Chapter 277: The Visit (Part 1 of 4)
Professor Rudolf Wagner flew to Imperial Capital right after the award ceremony.
Despite still being jet-lagged, he wasted no time resting and dragged along his exhausted body in his search for Zheng Ren.
However, he received disappointing news—Zheng Ren had left Imperial Capital two days ago and returned to Sea City.
Professor Rudolf Wagner considered trying to contact Zheng Ren via official channels to meet with him in Imperial Capital.
He dismissed this thought as soon as it surfaced.
What a joke!
He was here to ask for a favor. Most people could worship him as one of the top five professors in the world in interventional surgery, but would the person with hands of God feel the same way?
The tables might even be turned.
If he accidentally stepped on the man’s toes, there would be no hope for a collaboration in the future.
Dr. Mehar was still waiting for good news. The Nobel Prize of Medicine or Physiology gleamed alluringly on the horizon.
As Professor Rudolf Wagner thought about it, he immediately made up his mind to buy a plane ticket to Sea City.
He had no clue where it was located, though.
He knew only a handful of cities in China but remained determined to seek out the hands of God. There would be no mountain he would not climb, nor a river he would not ford!
Department Chief Kong was surprised by Professor Rudolf Wagner’s arrival.
His first thought was that this German professor had come all the way here to challenge them.
Questioning an academician was no different from competing for the rank of department chief.
Professor Rudolf Wagner seemed to be acting rashly; he could have questioned them from Germany, and there was no need for him to come all the way to China.
Did he distrust the Chinese that much?!
However, Department Chief Kong was dumbfounded by the professor’s attitude.
In front of Department Chief Kong, Professor Rudolf Wagner maintained his artsy, elegant composure and the professionalism of a world’s top professor, but the front shattered at the mention of Zheng Ren.
He wanted to get to Sea City…
Department Chief Kong reflected on his own actions. Had he not treated Zheng Ren with sufficient respect and recognition?
If Zheng Ren was willing to work under him and lead his team, he had promised the man his full backing for the department chief position before retirement.
Was that not enough?
Department Chief Kong had considered it a good bargain, but Professor Rudolf Wagner’s demeanor made it clear that it had been far from adequate.
Thus, he decided to personally accompany Professor Rudolf Wagner to Sea City.
He needed to strengthen his relationship with Mr. Zheng and had some research-related topics to discuss with him, which would need one-on-one conversations. Regarding research funding… he would need to make a generous offer.
After liaising officially with Sea City General Hospital, Department Chief Kong booked the ticket and flew over to Sea City along with the professor and his interpreter.
It was so sudden that Director Xiao from Sea City General Hospital rushed back from Provincial Capital upon hearing news of their visit.
When he reached the airport, Department Chief Kong and Professor Rudolf Wagner had already alighted at the cold and deserted city.
Director Xiao Keming was surprised. The department chief of the interventional radiology department from an Imperial Capital Class Three Grade A Hospital and Professor Rudolf Wagner from Heidelberg University, Germany, would not be of help to his career.
Regardless, he went to the airport to personally welcome them.
It was always useful to know a few experts in the medical profession.
For example, If the mayor fell sick, he could pull strings for the man to receive treatment in Germany through Professor Rudolf Wagner. That would be such a proud moment!
He would not need to worry about promotion in the future.
After meeting up with the two, he drove them to the general hospital right away.
“Where’s Zheng Ren?” Department Chief Kong said, concerned about not seeing Zheng Ren at the airport. He could not care less about the hospital director.
A director? Of a county-level hospital? What about it?
Zheng Ren was not part of the welcoming party. Was he getting cocky over his achievements? Youth these days…
“Dr. Zheng’s in an emergency surgery. I called the operating room and was told that it’s still in progress,” Director Xiao Keming explained patiently, unbothered by both professors’ contempt.
Oh. He was in an emergency.
Why had he chosen to stay in Sea City? Had he stayed in Imperial Capital, he would only need to perform surgery by consultation. Was that not good enough for him? Regardless of one or the other, he would still be saving lives.
Department Chief Kong silently cursed Zheng Ren.
The three rushed to the emergency building of Sea City General Hospital.
Director Xiao Keming was chatty, trying to keep the atmosphere lively by introducing the history and culture of Sea City throughout the journey.
“Why is Zheng still working in the emergency department?” Professor Rudolf Wagner finally asked, breaking the silence after a long while.
As a world-renowned professor, he was not familiar with emergency surgeries.
However, everyone had to start from the bottom and the emergency department was but one rung on the ladder.
“Professor Rudolf, Zheng Ren is the chief resident of the emergency department in the general hospital, which means that he’s responsible for all emergency diagnoses and related surgeries there,” Department Chief Kong said after some thought, hoping the description was understandable enough.
He was not sure if Professor Rudolf Wagner got the gist of it. They continued chatting as the car sped towards the Sea City General Hospital.
The emergency building was the only one of its kind in Sea City.
Nevertheless, it was not grand enough for Department Chief Kong and Professor Rudolf Wagner’s liking.
Director Xiao Keming introduced the hospital to them. After only a few sentences in, he realized that neither of them showed the slightest interest, and stopped talking.
After contacting Old Chief Physician Pan, they rushed to the emergency operating room after being briefed on the patient’s condition.
They changed into isolation suits and entered the operating theater through the doctor’s access route.
Chu Yanran was sitting in front of the operating console and watching the ECG monitor. She had already put on a lead apron, ready to run in at any moment.
Chu Yanzhi was pacing back and forth while humming a song, exuding the energy and motivation of youth.
Xie Yiren was standing, her eyes fixated on Zheng Ren, observing him through the leaded glass.
“Director Xiao, they’re in the middle of a rescue,” Old Chief Physician Pan said. Then, surprised, he asked, “Hmm? Why are you guys out here?”
When Chu Yanzhi heard Director Xiao’s arrival, she immediately hid in a corner and pretended to be idle.
Chu Yanran stood up instantly and answered with a smile, “The exploratory laparotomy was completed ten minutes ago; he removed the spleen and patched up the ruptured liver.
“Then, he discovered a massive retroperitoneal hematoma and deduced that the pelvic fracture could have injured the internal iliac artery branch, which is why Chief Zheng is now performing superselective catheterization radiography and subsequent embolization.”
“Right.” Old Chief Physician Pan nodded, his overbearing demeanor eclipsing the director, department chief and German professor behind him. Even in such company, Old Chief Physician Pan still stood out.
“He’s quite competent,” Department Chief Kong said, laughing.
Professor Rudolf Wagner’s eyes remained fixed on the interventional imaging, unmoving.
Even though they had a language barrier, the imaging had no borders.
Onscreen, it was as if the fine micro guide wire had a mind of its own. It continued moving fluidly, unhindered by the superselective catheterization of even the tiniest of blood vessels.
Superselection, embolization and radiography were all done in one breath.
Professor Rudolf Wagner knew that he had finally found the one he had been searching for.