Chapter 117: Scheduled

"Doctor Xiao Ji, have you ever assisted in a partial Kidney Resection?" Liu Zhuren asked while preparing the equipment.

"I have," Ji Xiang answered honestly.

This answer was very humble; it wasn't just that Ji Xiang had "assisted"—in the System Operating Room, with a System NPC assisting, he had performed this procedure too many times.

There was a fundamental difference between Ji Xiang's "assisted" and Liu Zhuren's "assisted."

In this lifetime—even counting his next—Liu Zhuren might not have performed as many as Ji Xiang had.

"Very good," Liu Zhuren said, beginning to set up the table.

This also aligned with Liu Zhuren's perception of Ji Xiang; Zhongshan was indeed going all out to train him, even letting him assist on such high-level surgeries. Liu Zhuren seemed to have confirmed something in his heart.

The Patient was placed in a lateral decubitus position during the surgery, with the waist padded and elevated, and was given general Anesthesia.

Liu Zhuren made the surgical incision at the intersection of 1cm lateral to the lateral margin of the sacrospinalis muscle and 2cm below the twelfth rib on the posterior axillary line, separated the intra-abdominal tissues layer by layer, established the abdominal space, and created an artificial pneumoperitoneum.

Ji Xiang assisted perfectly with every step. Although the operation to establish the artificial pneumoperitoneum was relatively simple, Liu Zhuren had an illusion—Ji Xiang had anticipated his own anticipations many times, pulling the position into place in advance and making the surgery easier.

Liu Zhuren carefully watched Ji Xiang's movements as he began to create two other abdominal channels to insert the laparoscope and the Ultrasonic Scalpel.

It seemed there was a problem, yet it seemed there wasn't. Liu Zhuren couldn't quite put his finger on whether there was actually a problem.

If there really were a problem, Liu Zhuren knew there was only one possibility—the assistant beside him was far more skilled than he was, so much so that he couldn't even tell how large the gap was.

But that seemed impossible.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he remembered the things Ji Xiang had said while scolding Zhao Zhuren during surgery yesterday.

You only have one face, lose it gently...

Liu Zhuren felt a chill; he certainly didn't want to be scolded like a dog by a small Standardized Training Doctor.

Even if he kicked the Standardized Training Student out, he would still be the one losing face. And if he couldn't kick him out, it would be even more embarrassing.

Under laparoscopic observation, the Tumor was first separated from the perirenal tissue, and the supplying Renal Artery was ligated and timed.

Upon reaching this point, Liu Zhuren cast aside all selfish distractions.

Once the Renal Artery is ligated, the surgery must be performed quickly, otherwise, the consequences of ischemic necrosis would be unimaginable.

With the Central Renal Tumor Resection, Liu Zhuren already had the location clear in his mind, thanks to preoperative renal angiography combined with intraoperative ultrasound localization.

He freed the renal vessels supplying the tumor area for ligation, and the Circulating Nurse began the countdown.

"2 minutes."

"3 minutes."

"4 minutes."

At this moment, the operating room was quiet; no one was joking. Although everyone wasn't nervous, they were very serious.

There is a time and place for jokes; ligating the Renal Artery and counting down to remove the Tumor were the most critical steps, and there could be no negligence.

The door to the operating room opened, and Professor Lao Deng poked his head in to take a look, then shut his mouth and walked in.

"5 minutes."

"10 minutes."

Professor Lao Deng knew that the time for Renal Artery Ligation was 20-30 minutes. The reason only Liu Zhuren performed partial Kidney Resection surgeries was because he was confident he could remove the tumor within 20 minutes.

And it wasn't just a simple, small tumor on the edge, but a central one.

He watched the surgery intently. At 12 minutes, the tumor was successfully removed and extracted.

Because there was still time, Liu Zhuren cautiously checked the surgical area once more before opening the Renal Artery to restore blood flow.

"Liu Zhuren, that's awesome! I haven't seen you in a few days and your skills have improved by a huge margin!" Professor Lao Deng exclaimed.

"Ha, is that so?" Liu Zhuren gave a hollow laugh, showing no joy at all, which left Professor Lao Deng and the Anesthesia Doctor and Nurse in the Operating Room stunned.

The surgery went smoothly, which was a good thing; why was Liu Zhuren's tone so serious?

Could it be that there was some flaw in the surgery that they hadn't noticed?

Only Liu Zhuren knew that his surgery today had gone unexpectedly smoothly because he had an assistant like Ji Xiang.

Anticipating his anticipations—this was the vague feeling he had earlier, and by the time he reached the countdown, Liu Zhuren finally confirmed it.

Having Ji Xiang assist him was more comfortable than having anyone else assist.

But why?

Liu Zhuren was pondering this, unable to react for a moment.

"Liu Zhuren, what are you thinking about..." Professor Lao Deng asked cautiously.

"Ah?" Liu Zhuren was startled, then laughed, "Professor Lao Deng, is your surgery over? I glanced at the screen when you came in; it looked like you were doing a Hip Replacement. It's only this time of day, your surgeries are getting faster and faster too."

"Practice makes perfect; we're just carpenters," Professor Lao Deng laughed. "I came to see Xiao Ji."

Liu Zhuren raised an eyebrow.

"Xiao Ji is quite good; I've been hearing about him lately," Professor Lao Deng said. "Seeing you and Liu Zhuren working together so well, someone who didn't know better would think you were an Attending Professor from some other department working the table."

"Hahaha, Xiao Ji is more useful than other professors," Liu Zhuren laughed.

"When you go to the Orthopedics Department, look for me in advance," Professor Lao Deng said, looking at Ji Xiang's back. "I have some research on my end that needs manpower. Doctor Xiao Ji is capable; I've decided to press him into service."

"Professor Lao Deng, you are too kind," Ji Xiang smiled and answered gently, though his gaze remained on the laparoscopic screen.

"You all are busy, I'll be going first," Professor Lao Deng said a few inexplicable things and turned to leave.

"What's wrong with Lao Deng?" Tang Yan looked at the closing operating room door in confusion. She didn't understand why Professor Lao Deng had come to wait for a few minutes just to say those few words.

"Sigh, the world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's more about human relationships and worldly wisdom," Liu Zhuren said lightly. "Xiao Ji broke the... the competition record that had been sealed for over twenty years this weekend. He's also being careful, afraid of trouble."

"What does that have to do with doing research?" Tang Yan still didn't understand.

Liu Zhuren didn't explain further; these kinds of social nuances can only be understood intuitively and cannot be put into words. But Professor Lao Deng was truly cautious, not wanting to offend even a Standardized Training Student like Ji Xiang.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhuren always felt that they were hiding something from him; otherwise, why would even Professor Lao Deng hold Ji Xiang in such high regard?

It must be!

That's really too much, Liu Zhuren thought to himself.

"Is Ji Yisheng here?" The door to the Operating Room opened, and Zhao Xiangming poked his head in to ask.

"Uh, Zhao Zhuren, what's the matter?"

"Damn, he really is here!" Zhao Zhuren walked in with large strides, "Ji Yisheng, don't leave after you get off the table, I... I... I have something to discuss with Ji Yisheng."

In the Operating Room, even the Anesthesia Machine seemed to pause for a moment, and the Cardiac Monitor also seemed to be disturbed, the Electrocardiogram becoming briefly chaotic before returning to normal.

Liu Zhuren frowned, "Zhao Zhuren, what happened last night is already in the past, don't lower yourself to the level of a small Standardized Training Student, I'll treat you to a drink tonight."

He pretended to know nothing, but his backside had already shifted toward Ji Xiang's side.

(End of chapter)