Chapter 73: You Already Have Another Cat Outside

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Compared to treating three patients with one injured finger each, the workload from performing surgery using the M-Tang technique was more when it was to treat one patient with a laceration that spanned three fingers.

If Ling Ran had a choice, he was naturally more willing to treat three patients who hurt one finger each. Unfortunately, he did not have much of a choice.

By performing four surgeries using the M-Tang technique within a day, he had basically cleared all the patients who suffered from simple flexor tendon injuries in the periphery of Yun Hua City that day. Even though Yun Hua and its periphery had almost a million industrial workers, it could not be regarded as being in the same category as places such as Guangzhou and Dongguan. The latter two were in their heyday, and more than ten replantations of severed fingers could be performed within a night in a private hand surgery hospital in those places. Actually, the fact that those places had private hand surgery hospitals was already self-explanatory.

You could catch a get an idea of the places that had factories with high operation rates, low costs, and great efficiency by looking at the number of patients who need their severed fingers replanted at night in local hospitals.

When Ling Ran considered the fact that the surgery would be a long one and might take four or five hours, he drank a bottle of Energy Serum without hesitation.

The patient whose laceration spanned three fingers was only twenty-four this year. He only had his co-workers with him, and did not even have a girlfriend, so he would probably need to use his left hand for a long time. Ling Ran decided that he had to try his best to suture the patient's wound.

Of course, surgeons were not gods, and suturing was only the basis of healing. The rehabilitation after that was also important, and most of the time luck would also play an unexpected part.

Taking advantage of the fact that he was still in peak condition after consuming the bottle of Energy Serum, Ling Ran began by suturing the flexor tendon of the patient's index finger. Compared to the middle finger and the ring finger, the index finger's functional value was higher. That was why Ling Ran wanted to try his best to increase the functionality of the index finger.

Ling Ran had always been a meticulous person, and today was no exception. He did not relax just because it was his third surgery today, or because he had to suture the flexor tendons of three fingers continuously.

He sat on a chair and focused his attention on suturing the patient's flexor tendon. It was slightly easier than when he was standing. However, it was the opposite for Lu Wenbin.

During surgery, the chief surgeons were the ones who occupied the best positions in front of the operating table. This was especially true for surgeries carried out using the microscope, because the chief surgeons would only be working within a very narrow range and did not need to move around.

In comparison, Lu Wenbin had to move constantly as Ling Ran's assistant.

If Ling Ran were to fling the thread to the left when making a knot, he would have to go to the left. When Ling Ran flung the thread to the right, he would have to go to the right. He would also have to move around while avoiding the chief surgeon when carrying out tasks such as the impromptu spraying of disinfectant and laying out saline-soaked dressings.

While everyone stood working, Lu Wenbin did not feel tired even when he had to move left and right. But now that the location of the patient's wound was more suitable to be operated on while seated, Lu Wenbin had no choice but to bend down when he carried out the impromptu tasks.

It would have been fine if it happened only once or twice, but the surgery was a few hours long, and Lu Wenbin felt as though his waist was about to snap.

An hour went by... then two...

When Ling Ran finished suturing the flexor tendons of all three fingers, it was almost time for dinner.

The effect of the Energy Serum Ling Ran drank still remained. After he had put down the pair of surgical scissors and performed a final inspection, he asked high-spiritedly, "Is the next patient here?"

"The ambulance just exited the highway, and traffic is a bit congested because it's rush hour right now. It might take another hour for the patient to arrive." The surgical nurse who went to make a call could not help a yawn when she spoke.

When Lu Wenbin saw the nurse yawning, he immediately let out a louder yawn to defeat the nurse's yawn. How he wished that he could lie on the floor and fall asleep.

"Go and rest if you're too tired." Ling Ran looked at Lu Wenbin who was staggering a bit as he walked and said, "With your condition now, you won't be able to carry out the next surgery."

Lu Wenbin chuckled internally. 'How could a normal person still be vibrant and energetic after performing surgeries for the whole day? Being unable to is more normal, isn't it?'

"Then, I'll go and take a nap in the on-call room." Lu Wenbin paused for a while and said, "After I clean up the operating theater."

"I'll help with the cleanup. Go and take a nap. Set the alarm clock for..." Ling Ran raised his head to look at the clock. "Come to the operating theater before eight."

"Alright." Even though Lu Wenbin wanted to be polite, he did not have the strength to do so. He walked stiffly back to the first-string doctors' on-call room. He did not even care about removing his large white coat, and began to snore the moment he lay down.

In the operating theater, Nurse Liu chased Ling Ran out before he could start to help with the cleaning.

Nurse Niu said in a critical tone, "You must be dead tired after carrying out so many surgeries in a day. Don't scramble for these miscellaneous tasks. Quick, go and take a rest."

She then went outside the operating theater and got a houseman to help her with the cleaning. Very soon, they finished cleaning up the operating theater.

As he did not feel like getting changed, Ling Ran went to rest in the waiting room beside the operating theater.

The waiting room beside the operating theater was different from the department's on-call room. There were no beds, only chairs. Ling Ran automatically took out his mobile phone and opened a game application—

"Aren't you tired?" Doctor Zhou, who was hiding in a corner, said in astonishment.

"No." Ling Ran was far from tired. He was totally energetic.

Doctor Zhou watched as Ling Ran raised his mobile phone and turned it to the left, and then to the right. He could only say enviously, "It's so nice to be young. When I was young, I had the strength to play ball games even after a night shift. I can't do that anymore now."

"Isn't sleeping the only thing you do when you are on night shift?" Ling Ran was staring at the screen of his mobile phone. He looked somewhat puzzled.

"Sometimes... I usually had to wake up as well." Doctor Zhou chuckled and quickly took out his own mobile phone.

The atmosphere in the waiting room became suitable for rest again.

Seven-forty in the evening.

The patient arrived at the hospital and Ma Yanlin the houseman was the first one to enter the operating theater.

Ma Yanlin was from a small town in the Yangtze River Delta, and was young and smooth-tongued. He addressed all the older nurses as 'sister', and gave everyone gifts all the time such as dried salted fish, dried grilled fish, dried pickled fish, and dried fried fish. Soon, the people in the Emergency Department warmed up to him. The number of surgeries he got to perform was only second to Ling Ran.

He helped the circulating nurse with verifying the patient's name, gender, and bed number. He then asked about the patient's allergic history and helped the nurse anesthetist set up the equipment and connect the tubes. By the time Ling Ran arrived, no one thought about calling Lu Wenbin over.

Ling Ran lowered his head to look at the patient. When he realized that the preoperative preparation was complete, and that all the staff were there, he said, "Let's begin the surgery first. Give Lu Wenbin a call..."

"I called Doctor Lu. He was extremely tired." Ma Yanlin paused for a moment and said, "I will stand in for him first."

Ling Ran thought about it and agreed. He asked no further question, nodded, and extended his hand. "Pen."

The scrub nurse immediately handed him the surgical skin marker pen.

Ling Ran bent and marked the area where the incision was to be made. The fourth patient was sent over from a reservoir over a hundred and fifty miles away. Even though it was a long journey, the patient's condition was simple—only the flexor tendon of one of his fingers was torn. It was not difficult to treat at all.

Ma Yanlin was happy and excited, like a soldier who was parachuting for the first time. Even after envisioning himself jumping off the plane countless times, he could barely contain his anxiety when he now sat on the plane.

"Scalpel," Ling Ran said in a soft voice. He then raised his head to look at the monitor to ensure that all the vitals were normal.

Below the monitor, Su Jiafu sat up straight on a round chair. He was stepping on two more round chairs, one with his left leg and one with his right leg.

As he held the scalpel with his Specialist Level Bow Hold Style, Ling Ran steadily made a uniform incision. There was confidence and a mere trace of a smile on his face.

This was his tenth surgery after receiving the mission 'Practice the M-Tang Technique'.

Even though the Basic Treasure Chests often gave him Energy Serums, the M-Tang technique itself originated from the Single Skill Book obtained from a Basic Treasure Chest. If he were to calmly analyze the probability, it was still possible to get good things from Basic Treasure Chests.

For Ling Ran, a simple surgical method might be even more useful compared to general skills related to basic medical science or clinical medicine right now.

"I'm here, I'm here..."

Thirty minutes after the surgery began, Lu Wenbin, who had cleared his bowels, changed, washed his hands, and stepped hastily through the airtight access door of the operating theater.

"We are almost wrapping up," Ling Ran said without raising his head. He was speedily making a knot using one hand.

When Lu Wenbin looked at the happily smiling Ma Yanlin, he roared internally, 'I just wanted to sleep a bit more, and you already have another assistant?!'