Chapter 248

The next day.

It was a new workday.

Fang Ziye slept quite well; after running early, he arrived at the department around seven-thirty.

Naturally, this time when Fang Ziye came to the department, Director Wu Guo Nan and the others, along with Shen Tao and Xue Tao, no longer had other social reception duties.

So after Fang Ziye arrived, they formed a teasing group.

It was Teacher Shen Tao who started: "Ziye, a person is spirited when happy; I see you're spirited to an excessive degree, and need something to expend your energy on."

"Director Xue, look, what should we do..."

Xue Tao understood Shen Tao's meaning, looked at Fang Ziye, and said: "Teacher Shen, there are strict inspections lately! ~"

"Cough cough!" Hearing Xue Tao say this, Wu Guo Nan coughed twice.

"Jokes should have limits; don't keep bringing up old matters, otherwise people might misunderstand and think we deliberately reported it."

"This matter is inherently sensitive."

"Doctor Fang winning the Special Prize shows Doctor Fang was already excellent, rather than becoming excellent after winning the Special Prize; on the contrary, having the Special Prize hang on Ziye makes the prize's value quite good."

Wu Guo Nan half-flattered, half-stated facts: "After all, others can only see Ziye's appearance, but we must see reality clearly."

"If this competition involved closed reduction techniques, across the entire arena, counting each one, even if all the professors went up together, they might not surpass Ziye."

Such flattery was somewhat hard to notice.

If one wasn't meticulous enough, they might think Wu Guo Nan was warning Xue Tao to boast less.

Fang Ziye's ears were practically calloused from hearing such things, and he was somewhat immune to similar talk.

He simply listened honestly without interjecting.

Since Fang Ziye himself didn't speak, topics about him were hard to continue deeply.

Soon it was time for handover and ward rounds.

When Shen Tao and Xue Tao returned with Fang Ziye and others after rounds, Wu Guo Nan actively invited: "Xue Tao, today Director Hong's group has most of the surgery arrangements; let's have our two groups do a little team building, do you think it's suitable?"

Enshi Central Hospital had no concept of pure surgery days; as long as there were surgeries, they could be scheduled.

Wu Guo Nan and Xue Tao both had reception and send-off duties.

Old Director Hong Du had retired, and figures of his generation naturally stepped down too. Old Director Hong Du, having nothing else to do, arranged surgeries in the department.

"I can do it; today we have one small surgery, a nerve sheath tumor, I plan to let Doctor Fang take Mao Mao to do it."

"Teacher Shen, are you available?" Xue Tao asked Shen Tao, not daring to decide for him.

"I'm fine." Shen Tao nodded, secretly pleased.

It should be said, the atmosphere in Enshi without Yuan Weihong was very good, even the air seemed much fresher.

"Then." Seeing Shen Tao agree, Xue Tao was about to reply.

"Brother Tao, I need to go to the laboratory later; I can come back by noon, but might be slightly late." Fang Ziye didn't refuse, just explained he indeed had a task to do.

Wu Guo Nan and others knew about Fang Ziye's animal experiments and naturally understood.

"What animal experiment are you doing anyway? I have nothing to do, why don't I go play with you?" Shen Tao was curious what Fang Ziye was up to.

But Fang Ziye couldn't satisfy Shen Tao's curiosity.

"Teacher Shen, I can go alone; no need to trouble you." Fang Ziye didn't explain much.

This research group, Shen Tao currently couldn't enter, because Provincial People's Hospital currently had no lab affiliated with the sanatorium, so he couldn't enter.

Fang Ziye could enter because Teacher Zu previously specially requested the quota, and Zhongnan Hospital currently had a very small team that entered the lab.

Only then did Fang Ziye have a chance to sneak in.

These things, Fang Ziye currently didn't plan to let Shen Tao know; specifically when Shen Tao would know was something Teacher Yuan Weihong should consider.

A small nerve sheath tumor surgery wasn't very difficult; actually it was an organic combination of incision technique and nerve exploration technique!

The lead surgeon was Fang Ziye, but Xue Tao didn't dare be negligent; he genuinely stayed for the entire surgery, only leaving after Fang Ziye finished operating.

And Fang Ziye completing these operations actually took only until nine twenty AM.

After surgery, Xue Tao feared Fang Ziye might overthink, and added: "Ziye, it's not that I don't trust you to lead Mao Mao in surgery alone."

"I always feel a bit panicked lately, and the whole atmosphere of Enshi is a bit strange, so we still shouldn't be negligent."

"Try to make every procedure go well."

Fang Ziye smiled while washing his hands: "Brother Tao, you can come, I'd feel more at ease too."

"Just afraid you think I'm too unskilled, watching my operation and finding it too annoying."

"That's pure modesty." Xue Tao pointed at Fang Ziye's face and playfully flicked a bit of water.

Xue Tao wasn't a fool, but occasionally liked to play, vividly interpreting that a man remains a boy until death.

Fang Ziye didn't linger, changed clothes, bid farewell to Xue Tao, and after leaving the hospital, directly took a taxi to the Animal Laboratory...

This Animal Laboratory was absolutely standard SPF level.

Fang Ziye had just arrived when the staff member responsible for animal breeding said: "Oh, you're finally here; if you hadn't come, I was about to call you."

"Your mice basically all miscarried." The staff member was about forty years old and very concerned at this moment.

He understood a little, but not particularly much, and wasn't a very professional research worker; even professionals wouldn't know Fang Ziye's current research direction.

What he knew was that Fang Ziye wanted him to raise a batch of pregnant mice, preferably able to give birth.

"Mm~ It's fine, Uncle, it's expected." Fang Ziye wasn't surprised.

What he was doing was HK2 gene knockout of embryonic stem cells; the more miscarriages, the more it represented his operation was too precise, causing after embryonic stem cell processing and transplantation into the mouse uterus, it couldn't utilize energy.

Or embryonic cells were unstable, causing miscarriage and embryonic cell necrosis.

If all were successfully pregnant and gave birth to mice.

Then no need to look; possibly Fang Ziye hadn't even injured the other's fur, and the other was still a very healthy and normal SPF-level embryonic mouse cell, untreated.

"Now only two are still pregnant."

"That's equivalent to your money being wasted." The uncle knew the price was high, so he reminded Fang Ziye in a loud voice.

"Do you still want to continue further?" Although the laboratory encouraged them to let technicians solicit more business, Fang Ziye's experiment — eleven mice, nine perished.

And according to the native model establishment Fang Ziye currently needs with pregnant mice, the comprehensive cost per mouse is around thirty thousand, equivalent to three hundred thirty thousand total.

Twenty-six or twenty-seven thousand all went down the drain.

"There are still two pregnant? Really or fake?" Fang Ziye immediately paused, side-eyed and turned, voice a bit urgent.

Such a high miscarriage rate proves my operation had no problem.

Operation with no problem, then the final possibility is that I really have a chance to, by some fluke, produce a model in the first batch?

Actually, establishing an animal model after hk2 knockout, its biological research significance will end the moment it is born and confirmed as hk2 knockout genotype.

In the biochemical elucidation of sugar metabolism, hk2 hexokinase is the first link of sugar metabolism, almost the very source controlling all energy metabolism, and this is currently the link where understanding of energy metabolism is deepest.

According to reason, once hk2 is absent, life will inevitably die.

Whether aerobic respiration or glycolysis, none can be spoken of.

But if life can survive after hk2 knockout, then there is only one reason: humanity's current cognition of energy generation is relatively limited.

There may exist other pathways allowing sugar to undergo glycolysis, or cells may have other routes to utilize the energy we absorb.

"Of course it's real." The uncle, hearing Fang Ziye's doubt, widened his eyes.

"I've raised mice for so many years, whether they're pregnant or not, I can tell just by touching." The uncle carried a hint of reproach.

Where would Fang Ziye not believe the uncle's technique for discerning pregnancy?

Although this is early stage for mice, impossible to tell by sight.

Rather?

Fang Ziye hurried over, and indeed, under the uncle's explanation, saw that inside the bellies of two mice, there might still be life.

But at this time, Fang Ziye could do nothing.

Establishment of a gene-knockout lifeform, the actual operation period is the embryonic stem cell stage.

After this stage, most of the remaining time is waiting. Waiting for it to miscarry from instability or die directly, or be born into this world.

But even so, Fang Ziye was still extremely excited.

Fang Ziye immediately ran out of the animal facility, then washed and disinfected his hands; after these operations were done, he hurriedly took his mobile phone from the storage locker and began calling his teacher.

In this laboratory, regulations are very strict; mobile phones are not allowed inside.

The workbenches here have high-density recording equipment; your operation videos, images, or measured data can all be recorded.

You just operate; the rest is left to the equipment — far more professional than what your mobile phone could shoot, and there are many micro cameras that can capture special close-ups.

"Master, Master, there are still pregnant ones. Two mice are still pregnant." Fang Ziye spoke of the phenomenon and results that made him happy.

"Ah?" Yuan Weihong at this moment was taking the call during a surgery day in his free time!

Now, the undergraduates' courses have all finished final exams, so he had time to attend surgery day; otherwise, usually he would still be in the classroom at this time.

"Two mice are still pregnant. Master." Fang Ziye calmly breathed twice.

"No, Ziye! Even if species isn't an issue, how about we first find a species with suitable dimensions?"

"What does a mouse being pregnant have to do with you?"

"Master, animal model — hk2 gene knockout animal experiment model establishment, a question asked during my thesis defense." Fang Ziye explained.

On Yuan Weihong's end, the phone clearly dropped, emitting a crisp cracking sound.

(Chapter End)