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

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The Surgeon's Studio #Chapter 225: Operating Room Bully (Part 2 of 3) - Read The Surgeon's Studio Chapter 225: Operating Room Bully (Part 2 of 3) Online - All Page - Novel Next

Chapter 225: Operating Room Bully (Part 2 of 3)

Zheng Ren put on his lead apron and scrubbed in.

When the surgical drapes were in place, Dr. Shen took a step back. He was surprised when it was not Department Chief Kong who entered the operating room.

"Little Shen, assist Boss Zheng. Time is of the essence," Department Chief Kong's voice echoed through the speaker.

Dr. Shen did not argue. His boss had spoken.

Nodding in response, he left to wash his hands and put on a surgical gown.

Lin Jiaojiao laid on the operating table. Without a second's hesitation, Zheng Ren performed a radial artery catheterization.

It was successful on the first attempt and the introducer sheath was put in its place. The guide wire was fed into the artery at incredible speed. As the scrub nurse tied the strings of his surgical gown, Dr. Shen heard Zheng Ren urge him, "Hurry up."

Dr. Shen was baffled.

Was the man talking to him?

Who did he think he was? This doctor from a small city was criticizing him for following standard gowning protocols?

Many high-ranking doctors liked to throw their weight around in smaller hospitals and pick on junior doctors. There had been cases where junior doctors resigned en masse, unable to cope with the mental harassment.

However, those were senior doctors from esteemed hospitals.

'This guy is from a small city. Who does he think he is?' Dr. Shen glared spitefully at Zheng Ren.

Bullies were not limited to school grounds. They existed in operating rooms as well.

Some fly-in surgeons had thrown tantrums in operating rooms when they found the surgical tools not to their liking.

However, this was the first time he had encountered someone criticizing his gowning speed.

"Hurry up! We're waiting for you to start up imaging," Department Chief Kong hollered over the speaker. He could not see Dr. Shen's dissatisfaction, only the man's unhurried pace.

Dr. Shen was startled.

He had just washed his hands and imaging was already on its way?

Impossible.

The department chief's orders succeeded in making him speed up. A million questions ran through his mind as he put on his sterile gloves.

Once he was set, he walked up to Zheng Ren's side. The scrub nurse exited the room and the heavy lead door shut soundlessly behind her.

Radial artery catheterization was complete. The guide wire and catheter were all in place. Zheng Ren's crossed arms were still, clearly waiting for Dr. Shen to show up.

'He's already in position?' Dr. Shen was shocked.

Zheng Ren saw the assistant zoning out and said sharply, "Pressure injector."

"Em..." Dr. Shen snapped out of his daze and immediately connected the guide catheter to the injector.

With the device on, Zheng Ren commenced angiography.

The signal from the patient's body was thrown onto the display screen. Dr. Shen was surprised to see the catheter positioned right at the carotid bifurcation.

The ophthalmic artery was branched off the internal carotid artery. Dr. Shen was amazed by Zheng Ren's ability to maneuver the guide wire to the carotid bifurcation without any imaging assistance. His anger faded before such undeniable talent.

He felt guilty for making the surgeon wait.

Avoiding eye contact with Zheng Ren, he realized the man was not being insolent; he was.

If it were his own boss standing there, a hemostatic clamp would already be flying at his head.

Dr. Shen vowed not to humiliate himself in front of this outsider.

Department Chief Kong was one of the more mild-tempered supervisors. He did not want to risk failing his residency.

When his senses returned, Zheng Ren was already performing superselection. Onscreen, there was no contrast in the ocular region, indicating a distinct lack of blood reaching it.

'What's the next step? Thrombolysis?'

"30000 units/cc urokinase in 100ml saline solution. Prepare for thrombolysis," Zheng Ren ordered.

Dr. Shen was still deep in thought, one step behind Zheng Ren.

When the assistant doctor did not move, Zheng Ren nudged him with his right shoulder. "Get the nurse to prep the solution."

Dr. Shen startled and mumbled, "...Yes."

Zheng Ren switched off the imaging system as the scrub nurse entered the operating room. "100ml saline, 30000... No, 50000 units/cc urokinase."

The dosage was higher than usual, but Zheng Ren had weighed the risks. Time was of the essence and the patient was not geriartric, so an acute, high dose of urokinase was unlikely to elicit an adverse reaction.

The scrub nurse was quick on her feet and soon, the urokinase solution was fitted into the pressure injector.

Zheng Ren started up the imaging system again and paid close attention to the screen.

"You moved," Zheng Ren pointed out. There was a hint of frustration in his tone.

"Ah?" Dr. Shen had only an unrefined response to give. Had he moved?

At that moment, Department Chief Kong's voice boomed through the speakers again. "Little Shen! What are you doing? Hold the catheter steady!"

Dr. Shen wanted to cry.

Had he made a mistake? No.

He had performed each step according to protocol.

He simply could not keep up with Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren was like a Ferrari at top speed while Dr. Shen was a 30-year-old Jetta, struggling to keep up. His movement had been an unintentional mistake on his part and had cost them precious minutes as Zheng Ren would need to perform superselection again.

However, Zheng Ren did not make a fuss as he repeated the procedure.

Once it was done, the urokinase solution was administered into the ophthalmic artery.

Zheng Ren handed the guide catheter to Dr. Shen once more and chided him, "Hold it steady. Any movement will require selection again. It's all very tedious."

Dr. Shen wanted to protest his innocence. He understood the intricacies of the procedure but could not explain his earlier mistake.

After all, he had performed interventional surgeries before and was at least an Expert by the System's standards. However, he was insignificant compared to Zheng Ren.

Had this been a routine surgery, Zheng Ren would have done things a few beats slower. Dr. Shen might have been able to keep up.

However, given the emergency nature of Lin Jiaojiao's diagnosis, there was little time left before the damage became irreversible. The unnatural speed at which Zheng Ren operated left Dr. Shen in shambles.

Zheng Ren left Dr. Shen with the catheter and went into the control room. "Department Chief Kong, what's your view on this?"

"The urokinase will help but the large amount of hyaluronic acid might not be so easily removed," Department Chief Kong said with a frown.

The patient's condition would not deteriorate as quickly as that of a simple thrombosis. Zheng Ren's hypothesis was spot-on.

Presumably, blood supply to the eye had been cut off by hyaluronic acid causing an obstruction in the ophthalmic artery.

This was a tricky case, indeed.

Zheng Ren nodded, then turned to Su Yun. "Are you able to assist?"

"No issue, I only had a pound of alcohol[1]." Su Yun, ever the attractive drama queen, let out a breath of air that made his tousled, black curls twirl.

Without a word, Zheng Ren looked at Department Chief Kong.

The chief took a moment to consider, then he nodded his assent.

"Scrub in," Zheng Ren said to Su Yun.

[1] 一斤酒 translates directly, as Su Yun is bragging about his alcohol tolerance.

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Chapter 226: Lick the Screen (Part 3 of 3)

When Dr Shen returned to the operating table, Su Yun had taken over his position.

"Pardon me, but the subsequent procedures are rather challenging. I'll be more comfortable with the help of my assistant," Zheng Ren said politely, but that was all he provided before he dove right back into the operation.

The phrase, "my assistant", left Dr. Shen in a daze.

Even Department Chief Kong did not have an assigned assistant. How had this young doctor gotten one of his own?

Dr. Shen left the operating table dejectedly and went into the operator console room, where he stood in place, feeling completely at a loss. He stole a glance at Department Chief Kong from time to time, fearing the man's anger and castigation.

However, a few minutes passed and Department Chief Kong had not looked over at Dr. Shen. His focus was entirely on Zheng Ren and Su Yun operating. Dr. Shen got even more worried.

Could this be the lull before the storm?

"Come over here and observe," Department Chief Kong suddenly said.

"..." Dr. Shen was stunned. Department Chief Kong was not being his usual self.

He had made a serious mistake today; was he not going to be berated for it? Instead of receiving a full-blown lecture from Department Chief Kong, he was being called over to observe the operation?

'How is this possible?' thought Dr. Shen.

"Don't be disappointed," Department Chief Kong said in a benevolent tone, which was a rare thing. "Do you know who the assistant is?"

'The assistant? Isn't he just a handsome-looking chap that looks like a girl? Is he the son of someone important?' thought Dr. Shen.

"I don't know," Dr. Shen answered honestly, not reckless enough to blurt out his speculations.

"He was the one who performed a heart transplant on mice two years ago and published the study in The Lancet," Department Chief Kong said.

"Ah!" Dr. Shen exclaimed, astounded by the mere mention of The Lancet.

In order to earn his doctorate, he had to publish a journal that would be indexed in the Scientific Citation Index (SCI). However, the whole journey from conducting the study itself to getting it published was not an easy task. The only other option was to pay for one.

Dr. Shen's heart dropped when he estimated the cost of a decent quality journal to be at least 50,000 yuan.

That sissy had managed to publish in The Lancet two years ago?

A journal in The Lancet in conjunction with a good impact factor would earn most people their doctoral degrees.

"Look at what they're doing." Department Chief Kong sat directly in front of the operating console room display, his eyes glued to the screen.

Dr. Shen finally regained his composure and began observing the procedure carefully. 'What are they doing?'

The thrombolysis went through fine but was not that effective. Onscreen, the contrast media had moved forward less than 1 centimeter.

What were they doing? What else could be done at this point?

Something was not right. The microcatheter should not be that thick. Was he hallucinating? Dr. Shen adjusted his glasses and leaned forward.

"You don't get it?" Department Chief Kong's tone became much more serious.

Dr. Shen's heart sank. It would be excusable if he could not perform this procedure. However, if he could not even understand what was going on... Department Chief Kong would kick him out of the operating console room then and there.

Beads of sweat suddenly began forming on his forehead. He could feel a chill run down his spine, as if someone was holding a knife against his neck.

"Is that a large catheter?" Dr. Shen had finally figured out what it was after a few seconds.

"Why is he using a large catheter?" he blurted out almost immediately after as if shocked by his own revelation.

"Look for yourself!" Department Chief Kong was very unimpressed with Dr. Shen, irritation growing in his tone.

Tears filled Dr. Shen's face while an ache throbbed in his scarred heart.

'How the hell would I know why he is using a large catheter to navigate through such a thin blood vessel?' thought Dr. Shen.

Nevertheless, his sanity kept him from voicing it out loud in front of Department Chief Kong lest he receive the chief's wrath.

On the screen, the large catheter was inching forward slowly and gradually filling up the blood vessel, each step taken with caution.

This would result in injuries on the inner walls of the blood vessels due to friction. If the walls were punctured, there would be bleeding.

Even though the injury would not be fatal, local hematoma would be inevitable. In more severe cases, the hematoma formed due to deformation of the ophthalmic artery in the posterior cavity would result in compression on the cranial nerves.

'What was Department Chief Kong trying to do, ordering him to observe such a risky procedure?' thought Dr. Shen.

Countless thoughts flashed across his mind. Dr. Shen was considered the cream of the crop, which was why he had been able to obtain a graduate research fellowship under Department Chief Kong. If not for his impeccable memory, he would not have been able to outshine all the other applicants.

He could remember every single book that he had ever read, as well as all the operations he had observed.

Nonetheless, there was not a single procedure he knew that fit the operation that was happening before him.

He subconsciously leaned toward the screen as if it would allow him to have a clearer look, as he had no idea what was going on.

Despite being physically closer to the screen, he still had no clue.

The large catheter maneuvered through the narrow artery carefully and decisively without any signs of stopping.

Were they asking for trouble?

'That can't be the case. If that was his intention, why hadn't Department Chief Kong stopped him from doing it?' thought Dr. Shen.

He immediately replayed the entire process of the operation from memory, stunned by the realization that he had missed out on the action performed right after thrombolysis.

What had they done within that particular time frame? Why had they chosen to use a large catheter?

After asking himself the question a few times, Dr. Shen was becoming more and more anxious. He closed in a few more centimeters and stared at the screen intensely, his eyes fixed on the moving large catheter.

"The artery is being blocked by high molecular weight hyaluronic acid and the suction force of a microcatheter is insufficient to remove it. That's why they are trying it with a large catheter," Department Chief Kong explained, knowing that Dr. Shen could not understand what was going on.

Uhm...

Suction? They were removing the high molecular weight hyaluronic acid that was blocking the ophthalmic artery?

The mere thought of such a solution was so baffling that it stunned Dr. Shen. He stared at the screen blankly with both of his hands supporting his weight on the console.

Even though the large catheter was moving very slowly, it eventually closed the short distance to the blockage in the ophthalmic artery after several minutes.

At that point, it stopped moving forward. Zheng Ren held the catheter absolutely still while Su Yun connected it to an open syringe and started suction.

Resistance was considerably strong. Su Yun faced some difficulty when he tried to pull the syringe by hand.

Everyone in the room tensed up.

Three hours had already passed. This was Lin Jiaojiao's last chance to regain sight in her right eye.

They had to succeed! Department Chief Kong unintentionally clenched his fist, his palm filled with sweat.

Dr. Shen was also on edge. He had connected the dots after hearing Department Chief Kong's explanation of the operative procedure. Had he known, he would not have agreed with Zheng Ren's current plan of action.

However, after running a few scenarios in his mind, Zheng Ren's procedure seemed to be the only feasible solution.

They had to succeed! Dr. Shen began to get nervous. He pressed his full weight on both hands against the table and leaned forward.

"You should just bury yourself in the screen," Department Chief Kong said from behind him.

Only then did Dr. Shen realize that his face was almost stuck to the glass.

Was he close to licking the screen?

He literally did just that...

At that exact moment, a phone camera clicked. Despite not comprehending what was going on in the operating theatre, a nearby nurse had found Dr. Shen's posture amusing and immortalized it on her phone.

"Hey, Brother Shen, you looked great the way you licked the screen!"

Missing the nurse's joke, Dr. Shen shuddered and straightened his back at Department Chief Kong's remark.

As he turned away from the screen, there was suddenly a minor reaction in the ophthalmic artery. It was moving!

Department Chief Kong could not parse it, though. When he lifted his head, he saw Su Yun putting down the 50 mL syringe and connecting a pressure injector to the large catheter.

Was it done?

Maybe.

They would only know after radiography.

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Chapter 227: The Tree of Life (Part 1 of 5)

"Sister Lin, please keep your eyes closed. Don't rush to open them," Zheng Ren muttered in the operating theater.

Lin Jiaojiao was a senior nurse in the Interventional Radiology Department and knew how interventional surgeries worked. The moment she saw the blank region on the radiograph of her eye, she knew her fate was sealed.

However, this young doctor had carried on with the usual protocol. He was determined even when she had given up hope.

After hearing what Zheng Ren said, Lin Jiaojiao asked, her voice trembling and her eyes closed, "Doctor, is there still a chance for me?"

"The outcome is promising. If everything goes according to plan, we've already resolved the issue." Zheng Ren smiled, but it was hidden under his face mask. "We can give you a definite answer after obtaining the results from radiography."

Lin Jiaojiao had always complied with medical advice. Even when faced with the possibility of losing her vision, she still instinctively obeyed doctor's orders.

She did not question her doctor's decisions despite the fact that interventional surgery seemed unrelated to whether or not her vision recovered, or that her surgeon was a young doctor that she had never heard of.

When the young physician told her that she had a chance of regaining her eyesight, Li Jiaojiao's eyelids fluttered non-stop while her eyes remained shut, visibly fighting to contain her emotional turmoil.

"The radiograph," Zheng Ren said quietly.

Su Yun immediately pressed the button on the pressure injector. A black image appeared on the screen, the silhouette of the contrast agent resembling a giant tree.

Zheng Ren and Su Yun held their breath and stared at the screen unblinkingly.

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In the operating console room, Department Chief Kong, Chief Ma, Dr. Shen, the operator, and the nurse had their eyes stuck to the screen as well.

Whether the procedure had succeeded or not...

It all boiled down to this moment.

The contrast agent spread across the blood vessels rapidly, from the internal carotid artery to the ophthalmic artery...

The branches gradually grew finer until the agent finally reached the region that was previously blank.

The dark contrast agent weaved through the region unimpeded. It instantly branched out into countless capillaries like innumerable masses of rootlets that stemmed from underground roots.

It indicated life!

Life and victory!

Department Chief Kong rose to his feet in one swift motion and looked at Zheng Ren through the transparent lead glass.

Zheng Ren let out a long sigh as he confirmed that the blockage in the ophthalmic artery had been cleared. He looked out of the room and gave a thumbs-up with his right hand.

From the outside, Department Chief Kong mirrored the action with his own.

It was a success!

"Remove the catheter and clamp down," Zheng Ren said before leaving the operating table with a smile on his face.

He tore off his sterile surgical gown and entered the operating console room.

"Little Zheng, well done!" Department Chief Kong did not hold back his acclaim. Words could not express his sincere and deep exhilaration.

"You flatter me," Zheng Ren said, grinning, "The amount of urokinase administered was higher than usual, so we should keep an eye on her post-surgery."

Department Chief Kong waved his hand dismissively. If Zheng Ren had to worry about these things, he, as chief of the department, would be obligated to dash himself against the walls of the operating console room.

Chief Ma of the ophthalmology department had made a 180-degree turn in her attitude towards Zheng Ren. Laughing, she said, "Little Zheng, your medical skills are exceptional."

"You're exaggerating," Zheng Ren said courteously.

"That was an understatement." Department Chief Kong rolled his eyes and continued, "You need to learn to accept credit when you've done something incredible. Don't ever belittle yourself. Your humility is like a slap to my face."

Dr. Shen was hiding in one of the corners, his face covered in tears. He was the one who had embodied the slap on Department Chief Kong's face, not Mr. Zheng.

After recollecting the whole procedure, he had come to the conclusion that he could have performed the entire surgery himself. Even though he might have taken a longer time than Mr. Zheng, he had the skill to execute it without fail.

However, although he could retroactively understand the procedure, few people had the guts to attempt a new surgical technique during an emergency, especially with such a rare case.

Who would take the risk to go through with a procedure beyond their grasp? Those who did had a certain level of confidence that it would work. Based on this alone, the difference between them both was crystal clear.

Department Chief Kong sighed internally when he saw Su Yun applying pressure to stop the bleeding. "Little Shen, set up the compression device."

This was someone capable of a heart transplant at postgraduate level, now reduced to stopping bleeding via manual compression under Zheng Ren. What a waste of talent.

Furthermore, no one performed manual compression in Imperial Capital anymore. Here, they used compression devices to achieve hemostasis.

Even though the device cost over a thousand dollars, out of reach of poorer patients, it had its advantages, such as allowing for recovery as soon as four hours post-surgery. Many people... most people did not mind paying the extra cost.

For a moment, Dr. Shen was relieved that Department Chief Kong had not censured him, but in the next, he ran into the operating theater like a stray dog let loose[1] to stand in for Su Yun.

Department Chief Kong chuckled and said, "Little Su, is everything fine?"

Su Yun had drunk the most when they were in Tang Song Restaurant—a catty of Maotai.

Under normal circumstances, it was prohibited to perform surgery after drinking. However, he had just filled an assistant role and appeared perfectly fine with no sign of discomfort, which was why he had been allowed to enter the operating theater at Zheng Ren's request.

Department Chief Kong was concerned for these youngsters.

"Yes." Su Yun removed his sterile surgical gown and passed it to the operating theater nurse.

The nurse received it with a smile and helped him dispose of it in a large red medical waste bin.

"Is a catty a lot?" Su Yun said stoically.

"..." Zheng Ren glanced at Su Yun and saw that the man's fringe had stuck to his forehead in the shape of his surgical cap. This was some top-tier pretense being put on, he mused.

Since two of the chiefs were present, Zheng Ren could not make a jab at Su Yun about the incident involving crayfish and Snow, and thus let him go on with his act.

"Youngsters; such vibrant energy," Department Chief Kong said whimsically.

"Do you need me for anything else?" Zheng Ren asked after checking the time on his watch. It was already an hour past midnight and he wanted to leave.

"It's done. You guys can retire for the night," Chief Kong answered, "You still have enough stamina for tomorrow's surgery, right?"

"Absolutely," Zheng Ren said.

"Okay, I'll hand over at 8 a.m., and you guys can arrive at the operating theater at 8.30," Chief Kong said.

"Sure, I'll be here at 8.30 sharp," Zheng Ren confirmed. After bidding farewell to both chiefs, the operator, and the nurse, he left as quickly as he could.

"So handsome," the nurse mumbled to herself as she stared at their departing backs.

"Stop dreaming." Department Chief Kong was in an exceptional mood, basking in the success of the surgery. He said with a laugh, "Don't waste your time on the both of them."

"Why do you say that?" The nurse looked upset.

"That assistant already had a fan base two to three years ago when he was in Union Medical College Hospital. Now that he's back in Imperial Capital, you probably wouldn't be able to join the fan club in the first place," said Chief Kong. Gossip was inevitable in the operating theater on such a momentous occasion.

'So iconic! He even has his own fan club!' thought the nurse.

"Back to the surgeon: what do you think he's like if he had the ability to make Su Yun his assistant?"

This time, Chief Ma interjected and asked, "About that, Old Kong; who's the guy who operated today?"

"You wouldn't know who he is even if I described him. I'll tell you this much—Old Chu from the CT department, Zheng Ren and I met today and discussed new differential diagnoses and surgical techniques. We perfected it based on his conjecture."

"..."

...

...

[1] This is a description used in "史上第一混乱", written by Zhang Xiaohua. I really liked it and used it a couple of times.

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Chapter 228: Time to Visit the Doctor (2/5)

Zheng Ren and Su Yun walked out of the interventional operating theater.

As the door opened, a slim figure immediately charged towards them.

"Doctor, how's my mother?" the girl who had accompanied Lin Jiaojiao asked worriedly.

"She should be fine." Zheng Ren's answer was calm.

"Oh, that's great, that's great." The girl was obviously still in shock. This was the only good news she had received after waiting for several hours.

"Don't worry." Zheng Ren did not stay behind to describe what had happened over the course of the operation to Lin Jiaojiao or her daughter.

After all, this was Imperial Capital, not Sea City General Hospital. He could save his breath.

Furthermore, if he told the patient's family members that it was he who performed the surgery, there was bound to be more misunderstanding.

It was still a serendipity that turned out well in the end, but it was already past midnight and Zheng Ren did not want to waste more time as there were four more interventional surgeries waiting for him the next morning.

"When is Uncle Kong coming out?" the girl asked behind them.

"I don't know, he's probably leaving soon," Zheng Ren said as he continued to walk away.

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There was a smile on the girl's fretful face and she completely neglected Su Yun's presence beside Zheng Ren.

Su Yun's charms were overlooked by patients' family members most of the time.

...

...

Approximately ten minutes later, a gurney was wheeled out from the theater.

Department Chief Kong and Chief Ma stayed beside Lin Jiaojiao while Dr. Shen pushed the gurney, steered with the help of another doctor, towards the ophthalmology department.

After a discussion in the operating theater, they had finally decided to let Lin Jiaojiao stay in the ophthalmology department as interventional procedures were no longer needed. The remaining work would be focused on rehabilitating her eyes to slowly regain their vision.

After all, the interventional radiational department was not specialized in ophthalmology.

Department Chief Kong assigned Dr. Shen an overnight shift in Lin Jiaojiao's ward to look after her and provide post-surgical care. There would not be any issues.

At the end of the day, Lin Jiaojiao had suffered plenty enough in her past already, her being a loyal employee of the hospital notwithstanding. Department Chief Kong still felt sorry for her.

He would do as much as he could to ensure that she was well taken care of.

After returning to the ophthalmology department, Chief Ma continued to examine the lower region of Lin Jiaojiao's eye.

The clinical analysis was very promising as her retinal vascular network had regained its blood supply and would likely not affect her vision further. However, to be on the safe side, her eyes were covered with bandages soaked in warm saline to promote blood flow and reduce the risk of complications.

After finishing up, Chief Ma excused herself and went home. Department Chief Kong stared at Dr. Shen, waving his hand to summon him out of the ward.

Now that they were alone, Chief Kong's face dropped and he sternly said, "Little Shen, you performed poorly today."

Dr. Shen began sweating heavily.

Department Chief Kong was neither being cruel nor nitpicky. His performance today had truly been subpar.

It started from the very beginning, from his scrubbing in and putting on his surgical gown. It was not that he was trailing behind on purpose; young Mr. Zheng was simply too efficient.

However, one being too efficient during a surgery was never a source of complaint.

During an emergency or resuscitation, it was advantageous to be fast.

Chief Kong probably would have a heart attack if he tried to argue the matter.

It still amazed him how quickly they finished the surgery. How could someone have completed all the preliminary steps to surgery in such a short timeframe?

If the problem was that Mr. Zheng was too fast-paced, his situation might have been salvageable.

Yet, he had unknowingly moved his hand holding the microcatheter when they were about to capture the radiograph, which had resulted in a section of the catheter needing to be extracted.

That mistake was practically criminal...

There was a story from an unknown hospital of a professor guiding his students through a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) surgery. The puncture was the most difficult aspect of the procedure and was thus performed by the professor. His student was helping to hold it while he prepared to insert the stent.

To his surprise, the stent had been unable to enter the guide wire. When he looked at the imaging, the tubing had already been removed by ten centimeters.

Had it been a normal procedure, the professor could have gotten angry, but not as much as he did at that moment.

TIPS was considered the most difficult procedure in all of interventional surgery. The puncture was done almost blindly, which required one's skill and experience as well as some luck.

He had had to redo the entire procedure as the guide wire was out of place.

In the end, the student had not managed to graduate.

Dr. Shen had never expected the story that he had heard and treated as a joke would happen to himself.

Worse, he was not the professor but the idiotic student from the story!

If it were a TIPS surgery, they would be able to redo it. All it would take was for the patient to lie there for a few more hours and the professor to perform it all over again.

However, in his case, it had been an emergency! Every second counted and yet he had made such a huge mistake.

It was unforgivable!

"Boss... I... I'm... I'm sorry," Dr. Shen mumbled with his head lowered, his entire face red.

"Luckily, Mr. Zheng reacted quickly. If he was even slightly slower, your Aunt Lin's eyes would be gone," Department Chief said harshly.

"Yes. Yes." If Dr. Shen could lower his head further, it would reach his ankle and he would fold himself up as Chief Kong continued lecturing him.

"Even though you're slightly senior to Mr. Cheng and Su Yun, don't compare yourself to them." It was a rare sight for Department Chief Kong to gently comfort Dr. Shen without throwing a fit.

Even Dr. Shen was stunned. His boss was not being his usual self.

"Take good care of your Aunt Lin tonight and change the bandages with warm saline more frequently." Chief Kong was obviously distracted by greater things than Dr. Shen, and was in an unusually good enough mood today that his usual lecture was not as brutal. Instead, he said, "Your Aunt Lin went through quite a lot back then."

What else could Dr. Shen say? He kept nodding his head repeatedly.

"Also, if you have the chance, try to establish a connection with Su Yun," Department Chief Kong added.

"Su Yun? The Su Yun that performed the heart transplant?" Dr. Shen was slightly taken aback. Even if they had great skill, did he really need to try to butter them up?

"Mm," Chief Kong said. "I predict that they will publish a journal in The Lancet in the next three to five months. Even though it wouldn't really help you graduate, you could still try to go for it. It's the Lancet; you should try to get authorship within the first ten slots."

"..." Dr. Shen felt that something was definitely wrong with him tonight. Either his hearing was not functioning properly due to lack of rest, or just plain old comprehension issues.

The expectations of hospital workers were superhuman.

They resulted in his health being affected all year round, including today, where he just kept hearing weird things.

"Boss, Su Yun published the article two years ago," Dr. Shen reminded his boss softly.

"Dumb*ss!" Department Chief Kong glared at Dr. Shen before yelling, "I was referring to the differential diagnosis and surgical treatment of nodules between hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic cirrhosis."

"..." He had to be suffering from hearing problems. How could anyone manage to complete research like this and successfully obtain a conclusion?

Even though Dr. Shen continued to acknowledge his superior with his head lowered, his mind wandered off to the department of traditional Chinese medicine. It was time for him to pay a visit to the old chief there to check his pulse and maybe prescribe him some much-needed medicine.

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Chapter 229: Goodnight (3/5)

As Zheng Ren and Su Yun left the inpatient department, the temperature outside began to plummet as the night wore on, with icy winds so cold that it chilled everyone it touched to the bone.

They both hastened back to their hostel and headed to their own rooms right away without exchanging a word.

When he reached his room, Zheng Ren removed his coat and hung it up carefully.

It had fit him perfectly thanks to Xie Yiren's skillful shopping.

A smile involuntarily graced his lips as he stared at the row of hanging coats.

His gaze was fixed on them for a while. 'Xie Yiren has probably already fallen asleep,' he thought. A slight twinge of disappointment coursed through him, as if he was missing out on something.

Over the past few days, he and Xie Yiren had developed a habit of wishing each other goodnight.

Zheng Ren took off his cardigan and checked his bandages. The wound was itching slightly, but he ought to be able to remove the stitches after three days.

He shook his head when he thought about how he had gained a scar by simply visiting Imperial Capital.

Clouds of steam rose as he turned on the hot water; Zheng Ren carefully positioned himself so that his left shoulder was out of reach of the shower.

Stuck like that, he was unable to clean fully half of his body.

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However, he had no other choice. Zheng Ren was already used to having a hot shower after a hectic day before retiring to bed for a good night's sleep.

Hot water ran across half of his body, washing away the hustle and bustle of his day, making him feel relaxed and serene.

Zheng Ren still felt something missing inside him. It would be nice if Xie Yiren was here so they could exchange a few words.

The moment he laid down on his bed, fatigue crept up all four of his limbs. He yawned and prepared to sleep.

He turned on his cellphone out of habit and saw a small red notification on Xie Yiren's profile picture.

When Zheng Ren opened it, multiple messages popped up in front of him.

He had texted Xie Yiren to tell her not wait up for him after he left Tang Song Restaurant as there was an emergency surgery to attend.

Thus, he was surprised to see the number of messages Xie Yiren had sent him within those few hours.

Zheng Ren's heart dropped.

Even though he had never had a girlfriend, Zheng Ren had heard from others that women who were too busy to reply to texts from their boyfriends during work would be happy upon discovering said messages.

However, were it the other way around, the man would be in serious trouble.

A storm of thoughts churned inside Zheng Ren's mind as he repeatedly reassured himself that he had told Xie Yiren of the emergency.

He could not gather the courage to read her messages, instead swiping the chat upwards with his fingers.

After going through the thread of messages, Zheng Ren found the one where he had informed Xie Yiren of the emergency surgery he had had to attend.

Even after confirming that he had told her about it, Zheng Ren was still unsettled.

He read Xie Yiren's first message carefully.

[You're attending emergency surgeries here?]

Good point. Little Yiren asked a great question: why was he attending emergency surgeries in Imperial Capital? Zheng Ren laughed bitterly

He checked the next one.

[Thanks for your hard work, Senior Chief Zheng. *smiley face]

Senior Chief Zheng? Was she addressing him as such jokingly or was she upset?

Zheng Ren was very anxious. He was overthinking, completely at odds with his sharp and decisive demeanor during surgeries.

[Head back earlier to rest after you're done. Do you still have surgery tomorrow?]

[Remember to have some breakfast tomorrow morning. If you go in with an empty stomach, what will happen if your blood sugar drops?]

[The temperature over here is minus ten degrees. I think Imperial Capital is about minus three, so I'll go search for some warmer clothing tomorrow.]

[When are you coming back? It's getting boring these days since there's no surgeries.]

...

...

Despite the many possible scenarios that assailed him, there was nothing that made him feel awkward and guilty. Little Yiren just kept asking him about the simple things in his daily life.

He let out a long sigh after reading it all.

Thank goodness.

[I'm back now, getting ready to go to bed after taking a shower. I have four interventional surgeries for hepatocellular carcinoma tomorrow morning at 8.30 a.m. Good night.]

Zheng Ren had hesitated for a few minutes, continuously writing and deleting his message. His final text had a neutral tone without any errors but also lacked emotion.

As he put his phone down, a sweet and fluttery sensation bubbled inside his heart.

It felt nice.

His exhaustion from earlier on had disappeared completely. The smile on Zheng Ren's face grew larger.

He plugged in his phone and turned off the bedside lamp. As he was about to sleep, he heard his WeChat notification go off.

His hands flew to grab his phone as fast as when he had performed the emergency surgery on Miao Xiaohua.

Slightly faster, even.

He practically broke his own body's speed limiit.

[Fell asleep already. Good night. Snore~~~]

Xie Yiren included a cute snoring emoji at the end of her message.

Zheng Ren's smile widened further.

[Good night, sweet dreams. No need to reply to this.]

Zheng Ren turned his phone off after sending the text.

Would she go against his wishes and reply, or would she listen? The question continued to confound him.

It was more difficult than any rare disease he would encounter; he had no prior experience for this, and the damned System would not tell him what Xie Yiren was thinking.

The thoughts carried him off to sleep while his phone remained silent.

He slept until dawn.

Zheng Ren was awakened by Feng Xuhui knocking on his door.

When he checked his phone, it was already 6.30 a.m.

Crawling out of bed, he got dressed before letting Feng Xuhui in.

Feng Xuhui had brought a stack of steamers filled with steamed buns. "Chief Zheng, I wasn't what flavor you preferred, so I bought extras."

"You're too kind," Zheng Ren said laughingly, "Having something to eat is already good enough, there was no need to trouble yourself so."

"Not at all, not at all." Feng Xuhui's smile was more confident than before, as if he had achieved some sort of enlightenment overnight. "I'm satisfied as long as you're eating well, Chief Zheng."

Zheng Ren called Su Yun, telling him over the phone to get up and join them for breakfast.

Su Yun walked over with sleepy, half-opened eyes. He glanced at the food on the table and asked, "Where's the mung bean milk[1]?"

"..." Feng Xuhui was astonished. As Zheng Ren and Su Yun were from northeastern China, he had not expected them to like a dish so distinctly from Imperial Capital.

"Be thankful you have food at all. Stop being so picky," Zheng Ren said while passing him a steamer of buns. "Hurry up and eat. We have four surgeries today. Oh, right, are we booked for the prostate surgery?"

"It was confirmed ages ago and they also informed you, yet you still don't know?" In his surprise, Su Yun's barbs stopped targeting the unassuming sales manager, Feng Xuhui, and went to Zheng Ren instead.

"..." Zheng Ren could not recall being told as such. His memory had to have been hazy due to the fever he had had that day.

"The original plan was to meet the patient this afternoon, but nobody expected you to pick interventional surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma. Hopefully, there'll be no delay. If time permits, the patient will be transferred to the interventional radiology department." Su Yun had no qualms with the arrangements as he was not the one performing surgery.

"Oh." Zheng Ren felt helpless; why did he feel so much busier in Imperial Capital than he did in Sea City General?

After breakfast, Feng Xuhui swiftly cleared the table behind them while Zheng Ren and Su Yun washed up.

The three of them headed to the interventional operating theater at 8 a.m. sharp.

[1] Mung bean milk or 豆汁 (douzhi or douzhir in the Beijing dialect) is a pale, sour soup made from fermented mung beans and usually a byproduct of cellophane noodle production. It is also a dish popular and commonly associated with the people of Beijing and thus Imperial Capital (the stand-in term for Beijing here).

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Chapter 230: Lightning-Fast Surgery (Part 4 of 5)

Zheng Ren and Su Yun reached the interventional operating theater at 8.18 a.m.

Feng Xuhui stopped at the door as he did not have permission to enter operating rooms in Imperial Capital General. However, right before Su Yun closed the door, Feng Xuhui openly conveyed his intentions: he would be waiting for Zheng Ren and Su Yun to finish their surgery and then go out for lunch together.

"This guy is still too green," Su Yun commented when he shut the door.

Zheng Ren did not pay Feng Xuhui much attention as he only had one thing in mind—the interventional surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The interventional radiology department had already sent the patient over.

He guessed that Chief Kong had prepared everything earlier to prevent an awkward situation where Zheng Ren arrived before his patient.

These situations happened relatively often, and there was no exception, even for Chief Kong.

Zheng Ren had gained Chief Kong's recognition after briefly working together and the latter was eager to commence the surgery today, hurriedly handing over his shift before ordering the first patient sent to the operating theater.

The entire morning shift of the interventional radiology department was aware of the new surgery. All of its doctors were bubbling with excitement as they crammed themselves into the operating theater.

As for their own department... The operating theater was not far from the ward, reachable on foot within a minute. What was there to worry about?

No extraneous task could surpass the significance of observing a new surgical method.

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Therefore, as soon as shift handover was complete, not a single white coat could be found in the entire ward. Instead, there were almost twenty doctors standing in an orderly manner inside the interventional operating theater.

There were only eight in-house doctors among them, including Chief Kong. Many professors with their own teams could not get even a single in-house doctor to join them.

All of their in-house doctors had an assistant professorship at the very least, which begged the question: who would lead the surgery? That was why most teams consisted of postgraduate students, PhD students, and fellows.

Most of the physicians on duty in that room were fellows.

At this time of the year, manpower was still sufficient. Around Chinese New Year, though, the professors all suffered when the fellows, Master's students and postgraduates returned to their hometowns.

They had to either choose to reduce their number of surgeries or beg someone else to assist them.

There were countless professors in Imperial Capital, making them stand out much less than they would in a place like Sea City.

Department Chief Kong sat facing the screen in the operating console room outside the theater. There were four other professors sitting around him. Every other physician had to find a spot to stand.

Zheng Ren went to scrub in while Su Yun prepped the table.

The films from the patient's MRI and 3D-reconstructed 64-slice CT scan were pinned to the radiographic film viewer after being repeatedly examined for mistakes.

After scrubbing in, Zheng Ren gave them one final check while suiting up.

There was no such thing as being too cautious in surgery, even if one was being borderline obsessive-compulsive.

After all, surgery mishaps did happen, such as operations being performed on the wrong kidney or lung.

Why? Most of the time, it was simply because there were too many surgeries that day, and the scans of the previous patient were still attached to the reader.

At first glance, the surgeon would start their operation on the organ on the right side, only realizing mid-operation that the malignant tissue they were looking for was on the left side!

Those were considered the luckier ones. Some unfortunate souls even had their healthy organs removed...

"Dr. Zheng has good habits," one of the professors, leading their own team, pointed out after watching Zheng Ren carefully examine the scans.

"There are four surgeries today. All four of the 64-slice CT scans were reconstructed by him," Chief Kong explained, "Each one has a different insertion path, which is why he needs to check them carefully."

Most doctors from the interventional radiology department had heard about it. They did not fully understand how Zheng Ren had managed to pull it off, but no one was stupid enough to challenge Chief Kong's words.

As usual, Zheng Ren started operating while Su Yun was scrubbing in.

After the introducer sheath entered the femoral artery, the guide wire went in with no issue.

Zheng Ren's cross-hands maneuver flowed like water.

Dr. Shen quietly took out his phone and started a stopwatch.

While watching over Lin Jiaojiao yesterday, he still felt somewhat wronged and simulated the entire scrubbing-in process repeatedly, timing himself as he did so. He wanted to check if Zheng Ren had sped up due to it being an emergency case, thus throwing him off guard.

After Su Yun finished scrubbing in and reached the operating table, Dr. Shen glanced at his phone.

Two minutes and fifteen seconds. This was half the time he took.

Was he also that fast during a normal surgery?

It was only the beginning. After Su Yun joined in, Dr. Shen witnessed the true meaning of efficiency.

IDuring the midnight surgery, he had been in a state of confusion and had not managed to get a clear picture, which was why he ended up "licking" the screen. In this moment, however, he was fully composed and finally able to truly admire how proficient Zheng Ren and Su Yun were at interventional surgery.

Zheng Ren began working at lightning speed once Su Yun joined in.

The micro-guidewire was inserted followed by the microcatheter. From the radiography, the microcatheter's positioning was unbelievably accurate. Superselective catheterization was performed and the micro-guidewire continued down an invisible artery, executing targeted administration of chemotherapy drugs to hepatic cirrhosis nodules before finishing them off with embolization.

After treating all of the suspected cancerous nodules, Zheng Ren infused a minute amount of chemotherapeutic medication across the liver as a preventative measure, and the surgery was complete.

Su Yun did not perform manual compression to stop bleeding, instead choosing to use a compression device in accordance with local practice. He then bandaged the patient before proceeding to the next surgery.

Dr. Shen had been completely absorbed throughout the entire surgery up to that moment, where he checked the timer on his phone again.

Twenty-two minutes and fifteen seconds...

Before this, he would have thought that interventional surgeries on hepatocellular carcinoma lasting less than thirty minutes were shams.

However, he had just seen this unbelievably short surgery, so precise that he would never be able to simulate it at his current skill level, with his own eyes.

"What an elegant piece of work!" one of the professors exclaimed.

"The insertion was on point. Chief, I assume you were referring to the technique of referring to the 3D-image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan. It's really brilliant," another professor commented.

"Yes, Chief Chu and I helped out Mr. Zheng with the reconstruction for ten hours," Chief Kong said, immediately feeling a pang of guilt, his wrinkled face flushing red.

Had they really been helping Zheng Ren?

They did offer discussion and research, but Zheng Ren completed almost 80% of the work by himself. To say that they helped... was quite far-fetched.

While they spoke, Zheng Ren and Su Yun had already started the second surgery.

It was good that they could not hear him. He was just making conversation and there was no need to take his words seriously.

Department Chief Kong smiled when he saw Zheng Ren and Su Yun breeze through the second surgery. Internally, he chuckled as he thought about how this new differential diagnosis and surgical method would soon spread across the entire country and even the world.

The Zheng Method?

Chief Kong became teary-eyed as he thought about it. Nevertheless, he quickly regained his composure. It would not matter if Zheng Ren could not understand such a sentiment.

It was unfortunate that he had such sharp-witted company. The chances of that man brushing off this matter were close to zero.

If he accidentally offended Zheng Ren, by the time he reached retirement age in less than ten years, Zheng Ren and Su Yun would still be under forty...

Tsk tsk, it was unwise to try to swindle the young.

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Chapter 231: Irascible (Part 5 of 5)

Qin Liren was fidgeting like a cat on hot bricks.

He was supposed to have surgery today, but the PhD student assigned to it by that professor had just informed him this morning that the surgery was postponed before simply running off without another word.

He had walked around for the whole morning looking for someone with which to clarify the situation, but could not find any doctors in the ward.

How absurd!

He had briefly considered asking the nurses, but they were all stretched to their limits as there were only eight or nine nurses between fifty-four beds in total. They could not even spare the time to talk; who would bother with him?

It would be so nice to be back home, where he would not need to deal with such matters.

At that moment, Qin Liren genuinely understood the hardships of being an alien.

It was so... so difficult.

Nevertheless, he was not ready to give up yet as his condition was too serious to be delayed any further. He had not consumed any food or drink any water, hoping that he could get his surgery done by today.

It was a pity there was no one here he could bribe into getting his way.

Qin Liren regretted coming to Imperial Capital to seek treatment. Had he known that this would happen, he would have asked a professor to perform the surgery on him in Provincial Capital, which would have been more comfortable and convenient for him.

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Even though he had retired, he ought to still be able to get a private ward in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Provincial Capital Medical University.

Qin Liren would have returned to Provincial Capital by now, were it not for his wife insisting that he do it at Imperial Capital for fear that inviting the professor over to their place would result in more delays.

Time passed quickly and it was already past nine. The first patient was sent out from the operating theater.

Qin Liren paced back and forth outside of that patient's ward. He wanted to go in and make an enquiry but felt embarrassed.

The patient seemed to be in great condition. He was chatting away as though he had not just undergone a major surgery. Qin Liren was confused by the sight.

How could someone be so relaxed after their surgery? It was probably not a major operation.

However, from the patient's description, his surgeon had been amazing. Had he made an error in judgment? Suddenly, it hit Qin Liren that the surgeon had to have exemplary skill for their postoperative patient to be in such a good condition.

Qin Liren felt envy and resentment at the same time.

Just because he was retired, he had been totally cut off from the scene. Was he not allowed an experienced doctor for his surgery?

He felt a constriction in his chest due to his rising blood pressure. Qin Liren's face, already dark with anger, became even more enraged.

Less than an hour later, the second patient was wheeled out.

This time, Qin Liren swallowed his pride and stopped a physician hurrying back to the operating theater. "Excuse me, doctor, who's doing the surgery today?"

"Boss Zheng." The doctor was in a hurry, a hint of frustration evident in his tone.

Frustration was rarely visible on a doctor's face unless they were in the middle of an emergency, when someone's life was at stake. Was this one of those times?

Boss Zheng? It rang a bell and Qin Liren's mind instantly recalled the young doctor from Sea City who had interviewed him about his medical history.

However, he quickly dismissed the thought.

Even birds did not choose to defecate in Sea City. Why would a doctor from Imperial Capital address him as Boss Zheng?

'They probably share the same surname. Uhm, that's all,' he thought.

Qin Liren stretched his facial muscles and put up an awkward smile before asking, "Doctor, the surgery went really well, right? I saw the patient not having any discomfort afterward."

"Of course, that was a demonstrative surgery. Is there anything else? If not, we'll talk after the operation." The doctor passed Qin Liren and took off.

Qin Liren got even more envious, but the stronger it grew, the greater the bitterness in his heart.

Flowers could blossom again, but youth could never be regained.

He had not even informed his son, currently working in Silicon Valley, about his medical condition, fearing that the news would cause the kid a career setback. He had already retired, and he was not going to depend on his son... this would be his life from now on.

Qin Liren let out a sigh, feeling depressed.

Shortly after, the third patient was wheeled out.

It was a patient who had been sharing his ward; specifically, the tanned man that had greeted him. This morning, all of the patients awaiting surgery were gathered in the same room. Since Qin Liren had exchanged a few words with the man, he considered him an acquaintance and took the opportunity to sneak in together.

This time, a different doctor was pushing the gurney.

However, they had the exact same expression and demeanor, scurrying back to the operating theater after sending the patient out.

"Was the surgery successful?" Qin Liren asked the patient cautiously.

"It went great, brother. Let me tell you, the surgeon today was fantastic." The tanned man was so happy that he could not resist smiling.

"Wait, you know about surgery?" Qin Liren was surprised.

"No, but I have eyes!

"When I laid down on the table, I saw through the glass that there was a room full of physicians next door. Only the chiefs were seated, while all the others remained standing. Some of them could not even get in and stayed in the corridor." The man added, "I initially thought that the surgeon would be a foreigner when they told me that it was going to be a demonstrative surgery. Anyway, it was extremely crowded back there."

"..." Qin Liren despised such unsophisticated peasants, but felt his misery growing as the man continued.

"The surgery was fast and accurate. The best part was that I didn't feel a thing at all. I was about to close my eyes and rest when they told me it was already over," the man said. "However, I chose not to use the compression device, which is why I need to stay an extra day in bed. You see, one device costs over a thousand yuan, and even though they claim you can be discharged four hours after using it, I'll be able to save a thousand yuan by lying down for a day. Where else would I get such a reasonable deal? Am I right, brother?"

"..." Qin Liren's expression darkened even further.

"But I don't think he's a foreigner. The surgeon had big black eyes. It was rather comforting." The man was still happily describing his experience to Qin Liren.

However, Qin Liren had lost interest in listening any further. He was already extremely irascible, the burning sensation in his liver becoming unbearable.

He turned around and left without bidding farewell to the man.

After returning to his bed, Qin Liren sat down angrily without saying a word.

"Old man, what's wrong?" His wife picked up an apple and started peeling it.

"I'm not eating anything! I want to have surgery!" Qin Liren was fuming.

"I'll eat it, then." Qin Liren's wife had already gotten used to his temper.

It was a known fact that anger was a rather useless emotion. However, patients with hepatic disorders simply could not control theirs.

Qin Liren was still in a bad mood when the last patient came out.

The two doctors accompanying the gurney were no longer in a rush, leisurely chatting while walking.

Qin Liren sprung up and followed them to ask when he would be able to receive surgery.

"Mr. Zheng was amazing," one of the doctors said.

"Of course! If he wasn't, would Chief Kong have asked him to demonstrate the surgery?"

"Didn't Chief Kong say that he participated in the research process?"

"Are you really believing the boss's words? With his daily schedule, do you think he has the time to conduct research?"

"Mr. Zheng is truly a remarkable man. We need to get his contact information so that we can invite him to perform surgeries at our place."

Qin Liren followed them closely, eavesdropping.

All of a sudden, a familiar voice called out, "Brother Liren."

...

...

Chapter 232: Absurd (Part 1 of 5)

At some point, Bu Ruotian had arrived at the ward. He stood nearby and greeted Qin Liren with a smile.

"You're here." Qin Liren finally regained a fragment of his old pride. He placed both of his hands behind his back subconsciously and humphed, "Let's have a word outside, it's too crowded in here."

Bu Ruotian's smile did not waver as he looked Qin Liren up and down. "Old friend, you're in better shape than I am. I think the risk of complications is rather low and you'll be able to recover very soon after your surgery."

Bu Li stood behind Bu Ruotian, her smile as pretty as blossoming flowers.

"I still need to acquiesce to age." Qin Liren let out a sigh before continuing, "Old Bu, you're the only one who remembered our friendship and came to visit me."

"What are you talking about? You'd always been there for me, Brother Liren. How can I not come to see you?" Bu Ruotian said. "Do you need any help? I'll ask Little Li to stay the night and take care of you. I worry for your wife's health if she stays up all night."

"Worry not, there'll be no need for that." Qin Liren's wife had overheard their conversation and walked out of the ward.

Bu Ruotian visited their home every year during holidays and festivals. Even though he did not usually visit them empty-handed, it was still relatively thoughtful of him to pay Qin Liren a visit in such a state.

"Old brother, when is your surgery?" Bu Ruotian asked.

Qin Liren's expression darkened further as if there was a black mist enveloping his face.

He had learned an interesting lesson coming to Imperial Capital for treatment.

It made him realize that superficial relationships fell apart after one loses power... sigh.

"It was supposed to be today, but apparently there's a great professor performing a surgical demonstration. All of the doctors went to observe," Qin Liren said helplessly, dejected. "I'm waiting for the professors to come down so that I can ask them. No one's giving me any referrals or contacts for surgery now that I've retired."

"Don't worry, there's no need to hurry." Bu Ruotian grinned. "You'll probably get it done within the next two days, just stay calm. Modern medical technology is very advanced. Look at me, I'm doing just fine after major surgery."

As they were talking, the air in the corridor seemed to freeze in time. All ambient noise stopped as if turned off by an invisible hand and everyone subconsciously became silent.

Qin Liren had his head lowered in self-pity, but felt the sudden shift and lifted his head in confusion.

A flash of white coats appeared at the main entrance of the ward, shiny as snow and filling his vision.

It was the blinding white of sunlight reflected off snow-capped peaks, impossible to stare at directly.

However, it was not cold like ice, but warm.

It was the first time seeing such a scene for many patients and their family. The sheer number of doctors appearing together exuded a powerful aura that eclipsed all else.

Everybody stopped talking at almost the same time as they stared in awe at the doctors making their entrance.

There were several professors encircling Department Chief Kong... and the young doctor, Zheng Ren, beside him.

Chief Kong turned to Zheng Ren and spoke a few words before heading straight to the ward for the patients who had just undergone surgery.

They exchanged a single glance, as sharp as the tip of an arrow.

The uniform white coats of the doctors trailing them resembled the arrow's fletching, adding to the gravity and formality of the procession.

"The surgery was very successful. We'll need to review the double contrast-enhanced imaging after 28 days. I'll need your help to send me the films then, Chief Kong," Zheng Ren said as he walked.

He was in a great mood after all the successful surgeries.

"Sure," Chief Kong nodded, ignoring the onlooking patients and their families.

As department chief, Chief Kong was immune to their attention.

If he was not too busy, he could greet them with a smile. However, his head was buzzing with the surgical processes Zheng Ren had just demonstrated. He was using his decades of experience to form a conclusion and could not be bothered by others.

"There's no major issue with the surgeries. The patients' reactions after surgery were minimal, too. This is going to work." Zheng Ren had already assessed the situation.

"Let's go and take a look."

The "arrow" flew at the ward. Chief Kong, Zheng Ren, Su Yun, and a few other professors went in while the other doctors stayed outside.

With the exception of the ward physician responsible for noting down the recommendations of the chief and Zheng Ren, the remaining doctors stood quietly and patiently in the corridor.

Those with a view of the situation in the ward had higher positions in the hierarchy, but the newbies had it the worst. No matter their age, they were pushed aside and could not even see the ward.

Initially, Bu Ruotian was a little surprised, but quickly felt at ease.

He knew that Zheng Ren would have reached this stage sooner or later; it just so happened that the young man had achieved it earlier than he had expected.

On the other hand, Qin Liren was perplexed seeing Zheng Ren and Chief Kong entering the ward side by side. His jaw fell wide open.

The universe was definitely playing a joke on him. It was so absurd that Qin Liren's worldview and guiding principles, formulated over his many years, were immediately shattered.

Was that not the young doctor from his own hometown, Sea City, who had come to Imperial Capital as an observer? Why was he standing shoulder to shoulder with the department chief?

To others, such a thing might not have been a big deal.

However, Qin Liren understood that when one reached a certain status, even the order of names mattered significantly, not to mention where one stood in relation to the boss.

It meant that the young doctor was considered an equal to a department chief of Imperial Capital General Hospital.

Could he have been the surgeon who performed the demonstration? Was Chief Kong observing him?

The more he thought about it, the more his speculations seemed to fit the truth.

And the more it came to mind, the more unbearable its absurdity was to Qin Liren.

"Isn't that Zheng Ren?" Bu Li whispered into Bu Ruotian's ear.

The faintest smile appeared at the corner of Bu Ruotian's mouth. He knew his daughter through and through. She was not one to speak without intention.

He had introduced Zheng Ren to help with Qin Liren's surgery, only to be rejected.

That was fine as it did not concern him. He had nothing else to lose, and his own days were already limited with his chronic illness.

Nonetheless, Bu Li thought differently as she was still young. By mentioning it in front of Qin Liren...

Bu Ruotian could read between the lines and understood her intentions, but was unwilling to rub salt into the wound. He just smiled and nodded.

Qin Liren was already particularly sensitive at this point and he heard Bu Li despite her hushed tone.

Zheng Ren? The doctor that he was introduced to by Bu Ruotian and the one he eventually refused? Was he the one that the tanned man had referred to as "Mr. Zheng"?

Impossible!

Twice he had been presented with the opportunity, and twice he had turned it down.

He had been green with envy and spite at the patients who had received surgery from the "professor".

However, he had allowed that very same chance to slip through his fingers, twice!

The full ridiculousness of his situation struck Qin Liren like a lightning bolt, rooting him to the spot, unable to say a word.

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Chapter 233: A Tight Slap (Part 2 of 5)

The patients were all stable after surgery. There would be no serious side effects as their dosages of chemotherapeutic drugs had not been that high.

In fact, there was not even the need for ECG monitoring after surgery. Checkups were complete in no time at all.

"Little Zheng, what's your estimated success rate?" Chief Kong asked.

The closer he was to success, the more worried Chief Kong became; his mind continued to revolve around risk and reward.

Success rate? Zheng Ren recalled seeing the System monitor at the top right corner of his vision confirm 100% completion when he finished the surgery.

They had nothing to worry about.

However, he could not tell Chief Kong this. After thinking for a minute, he said, "90%."

"That's really high!"

Was it really that high? He had already adjusted it.

Zheng Ren smiled and nodded before they left the ward together.

"Hello, Dr. Zheng. We meet again." Bu Ruotian appeared in front of Zheng Ren and enthusiastically extended his right hand. It was more formal than their last meeting.

"What a coincidence. You're here..." Zheng Ren was not surprised to see Bu Ruotian in the hospital, but was curious as to why he was in the interventional radiology department.

"And this is?" Chief Kong was slightly unhappy with the interruption. He still had many questions to ask Zheng Ren, and butting in ground his gears severely.

As a savvy socialite, Bu Ruotian reacted quickly and immediately extended his hand with a smile. "I'm one of Dr. Zheng's patients. He performed the Whipple procedure[1] on me a while ago."

Department Chief Kong knew Zheng Ren was from the general surgery department and assumed it was not his strongest suit, since the man clearly excelled in interventional surgery.

After all, the human body had its limits. No one could study or practice surgery 24 hours a day, not even if they were made of iron.

Chief Kong was no longer displeased by the interruption after hearing Bu Ruotian out. Subconsciously, he reached out and shook the proffered hand.

"It's all thanks to Dr. Zheng, he conducted the surgery all by himself and is my savior," Bu Ruotian added as if his initial explanation was insufficient to convey the full weight of his gratitude.

"..."

At Zheng Ren's age, someone able to perform the Whipple procedure would be considered the cream of the crop. According to this man, Zheng Ren completed it alone?

What happened to all the other doctors in the hospital? Were they all gone?

Chief Kong had not expected this new information and began speculating on the circumstances surrounding that day.

Zheng Ren started sweating. He had been under the control of the System then and completed the surgery flawlessly with the help of the prime experience. Were he asked to reenact the same procedure right now, he would not be able to pull it off. It was best not to dwell further into it.

He tried to change the topic abruptly. "Mr. Bu, why are you here?"

"I'm here for a follow-up appointment. All my vitals appear to be normal. I'm also here to visit an old friend." Bu Ruotian pointed to Qin Liren, who had not moved where he stood, contemplating the absurdity of life.

The man looked rather familiar... As usual, Zheng Ren was unable to recognize him due to his face blindness.

If that was one of his patients, he would probably have some recollection, but if it were just some passerby, Zheng Ren would probably not be able to recognize the man if they met eight or even ten times. No, his memory would definitely fail him.

"He's the guy from Sea City who refused to be operated on by you," Su Yun whispered into Zheng Ren's ear.

With that, he emerged from the shadows behind Zheng Ren, extending his hand alongside a formal smile and saying politely, "Hello, Mr. Bu. I'm Mr. Zheng's assistant."

The gesture caught Bu Ruotian by surprise, but the man was used to such a situation and simply laughed as he shook hands with Su Yun.

He was the richest man in Sea City, after all, and no stranger to people trying to get on his good side.

"Director Fu from Sea City General Hospital is my uncle. My name is Su Yun, please treat me with kindness." Su Yun let go of his hand, astounding Zheng Ren with his choice of words.

Zheng Ren's eyes lit up, glinting like daggers in the dark.

Bu Ruotian understood right away. He did not reply to Su Yun and continued smiling before bringing Zheng Ren and Chief Kong to Qin Liren.

"Brother Liren, this is the doctor that I wanted to introduce to you, Zheng Ren. Dr. Zheng may be very young, but he is a skilled physician," Bu Ruotian said.

Department Chief Kong called out, "Whose team is this man under?"

One of the professors by him responded.

"You'll be leading the surgery; get it done by this evening," Chief Kong ordered.

Zheng Ren's face fell. He was getting boons one after the other.

Putting aside the fact that they had managed to invent a new surgical method, rescuing Lin Jiaojiao's vision had put Department Chief Kong deeply in Zheng Ren's debt.

However, Chief Kong could also remember that this was the same patient who had refused Zheng Ren's surgery several days ago after trying to pull strings to get a private ward.

He had not paid it much attention as there were so many people attempting the same. How could he remember them all? Everyone below deputy level was insignificant to him.

Qin Liren finally gathered his courage and swallowed the last of his pride. "Dr. Zheng, can you operate on me?"

As soon as the words left his tongue, Qi Liren felt as if each one were a tight slap to his face.

His cheeks burned; it was truly painful to be the architect of one's own misery.

Nevertheless, this was a matter of life and death, worth the strife and struggle he had to endure.

The image of Zheng Ren and Chief Kong walking side by side kept replaying in Qi Liren's mind. It was obvious that the young upstart had gotten Chief Kong's approval and that all of the other doctors recognized Zheng Ren's demonstrative surgery.

Were this a multiple-choice exam, it would be a bonus question.

If Qin Liren chose the wrong answer, he would have lived his entire life in vain.

Given the choice between life or dignity, Qin Liren would choose to let Zheng Ren operate without hesitation.

Why had he brought this upon himself...

Qin Liren felt the bitter taste in his mouth, but could blame no one else.

He had rejected Bu Ruotian outright when being recommended Zheng Ren, even smashing apart his home in rage at the old dog looking down on him.

He had been presented with a second chance when he had coincidentally met Zheng Ren in this hospital, but rejected the doctor again.

This humiliation was his own doing.

At Qin Liren's question, Chief Kong looked askew at Zheng Ren.

"I'm fine with that," Zheng Ren answered.

Chief Kong was surprised. "But you need to visit other patients this afternoon."

Right, he had to visit the urology department to prepare for prostate interventional embolization.

Zheng Ren began to reconsider.

"Boss, I've informed you about that. Did you forget it in your fevered state?" Su Yun said, "We'll be visiting a patient in the urology department. If the condition permits, we'll do a 64-slice CT scan and prep for surgery as soon as possible."

"..." Zheng Ren nodded.

He had no qualms with conducting the surgery, but he had yet to do a 64-slice CT image reconstruction for Qin Liren.

"Let's send them both to CT this afternoon," Zheng Ren said, "Chief Kong, would that be alright with you?"

"Of course," Chief Kong laughed and said. "It's no big deal. Take your time with the reconstruction and surgery."

Could he sound any more casual? Qin Liren burst into tears.

[1] Previously referred to as a pancreaticoduodenectomy.

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Chapter 234: Not Much Has Changed Throughout The Ages (Part 3 of 5)

It was lunch soon and Department Chief Kong invited Zheng Ren to the Little Stove Canteen. However, Zheng Ren's attention was elsewhere and he politely turned it down.

They agreed to reconvene at 2:00 pm in the genitourinary department.

Zheng Ren also dismissed Feng Xuhui, who had been waiting by the door, in an unusually brusque manner.

For the first time, Zheng Ren asked Su Yun, "What are we having for lunch?"

Su Yun was silent.

"We'll just grab something, then," Zheng Ren said.

They were greeted by blue, cloudless sky and the bite of north wind as they exited the inpatient department..

Imperial Capital had seen more clear skies and white clouds since last year.

There was a nearby noodle stall that Zheng Ren had visited with Feng Xuhui.

He ordered two bowls of plain noodles, then took a seat across Su Yun. "Your performance today was unsatisfactory."

"The surgery? I thought it was perfect." Su Yun's head was lowered and a stray breeze blew through his jet black hair.

"You know what I mean," Zheng Ren said.

Su Yun was silent. From his expression, he had no intention of backing down.

Zheng Ren ignored the man's petulance and forged on. "Since our first meeting, you've brought up Director Fu only once: when claiming that your family and their seniority had nothing to do with you. At first, I thought you were just a lying, contemptible pretty boy but our time together has changed my view."

These words would normally have elicited a retort from Su Yun.

However, he did not speak, instead looking down and staring dumbly at the table.

His full attention was on the plastic, as if there were a gorgeous woman or mountains of gold embedded in it.

"I'm sure being the rising star of the cardiothoracic department in Imperial Capital ismiles better than simply being related to Director Fu. Still, you name-dropped Director Fu when introducing yourself to Bu Ruotian as my assistant.Do you worry that he is seeking revenge on your uncle?" Zheng Ren crossed his fingers and rested them on the table.

"The great Detective Zheng Ren." With the truth finally and painstakingly exposed, Su Yun could no longer hold back his spite.

"It wasn't difficult to figure out, especially since it is pretty straightforward. I memorized the Zizhi Tongjian[1] and Twenty-Four Histories during my time in university. Not much has changed throughout the ages." Zheng Ren chuckled and continued, "Do you know why I persisted in the emergency department and never said a word edgewise despite being hounded mercilessly?"

"I've no idea. It's not like your lack of skill is keeping you trapped there," Su Yun said. He was looking up now, his eyes affixed on Zheng Ren.

"That's true," Zheng Ren said.

"You're almost as good as I am." Even Su Yun's compliments were backhanded.

The narcissism was frustrating, but Zheng Ren remained silent.

"Unfortunately, my uncle is a dumb*ss." Su Yun sighed. "He was the only son on my mother's side. Spoiled rotten and utterly useless."

It was unusual for a junior doctor to denounce an operations deputy director so.

Nevertheless, Zheng Ren agreed fully.

After Zheng Ren's needling, words poured forth from Su Yun's mouth as he vented. "I knew something going to happen to him after Bu Ruotian's surgery. Such a fiasco cannot be resolved by burying one's head in the ground."

"Indeed."

"Well, that dumb uncle of mine thinks he's safe as deputy director of operations. Since Bu Ruotian's surgery had ended in success, he assumed that no one would talk and expected the screw-up to eventually die down. Does he truly not expect Bu Ruotian to get back at him?!" Su Yun spat.

"If this had happened twenty years ago, your uncle would have been hospitalized at the very least," Zheng Ren said, amused.

Su Yun shook his head. "Even then, something as crude as a blade in the dark was never needed. It starts with career assassination, a transfer to a dead-end post to rot for years. Once you have faded from everyone's memory, you would end up in an unfortunate car crash. It's a shame my uncle is too obtuse to even see what's coming right at him."

"Is that why you came to the emergency department?" Zheng Ren asked, his smile unwavering.

"What was I supposed to do?" Su Yun said in frustration. "I had already tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen. I had to do something for my mother's sake. Did you think I pulled every string I could to transfer to the emergency department for your good looks?"

"I assumed it was due to my skill as a surgeon."

"How vain of you," Su Yun muttered. "There were four people in total that day. The anesthesiologist has left the country while the other two are, as you know, also from the emergency department. I have no idea what Bu Ruotian has planned but I think there's a chance he will use you."

"Hm. Were I Bu Ruotian, I wouldn't let your uncle go, so I did not panic and resign on the spot.

"While I may seem like a simple, honest man, I must admit to being rather petty when it comes to grudges. I could leave the hospital any time, but I wanted to personally watch what happens to Director Fu," Zheng Ren said coolly. "Didn't expect you to show up, though."

"I saw an opportunity. The research here means little to me in comparison. If I hadn't spoken up today, I would have just returned and convinced my uncle to resign, and then start up a veterinary hospital," Su Yun said.

"What's your plan now?"

"Boss, please help mediate this for me." It was Su Yun's first sincere usage of the title and there was no hint of sarcasm in his tone. "A simple resignation is the best we can hope for. I doubt any compensation would be of use to the Bu family. If you humble yourself, he might exchange leniency for a favor from you in the future."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Can you guarantee success before any surgery?"

"No."

"This is similar. Just try your best," Su Yun said. Once I return, I will once again try to persuade my uncle to resign. If he has any sense, he will take my advice. Otherwise..."

"What do you plan to do?"

"Boss, what do you think of a veterinary hospital?"

"Shut up and eat your lunch. We're needed at the genitourinary department ward later." Zheng Ren picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

"I didn't hear a no," Su Yun mumbled.

"The rising star of the Imperial General cardiothoracic department became my assistant to ask me for a favor. How can I deny you?" Zheng Ren smiled at him. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yes. I feel much better knowing you're not a saint after all," Su Yun said sarcastically before starting on his noodles.

They did not exchange another word; some plans and secrets needed not be verbalized.

The only thing they needed to know was that there was more than one way to kill someone.

After finishing their meal, the two returned to their accommodation to rest. At 1.30 p.m., they were greeted by Manager Feng anxiously standing guard at their doors.

[1] The 资治通鉴 or Zizhi Tongjian ('Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance) is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle. It, like the Twenty-Four Histories, is a dense historical text that Zheng Ren is using to show off his impressive, if selective, memory.

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Chapter 235: Capitulation? (Part 4 of 5)

"What's wrong, Manager Feng?" Zheng Ren asked.

"Chief Zheng... I... Have I offended you in some way?" Feng Xuhui asked hesitantly.

"Did you? What happened?" Zheng Ren looked confused.

Su Yun glanced at him with disdain. Was this man really that obtuse?

"This afternoon..."

Zheng Ren realized what Manager Feng was referring to and quickly said, "Oh, that. I wanted to speak with Su Yun privately then. Everything is fine."

The words did little to improve Feng Xuhui's spirits, but he did not pursue the topic, choosing instead to follow the two men to the interventional surgery department.

They met up with Department Chief Kong and Dr. Shen before heading to the genitourinary department together.

The patient was a 87-year-old man with severe coronary heart disease. His left anterior descending artery had 70% blockage even after a stent surgery, which had ended in him having a weakened respiratory system and impaired blood clotting due to the warfarin prescribed after.

This was considered a high-risk patient.

Any surgery at this stage risked the patient dying from a cardiac arrest on the operating table.

However, the prostate surgery was necessary to reduce swelling and restore normal urine output. Otherwise, he would require a permanent urinary catheter or a cystostomy to relieve his bladder—a procedure that carried similar risk.

Overall, the old man's quality of living had deteriorated despite not having terminal disease.

The patient's sons were all in their sixties, resembling a meeting of the Bureau of Retired Officials as they crowded around the hospital bed.

Once they understood their father's condition, they swiftly agreed to the experimental surgery.

While the surgery's success was not guaranteed, they were willing to take the chance. It was better than having to install a permanent urinary catheter, which was not only inconvenient but ran the risk of urinary tract infections. A severe urinary tract infection could also lead to abdominal complications.

The visit to the ward confirmed Zheng Ren's suspicion—the surgery had to be minimally invasive.

Zheng Ren said nothing in order to not worry the patient as they brought him to the CT room for his scan. A slot was also arranged for Qin Liren. Once the scans were complete, Zheng Ren proceeded with retrograde reconstruction.

By the time the scans were complete, it was past clock-out time.

He was able to work in relative peace and quiet, which was a relief as the capillaries in the prostate were very fine.

It was much harder than identifying the tumor-feeding arteries in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

All the while, Department Chief Kong sat beside Zheng Ren and watched in awe.

He had initially assumed that Zheng Ren's flawless reconstructions stemmed from an unparalleled expertise in liver cancer.

Now, the man seemed to be equally proficient in prostate reconstruction.

How could a self-described general surgeon be so familiar with the prostate? Department Chief Kong had gotten used to being surprised by Zheng Ren's and Su Yun's skills, but this reconstruction still amazed him.

D reconstruction of the prostate was complicated by its network of capillaries. A normal CT scan could not clearly convey the intricacy of such a network, which necessitated Zheng Ren having to pick out scans in order to piece together a full picture.

Department Chief Kong was focused on the reconstruction when his phone rang.

He answered it begrudgingly. "Hello." A moment later, he rose abruptly from his seat.

"I'm on the way now."

"Chief Kong, what happened?" Zheng Ren asked, his fingers not slowing down an iota.

"It's an emergency. You keep doing what you're doing," Department Chief Kong said gruffly.

With that, he turned and left the CT room.

"Did you hear anything?" Zheng Ren asked.

"No, but I presume it's because the surgery by that German professor from Sorcery Capital has ended," Su Yun replied.

"I see." Zheng Ren continued the reconstruction.

"Is there a point doing this still?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to do my best. Otherwise, what will happen to this patient? Do you think that German professor will come to help him?" Zheng Ren steeled himself and continued charging headfirst into the unknown.

...

...

The research center had many meeting rooms.

Wu Haishi, Professor Pei and others were crammed into one along with Li Haitao, who was frowning. The playback started just as Department Chief Kong arrived.

"Little Li, is it true?" Department Chief Kong clung onto a sliver of hope.

"Chief Kong, their surgery ended at 4.15 pm. Have a seat and we will see if ours is even necessary," Li Haitao said.

A grim expression crossed Department Chief Kong's face and he took a seat in the front row.

He did not question the video's source. These people would not be here if it was unverified.

"Good day, everyone. A brief reminder: today, at 1400 hours, Heidelberg University's Professor Rudolf Wagner performed an interventional prostate interventional embolization. At 1615 hours, the surgery was announced a success. Let's watch the recording."

Li Haitao hit the play button.

The video was not an artistic masterpiece. Its beginning had been edited to exclude presurgical preparations, so the prostatography was the first thing onscreen.

The guide wire entered the abdominal aorta, then traveled to the common iliac artery. Imaging began when it finally reached the internal iliac artery.

It was a complex tangle of blood vessels.

The recording's resolution was mediocre at best and none of them could not make out which vessel led to the prostatic artery.

In the expert hands of Professor Rudolph Wagner, the guide wire moved from the internal iliac artery to a peripheral vessel. This was part of superselection.

The guide wire advanced effortlessly through the winding arteries, seemingly at home.

Department Chief Kong turned and asked Wu Haishi beside him, "Old Wu, do you think the guide wire was custom-made?"

"Should be. It doesn't look like a normal guide wire," Old Wu said.

Department Chief Kong shook his head. Their efforts felt in vain compared to a world-class surgeon with unlimited resources.

Perhaps it was as Li Haitao had implied: there was no point in pursuing this avenue of research.

The arterial superselection was a success.

After a few failed attempts to maneuver the guide wire into smaller branching arteries from the superior vesical artery[1, the professor gave upland inserted the guide catheter to perform the embolization.

The surgical procedure was simple in theory but harder in practice.

Its success was a testament to the surgeon's skill and the quality of materials used.

Wu Haishi let out a deep sigh. Department Chief Kong empathized.

At the thought of capitulation, the silhouette of Zheng Ren hard at work before the CT scan console appeared in Department Chief Kong's mind.

[1] According to Wikipedia, the prostatic branch stems from the middle rectal artery but the author uses 膀胱上动脉.

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Chapter 236

In the era of technology, news tended to spread like wildfire.

The success of the prostate interventional embolization surgery in Sorcery Capital reached the higher-ups of Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery in record time.

It was earth-shattering news for the company.

While the professors in Imperial Capital had been studying scans and researching ways to carry out the surgery, Biosensors International had invited the world-class surgeon, Professor Rudolph Wagner, from Heidelberg University to Sorcery Capital. The multinational had also invested in a production line for large-scale manufacturing of their in-house guide wire and catheter used in the groundbreaking operation.

It all boiled down to capital in the end.

It mirrored the Chinese Revolution 70 years ago, where thousands of brave men froze to death on the battlefield as their impoverished country failed to supply them.

They were closing the talent gap but still lagged behind in materials science.

Their rivals had a head start of a few hundred years of knowledge and experience dating back to the industrial revolution.

Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery chairman cum CEO, Ma Quan, was in his office. The lights were off as he sat motionless in his large office chair, stuck in the same position he had been in since the news broke.

As expected, there had been no progress from the engineering department.

Was this their end?

Decades of hard work, all gone in one fell swoop.

Were they too late? Was it because they lacked the core technology? There were many factors in play.

Ma Quan gazed in despair at the glimmering city lights outside his office window. He had expected such an outcome, but nothing could have fully prepared him for it.

During Shenzhen City's humble beginnings as a small fishing village, he had started out with a small, struggling supermarket.

He had then ridden the wave of Shenzhen City's growth and expansion.

Had he reached the zenith of his career? Although the company was far from bankruptcy, the influx of foreign businesses was making business more competitive, and the careless would be torn to bits...

Ma Quan sighed deeply.

His phone suddenly rang. Its bright screen cut through the oppressive darkness and breathed some life back into the office.

Ma Quan was not in the mood to answer any calls.

Seeing that this was from Manager Feng of the northeastern operations team, he rejected it.

The young man was competent and hardworking. In a decade's time, he could be in charge of a whole region.

What a pity.

Ma Quan could not guarantee if the company would survive that long... No, he was certain that it would not.

As he was deep in thought, the phone rang a second time.

He rejected it but seconds later, it rang again.

Ma Quan was outraged.

That insignificant salesman would not have gotten his personal number had he not felt the need to spur the man on to success with the interventional surgery in Imperial Capital. Now, that rare privilege was being abused.

This upstart was incorrigible, ringing him continuously like that.

Had he lost his wits?

Well, if it was death Feng Xuhui wished for, that could be expedited.

Ma Quan was not ill-tempered, but successful businessmen did not tolerate insubordination or disrespect.

This greenhorn had repeatedly called him despite his clear rejection. It was unforgivable.

Stony-faced, Ma Quan accepted the call.

Feng Xuhui's exuberant voice came through the speakers.

"Chairman Ma! We've had a breakthrough in Imperial Capital!"

Ma Quan huffed in response. This kid had probably not heard the news from Sorcery Capital. A breakthrough? Could any breakthrough provide leverage against an entire Biosensors International production line?

It was futile!

"The chief of the interventional surgery department, Dr. Kong, would like to meet you and discuss a supply contract for the hospital." Feng Xuhui's infectious joy bounced off Ma Quan, but his words surprised the old man.

Ma Quan suppressed his emotions to keep his voice from trembling. "What did you say?"

He had cultivated an infallible poker face from years of doing business.

However, Feng Xuhui's announcement was all that he wanted. He could barely contain himself.

Neither Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery and Biosensors International cared for the surgery's success out of the kindness of their hearts.

It was just a pathway to introduce their products to healthcare providers. Once the company's products were adopted by Imperial Capital General, their market would expand alongside the surgeons who flew across the country to perform surgery.

The tightening of healthcare regulations made introducing new products to the market harder. As a latecomer to the industry, gaining access to Imperial Capital General would give them a foothold in the domestic market.

Interverntional Surgery Department Chief Kong had agreed to a deal?

Ma Quan felt his blood pressure rise. Stars danced across his vision and he felt dizzy.

"Say that again!" Ma Quan growled, ignoring his discomfort.

Feng Xuhui noticed the agitation in Chairman Ma's voice and checked his excitement, deciding on a succinct summary. "Chairman Ma, Chief Kong of the interventional surgery department wishes to purchase some micro guide wires. The hospital's purchasing procedures require a contract with us, but since I'm not authorized to sign any agreements, I called you instead."

It was true! Ma Quan immediately replied, "I'll get on the next available flight!"

With that, he hung up.

In the darkness of his office, the lights outside seemed to twinkle with magic.

...

...

In the CT room of Imperial Capital General, Zheng Ren worked late into the night.

Although the anatomy of a prostate was simple, reconstruction of its CT scan was much more laborious than he had expected.

The capillary network was as complex as the river systems in the canal towns down south.

There were no obvious tumor-feeding arteries in the prostate area. The blood supply came from networks of capillaries whose origins could not be established.

It was similar to Zheng Yunxia's liver tumor absorbing nutrients from an unnatural branching of the phrenic artery.

The vascular system in the prostate was more complex than that of a cancerous liver.

After 4 taxing hours of fiddling with the CT scan console, Zheng Ren gave up and reluctantly used a skill book to raise his genitourinary skills to Master rank.

Equipped with a Master rank and the memory of 3,000 dissections, Zheng Ren believed few in the country—no, the world—could rival his knowledge of the prostate.

Master-level surgeons were common, but few could claim to have performed 3,000 prostate dissections. Experience was everything.

With his skills at CT scan reconstruction and interventional surgery also at Master rank, Zheng Ren was arguably at the forefront of prostate surgery research.

His fingers flew across the keyboard, performing countless operations one after another. One might have mistaken him for a competitive esports professional, hitting 500 actions per minute and demolishing his rival.

Department Chief Kong had his eyes closed, resting. Even Su Yun failed to keep up with Zheng Ren.

The hum of the 64-slice CT scan 3D reconstruction machine was ten decibels louder with Zheng Ren at the helm.

It was running at full power; there was no other way it could keep up with the lightning-fast hands and even faster mind before it

...

Chapter 237: Sloppy Surgery (Part 1 of 5)

Zheng Ren pointed at one of the arterial branches on the bladder. "Su Yun, mark this spot down," he said to the assistant, who was standing behind him.

Su Yun recorded the position of the spot that Zheng Ren had specified with a pen and paper.

He did not write it down in English or Chinese characters, opting instead for a sequence of unique symbols that only he could understand.

Even though his notes were simple, the A4-sized paper was almost completely filled and on the verge of being switched out.

He already had three full pages of notes.

"What is it? Any progress?" Su Yun had noticed slight changes in Zheng Ren's expression and suspected another new breakthrough.

"I think we can give it a try. It would be better to have a thinner guide wire. Given the surgical tools on hand, though, we may as well go with our original plan of using the neurological guide wire to dredge the thin arterioles," said Zheng Ren.

The micro guide wire used in neurological interventional surgeries had the shortest diameter, which made it more difficult to control.

Even then, their available tools were not sufficient for prostate interventional surgery.

They had no choice but to make the best out of what they had.

After a brief discussion, they continued working.

As he performed image reconstruction, Zheng Ren periodically ordered Su Yun to record a particular location. The anatomical positions he pinpointed seemed scattered and random.

The perfect assistant as always, Su Yun stood behind Zheng Ren and kept his focus for 10 hours straight without any distractions.

At 4.12 a.m., Zheng Ren finally finished reconstructing the last branch of the capillary network. He inhaled deeply and a long-awaited smile appeared on his face.

"Is it done?"

"We're almost there. Our skills will be put to test in the following procedure." Zheng Ren pointed to the screen and said, "There are 6 arteries that branch out into arterioles before reaching the capillary network to supply blood to the prostate."

"Are you confident about this?" Su Yun doubted the feasibility of Zheng Ren's method. With current technology, it was impossible to perform superselective catheterization and embolization on those tiny capillaries.

"Not at all," Zheng Ren admitted truthfully.

The 3D-image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan was only the first step of this procedure. It was their battle map, allowing them to plan their next steps.

Other than that... Zheng Ren started calculating his surgery training hours and remaining experience points.

Was it wise to splurge on this? There seemed no better time to do so.

However, he recalled having one or two golden chests. Was it worth trying his luck? The second the thought crossed his mind, it was immediately dismissed by Zheng Ren.

Luck was not to be relied upon.

Zheng Ren had already decided on the preliminary surgical framework after reconstructing the first branch of the capillary network several hours ago.

Since the capillaries were too fine, he planned to mimic the technique he had used during Lin Jiaojiao's eye surgery to clear her ophthalmic artery. First, he had to insert the micro guide wire into a capillary thinner than it was. On top of that, he had to keep the force below arterial compliance to prevent postoperative bleeding.

Such an unconventional operation was rare. Those who tried it usually ended up failing; were it not for Zheng Ren's success with Lin Jiaojiao's eye surgery, Su Yun and Chief Kong would have turned down his proposed surgical method.

Even with that success under their belts, they remained uncertain of the method.

This surgery was just obscenely difficult. Nevertheless, after discussing it among themselves, they decided on using a locally-manufactured micro guide wire as its shortcomings could prove advantageous later.

The locally-manufactured wire was less pliable, making it much more difficult to operate compared to imported ones.

Harder guide wires usually complicated regular surgeries. However, applied to Zheng Ren's "dredging" method, that inflexibility could be to their benefit. With enough caution, it could help their surgery significantly.

Therefore, Department Chief Kong had gone ahead to notify Feng Xuhui that they would be using his company's guide wires.

He was not a hundred percent sure that Feng Xuhui could convey their plans accurately and provide them with the tools they needed.

Nonetheless, after seeing Feng Xuhui shadow Zheng Ren over the last few days, Chief Kong decided to do the man a favor and requested a direct line to his superior from China Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery.

Zheng Ren neither knew nor cared about the whole ordeal.

His entire focus was on the design of his surgical procedure.

Above all else, he understood that the surgery failing would render everything else meaningless.

Zheng Ren woke Chief Kong, who had fallen asleep in his chair, and whispered, "Go and have a good rest."

"I'll take a nap back at the interventional radiology department. If you still have the energy, you can observe the surgery performed by Professor Rudolf Wagner from Heidelberg University. See if you can get something out of it," Chief Kong said.

Zheng Ren nodded.

Someone at thirty could technically burn the midnight oil. In fact, staying up all night was a mandatory skill for clinicians and chief residents of the emergency department. However, department chiefs slowly lost the ability to do the same as they aged.

It was simply nature's relentless advance.

They left the CT room. This time, Feng Xuhui was not waiting for them outside, most likely already on the way to the airport to receive his boss.

Chief Kong was on the brink of exhaustion even as he reached the demonstration room and switched on the video recording. Then, he went straight into his office to take a nap, yawning all the way.

He had to rest while he could as there could be other unforeseen events that needed his attention later.

Only Zheng Ren and Su Yun watched the recording of Professor Rudolf Wagner's surgery together.

Su Yun felt the same as he did last night when he had first watched it with the other professors. The foreigner's proficient skill, coupled with a precisely crafted micro guide wire and microcatheter, made the surgery perfect in every aspect.

Su Yun sighed, feeling defeated.

Based on his experience in interventional surgery, Professor Rudolf Wagner was slightly better than Zheng Ren. With the aid of similarly precise tools, Zheng Ren would probably be able to outperform this surgery.

It would not take much for him to transcend Professor Wagner.

Zheng Ren was not even thirty years old. In five years... no, three at most, his skills would most definitely surpass Professor Rudolf Wagner's.

However, this meant that their current research was a failure.

Su Yun could not have cared less about its final outcome, but his own competitiveness burned as he recognized the daunting peak of Professor Wagner's skill.

On video, Professor Rudolf Wagner had completed the surgery smoothly. It had taken little over an hour to perform the prostate interventional embolization, excluding preoperative preparations and cleanup.

It was near perfection.

"What do you think, Boss?" Su Yun's acerbic manner returned as he turned to see Zheng Ren watching the recording, rapt with attention.

"The surgery was sloppy," Zheng Ren replied.

"..." Su Yun was caught completely flat-footed. He froze for a moment and simply stared at Zheng Ren as if the man was a monster.

Was this man in his right mind?

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Chapter 238: Arduous Surgical Training (Part 2 of 5)

"Only you could say such a thing," Su Yun said disdainfully. "Are you aware of the academic ranking of Heidelberg University?"

"I couldn't care less about the university's ranking or the professor's reputation. All that matters is the surgery," Zheng Ren said calmly.

After that, he stood and grabbed the mouse.

He skipped to the 43 minute and 18 second mark in a single click.

"Here, Professor Rudolf Wagner did not proceed with superselective catheterization. Instead, he chose to embolize the branched arteriole of the bladder." Zheng Ren pointed at the frozen frame. His face was stony, his tone serious.

"That's a problem with the micro guide wire, not the technique," Su Yun replied.

"Embolizing here would result in a high possibility that the embolic agent... let me put it this way: I think that there's a 90% chance that it'll cause backflow into the arteries of the bladder, resulting in ectopic embolism," Zheng Ren said.

"There's sufficient blood supply to the bladder due to the abundance of arteries. It won't lead to tissue necrosis."

"I know, but the patient will suffer from post-operative complications such as a weak bladder and urine retention." Zheng Ren continued, "We won't know how long these symptoms will last. I've read the patient's records. He's elderly—a 78-year-old male. At that age, it takes a long time for the body to rebuild its capillary network."

Su Yun listened and considered Zheng Ren's thoughts carefully. It was one of the rare occasions where he did not manage a snarky remark.

"That's why I think Professor Rudolf Wagner did a sloppy job. The prostate's function might improve after surgery, but he'll suffer from more bladder problems." Zheng Ren rapped his knuckles on the screen and continued, "It's worth discussing Professor Rudolf Wagner's surgery, but honestly speaking, I consider it a failure."

Su Yun stared at Zheng Ren standing on the stage. Even though the doctor was very young, each word he spoke was full of vim and confidence, and this persisted in his criticism of the surgery done by top surgeon Professor Rudolf Wagner from the world-renowned Heidelberg University.

It was as if he was just analyzing another surgeon's work with no fear or stress at all.

Did those who know nothing fear nothing?

Had Su Yun not had his long conversation with Zheng Ren in the noodle house earlier, he would probably have thought so. However, Su Yun had an entirely different impression of Zheng Ren after that.

Nothing truly changed throughout the ages.

Zheng Ren had said that very statement earlier. Could anything faze him?

Impossible.

It dawned on Su Yun that Zheng Ren would say this only if he had utter confidence in himself.

Even if Su Yun considered Professor Rudolf Wagner a truly great professor, Zheng Ren did not necessarily share that opinion.

He had some catching up to do to be Zheng Ren's perfect assistant, Su Yun mused.

"Can you perfect the surgery?" he asked calmly.

"I don't know." Zheng Ren shook his head. "There's always a chance as long as you try."

Su Yun lowered his head slightly, his fringe swaying in the air, reflecting his emotions.

They turned off the video player and the lights before leaving for their hostel.

Their walk back was silent, different thoughts weighing on their mind.

At the hostel, Zheng Ren quickly washed up before laying down onto his bed.

As usual, Xie Yiren had messaged him on WeChat. Zheng Ren replied with a simple text before entering the System with a heavy heart.

Recently, Zheng Ren had rarely gotten the chance to enter the System. He seemed busier in Imperial Capital than he was in the emergency department of Sea City.

There had been a major revamp in the System throughout this period. Zheng Ren could not quite put his finger on what had changed, but its color palette seemed much more vibrant than before, especially on the white fox statue in front of the shed. It looked ready to spring to life.

Zheng Ren did not waste any time, immediately going over his recent rewards and skill tree.

He had accomplished the Indestructible Trust mission before coming to Imperial Capital, and then three other missions after he had arrived, which were Together We Stand, Help A Man In Need, and The First Stage of The Great Beginning.

There were two golden chests in his inventory.

He had accumulated a total of 4 days and 6 hours of surgical training, along with 324,000 experience points and 814 unused skill points.

In addition, he had been awarded two Advanced-level mastery books.

On his skill tree,urological surgery had 5,000 skill points, general surgery had 5,112, while interventional radiology surgery had surged to 6,788 points.

Zheng Ren recalled having performed a total of 12 interventional surgeries since he came to the Imperial City!

Other than the hepatocellular carcinoma embolization surgery, there had been an ophthalmic artery dredge and 5 embolizations for small hepatocellular carcinoma nodules.

The increment should not have been so drastic. Why had this happened?

Zheng Ren thought for several minutes concluding that the System had likely recognized small hepatocellular carcinoma nodule embolization as a new technique, which contributed to the extra skill points.

It was definitely a large increase.

Zheng Ren felt much more confident after looking at his stats.

There was a difference between Novice and Graduate mastery level. Zheng Ren summed up his points and purchased four hours of surgical time from the System's Shop.

With a thought, the System's operating theater emerged from the ground along with a subject lying on the table. The 64-slice CT scan with the 3D-image reconstruction of that subject was uploaded to his mind.

This time, Zheng Ren did not have his assistant beside him, but he was also used to performing the surgery alone.

Prostate interventional embolization was no easy task, which was why Zheng Ren had four hours for his first attempt.

He could even perform gastrointestinal surgery within the allocated time, but at this point, he had no room for hesitation.

The surgery did not go smoothly. However, due to the fact that Zheng Ren had a preliminary framework, he was able to overcome one obstacle after another.

Even though the System's surgery did not include the preoperative preparations and postoperative care, it still took Zheng Ren three and a half hours.

Its completion status was only at 70%.

When the theater vanished, Zheng Ren did not immediately proceed to the next surgery.

Prostate interventional embolization was different from other forms of general surgery, which was Zheng Ren's specialization. He had all the theories memorized; all he lacked was the practice.

However, nobody in the world had any idea how to carry out this procedure.

Not only did Zheng Ren lack the practical skill, he was missing its theoretical foundation.

He stole a glance at the interventional surgery skillset and was shocked to find that the prostate interventional embolization had earned him 488 skill points.

Did the novelty of the procedure play a part in the increment? Zheng Ren was puzzled.

He sat by the System's pond and fell into deep thought, staring at the gentle ripples on its surface while his mind drifted off to the capillary network and arteriole branches around the prostate.

What could he do to perfect this procedure?

After thinking for a long time, Zheng Ren finally stood.

The System's operating theater emerged from the ground once more and Zheng Ren began to operate.

After each surgery, he spent a long time thinking. As each surgery became faster as time went on, he took longer and longer to proceed to the next one.

After more than ten surgeries, Zheng Ren had successfully cut back his surgery time to below three hours with an average completion rate of 85%.

The arduous surgical training continued...

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Chapter 239: Going Separate Ways (Part 3 of 5)

Feng Xuhui stood at the airport lobby as he recalled what the owner of Tang Song Restaurant had told him.

The man's prediction had come true! No wonder he was a successful businessman.

Feng Xuhui was exhilarated by his own luck.

It was still very early. Feng Xuhui made several circuits before leaving the arrival hall to stroll outside of the building. He felt uncomfortable not being able to share this wonderful occasion with someone else.

Heading upstairs, he positioned himself beside the ashtray before the entrance and lit a cigarette, puffing happily.

As he watched pedestrians flow by, Feng Xuhui thought he smelled something fragrant in the chilly night air.

"Little Feng? Why are you here?" a familiar voice said.

Startled , Feng Xuhui turned around to behold Hua Yingying and Wu Haishi.

"You're here..." Even though Feng Xuhui hated Hua Yingying, deep down inside he was still afraid of her. His first reaction to her unexpected presence was the conclusion that she was here to welcome Chairman Ma as well.

However, he quickly got his bearings after his first few fumbled words. It was obvious that Hua Yingying had come to send off Old Wu, who stood beside her.

"Old Wu is returning to Shenzhen and I'm here to send him off." Hua Yingying chuckled graciously. "Are you leaving for Shenzhen, too?"

"I'm not returning yet." Feng Xuhui nearly blurted out that he was here to pick up Chairman Ma, but resisted at the last moment.

Hua Yingying rolled her eyes at Feng Xuhui and decided the rookie was not worth the trouble, instead continuing to escort Old Wu into the airport.

She collected his ticket, checked in his luggage and stayed until Old Wu crossed the security checkpoint. After that, she bowed and left.

Hua Yingying let out a sigh, her thoughts drifting to her dying company as she mentally prepared herself to leave it. Since Biosensors International was setting up shop locally, they definitely required local talent. She had contacts that Biosensors International needed and had resolved to jump ship and join them.

Whose strings could she pull? Would she depreciate her value by making the first move? Or would she miss the chance at a job if she didn't?

There were many thoughts circling in her mind.

All of a sudden, the image of a person popped up in her mind. Why was the rookie Feng Xuhui at the airport tonight?

Biosensors International had completed the surgery in Sorcery Capital and announced to the public that there was no need for further research.

Was he here to send off the two young doctors?

No, that was unlikely. She checked the day's flight information on her phone, there were not as many daily flights to Sea City as there were to Shenzhen, and there was no scheduled flight to Sea City at this hour.

What was he doing here, then?

Hua Yingying racked her brains to think of a valid reason, but to no avail.

In the end, Hua Yingying gave up speculating why Feng Xuhui had come to the airport. Why bother? He was probably trying to expand his network, being a new salesman and all. Fat chance of that happening, she scoffed.

She ought to focus on her backup plan instead.

Hua Yingying went to the parking lot, got into her car, and let out a sigh.

She had spent the last few days running around in vain. After all, local manufacturers could never compete with multinationals in terms of product quality or employee work ethic.

She decided to book a flight back to the Sorcery Capital and go through her contacts for someone to help connect her to Biosensors International.

Hua Yingying was confident that her personal network was in line with what Biosensors International required. It was her proof of allegiance; Biosensors International would definitely accept her upon being presented such a list.

She launched the flight booking app on her phone to purchase a first-class ticket. It would be her last business flight after so many years under this company, and she figured those years had earned her a well-deserved treat.

As she scrolled through the app, a phone call came in.

Hmm? Hua Yingying's finger froze. The regional sales manager for Imperial Capital? Why was he looking for her?

"Hello, President Peng.

"Right, I just sent Old Wu off. I'll return the car tomorrow. Look at you, being all nervous. Hahaha.

"Ahh? Oh, alright."

Her laughter was cut off by President Peng's serious tone. With her rank and performance, she did not need to suck up to the regional sales manager of Imperial Capital.

However, President Peng had just told her that Chairman Ma was arriving on a flight scheduled to land at 4.00 a.m., and told her to stay put at the airport.

That rookie! He was here to welcome Chairman f*cking Ma!

Hua Yingying was a quick thinker and instantly figured out the big picture by linking the seemingly unrelated events.

Why had Chairman Ma decided to visit Imperial Capital?

Had there been any breakthrough in the surgery?

Impossible! Hua Yingying dispelled her speculation immediately.

Biosensors International had invited a world-renowned professor from Germany to conduct the surgery and even reserved a manufacturing line specifically for his use.

Was that not enough?

Even though every expert in interventional radiology in the country was gathered in Imperial Capital, it was basically a science fair. In front of Professor Rudolf Wagner from Heidelberg University, they were all just trash!

Curious... Hua Yingying remained seated in her car, stunned.

An hour passed...

Two hours passed...

Hua Yingying thought for a very long time. President Peng called her a few times, urging her to hurry. She only left the car and walked slowly toward the arrival hall minutes before the plane landed.

"Little Hua, you're finally here. Didn't you say that you were already at the airport?" President Peng asked. His bearded face made him seem thuggish and his booming voice had people's ears ringing.

"Oh, I met a friend on my way over and we had a chat." Hua Yingying put on her usual professional smile as she approached President Peng like a catwalk model, car keys in hand.

She did not hand over the car keys to President Peng immediately. Instead, her fingers combed through the loose strands on her neck while she asked alluringly, "President Peng, why is Chairman Ma here?"

"I don't know. Little Feng from the northeast region contacted Chairman Ma directly," President Peng said calmly without disdain.

"Feng Xuhui? How had he managed to get hold of Chairman Ma's phone number? Are we the kind of company that allows anyone to call the chairman and interfere with management?" Hua Yinying asked.

"Don't put it that way," President Peng chortled, glancing at Feng Xuhui standing beside him. "Little Feng's capable, he did that by himself."

"Uhm, yeah. Sure." Hua Yingying did not continue her sarcastic remarks. Even though she was planning on leaving, there was no need for her to get on anyone's bad side.

Still, if they wanted to go down with their ship, they were more than welcome to.

If Hua Yingying was 90% sure about leaving the company before receiving President Peng's phone call, she was now fully certain that she did not want to spend another day in it.

Feng Xuhui remained silent and waited.

Around 4.30 a.m., Chairman Ma appeared from the first exit of the arrival hall.

He was walking in a hurry, his assistant and chief product officer scurrying behind him and panting heavily.

Chairman Ma strode towards them, his eyes glancing over both regional managers and come to a stop on Feng Xuhui.

"Feng Xuhui?" They had never met before. Their relative positions in the company were like heaven and earth.

"Nice to meet you, Chairman Ma. I'm Feng Xuhui and I'm the salesperson in charge of the northeast region." Feng Xuhui bowed slightly with a smile.

Chairman Ma had been in the city for mere moments but commanded, "Little Peng, take up Feng Xuhui as assistant manager. From now onwards, he's in control of sales in the entire northern region of Imperial Capital."

Hua Yingying was speechless.

Chapter 240: A Toast to Success (Part 4 of 5)

Zheng Ren was still training in the System. He was getting faster at the surgery and spending less time thinking as well.

On average, each surgery earned Zheng Ren about 450 skill points.

Zheng Ren sighed inwardly and admitted that this was truly the toughest procedure in all of interventional surgery. It was apparent just from the increase in skill points.

In order to reach Prime level in surgery, one had to train to perform incredibly intricate surgeries. Relying on appendectomy alone would take thousands of years to get to Prime...

Even if one lived that long, Prime level would be out of their reach. The skill points earned per surgery depreciated when one performed a similar type of surgery repeatedly.

Before he knew it, Zheng Ren had exhausted his entire reserve of skill points, experience points, and surgical time that he accumulated!

In his interventional surgery tree, he had gained 450 skill points per round for a total of 29,830 skill points.

He was only inches away from Grandmaster.

Zheng Ren looked around the System, now empty but for the two golden chests shining in the corner coquettishly.

He did not expect to win the lottery, but it was worth a shot.

The two golden chests unlocked simultaneously with a single thought.

The experience points he had exhausted replenished themselves instantly. Zheng Ren exhaled; the two chests were truly beneficial.

After the glow faded, Zheng Ren found himself with almost thirty thousand experience points, a skill book of 3,000 cases of gastrointestinal surgery, and a Master-level skill book on ultrasound.

Even though the two golden chests were not exceptional, he was satisfied and used both books immediately even though they were rather common in clinical surgeries.

Zheng Ren was thrilled when he saw that he needed only 100 skill points to upgrade his interventional surgical skill to the Prime level.

It did not seem that long ago that he had dreamed of achieving the Master level but here he was, so close to Prime.

Zheng Ren quickly purchased two more hours of surgical training time and performed another prostate interventional embolization.

He was now able to complete the surgery within 2 hours. It was a huge improvement from his previous performance. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could only reach 90% completion.

He had hoped to see some changes after reaching the Prime level in interventional surgery.

After 1 hour and 49 minutes, he finished the System's surgery, but the completion status remained under 91%.

Quantitative change translated into qualitative development, finally upgrading Zheng Ren's interventional surgical skills to Prime.

There was no brilliant aura surrounding him, nor was there any petals falling from the sky. It was as if nothing had changed.

Zheng Ren sat next to the pond and slowly closed his eyes, his fingers pinched gently as if holding a micro guide wire to pass through some blood vessels and reach its desired location.

It felt just right.

Half an hour later, Zheng Ren opened his eyes. They were gleaming, as clear as the pool of water before.

So this was how it felt to reach Prime level.

With this realization, the System's operating theater emerged from the ground once more and Zheng Ren entered it, now a Prime rank interventional surgeon

Sure enough, quantitative changes had resulted in a qualitative one. After Zheng Ren conquered his summit, he was greeted with a world much greater than the one he had known.

Prostate interventional embolization. Time spent: 1 hour and 32 minutes. Completion status: 100%

Zheng Ren grinned and purchased a bottle of energy elixir.

When he opened the bottle, a minty scent filled his senses.

He frowned as he was still not used to the smell. Then, he raised the energy elixir to the little fox across the pond.

A toast to success.

After downing the energy elixir, Zheng Ren exited the System.

...

...

Huang Zhishan, a 40-year-old Singaporean Chinese was the Regional Director for Biosensors International's operations in East Asia.

He had grown up in the US where he received western education. After graduating from Caltech, he had had a startup in Silicon Valley which eventually failed.

Nevertheless, he did not give up, but got back onto his feet and returned stronger.

At the age of forty, he was in his prime with the energy and ability to create. He had won this latest battle by leading a sinking ship through a narrow strait.

Huang Zhishan was very pleased with himself. The bet he had taken by going against the board was paying off.

After sending off Professor Rudolf Wagner on his flight back to Germany, he returned to his office. He looked out of his window and stared at the Huangpu River as he imagined his future, filled with great plans and promises.

Had it been worth offending every top professor in the country currently present in Imperial Capital? It was, without a doubt.

Among all the tools of interventional surgery, those used in cardiovascular surgeries contributed half of all total profit, followed by those used in neurological surgery and peripheral vascular surgery.

The prostate interventional surgery had just been a stepping stone. If he were able to get through to hospitals with capitation, there would be more opportunities for medical insurance reimbursements in the future.

Huang Zhishan also could not care less about the production line that had been specifically reserved for Professor Rudolf Wagner's prostate surgery.

It was disposable, after all.

It had served its purpose and would be retired from the stage after the surgery was complete. In Huang Zhishan's opinion, prostate interventional surgery was not practical for the common folk. The cost of one was so exorbitant that it almost surpassed that of drugs used in targeted chemotherapy.

The main focus of Biosensors International was still catheters and stents used in cardiothoracic surgeries. There was vicious competition with other international manufacturers!

Huang Zhishan was neither anxious about nor afraid of the upcoming battle. Instead, there was excitement; in this fight, his throne would be paved with the blood and bones of his opponents.

What could trump this?

Huang Zhishan snickered at the thought of his oblivious competitors, although no one could see him.

He then picked his phone and made a call.

"It's me.

"What are those losers in Imperial Capital doing?

"Uhm, don't bother. We will have a really nice Christmas celebration this year."

After hanging up, despite being extremely satisfied with his effort, Huang Zhishan felt a twinge of regret.

Local pioneers in interventional surgery had been quite displeased to find out that Professor Rudolf Wagner had succeeded.

After all, they had not had the support of a personal product manufacturing line. Most of them had also exceeded the golden age to perform surgery as interventional technology was a fairly recent introduction.

Like Wu Haishi, many of them had chosen to leave the Imperial Capital in the night.

Huang Zhishan treated this scattering to the winds as the glorious pinnacle of his achievements. Nonetheless, there was something missing in this chapter, as if there was one missing note keeping the finale from absolute perfection.

Unfortunately, no one had stood up against them. It would have been perfect if some ignorant bloke had attempted the prostate interventional embolization.

Nevertheless, this small issue had no effect on the big picture.

Huang Zhishan stood and waltzed his way over to the bar, where he opened a bottle of scarlet wine and filled a glass.

The residual color on its side resembled thick, fresh blood as he swirled the wineglass.

He walked towards the window wall to admire the bird's eye view of the Huangpu River. As he stared down at the Huaxia Financial Center, pride and ambition filled his heart.

He raised his glass to the city lights twinkling outside the window and said gently, "A toast to success."

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Chapter 241: Sorry, I Don't Know You (Part 5 of 5)

When Zheng Ren opened his eyes, the sun was peeking over the skyline.

Was that what counted as a sleepless night?

After drinking the energy elixir, Zheng Ren felt recharged and energized as if he had just gotten a full night's sleep.

He smiled and picked up his phone to send a morning greeting to Xie Yiren.

That simple exchange with her was enough to make him happy.

There was no response as Xie Yiren was still asleep.

The giddy smile on Zheng Ren's face did not falter, however. Mission accomplished, he rolled off the bed and went to take a shower.

When he came out, his phone chimed. He bounced over to pick it up. It was not Xie Yiren.

How disappointing.

He typed out a short reply to Feng Xuhui, then started to plan for the day ahead. He knew Su Yun had to still be asleep. Zheng Ren decided to let the man rest as the latter did not have the same energy elixir he did.

It was surgery day. They were going to complete Qin Liren's hepatic embolization surgery, then check out Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery's neuro micro-guidewire. It was important to oil one's guns before battle and testing the flexibility and elasticity of the guide wire was part of that.

The prostate interventional embolization surgery was scheduled for tomorrow. After that, they could finally go back to Sea City.

Sea City... He wondered if Xie Yiren would pick him up from the airport and hug him...

He was daydreaming again. A knock on the door shook him out of his stupor and Feng Xuhui entered with breakfast.

"Manager Feng, you're too kind," Zheng Ren said perfunctorily.

It had become a habit.

Feng Xuhui placed the bag of food on the table, then turned to bow to Zheng Ren. "Thank you, Chief Zheng."

"Huh?" Zheng Ren did not know what had prompted this.

Feng Xuhui explained, "Yesterday, Chief Kong told me to call my chairman over to draft a supply contract for the hospital's interventional surgery department. I know you probably had a hand in the arrangement."

'Me? I did no such thing,' Zheng Ren thought.

He said nothing, though, knowing he would owe Department Chief Kong for this favor.

This was how the web of society worked. His acquaintance with Zheng Yunxia had led him to Feng Xuhui and Feng Xuhui had caused him to become beholden to Department Chief Kong.

These favors were hard to keep track of, so he let it be. He had his own principles and would not break them even when a favor was called in.

"It's no big deal. Come, join me for breakfast," Zheng Ren said.

"Chief Zheng, can you arrange for a meeting with Chief Kong? The chairman will be here on the earliest flight available," Feng Xuhui asked gingerly.

"I'll ask him when I see him and update you via WeChat."

At this, Feng Xuhui visibly relaxed and enjoyed the rest of breakfast. He had bought mung bean juice this time, but it seemed the young master who craved it was still asleep.

It was a small matter. Following the advice of the restaurant owner, he told himself to stick close to Zheng Ren.

The conversation at the door of Tang Song Restaurant had reaffirmed his beliefs. He would stay true to his course.

Once they finished their meal, Feng Xuhui quickly cleaned the table while Zheng Ren went to change. The two men then paid a visit to the interventional surgery ward.

It was peak hour at the hospital and they waited a long time for the elevator.

As they stepped out of it, Feng Xuhui stopped. "Chairman Ma..."

Zheng Ren glanced to the side and saw an older gentleman standing in the lobby area with unrestrained anger clouding his features. Alongside him was another man with a beard and a rather attractive woman whom Zheng Ren remembered seeing before.

Who were these people?

Zheng Ren could memorize the Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance and the Twenty-Four Histories, but facial features remained elusive to him.

"Feng Xuhui, what's your excuse?" Chairman Ma asked in a low voice.

Feng Xuhui felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Excuse? I don't understand." He was at a loss.

Zheng Ren wanted no part in the drama and excused himself. He headed straight into the interventional surgery department.

When Chairman Ma and the others had arrived, Feng Xuhui arranged for them to rest in their respective accommodations. The group had then made their way to the hospital at 7.00 am.

Feng Xuhui was determined to bring breakfast to Zheng Ren and Su Yun but Chairman Ma had no patience for that. There was only one goal in his mind: to meet Intervention Surgery Department Chief Kong.

As for the junior doctor from Sea City, Chairman Ma would pay him a visit later. The doctor was just a chief resident and should be thankful for a personal visit from a successful business such as himself.

The chairman had not stopped Feng Xuhui from bringing food to the Sea City doctors. Instead, he had brought his two managers to the hospital to meet Department Chief Kong.

However, they had not foreseen being unceremoniously kicked out of the office by the grumpy department chief.

The chief was not pleased to have his much-deserved rest interrupted, not even bothering to ask who they were.

"Little Feng, why didn't you make the arrangements?" President Peng scolded.

Uncertain as to what he had done wrong, Feng Xuhui lowered his head and stayed silent.

"Did Department Chief Kong ask for me personally?" Chairman Ma asked, his tone controlled despite his brimming anger.

Feng Xuhui could clearly recall the events of yesterday. "Yes."

At that point, Feng Xuhui's phone rang.

"Chief Zheng. Yes. Yes. Okay." Feng Xuhui hung up. His worries crumbled away after that one call. With a smile, he addressed his boss, "Chairman Ma, Chief Zheng says Department Chief Kong is waiting for you in his office."

The earlier humiliation had left a bad taste in Chairman Ma's mouth.

However, he swallowed his pride for the sake of his company's future. Such was the nature of business relationships. If the department chief had spat on him, he would praise the accuracy of the man's spittle.

Doctors and nurses were rushing all around the wards. Mistakes caught during Department Chief Kong's ward rounds would result in a haranguing.

The department chief was not mild-mannered to his own staff.

The group strode through the flurry of activity and arrived at Department Chief Kong's office for the second time that day. Chairman Ma gestured for them to wait.

He adjusted his suit and puffed out his chest.

Then, he knocked on the office door. "Come in," came the response.

Chairman Ma put on a winning smile as he pushed the door open.

He took in the scene inside as he shut the door behind him.

There were two people in the room. Department Chief Kong was on the bed, yawning. Another figure was at the computer browsing through CT scans.

Zheng Ren had his back to the door. "Manager Feng, did you bring the neuro guide wire?"

"I'm the chairman of Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery, you can call—" Chairman Ma began to introduce himself but was cut short by Zheng Ren.

Facing the group with confusion on his face, Zheng Ren asked, "Sorry, I don't know you. Where's Manager Feng?"

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Chapter 242: Live Surgery Recording? That's A First For Me (Part 1 of 5)

Chairman Ma was stunned.

Competent and independent subordinates were what every leader wanted.

However, right now, Zheng Ren was giving only Feng Xuhui the time of day. It was absurd.

What had that newbie done to deserve such loyalty?

Confusion gripped the CEO of Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery.

"Let Little Feng in," Department Chief Kong called out in a frustrated tone. He had only agreed to meet the people from Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery at Zheng Ren's request.

Department Chief Kong and his team went through roughly 5 to 6 million yuan worth of supplies each year. They had their pick from the many medical equipment and material suppliers out there.

He did not mind locally-made materials even though they were less user-friendly. His ultimate goal was to get into Zheng Ren's good books.

This was a form of investment.

Chairman Ma turned and barked an order for Feng Xuhui to join them with the suitcase of products.

"Boss Zheng, you're sure about the surgery?" Department Chief Kong asked.

"Oh, stop calling me 'boss'," Zheng Ren said with a laugh. "I'll have to get a feel of the materials before we start. I have 90% confidence."

Ninety percent; that was a good number.

Department Chief Kong did not expect Zheng Ren to surpass Professor Rudolph Wagner. A successful surgery would be enough to save face.

It was the best he could hope for.

"Thank you for last night. When do you intend to start?" Department Chief Kong asked.

"If the patient's condition permits, the sooner the better," Zheng Ren said. "And if you can, keep an ear out for the patient from Sorcery Capital. I suspect there will be some complications three days after surgery."

Department Chief Kong's face twisted in shock.

The surgery recording had been observed by a dozen expert surgeons. Professor Rudolph Wagner's skills were top-notch and, performed with premium tools, the surgery had been near perfect.

Why did Zheng Ren say that?

Was this simply youthful skepticism?

A few days ago, Department Chief Kong would have voiced his objection, but now, he held his tongue.

Zheng Ren had to have a reason behind his statement.

Chairman Ma caught Zheng Ren's words as he turned around. Who did this youngster think he was?

Despite his inner turmoil, Chairman Ma maintained a cheery demeanor as he brought Feng Xuhui to his side.

"Professor Rudolph Wagner performed the surgery well, but the superior vesical artery was blocked. I predict there will be urinary complications within three days." Zheng Ren took the case from Feng Xuhui's hands and placed it on the table, opening it to inspect the micro guide wire and micro guide catheter.

"There are many arteries that supply the bladder. Are you sure it will flare up?" Department Chief Kong asked.

"A geriartric patient recovers more slowly. If there were signs of blood vessels forming to restore blood supply to the bladder, the same would happen to the prostate. The surgery performed by Professor Rudolph Wagner was a failure and a waste of the patient's money."

The conviction in Zheng Ren's tone did little to convince Department Chief Kong. In the time leading up to this experimental surgery, Department Chief Kong had done some research into the genitourinary system. Although it was not his specialty, he had opinions of his own.

He kept them to himself, however. The silence was his answer.

"This should be fine," Zheng Ren said as he picked up the finest neuro guide wire and tested its flexibility, oblivious to the department chief's thoughts.

It was difficult for Zheng Ren to get a feel of the guidewire as it was still in its packaging. He shot Feng Xuhui a look; the manager immediately stepped forward and removed the protective packaging.

The micro guide wire was now unusable as its protective packaging had been opened.

It did not matter to Feng Xuhui.

It was only a few thousand yuan. Not a problem.

Zheng Ren felt the texture of the micro-guidewire, then sighed.

The wire was of the same type as that provided during his intensive training in the System.

This was why he could not get a perfect score on interventional surgeries even though he was a Master. The materials were holding him back.

Now that he was a Grandmaster, though, it should no longer be an issue.

Zheng Ren's sigh made Department Chief Kong frown. "Is it not suitable?"

The Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery staff felt their heartbeats quicken.

Zheng Ren smiled. He had performed 52 prostate interventional embolization surgeries in the System with this exact guide wire. All that repetition made up for the unfavorable aspects of the material.

"It's alright. Chief Kong, proceed with your plan for a temporary supply contract with them. We'll prepare for an early morning surgery tomorrow," Zheng Ren replied.

Department Chief Kong nodded.

Chairman Ma and Feng Xuhui felt a burden roll off their shoulders. An agreement from Department Chief Kong meant they could proceed with paperwork.

Their biggest hurdle was officially over and done with.

A smile broke out on Chairman Ma's face and he wanted to say his thanks, but Zheng Ren's words cut through his own. "Chief Kong, I remember we discussed the possibility of having the surgery recorded live."

"Yes, we want to have a recording for future reference, regardless of the outcome," the department chief said.

Zheng Ren nodded. "Sure. This will be my first live surgery recording, but don't worry, I'll have my nerves under control."

The words got Department Chief Kong thinking again. Should he trust this junior doctor? Was Zheng Ren truly confident in the surgery?

Was a live recording wise when clips of Professor Rudolph Wagner's surgery were already out there?

Although Zheng Ren seemed unafraid of failure, the same could not be said of Department Chief Kong.

While Zheng Ren might have the skill, he would be using locally-made neuro micro guide wires from Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery.

Professor Rudolph Wagner had access to Biosensors International's specialized micro guide wire—an interventional surgery product with its own dedicated production line.

There was a stark difference between the two surgeons.

It was an immeasurable gap that could not be closed so easily.

"Is something wrong?" Zheng Ren saw the odd expression on Department Chief Kong's face and made an educated guess. Putting on a smile, he said, "Chief Kong, the surgery shouldn't be a problem. While I cannot guarantee a 100% success rate, I can assure it will turn out better than Professor Rudolph Wagner's, barring any unforeseen circumstances. If you're not comfortable with a live recording, we can do without it."

Department Chief Kong's face cycled through a slideshow of emotions.

The risks and rewards were clear. The deciding factor would be whether or not Zheng Ren could pull off a successful surgery.

Zheng Ren twisted the guidewire in his hand. It was slightly different from the one within the System, but given some time, he would grow accustomed to it.

Sensing the department chief's hesitance, Zheng Ren gave him an easygoing grin. "Let's revisit this topic later. Right now, I believe there is a surgery I should attend to."

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Chapter 243: Smooth Sailing (Part 2 of 5)

Department Chief Kong had no qualms with Zheng Ren's decision to perform the hepatocellular carcinoma surgery. They had agreed to it yesterday.

According to Zheng Ren, they would have to put the live streaming on hold.

Chief Kong also preferred to do this covertly. No footage meant no evidence.

He was fine with it as long as the surgery was not too poorly done. It was impossible for the young doctor to surpass the German professor. If such a thing was doable, why had so many experts left the Imperial Capital overnight?

Chief Kong had already thought it all out.

Chairman Ma was astonished by the conversation happening before him. Never in his life had he seen a subordinate speak directly to a department chief from one of the country's top Class Three Grade A hospitals. Nevertheless, he kept his composure and remained silent.

One's true colors would surface given enough time.

The truth would out if the doctor was truly a prodigy.

Chairman Ma did not pick sides rashly. Up until now, Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery was the major beneficiary in this situation. He was satisfied to maintain it.

He could not care less about the success or failure of the surgery.

...

Qin Liren had finished preparing for his surgery. Chief Kong sent the man to the operating theater after completing his ward rounds.

Qin Liren had mixed emotions about finally being able to receive surgery.

He lay down on the table in the operating room and stared up at the surgical lamp as he recalled his past few weeks.

Zheng Ren walked in after a few minutes. "Qin Liren?" he said, confirming his patient's identity off the film in his hands.

"Yes, that's me," Qin Liren replied instantly.

"Got it," Zheng Ren said softly before signalling to Su Yun, who began scrubbing in and putting on the first layer of the sterile sheet.

After assembling the first layer, Su Yun repeated the process with disinfectant and changed his gloves before setting up the second layer of the sterile sheet.

Zheng Ren was not in a hurry. He examined the scans on the radiographic film viewer leisurely while waiting for Su Yun to finish setting up.

Since he attained Prime level in interventional surgery, Zheng Ren had entirely new knowledge and insight on hepatocellular carcinoma nodules. He was able to derive the insertion point and entry route by analyzing the scans alone.

"Mr. Zheng, it's ready," Su Yun said half-seriously when he looked up and saw Zheng Ren staring at the reverse 64-slice CT scan that had been reconstructed yesterday.

"Okay," Zheng Ren answered, not moving. Instead, he shut his eyes and simulated the entire surgical procedure in his head.

After doing so many surgeries, Zheng Ren was confident about every detail, down to the selection of blood vessels and route of entry.

Earlier today, he had completed over fifty rounds of prostate interventional embolizations in the System. This allowed him to master the technique of maneuvering micro guide wires into miniscule capillaries.

After being promoted to Prime level, all the obstacles he had faced in the past were completely gone and it had been smooth sailing from there.

A minute later, Su Yun walked to Zheng Ren's side and asked quietly, "Did you not have sufficient rest yesterday? Do you need me to perform the surgery?"

Zheng Ren chuckled and replied, "No, I'm running a mental simulation; it should be complete within about 28 minutes."

"Tsk..." Su Yun expressed his disdain.

"Do you know how to do it?" Zheng Ren was intrigued by Su Yun's offer. The man's learning curve was astonishing.

"Shouldn't be a problem. I've watched you do five of these, so I know the steps by now." Su Yun blew at his fringe out of habit, but it remained unmoved, held in place by the scrub cap.

He felt a little disappointed.

Zheng Ren was surprised by his statement, but it was nothing compared to the shock Su Yun felt at Zheng Ren's words.

How had Zheng Ren managed to estimate the time taken to complete the surgery? His achievements in Imperial Capital could have inflated his ego, and it was probably time to knock him down a peg or two. Otherwise, if they managed to publish in The Lancet, the accompanying academic recognition and fame would destroy him for sure.

Zheng Ren was not bothered by Su Yun's inner monologue. He turned around to scrub in and suit up before approaching the table.

Su Yun carried out femoral artery cannulation and waited patiently for Zheng Ren.

There were not as many people in the observation unit as yesterday. Most of them had yet to digest the procedure they had observed.

They would not benefit much from observing the same surgery again today.

Furthermore, they had their own packed surgery schedules. A whole day had been spent observing Zheng Ren's demonstration and they could not afford to do so a second time.

In addition, there had been news about a prostate interventional embolization scheduled the next day, which all the doctors were excited to observe and learn from.

All of the surgeries for that day had either been brought forward or delayed to the day after.

Chief Kong was watching Zheng Ren and Su Yun through the lead glass, but his thoughts were drifting off to the million-dollar question—ought he livestream the surgery?

There was no issue with the patient as he had signed a consent form for the surgery to be publicly shared and received a share of the benefits, including complete fee waivers on checkups, medication and admission.

The surgery being broadcast would also not make a difference to Zheng Ren. He had much higher stakes in the matter.

However...the circumstances were different now.

Chief Kong sighed internally.

Everything would have proceeded according to plan if Professor Rudolf Wagner of Heidelberg University had not completed the surgery a step ahead of them.

After his success, many pioneering experts in interventional surgery had left the Imperial Capital and gave up on the research. Livestreaming the surgery now would almost certainly lead to them never being able to show their face in public again.

As Chief Kong fought his inner demons, the noise around him picked up, further distracting him.

'Such unruly behavior!' Chief Kong was displeased.

Although he was always kind and gentle to Zheng Ren, Chief Kong was strongly paternalistic towards his own doctors. Zheng Ren's exemplary skill had gained the chief's respect and earned an exemption from the norm. To his own staff, Chief Kong was always cold and quick to berate them if they went against his wishes.

It had never been this rowdy before. Were they not aware that the operating theater had to remain silent at all times?

Frowning, Chief Kong harrumphed as he turned around to glower at them.

The sound was low and traveled far, like the heartbeat of the patient with cardiac tamponade.

If Su Yun was around, he would have recognized the chief's familiar signal of disapproval.

Yet...

Chief Kong noticed that the operator and nurse standing behind him were staring into the operating theater with surprise and excitement; no one had noticed his irritation.

This was unprecedented! Chief Kong was about to blow his top when he realized that everyone else's gaze was also transfixed at the operating theater. Where was the surgery at?

He had been buried in his own thoughts, debating internally about livestreaming the surgery and failing to pay attention to the projector screen before his eyes. When he focused on the screen in front of him, he was stunned.

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Chapter 244: A Solid Reason (Part 3 of 5)

Had he finished the surgery in such a short time?

How had he done it?

It was impossible, it had to be a hallucination. Chief Kong rubbed his eyes and looked at the screen once more to make sure that it was really the last radiographic image of the surgery he was seeing. Embolization of the hepatocellular carcinoma nodules was complete, as well as administration of chemotherapeutic drugs.

He raised his head and saw Zheng Ren removing his gloves, having already left the table.

The nurse opened a sensor-controlled door and retrieved a compression device, unpacking it and passing it to Su Yun.

"Chief Kong, I'm done," Zheng Ren said jovially as he entered the operating console room sans sterile surgical gown and gloves.

"..." Chief Kong was still in a daze. He was about to check on the radiographic images of the embolization.

It was awkward examining them in front of Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren was not aware that he had finished the surgery within the brief window of Chief Kong's distraction. Prime rank interventional surgery was not to be underestimated. With a smile, he pointed at the two nodules on the screen and said, "I diagnosed that the nodules from the 3D-Image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan prior surgery were of cancerous origin. That surgery confirmed that it was indeed true."

Chief Kong was lost for words. He had missed the entire surgery; how was he supposed to engage in any sort of discussion with Zheng Ren about it?

Zheng Ren was eager to share his Prime-rank skills with Chief Kong, but was perplexed by Chief Kong's lost expression. Had he done something wrong in the middle of the operation?

It was impossible. He knew his execution had had a perfect balance of speed, precision, and steadiness. What could be the problem?

They stared at each other for a long while. Finally, Zheng Ren gave up and said, "I'll go ahead and change."

Hurry up and leave, Chief Kong thought, anxious to rewatch the whole surgery.

Zheng Ren walked towards the changing room in silence, feeling a little disappointed. He thought that he had nailed this particular surgery. Why did Chief Kong look so indifferent?

Had he grown accustomed to Zheng Ren's surgeries after watching so many of them?

That was impossible!

There were still a few flaws in Zheng Ren's work when he was still at Master level in interventional surgery. Even though he had been able to complete his surgeries successfully, they were all incomparable to the one that he had just finished.

Something was truly off.

Zheng Ren entered the changing room and tore off his sterile surgical gown[1]. He sent the special lead vest back into the System and let out a long sigh.

Right after he finished changing, Su Yun came into the room.

The man threw away the surgical scrub cap into the waste bin, looking a little worse for wear with his hair balled up by the cap, but also appearing less obnoxious.

Su Yun stared at Zheng Ren strangely and silently.

"What is it?"

It took ten seconds for Su Yun to break the silence. "The surgery today. It was peculiar."

Zheng Ren grinned and did not bother explaining himself.

"Are you on steroids today? How did your technique improve so much from yesterday?" Su Yun gave Zheng Ren a death stare as if trying to sniff out his secrets.

However, Zheng Ren's expression was calm and composed, giving nothing away.

After a while, Su Yun shook his head and sighed.

What a peculiar being. Why was the gulf between them widening despite his best efforts? Su Yun lowered his head and mulled it over.

Back then, there was no one he could not eventually and quickly surpass if he deigned to put in the effort, be they his peer or mentor.

There was no hurdle he could not overcome.

However, he had tried several times to catch up to this man to no avail. Had he finally met his match?

Impossible!

As Su Yun remained deep in thought, Zheng Ren approached him. Fiddling with a Changfeng micro guide wire in his left hand, he patted Su Yun's shoulder with his right and said cheerfully, "I'll go check on Chief Kong."

Su Yun clenched his fists, the flame of competitiveness flaring up within him.

Zheng Ren reentered the operating console room with a smile on his face.

Chief Kong seemed to be deep in thought, sitting in his chair as if in meditation with his eyes half-closed.

The old chief must be too tired. Zheng Ren muffled his movements, wondering whether or not to leave or wake the chief.

"Zheng Ren." Chief Kong opened his eyes suddenly, looking enthusiastic. "Are you sure that the prostate interventional embolization will succeed?"

"Chief Kong, you must be joking. No doctor can predict the outcome of a surgery. I'm only 90% sure..." Zheng Ren began casually, but Chief Kong interrupted his standard spiel of potential risks.

"Excellent!" Chief Kong said without hesitation. "I've just received news that the patient from Sorcery Capital started showing postoperative symptoms of a weak bladder and urinary retention."

"Did they remove the urinary catheter the day after the surgery?"

"Yes." Chief Kong nodded.

"The symptoms will worsen on the third day post-surgery." Zheng Ren seemed to realize something and hesitated, his lips moving wordlessly.

For his age, Chief Kong's eyes were sharp. "What were you going to say?"

Zheng Ren let out a sigh and said, "I was just thinking that, if possible, the patient could come in for dredging and I could redo the embolization. If his symptoms worsen, he would need at least half a year to recover."

Chief Kong let out a muffled laugh.

What a noble heart Zheng Ren had. Throughout the entire conversation, he had been kneading the micro guide wire between his fingers to feel its subtle texture.

How pure.

Nevertheless, Chief Kong had no control over the things that Zheng Ren had just proposed.

How could a hospital from Sorcery Capital own up to their own mistakes? The phone call would never end well.

Chief Kong shook his head and did not comment further.

Zheng Ren knew the truth of the matter and gently shook his head, sighing.

Seeing Zheng Ren's expression, a sudden realization dawned on Chief Kong and a chill shot down his spine.

Zheng Ren's suggestion was based on the assumption that he could accomplish prostate interventional embolization. The reason Chief Kong had decided to proceed with livestreaming was Zheng Ren's splendid job on the hepatocellular carcinoma nodules, plus the news from Sorcery Capital that their surgery had failed.

What made Zheng Ren so sure of himself?

Chief Kong was left puzzled. The surgery today had been perfect, vastly different from the one the day before. Su Yun had had a firsthand view of that change, while the chief's years of clinical and surgical experience also handily picked out that massive leap in skill.

Zheng Ren was taken aback by Chief Kong's expression. Did the chief not sleep well yesterday? Why was he acting weirdly?

"You did a great job earlier. In fact, you have improved by a few orders of magnitude from yesterday," Chief Kong said.

"Yeah," Zheng Ren replied as if it was nothing. "It was a simple procedure. I did four rounds of the same surgery yesterday, and after that, I went back over them and had some new ideas. That's why it went much smoother today. You flatter me, Chief Kong; it was not that big of an improvement."

Unwilling to create new excuses, he decided to just quote Su Yun directly.

It did seem quite solid a reason, after all. He would probably have use for it again in the near future.

Chief Kong closed his eyes, his own exhaustion kicking in.

The youth of today were amazing, incredible!

"Prepare yourself for the livestream of the prostate interventional embolization tomorrow. I've staked my entire reputation on you, so don't you fail on me."

[1] The author repeated mention of the removal of the sterile surgical gown, possibly because they simply forgot they had mentioned it earlier.

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Chapter 245: Pretending to Know (Part 4 of 5)

"Sure," Zheng Ren answered nonchalantly, displaying zero anxiety or tension.

Chief Kong felt a surge of confidence after seeing Zheng Ren's honest expression.

Qin Liren had been transferred to the stretcher trolley by a staff member of the interventional radiology department, but in honor of the man's ties with Bu Ruotian, Zheng Ren decided to deliver him back to the ward personally.

Zheng Ren also selected and printed a few representative snapshots from Qin Liren's surgery.

He placed the films on the stretcher trolley and chewed the fat with Qin Liren, hands in his own pockets. After a while, Su Yun finished changing and followed Zheng Ren with his head lowered.

After Qin Liren's bizarre trip down memory lane, he had slowly regained control of his emotions.

The longer he got to know Zheng Ren, the more he found the doctor calm and collected. The strength and confidence exuded by Zheng Ren during the surgery was so palpable that Qin Liren was able to sense it.

He knew he had made the right choice, despite still being a little shaken by the whole thing.

Thank goodness his wife had stopped him from going home...

When the stretcher trolley was pushed out the operating theater, Qin Liren's wife, Bu Ruotian, and Bu Li were all waiting by the door.

To Zheng Ren's surprise, there were a few others waiting outside that looked like news reporters in full gear. Leading them was a familiar woman in her thirties; who could it be...

Zheng Ren had trouble recognizing her but pretended to do so regardless, nodding his head to signal that he was busy.

Su Yun shot her a distasteful glance.

Meanwhile, Zheng Ren approached Qin Liren's wife and smiled at Bu Ruotian. "The surgery went well."

"That's great, that's great." Qin Liren's wife thanked him repeatedly with her hand on her heart.

Zheng Ren laughed. "It was no big deal. It's all thanks to Uncle Bu."

At those words, the corner of Bu Ruotian's mouth curled upwards. He gave a slight nod, followed behind the stretcher trolley and walked back to the ward leisurely like an old man on a stroll.

"Mr. Bu, the surgery..." Zheng Ren slowed his gait to match Bu Ruotian's, but before he could continue, Bu Ruotian interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Didn't you just call me Uncle Bu?"

"Um..." Zheng Ren was caught off guard but recovered almost instantly. "Uncle Bu, the surgery was a success."

"You did well." Bu Ruotian complimented him with both hands behind his back as if praising one of his nephews.

Zheng Ren remained silent throughout the walk back to the ward.

When they reached their destination, Zheng Ren helped transfer Qin Liren to the bed before taking the films and inviting Qin Liren's wife outside for a discussion.

They did not go to the doctor's office. Instead, Zheng Ren stopped in a sunny corner of a corridor to explain the outline of interventional embolization to Qin Liren's wife and Bu Ruotian.

The images he had taken were the exact visual representation of every key point in the surgery. Zheng Ren explained them in layperson's terms, and although Qin Liren's wife had no medical background, she was able to understand the entire process without any difficulty.

The simplicity of his language brought with it a sense of reliability.

When Zheng Ren ended his debriefing, she nodded and thanked him repeatedly.

After she returned to the ward, Bu Ruotian said, "Little Zheng, I owe you for this. Let's have dinner tonight."

"I'll sit this one out. Would it be alright if Su Yun went in my stead?" His refusal came without hesitation.

Bu Ruotian's expression shifted slightly.

"I have a high-profile surgery tomorrow that's going to be livestreamed. I need all the rest I can get," Zheng Ren explained with a smile.

Bu Ruotian was aware of the surgery, having asked around about Zheng Ren after their first meeting in Imperial Capital, but had not known that it was due tomorrow. Zheng Ren declining his offer was understandable. "I wish you all the best, then."

"Thank you."

"Little Su, accompany me for dinner tonight," Bu Ruotian said to Su Yun.

Su Yun met Bu Ruotian's eyes and nodded.

Bu Ruotian left them with both hands behind his back as Bu Li said blithely, "Dr. Zheng, I bet you only realized your endless potential after coming to Imperial Capital."

Before Zheng Ren had the chance to answer her, she skipped to catch up with Bu Ruotian and they left together.

How strange. He had the impression that Bu Li was a smart, capable and mature person, and it was surprising to see her prance around.

As Bu Li vanished, the familiar-looking woman took her place alongside her team, surrounding him. "Dr. Zheng, I've finally found you."

Su Yun knew how Zheng Ren struggled with facial recognition and stepped up to him, whispering into his ear, "Tang Xiu from Sea City Metropolis Daily."

Oh, oh, oh...

Zheng Ren finally remembered her; he had led the emergency rescue for her father's hepatic hemangioma rupture. After that incident, the lead editor of Sea City Metropolis Daily had visited them several times but had been intercepted and driven off by Su Yun's acerbic tongue.

Why had she come all the way here to Imperial Capital?

"Nice to meet you, Editor Tang." Zheng Ren extended his hand, finally being able to drop his pretenses.

Tang Xiu's grip was cold but strong. Zheng Ren expected a brief shake, followed by an immediate release.

However, she grabbed his right hand with both of hers and shook it excitedly. She was very sincere, or rather... passionate.

"Dr. Zheng, we came across Dr. Fang's assault on Weibo a few days ago. It filled us with indignation. We asked around and found out that you were at the scene and even joined in the rescue of Dr. Fang," Tang Xiu explained.

Why was she talking about this? Hadn't it happened a while ago?

From what he could recall, Fang Lin had been transferred out of the ICU two days ago. He had planned to visit the man after the prostate surgery, but now it had all been dragged to the forefront by Tang Xiu from Sea City Metropolis Daily.

"Oh, it happened by chance," Zheng Ren said calmly, gently extracting his hand from hers.

Her grip was vice-like and it took several attempts to free himself.

Nonetheless, his movement made her aware of her gaffe. She blushed and laughed embarrassedly before saying, "My apologies, Dr. Zheng. I'm just too excited."

"You guys flew all the way from Sea City for this?" Zheng Ren asked.

"Yes." Tang Xiu quickly regained her composure. "Dr. Zheng, the assailant's behavior triggered a wave of criticism from the public. Since you're from Sea City and participated in the rescue of Dr. Fang..."

Back in her stride, she began to rattle off like a professional reporter.

Zheng Ren stared at her, baffled, trying to convey with his facial expression the fact that he was extremely busy and that she ought to leave if there was nothing important.

Standing behind Zheng Ren, Su Yun snorted loudly to interrupt Tang Xiu's speech.

It startled her and she paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Dr. Zheng, I still feel responsible for the whole issue with my father and Wei Feng. I'm not trying to be self-serving here; I just want to bring some positivity to the general public."

"Haha." Zheng Ren smiled and said, "You're doing well."

Tang Xiu was stunned. She had interviewed lots of people throughout her years as a reporter.

None of them had been like Zheng Ren!

He had killed the conversation with a single laugh.

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Chapter 246: Interview (Part 5 of 5)

Zheng Ren refused Tang Xiu's offer politely. "I have a live surgery tomorrow. Please excuse me, Editor Tang, but I need to rest."

Tang Xiu was still stunned as she watched Zheng Ren leave.

One of the photojournalists carrying a camera fumed, "Who does he think he's trying to fool? Livestreaming a surgery? He's just a nobody from Sea City. Did he think he'd become a bigshot after coming over to Imperial Capital?"

Tang Xiu frowned and raised her hand to silence him.

A surgery livestream? Here, in Imperial Capital? With a doctor from Sea City invited over to perform it? It had all the makings of a great story!

She would have hit the jackpot if all of these were true.

Tang Xiu immediately asked, "Do any of you know the doctors here?"

One of the reporters raised his hand. "My high school classmate is working as a doctor in the internal medicine department."

"Contact him right now. We'll meet him right away," Tang Xiu ordered without hesitation, unbothered by Zheng Ren's rejection.

However, the reporter was still smarting from Zheng Ren's attitude. "What for, Editor Tang?"

"Dumb*ss!" Tang Xiu smacked them both on the back of their heads. "I'm well aware of Dr. Zheng's medical skill. My father's blood pressure was undetectable during the ambulance trip to the hospital, but after Dr. Zheng's emergency surgery, he was transferred out of the ICU on the second day post-surgery."

"I know, Editor Tang, and we've already expressed our gratitude, but it was he who snobbishly dismissed us," the photojournalist complained.

"That's not the point." Tang Xiu thought for a while before continuing, "I meant that there may be a possibility that he was invited over to Imperial Capital to perform a surgery."

"Editor Tang, I mean no offense, but you're being illogical right now. He's from Sea City. Do you really think such a thing is possible?"

"It wouldn't hurt to ask around. Otherwise, it would reflect poorly on us to return empty-handed after coming all the way here." The professional that she was, Tang Xiu easily convinced her two temporary subordinates to lend her their support.

After contacting the reporter's classmate, the three of them hurried over to the respiratory ward three blocks away.

It was the middle of the day and the doctors in the internal medicine department were at their busiest. Knowing that it was not a convenient time to bother him, the three of them waited patiently in the corridor.

Tang Xiu took this time to trace Zheng Ren's footsteps over the last few days from her contacts in the Imperial Capital.

It was rather difficult to collect the information she needed as most of her contacts were not from the medical field.

Tang Xiu quickly reached a dead-end. She had no leads at all. The photojournalist was also frustrated but since Tang Xiu was his superior, he had no choice but to endure the chilly winds of Imperial Capital while chain-smoking.

Only after the end of day shift did the doctor from Sea City walk out with an exhausted and apologetic expression.

Barely pulling himself together, he joked, "Old friend, did you guys come to Imperial Capital for an interview? Would you even think of me if you were not on a business trip?"

"We heard that there was a Sea City doctor who participated in the rescue of the assault victim, and came over trying to find a few leads. As you know, such positive messages get better reception from the public," the doctor's classmate explained heartily.

"Oh, give me a minute. Let's talk this over dinner. My treat."

They had found the right guy.

It was obvious that this doctor was very interested in Tang Xiu's story. He hurried off to change into his casual wear.

The sky was already dark outside. They went to a nearby restaurant, asked for a private room, and discussed the matter over their meal.

"I was also very curious; since when had Sea City gained such talent?" the doctor said after sitting down, "That morning, I was accompanying my boss to the outpatient department and was met with the most shocking and grisly scene."

Tang Xiu and the others looked at each other in confusion. Grisly? What could be so grisly for a doctor?

"I had put on my lab coat before heading to the outpatient department. On the way there, I heard someone clearing the way for a stretcher trolley."

The doctor's words flowed without pause as if a switch had been turned on. "With one look, I knew it was an emergency, but you get used to seeing such things after a while in the hospital."

The others laughed graciously; they were social veterans, well-versed in maintaining fine control over the pace of conversation and overall mood of a table.

"When I passed by the stretcher trolley, I was stunned. There was blood dripping down the trolley and leaving a crimson trail, but the truly astonishing thing was that there was a man kneeling on the stretcher and stopping the bleeding with his bare hands!"

"What do you mean by that?" Tang Xiu asked.

"The knife had punctured Dr. Fang's diaphragm, lungs, and liver... let me put it this way; with an injury like that, a person would go into shock after one minute of heavy hemorrhaging and bleed out in five. Had it not been for Mr. Zheng's decisiveness, Dr. Fang would not have made it for sure."

Tang Xiu pictured Zheng Ren kneeling on the stretcher trolley, reminding her vividly of the day of her father's hepatic hemangioma rupture.

She shuddered at the thought.

Not out of fear, but excitement.

The doctor did not notice and continued, "I saw very clearly that blood was dripping down Mr. Zheng's shoulder. He was probably wounded, too. I approached to take his place but he kicked me in the chest. It's still hurting, by the way."

"Such violent behavior?" the classmate exclaimed.

"Haih, it was not violence. I panicked when I saw a doctor lying on the stretcher trolley with a man in civilian clothing kneeling on top of him. My first instinct was to go up and help. Even though I'm a PhD graduate, I've only read about manual hemostasis in books; I don't know the exact position of the common hepatic artery, nor would I know how much strength to exert on the wound," the doctor said.

Tang Xiu probed further. "What happened afterward?"

"I heard that alongside severe blood loss, Dr. Fang also had tension pneumothorax. You guys can look that up online, I won't go into detail about it. They said that Senior Chief Zheng used a syringe needle in one hand to relieve the pleural cavity pressure while stopping the bleeding with the other. Only then did they manage to send Dr. Fang into the operating theater alive."

"That's amazing..." Despite not understanding most of what was just said, Tang Xiu's eyes were alight with anticipation.

"Speaking of which, we met Dr. Zheng earlier this afternoon and mentioned having a livestreamed surgery tomorrow? Do you know anything about that?" the doctor's classmate asked.

"I'm not really sure. Our daily schedule is jam-packed, as you can expect, plus we still have to do our own research and maintain our KPI. Some of us don't even have time to look for a partner."

"Why?"

"We have no time to spare. Where did you guys meet Senior Chief Zheng?"

"The interventional radiology department."

"Let me call and ask them. Hold on for a minute." The doctor took out his phone and flipped through his contacts.

His own interest piqued from discussing this 'gossip', he invited his friend from the interventional department over for dinner as well.

Soon enough, Tang Xiu and her team were enraptured.

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Chapter 247: A Legend to be Told Over Drinks and Written in Books (Part 1 of 5)

Dr. Zheng had come to Imperial Capital and was involved in emergency rescue for the knife attack?

He had managed to restore the vision of someone who had been blinded by hyaluronic acid deposition?

He had outdone top interventional surgeons from all across the entire nation?

And tomorrow, he was going to attempt to surpass a surgery that a German professor had performed in Sorcery Capital?

In the minds of the news team, each soundbite transformed into another sharp, eye-catching headline.

Every story was newsworthy; relinquishing even one of them would be something they would regret for the rest of their lives.

The food was forgotten, left to be absent-mindedly picked at.

The two doctors were unaware of Tang Xiu's and her team's expressions as they continued to enthusiastically chat for almost two hours, mostly about gossip surrounding Zheng Ren after his arrival in Imperial Capital. Some of it was truth, some of it speculation.

Such stories would become legends to be brought up over drinks in a few years.

The more they spoke, the more excited Tang Xiu became. Suddenly, an absurd but bold idea popped into her mind.

She took out a pen and paper to make notes while the two doctors continued chatting.

To her, typing on a laptop lacked soul.

She wrote down her scattered thoughts on the blank paper, her pen flying across it.

The two other reporters had also put aside their initial misgivings about Zheng Ren, alternating between checking on Tang Xiu's notes and telling the two doctors about the emergency rescue that Zheng Ren had performed in Sea City.

Mass nitrite poisoning on such a massive scale was very rare and the story had been embellished over time, gaining an apocryphal nature of its own. Their eyes as wide as saucers, the two doctors from Imperial Capital downed two shots of alcohol in one motion.

Soon, Tang Xiu's thoughts began to take shape.

She was thrilled by it all. It would be the perfect interview, the pinnacle of her career.

She felt elated.

When she raised her head to look at the two doctors, they were both a little tipsy; even though they had already strayed from the original interview subject, it was obvious that they could not proceed in their current state.

Also, she still needed to brainstorm her ideas with her two subordinates.

If all went according to plan, it would be huge. They could not rush it and waste such a rich resource.

Tang Xiu asked for a few more details, including the possibility of an interview with the doctors involved.

In the end, they exchanged contacts with the two doctors and arranged for an interview tomorrow.

After sending the doctors home, the photojournalist asked, "Editor Tang, are you onto something?"

"Yes, I'm thinking of filming a promotional video with a positive message. If done well, it could end up being the main theme of our city's latest social media outreach."

The other two reporters were fully aware of what that meant and nodded eagerly.

...

...

Zheng Ren's eyes were half-shut as he pinched the Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery micro guide wire between his fingers, perceiving its minuscule differences in rigidity and texture.

The replica from the System was exactly the same as the real deal. There was little to no disparity between them.

After attaining Prime level, Zheng Ren had discovered that he was more discerning towards surgical supplies. In order to ensure the success of the surgery, he did not want to miss out on any aspect that could improve the procedure, no matter how trivial.

Feng Xuhui, along with Chairman Ma and the others, wasted no time commencing with the cumbersome procedure of procuring surgical tools. In the afternoon, Zheng Ren had a simple lunch and returned to his hostel, where he continued to manipulate the wire alone.

While toying the micro guide wire in his hand, Zheng Ren mentally outlined the 3D-image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan of his upcoming patient, picturing the route of entry, degree of insertion and the exact moments to be radiographed... he replayed the entire process in his mind over and over again.

Zheng Ren calmly imagined the surgical process, trying to optimise it even further.

The micro-guidewire felt smoother and more flexible the longer he held it in his hand.

If Su Yun was present, there would be no shortage of mockery to be had.

Some people had the habit of toying with butterscotch amber pendants, while some preferred play beads. Zheng Ren's choice of plaything was truly one of a kind.

...

...

Despite feeling drained, Department Chief Kong was still busy working.

They had had to expedite the purchase due to their last-minute decision to use Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery's products, but that was not even his main concern. What truly troubled him was his upcoming discussion with Li Haitao regarding the prostate interventional embolization livestream tomorrow.

Even though Zheng Ren had demonstrated exemplary skill, it was still insufficient for a department chief from Imperial Capital to risk his entire career supporting a livestream surgery.

He would never have allowed it if not for the paper that would be published in The Lancet, the patient from Sorcery Capital who had suffered unexpected postoperative complications, and Zheng Ren's outstanding performance during the hepatocellular carcinoma nodule surgery.

When the news of Zheng Ren's livestream spread nationwide via the internet, it triggered an uproar in the interventional surgery community.

The chief's office in Shenzhen Economic Development Zone People's Hospital, despite being brightly lit, was stifling.

Wu Haishi sat on his chair frowning, buried deep in thought.

"Teacher, I don't understand." Mu Tao finally broke his silence, long after they had received the news that some doctor had insisted on performing and livestreaming the surgery.

Old Wu shook his head and spoke after a few minutes. "I heard that Chief Kong is collaborating with Dr. Zheng in researching the differential diagnosis on nodule formation induced by hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic cirrhosis. He has two projects going on concurrently. Chief Kong is getting too impatient."

"My guess is that Chief Kong saw an opportunity when he heard that Professor Rudolf Wagner's patient had started showing postoperative complications," Mu Tao said.

"It's possible. Even though the prostate interventional embolization looked ordinary, it was as difficult as the TIPS procedure. The entire profession revolves around trying to figure that out. Professor Rudolf Wagner's patient having postoperative symptoms doesn't mean anything." Old Wu's voice trailed away as if he had fallen asleep.

Mu Tao dared not disturb him. His teacher's energy was deteriorating with age. There had been a lot going on recently, and the German professor's success in prostate interventional embolization had an especially great impact on Old Wu.

They had flown back to Shenzhen overnight. Mu Tao accompanied his teacher all the way, worried that Old Wu might suffer a heart attack. He did not want to take the risk and carry that regret for his entire lifetime.

Old Wu was not as fragile as he thought, though. Upon their return, the man resumed his routine ward rounds and guided surgeries but was nonetheless stunned upon hearing the news from Imperial Capital that the prostate interventional embolization would proceed tomorrow.

He could not figure out what had given Department Chief Kong and Zheng Ren the confidence to challenge the greatest living interventional surgeon, Professor Rudolf Wagner, who already had the support of substantial financial resources and a personal production line.

It was understandable for Zheng Ren to be young and brash. However, Department Chief Kong was already in his twilight years; why would he play along with Zheng Ren's recklessness?

In the hepatobiliary hospital of Sorcery Capital, Professor Pei Yingjie was also baffled upon hearing the news.

He had also left Imperial Capital overnight. Being slightly younger than Old Wu, he was still actively performing surgery and maintained his pristine surgical skill.

In Pei Yingjie's opinion, there was no point staying in Imperial Capital.

The reason for that was obvious to those with a certain level of understanding and skill.

Professor Rudolf Wagner of Germany's Heidelberg University was truly a force to be reckoned with, but despite recognizing the man's skill, Professor Pei Yingjie did not think himself necessarily inferior.

The straw that broke the camel's back was the personal production line sponsored by Biosensors International.

It was a battle of capital, not competency.

Such a method could never be adopted by anyone else due to its exuberant cost, and that above all else made Professor Pei Yingjie furious.

He stood before his office window and silently stared at the concrete forest that was the international metropolis of Sorcery Capital, wallowing in his own sorrow.

Behind him, Jin Yaowu was a turmoil of emotion.

The success of Professor Rudolf Wagner's surgery meant that there was no further need for Zheng Ren's.

From a certain point of view, could he have been vindicated?

Jin Yaowu thought otherwise.

He was not pleased that he had lost to Zheng Ren, but he still had a chance to turn the situation around. However, he was no match for Professor Rudolf Wagner. Now, that young upstart had publicly challenged a pioneer in the field! Who had given him the confidence to do that?

"Haih." Despite his best efforts, Professor Pei Yingjie could not figure out how Zheng Ren was going to surpass the surgery in Sorcery Capital.

The issue lay not with technique, but with... the tools!

Skill was required to compensate for the inadequacy of physical resources.

This was...

This was impossible.

Chapter 248: Passive Ability (Part 2 of 5)

Back in his hostel , Zheng Ren quietly sat in place and fondled the micro guide wire like an old monk in meditation.

The wire moved gently between his thumb and forefinger like a living thing.

Zheng Ren was unaware of how much time had passed. He was entirely focused on how to perfect any possible flaws.

"Ding dong~"

There was a chime: the long-awaited notification for a mission from the System had finally rung!

He glanced at the upper right corner of the System panel and saw the details of his quest.

[Mission: The First Stage of The Great Beginning 2

[Task: Complete the prostate interventional embolization surgery.

[Reward:

[1. Passive ability—Luck points 4

[2. Passive ability—Unlimited Charm, double effect

[3. Passive ability—Integration. Include joint diagnosis across different specializations, equipped with multiple skills during treatment.

[Time: 7 days.]

Zheng Ren had been curious about the System's potential rewards for completing tomorrow's prostate interventional embolization.

However, he had not expected to receive three passive abilities in a single mission...

After saving the patient with postpartum hemorrhage on the same day of his medical dispute, Zheng Ren had been awarded 2 luck points. If he managed to complete this upcoming mission, he would have 6 points.

He had no idea what they were for.

However, if he were to guess, they had probably played a part in successfully resolving his medical dispute. Otherwise, why had the dispute failed to destroy his career like it did with so many doctors nationwide every year?

The Unlimited Charm passive ability had also been rather useful.

When he had tried to save Cui Heming on the plane, Zheng Ren was certain that his mediocre appearance and eloquence were not how he had managed to persuade the patient with Type I aortic dissection to calm down and ingest oral blood pressure medication despite severe pain.

It had to be the effect of Unlimited Charm.

The description of this particular passive ability had also stated that he could gain respect and recognition from others for every completed surgery, which in turn added value to the charm points. The charm points were related to his reliability and determination.

Did the effects stack with each other?

Did it mean that the more surgeries he performed, the more persuasive he became? Was he going to be Zheng, the silver-tongued?

When he reached the last passive ability, he laughed dryly.

Had he received this ability earlier, differential diagnosis of the hepatocellular carcinoma nodules would have been much easier. However, it was better than no ability at all. If he could complete the prostate interventional embolization, the System's rewards would not be too bad.

The System had its own unlimited charm, it seemed. Zheng Ren seldom doubted it these days.

The rays of sunset seeped through from outside, illuminating the area in a golden-red glow.

...

...

The next morning, Zheng Ren woke up very early. He sent his usual morning greetings to Xie Yiren, then went to wash up and ate the breakfast that Feng Xuhui had brought over.

Su Yun clearly had had a rough night, with his eyes ringed by dark circles and his hair disheveled.

Zheng Ren reckoned that the man was most likely too stressed.

It was probably due to his own competitiveness. Zheng Ren just smiled without saying a word.

Su Yun did not make any sarcastic remarks upon seeing Zheng Ren's nonchalance. He ate breakfast in silence, his mind somewhere else, not even noticing the mung bean juice beside him.

After breakfast, Feng Xuhui quickly cleaned up and all three of them headed to the interventional radiology department.

It was just 7.30 a.m., but every doctor from the department had arrived, including two doctors who were supposed to be on holiday.

No one wanted to miss the chance to be present at the livestreamed prostate interventional embolization.

Department Chief Kong glanced at Zheng Ren but did not ask him the usual confidence-related questions.

The arrow had been nocked. It was time for the shot to be fired.

Since he had already decided to go ahead with this, more questions would just add to the pressure on Zheng Ren's shoulders.

Department Chief Kong smiled bitterly upon seeing a haggard-looking Su Yun with sunken eyes standing behind Zheng Ren.

These two had been through a lot.

Were he the one to perform the livestreamed surgery, he would not have gotten any sleep for anywhere between three to five nights prior.

They finished preoperative assessments as per standard protocol.

The patient was sent into the operating theater at 8 a.m.

At 8.10 a.m., the patient was lying on the table of the interventional operating theater. Su Yun started sterilizing their equipment while Zheng Ren stood in front of the radiographic film viewer to perform a final check on the 3D-image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan.

He had run through the film in his head countless times and could point out every detail on it.

Nevertheless, he did it once more.

There would be no mistakes. Everything would proceed smoothly as planned.

At 8.15 a.m., Su Yun finished cleaning the area and started femoral artery cannulation.

Zheng Ren approached the table at 8.18 a.m. and began prostate interventional embolization.

There were dozens of doctors cramped in the operating console room. Not all of them were in-house doctors; even department chiefs from other hospitals had come over for this occasion.

There were insufficient seats and some professors had to stand.

The PhD and Master students from Imperial General managed to squeeze inside, but the fellows had it the worst, being only able to stand in the corridor and on the tips of the toes, trying all manner of positions in order to catch a glimpse of the surgery through the leaded glass.

Once the surgery commenced, the crowd outside dispersed.

They decided to watch the livestream as not a thing could be seen from the corridor.

The live surgery broadcasting room had been set up on the hospital's official website. In this era of modern technology, even the most rigid hospital management had started adopting the latest marketing strategies.

The broadcasting room had only one basic function: to watch the live surgery. There were no other common bells and whistles, such as a chat room or a bullet screen.

It was completely stripped down.

Department Chief Kong sat upright in his chair, his back straight as if he was in military uniform.

His gaze was focused on Zheng Ren and Su Yun through the leaded glass.

He was no longer feeling anxious or nervous; his heart remained steady as he quietly observed the surgery.

After the micro guide wire went in, the radiographer was switched on to monitor its position.

"Hmm? This is an incredible technique," the chief from another hospital commented upon seeing the micro guide wire positioned at the bifurcate separating the internal and external iliac arteries. This was also the starting point of superselective catheterization and radiography.

Despite the gulf in rank and standards, he still knew a good technique when he saw one.

Such amazing young men, he thought, sighing.

Department Chief Kong did not utter a single word. He sat completely still, observing the rapid movements of the micro guide wire through imaging. The wire was quick but neither elaborate nor showy; the priority lay in finishing the surgery steadily.

This was not the difficult part of the procedure. Everyone in the room, including the fellows outside, was capable of performing it.

It was the minutiae that reflected one's finesse.

The micro guide wire continued moving forward, followed immediately after by superselective catheterization. Even though the procedure was not lightning-fast, its consistency was astonishing.

"Chief Kong, was this young doctor the same guy who was selected within the first few days?" someone asked.

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Chapter 249: Is the Surgery Complete? Not Yet (Part 3 of 5)

"Yes," Department Chief Kong said, nodding.

"His technique is quite impressive! Old Liu from Ram City had been singing praises of a young doctor and I was wondering who it could be. Judging from this surgery, he was not exaggerating."

Department Chief Kong said nothing. After an in-depth study of prostate anatomy, he had a better understanding of how the surgery was progressing.

They were still in the simple, early stages of the procedure. Without top quality micro guide wires and guide catheters, could Zheng Ren still pull off this operation?

Department Chief Kong had his doubts.

The difficulty lay in the superselection of the quaternary arterial branches from the superior and inferior vesical arteries, followed by the handling of the capillary networks.

The micro guide wire was expertly maneuvered into the superior vesical artery within a matter of minutes.

Superselection continued and the guide wire entered an artery branching from the superior vesical artery.

At this point, Zheng Ren stopped advancing. It was clear the guide wire had reached its limit.

This branch...

Department Chief Kong sighed. This was more or less where Professor Rudolph Wagner got to as well.

This was where it ended, but Zheng Ren was not to blame. It was the fault of Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery's products.

If this was the case, why had Zheng Ren wanted a live recording of the surgery?

It was unlike Zheng Ren to make decisions on a whim.

Department Chief Kong held his breath as he watched the movements of the micro guide wire onscreen.

Su Yun had the wire in one hand while his other hand supported the guide catheter. Zheng Ren slowly inserted the catheter along the wire.

He moved with utmost care and patience.

The guide catheter was in place and imaging would begin soon.

If they decided to perform embolization at this branch, it was unlikely for the outcome to be any better than the surgery performed by Professor Rudolph Wagner.

Was this a gamble? Did they hope that the embolic agent would not flow back into the vesical artery?

Department Chief Kong's face was stony as hypotheticals ran through his mind. His eyes were transfixed on the screen.

Once the catheter was in place, Zheng Ren retrieved the micro guide wire and made a gesture.

Su Yun presented him with another wire, which was then inserted into the guide catheter.

"Chief Kong, what is he doing?" one of Department Chief Kong's peers asked.

This had to be it, he thought.

During Lin Jiaojiao's surgery, they had lacked the finer materials to access the ophthalmic artery. Zheng Ren had had to use a standard guide wire to force his way into the artery and perform suction.

It was a rare technique in this day and age.

The branching arteries were less robust than the main trunk. Hence, there was a high risk of damage to the vessels during insertion of the micro guide wire.

Although the resulting damage and blood loss were unlikely to be fatal, it increased the risk of failure of the surgery overall.

All in all, It was a risky technique to employ.

These young doctors had guts!

...

In Shenzhen Economic Development Zone People's Hospital, Wu Haishi, Mu Tao and a few key technical personnel were watching the livestream in the chief's office.

No handover had been done today.

By 7.00 am, Old Wu was already in the hospital, waiting eagerly.

His expression was strained as the surgery progressed.

Mu Tao worried about the old man.

The surgery was done in a methodical fashion. Mu Tao estimated that the Sea City surgeon's skill was just a tad higher than his own. Given some time, he was confident he could close the gap.

Although the young surgeon was skilled in interventional surgery, Mu Tao believed that the surgery would not succeed without the top-of-the-line guide wires and catheters from Biosensors International.

There was no chance he could surpass Professor Rudolph Wagner, and Mu Tao predicted the surgery would end halfway.

He wished his teacher would calm down and avoid cardiac arrest.

Mu Tao had an array of medication on standby and kept an eye on Old Wu.

The superselection was completed and the micro guide wire was replaced with a finer version. The second wire was pushed into the small arterial branch of the superior vesical artery.

Based on its thickness, Mu Tao figured it was a neuro micro guide wire—the models with the smallest diameter.

Mu Tao could guess the surgeon's intentions but felt it was a rash maneuver. The surgeon was going to use the neuro micro guide wire to access the next arterial branch.

This method allowed for targeted delivery of the embolic agent, thus reducing the risk of postsurgical complications.

There were disadvantages, too, however.

Internal bleeding was possible but a small artery leak could easily be stopped by pressure from the abdominal cavity.

The biggest issue lay in the difficulty of manipulating the guide wire.

Nonetheless, it was a creative approach. Mu Tao kept a closer eye on Old Wu.

As time passed, Mu Tao saw a gentle glow on the old man's face.

For a moment, he thought something bad was going to happen.

He shook the thought out of his head. Old Wu did not suffer from any illness, so it had to be a glow of happiness.

Huh... A while ago, Old Wu looked sad and helpless. Was he glowing with joy now?

How odd.

What had happened?

Mu Tao had an IQ of 152 and was not a foolish man.

He quickly took a look at the surgery livestream.

Mu Tao was confident that the junior doctor, Zheng Ren, would fail to pull off the superselection. There was no way he could outperform Professor Rudolph Wagner, who had been equipped with a specialized micro guide wire.

Despite having his mind made up, he focused on the livestream.

The imaging was unfamiliar.

There were few images that were foreign to Mu Tao, but the one before him showed countless fine blood vessels. The neuro micro guide wire had successfully entered the subsequent arterial branch without casualty.

Impossible!

"It's done!" Old Wu struck his palm with his fist.

The sound startled Mu Tao, who had been fixated on the recording.

"What's done?" Mu Tao asked.

"Pay attention." A grimace appeared on Old Wu's face. "The prostate interventional embolization was a success."

The micro guide wire moved forward slightly before stopping. Another dose of contrast agent was administered. Once its placement was confirmed, the embolic agent was delivered, as the elderly professor had predicted.

Old Wu let out a shaky breath and smiled.

The smile only made it halfway before it froze.

He stared at the screen in disbelief.

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Chapter 250: Higher, Faster, Stronger! (Part 4 of 5)

From Old Wu's perspective, the surgery would be complete once embolization had been performed on the arterial branch from the superior vesical artery.

This was a palliative surgery and its main aim was to alleviate the patient's symptoms.

Although the embolized area was small, the decrease in blood supply would shrink the prostate, improving the patient's condition.

The surgeon had not stopped the surgery. Right after embolization, he was again performing superselection.

The guide wire was moved into the renal artery.

Based on typical human anatomy, the renal artery contributed nothing to the prostate.

What was Zheng Ren doing?

Old Wu and Mu Tao were stunned.

A thought popped up in both their minds. Had Zheng Ren performed 3D reconstruction on a 64-slice CT scan of the prostate prior to surgery?

Did reconstruction even work on capillaries?

The two doctors said nothing. Mu Tao no longer paid any heed to Old Wu, his focus fixed solely on the screen.

The micro guide wire entered an arterial branch of the renal artery. When advance was no longer possible, the guide catheter was inserted. Then, the neuro micro guide wire was used to explore the smaller blood vessels through the guide catheter.

Ten minutes later, imaging began.

From the live imaging, they could see the capillaries that stemmed from arterial branches of the renal artery, supplying blood to the prostate.

The embolic agent was injected. On the second round of imaging, the capillary network was no longer visible.

The micro guide wire retraced its steps and started superselection again. It moved along the internal iliac artery and entered an unusual arterial branch.

The atmosphere in the office was palpable. Mu Tao stared at the screen unblinkingly.

"Mu Tao, why do I feel like Dr. Zheng's abilities have improved by leaps and bounds in just a few days?" Old Wu asked.

Multiple high-difficulty surgeries, along with revision and diligent study, would result in overall improvement over time.

However, Old Wu could not believe the staggering development of this young doctor from Sea City.

A few days ago, he had watched Zheng Ren perform a surgery and could sense the young man's inexperience.

The injury to his shoulder could have affected his performance then, but Old Wu was sure that no injury could have hidden such incredible skill.

There was no doubt in his mind.

Zheng Ren's handling of certain steps had changed this time around.

More accurate!

More attentive!

More precise!

Watching the young doctor work, Old Wu wondered if it was a robot performing the surgery.

Each decision made was apt and the surgery progressed in a timely and stable manner.

The surgery was nearing the one-hour mark and three capillary networks branching out from three different arteries had been embolized. There were no signs of fatigue in Zheng Ren's movements.

After some consideration, Old Wu let out a sigh that was a mixture of admiration and resignation.

How great it was to be young.

When Wu Haishi first encountered international radiology-assisted surgery, he was already in his forties. He took three years to gain the basic skills.

At that point, age was already catching up to him.

He had never been able to move comfortably under a heavy lead apron, unlike the young doctor on the screen.

The youth also adapted faster to new developments. Perhaps Zheng Ren was a savant who could master new information much faster and innovate as he went.

To be gifted and young.

How blessed.

Old Wu's sigh was wrought with complex emotions. On the other hand, Mu Tao only had one thought in mind—how far had he fallen behind Zheng Ren?

Mu Tao had been full of confidence before the interventional surgery conference in Imperial Capital.

Young, talented and a graduate from a famous institute, he had earned the distinction of being the disciple of the famous Wu Haishi.

Then came Zheng Ren.

Younger.

More gifted.

The gulf between them was immense and filled Mu Tao with a deep uneasiness.

How did he do it?! Mu Tao was beyond words.

Old Wu was full of praise. "This young man is incredible!"

Mu Tao was still in shock at how easily he had been surpassed to harbor any jealousy and hate towards Zheng Ren.

In a flash, the fourth capillary network was sealed with the embolic agent.

Zheng Ren started the fifth superselection of the surgery.

There was pin-drop silence in the control room.

It was as if there had been a major incident or an ongoing emergency rescue.

All eyes were glued to the screen and no one said a word. They were entranced by the rhythmic movements of the young doctor.

Department Chief Kong had known the surgery's outcome after the first successful embolization.

He counted his lucky stars that he had made the right choice.

Zheng Ren would be well-known after this stint. It was a near-perfect surgery, and with Professor Rudolph Wagner's surgery as comparison, Department Chief Kong was certain that this success would be known internationally.

When people spoke of this surgery, they would mention the hospital in Imperial Capital. The ripple effect would bring Department Chief Kong's interventional surgery department to the forefront.

"Chief Kong, where did you find this doctor?" the department chief beside him asked just as Zheng Ren began the fifth embolization.

Department Chief Kong chuckled.

"Old Kong! How did you find this young man? Such amazing skill!"

"Of course he's amazing. Why else would I invite him over? We are teaming up to develop a differential diagnostic method for liver cancer as well as its surgical treatment." Department Chief Kong would have guffawed if there were less of a crowd. He was ecstatic.

"He's not even your research student. What are you so proud about?" the man next to him said.

The line of questioning was designed to dig up Zheng Ren's background. It seemed like Department Chief Kong had yet to poach the young doctor, and there was still a chance for the other department chiefs to cast their nets.

No one cared if the young doctor had the right papers.

"We've known each other for years. I can see through your plot," Department Chief Kong said with a laugh. "Let's not talk about the boss, Dr. Zheng, yet. Do you know who his assistant is?"

Assistant? What was there to know about an assistant?

The department chief was confused.

Zheng Ren was on the sixth artery now. Department Chief Kong had reviewed the CT scan reconstruction and remembered that the patient had a total of six capillary networks supplying blood to the prostate.

It was nearing the end and Department Chief Kong was in a joyous mood indeed.

"No, I don't recognize him. Is he a research graduate?"

"Research graduate? That guy rejected multiple invites to do oncology research in Union Medical College Hospital and the Chinese Academy of Sciences," Department Chief Kong replied coyly.

"Isn't that Su Yun? I know him," another department chief spoke up. "You'll never believe how I met him."

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Chapter 251: Perfect (Part 5 of 5)

"Huh?" Department Chief Kong was intrigued.

Zheng Ren's assistant was full of surprises. What had he done now?

Publishing in The Lancet was truly an impressive feat.

Successfully performing an artificially-grown heart transplant as a research graduate was another. Were there more achievements?

One of the department chiefs, watching Su Yun handle the guidewire with utmost care, joined in the discussion. "I don't know much about Su Yun's research, but I remember a young female patient who had been traveling all over the country looking for him. She visited Union Medical, Pan Garden and us.

"I heard she went to any hospital that had a cardiothoracic department in search of Su Yun."

"Ah? Seriously?"

"I ran into her while arranging admission for a patient with pulmonary nodules. She seemed like a nice girl, albeit a little obsessed."

"Obsessed? According to my subordinates, Su Yun has a verified fan club on Weibo."

The mention of Su Yun had completely derailed the topic. It was better than Department Chief Kong had expected.

The man was not an entertainment idol but had a verified fan club on Weibo? Was he going to get a Baidu page next?

"He's a popular guy. Some of the nurses in our hospital are in his fan club. I heard they were in mourning for a few days when he left us. One of them even wanted to quit. We spent a few days persuading her to stay and her family even travelled here to join in on the effort. She did stay in the end," contributed another department chief who had previously been enraptured by the surgery.

"None of you saw him perform the heart transplant?"

"Heart transplants are common these days. In a decade or two, there won't be much fanfare. Robots could take over the surgery. We might not see another medical celebrity in another hundred years, though," someone else said jokingly. "But I'm not from cardiothoracic, so who am I to say anything? The leap from cardiothoracic researcher to interventional surgeon's assistant is rather odd."

"Su Yun is now Boss Zheng's assistant," Department Chief Kong said with a twinkle in his eye. "He is an outstanding young man with a bright future. If you were him, you wouldn't just take up an assistant role without careful consideration of who your superior was."

"Definitely not. If I were him, I would give up my medical career and be a model or actor. Who needs the adrenaline from helming an operation?"

The joke led to more nonsensical chatter.

Although the tone of the conversation was jovial, a heaviness settled in their hearts.

Su Yun, the legendary research graduate, was assistant to Dr. Zheng and Department Chief Kong called the man 'Boss Zheng'...

With the exception of a few old and respected experts in the country, Department Chief Kong never used the title 'boss' to refer to anyone.

The department chiefs were witnessing one of the hardest interventional surgeries in history. Not only had Zheng Ren not broken a sweat, the whole procedure had been performed perfectly. None of the chiefs could replicate what they had just seen.

"Old Kong, you lucky man!" some of the department chiefs jeered.

"I have a good eye for talent." The compliments made Department Chief Kong beam.

"Ah, this is like finding a diamond on the floor. Anyone who isn't blind would pick it up. Good on you."

As the department chiefs chatted good-naturedly, Zheng Ren completed the sixth and final embolization.

One radiography later, the area around the prostate was clear. The surgery was a success.

Zheng Ren did not step away from the operating table to allow Su Yun to finish up. The System display showed that the surgery was 99% complete.

He decided to see the surgery to the end. He retrieved the materials from the patient's body and closed the entry point. Gauze and bandages were used to seal the wound.

Su Yun did not question Zheng Ren's decision and helped with the dressing. Throughout the whole surgery, he had not spoken a word.

100% completion.

The chime echoed in Zheng Ren's ears, signalling a completed mission.

[Mission: The First Stage of The Great Beginning 2

[Task: Complete the prostate interventional embolization surgery.

[Reward:

[1. Passive ability—Luck points 4

[2. Passive ability—Unlimited Charm, double effect

[3. Passive ability—Integration. Include joint diagnosis across different specializations, equipped with multiple skills during treatment.

[Time: 7 days.

[Time remaining: 6 days, 13 hours, 22 minutes.]

The passive abilities did not interest Zheng Ren as he could not see the benefits of having them.

The 6.5 days of intensive training time was what he was after.

He felt uneasy without a substantial store of training time on hand. Smiling, he removed his surgical gown and tossed it into the red bin before heading back into the changing room and returning his special lead vest to the System.

He entered the control room in an isolation suit.

The control room was sizable, at least twice the size of the one in Sea City General Hospital. However, having 20 doctors in it still made it feel crowded.

"Perfect!" Department Chief Kong stood up and patted Zheng Ren on the shoulders.

He noticed no sweat marks on the isolation suit and shook his head in admiration. "Young man, how envious I am of your stamina."

"Boss Zheng! That was incredible!" An interventional surgery department chief from another Class Three Grade A hospital stood, approached Zheng Ren to shake his hand and introduced himself.

Every person in the room wanted to introduce themselves to Zheng Ren. The barrage of names and backgrounds made him see stars.

He wanted to tell them to stop. His late-stage face blindness was bad enough that he could hardly remember a single stranger, let alone twenty.

These doctors all looked the same to him and he was sure that he would not recognize them upon their next encounter.

However, he did get a confidence boost from their eagerness to greet him. The surgery must have been perfect to garner the attention of all these top-tier doctors.

Once the introductions had died down, Department Chief Kong asked, "What's there to look out for post-surgery?"

"Within 24 hours, prostate hyperplasia will subside and the urinary catheter can be removed then," Zheng Ren said matter-of-factly.

There was muttering among the crowd in the control room.

It usually took 24-48 hours for the prostate to show any significant shrinkage. How had this doctor arrived at his figure?

"Sure." Department Chief Kong did not argue. "You must be tired. Come, rest in my office."

Zheng Ren nodded.

Chapter 252: The Limit Was Not Crossed But Completely Outstripped (Part 1 of 5)

As the surgery ended, numerous calls came in for Department Chief Kong. The patient was still lying on the operating table.

Many of the professors and experts had left the room, but Li Haitao remained. He had not expected a junior doctor like Zheng Ren to put up such an impressive performance.

The live surgery recording had 10000 downloads within the hour.

As the recording was not hosted on a social media platform, the numbers far exceeded their expectations.

A smile blossomed on Li Haitao's face as he entertained call after call.

One person's happiness was another's despair.

Inside Biosensors International's spanking new China headquarters, the East Asia regional director, Huang Zhishan, watched the surgery recording in horror. He did not have the technical knowledge to understand the procedure, but from the expressions of the experts in the room, he knew it meant bad news.

They were silent and somber, without a hint of joy.

Some attempted to speak but decided against it.

What could they say? The video before them was irrefutable.

Biosensors International had spent a king's sum to bring in a world-class surgeon, Professor Rudolph Wagner, and build a new production line to manufacture specialized micro guide wire and guide catheters.

All that effort for nothing!

Huang Zhishan cared not for the demonstrative surgery's outcome. His sole aim was to put on a good show with his products prior to entering China's market.

However, his joy had been short-lived. A young surgeon in Imperial Capital, not even thirty years old, had challenged Professor Rudolph Wagner's prostate interventional embolization surgery.

What was truly incredible was that this man had actually succeeded!

Unbelievable!

The country's top-notch professors had given up on trying this procedure; how could this young upstart have accomplished what they could not?

Huang Zhishan watched the whole recording in disbelief.

He looked at the faces of the well-paid experts around him and felt his heart sink.

He took a deep breath to calm himself before asking the room, "Now that you have all seen the recording, what is your opinion?"

Without verbal confirmation, Huang Zhishan clung on to his last shred of hope.

Silence enveloped the large meeting room.

"Professor Sophie, why don't you start?" Huang Zhishan crossed his fingers and rested them on his belly in order to assume a comfortable position, hoping to appear relaxed in front of his audience.

However, the action had the opposite effect. The experts could see the stiffness and tension in Huang Zhishan's muscles that reminded them of a patient suffering from opisthotonos.

"My dear Huang, are we certain of the authenticity of this recording?" Now that she had been called by name, Professor Sophie had no choice but to verbalize the questions in her mind.

Another expert in his fifties had a tablet [1]in his hand. The shifting colors on the screen flickered on the man's aged face, making it appear monstrous in the dark.

"I'm verifying it, Sophie," he interjected, staring at the screen in his hand.

"Olivier, if you don't put away that damned machine..."

"I was asking around. The consensus will sadden Huang," Olivier said with a shrug. "The surgery in Imperial Capital was a live recording. Although there are few experts left in Imperial Capital, the local doctors were witness to the surgery and they all confirmed that the content online is exactly the same as that which they had witnessed."

Huang Zhishan felt his heart grow cold.

"My god, is this real?" Sophie asked rhetorically. "From my understanding, Professor Rudolph Wagner's surgery was the peak of human's limits."

"Limits and records were made to be broken," Olivier said jokingly.

"But this leap is too inconceivable," Sophie continued, "The limit was not crossed but completely outstripped. After watching this, Professor Rudolph Wagner must feel like he'd been steamrolled by a tank."

"I think..."

"Enough!" In a fit of anger, Huang Zhishan cursed and growled, "Are you sure about this?"

"My dear Huang, even if I didn't believe the recording, it doesn't change the fact that it is real. There are many geniuses in the world and we may have simply bumped into one. Oh, how I would love to see Rudolph Wagner's expression when he sees this," Olivier said with levity.

Despair overcame Huang Zhishan and he slumped in his large office chair.

The experts who had been invited to view the recording exchanged a few glances. There seemed to be no point staying and they began to shuffle out.

Olivier walked elegantly to Huang Zhishan and said in French, "My dear Huang, the bill has been issued. Remember to sign off on it."

The rest of them filed out of the room, leaving Huang Zhishan alone to stare at the intricate patterns on his ceiling.

Several moments passed and his phone rang, breaking his trance.

Huang Zhishan forced out a single syllable. "Yeah?"

He listened to his secretary for a moment. The topic broached had him shouting into the phone: "Get her out! Tell her to go far, far away!"

...

Hua Yingying plastered the smile of a white-collar professional on her face as she stood before Huang Zhishan's secretary with a resume in her hand.

She knew the resume was just a formality.

A few days after the surprise contact, she had put in her resignation at Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery and gone to the regional headquarters of Biosensors International.

She was going to meet her future boss, Biosensors International's regional director.

What position would she be given?

Hua Yingying was sure she would be a manager of a large district, at least. Maybe she would become the sales manager of Sorcery Capital. She had contacts in the city and it was the company's first branch office in the country. Sorcery Capital was an important location, after all.

But...

Hua Yingying could hear the loud and angry voice over the secretary's phone.

Annoyance flashed past her face but she quickly regained her composure. She was a corporate employee, born and bred.

"Since the director is busy, I'll come by again after a few days." Hua Yingying did her best to exude an air of confidence as she left her resume on the table and walked out of the building.

'F*ck!' she cursed in her heart.

As she walked through the central business district, her mind rummaged through her remaining options.

After some thought, she took her phone out and dialed a number as waves of white-collared employees moved past her on the busy street.

[1] The raw text states 'PID' which I believe is a typo by the author.

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Chapter 253: Poaching (Part 2 of 5)

Hua Yingying stood by the river, a desolate expression on her face. The cold winds blew by mercilessly.

The monotonous dial tone on her phone mocked her.

She had gotten the news from a client regarding the prostate interventional embolization surgery in Imperial Capital. They had completed the surgery in the morning and the execution was rumored to be perfect.

Another insider told her Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery's interventional surgery materials were being adopted throughout hospitals in Imperial Capital.

There was a blank look on Hua Yingying's face. The wind had messed up her hair but she paid it no heed.

Her current situation was akin to that of a rebel from the 1949 Chinese Revolution who had failed to escape to Taiwan...

She had been defeated by that useless Feng Xuhui?

The thought of Feng Xuhui's innocent and clueless expression made her blood boil.

How frustrating!

She was resourceful, competent and presentable. How had she lost to a rookie like him?

Hua Yingying looked into Huangpu River and saw Feng Xuhui looking back at her.

Go to hell! With all her might, she threw her phone at the illusion.

Everything she did was futile.

The phone fell into Huangpu River with a subdued splash.

Utterly defeated, she sat down by the river and let her tears fall.

...

...

Zheng Ren had a headache.

With the surgery over, he had expected to be able to return to Sea City within two or three days. All that was left to do was to observe the patient's post-surgery condition.

His job was done and he could finally rest. He wanted to stay in his room, read some novels and chat with Xie Yiren.

Unfortunately, reality was not as kind.

Once the patient had been wheeled back to the wards, Department Chief Kong caught ahold of Zheng Ren and would not let him go.

By lunchtime, more than half of the city's interventional surgery department chiefs had congregated in Imperial Capital General's Small Stove Canteen.

They had heard rumors of the surgery and were intrigued.

Such a perfect surgery deserved praise and recognition.

In future international meetings, they could stand a little taller in front of those prideful foreigners.

The place was filled with merry conversation and laughter.

The smile on Zheng Ren's face had frozen in place as his mind buzzed.

He had wanted the completion of the surgery to be a happy epilogue to his time in Imperial Capital, but now, he felt nothing but exasperation.

It would be more bearable to continue performing surgeries than to sit here and watch Su Yun mingle with these department chiefs. There was alcohol and raucous laughter amidst all the conversation.

To him, surgery was the best pastime.

All these lively social encounters were more Su Yun's repertoire.

Zheng Ren disliked them immensely.

Department Chief Kong returned Zheng Ren's side, the smell of alcohol lingering on his breath. With a smile, he said, "Little Zheng, you should be more sociable."

"Yes, you're right, Chief Kong," Zheng Ren replied, nodding.

It was a perfunctory answer. Zheng Ren was tired physically and emotionally; this whole social engagement was more tiring than performing ten surgeries with a lead apron on.

Department Chief Kong seemed unperturbed by Zheng Ren's muted response and chuckled.

"How many have approached you with an offer?" the old man asked.

"Huh?"

"The people who want to interview you. Little Zheng," Department Chief Kong's face turned serious as he continued his speech, "we're both close and I've asked you about this before. You declined then, but if you ever wish to come to Imperial Capital, contact me. I promise I'll match whatever remuneration and benefits offered by the other party."

Zheng Ren frowned at Department Chief Kong.

"How many? I saw some people talking in hushed voices with you."

"About five. Some offered me a research studentship, some offered to let me lead a project," Zheng Ren replied faintly.

A leadership position... Department Chief Kong had not expected someone to make such a grand offer in order to poach Zheng Ren.

Project leads in hospitals had consequential clout.

It was a prestigious role that required a not-insignificant level of popularity, technical skill and resources. A slight shortcoming in any of those would immediately disqualify one from it.

Each position was highly coveted.

However, someone was using this position to poach Zheng Ren right under his nose! Department Chief Kong was offended by such an unscrupulous move.

In the old man's mind, Zheng Ren was operating under his banner.

Resentment rose in Department Chief Kong and he whispered, "I can offer you a lead professor role. I can't guarantee you'll take my place one day, but when I retire, I will definitely tell my people to support your claim."

Zheng Ren was dumbfounded.

He had never encountered a situation like this before. An offer to lead a project and potentially become a department chief in Imperial Capital?

It was beyond his imagination.

Although he had reached Prime rank in interventional surgery, he did not have illusions of grandeur.

That rank alone did not guarantee him success in Imperial Capital.

Zheng Ren had spent more than 10 years in the field. He had seen and heard many things.

When a department chief retired, the fight for the position was vicious and brutal.

Back when the world was less regulated, there had even been violence.

Deaths and maiming had happened in the past.

Nowadays, the moral standard of society had improved significantly and condemned acts of violence. Rumors spread like wildfire, so subordinates were careful with their bid for power. Nominated figures would often be scrutinized—all their skeletons dragged out of the closet and paraded in public.

Why would he, an orphan with no resources or support, try for the position? Technical skill was important in surgery but was only one of many factors when climbing the hierarchical ladder.

Zheng Ren believed Sea City General Hospital was good enough for him.

Were he to leave Sea City, he would aim for a position in newly-built Class Three Grade A hospitals. He did not want to compete with others for positions in more established places.

Money was an instigator of chaos. He had seen threats of violence being hurled at others as fans competed for the top spot on the novel platform that he used. He wished to stay far away from such conflict in life.

Department Chief Kong studied the prudent expression on Zheng Ren's face and laughed. "If you wish to stay in Sea City, that is your choice, but you have to come when I invite you for a surgery."

"Chief Kong, don't you worry. I am more than willing to come and help with any breakthroughs in the field. As for the research write-ups, Su Yun will take care of it," Zheng Ren answered truthfully.

His words satisfied Department Chief Kong and he steered their conversation to the more mundane.

The lunch lasted three hours.

Zheng Ren visited the patient, who was in a stable condition and felt minimal pain, as expected. Finally, he dragged his tired body back to his accommodation with Su Yun to get his well-deserved rest.

There was a middle-aged man in a suit waiting at the accommodation block entrance. At the sight of Zheng Ren, he approached with a warm smile that stood out amidst the cold winds. "Boss Zheng, we finally meet!"

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Chapter 254: The Hands of God (Part 3 of 5)

Due to his late-stage face blindness, Zheng Ren was used to greeting people despite not knowing them.

As the stranger had offered a handshake, he forced a smile and accepted it.

The lunch session had taken a greater toll on his energy than any surgery ever could.

"Boss Zheng, nice to meet you. My name is Li Xiaochen and I'm the executive deputy director of the private Straits Hospital, mainly in human resources and talent scouting," the stranger said cheerfully.

Straits Hospital? What was going on?

Zheng Ren was confused.

"Firstly, congratulations on the successful surgery today. I watched the live recording," Li Xiaochen said with a smile, starting off with flattery as was the custom.

"Oh, thank you," Zheng Ren said.

"Here is my name card. We are an American-owned hospital and have the best facilities to offer. Our interventional suite uses the Siemens double C arm L3476—the world's most advanced model. Would you be interested in having a look?" Li Xiaochen's congeniality seemed unshakeable.

The man was responsible for poaching medical talent from all over the country and knew how to charm his prey.

First and foremost was remuneration. True bigshots raked in millions annually while department chiefs and deputies earned between three to five hundred thousand yuan. In addition to benefits such as accommodation, spousal support and so on, there were many carrots he could dangle.

Secondly, doctors were also interested in the facilities on offer at their potential workplace. A high-end machine coupled with a highly-skilled surgeon could achieve wonders in the operating theater.

Who could resist such a temptation?

With these two aces up his sleeve, Li Xiaochen's poaching seldom failed.

Straits Hospital was an American-owned business and hence not included in the country's insurance policy. All of their patients paid their own way through.

It was out of reach of anyone who was not obscenely wealthy.

With how exorbitant its fees were, the hospital managed to afford both attractive salaries and top-tier facilities, which drew talent like flies to honey.

However, Imperial Capital professors were difficult to poach if they were not approaching retirement.

Li Xiaochen had been in town discussing job opportunities with a general surgery professor when news of Zheng Ren reached him.

The surgery livestream had been a big deal in the interventional surgery circle, but made few ripples outside of it.

Information was crucial to someone in Li Xiaochen's position. Being even one step ahead was sometimes the difference between success and failure.

He had watched the live recording and consulted an American expert, who only had one thing to say: the masterpiece of a surgery could only have been done by the hands of God!

How could Li Xiaochen pass up such an opportunity?

The surgeon was still young, which suggested unlimited potential in the future.

After some research into Zheng Ren's background, he had rushed over to Imperial Capital General to wait for his quarry.

Without even looking at the name card, Zheng Ren took it and slid it into his pocket. He smiled at the stranger and said, "Thank you. It was nice meeting you."

Huh... The automated response clearly meant, 'I don't know you and I don't intend to contact you.'

Li Xiaochen was confused. Had he been unclear with his offer?

"Boss Zheng, we are a..." Li Xiaochen began, but Zheng Ren was already entering the building. The young doctor waved and uttered a soft goodbye.

The word barely reached Li Xiaochen's ears and the man was gone.

What... What the hell! It was truly exasperating.

This was not his first rodeo. He had successfully enticed many highly-skilled doctors, even those ostracized or neglected in both Imperial and Sorcery Capital, to his hospital.

He had even gotten old professors to come out of retirement, so proficient was he at his job. Failure was not something he was used to.

Yet... Perhaps he worded his pitch wrongly out of haste.

Still, he was not about to give up. Straightening his suit, he reasserted his charm and put on his most winsome demeanor.

His appearance was tidy, his mood under control and his course set.

To make it to the top, one had to have perseverance above all.

Being given the cold shoulder by such a young upstart stung at Li Xiaochen's ego, and if not for the fact that this man had the "hands of God", he would have left by now/

There had to have been some manner of reception. There had to be.

He checked with the receptionist and bribed his way to Zheng Ren's front door.

Li Xiaochen took a deep breath and put on a charismatic smile before knocking.

"Come in," Zheng Ren's voice came from inside.

Li Xiaochen opened the door and found Zheng Ren on a chair, fiddling with a micro-guide wire.

What a gem!

His eyes lit up.

No wonder the young man had ignored him completely. His entire being was solely focused on honing his skills. The surgery had ended, but the young doctor was still experimenting with the guide wire's flexibility instead of resting.

Like in Wuxia legends, Zheng Ren seemed to be trying to become one with the wire.

Was anyone else deserving of the hands of God?

Great minds often came with a touch of madness.

Not surprising, not surprising at all.

"Boss Zheng, sorry for interrupting." Li Xiaochen approached with his hands up, as if proclaiming his harmlessness, and stopped a few steps away from Zheng Ren before bowing. "I believe I was unclear earlier. If you could give me three minutes of your time, I would like to introduce our hospital to you."

"What's your name?" Zheng Ren had completely forgotten.

Li Xiaochen was unfamiliar with Zheng Ren's affliction and thought one elevator trip had erased his existence from the young doctor's mind.

Was he being insulted? The veins on Li Xiaochen's forehead throbbed dangerously.

It was their first meeting and he was going through all the right motions. Why would the doctor want to humiliate him?

He was probably overthinking.

It had to be...

Li Xiaochen quelled the embers in his heart and put on a brighter smile. "Boss Zheng, there must be too many things on your mind. We just met downstairs. I'm Li Xiaochen, the executive deputy director of Straits Hospital. I'm in charge of talent scouting."

"Oh, Mr. Li, nice to meet you. Please, have a seat." Zheng Ren was tired from the day's ordeals but rose from his chair to greet his guest.

"Dr. Zheng, your surgery today was very impressive. My colleague from America commented that your hands are truly blessed by a higher power."

Li Xiaochen figured the actual quote came off as too ostentatious. It would not benefit him to place Zheng Ren on too high a pedestal on the outset.

"Oh, that is a hyperbole," Zheng Ren replied. He had no interest in any of the higher powers.

"It is the truth." Li Xiaochen accepted the recently-vacated seat and glanced around, noticing his name card in the bin under the study table.

His eye twitched involuntarily but he reigned in his emotions.

"From my understanding, you are a chief resident in Sea City General Hospital's emergency department. This information was given to me by a headhunting firm. Please be assured that I mean you no harm," Li Xiaochen said with a warm smile.

"Okay. Yes, that's correct." There was an imperceptible smile on Zheng Ren's face but nothing more. He still had the micro-guide wire in his hand.

Li Xiaochen decided to get to the point and used his trump card. "Your current monthly salary is around 4000 yuan. In my opinion, your skill has far surpassed that measly number and you deserve much higher compensation."

"It's alright," Zheng Ren replied with disinterest.

"If you are willing to come over to Straits Hospital and take up a position in our interventional surgery department, I can promise an annual salary of at least 1.5 million yuan. We believe this salary package is what you deserve." Li Xiaochen smiled and scanned Zheng Ren's face for any change.

He was confident the young doctor would succumb to his temptations.

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Chapter 255: What Did He Do To That Damned Prostate (Part 4 of 5)

Contrary to Li Xiaochen's expectations, Zheng Ren's expression remained stoic. The young doctor repeated, "1.5 million."

Li Xiaochen's pulse quickened. Was he too late? Had the doctor received a better offer from another company?

He ground his teeth and said, "Net pay after taxes"

Under the renewed tax system, a net annual salary of 1.5 million meant that the hospital would be shouldering a tax value in the hundreds of thousands.

"Hm." Zheng Ren's expression remained neutral as he fiddled with the micro guide wire in his hand like an old monk counting his beads.

"Our hospital has the best interventional surgery facilities, perfect for bringing your abilities to their full potential. Also, you wouldn't have to be on-call for emergency surgery. All our patients are self-paying and you will never have to deal with insurance companies," Li Xiaochen added.

He was going all in.

This made Zheng Ren actually construct a full sentence. "Oh, your hospital is quite impressive."

Was it not enough?

Li Xiaochen felt like retreating. This young lion possibly had an astronomical demand in mind.

However, that seemed unlikely given the look on Zheng Ren's face, as if money, top-notch facilities and a good working environment meant nothing to him.

These were the main factors that influenced a doctor's decision to take up employment in a hospital.

What did he really want?

Li Xiaochen thought long and hard...

"Director Li, if there's nothing more, I..." Zheng Ren began, hoping to end the encounter.

This was Li Xiaochen's first encounter with such an oddball.

To successfully poach someone, it was important to know their heart's desire.

However, there was nothing but a calmness in Zheng Ren's eyes at odds with his age, unperturbed and impermeable to honey-tongued promises.

Knowing he was no longer welcome, Li Xiaochen had no choice but to stand and show himself out after a few more customary farewells.

On the way down,stubbornness flared up inside him; everyone had their price.

The only difference was how high.

According to his phone, it was 4.00 p.m. He called up the headhunting firm to get all the details they had on Zheng Ren.

...

...

Halfway across the globe, it was 8.00 am in Germany.

Professor Rudolph Wagner woke naturally from his sleep and started his morning rituals. Once done, he checked his phone and was greeted with dozens of messages.

It was a good thing his phone had been on silent mode the night before as he did not like his sleep being disturbed. Ignoring the messages and headed downstairs for breakfast.

On his way down, he was greeted by another doctor who was also attending the Harlem Gunnar Awards Ceremony. "Good morning, Rudolph."

"Morning, young August."

August shot him an odd look. "Professor, have you received the midnight news?"

"News?" The professor remembered the messages on his phone.

Had something happened overnight?

"In the wee hours of the morning, a surgeon in China had a surgery livestream. He was conducting a prostate interventional embolization; the same procedure you performed in China a few days ago."

Professor Rudolph Wagner smiled and said nothing.

"All I have to say is, those hands were blessed by God. It is not your fault for losing to someone like him."

Losing? What?

Professor Wagner's face fell and he quickly took his phone out to check his messages.

He was the best interventional embolization surgeon in the world. The hands of God? He had done everything humanly possible to treat that damned prostate.

His inbox was full of emails, the earliest being near midnight.

He opened one from the East Asian regional director of Biosensors International.

Huang Zhishan's message came with a video attached and a single question, "Can you do better?"

He could not believe his eyes. His mind struggled to process the simple question.

How had someone outperformed his prostate interventional embolization surgery? Professor Rudolph Wagner still had full confidence in his own abilities.

He decided to have a look at the video during breakfast. This minor inconvenience was not going to disturb his routine.

As the video was downloading, he scrolled along his inbox. Most of the emails featured the video and some asked about the techniques used in the surgery.

Had the Chinese doctor outdone him?

Impossible...

As he sat at the breakfast table with his mind plagued by doubts, his phone suddenly rang.

The call was from Sweden: Professor Mehar from Stockholm.

Professor Mehar was a panelist for the Nobel Prize in Medicine and someone with whom Professor Rudolph had always maintained close contact with.

"Rudolph, I just received a live surgery recording from the east. The surgery is near-perfect." Mehar was in his eighties, but his mind was still sharp. His voice was soft but firm.

Rudolph Wagner felt his body freeze.

"Have you seen the video?" Mehar asked.

"I have not, Professor," Rudolph Wagner replied.

"Have a look at it when you're free," Mehar said. "Don't get me wrong, Rudolph, your surgery was impressive. I saw a glimmer of hope in your procedure. But this one... if it weren't for my assistant holding me back, I would have boarded the next flight to China."

Rudolph Wagner could read between the lines. "Professor, I will fly to China and meet this surgeon. Please rest assured; I will find the best method out there."

"Thank you, Rudolph," Mehar said before hanging up.

Being a world-renowned expert in interventional surgery, Professor Rudolph Wagner could not imagine how any other surgeon could have outperformed him.

That damned prostate!

How was it possible?

Professor Rudolph Wagner had spent a long time researching and studying the anatomy and surgical procedures surrounding the prostate.

All of it was meant to address Professor Mehar's long-standing prostate hyperplasia. It was happenstance that Biosensors International had approached him with an invitation to lead a demonstrative prostate interventional embolization surgery.

He had been happy to go to China to conduct it.

The operation had been flawless. Of this, he was certain.

There was nothing he could think of that could have been done better.

Curiosity clawed at Professor Rudolph Wagner's mind; what had that Easterner done with that damn prostate to earn the nickname, "the hands of God"?

Once the video was ready, he eagerly began playback.

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Chapter 256: Trials and Tribulations (Part 5 of 5)

"Sir, the breakfast time is over," the waiter whispered into Professor Rudolf Wagner's ear.

Ah... the reminder finally snapped him out of his thoughts.

Looking at his cold, untouched food on the table, he shook his head helplessly and stood to leave.

What an elegant surgery. With his understanding of prostate interventional surgery, the operation he just saw could be considered a miracle!

Each step was extremely precise.

Each choice made was on point.

There were a total of six embolizations performed within the vascular network made up of different branches of the arteries supplying blood to the prostate.

Professor Rudolf Wagner was very impressed but also curious: who had performed the surgery?

Twenty years ago, he was certain he could take on this challenge. As one of the original pioneers of interventional surgery, such things were a piece of cake.

However, he did not stand a chance now.

News spread like wildfire in the current day and age thanks to the internet. Many people had been made aware of the surgery before he did.

He knew enough to recognize when he had been surpassed.

And if he could not beat them, he could only join them.

He had to get on Professor Mehar's good side, after all. A Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was still on the table as long as Professor Mehar drew breath.

António Egas Moniz had introduced a method of treating mental illness known as lobotomy, conducted via incising the prefrontal lobe of the brain, which earned him a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1949.

However, throughout the next decade, side effects started to arise. The patients who had had their prefrontal lobe severed also lost their own personalities.

Even though the brain was the most important organ of the human body, little remained known about it.

The procedure was later proven to be a failure.

Since then, new surgical procedures were rarely nominated for, let alone awarded, the Nobel Prize of Physiology or Medicine.

Its recipients mostly dabbled in theoretical research.

Professor Rudolf Wagner knew that if he could cure... no, he did not even need a cure. All he needed to do was to get rid of Professor Mehar's horrid urinary tube and allow the man a normal life, one where flirting with pretty Cuban girls was not a distant dream. If he succeeded, he could expect to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, or even better, win one.

However, someone had appeared out of nowhere and outdone him by a mile in that exact surgery. The gulf between himself and the surgeon in that video was blatantly obvious from watching the recording alone.

He had to grab a hold of this young man! He had to!

Professor Rudolf Wagner decided to take the next available flight to China after the award ceremony.

...

...

"What did that deputy director offer you?" Su Yun asked Zheng Ren midway through dinner. It was a few hours after the surgery.

"I think it's 1.5 million after tax," Zheng Ren recalled.

"What a scrooge." Su Yun selected a piece of meat with his chopsticks and devoured it, continuing through a full mouth, "Two years ago, a private hospital tried to recruit me by offering me an annual pay of 1.2 million yuan."

"Hmm? And what made them think so highly of you?" Zheng Ren was curious.

"Hey, boss, I'm the expert who successfully did a heart transplant! Don't tell me you don't know how difficult that is," Su Yun shot back, feeling insulted.

"Why didn't you accept it?"

"It was meaningless," Su Yun said, "Ever since my teacher retired to his hometown after getting ill, none of these trappings have any value to me."

"Okay." Zheng Ren didn't press the matter.

Su Yun continued to pry. "Did you really not even consider leaving?"

"Where could I go?" Zheng Ren shook his head. "Old Chief Physician Pan is like a mentor to me. Since his dream is to set up the emergency ward, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I leave now."

"Tsk tsk. I just praised you a few days ago for not being a saint, but it seems I was mistaken," Su Yun said disdainfully. "Let me ask you one thing."

"Go ahead."

"What would you say if you went over to Xie Yiren's house to ask her parents for her hand in marriage and her father asked you how much you earned a month?"

"..."

"What if Xie Yiren's mum asked if you own a car or a house? How will you answer her?"

"..." Zheng Ren's expression turned serious and worried, which was a rare sight to behold.

Su Yun smirked at him and continued smugly, "You can't just go there empty-handed and say that you have neither car nor house and only earn 4,000 yuan a month, but you love their daughter with all your heart. Oh, and please don't reveal the fact that you turned down an offer of 1.5 million yuan annually from a private hospital. If Xie Yiren's parents found out about it, you two will never work out."

"..." Zheng Ren was lost for words even though he already knew what Su Yun would say.

"They probably wouldn't mind whoever their son-in-law was as long as Xie Yiren was happy. However, nobody would want their son-in-law to be a fool." Su Yun smiled cunningly.

Zheng Ren's fears were written all over his face. How would he face Xie Yiren's parents?

He had some savings of fifty to sixty thousand yuan.

However, he knew that Xie Yiren's family owned a few properties in the central business district of Sea City... He could not even afford a decent house.

The self-confidence he had gained during the surgery left him like a deflating balloon.

Su Yun smelled blood as he watched Zheng Ren panic and went on the offensive. "Let me tell you, young man, it's always a dilemma between loyalty and filial piety. Are you trying to emulate the Buddha? Stop dreaming. Since Xie Yiren's parents are still traveling the world, take this time to think about it."

"..." Zheng Ren lowered his head like Su Yun usually did. The only difference was that his fringe was not swaying in front of his forehead. His heart was in shambles.

Life was much more complicated than surgery.

Even without support from the System, Zheng Ren still felt that surgery was easier.

"Right, before this, I had told you to buy something back for Little Yiren. Have you thought about it at all? You'd better not get a huge bouquet of flowers. That would be extremely tacky." Su Yun did not let up, knowing Zheng Ren's weak points.

"I bought one already," Zheng Ren said quietly while he racked his brains for a solution.

"Oh? Are you getting the hang of it? Tell me, what did you get her?" Su Yun asked, curious.

"I'm not telling you." Zheng Ren's refusal was final.

"That's the spirit. I'll tell you this: you've got to stay mysterious when you're courting someone. Also, don't buy any necklaces or rings. Xie Yiren's collections of jewelry are all globally limited editions. If you buy something ordinary, it'll be difficult for her to match it with her clothes. You can't just wear a ring that costs a few hundred while you're wearing clothes that cost a few hundred thousand," Su Yun prattled on.

In the middle of their conversation, Su Yun's phone rang.

"Zhao Yunlong? Why is he looking for me?" Su Yun answered the call, "Old Zhao, what's up?

"Oh, alright.

"Let me ask him." Su Yun covered his phone before asking Zheng Ren, "It's a dinner invitation, do you want to go?"

Zheng Ren shook his head.

...

...

I had thought about what to give Little Yiren for many days since the day I uploaded the chapter. I'm quite satisfied with the gift idea, hopefully, you guys will like it as well. Most importantly, Xie Yiren will be pleased.

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