21st Century Necromancer

Because it was only Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi together, Xu Xiaohong was quite casual and did not put on a very serious demeanor. Instead, she chatted with Yu Chen in a relaxed manner about everyday matters and revealed many embarrassing stories from Yu Chen's childhood to Hiromi Jounouchi, giving Hiromi a good laugh at Yu Chen's expense.

"So, the old principal is hospitalized, and Official Zhao calls the shots now?" Although engaging in small talk, Yu Chen was still deeply concerned about his alma mater where he spent seven years and developed a strong emotional bond, "It's just Professor Zhang and Teacher Zhao—that couple remains just the same!

The only change is, Professor Zhang has moved up from associate professor to full professor—a congrats is in order, congrats indeed."

"After all, he is one of the few academic backbones of our school. Having taught you rascals for so many years, it's about time he got promoted," Xu Xiaohong picked up her glass from the table and took a sip of the sake within.

Yu Chen also felt a bit nostalgic, as Professor Zhang and Teacher Zhao had both taught him. Due to the friendship between Teacher Zhao and Xu Xiaohong, they had taken good care of Yu Chen in the past, and he had even had meals at their home. So, learning about Professor Zhang's promotion, Yu Chen felt genuinely happy for him.

However, when the conversation turned to school matters, Yu Chen couldn't help but ask with concern, "How is the old principal's health now? Aunt Xiaohong, you mentioned he was hospitalized for treatment, but do you know the specifics? The principal is quite advanced in age, can his body withstand surgery if necessary?"

"Whether the old principal's body can withstand it is secondary, the main issue is his illness..." Xu Xiaohong's expression dimmed as she spoke. The old principal was highly respected within the school, and he could be credited for maintaining the school's good reputation and learning environment over the years, so both Xu Xiaohong and Yu Chen held him in great esteem.

"Is the old principal's condition very serious?" Yu Chen remembered the old principal, who was always gentle, approachable, and kind, and asked with concern.

"Hepatocellular carcinoma, stage IV-A, with a tumor thrombus in the right atrium. The right liver lobe of the old principal has a huge tumor, with continuous tumor emboli, and it has spread to the right atrium along the Inferior Vena Cava," Xu Xiaohong explained the principal's condition to Yu Chen, but the litany of symptoms turned both Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi's faces very pale.

"How can it be this severe? The principal himself is a doctor, he..." Yu Chen began but suddenly found himself unable to continue, knowing the principal's habits all too well. While he was still studying at school, he knew that the principal was someone who devoted himself to his work and never cared about his personal well-being.

Yu Chen had often seen the principal eat at the cafeteria just like the students and had seen him insisting on teaching while running a high fever... It was exactly because of this that the old principal was especially respected by every student.

"Ah-Yu, you're a surgeon yourself, so you don't need me to explain how difficult it is to remove such a tumor, do you? To remove a tumor from the heart, you'd have to open up the heart, but considering the principal's advanced age, such an operation with an artificial heart-lung machine would be too risky.

Therefore, we'd have to choose a method that wouldn't involve opening up the heart," Xu Xiaohong was well-versed with the old principal's condition and had researched it thoroughly, "Moreover, with hepatocellular carcinoma, the boundaries of the cancer cells aren't clear, making it very troublesome to excise completely, and at least 20% of the liver must remain, making the surgery extremely difficult.

Right now, the old principal is just undergoing conservative treatment."

"Without using an artificial heart-lung machine... I could do that," Yu Chen furrowed his brow in serious thought, making some gestures with his hands before speaking to Xu Xiaohong, "As for the tumor in the liver, if we use the latest photogrammetry technology, surgery should also be feasible. It's just that..."

"Just what?" Xu Xiaohong perked up at the mention of surgery and eagerly pressed him for details.

"It's just that this is a recent medical technology adopted by Eastern University Affiliated Hospital, and I'm not sure if the same technology is available in China..." Hiromi Jounouchi, who was familiar with the situation, promptly answered Xu Xiaohong's question, "If we decide to go ahead with the surgery, the patient might need to come to Japan, as this is cutting-edge medical technology.

Even if Mr. Chen Yu could perform the operation back in China, it wouldn't be possible to transport such expensive equipment there."

"As long as surgery is an option, it's no problem for the old principal to make a trip to Japan," Xu Xiaohong replied with relief upon hearing Hiromi Jounouchi's point; if the surgery could cure the old principal, going abroad was no issue at all.

Yet, while she said this, Xu Xiaohong was still very curious about the new technology mentioned by Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi. She asked Yu Chen, "Ah-Yu, could you explain this new technology to your aunt? What exactly does it entail?"

"This technology uses the latest photogrammetry projection techniques for surgery," responded Yu Chen upon hearing Xu Xiaohong's question, and began to explain to his aunt, "Before the operation, a special fluorescent dye that the tumor absorbs is injected into the patient. Then, an infrared camera is used to capture images that are then projected onto the surface of the organ.

This way, the boundaries of the tumor, which are difficult to distinguish by the naked eye, become clear, and even tiny tumors won't be missed. The surgeon can then verify the tumor boundaries while operating, to perfectly excise the tumor."

"How reliable is this technology? Are there any successful cases?" Xu Xiaohong, after listening to Yu Chen's introduction, had a general idea about the new technology, but still pressed Yu Chen with a question, "Ah-Yu, have you performed such a surgery before?"

At this question from Xu Xiaohong, Yu Chen felt somewhat awkward and scratched his forehead, unsure how to explain. Experience more on empire

However, Hiromi Jounouchi came to his rescue, explaining to Xu Xiaohong, "This is currently the latest state-of-the-art medical technology adopted by Eastern University Affiliated Hospital. There have already been several successful cases, so there are no concerns about the reliability of the technology. As for Mr. Chen Yu... he hasn't encountered a patient requiring this technology yet.

His skills are such that he can effectively treat patients even without this technology, so he hasn't used this new technology."

"Ah-Yu hasn't used it before?" Xu Xiaohong looked surprised at her nephew but offered no further comment. This technology was intended as an assist; whether or not he had used it wasn't a major issue, "Then I'll contact China as soon as possible to arrange for the old principal's surgery here in Japan!"