On Tuesday morning, Yan Feifan arrived at the Affiliated Hospital much later than usual, at just ten minutes to eight.

He first went to Qin Ying’s medical research office, changed into his white coat, grabbed his work tablet, and headed straight for the neurosurgery department.

Because he had one more mentor, his three mentors had rearranged his training schedule.

Mondays and Wednesdays were allocated to Qin Ying.

Tuesdays and Thursdays were allocated to Mr. Lo.

Mr. Wang Chuan was in charge of training on Fridays and Saturdays.

Sundays were Yan Feifan’s days off to use as he pleased.

When Yan Feifan arrived at Mr. Lo’s office, he was surprised to find Zheng Ling there as well.

Lo Jun explained, “Xiaoyan, Mr. Zheng has been very concerned about that patient’s treatment. He came here first thing in the morning to wait for you.”

“Did you come up with a treatment plan?”

Zheng Ling said, a little embarrassed, “Mr. Yan, it’s not that I’m being impatient, but the patient is already scheduled for surgery tomorrow.”

“The most likely outcome of the surgery is paralysis from the neck down.”

He asked expectantly, “Mr. Yan, this ethanol injection method of yours… can it be used in this patient’s surgery?”

Yan Feifan shook his head and said, “Mr. Zheng, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. This patient’s tumor is too complex.”

“The effect of an ethanol injection would be quite limited.”

“I thought about it for a long time last night and only came up with a desperate measure that’s not really a solution.”

“A desperate measure?” Zheng Ling asked, intrigued.

Yan Feifan explained, “Instead of injecting ethanol, we inject a radioactive source, iodine-125, to inhibit the tumor’s growth and spread.”

What he was describing was a type of brachytherapy, or radioactive seed implantation.

Generally, radioactive particles are encased in a very small titanium alloy shell, forming a tiny pellet.

This pellet-like radioactive source is then implanted inside the lesion, such as a tumor, through surgery, puncture, or other methods.

After being implanted in the tumor, the seed continuously emits radiation over a period of time to kill cancer cells.

Its radiation has a radius of only about one centimeter, causing little damage to healthy tissue. Its effectiveness in treating malignant tumors is considered decent.

In current clinical practice, radioactive iodine-125 and palladium-103 seeds are often used.

Lo Jun said thoughtfully, “Xiaoyan, this patient’s individual tumors are too small, the internal density of the tumors is low, and they’re in a critical area like the cervical spine. Isn’t it unsuitable for implanting radioactive sources?”

Yan Feifan grunted in agreement. “Yes, Mr. Lo!”

“It’s like killing a thousand enemies at the cost of a thousand of your own men, or even more. It’s really not ideal, which is why I called it a desperate measure.”

After a moment of thought, Zheng Ling asked, “Mr. Yan, this ‘desperate measure’ of yours, how much time can it buy the patient?”

Yan Feifan, who had already run simulations on this question, answered directly, “Supplemented with immunotherapy, and assuming he doesn’t have the bad luck of contracting a serious viral infection or other diseases…”

“He should have two to three years of conscious time.”

“After that, it’s hard to say.”

After exchanging a look with Lo Jun, Zheng Ling asked for confirmation, “Mr. Yan, the number and placement of these radioactive sources will have to be calculated with extreme precision. There’s no room for error.”

“How confident are you in this method?”

Yan Feifan hesitated for a moment, then said vaguely, “Mr. Zheng, as you know, I don’t have much practical experience. I can only rely on my intuition and simulations, so I can’t really say how confident I am.”

“I can only say that I have some confidence.”

Zheng Ling smiled and said, “That’s true. For many of the spinal canal tumor surgeries I’ve performed, I couldn’t say for sure how confident I was either.”

“A lot of the time, I just go by feel, by a sense that I can do it.”

He added, “When we first consulted on this patient’s case, we all agreed that the tumors in his spinal canal would be difficult to remove completely with surgery.”

“The chance of recurrence within two years is over ninety percent.”

“In comparison, your method, Mr. Yan, seems more appropriate, since it’s less invasive to the body.”

Zheng Ling stood up and said, “Mr. Yan, I’ll discuss your proposal with the attending physician, the patient, and his family.”

“As for what they choose, that’s up to them…”

After Mr. Zheng left the office, Lo Jun asked with concern, “I heard some people from the Health Commission came yesterday to investigate the finger reattachment surgery you and Mr. Chen performed?”

Yan Feifan grunted in acknowledgment and briefly recounted the previous day’s investigation.

He continued, “Mr. Lo, I suspect the patient made false statements about his postoperative recovery.”

“He’s trying to frame the surgery as medical malpractice, taking advantage of the rare situation of a resident like me being the lead surgeon to try and extort a settlement.”

Lo Jun chuckled softly. “He picked the wrong target to scam. As long as the surgery was ultimately successful, nothing else matters.”

“His false claims will be exposed the moment they run an official evaluation.”

“Even if he’s ruthless enough to injure his own finger again, they’ll be able to tell.”

“Xiaoyan, you don’t need to worry about this at all.”

Yan Feifan replied honestly, “Mr. Lo, I’m not worried…”

Lo Jun let out a hearty laugh. “Good that you’re not worried. With so many of us mentors looking out for you, you don’t have to be afraid even if the sky falls.”

He then asked, “What about that paper?”

“I’ve come up with the main ideas and an outline. I’d like to ask for your guidance, Mr. Lo!”

As he spoke, Yan Feifan took a printed A4 sheet out of the briefcase he was carrying and handed it over.

Lo Jun took it, quickly scanned it once, then started reading it carefully from the beginning.

He nodded gently as he read.

‘This kid, Yan Feifan, isn’t just a powerhouse in the clinic; his writing skills are quite impressive too.’

‘Granted, scientific papers don’t require literary flair; you just need to explain things clearly.’

‘But some people can take something that could be explained in two sentences, use five or six to say it, and still not make it clear.’

‘This single page from Yan Feifan, with its five to six hundred words, was a model of conciseness and logical clarity.’

‘It made for a very clear and pleasant read.’

“Not bad. This is very well-written.”

Lo Jun handed the paper back to Yan Feifan and said with satisfaction, “You can just write the paper following the ideas and main points on this sheet. No further changes are needed…”

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door.

Lo Jun stood up and said, “Let’s go. It’s time for rounds…”

Yan Feifan followed Lo Jun out of the office and was stunned to find sixteen or seventeen people already lined up neatly outside, waiting.

When they saw Lo Jun emerge, they all bowed slightly and said in unison, “Good morning, Mr. Lo!”

Lo Jun grunted lightly in response, then turned and strode toward the stairwell.

The dozen or so people who had been waiting quickly scrambled to follow, leaving Yan Feifan behind at the very back.

‘Mr. Lo certainly has an impressive entourage,’ Yan Feifan muttered to himself and hurried to catch up.

The group followed Mr. Lo down the stairs to the first-floor lobby, preparing to cross to Inpatient Building Six via the connecting corridor.

At that moment, a tall, thin man in his thirties with a small ponytail entered the lobby through the front doors.

When he saw Lo Jun, he rushed forward to intercept him.

“Mr. Lo! Mr. Lo! Have you found a way?”

Seeing the man blocking his path, a troubled look appeared on Lo Jun’s face. He said, “Mr. Shang, I’ve told you before, there’s really nothing I can do about your situation.”

“You should try asking someone else!”

After saying this, Lo Jun walked around the man and left, leaving the man with the ponytail standing there with a look of disappointment on his face.

Yan Feifan, who was at the back of the group, saw the man’s expression of indescribable disappointment and sorrow.

A wave of sympathy and curiosity washed over him. He asked, “What’s your situation?”

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