong diagnosis, they could rule out this possibility.

He went to produce the bill for the patient's son at the emergency department reception desk.

A frown was etched on the son's face, no doubt worrying about the exorbitant cost of the miracle cure.

'How much would a cure imported from America cost? Would I have to sell our houses to afford this?

'A few tiled-roofed houses should be sufficient. What else could they sell?

'This bill did not even include the dose for next week...'

The printer spat out the slip.

"Here, take this to the payment counter and collect your medication at the dispensary," Zheng Ren told him.

The man took the bill and checked it. There was a series of incomprehensible words on the bill but his eyes zoomed in on the arabic numerals.

A look of disbelief flashed across his face when he read the numbers.

Before he could ask Zheng Ren about them, the door slammed open and an excited voice shouted, "Dad! Grandma can stand now!"

This second surprise prompted the man to rush back to the patient's room.

In his rush, his muscular body collided with the doorframe and Zheng Ren imagined the building shaking at the impact.

"Another correct diagnosis for you." Su Yun leaned against the wall like a boneless mannequin. He said jokingly, "What a lucky man."

Zheng Ren did not bother to reply to Su Yun as he could never get a word in edgewise. The System did grant him some luck points, but Su Yun did not need to know that.

The man walked out of the room, an arm supporting his mother.

The old woman was still unsteady on her feet, but it was a huge improvement from her paralysis just minutes ago.

"Doctor, thank you so much," the two family members said to Zheng Ren.

"It's alright." Zheng Ren gave them a smile.

"This..." The patient's son held out the bill. There was uncertainty on his face as he struggled with his words.

Zheng Ren was surprised.

The man decided to come clean. "Doctor, was there a mistake in the bill?"

"No. It's a complimentary dose from an international pharmaceutical company so the hospital can't charge you for it. Your family is lucky to be here right now," Zheng Ren answered light-heartedly.

"The fee..."

"It's on the house," Zheng Ren said.

Su Yun watched the kind expression on Zheng Ren's face with suspicion. He mentally calculated the cost of the intravenous injection of calcium gluconate solution.

The miracle cure was just a ruse for the benefit of the patient and her family.

They conveyed their heartfelt gratitude. Zheng Ren reminded them of the follow-up next week for the booster jab. This medication not only treated and cured, it also prevented recurrence.

As Zheng Ren watched the happy family leave for the payment counter, he felt his stomach growl.

The ward round had taken longer than expected and Zheng Ren lamented the thought of cold leftovers in the cafeteria.

"Why did you want them to come in for a follow-up?" Su Yun asked.

"The patient was deep in her delusion. I worry a single dose would be insufficient to convince her. A booster dose seemed like the best option," Zheng Ren answered.

They were both experienced doctors who knew the importance of a white lie.

Su Yun said nothing in return and Zheng Ren took his silence as acceptance.

'He's the lucky one. He's been working in the hospital for so long without anyone making an attempt on his life,' Zheng Ren thought.

Once the patient was discharged, Zheng Ren made a beeline for the cafeteria.

On his way there, his phone rang.

"Yiren? What's up?

"Oh, sure. Su Yun and I have not eaten.

"Yes, sure. Thanks for the trouble."

He hung up and turned back to the emergency department.

Su Yun called out from behind him, "What happened?"

"Chang Yue brought the free-range eggs to Yiren's house. They're making fried scallions with eggs."

"I think you mean fried eggs with scallions," Su Yun said, deadpan.

"That's what I said. Yiren says she'll bring it over and have lunch with us." Zheng Ren was fine with such an arrangement. He had very few opinions about food.

The two men walked back to the emergency department. Twenty minutes later, Xie Yiren arrived excitedly with a black lunchbox.

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Chapter 148: Homemade Soup

Xie Yiren greeted Zheng Ren and Su Yun with a wave and headed straight to the on-call room.

When Zheng Ren caught up, she was already in the process of unpacking the dishes.

The size of the lunchbox belied the amount of food it carried. It opened up to reveal three more compartments. Zheng Ren was not familiar with this manufacturer.

'How complicated,' Zheng Ren thought as he studied the lunchbox, his hunger forgotten.

The glee in Xie Yiren's eyes was unmistakable as she carefully removed each dish from the lunchbox. "The eggs Sister Yue brought were amazing. I made some stir-fry and egg drop soup. Have a taste. It's a shame they had already eaten."

The dish was split into three portions and plated. The aromatic steam swirled out when she opened the lid of the stylish stock pot.

"Come, come. Try some," Xie Yiren ushered them to eat.

She was committed to her appreciation of food.

It was a fundamental trait of a foodie. Unfortunately, Zheng Ren did not share the same passion in life.

He took off his white coat and washed his hands before taking a seat at the table. Although he was not passionate about food, it was still necessary for sustenance — he had a strong desire to live.

The rice was cooked to perfection: soft and puffy.

The golden scrambled eggs with scallions smelled delicious. The aroma of the scallions was just enough to offset the smell of the cooking oil but not overpower the fragrant scent of the free-range eggs.

The dish was appetizing.

"Oh, impressive," Su Yun complimented. He sat down at the table and started eating.

"That's a given." Xie Yiren washed her hands before taking a seat. With a pair of chopsticks, she picked up a piece of scrambled egg and placed it into her mouth, chewing her food demurely like a proper lady.

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"I whisked the eggs by hand. There is no soul in the dish if one uses an electric egg beater," Xie Yiren said proudly.

"I taste yellow rice wine in it," Su Yun said.

"Just a bit to mask the smell of the egg. There shouldn't be any taste of alcohol." Xie Yiren beamed happily. The dish was a simple one, but she had put a lot of heart into making it.

Zheng Ren devoured his portion of the egg dish together with rice.

"Casting pearls before swine. What a waste." Su Yun could not resist making a jab at Zheng Ren.

"The egg is fluffy." Xie Yiren contemplated the bite of her own creation. "I prefer less salt so I hope you guys don't mind."

"It's good." Zheng Ren's rice bowl and dish plate were already half-empty.

At his pace, he would finish both the rice and the dish at the same time.

The sight of Zheng Ren eating happily made Xie Yiren smile.

"I added some sugar to the egg. It helps to speed up cooking and retain moisture, which makes the egg fluffier. Isn't it delicious?" Xie Yiren explained.

"Em," came the short reply. Zheng Ren had finished his food and was making a move for the soup.

Watching him wolf down the food without bothering to speak was the best compliment.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Zheng Ren asked once he was finished.

"I got tired of outside food so I took it upon myself to learn how to make my own. There are many more dishes I can make. Come over when you guys have the time," Xie Yiren answered with a grin.

"Chief Resident Zheng has no time. He can't leave the emergency department so we can take his place," the sharp-tongued pretty boy cut in.

"They'll probably make you the chief resident when I'm in Imperial Capital," Zheng Ren said coolly.

"Me? A chief resident? I would quit. The chief resident is just a scapegoat. Honestly, I would have quit if it hadn't been for the chance to watch you operate in the emergency department," Su Yun said without any fear.

"Where would you go?" Xie Yiren asked.

"A veterinary hospital. Simple surgeries, plus you get to see animals everyday. A peaceful working environment compared to a hospital."

"Oh!" Stars sparkled in Xie Yiren's eyes.

"Hey!" Zheng Ren poked Su Yun with his chopstick. He did not care if Su Yun left but the man was not stealing his scrub nurse. "You can go alone. Don't try to poach Yiren."

"As if the hospital is such a good workplace," Su Yun muttered.

"Yiren wouldn't like it there. She'd be lucky to have even one surgery a week at an animal hospital. It would be so boring for her, right?"

Xie Yiren nodded and continued eating her lunch.

"Lucky you, then." Su Yun chuckled at Xie Yiren's gleeful expression. Then, he turned to Zheng Ren. "Why are you going to Imperial Capital?"

"Remember the interventional surgeon, Professor Pei? He and a few experts came up with a new procedure. They're inviting me to try it out."

"What procedure?"

"I have no idea. I'll find out when I get there." Zheng Ren did not mind the trip. As a Master in interventional surgery, he figured he could make some minor contributions to the project.

At his age, Professor Pei was past his prime for performing surgeries. Professors like him usually left the grunt work to research students while providing the necessary guidance.

Zheng Ren did not dare consider himself better than Professor Pei but was confident of outclassing students.

"I want to go, too. I'm curious about the progress of some jerks there," Su Yun said.

A gust of cold wind blew into Zheng Ren's heart. 'Why does Su Yun want to follow me to Imperial Capital?'

"Jerks?" Xie Yiren asked.

"Yeah. Some people who aren't at my level but think they're better than me. God knows who gave them the confidence."

'Your confidence is also without reason,' Zheng Ren thought.

Halfway through their meal, Zheng Ren's phone rang.

His heart rate shot to 110 beats per minute.

"Hello.

"Yes. I'll take a look."

Zheng Ren obtained some basic information and hung up. "There is a cholecystitis patient in the emergency department that needs my attention. I'll text the both of you if surgery is required. Enjoy your meal."

He put on his white coat and left the room in a flurry.

"Such quick movements right after a meal increases the risk of appendicitis," Su Yun said as he slowly picked at his food.

Xie Yiren's eating speed picked up.

"Why are you eating so fast?"

"There might be a surgery, so I would have to make preparations," Xie Yiren said with her mouth full.

As she predicted, their phones chimed a few minutes later.

The patient had been diagnosed with acute cholecystitis and required emergency surgery. Zheng Ren informed the group to prepare for the procedure.

"Leave the things here. I'll go to the operating room first." Xie Yiren finished her food and rushed out of the on-call room.

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Chapter 149: Fan Tianshui, The Security Guard

The patient suffered from an acute but simple case of cholecystitis.

During the transfer of the patient to the emergency department, Zheng Ren noticed that Su Yun and Xie Yiren had gone to prepare for the surgery.

Under normal circumstances, informed consent procedures were handled by a junior surgeon. The junior surgeon would transport the patient to the operating room and begin anesthesia and disinfection. Once surgical drapes were in place, the junior surgeon would notify the senior surgeon.

Zheng Ren's "junior" had declared himself flawless but had left Zheng Ren here to handle the informed consent procedure. In Zheng Ren's eyes, such disrespect was a major failing.

It was not a simple blemish on Su Yun's character, but a crater.

Fortunately, it was still daytime. The emergency ward was relatively quiet, so Yang Lei and Chang Yue came upstairs to assist with the patient, relieving Zheng Ren of his task.

Half an hour later, the patient was ready and the family was informed of the ins and outs of the procedure. Yang Lei wheeled the patient into the operating room.

Zheng Ren was appreciative of the advantages granted by his status as chief resident.

The downside of such a position, though, was that he was responsible for anything that went wrong with the surgery as the most senior staff member. If complaints and accusations came up, the chief resident or department chief would not be long for the hospital.

Zheng Ren had once heard of an obstetrics and gynaecology department chief in another hospital who pushed the blame onto their subordinates whenever a problem arose.

In the end, their subordinates resorted to calling the chief whenever something happened to a patient. They recorded the chief's instructions on the patient's charts. If the chief did not pick up their calls, the subordinates would note that down as well.

It did not take long before lack of sleep caught up to the department chief. They were demoted as a result of their deteriorating health.

It was an extreme example of the responsibility of a senior surgeon. Zheng Ren was only a chief resident. Moreover, with the aid of the System, his diagnoses and treatment selections were infallible.

He changed his clothes and entered the operating room.

The Chu sisters had completed anesthesia and Su Yun was arranging the surgical drapes over the patient's body.

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Zheng Ren had arrived just in time. He washed his hands, put on the surgical scrubs and stood at the lead surgeon's position.

The patient had a mild case of cholecystitis that necessitated only a laparoscopy. Su Yun got the necessary instruments ready while Yang Lei scrubbed in. The surgery commenced.

It was a simple cholecystectomy. Zheng Ren took less than 20 minutes to remove the gallbladder. He took the specimen out of the operating room to show the family.

Su Yun and Yang Lei performed the rinsing and closing of the wound.

The whole team functioned like a well-oiled machine.

Yang Lei made the last stitch. Soon, the patient stirred from anesthesia.

Yang Lei admired the Chu sisters' ability to time their anesthesia accurately. They had to be extremely familiar with the patient's rate of drug metabolism and the surgeon's speed in practice.

It would be disastrous if the patient were to wake up mid-suture.

The surgery had taken less than an hour. Yang Lei waited for the patient to be fully awake before moving them. Once they were gone, the operating room was quiet again.

The three ladies snuck off to the on-call room with snacks in hand. They whispered conspiratorially like schoolgirls as they munched on their junk food.

Once the patient had left the operating table, Chang Yue got to work. The surgery journal was the only paperwork Zheng Ren had to do. Everything else fell under Chang Yue's job scope.

She was happy to do it.

Zheng Ren's surgeries were always neat, which made paperwork a breeze. Furthermore, she did not have to work night shifts.

Hence, Chang Yue never grumbled about her job. She happily tended to patients in the ward and the paperwork.

On the other hand, Yang Lei's existence was immaterial in the emergency department wards. The same had happened when he was stationed at the first general surgery ward. Most patients did not even know he existed.

He made rounds three to five times a day to record case progression, and yet patients could never remember his name.

There had been only one emergency case in the day shift so far, which made Zheng Ren uneasy. He had a superstition: a day without at least three surgeries meant a large-scale emergency was looming around the corner.

Seven in the evening was peak hour in the emergency department.

Zheng Ren went to check on the patients in the observation ward. He felt reassured when he found no cases of severe or rare illnesses.

As he walked to the treatment room, he passed security and noticed a familiar man.

He stopped and took a closer look.

It was Fan Tianshui, the man who saved him a few days ago.

"Brother Fan, what are you doing here?" Zheng Ren said in surprise.

"Good day, Dr. Zheng." Fan Tianshui stood, tense like a wound-up javelin. His movement was swift and steady, a stark difference from when he first arrived in the hospital.

"Manager Lian assigned me here to the hospital."

"Little Six?"

"Yes." Fan Tianshui smiled and said, "The guards stationed here were from another security company, but the manager said they were not up to par. So, rather than making me oversee their work, I might as well take up the job."

Zheng Ren knew that the hospital's housekeeping staff were supplied by a certain agency but was not aware that the same applied to security.

He was enlightened by Fan Tianshui's explanation.

"Thank you for your work," Zheng Ren said sincerely.

"This is a good place, so I should thank you instead," Fan Tianshui replied with a sheepish look. "They're paying me 3000 yuan a month, with food and accommodation. And the job isn't even physically tiring."

'A man of simple pleasures,' Zheng Ren thought.

"Brother Fan, if someone makes a ruckus here, don't hesitate with your course of action," Zheng Ren reminded Fan Tianshui.

"Don't worry. We're all civilians here. If anything happens, adjudication is up to the public security bureau. My responsibility is just the safety of the emergency department," Fan Tianshui said with a smile.

"Good." Better to leave it to government agencies to bicker over the law. Zheng Ren did not want any major incidents in the hospital. "Want a light?"

"Sure." They went to the smoking room outside the emergency department. Fan Tianshui opened a pack of Reishi and offered a stick to Zheng Ren.

The brand of cigarette was too strong for Zheng Ren's taste, so he declined.

"Busy these days?," Zheng Ren asked.

The two men lit their smokes. Fan Tianshui took a deep drag and said, "The manager informed certain people around Sea City General Hospital to keep a lookout and take care of any organized attempts at trouble, so it has been pretty peaceful these days. Anyone who wants to pick a bone with medical professionals is directed to other hospitals."

Zheng Ren was taken aback by the revelation. He had not expected himself to have a hand in contributing to the hospital's safety.

Although Zheng Ren felt a moment of sadness, he was the one reaping the rewards of Fan Tianshui's employment.

Moreover, anyone could appreciate a safe working environment.

Even with his top-notch surgical skills, Zheng Ren appreciated security guards who kept the situation under control.

"How's life with the company?" Zheng Ren asked casually.

The clear difference between the Fan Tianshui now and the Fan Tianshui on the hospital bed previously more or less hinted at the answer.

"Dr. Chang and Manager Lian said you were the one who found this job for me. I will never forget this favor. The company is good. I can save up around 1000 yuan a month after giving some assistance to the families of my fallen comrades."

"That's good." Zheng Ren nodded.

They exchanged a few more words before their cigarettes went out. The conversation came to an end.

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Chapter 150: Measured Steps

Most surgeries were assigned to the general surgery department except for those that were urgent, which were directed to the emergency department. Therefore, the emergency department was usually idle.

Moreover, with Little Six's influence over the department's security, there were fewer unruly patients and families making a scene. The days passed by peacefully.

Zheng Ren did three to five emergency surgeries a day. Occasionally, a few doctors from the obstetric and gynecology department, knowing the wonders of interventional surgery, would ask for his assistance in cases with severe hemorrhaging.

Days passed without a new mission from the System. For a brief moment, Zheng Ren nearly forgot about its existence.

Zheng Ren only entered the System when he received notifications for the main mission. He would sit and daydream in the thatched cottage or by the lake for a while.

Half a month had passed when Zheng Yunxia came for her checkup.

The frequency of checkups after a transarterial embolization procedure varied between each doctor. Zheng Ren's post-surgery management followed northern culture. Zheng Yunxia had a more aggressive form of cancer, so 35 days was the maximum interval between visits.

She was not required to board. Instead, they took a few blood samples and did a contrast-enhanced 64-slice CT scan with image reconstruction.

The CT scan reminded Zheng Ren of the master skill reward he had.

He decided to test it out. It was a waste to have the skill and not know how to use it.

On the next day, Zheng Yunxia's test results were out. Her liver function had recovered with only a mild elevation in glutamic pyruvic transaminase and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase. Her bilirubin levels were back to normal.

The alpha-fetoprotein in her blood had fallen from 2000 to 132.

The outcome of the surgery was good all around.

Studying the numbers on the test results, Zheng Yunxia's hands began trembling involuntarily.

Her medical knowledge was mostly derived from Baidu, but after countless disappointments, she had told herself to never pin her hopes on any treatment.

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Hope only made disappointment worse.

She had not expected to find this group of people when she was at her lowest. They had lent her a helping hand and pulled her out of despair.

She took the test results and went to the emergency department to find Chang Yue, who took a photo of them and sent it to the group chat.

Everyone celebrated the uplifting news and started to discuss the next course of action.

A blood test provided only one part of the picture when it came to assessing the malignant behavior of the liver tumor. The most important part was still the CT scan.

Su Yun was the one who contacted Sister Zhao and requested her to work overtime. They wanted to get all the tests done in one shot.

A thought nagged at Zheng Ren's mind. The transarterial embolization required a surgeon with the right qualifications.

Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery had only agreed to assist because Professor Pei from Sorcery Capital had been invited to perform the surgery.

However, it was not feasible to invite the professor each time Zheng Yunxia required treatment.

Even though the previous surgery was technically performed by Zheng Ren and Su Yun, there were strict laws to be followed. They could dance around the line but any step too far would spell disaster.

It would be like triggering a landmine.

Zheng Yunxia's results were satisfactory, so Zheng Ren considered recurring treatments for her.

However, he would need three to five years to obtain the necessary qualifications. It was not a viable option.

Zheng Ren went to Old Chief Physician Pan's office.

Only the old and the wise could find a solution to their problem. After all, Old Chief Physician Pan handled all the hospital's requests, be they human resources, financial support or policy changes. Perhaps this could be regarded as a change in policy.

Zheng Ren knocked on the door but Old Chief Physician Pan was not in.

He took out his phone and dialed for Old Chief Physician Pan.

It turned out that Old Chief Physician Pan was in one of his administrative meetings. He excused himself when Zheng Ren called him about a problem.

Once they were seated in the office, Chief Physician Pan said, "Another email came about the new procedure Professor Pei wants you to try. You should start making preparations for your flight to Imperial Capital. It should be in a few days."

"Oh?" Zheng Ren was surprised.

"This is a good opportunity for you. There'll be a lot of well-established people in the audience. Are you excited?" Old Chief Physician Pan said as he smiled at Zheng Ren.

"So-so," Zheng Ren replied honestly. Research into new procedures was usually undertaken by daring doctors in prefecture-level hospitals. In truth, Zheng Ren had little interest in research.

"Young man, you should be optimistic. This is a great chance to learn and improve your skills," Old Chief Physician Pan advised. "Right, so what did you need help with?"

"It has something to do with Professor Pei. The patient who underwent his guided surgery is back for her checkup. I've gone through her results and believe multiple rounds of treatment may be required."

"Okay, I'm with you so far," Old Chief Physician Pan said.

"My professional qualification is limited to emergency rescue procedures. The last surgery could be justified as an emergency interventional surgery. But that justification would not work this time."

"Ah, I see." Old Chief Physician Pan gave him a whimsical smile. This issue was a small matter to the old man.

After a moment of thought, Old Chief Physician Pan announced, "The hospital's interventional surgery department will close down and all related surgeries will be delegated to the emergency department's catheterization team. We can't stand by and watch as patients suffer."

That last line was a guilt trip. Zheng Ren pretended not to hear it.

The most salient point was that all interventional radiology-related surgeries were under the emergency department's jurisdiction.

Zheng Ren asked prudently, "Will it work?"

Old Chief Physician Pan replied with a chuckle, "Of course. All this can be settled from my end. What you should worry about is yourself."

"Me?" A look of surprise graced Zheng Ren's face.

Old Chief Physician Pan shook his head. Young people nowadays did not consider situations from all angles.

"I'm worried about your health. Long-term treatment will require a lot of sessions and chronic exposure to radiation. If tomorrow you get a girlfriend and plan to have children, we will have to stop such treatment for the sake of your health."

It was a point that did not occur to Zheng Ren.

Marriage and children were things of the distant future. Zheng Ren, who had been single all his life, was unlikely to break the habit. However, Old Chief Physician Pan's words made him think. What would they do if there was a queue of liver cancer patients needing treatment and he required recovery time from radiation exposure?

"Of course, that is an extreme scenario. We could reduce patient capacity in favor of better time and resource management. Zheng Yunxia would be our first patient." Old Chief Physician Pan evidently already had a plan in mind.

"We are, after all, the emergency department. Emergency surgeries come first," the old man said with a tone of finality.

Zheng Ren agreed with him. Management was where experience counted.

"Oh, and please send me a copy of your identity card. Manager Feng from Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery will book the plane ticket for you," Old Chief Physician Pan said.

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Chapter 151: Custom Configuration Part I

"Chief Resident Zheng!" an on-call doctor yelled.

"Yes?" Zheng Ren answered.

"There's a patient requesting admission but... I think you should have a look."

Zheng Ren was a surgeon born and bred, and was thus not familiar with this on-call doctor from the medical wing of the emergency department. Zheng Ren was rarely called to weigh in on their cases. If the patient's condition was severe, they were naturally admitted to the hospital.

Zheng Ren nodded and headed for the emergency rescue room.

In the room, a wheezing, elderly man of seventy-odd years lay on a stretcher.

Standing by the bed was an old woman of similar age.

"Chief Resident Zheng, this old lady wants to admit her husband but doesn't want us to treat him," the on-call doctor told Zheng Ren.

In some cultures, the custom was for terminal patients to pass at home. Some preferred to do so at their holy places but a good number of people chose the hospital.

It was the early winter season now. The hospital saw an increase in patients in every medical department. Many wanted to leave the hospital as soon as they were allowed to.

"You must be Dr. Zheng," the old woman said. She had a kind, serene expression, as peaceful as the lake in the System. Her brows were slightly furrowed by hints of sadness.

"Madam, good day. Yes, I am Dr. Zheng," Zheng Ren replied.

"I would like to send my husband on his last trip. It's a bit inconvenient at home, so I hope it's not a problem." The old woman bowed slightly. Her movements were subtle and she carried an air of class that implied a certain pedigree.

"It's not a problem but we currently don't have any vacancies in the related department, so there's nothing I can do."

A flash of disappointment crossed her face, but it was gone in a second.

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"Dr. Zheng, we just need a quiet room for him, as long as nothing startles him. He doesn't have long. Look..."

"We do have some quieter rooms here in the emergency department, but we don't even know what illness he has and we don't have the manpower to provide him medical attention." Zheng Ren was in a tight spot.

"There's no need for medical attention or rescue." The old woman lowered her gaze. She gently stroked the silver mane on the patient's head; her expression was of love and tenderness. "All I ask is for a peaceful passing."

"Then follow me. We'll need you to sign a do-not-resuscitate order," Zheng Ren said.

The on-call doctor was aware of the manpower shortage in the newly-built emergency wards. Medical staff were stretched thin in the department. He did not understand why Zheng Ren was opting to take in this patient.

Of course, Zheng Ren had his reasons.

It was a minor issue to write up a patient's history. If Chang Yue was not willing to do it, he would personally do so. It would take four to five hours at most.

Four to five hours of his break time, that is.

The old woman was good-natured and Zheng Ren wanted to help her with this small matter.

"Thank you so much," she said to Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren called on two staff members to move the patient to the emergency wards.

Chang Yue saw the arrival of the new patient and got the necessary documents ready. Although the patient was not in for emergency surgery, she processed him as per routine without any complaints. She was calm and caring as she dealt with them.

The arrangement put the old man in the last room. Chang Yue spoke with the family and asked after the patient.

Zheng Ren left relationship-building to Chang Yue and went to the office, recalling Old Chief Physician Pan's words.

Many things in this world were illogical.

The world was not black and white, but shades of grey.

A person who was lauded by many would also have many enemies. There was always the flip side of a story.

After a few minutes of thought, Zheng Ren laughed. He started thinking about how to go about with Zheng Yunxia's treatment.

Philosophical discussions... Those were the least of his concerns.

"Chang Yue, what time is the CT scan?" Zheng Ren asked when Chang Yue walked in.

"Six in the evening."

"Fasting?"

"Miss Yun is still young and her blood sugar is normal, so there shouldn't be an issue."

"Alright. Call me when it's time." Zheng Ren paused for a moment and asked, "Can you help me ask if I can perform the CT scan reconstruction?"

"You?" A look of surprise was evident on Chang Yue's face.

"Yes. The usual 3D reconstruction is based on standard algorithms. As I am the surgeon, I would like the reconstruction to be customized."

Chang Yue's eyebrows furrowed. Since her foray into the medical field, she had never heard of a clinical physician wanting to perform the reconstruction themselves.

She wondered if Chief Zheng had lost some of his senses after the hundreds of surgeries.

Zheng Ren studied Chang Yue's expression and clued in on her thoughts.

However, to explain the whole situation would require too much effort and she might not understand it even then. The knowledge was beyond the abilities of most doctors.

In the medical world, specializations were honed to be narrow and in-depth. The wooden bucket theory did not apply here.

Anyone with Master-ranked skills in a particular specialization would have a certain degree of fame. Zheng Ren did not enjoy the same treatment as his skills had been developed through the System within a short period of time.

Many specialists did not bother to pick up a second specialization. Medicine was a form of practical science and no specialist was willing to start from square one again.

There were few people in the hospital who could parse the data generated in the ancillary departments, let alone operate their equipment.

Custom configuration? It was impossible.

The office was quiet. Yang Lei was in the corner of the room typing up a patient's history on the computer. His presence did not affect the conversation at hand.

Chang Yue stared at Zheng Yun with confusion in her eyes. After a silent pause, she nodded and said, "I'll ask Su Yun."

"Where is he?" Now that she mentioned the man, Zheng Ren noticed his shadow was nowhere to be seen.

"He went to arrange the CT scan."

Chang Yue took her phone and dialed for Su Yun.

After hearing the request, Su Yun had the same negative reaction as Chang Yue but he folded at her insistence.

No one was invincible, it seemed; the ancestors were right.

After 11 cartons of beer and losing the drinking match, Su Yun could no longer hold his head high when it came to Chang Yue.

"He'll try to ask. It shouldn't be a problem," Chang Yue told Zheng Ren after the call, a touch of disbelief still on her face.

Zheng Ren did not address her doubts. The emergency department office fell back into silence.

The emergency department received a case of acute appendicitis in the afternoon. Zheng Ren and Yang Lei performed the surgery.

The surgery ended near six in the evening, so Zheng Ren left Yang Lei to attend to the family and went to the CT room to prepare for scan reconstruction.

At the CT room entrance, Zheng Ren heard a voice.

"You youngsters think you're masters of everything? The doctors in Imperial Capital don't even perform their own 3D reconstructions! Are you guys mad?"

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Chapter 152: Custom Configuration Part II

Zheng Ren rubbed his face and tried to make his smile look more friendly.

After all, he had come asking for help. Although Su Yun was the one who had asked for a favor and would be the one humiliated if something went south... It was better not to put on a stern expression at all times.

"Sister Zhao." Zheng Ren pretended as if he had heard nothing and entered the CT operator's console room with a smile on his face, which was a rare sight. His sudden appearance made Su Yun, Chang Yue and the rest jump in astonishment.

"Chief Zheng, I don't mean to criticize you." Zheng Ren's humility softened Sister Zhao's tone, but she still had issues with the absurdity of his request.

"Please, go ahead." Zheng Ren signaled that he would not retaliate even if he was scolded or beaten.

"3D reconstruction of CT imaging is a very complicated procedure. No one completely understands it, even when the machines have been here since the establishment of the hospital." As she operated the machine examining Zheng Yunxia, Sister Zhao said, "After that, the hospital sent three batches to undergo training in this domain, and it took me a whole year before I could understand just a teeny-weeny bit of it."

"Yes, yes..." Zheng Ren smiled without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

"You said you want to do 3D reconstruction of a CT scan?" Sister Zhao was getting more unhappy and asked, "Have you learned it before?"

"I've seen your operation once, so I want to give it a try."

"..." Su Yun was dumbfounded.

'What the f*ck, that's what I always said!'

"..." Sister Zhao was left speechless as well. She was quiet for a while and replied, "The machines are too expensive, so I can't allow you to fool around with it. I'll supervise you, and if something goes wrong, I'll terminate your procedure at once."

"Of course." Zheng Ren kept a low profile as always.

Nowadays, it was getting increasingly difficult to ask others for help, but Zheng Ren perfectly understood Sister Zhao's worries. If she had informed him that she was good at surgery and wanted to perform an appendectomy, he probably would kick her out of the operating theater.

Even if Su Yun had proven his capability in surgery, Zheng Ren was still reluctant to let him perform surgery alone. He was not actually trying to suppress the growth of the younger generation...

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Was he or Su Yun younger? Zheng Ren had no idea, but he simply preferred to perform every operation himself, especially in a special case due to his expertise in surgery.

"Half an hour," said Sister Zhao in the end.

"Sis, half an hour isn't enough," Zheng Ren replied, "A conventional 3D reconstruction of CT scan requires about half an hour per patient, but I'm going to perform a reverse 3D reconstruction of CT scan, which is going to take me at least two hours."

"!!!" Sister Zhao turned her head and glared at him.

What was this guy talking about? Reverse 3D reconstruction of a CT scan? What the hell was that?

"It uses the principle of conventional 3D reconstruction of CT scans to locate abnormally proliferating blood vessels, retrospectively trace weaker signals back to their origins and create a 3D image out of it," Zheng Ren summarised quickly after noticing Sister Zhao's dark expression, "Sis, you don't know what happened in the surgery last time. One of the tumor-feeding arteries originated from the phrenic artery, which I successfully found after standing for four hours in a lead apron that weighs a few kilograms."

Sister Zhao's expression instantly changed.

Zheng Ren's words sounded exaggerated, but it was the truth, and it forced Su Yun to swallow the criticism that had been about to slip past his throat.

"You really know how to do it?" Sister Zhao reconsidered Zheng Ren's words. Although she had never seen such a procedure before, logically speaking, it was doable. However, the time required would be... astronomical.

It was not that the medical staff in the CT room did not want to do it, but the machine cost a fortune and its operating software had been developed by large transnational companies. No matter the size of its coffers, it was impossible for the hospital to directly purchase ten sets of software.

Even if the hospital did do so, retrospectively performing 3D reconstruction of a CT scan would take hours to complete. Manpower was simply inadequate in such a situation.

This was a special circumstance; one that Sister Zhao, an experienced deputy chief of the CT room, had never encountered in her lifetime.

"Give it a try, then." Sister Zhao's curiosity prevailed over her anger and she agreed to his request.

Half an hour later, the necessary tests on Zheng Yunxia were done and a conventional 3D reconstruction of CT scan had been completed as well. Sister Zhao then stood and let Zheng Ren take over the operator console.

"Little Su, does he really know how to do it?" Sister Zhao remained unconvinced. Even though Zheng Ren's words sounded reasonable, it was just theory. Anyone who had read the book for days could come up with promising ideas, but not everyone could deliver on them.

"I have no idea." Su Yun smiled bitterly. "I've never seen anyone personally performing 3D reconstruction of a CT scan in Union Medical College Hospital, let alone a reverse technique."

"You're really a smart brat. I've been wondering how you were transferred to the emergency department. It turns out you've found yourself a good boss," Sister Zhao teased.

"Sis, there is no need for me to find one. I'm my own boss." Su Yun brushed aside the black hair framing his forehead.

"If he really knows how to do it, it would be amazing. With his proficiency in surgery and CT imaging, not to mention an annual salary of one million yuan in a southern private hospital, someone would definitely hire him for an annual after-tax salary of five million yuan," said Sister Zhao, slightly envious.

She had been thinking about resigning in spring, so she had taken paid leave to visit the south and sent her resume to a few hospitals, which was how she was aware of market rates.

However, she had to suspend her resignation to work in the south ever since her lover suffered intracranial hemorrhaging.

Even so, she was aware that salaries were meted out meritocratically in the south.

Zheng Ren's hands flew all across the console skillfully.

An outsider would find it easy to believe that a chief of a CT room from a well-reputed hospital was showing off his skills.

Su Yun was caught in a trance as well. 'Zheng Ren even knows how to perform 3D reconstruction of a CT scan? When did he learn it?'

The moment Zheng Ren began the operation and the initially-constructed image of the liver on the screen began to rotate, Sister Zhao fell silent and stared attentively at the screen.

She was mulling over the reasons behind each of his movements.

Her initial fear, that Zheng Ren would wreck the machine, was forgotten.

Breaking the CT machine? From his proficiency, this emergency surgeon could probably even repair the machine if it broke down.

Onscreen, Zheng Yunxia's hepatic tumor tissue was fully under control after interventional radiological treatment. The periphery of the ten-centimeter tumor had become necrosed and organized, but due to its large size, the tumor-feeding artery had not been fully embolized yet.

This was on purpose to prevent liquefactive necrosis that could lead to septicemia and bacteremia. Sometimes, necrotic cells could destroy the neighboring cells, and once a capillary was affected, it could rupture and bleed, which was a fatal condition.

The diameter of the tumor had shrunk to around five centimeters, indicative of effective surgical control.

However, Zheng Ren remained unsatisfied and attentively searched for something frame by frame.

Ten minutes...

Twenty minutes...

One hour later...

Su Yun was getting sleepy. Even though he was extraordinarily talented, he could not understand what Zheng Ren was looking for as he had not learned about 3D reconstruction of CT scans before.

Even Sister Zhao failed to understand the procedure as well.

The images flashed past their eyes frame after frame, and he occasionally backtracked to quickly glance at the original data before continuing his search.

What the hell was he doing?!

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Chapter 153: Custom Configuration Part III

"Sis, what is he doing?" Su Yun asked softly, bored and curious.

"I don't know." Sister Zhao stared unblinkingly at the screen, completely forgetting the time.

"..."

"I think he is looking for an abnormal signal near the liver edge to see if it's a tumor-feeding artery," Sister Zhao guessed.

"That's so troublesome."

"In general, no one does it in this country, but internationally... I've never checked any related information, so I'm not too sure about it, but only those specializing in interventional radiology can do it." Sister Zhao paused briefly and continued, "Some of them can't even perform it to such a degree. Although those working in the radiology department are involved in interventional radiology, barely anyone in the CT room knows how to do this."

Su Yun remained silent. Despite his doubts and inability to understand Zheng Ren's operation, the man's hand speed alone... he could participate in a professional league of Honor of Kings.

Accurate, fast and decisive.

Another fifteen minutes later, Zheng Ren moved his hand away from the mouse and snapped his finger.

"He found it?" asked Su Yun.

He stole a peek at Sister Zhao at the same time.

As deputy chief of the CT room specializing in the 3D reconstruction of CT scans, Sister Zhao looked puzzled as she had no clue what Zheng Ren had found.

"Yes, right here. A new tumor-feeding artery." Zheng Ren casually wiped his sweaty palm on his white coat and continued the operation.

Once the end of the pathological vasculature—as thin as a strand of hair—was successfully located, subsequent procedures were plain and simple.

A few minutes later, a tortuous blood vessel emerged onscreen. The artery was visibly heading upward, after which it took a hairpin turn and went back to its point of origin.

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It was just like the Yellow River, full of twists and turns.

The 3D reconstruction of the CT scan was completed after ten minutes. The blood vessel had originated from the short gastric artery.

Sister Zhao finally let out a sigh of relief.

That was f*cking amazing!

Even after witnessing the entire operation in person, Sister Zhao could only understand half of what had been done.

She was sure that even if Zheng Ren personally taught her the most crucial steps of this operation, there was no way she would be able to master it in one to two months alone.

"Where do I print the films?" asked Zheng Ren.

"H... Here." Sister Zhao clicked a button, causing the machine to roar for a while before the films were finally printed.

"Colored films can be printed only tomorrow." She was still in a trance.

"That won't be necessary. It's more than enough for me to locate the source of the abnormal tumor-feeding artery." Zheng Ren stood up with a smile, obviously in a good mood.

Finding the pathological blood vessel using the machine in the CT room was a hundred times better than wearing a weighty lead apron and constantly exposing onself to radiation in the interventional radiology suite.

Zheng Ren preferred not to do the latter even with the System's lead apron with radiation energy conversion properties.

'It seems like the fickle-minded System gave me a reasonable reward,' Zheng Ren thought happily.

"Ah!" Sister Zhao suddenly exclaimed.

"What's the matter, sis?" asked Zheng Ren.

"I still have to fetch my kids later!" Sister Zhao instantly panicked. The amazing operation engrossed her so deeply that she had forgotten about everything else.

With a panicked gesture, she pushed Zheng Ren and Su Yun out of the room, quickening her pace while putting on her coat at the same time.

"Sister Zhao, let me send you there." Su Yun quickly caught up with her.

Zheng Ren stared at the back of the vanishing duo, presuming that Su Yun was shamelessly offering his help despite getting rejected by Sister Zhao.

Su Yun had made a good call. Sister Zhao had been of great help to Zheng Ren, and he would feel responsible if she was involved in a traffic collision due to her haste.

It was almost eight o'clock when Zheng Ren casually returned to the emergency ward.

Hunger started gnawing at him after he instructed Yang Lei to go home, but it was past dinner time already... Whatever, he could not be bothered to fill his stomach now.

Zheng Ren took his book and returned to the on-call room.

He turned on his phone first and informed the group that Zheng Yunxia had undergone a scan. Her condition had improved and she would have to be hospitalized for the next surgery.

Then, he instructed Chang Yue to contact Manager Feng from Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery for free surgical supplies.

After arranging these triviaities, Zheng Ren found himself a comfortable position and began to read his book.

Something was wrong!

He had not gone for a ward round.

No wonder something was constantly troubling him. The 3D reconstruction of CT scan had simply consumed too much of his energy.

Facepalm...

Zheng Ren put on his shoes, bid farewell to his warm and cozy seat, and went for a ward round.

There was nothing much to see during the night round. The patient who had undergone an appendectomy just now was in a stable condition apart from his constant grumbles about pain.

Zheng Ren gave him some medical advice and instructed a nurse to administer him a bottle of analgesia, presuming his pain would be relieved in half an hour.

Upon reaching the last ward, he suddenly recalled that the occupant was the elderly man who was at the end of his life.

Zheng Ren gently knocked and entered.

There were no other patients in the ward. The old man was lying on the middle bed with the bedside lamp as the only light source in the poorly-lit room.

By the headboard sat the old woman wearing a pair of reading spectacles. Holding the old man's hand in her right, she softly recited the words from a book in her left.

"Xiang Liang asks Xiang Ji to come in. After a while, Xiang Liang gestures to Xiang Ji and says, "It's time to act!". Thus, Xiang Ji pulls out his sword and decapitates the governor of the commandery. Xiang Liang holds the governor's crown in his hand and takes the Chinese official seal with him, causing widespread panic in the crowd of servants and guards. Amidst the chaos, Xiang Ji charges and kills hundreds of people."

"Ahem." Zheng Ren was slightly embarrassed upon realizing that he must have disturbed the old couple's privacy, but his responsibility as a doctor compelled him to interrupt them and ask a few questions.

"Doctor Zheng, you're here." The old woman turned around and saw Zheng Ren; she put down her book, caressed the old man's white hair, stood up and smiled. "Please, sit down, Doctor Zheng."

"That's too polite of you, but I can't sit during a ward round," Zheng Ren said, "What are you reading just now?"

"Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of Xiang Yu," the old woman replied kindly, "My husband loves this chapter. Since he can't read it now, I may as well read it to him several times so that he can relive old memories."

Zheng Ren nodded.

"I'm really sorry for troubling you this time, Doctor Zheng." The old woman rubbed her hands subconsciously. "I do apologize for my negligence for not being able to serve you tea."

"That's too kind of you." Zheng Ren waved his hand vigorously. "Do you mind if we have a chat outside the room?"

The elderly woman looked back at the rosy-cheeked elderly man on the bed and smiled ceremoniously. "There is no need for that.

"We've accepted our fate at this age. He isn't suffering much before departing this life, and I'm grateful to be able to accompany him on his last journey."

"Let me confirm it again: you want me to give a do-not-resuscitate order?" asked Zheng Ren softly.

"Yes, death isn't a big deal anyway." The old woman's tone was gentle but firm.

"Then I shall not disturb you further. Please, carry on." Zheng Ren bowed and left.

An open-minded person deserved respect.

A diagnosis appeared on the System panel in the upper right corner of his vision—multi-organ failure. Zheng Ren suspected that the elderly man was indeed at the end of his life, like a car that had traveled hundreds of thousands of kilometers. Everything failed in the end.

It was good enough to end one's life in peace and quiet.

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Chapter 154: The God of Night Shifts

After Zheng Ren returned to the on-call room, he lay in a comfortable position on the bed and opened a novel app on his cell phone.

Reading novels was one of his few pleasures in life.

He devoured one on his phone while chatting leisurely with the "extravagant" group via WeChat.

It turned out that they had gone for dinner after Su Yun had sent Sister Zhao home.

Since Su Yun had refused to hit the bottle with Chang Yue during their meal just now, all of them were still energetic and had decided to play mahjong together at Xie Yiren's house.

These guys... Zheng Ren could even feel the excitement radiating from his phone when the group talked about their plans in WeChat.

However, this excitement was short-lived as Chu Yanzhi began to wail that she had lost all her pocket money in the group.

Losing two to three hundred yuan in a mahjong game that cost only one yuan per session was considered a gamble. Zheng Ren suddenly realized that if someone reported the situation... These emergency doctors could be arrested for gambling, leaving him to perform surgery alone again in the emergency department.

Then, Chang Yue gave a lukewarm response in the WeChat group stating that she was tired and wanted to return home first.

Zheng Ren suspected that she had lost all her pocket money as well.

Who was the winner? Without a single doubt, it had to be Yang Lei.

Yang Lei, who was normally a fly on the wall, had the same aura at the mahjong table as well. The player on his left always forgot to consider the tiles he discarded, and nobody paid him any attention even when he was holding a ready hand.

Chu Yanzhi became particularly active once she left the mahjong table and sent meaningless emojis in the WeChat group from time to time.

When the WeChat group had been created, they had agreed that it would be used only for work-related topics.

However, reality showed how true that supposition turned out to be.

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An hour passed as Zheng Ren subsumed himself fully in his novel.

The phone rang as he was in the midst of the updated chapters that he had saved over the past month.

Zheng Ren's heart rate instantly sped up to 110 beats per minute.

Trepidation gnawed at him as he accepted the call.

Fortunately, it was not a major rescue operation but an uncomplicated case of acute cholecystitis. Zheng Ren regretfully turned off the novel app, put on a white coat and went downstairs to the emergency department.

Upon reaching the department, the System gave a clear diagnosis on the upper right corner of his vision—acute cholecystitis.

However, the patient was unable to undergo surgery due to inadequate preoperative fasting, having had dinner only just now.

This was a headache. It was almost nine o'clock, and the patient had to fast for at least six hours before undergoing surgery...

Performing a surgery in the middle of the night?

Zheng Ren took the patient back to the ward. After speaking with her family, they reached an agreement that the patient would undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy once she had adequately fasted.

The nurses began to perform necessary preoperative preparations while Zheng Ren took out his cell phone and notified the group about this "unfortunate" news.

A howl of anguish dominated the WeChat group as they were reluctant to deal with patients arriving at the latter half of the night.

In addition to their complaints and protests, they blamed Zheng Ren's tough luck in particular.

This was a term commonly used in the medical field.

For example, one must not call a night uneventful during night shifts as there was a 76.34-percent chance that multiple emergency cases would then arrive one after another.

For example, one must take off their socks and not be fully clothed when going to bed. Otherwise, there was a 54.58-percent chance that one's slumber would be disturbed in the middle of the night.

Et cetera.

In fact, no one knew when the myths were created, but the god of night shifts actually existed in the medical world.

Even though the god had no physical form, it existed in the spiritual world of every night shift doctor nationwide.

Every clinician working night shifts would pray for zero cases in the emergency department every single time.

One would rather have dust covering all medicine on the cabinet and hope for a healthy and prosperous life for everyone.

This statement had inadvertently embedded itself into the mindsets of night shift doctors and nurses.

Although it was slightly contrasting with their original intentions...

The complaints and accusations against Zheng Ren's bad luck in the group chat soon ended, and they were now discussing the best course of action to deal with the situation.

In the end, they decided to play mahjong while waiting for the surgery.

After all, Xie Yiren's house was near the hospital. Zheng Ren assumed that the time taken for him to go for a consultation was enough for her to drive back and forth twice.

Su Yun claimed that a sleepless night would not affect his work efficiency and directly asked Yang Lei to return to the hospital.

After the necessary arrangements were made, Zheng Ren asked the patient, who had just arrived, for her detailed medical history.

The thirty-six-year-old female had experienced abdominal pain that very afternoon, but had chosen to ignore it. However, the pain became unbearable while she was in a class reunion party earlier, and so she was sent to the hospital.

'Nothing gets between a foodie and delicious food,' Zheng Ren thought.

However, Xie Yiren's behavior was much more advanced in comparison. Not only did she prefer to order delivery or dine in a restaurant, she would also try to figure out the recipe for every delicious dish she had tasted.

Just as Old Master Q[1] used to say, "Know the how and endeavor to know the why."

That girl... The thought of Xie Yiren's cute, furry appearance subconsciously put a warm smile on Zheng Ren's face.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

Everything that had been arranged went to pieces twenty minutes later.

Two patients with acute appendicitis were sent consecutively to the emergency ward. Zheng Ren immediately summoned everyone to prepare for surgery.

It was surely a sleepless night, but not a big deal as everyone had gotten used to it by now.

These patients' conditions were relatively simpler, unlike past major resuscitation events where doctors' blood pressures had almost burst through their heads while patients' blood pressures had dropped to ankle-height.

That was truly a hectic night with countless problems to be dealt with before and after surgery.

The group was disciplined enough to reach the hospital within twenty minutes and began making the necessary preparations for each surgery. The only exception was Yang Lei, who quietly left a WeChat message saying that he would invite everyone over to dinner next time.

Zheng Ren jotted down the main points during history-taking from the patients with acute appendicitis so that Chang Yue could document the cases tomorrow.

He was a little envious of Chang Yue now. How nice it would be to be able to sleep peacefully at night as well.

A hundred thousand words in his novel had been eagerly waiting for him tonight; what a pity...

He had to have suffered brain damage or gotten too confident to think that there was no need to visit the emergency department tonight.

As Zheng Ren counselled the family members about the surgery, the night shift nurses finished preoperative preparations such as preoperative skin preparation, venous cannulation, and urinary catheter and nasogastric tube insertions for the patient with acute cholecystitis.

Su Yun wheeled the patient into the operating theater once preoperative counseling was complete. Zheng Ren then counseled the next patient's family members before going to the operating theater to change his attire and perform the surgery.

When Zheng Ren finally entered the operating theater, Su Yun had already performed most of the surgery and was waiting for him, like a student waiting for his professor, to take a look at it before completing the most crucial part of the surgery.

It took less time for Zheng Ren to finish the surgery than to perform a surgical scrub.

The mission One Tree Does Not A Forest Make seemed to have benefits even without a reward.

'Surgery really can't be done alone,' Zheng Ren thought happily as everyone rested after the successful completion of both appendectomies.

[1] Old Master Q (老夫子) is a popular Hong Kong manhua created by Alfonso Wong.

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Chapter 155: The World's First Surgical Technique

The busy, sleepy night was soon over.

When Chang Yue came to work looking energetic the next day, Zheng Ren had not yet woken from his slumber.

Upon noticing the notes left by Zheng Ren, she personally took the patient's medical history again to verify each point before starting her busy day.

Indifferent and calm, Zheng Yunxia completed the hospital admission process without repeatedly expressing her gratitude.

In a sense, the interventional radiological treatment for her hepatic carcinoma was the first elective surgery performed in the emergency department.

The general surgery department was slightly unhappy after being informed of the situation, but Old Chief Physician Pan forcibly shut them down with a simple, "You do it then if you're so good."

Not all hepatic carcinomas could be treated with surgery.

Like Zheng Yunxia, patients with cancer recurrence after surgery were considered to have contraindications for surgery.

The only suitable treatment for her was catheter embolization. Once the tumor tissue had shrunk, she could undergo radiofrequency ablation therapy.

Since she was the first elective surgical patient, everyone placed a high value on this case and even took the unprecedented act of having a small meeting for preoperative discussion.

Chang Yue explained the patient's condition before placing the imaging films that had been taken before and after the surgery on the radiographic film viewer. The tumor's shrinkage was evident at first glance.

This was undoubtedly exciting news. Although Old Chief Physician Pan had gained some knowledge in interventional radiology through reading, he had never expected the effect of the surgery to be this obvious.

"Chief Physician Pan, I've something else in mind." It was Zheng Ren's turn to speak. Even though he was staring at the films, he was actually focused on a different issue.

"Go ahead." Old Chief Physician Pan looked intently at the two contrasting films with a persistent gleam in his eyes, as if he was thinking about something interesting.

"The operation is expected to begin at half-past eight tomorrow morning. What should we do if there is an emergency case within that time?" asked Zheng Ren.

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"Will the Earth stop spinning in your absence?" Old Chief Physician Pan waved his hand and replied, "I can handle both emergency resuscitation and surgery. Haven't you heard of the phrase 'an old ox makes a straight furrow'?"

Zheng Ren smiled.

Su Yun glanced at him contemptuously and thought, 'If this guy wasn't good at surgery, he would have been verbally destroyed.'

Old Chief Physician Pan, who was once a chief physician in charge of a ward specifically for senior officials in the military hospital before his retirement, was an elite powerhouse of diagnosing and treating patients.

Had it not been for the fact that he was getting old, which weakened his physical state and slowed his ability to learn new surgical techniques, the Sea City General Hospital emergency building would have been completely renovated a long time ago.

"Don't worry, I've seen more emergency patients than you have," Old Chief Physician Pan assured Zheng Ren.

Since his words made sense, Zheng Ren stopped worrying about it and began to explain the procedures he would perform tomorrow.

The surgery plan, especially the part involving the 3D image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan, sounded very easy and straightforward.

Old Chief Physician Pan recalled that the first surgery had been completed only after four hours and asked worriedly, "This tumor-feeding artery was located using the 3D reconstruction of the CT scan; what if there is an accident?"

"There won't be any," answered Zheng Ren with a smile.

"There won't?" Old Chief Physician Pan was taken by surprise.

"Yes, because I've done the 3D reconstruction of the CT scan myself, and there is only one abnormally proliferating blood vessel," Zheng Ren said confidently, "Although the newly-grown artery is relatively thin and more difficult to superselect, the chance of success is still high."

Despite the man's 'modesty', Old Chief Physician Pan stared at him doubtfully and thought, 'Since when did this kid learn to do a 3D reconstruction of 64-slice CT scan?'

"Okay." Old Chief Physician Pan remained suspicious, a quality that all competent clinicians had to possess.

Deny nothing and doubt everything. The facts would speak for themselves.

Yang Lei, who was sitting invisibly in the corner of the room, looked shocked as well.

As a clinician, he had often ordered 64-slice CT scans and had seen numerous 3D image reconstruction of CT films, but had never heard of any clinicians who personally performed the imaging tests in the CT room.

Since when had Zheng Ren unknowingly become so proficient at his job?

That was impossible... Yang Lei remained skeptical and decided to observe Zheng Ren's surgery tomorrow.

Although the surgery was alien to him, he could at least read simple films and know if the surgery was successful or not.

Only Chang Yue and Su Yun, who had gone to the CT room with Zheng Ren that day, understood that these were the results of his hard work.

The 3D reconstruction of CT scan had been finished from the surgeon's perspective after almost two hours, and the results were completely different from ordinary 3D image reconstruction of CT films.

It was just like clothing: no matter how fitting ordinary pieces were, tailor-made suits were still superior in every aspect.

Of course, it came with a price—the surgeon Zheng Ren's precious rest time.

As mentioned last time by Sister Zhao, the deputy chief of the CT room, Zheng Ren's expertise in 3D reconstruction of 64-slice CT scans and interventional radiology alone were enough for him to get a job with an annual after-tax salary of one million yuan in southern hospitals regardless of his skill at surgery.

Custom configurations and standard equipment, was there no difference between them?

Half an hour later, the preoperative discussion was interrupted by a case of acute appendicitis referred to the emergency department. The group started to get busy again.

Chief Physician Pan stared at his competent soldiers and felt a great sense of satisfaction.

He had never expected the emergency wards to become so successful a few months ago.

Even in his youth, it was beyond his power to establish the Sea City General Hospital emergency wards all by himself.

These young doctors were very good.

The day continued with only three to four surgical cases being admitted to the emergency ward. As long as the cases arrived before the latter half of the night, nobody would complain as both Su Yun and Zheng Ren could settle them quickly.

The next morning, Old Chief Physician Pan rushed to the emergency ward to check on Zheng Yunxia's preoperative preparations, going over every detail again to ensure a smooth operation.

There were no issues, so he asked Su Yun to wheel the patient into the operating theater before walking with Zheng Ren to the locker room and chatting along the way.

"Little Zheng, you've worked hard recently," Old Chief Physician Pan said, "Enjoy yourself in Beijing for a few days, and don't worry too much about the emergency department."

Had Zheng Ren been speaking to Chief Surgeon Liu, he would have wondered if he was prohibited from performing surgery ever again.

However, Old Chief Physician Pan was merely suggesting it out of pure kindness so that he could get some good rest.

Zheng Ren smiled and kept quiet.

"You should pay more attention when you visit Imperial Capital," Old Chief Physician Pan tirelessly advised, "Social networks, especially high-class connections, are very important. I've spoken with my comrades in 301[1] and they said there had been an important breakthrough in the new surgical technique research. Can you guess what it is?"

Zheng Ren was momentarily stunned. How could he guess it?

However, looking at Old Chief Physician Pan's playful, childlike gaze, he had no choice but to make a few wild guesses.

Without a doubt, every answer was wrong.

"Let me tell you, this is a world's first surgical technique," replied Old Chief Physician Pan happily.

[1] Located in Beijing, the 301 Hospital (Chinese: 三一医院) or People's Liberation Army General Hospital (Chinese: 中国人民解放军总医院), which includes the PLA Postgraduate Medical School (Chinese: 中国人民解放军医学院), is a military hospital that is a direct subsidiary to the Logistics Support Department of the Central Military Commission and the largest general hospital under the auspices of the People's Liberation Army. Its mission includes assuring the health of PLA and China's leaders.

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Chapter 156: Is the Surgery Doomed?

"What surgery is it?" Zheng Ren was surprised. The first in the world? That was unexpected.

"Prostatic artery embolization," answered Old Chief Physician Pan happily.

Prostate... Was that even something essential?

Zheng Ren's initial excitement instantly dissipated into thin air.

"Little comrade, what kind of expression is that?" asked Old Chief Physician Pan, his face serious.

"Nothing." Zheng Ren lowered his head and quickly changed his clothes.

"Think about it, our old comrades have given their all for the establishment of The People's Republic of China. Shouldn't they at least have a better quality of life?" asked Old Chief Physician Pan grimly.

Zheng Ren knew his words made sense. Elderly men usually had severe prostatic hyperplasia, a condition worse than death.

Instead of ordinary soft urinary catheters, a metal urethral sound had to be forced upward through the prostate into the bladder.

When dealing with ruffians feigning death in the emergency department, a few inductions of urinary urgency were enough to break their determination, let alone a urethral sound.

"There isn't any major blood supply to the prostate," Zheng Ren said hesitantly, recalling its anatomy.

"No, but it has a dense capillary network." Old Chief Physician Pan had obviously done his homework. "Especially in patients with severe prostatic hyperplasia, the capillaries are larger and thicker, so the usage of prostatic artery embolization is justified."

Huh... Zheng Ren was still confused. Despite his doubts, he would still attend the scientific research in Imperial Capital. After all, Professor Pei and Old Chief Physician Pan only wanted the best for him.

Locating an abnormal blood supply to a hepatic carcinoma was difficult enough, let alone the prostate.

Zheng Ren quickly finished changing his attire and darted out of the locker room. "I'm going to put on a lead apron."

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Old Chief Physician Pan smiled and shook his head.

Zheng Ren sighed in relief after putting on the lead apron with radioactive energy conversion properties from the System.

Upon reaching the interventional radiology suite, Su Yun had already draped the surgical site and was chatting with Zheng Yunxia.

During interventional radiological treatment for hepatic carcinoma, local anesthesia would be administered near the femoral artery at the base of the thigh before the artery was catheterized.

Like cannulating a vein, this could be considered the most minimally invasive surgery, and manipulation relied solely on the surgeon's skills.

Of course, there were also disadvantages, one of them being prolonged radiation exposure. Patents were usually unaffected as surgery would be completed in one hour, and that would probably be the end of it.

However, there was a high chance that surgeons had to perform multiple interventional radiology-assisted surgeries in a day, which meant incredible amounts of radiation exposure.

Fortunately, Zheng Ren needed not worry about this issue as he had awesome equipment from the System.

Upon noticing Zheng Ren, Su Yun asked, "Shall I catheterize the artery?"

"Sure." Zheng Ren nodded and began his preparations: performing a surgical scrub, disinfecting his hands and putting on a surgical gown.

The catheterization was complete when he approached the operating table. The introducer sheath was neatly placed, and the micro-guidewire was already ten centimeters into the artery. Su Yun quietly held the guidewire in the assistant's position and waited for Zheng Ren to begin.

'It's nice to have a surgical assistant,' Zheng Ren thought again.

The livestream in Xinglin Garden began at the same time.

[The god has rarely broadcasted his surgery recently, do you guys know why?]

[A lack of new surgical patients, maybe? After all, it's boring to watch the same surgery broadcast over and over again.]

[That's right. There are video recordings of past surgeries as well.]

[Didn't you notice that all video recordings disappeared three days ago? We have to pay attention to future surgery broadcasts as the god won't impart any knowledge for free.]

[What, why didn't I notice it? Fortunately, I've downloaded his previous surgery broadcasts. Is the god planning to sell surgery recordings?]

Every viewer gradually became familiar with each other as comments whizzed past the screen in the live broadcast room. The more fast-firing were obviously junior doctors, but nobody knew if there was a mogul behind them.

[This is... What the f*ck, it's a hepatic carcinoma!]

[What's so surprising about it? Interventional radiological treatment for hepatic carcinoma is rarely seen but not unprecedented.]

[Indeed, interventional radiology is one of the most effective treatments for hepatic carcinoma, and radiofrequency ablation is said to have the same effect as surgical resection.]

[It's a pity that small hospitals don't have interventional radiology departments. After watching the god's recent surgeries, I've the urge to learn interventional radiology now.]

[You have to wear a lead apron that weighs between fifteen to twenty kilograms while maintaining your accuracy. Can you do that? Young man, stop daydreaming and focus your attention on general surgery. It has a bright future too.]

As comments overwhelmed the screen, the host surgeon was blindly inserting the microcatheter, which was a boring procedure.

Soon, the screen changed to the surgeon's point of view, and angiographic footage appeared.

[Huh? Something is wrong.]

Unless there was an unforeseen event, viewers generally did not comment after the surgery began as some parts on the screen, especially delicate manipulations that were often the essence of the surgery, would be blocked and viewer experience would be debilitated.

However, as soon as the angiographic footage was broadcast, a lone comment flew past the screen.

The ID name clearly stated that the commenter was an interventional radiologist.

Someone recognized the ID as the interventional radiologist who had complained that everyone did not understand the pain of an interventional surgeon.

Luckily, he had taken the rarer career pathway of an interventional radiologist. If an ordinary general surgeon put the corresponding label on his ID... They would still be indistinguishable from the others.

[What happened? Please enlighten us.]

[I don't see... What the f*ck, isn't this a surgery for hepatic carcinoma? Why is the host surgeon targeting the short gastric artery?]

[Am I hallucinating? Is he going to embolize the short gastric artery and perform a laparotomy for gastrectomy afterward?]

Following the insertion of the micro-guidewire, not only were the interventional radiologists caught in a trance, but the general surgeons also felt that something was wrong.

Everyone knew basic anatomy and the normal vasculature pathways.

Logically, the host surgeon should embolize the branches of the hepatic artery that were supplying the hepatic tumor, right? Why was he heading straight toward the short gastric artery?

[Hey, interventional radiologist, please explain if the embolization of a short gastric artery will have any detrimental effect on the body. Is it the same as the uterine artery?]

The advancement of the micro-guidewire fueled viewers' doubts even further.

Since this surgery was all Greek to them, they started throwing questions at the interventional radiologist one after another.

[Unlike the uterus, once the short gastric artery is embolized, the stomach will undergo ischemic necrosis shortly after. As for the consequences, the necrosed stomach will have to be surgically removed!]

The interventional radiologist used an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence, which was a rare sight.

Considering one to be inadequate, he added three more exclamation marks at the end to express his deepest consternation.

If this was the account's first livestream, it would be concluded that the host surgeon was a novice and the surgery doomed.

However, after observing hundreds of surgery broadcasts in the past few weeks, those who had doubted this account had been mercilessly humiliated.

Now, no one dared to even suggest that the host surgeon had f*cked up as anyone who had done so had received a loud slap to the cheek within three minutes.

[What does the god have in mind?]

[I don't know...]

[Let's watch quietly. I've absolute confidence in the god.]

The comments were few, and the atmosphere in the live broadcast room gradually fell to silence.

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Chapter 157: The Host Surgeon Has A Huge Team

The interventional radiologist from a third-tier city stared at the livestream on his phone and frowned.

This host surgeon was highly talented, that was beyond question.

He had been eager to pit his skill against the host's when he had first started watching the livestream.

However, after watching more surgery broadcasts, he was now well aware of the huge gap between them.

The thing was, he also knew how to perform interventional radiological treatment for hepatic carcinoma.

However, medical charges for interventional radiology were astronomical. Wealthy patients would normally seek doctors in Imperial Capital or Sorcery Capital, and the poor simply could not afford the cost and chose to give up in the end.

Thus, he performed only a dozen interventional surgeries for hepatic carcinoma a year.

Even so, that had not stopped him from gaining more knowledge on the subject.

Had the host surgeon found an abnormally proliferating tumor-feeding vessel? The interventional radiologist quietly sat in a corner, phone clutched in sweaty palms.

'Oh yeah!' An idea suddenly popped into his mind.

He recalled that 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films were attached alongside the patient's details at the beginning of the surgery. Should he take a look at it?

He hesitated for a few seconds.

The host surgeon's "unconventional" superselection of the short gastric artery piqued his curiosity. He really wanted to read the films, but was unwilling to miss the most interesting parts of the surgery.

A few seconds later, he brought up the patient's profile onscreen.

Yes, the patient had undergone interventional surgery before, and as for the 3D image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films...

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Upon seeing them, the interventional radiologist was shocked.

What detailed 3D reconstructions of the 64-slice CT films! These were exactly what all interventional radiologists yearned for.

All hepatic tumor-feeding arteries had been embolized in the previous surgery, so the tumor tissue had reestablished blood supply from the short gastric artery.

He understood now!

The host surgeon was not alone in their battle. They had a huge team with access to policies, financial and physical resources, and unimaginable manpower.

A 3D reconstruction of a 64-slice CT scan of the liver was the result of a highly advanced test... Even the branches of the short gastric artery were clearly visible on the CT films. Although it was more difficult to perform, it was still much more efficient than blindly searching for it while wearing a heavy lead apron.

'I'm so envious.' Infinite jealousy consumed the interventional radiologist's heart.

However, there was no hatred.

Why would he be resentful when there were no bonuses and promotions involved?

He was merely envious of the god's resources, their huge team and their incredible 3D reconstruction of a 64-slice CT scan of the liver.

In comparison, he had no one else to communicate with and could only improve his skills by watching surgery broadcasts in Xinglin Garden.

Moreover, most doctors around him had no idea Xinglin Garden existed.

The intense pressure from their own families, the endless night shifts and difficult scientific research were overwhelming enough. Who could spare time to learn new skills in Xinglin Garden?

As for scientific research... The interventional radiologist pursed his mouth in a smirk. Most cases were made-up reports as they simply had to pay to publish medical journals below the national level, and as for national medical journals... Apart from a few well-reputed ones, they were more expensive than the rest with nothing to show for.

The thought of spending more than ten thousand yuan just to publish an SCI journal cut the interventional radiologist's heart as if he had been stabbed in his chest, the knife twisting and damaging every structure around the wound.

Wait, why was he even thinking of this nonsense in the middle of the surgery broadcast?

After getting his answer from the 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films, the interventional radiologist immediately switched back to the livestream.

The operation was proceeding smoothly. The micro-guidewire had entered the liver through the short gastric artery and stopped just one centimeter away from the tumor.

[The host surgeon has an amazing team.]

Since the interventional radiologist did not want to miss any interesting surgical procedures, he quickly commented without elaborating.

[Hey, how did you know?]

[Legend, have you found the host surgeon's workplace through the human flesh search engine[1]?]

[I want the host surgeon's workplace address; I'm going to further my studies and will even resign to achieve my goal, so don't even think about stopping me. I must learn this technique!]

The one bullet attracted dozens more that blotted out the subtle insertion of microcatheter on the screen.

The interventional radiologist was particularly troubled. His sole purpose for watching the livestream was to observe these fine manipulations, but even this was impossible now.

[Just shut up and read the patient's preoperative 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films.]

[It's just simple 3D image reconstruction of the CT films, what's so interesting about it?]

[Has the host surgeon made flowers out of the films?]

This was usually the case on the internet—an online world of contrarians. Despite being professional doctors, the viewers would still verbally assault anyone who told them to shut up.

The interventional radiologist was helpless. He was aware that most viewers were general surgeons who did not understand interventional radiology, which was why they could unscrupulously bombard him with criticism.

Despite his strong urge to turn off the comment section, he was reluctant to waste the golden opportunity to educate the others on interventional radiology.

Holding the phone in his hands, the radiologist began to type his explanation.

[The host surgeon found an abnormally proliferating tumor-feeding artery originating from the short gastric artery in the 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films, which was why they superselected that artery in the beginning instead of adhering to the standard protocol of searching for the hepatic artery.

[Those who still don't understand can ask your radiologists in the CT room, but of course, they would have to know 3D reconstruction of a 64-slice CT scan.]

It was a short explanation, but as soon as the bombardment ended, the interventional radiologist noticed the host surgeon injecting drugs into the tumor tissue in the livestream.

The drugs administered were Oxaliplatin and Irenotican, ordinary medication that he often used. There was nothing interesting about this procedure.

He had missed the most exciting part of the surgery!!!

He wanted to bang his head against the wall.

Fortunately, he could still watch the surgery replay later, which calmed him down significantly.

Drugs were administered, intra-arterial chemoinfusion was completed and the artery was embolized with an embolic agent. Upon taking another angiographic image, the tumor disappeared without a trace as if it had never existed in the beginning.

'This surgery... is simply too amazing,' the interventional radiologist thought.

He had to watch the surgery replay a hundred times tonight!

The surgery had been beautifully completed in twenty-five minutes.

Various emotions swirled through his heart. He absent-mindedly stared at the blank screen for a few seconds before switching the screen back to the homepage.

The medical field was an experimental science that required vast experience before a new surgical technique could be widely studied.

Otherwise... Unfamiliar surgical methods... The uneasiness of being forced to perform something way beyond one's capability... The struggle of referring a surgical case to a more experienced surgeon to prevent the patient from dying at one's own hands...

Negligence was the cause of most deaths.

Fortunately, this was the Information Age.

Fortunately, the host surgeon had been selfless enough to educate others for free.

After the screen switch, the interventional radiology froze for a few seconds before howling in anguish.

His phone dropped, the screen blank. Not only was the surgery unrecorded, the past surgery replays had been deleted as well.

[1] Human flesh search engine (Chinese: 人肉搜索) is a Chinese term for the phenomenon of distributed researching using Internet media such as blogs and forums. Internet media, namely dedicated websites and Internet forums, are in fact platforms that enable the broadcast of request and action plans concerning human flesh search and that allow the sharing of online and offline search results.

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Chapter 158: Practice Makes Perfect

Shenzhen Economic Development Zone People's Hospital.

Mu Tao and Wu Haishi were staring unblinkingly at the livestream in the chief office in the interventional radiological department.

Ever since the account began broadcasting interventional radiology in Xinglin Garden, Mu Tao had registered one so that his master could directly access the website.

The facilities in Shenzhen City were particularly good for ordinary doctors, but for Old Wu, a national expert, scholar and professor, the facilities available to him were even better.

After learning that the surgery broadcast had begun, Mu Tao had come to the chief office and watched the livestream together with Old Wu.

Clasping his hands together, his right middle finger gently and repeatedly tapping the back of his left hand, Old Wu was deep in thought as he stared at the screen.

However, Mu Tao sat behind Old Wu with his expression full of doubt.

He had known that the host surgeon was very competent.

He presumed that the host surgeon's skills were slightly better, perhaps even on par with his.

However, the broadcast today had given him a strong sense of discomfort.

The earlier procedures were straightforward, and the only point of interest was that the host did not perform an arterial puncture this time, implying better coordination with their surgical assistant.

However, the moment the angiographic footage appeared onscreen, Mu Tao was instantly caught in a trance.

Instead of taking the usual pathway from the aorta into the hepatic artery, the host surgeon had directly inserted the micro-guidewire into the short gastric artery!

He did not casually dismiss it as negligence as most tumor-feeding blood vessels came from the short gastric artery.

Sure enough, when the micro-guidewire advanced further and to the right, Mu Tao was convinced that the short gastric artery was the tumor-feeding artery.

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He had come to that conclusion without confirming it with the angiographic footage.

How had the host surgeon known? Had he done 3D reconstruction of a CT scan or was it something else?

Instead of unnecessarily bothering Old Wu, who was quietly and attentively watching the surgery broadcast, he started to rack his brain and search for answers.

He came up with various possibilities such as the host surgeon's experience, intuition, preoperative tests, intraoperative angiographic images and so on, but threw them all out.

It was impossible!

This was not a fantasy novel, and there was no such thing as prophecy.

In the live broadcast room, the host surgeon started creating an angiographic image, and the entire tumor "lit up" just as how Mu Tao initially imagined.

It also meant that the short gastric artery was the culprit feeding the tumor as opposed to other branches of the hepatic artery.

This had occurred because the branches of the hepatic artery had been embolized after surgery, causing an abnormal proliferation of other blood vessels supplying the late-stage hepatic carcinoma.

However... How had the host surgeon determined that the short gastric artery was the culprit rather than the phrenic or spinal arteries, or even the thoracic or abdominal aorta?

Following the completion of angiographic imaging, subsequent procedures were dull and uninteresting in Mu Tao's opinion.

If he had known preoperatively that the short gastric artery was the tumor-feeding artery in this patient, he would definitely have done as well as the host surgeon... Maybe...

'I will surely perform as well as him!' Mu Tao cheered himself up.

Those arterial branches were nothing compared to the ultra-fine blood vessels supplying the liver. He should be able to superselect them... He could even repeat the process if the first superselection ended up in failure.

Immersed in his own thoughts, Mu Tao moved his right hand slightly as if currently standing in the interventional radiology suite, wearing a lead apron and performing the surgery himself.

No...

He soon realized a frustrating truth—even if he knew that the short gastric artery was feeding the tumor, there was no way he could successfully superselect it on the first attempt.

Practice made perfect.

That was the case in every stage performance, even more so in an operating theater.

Mu Tao still had basic self-awareness, which was a necessity in the medical world. As a leading figure in the new generation of interventional radiologists in the country, he was undoubtedly one of the best amongst his colleagues below the age of forty.

'If I can't do it, then the host surgeon must be a demon in the nation, perhaps even the world's best professor too,' Mu Tao thought.

The broadcast soon ended, and he could imagine the subsequent procedures with his eyes closed.

Once the microcatheter entered the liver alongside the micro-guidewire, chemotherapy drugs would be administered and the artery embolized with an embolic agent. An angiographic imaging would then be used to ensure the absence of omission before the surgery ended.

"What have you noticed?" asked Wu Haoshi after the surgery broadcast was over.

"The host surgeon's skills are superior to mine, so I think he is at least in his fifties, perhaps a top specialist in the country or even an internationally-renowned expert," answered Mu Tao.

The constant tapping of Old Wu's right middle finger on the back of his left hand became faster.

"That's not what I'm asking. Do I need you to tell me about the host surgeon's identity or how well he performed?" Old Wu expressed his dissatisfaction.

Mu Tao was his closed-door student, so there was absolutely no need for ceremony.

"Then..." Mu Tao hesitated, unable to understand his master's question.

"The host surgeon superselected the short gastric artery instead of the hepatic artery. What do you think about that?" asked Old Wu.

"I've a few guesses." Mu Tao blurted out all the possibilities that had come to him earlier.

Old Wu continued to ponder, the tapping of his fingers now a drumbeat.

Mu Tao was aware of his master's habits. The more rapid his tapping, the faster he was thinking.

"I think the host surgeon must have concluded that the tumor tissue had established a new feeding artery and found it through preoperative 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan," Old Wu finally said with confidence.

"3D reconstruction of a 64-slice CT scan... can't produce such detailed results, right?" asked Mu Tao doubtfully.

"That's because you haven't reached such levels of proficiency." Old Wu shook his head and said, "I've only met one person who has, but he passed away two years ago."

"Who is he?"

Old Wu waved his hand, signalling that he was not to be interrupted.

"The first batch who learned interventional radiology was the doctors of the radiology department, and I was considered part of the second batch," Old Wu continued, "Those engaged in CT imaging began to study interventional radiology after large-scale development of radiofrequency ablation, which is still dominated by clinicians until now."

Mu Tao was stunned. He had no idea what his master was talking about.

"It seems like the host surgeon has a huge team that allowed them to superselect the short gastric artery, but an ordinary CT radiologist couldn't possibly have performed such a delicate task. It had to have been the host surgeon. They had to have been the one to perform the 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan!" Old Wu stood and waved his right arm in excitement.

"Master, please take care of your blood pressure," Mu Tao quickly advised, shocked by Old Wu's behavior.

"I'm fine." Old Wu smiled and said, "Download the surgery recording. It'll be our learning materials for this afternoon's session."

Mu Tao nodded, but froze as soon as he switched to the main page.

"What's wrong?" asked Old Wu.

"The surgery recording disappeared," replied Mu Tao, stupefied.

"..." Old Wu was momentarily stunned and said angrily, "What?!"

Staring at the exasperated Old Wu, Mu Tao dared not to say a word.

Old Wu regained his composure a few minutes later and said in a croaky voice, "Follow me to the CT room."

"Huh? What for?" Mu Tao was puzzled.

"To learn 3D reconstruction of CT scans." Old Wu's expression was stony.

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Chapter 159: Lucky To Meet You On A Snowy Night

Zheng Ren stepped down and allowed Su Yun to maintain pressure on the wound for hemostasis.

"That was smooth," Old Chief Physician Pan complimented after witnessing the speedy surgery, its results completely different from that of the previous operation.

"So far, so good." Zheng Ren smiled. "The artery has been fully embolized, so the patient may feel pain and nausea after surgery. Just administer drugs accordingly and she'll be fine."

The latter statement was meant for Chang Yue, who was waiting in the operating theater.

Chang Yue joyfully agreed.

Even though interventional radiology was alien to her, the tumor's disappearance on the angiographic footage was easy to interpret.

The surgery's success signified that Miss Yun would live past half a year, which was undoubtedly good news.

After changing his attire, Zheng Ren answered Old Chief Physician Pan's questions about interventional radiology on their way back to the emergency ward.

Even though most of his questions were basic, Zheng Ren clearly explained the answers to him in vernacular without losing his patience.

Old Chief Physician Pan was exhilarated, whereas Zheng Ren was surprised at his intense desire for knowledge despite his advancing age.

"Chief Physician Pan, why are you so interested in interventional radiology?" asked Zheng Ren, unable to contain his curiosity.

"My old age restricts my ability to learn or perform surgery myself, but it's better to learn everything that can save lives," Old Chief Physician Pan replied, "Sometimes I wonder how many lives we could have saved if such technologies had existed back in the day."

Zheng Ren remained silent.

He presumed that Old Chief Physician Pan was thinking about the bloodshed on the battlefield many years ago.

If current technologies—interventional radiology, central vein catheterization, surgical resection and so on—had existed in the past, many lives could have been saved.

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It was a pity.

Zheng Ren kept quiet, not knowing how to console the old man.

"You must seize this opportunity when you visit Imperial Capital," Old Chief Physician Pan advised again, "With a better platform to accommodate your high skill, your true power shall be revealed. Sea City General Hospital is too low-standard for you."

"What about our emergency department?" asked Zheng Ren casually, knowing full well the answer Old Chief Physician Pan was going to give.

He was not the brightest bulb in the room.

"Will the Earth stop spinning in your absence?" answered the old man, his tone full of love.

They both remained silent afterward.

Old Chief Physician Pan went directly to the licensing agency, claiming that he wanted to acquire a license for the emergency department to perform interventional radiology as soon as possible.

Zheng Ren returned to the ward. Upon reaching the corridor, he saw a few men in black suits carrying a coffin.

The elderly man had passed away?

Zheng Ren quickened his pace to take a look at the situation.

The white-haired madam noticed Zheng Ren and bowed slightly, her manners still graceful and gentle despite the tears welling up in her eyes. "Doctor Zheng, thank you."

"Auntie, that's too polite of you, I don't deserve it," Zheng Ren quickly said. "Uncle has passed away?"

"Yes, he is gone." Her tone was soft like a drizzle in early spring, leaving no trace as the clouds dissipated. "Peacefully, without any suffering. That is good."

Zheng Ren felt sorry for her, but there was nothing he could do. He had done his best by arranging a single room for the old man to depart this life in peace.

"Thank you so much. My son will return from the United States in two days. After the funeral is over, we'll visit you again to express our gratitude."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, I'll trouble you no more." The more gentle the white-headed madam's tone, the more uncomfortable Zheng Ren felt.

Decades of proper upbringing was forcing the madam to suppress her intense sorrow and calmly converse with him. This type of person undoubtedly made the world a better place.

After sending the serene old man off, Zheng Ren stared at the unoccupied room, feeling the emptiness in his heart.

Even though they had gotten along only for a day, the memory of the elderly woman reciting the Biography of Xiang Yu by the bed last night still played out before his eyes, embedding itself firmly into his mind.

'Perhaps this is also a good ending.' Zheng Ren shook his head after a long while and comforted himself.

Life and death were fated. It was all one could ask for to leave this world without suffering.

Soon, Zheng Yunxia was transferred back to the ward, accompanied by Chang Yue, Su Yun, Xie Yiren and the Chu sisters. It was a magnificent scene.

A random family member asked Zheng Ren, curious, "Chief Zheng, why are there so many doctors escorting her, is she a director?"

Zheng Ren froze for a moment before replying with a smile, "No, she isn't."

"Good joke, Chief Zheng. Why are so many doctors escorting her if she isn't a director? Let me guess, she has to be a chief of department or a wealthy woman. I saw her yesterday, she must be the type who tends to keep a low profile."

'Of course, she has nothing to maintain a high profile with anyway,' Zheng Ren thought.

However, there was no need to explain the situation in detail to the family member. Besides, Zheng Ren was not the kind who loved to gossip, so he merely smiled and helped transfer Zheng Yunxia to the hospital bed.

There had been no adverse reaction post-surgery thus far.

"Chief Zheng, I saw that the tumor had completely disappeared," Zheng Yunxia said excitedly to Zheng Ren.

Patients were given local anesthesia in interventional radiology, thus remaining conscious throughout the surgery. They could simply turn their head left to observe the angiography.

Generally, any attentive patients could become semi-experts after undergoing interventional radiology once or twice, or could at least judge the situation based on the angiographic broadcast.

Zheng Ren smiled. "This time, the embolization has been successful, but you may feel uncomfortable after surgery, so don't forget to tilt your head to the side. Otherwise, if you suddenly feel nauseous and vomit, the contents could enter your lungs and suffocate you. Inform Chang Yue if you experience any pain as well. She'll give you painkillers."

"I do feel a little nauseous now," Zheng Yunxia said seriously.

"10mg of metoclopramide, intramuscular injection," Zheng Ren instructed.

Chang Yue acknowledged it and ordered a nurse to administer the drug.

It had been fortunate for Zheng Yunxia to encounter Chang Yue and Zheng Ren on a snowy night, opening a door for her to enjoy a brand new life.

Every cloud had a silver lining.

Zheng Ren was also aware that Chang Yue had been secretly looking for a job for Zheng Yunxia—cleaning the emergency wards, for example—as she was too embarrassed to trouble him any further.

Since the emergency wards had just been established, there was no cleaner yet and hygiene was currently maintained by cleaners seconded from other departments. If Old Chief Physician Pan could put in a good word, this issue could be easily resolved.

Chang Yue had troubled Zheng Ren too many times, and her conscience demanded she handle this matter herself.

However, despite easily becoming as close as family to patients, she would instantly put on an indifferent and cold expression when speaking with her superiors. He had no idea if she had a rare personality disorder.

Following the intramuscular injection of metoclopramide, Zheng Ren once again examined the dressing around the puncture site to ensure the absence of bleeding. In addition, a salt bag had been placed atop the pressure bandage to speed up hemostasis and would be removed in six hours.

After everything was complete, Zheng Ren returned to his office for revision. As he approached, he saw two strange men in worn clothes waiting at its doorstep.

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Chapter 160: White... Pills

"Doctor, is Doctor Fang here?" asked the taller man politely.

From his accent, he was likely from a nearby suburb.

The man was tall and his back slightly hunched, with dust and dirt-smeared all across his face.

"There is no Doctor Fang here," replied Zheng Ren.

"..." Both men looked confused.

They were somewhat timid, especially when facing doctors in white coats, to the extent that they started stuttering in fright.

Perhaps, to them, white-clad doctors were not angels, and not in the sense of Western mythology, either.

They had a simple belief that all doctors possessed the ability to decide a person's time in the human realm or exile to the netherworld, which was the basis of their natural fear of medical practitioners.

Their impression could also be described as "awe".

After noticing that words were failing to leave their quivering lips, Zheng Ren immediately put on a warm smile and said, "Relax. Come in and we'll have a chat. Who sent you here?"

The two men followed Zheng Ren into the office.

The bright and clean room made them feel more uncomfortable as they feared accidentally messing the place up.

After Zheng Ren repeated his question, the tall man replied, "Doctor Zhou of the orthopedic department asked us to consult Doctor Fang here."

It was a messy answer that was not of much help, but Doctor Zhou of the orthopedic department...

Zheng Ren took out his phone and made a call.

. com

"Brother Zhou, this is Zheng Ren.

"Yes, there are two patients here claiming that they're looking for Doctor Fang.

"Oh, alright. What's the diagnosis?"

After the simple conversation, Zheng Ren hung up, still not knowing how to react to this situation.

Doctor Zhou had actually asked them to look for Zheng Ren, but they had probably misheard the name in their stress.

'Can the words "Zheng" and "Fang" be so easily confused?' Zheng Ren grumbled internally.

Whenever patients arrived at the hospital, they usually experienced stressors such as anxiety from their own conditions or simply awe at the hospital.

Thus, it was common for them to mishear information or remember something incorrectly. It was not a big deal, though.

"Please sit down. Doctor Zhou asked you to look for me. My surname is Zheng, and my name is Zheng Ren." Zheng Ren tried to use his gentle smile to soothe their emotions, but... It remained ineffective.

He decided to cut straight to the point. "Doctor Zhou mentioned stage one avascular necrosis of the femoral head? Who is the patient?"

"Me," the shorter man replied, "When winter began, I started feeling pain in my hip, aggravated by movement and relieved by rest."

"Do you have any imaging films?" Although Zheng Ren had been told the patient's condition through the System panel on the upper right corner of his vision, he still had to take medical history and read imaging films as well. After all, this was a hospital, and he had no desire to make himself look like a witch doctor.

"Yes, I do." The tall man produced a rolled-up plastic bag and carefully retrieved the films.

'Another guy who keeps the films in this way,' Zheng Ren thought helplessly.

Imaging films were best stored flat in a cool, unlit area.

It was more convenient to keep the films rolled-up, but it would be extremely difficult to read them on a radiographic film viewer.

Zheng Ren decided to keep this to himself as they were already consumed with anxiety. If he pointed out their mistakes, he would have a harder time taking medical history later.

"Hadyou experienced any pain before this?" asked Zheng Ren.

"No, the pain started only during cat winter."

Cat winter, an old idiom in the Northeast, referred to a winter so cold that one could only hole up in a house like a cat.

Zheng Ren, who knew little about orthopedic nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, managed to locate the abnormalities after looking at the films.

There were indeed signs of avascular necrosis of the femoral head, but it was not yet severe.

Chief Zhou of the orthopedic department had said that surgery was not required for stage one of avascular necrosis of the femoral head as not only was replacement of the hip joint unnecessary, it would also cost the patient a fortune. He had just returned from studying abroad and claimed that hospitals in Imperial Capital usually treated this condition with interventional radiology.

He also knew that Zheng Ren had successfully performed two interventional surgeries for pelvic fracture hemorrhaging.

As the orthopedic department lacked the necessary equipment to effectively deal with the patient's condition, he had referred the case to Zheng Ren.

"Have you been injured?"

"No."

"Have you always leaned to your left?"

"No."

"Have you taken any medicine?"

"No."

"That's not true. Brother, didn't you take white pills while you were busy with farm work?" the tall man immediately interjected.

White pills? Zheng Ren had found the answer.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with my leg pain?" asked the short man.

"Is it dexamethasone?" asked Zheng Ren immediately.

"..."

Both men were stunned. De... something... sone... What the hell was that?

"Do you still have the white pills at home?" Zheng Ren pressed the matter further.

His stern expression scared the men, causing their hands to tremble uncontrollably. Was it possible that the white pills were illicit drugs?

Zheng Ren immediately realized that his undue haste was stressing them greatly.

After regaining his composure and pretending as if the question was unimportant, he sat down and launched the patient management system on his computer, saying, "Don't worry, it's just a small issue. Is there anyone at home? Call them and ask what the white pills are."

"Okay." Sure enough, the tall man immediately eased and started making a phone call.

A few minutes later, he looked at Zheng Ren with admiration.

"Doctor Zheng, you're amazing! The white pills are indeed dexamethasone."

The compliment made Zheng Ren feel helpless instead of joy.

"Why are you taking dexamethasone?" asked Zheng Ren.

"Farm work is exhausting, and the villagers claimed that de... the white pills can combat fatigue," the short man answered anxiously, "The drug is really good. I feel energetic the next day and won't feel tired even after work."

Zheng Ren nodded and started thinking about treatment.

His silence was nerve-wracking. The short man asked nervously, "Doctor Zheng, it's not a terminal illness such as bone cancer, right? I'm not going to receive treatment if it's cancer."

"No, and you won't die from this condition." Zheng Ren's answer was simple and direct. A little rude, even.

However, such a tone occasionally inspired confidence in patients.

The short man's expression immediately softened upon hearing the answer.

"The quack doctor in our village said I have bone cancer. He'll die when we return later," he joked with the tall man, obviously in a better mood.

"It's not bone cancer, but equally troublesome," Zheng Ren said, "You have avascular necrosis of the femoral head."

"What is an avascular... something... head?"

"It means there is a lack of blood supply to the head of your thigh bone because many blood vessels are clogged, just like on a farm. How will your crops grow if you don't water them?" Zheng Ren explained, trying to use layman's terms.

The short man instantly understood.

"For treatment, you will first have to stop taking those white pills," Zheng Ren said confidently, "Then, you'll need surgery."

"How much will it cost?"

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