21st Century Necromancer

Chapter 173 A Short Break (1st Update)

After retrieving Doctor Higashiyama's sister's medical records from Michiko Daimon's hands, Yu Chen returned to his own office without paying attention to her eager desire to perform the surgery.

"Rena, if someone looks for me, say I'm not in unless it's an emergency surgery," Yu Chen instructed his assistant before he walked into his office, having her block anyone who might come looking for him.

He placed Doctor Higashiyama's sister's medical records on the desk, then collapsed onto the sofa, letting out a comfortable groan. The two surgeries from yesterday truly drained a great deal of his energy, leaving him extremely exhausted.

If it had only been Ichinose Miyako's surgery, it would have been within the scope Yu Chen could handle. Nerve reconnection surgery, though requiring intense concentration under the microscope and exceedingly energy-consuming, was somewhat mitigated by Michiko Daimon's assistance, thereby sharing some of his workload. Your next chapter is on empire

What really exhausted Yu Chen was the emergency surgery he performed last night on an empty stomach.

Rib fractures had punctured the lung alveoli and damaged the heart, causing severe hemorrhage. By the time the patient arrived, they were almost drowned by the blood flowing into their lungs.

It took Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi a full five hours to pull him back from the brink of death, and even Yu Chen had to resort to some of the Necromancer's tricks to keep the patient, who was at death's door several times, alive.

Even though Hiromi Jounouchi served as the first assistant in the surgery, Yu Chen clearly tried to avoid overfatiguing his girlfriend. He handled problems on his own whenever possible, without involving Hiromi Jounouchi, which undeniably also increased his own burden.

Such life-and-death surgeries are incredibly taxing for a doctor, especially since both Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi were hungry at the time. The intense physical exertion combined with hunger would have most likely floored an ordinary doctor.

Some might think that surgeons merely stand there and operate with their hands, so how could it be as exhausting as heavy physical labor?

In reality, however, because every movement and decision can affect the success of the surgery and whether the patient will survive, surgeons during an operation are in a state of high mental alertness and concentration, and the toll it takes is indubitably no less taxing than physical labor.

It's akin to walking a tightrope over a deep abyss; any carelessness can lead to irretrievable loss. Under such circumstances, which doctor could afford to be careless and not give their all for the sake of a moment's ease?

And this total commitment naturally results in immense physical strain. Many hospitals have regulations against doctors operating on an empty stomach to avoid them collapsing if the surgery drags on. In fact, some capable hospitals plan for very long operations by preparing two surgical teams for rotation.

Even with fewer doctors, the lead surgeon should at least be able to take turns resting, and the first assistant is usually there to swap with the lead surgeon.

Under normal circumstances, for a complicated surgery like the ones Yu Chen, as a professor, performs, he should be responsible for the most critical part. Other tasks, such as making incisions or opening the surgical field, can be entirely delegated to the assistants.

Take a heart surgery, for example: the cutting, opening up the chest, sawing through the bones—all these preliminary physically demanding tasks can be done by the assistants. Yu Chen can gracefully wait until the assistant has finished all the prep work before dealing with the key part of the surgery. Even the subsequent suturing can be done by the assistant.

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And such a setup actually isn't a problem; the lead surgeon obviously has a lot of responsibilities, but the more complex the surgery, the more the lead surgeon needs to focus their attention. If they expend too much energy on preparatory work before the surgery, they might run out of steam just when they truly need to address issues, and that could be a real trouble.

Moreover, for an assistant, being able to do more is a form of training for themselves, gaining hands-on experience which accumulates much more knowledge than just standing by and watching.

However, the patient from last night's surgery was barely hanging onto life, Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi were called in on short notice, so naturally there was no question of taking turns to rest. Since the first assistant was his girlfriend, Yu Chen was even less likely to let her get too tired, so he had to take on more work himself.

That was also why he felt fatigued despite his extraordinary physique, being able to show up for work on time today and merely wanting to take a nap was already a testament to his exceptional constitution.

Thanks to his little secretary's interception, Yu Chen was able to rest well in his office, waking up just around lunchtime.

Thanks to his transcendent nature, even such a brief rest was enough for Yu Chen to recuperate and refresh his state of mind.

Holding Doctor Higashiyama's sister's medical record, Yu Chen left his office and headed toward the surgery department's main office. Since he had promised Doctor Higashiyama, Yu Chen naturally wouldn't go back on his word, and like Michiko Daimon had said, his sister's surgery could be cured.

"Professor Chen!" Seeing Yu Chen arrive at the surgical office, Doctor Higashiyama immediately stood up excitedly from his seat and approached Yu Chen, asking, "Professor Chen, have you looked at my sister's medical record? Is there hope?"

Seeing this scene, the Glasses Doctor who was aware of the situation also hurried over, joining in with concern, "Doctor Higashiyama, don't get too excited. With Professor Chen's medical skills, he can definitely cure your sister."

While saying this, the Glasses Doctor also looked at Yu Chen, asking, "Professor, is there anything we can do to help?"

"Not at the moment, you aren't able to assist with such a complex neurosurgery. However, there is one thing you can do." Yu Chen smiled faintly, teasing them.

"What is it? Just ask, and if it's within my capabilities, please order me to do it!" Doctor Higashiyama, hearing Yu Chen say this, became very excited and assured him seriously, while also looking at Yu Chen earnestly, hoping he really could cure his sister.

"Relax, it's nothing difficult, it's just treating me to lunch." Yu Chen made a joke, then handed the medical record back to Doctor Higashiyama, "I've looked over your sister's condition. She has a paraplegia caused by spinal cord injury from the third thoracic vertebrae down, primarily due to spinal fractures that have also damaged the spine and the cauda equina nerves.

Although she may have been injured for quite some time now, it's not beyond cure."

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