The Surgeon’s Studio

Professor Gu went on about the biology and pathology of the case. He detailed his thought process during case assessment and the reflections he made after.

The sight of the old professor’s snow-white hair filled Zheng Ren with emotions.

Professor Gu had surpassed Master rank without the help of the System. He had relied on years of experience and hard work to get to where he was now, which was somewhere between Grandmaster and Legend.

The System had given Zheng Ren a boost, but he decided he ought to double down on his efforts.

Fang Lin noticed the time: it was five minutes to 8:00 am. He shuffled closer to Professor Gu and, in a whisper, reminded the old man of the clinic’s opening hours.

“Alright, Little Zheng, I think our time is up. Leave me your contact details. Drop by my office whenever you’re in town,” Professor Gu said in the end.

Birds of a feather flock together. Zheng Ren’s correct diagnosis had impressed Professor Gu.

Zheng Ren bowed with humility.

His skills were largely dependent on the System. When would he be able to work independently?

Fang Lin opened the door to lead them out. Zheng Ren and Su Yun said their goodbyes to the professor.

As they were exiting the room, a short man appeared at the door holding a black umbrella.

The black umbrella stood out in Zheng Ren’s mind as it was early winter. There was hardly any need for it in this season.

Fang Lin’s attention perked up at the unusual character. He blocked the door and asked, “Where is your number?”

There was a flash as the black umbrella fell away.

A knife spanning half a meter was revealed.

The murderous glint of the weapon was unquestionable.

It was shocking.

The knife sliced through the air with ease.

Zheng Ren, who was standing nearest to Fang Lin, pushed the doctor away.

The knife came down on Zheng Ren’s shoulder. Blood splattered across the floor.

The blood stunned the attacker for a while. His hateful, beady eyes turned to look at Professor Gu and he retrieved his knife, advancing toward the professor.

Su Yun frowned and, reacting quickly, flung a white stool meant for patients at the attacker’s head.

At this point, Fang Lin had regained his senses and realized the attacker was heading for Professor Gu. He rushed forward and restrained the attacker’s arms.

The attacker was a man of average build. The stool hit his head with an audible thud.

A flash of anger crossed the attacker’s face as he realized Fang Lin was hindering his progress.

The man switched targets. The knife plunged into Fang Lin’s body.

Zheng Ren’s injured shoulder throbbed as blood flowed freely. He could only see the attacker’s back but not the weapon.

Adrenaline rushed to his head.

Zheng Ren had nothing that could act as a makeshift weapon and the attacker’s body was protected by layers of winter clothing. He decided to headbutt the attacker.

Another loud thud.

Stars danced across Zheng Ren’s vision. Between those stars, he caught a glimpse of the attacker falling to the ground. Fang Lin collapsed along with him.

Ding dong! The system chimed the arrival of a mission.

The chime went unnoticed by the hot-blooded Zheng Ren. His vision went red as blood dripped from his forehead; his or the attacker’s, he did not know.

[Emergency Mission: Together We Stand.

[Mission Details: Rescue Fang Lin.

[Mission Reward: A Master-rank ancillary skill book, choices available: X-ray radiography, B-scan ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging.

[Mission Duration: One day.]

Zheng Ren was nauseous. He felt someone tug his body aside.

Su Yun came up to the attacker and kicked at his neck. It was not hard, but it was accurate.

His target was the carotid sinus.

The carotid sinus was where the aorta branched out into the carotid arteries. Its vascular walls were thinner, making the vessels in the carotid sinus more distended. There were nerve endings deep within that acted as pressure sensors while chemoreceptors there detected changes in blood composition.

Blunt force to the carotid sinus would cause nausea and vomiting.

Su Yun did not place much force into his kick but all that mattered was the target. The attacker passed out immediately.

Everything seemed under control until Professor Gu clutched at his chest and sank to the ground.

F*ck!

Zheng Ren cursed the whole situation.

They had their reckless hero, Fang Lin, on the ground. On the other hand, Professor Gu was having a heart attack.

They were short on time. Zheng Ren made a quick call.

As Su Yun had previously been stationed in the ICU in Sea City General Hospital, Zheng Ren was sure the man was better at handling a heart attack than he was.

“Su Yun, check on Professor Gu.” Zheng Ren pushed Su Yun toward the professor, then knelt beside Fang Lin.

The 50cm-long knife had stabbed into Fang Lin’s body and pulled out. Blood was pooling around them and its metallic smell filled the room.

Zheng Ren glanced at the weapon. Based on the bloodstains, the wounds were approximately 20 to 25cm deep.

The display at the top right corner of Zheng Ren’s vision listed the diagnosis: ruptured liver, torn diaphragm, ruptured lung, tension pneumothorax, hemorrhagic shock.

Although the stab wounds had been inflicted less than a minute ago, Fang Lin had already fainted from excessive bleeding.

There were multiple wounds that affected vital organs.

“Help! Nurse!” Zheng Ren shouted at the top of his lungs. He shifted Fang Lin’s body and started tearing his blood-soaked clothes off.

The earlier commotion had attracted several people’s attention, but it was Zheng Ren’s shout for help that made doctors rush through the door.

“50ml syringe, iodophor, incision kit. Quick!” Zheng Ren called out for the things he needed.

A young doctor recovered from his shock and quickly left to retrieve the supplies.

The young doctor had received proper training in Imperial General. He returned with the materials and a crash cart.

Zheng Ren took the 50ml syringe and uncapped its large-bore needle, which went into the second intercostal space on Fang Lin’s right rib.

The sound of pressure being released immediately wheezed from it.

Realization dawned on the surrounding doctors. It was a tension pneumothorax!

The condition developed when there was damage to the lung or bronchus that allowed air to collect in the pleural space, leading to the formation of a one-way valve.

It would deteriorate when the patient tried to breathe.

Therefore, Zheng Ren had to deal with it even as Fang Lin was bleeding out. Short of an aortic rupture, a tension pneumothorax was first priority in emergency situations.

“Prep the OR[1]!” Zheng Ren screamed, agitated. His voice was harsh from shouting.

[1] Operating room.