The Surgeon's Studio

Chapter 166: Race Against Time Part III

Zheng Ren probed the pseudocyst to assess the situation. He wanted to know if there were multiple cysts or signs of malignancy.

It was standard procedure to rule out the possibility of ripping a vessel on the tumor.

There were no signs of malignancy or bleeding, so Zheng Ren started to connect the pseudocyst to the stomach.

He used the size 0 catgut suture to stitch the pseudocyst to the posterior wall of the stomach.

Then, using a 1-0 suture, he performed an interrupted inverted suture to close the incision on the anterior wall of the stomach. The same technique was used to stitch back the muscle and serosa layer.

The whole procedure from incision to suture took eight minutes.

The matron was caught off guard when she found Zheng Ren suturing the layers. She had just been cleaning some surgical tools with the scrub nurse and the next thing she knew, the surgery was over?

“Saline,” Zheng Ren said softly.

“Oh...” The matron was aghast. She spoke with a bit of fear in her tone, “The saline is not ready yet.”

If the lead surgeon had been a department chief, a haranguing would have been unavoidable.

Without a hint of anger in his tone, Zheng Ren told the matron, “Go get it ready.”

He did not blame others for not being able to keep up with the pace of the surgery.

He was the one at fault for being too fast.

The general surgery Master rank was no joke. Even Zheng Ren found it difficult to adapt to his newfound abilities.

The “genius” across him was wearing a mask that shielded his expression but Zheng Ren believed that he was equally stunned by the speed of the surgery.

Su Yun could only watch in envy.

Chu Yanzhi went to assist the matron with saline preparation while Chu Yanran monitored the ventilator, occasionally making notes with a pen.

While waiting for the saline solution, Zheng Ren checked to see if he had missed any bleeding spots.

He found no signs of bleeding at the stomach, intestine, pancreas and spleen.

A few minutes later, the saline solution was ready.

The surgical site was rinsed and drained repeatedly. He made a final survey to ensure there was no active bleeding before closing the abdomen.

Zheng Ren exhaled a long-held breath.

With his Master-level general surgery skill and nearly 100 practice surgeries under his belt, Zheng Ren had been able to complete the emergency surgery in less than 20 minutes, giving Miao Xiaohua a chance at survival.

Whatever came next was minor compared to the emergency hemostasis procedure.

Zheng Ren had done what he could. He had spent a month’s worth of points for this.

It was worth it.

He started to stitch back the abdomen.

The mood of the operating room was more relaxed now.

Sutures were applied to the layers and layers of tissue. The catgut suture was used to sew together the skin layer to minimize the scarring.

Every girl was conscious of their appearance. It would be costly to get cosmetic treatments.

At the last stitch, the System chimed to signal the completion of its mission.

[Continuous Mission: Unbreakable Support Part I completed. Xie Yiren’s wish was achieved. Host shall be rewarded.

[1. Passive ability: Limitless Charm. For every completed surgery, the host will gain the respect of others and increase their charm. Charm is dependent on the host’s reliability and will power.

[2. 100 skill points, 1000 experience points and 1 gold chest.

[Additional time on the clock is converted into 4450 experience points.]

This was the first time the System had granted a passive ability.

In the chaos before, the System had given him two missions that rewarded him with 4 luck points in total.

To this date, Zheng Ren had no idea how the luck points worked.

Now, accomplishing Xie Yiren’s mission had given him a passive charm skill.

He was somewhat put off by the System. He would prefer to have something surgery-related to boost his other skills to Master rank or unlock his skill trees rather than this charm skill.

What was the use of Limitless Charm?

His thoughts stopped there as Miao Xiaohua’s motionless body called him back to reality.

“How much blood did we give her?” Zheng Ren asked.

“6 units so far. We’re transfusing 200ml of plasma now,” Chu Yanran replied.

“Good. Prepare for transport to the ICU. Su Yun, you take the lead.”

Su Yun nodded, still reeling from what he had just witnessed.

The breathing tube remained affixed to the patient’s throat as they moved her to the ICU. It was best to keep her on the ventilator for 12 to 24 hours to reduce the strain on her cardiopulmonary system.

Although the bleeding had stopped, Miao Xiaohua’s blood pressure was still on the low side. There were still risks of her developing complications.

The critical period was not over yet.

This was the first time Zheng Ren needed Su Yun to stay in the ICU to monitor a patient’s status.

He had given his all. It was up to fate now.

Zheng Ren placed his hands into the front pocket of his scrubs and found a stool to sit on.

“Tired?” Chu Yanzhi bounced over and asked.

“I’m alright.”

“Watching you operate scared me.” Chu Yanzhi motioned to express the shock she had experienced. “You were so quick. Weren’t you worried about causing damage?”

“No. I knew what I was doing.” Zheng Ren leaned back against the wall and let out a breath.

The jump in his general surgery skill was all thanks to the System. However, Zheng Ren was drained from handling this high-mortality case.

His ascent to Master in general surgery was a very different experience compared to that of interventional surgery.

What was the meaning behind it? Zheng Ren did not know. All he knew was that he was bone-tired and needed rest.

Chu Yanzhi was still buoyed by the surgery’s success. She glanced at the matron and whispered conspiratorially into Zheng Ren’s ear, “I think you frightened the matron.”

“Really?”

“They were still counting the tools when you started opening the abdomen. I don’t think the matron can keep up with your pace. Little Yiren is still your best partner,” Chu Yanzhi said with a cheeky smile.

“How is Yiren?” Zheng Ren slowed down his breathing and felt much better.

“She’s still in the control room. I’ll go check on her.”

“I’ll come too.” Zheng Ren stood from his seat. He checked with the matron and scrub nurse to ascertain that all surgical tools and materials were accounted for before following Chu Yanzhi out of the operating room.

Xie Yiren was curled up in the corner of the room. She lifted her head at the sound of approaching footsteps.

She was in a calmer state of mind. Zheng Ren smiled at her.

“Was the surgery a success?” Xie Yiren said softly, a hint of fear in her tone.

“It was successful,” Zheng Ren said confidently and patted her head.

Hearing his confirmation, the energy went out of Xie Yiren’s body. She collapsed on the floor and sobbed.

It was a cry of relief.

Zheng Ren understood the need to vent one’s emotions.

He gave Chu Yanzhi a knowing look—a silent request to look after Xie Yiren—before going back into the operating room.

Chu Yanzhi was initially confused, but eventually understood the meaning behind his look.

She smiled at him.

Zheng Ren was the real deal. His focus was wholly fixed on honing his surgical skill. Nothing could distract him, not even his bachelor status.

This was a rare opportunity for him to ride in like a knight in shining armor and yet, he was passing the baton to her.

He was a simple and honest man.

Before, Chu Yanzhi had regarded Zheng Ren as a man of low EQ. No one would sympathize if he spent his whole life as a bachelor. However, she changed her mind after witnessing his actions today.

Having a boyfriend like him would have some advantages, one of which was not needing to worry about him cheating.