The Surgeon's Studio

Zheng Ren nodded; along with Old Chief Physician Pan, he went to the ICU workstation to carefully study the patient’s recent test results and history.

The patient’s results were chilling, his condition staggeringly critical.

As Zheng Ren went further into the old man’s files, his frown deepened.

Old Chief Physician Pan was on another computer, viewing the patient’s details. A few minutes later, he said, “Zheng Ren, this man is not fit for surgery. It’s clear he won’t survive the procedure.”

“If we don’t operate, he won’t last the night,” Zheng Ren retorted.

Equipped with the patient’s medical records, he did some mental calculations.

With surgery, the patient had a 20% chance of survival.

Without it, the patient had nil.

Were this a game, everyone would choose the surgical route as a last ditch effort.

However, in the real world, a doctor’s ability to treat a patient was heavily dependent on other factors.

Even if the doctor was willing to risk his career to perform a procedure with a low chance of success, the patient’s family likely could not afford it.

Old Chief Physician Pan saw the determination in Zheng Ren’s eyes. He scanned through the patient’s test reports one last time before saying, “I’ll go talk to the family.”

“Chief, allow me to do it,” Zheng Ren said, although he appreciated the gesture.

This was tricky for any doctor. No matter how it ended, there would be a stain on their reputation.

Success would not gain them any commendation as it was expected of their vocation.

Failure… would spell the end for the surgeon.

Old Chief Physician Pan’s unstated offer was to shoulder half of that burden.

“Prepare your words. If the family agrees, we’ll proceed immediately,” Old Chief Physician Pan instructed before leaving the ICU.

Department Chief Qian approached. “Chief Pan really likes you, huh?”

“Yes, I’m aware.” Zheng Ren was hashing out the particulars of the consent form on the computer. “It’s not an easy procedure.”

“Then…”

Department Chief Qian did not continue. His silence said more than he could.

“We can’t just watch the patient die,” Zheng Ren said.

“Little Zheng, what’s your plan? Summarize it for me,” Department Chief Qian requested.

“I’ll try to find the bleed through radiological imaging. Once we have a clearer picture, we can decide how to proceed.”

Department Chief Qian recalled Zheng Ren’s words from earlier, but in his opinion, it would be extremely difficult to locate the gastrointestinal bleed.

However, he was not an expert in interventional radiology. He had witnessed Zheng Ren perform a few interventional embolization surgeries but never interacted with any of the patients; internally, he considered contacting colleagues in Provincial Capital.

The document was complete. Zheng Ren printed a copy to bring to Old Chief Physician Pan.

The man was talking to the patient’s family. The patient’s partner was in her seventies, wiping tears from her eyes as she listened to his briefing.

Behind the old lady stood a few middle-aged adults with serious expressions.

Old Chief Physician Pan heard Zheng Ren’s footsteps approaching and turned around. “Let’s have you sign the documents.”

The old lady was clearly shaken by Old Chief Physician Pan’s words, her hands visibly trembling in the face of cold, hard facts.

Few in this world had the courage to stare death in the face.

Seeing her shaky hands, a middle-aged man walked up, took the pen and signed the documents.

The patient’s fate was sealed.

Once the formalities were done, Zheng Ren called Su Yun to transfer the patient as he and Old Chief Physician Pan hurried to the emergency department’s operating room.

“The patient’s family was cooperative and understood the risks. There shouldn’t be any issues,” Old Chief Physician Pan said once they were out of earshot.

“Okay.”

“Do what you can; if it’s impossible, we’ll just identify the bleed location. Actually, we can even consult the department chief in Provincial Capital,” Old Chief Physician Pan advised.

Zheng Ren knew Old Chief Physician Pan worried that he had just come back from Imperial Capital on a surgery high and would thus not back down from a challenge.

He tried to offer some reassurance. “Don’t worry, Chief. I’m aware of my limits.”

No more words were exchanged as their hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.

When they arrived outside the operating room, Chu Yanzhi popped out and asked loudly, “What type of surgery are we doing?”

“Hybrid surgery,” Zheng Ren answered.

“Okay. I’ll let Little Yiren know,” Chu Yanzhi replied.

She slipped back into the room. Lively chatter came from inside but soon died down; the figures in the room sped about efficiently as they prepared for the surgery.

Zheng Ren made a call to Yang Lei to ask for his assistance during the operation.

Ten minutes later, Su Yun, Department Chief Qian and Department Chief Sun arrived with the patient.

Department Chief Sun had foregone going home, opting to stay and watch the surgery.

He had seen many similar patients who had not made it, and thus had doubts in Zheng Ren’s confidence in treating this one.

However, he knew better than to openly challenge Zheng Ren, especially with Old Chief Physician Pan present. He did not want to end up humiliated like Chief Surgeon Liu.

Zheng Ren was just a junior doctor, albeit a skilled one, with little clout. Old Chief Physician Pan, on the other hand, was a man of importance.

It was why Department Chief Sun had allowed the emergency department to siphon patients from the general surgery department.

If Zheng Ren was successful, he would applaud the man and flatter Old Chief Physician Pan. The emergency department could have the patient.

If the surgery was a failure, well, anything could happen.

The patient was lifted onto the operating table. Zheng Ren turned to Su Yun and tapped his shoulder. “You had some drinks just now. I think you should step back.”

Su Yun was taken aback but quickly nodded in agreement.

Yang Lei was a married man and was recently planning for a child, so Zheng Ren did not want him exposed to radiation.

It was strange to stand before the operating table alone.

Going from luxury to modesty was much harder than the reverse.

Just then, the System chimed loudly, signifying a mission notification.

[Emergency Mission: Rescue

[Mission Details: A good doctor has to make many decisions in his life. To rescue or to give up, to hold firm or to back down. Everything is a choice. Please complete one emergency hemostasis surgery to address the lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

[Mission Reward: 200 skill points and 2000 experience points.

[Mission Duration: 5 hours.]

Huh…

Surprise, followed by a bitter smile, colored his face.

When he was in Imperial Capital, the System’s mission rewards had been lavish. Now that he was back in Sea City, they paled in comparison.

Did the System take into account the hospital’s prestige when handing out rewards? He took a deep breath to center his focus before executing disinfection, femoral artery cannulation and introducer sheath placement.

As the surgery began, a long-dormant livestream began transmitting on Xinglin Garden.