21st Century Necromancer

Scrubbing his hands and forearms carefully with the brush and soap, Chen Yu looked at Nakagawa Susumu, who was doing the same beside him, and cautioned, "Since you want to learn, you’d better keep your eyes wide open and pay attention during today’s surgery. Dr. Daimon’s skills are exceptional, and the surgery today is quite challenging. You can learn a lot."

"Yes, Doctor Chen! I will study attentively!" Hearing Chen Yu’s words, Nakagawa Susumu seemed a bit excited.

As a trainee doctor, opportunities to assist in surgeries like this didn’t come by often for Nakagawa Susumu. Being able to observe was rare enough for him. So, being appointed as the third assistant by Chen Yu this time was a precious chance for him to accumulate experience.

"Don’t get too excited, third assistant," Dr. Daimon Michiko, who was also washing her hands on the other side, threw a bit of cold water on Nakagawa’s excitement, "The work of a third assistant is basically retraction, and as a surgeon, you need to be calm at all times. Being too excited... can result in a shaky hand."

"Ah! Yes!" Startled by Dr. Daimon Michiko’s words, Nakagawa Susumu seemed a bit flustered, but he then started to calm himself down. Perhaps because it was his first time participating in such a surgery, he still appeared quite nervous.

Doctor Higashiyama, seeing Nakagawa Susumu looking so tense, comforted him, "Don’t put too much pressure on yourself; just maintain your usual composure. Although each patient deserves serious attention, being too excited or nervous can actually cause unnecessary interference with the surgery. Besides, a surgery like this usually lasts several hours, and if you are too tense, you won’t last."

"Thank you, Doctor Higashiyama! I understand," Nakagawa Susumu replied, after listening to Doctor Higashiyama, taking deep breaths to steady his emotions.

The four of them changed into their surgical gowns and gloves before entering the operating room.

Inside the OR, Inomata Naoki, already under general anesthesia, lay on the operating table, while several nurses were busy preparing for the operation. Various surgical instruments were being arranged next to the table.

But what surprised Chen Yu as he entered the OR was the person sitting at the anesthesiologist’s station—it was someone he had not expected.

"Hiromi? What are you doing here?" Chen Yu looked at Jounouchi Hiromi, who was sitting at the anesthesiologist’s station, with surprise. He clearly had not expected his girlfriend to be the anesthesiologist for today’s surgery.

"I asked her to help out; Jounouchi is a very competent anesthesiologist. Having her here significantly increases the chances of a successful surgery. Besides, she has assisted me in operations before, and our coordination is seamless." Before Jounouchi Hiromi could reply, Dr. Daimon Michiko had already started explaining on her behalf.

"Hiromi, you are still an anesthesiologist? It seems there are many secrets about you that I don’t know!" Chen Yu was a little taken aback since he had always remembered Jounouchi Hiromi as a surgeon. Now he learned she was also an anesthesiologist whom Dr. Daimon Michiko referred to as competent, which clearly surprised him, making him take another look at Jounouchi Hiromi.

Jounouchi Hiromi herself appeared somewhat nervous, not because she intended to keep secrets from Chen Yu, but simply because there were many things she hadn’t yet had the chance to tell him.

However, Chen Yu did not press the issue further; he moved his fingers to loosen them up and stood in front of the operating table, "Less chit-chat; let’s start the surgery. Esophagectomy and colonic reconstruction surgery, begin now."

"Vital signs: blood pressure 124/82, pulse 82, heart rhythm normal." When Chen Yu said the surgery was starting, Jounouchi Hiromi also quickly adjusted her mood and reported Inomata Naoki’s vitals to him.

"Scalpel." Now that the surgery had begun, Chen Yu was fully focused, asking the nurse standing beside him for the surgical instruments he needed.

A scalpel was handed to Chen Yu.

Gripping the scalpel, Chen Yu took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, and then made an incision in Inomata Naoki’s skin.

————————————————————————

Above the operating room, in the observation gallery, Professor Kube was watching the surgery through the glass, feeling inevitably concerned about his protege.

This was no simple surgery, and even for him, there was only a thirty percent chance of success, naturally increasing his worries about whether Chen Yu could complete the operation.

However, fortunately, up to this point, the surgery was going smoothly, and moreover, Chen Yu had recruited Dr. Daimon Michiko as his assistant.

Because Chen Yu had asked him to, Professor Kube had also looked up information on Dr. Daimon Michiko. Purely in terms of surgical skill, this woman was ranked as the top in the world, number one in all Japan.

Just her documented surgeries alone were enough to give Professor Kube a sense of daunting respect, with some operations so complicated that they made him doubt his own surgical abilities, as the complexities seemed almost beyond human achievement, making him wonder if Dr. Daimon Michiko possessed a pair of God’s own hands.

"How is the surgery progressing?" Just then, Yamamoto Hisae pushed open the door of the observation gallery and walked in, standing beside Professor Kube.

"We’re in the process of performing an esophagectomy. The tumor is adhesively attached to the wall of the aorta, so we had to proceed with an additional aortic resection. The operation is going very well," Professor Kube informed Yamamoto Hisae of the surgery’s progress before turning to her, "I thought you wouldn’t come."

With her arms crossed, Yamamoto Hisae watched the ongoing surgery below and chuckled, shaking her head, "If this surgery is successful, his research will be substantiated by actual case records and have clinical utility. How could I not come and observe? I was just delayed by some matters earlier." Your next read awaits at empire

Hearing Yamamoto Hisae’s response, Professor Kube didn’t mind. However, recalling the conflict he had heard about between Chen Yu and Yamamoto Hisae, he still asked her, "I heard there was some conflict between you and Mr. Chen Yu. What happened?"

"It was just a trivial matter, and it’s already in the past," Yamamoto Hisae didn’t elaborate, knowing that Professor Kube was certainly aware of the situation. She only needed to make her stance clear, "Don’t worry, I understand the value of your prized pupil and won’t cause trouble recklessly. He is a goose that lays golden eggs; why would I kill the goose to get the eggs? It’s not a wise move.

He is different from Doctor Kaji."

"Doctor Kaji brought it upon himself, betraying the field of surgery and then failing in the operation. Sending him to Hokkaido for reflection is for his own good," Professor Kube was discussing the matter with Yamamoto Hisae when he suddenly saw Chen Yu switch positions with Dr. Daimon Michiko. Instantly alert, he stopped talking and focused intently on Dr.

Daimon Michiko, eager to see if she was really as skilled as described in her records.

Yamamoto Hisae, standing beside him, also noticed the change, and like Professor Kube, she watched the operating table earnestly.