The Surgeon's Studio

Department Chief Kong was in a rush. He had not agreed to Zheng Ren’s plan to perform the CT scan the next morning.

Instead, he immediately arranged for the patients to start fasting, then called up the CT room and arranged for a slot in the afternoon.

That was fine with Zheng Ren. He did not bother to decipher what Department Chief Kong was thinking.

As long as the CT scan was performed, the surgery could begin any time. He would not even mind a midnight slot.

Zheng Ren had a series of those back in Sea City General Hospital. There were rarely days without surgery and sleep was for the weak.

All four patients were sent to the CT room for their scans.

Department Chief Kong followed Zheng Ren closely. Meanwhile, Su Yun did not seem like his usual nonchalant self.

Su Yun had his phone in his hand, making notes at 400 actions per minute[1].

It was truly a shame that he had not become a professional competitive gamer.

Su Yun recorded every step Zheng Ren took the moment physical examinations began. He made a note for further commentary and went on to record the CT and MRI scan settings.

Department Chief Kong was well-known in the radiology department, so they had gotten in without much fuss.

Once the scans were obtained, Zheng Ren started working on the reconstruction. He was given a control room where he could perform the reconstruction alone.

It was a big deal as today was a working day. The last time Zheng Ren had had the room to himself, it was a weekend.

Of course, the significance of that was lost on the man.

His mind was too preoccupied with the CT and MRI scans, trying to piece the puzzle together.

He was recollecting the first trial surgery. Were there areas that needed improvement?

There were many, but he would need more clinical experience to address those issues.

Zheng Ren began reconstruction.

Su Yun had witnessed the process multiple times, the first being in Sea City General Hospital for Zheng Yunxia’s case.

It was Department Chief Kong’s first time, though.

Zheng Ren had instructed Su Yun to bring the portable radiographic film viewer so that he could refer back to the MRI scan more easily.

3D reconstruction for four patients would take at least eight hours. Zheng Ren did not want to waste time walking back and forth rooms.

Unfamiliar with the procedure, Department Chief Kong watched Zheng Ren like a hawk. He only lasted 30 minutes before beginning to blank out.

Su Yun occasionally glanced at the department chief. The old man looked as if he was going senile.

Manual operation of the 64-slice CT scan had been a thing of the past. When the technology had first entered the country, the software was very buggy. While waiting for vendor tech support from overseas, staff learned how to operate the machine manually.

As software caught up with the hardware, manual operation faded from existence.

No one had operated the system manually until today.

‘Could Zheng Ren be more precise and accurate than the software?’

He was definitely going against the grain.

“Old Kong, you’re giving me a headache today,” a loud voice boomed. It was the chief of the CT room, Research Graduate Liang, who was a step behind the man. At the sight of Zheng Ren and Su Yun, his eyes sparkled.

“Ah…” Department Chief Kong’s eyes had been fixed on Zheng Ren’s unhesitating manipulation of the system.

The loud voice startled Department Chief Kong from his daze.

“This is what Dr. Zheng needs for tomorrow’s surgeries. I know it’s on short notice but I hope you don’t mind.”

“Dr. Zheng? Who is that?” the CT room chief asked in a curious tone.

“A doctor recommended by Sorcery Capital’s Professor Pei to contribute to the research program. This is him.” Department Chief Kong gestured to the man at the controls.

The two new occupants did not stir Zheng Ren from his work.

Su Yun quickly stood and greeted the man. “Chief, nice to meet you. I’m Boss Zheng’s assistant, Su Yun.” He held out his hand.

“Su… Yun…” The CT room chief shook Su Yun’s proffered hand; this assistant was young but exuded a confidence that eradicated any sense of seniority the chief had.

The confidence had to be backed by some solid talent. ‘Who is this man?’ the CT room chief wondered.

“Dr. Su was the one who successfully performed the 3D-printed heart transplant. The animal study was published in The Lancet,” Research Graduate Liang helpfully supplied.

A research graduate performing a heart transplant was something unheard of to begin with, but a publication in The Lancet was beyond impressive.

“Oh. Nice to meet you. I heard you pulled out of research?” The CT room chief’s tone warmed.

“No, I completed my graduate research. Now I’m working for Boss Zheng in Sea City,” Su Yun stated matter-of-factly. “Under Chief Kong’s request, my boss will be performing four surgical demonstrations.”

The CT room chief was speechless. ‘Chief Kong’s request? Boss Zheng? The young man at the controls? What is going on?

‘Old Kong, isn’t your team well-staffed to handle any surgery? Why have you gotten a youngster for the demonstration?’

Department Chief Kong had a low 3% failure rate in the most difficult procedure in the field of interventional surgery: transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement. Did he really need this young man for a surgical demonstration?

It had to be a joke.

Or… could this man be Department Chief Kong’s long-lost illegitimate child?

Conspiracy theories continued to bubble in the CT room chief’s head.

It was inconceivable that a respected interventional surgeon from the top hospital in the nation needed a junior doctor to perform a demonstration.

Nonsense!

The CT room chief shot Department Chief Kong a perplexed look. ‘Old Kong, what is this?’

Department Chief Kong shifted uneasily under the gaze. Su Yun was throwing him under the bus.

He thought for a moment and replied, “Dr. Zheng has some unique insights on liver cancer treatment, so I requested he perform a few surgeries.”

Department Chief Kong’s answer implied that he was being intellectually curious, a characteristic he could not be faulted for having.

“Oh? Youth these days are flying so fast,” the CT room chief said with a laugh before recalling something important.

“Right, Su Yun, I heard a bunch of cardiothoracic professors wanted to keep you in Union Medical College Hospital, but you turned them all down?”

It was a small detail that would have slipped his mind otherwise.

However, Su Yun’s time with them had been nothing if not impressive. A young fellow had successfully conducted a transplant using a 3D-printed, lab-grown heart.

The bright young doctor had then decided to leave Imperial Capital.

It was truly a loss for the hospital.

Although the CT room chief had not known Su Yun personally, he had heard the stories surrounding him.

“Yes, that’s correct.” Su Yun nodded.

The CT room chief could not understand his logic. “Then why have you found a mentor in Sea City? Does Sea City even have someone better than you?”

A heart transplant was easy, but being able to keep the subject alive post-surgery was a whole other ballgame. The CT room chief did not believe an economic backwater like L Province[2] could house someone of such caliber.

Even Provincial Capital would find themselves lacking in this regard, let alone Sea City.

It was all truly befuddling to him.

“Yes. Boss Zheng is proficient in both interventional procedures and general surgery. He helped out the general surgery department the day before yesterday,” Su Yun said.

At that, the CT room chief and Department Chief Kong were silent.

The general surgery department? The leading Class Three Grade A hospital in Imperial Capital needed a Sea City chief resident’s help?

Bullsh*t!

[1] A term used in video games which refers to the total number of actions that a player can perform in a minute.

[2] I think the author typo’d and meant Sea City. It could also mean Sea City is in L Province.