Chapter 72: A Delicate Extraction

Good grief! Just based on your calm, almost effortless grasping technique, we have to let you try it out! When operating, be extra careful not to injure the patient’s esophagus.

Dr. Fu was utterly impressed by this resident’s performance.

Eighteen skills—and he’s proficient in every single one.

Has this kid been honing his surgical skills since he was in the womb?

He knows firsthand how difficult it is to master, let alone improve, the Grasping Technique.

When Dr. Fu was young, he was an exceptionally driven doctor with lofty ideals. Starting in his third year as a resident, he vowed to learn from the chief physicians. He dreamed of the day he’d stand at the operating table, deftly wielding minimally invasive instruments to resolve patient ailments.

It wasn’t until he was 38, however, that he narrowly passed the attending exam and was hired as an attending at Tuyu Hospital.

After that, he set his sights on achieving the title of Associate Professor.

The Grasping Technique became the advanced skill he practiced the most.

But alas, time, talent, and resources were all in short supply.

Now, at over 46, his Grasping Technique barely qualifies at a junior resident level.

For gifted doctors, advancing in this skill isn’t overly challenging. But for someone without natural talent like him, it’s nothing short of a nightmare.

It’s harder than climbing to the heavens.

After witnessing Zhou Can’s display, Dr. Fu immediately knew that Zhou outclassed him.

With such an extraordinary junior, Dr. Fu felt not just envious but genuinely delighted.

Having a powerful assistant in the operating room was an enormous boon.

“Let’s get started. I’ll hold down the patient’s tongue— you take the laryngoscope,” he instructed.

Dr. Fu personally took on the role of assistant.

Zhou Can carefully maneuvered the long forceps into the patient’s throat, using the laryngoscope to inch closer to the lodged fishbone.

Within the confined space of the throat, he managed to clamp the tail end of the fishbone with the forceps.

His first attempt failed.

The second… and by the fourth try, he finally secured the fishbone’s tail.

At that moment, his nerves were on edge.

His hand began trembling uncontrollably.

After several deep breaths, he fought to steady himself and slowly applied upward force with the forceps.

Alas, the fishbone was wedged too deeply.

Coupled with swelling in the surrounding tissue, the fishbone was embedded firmly, refusing to budge.

Even a slight tug would let the fishbone’s tail slip out of the forceps.

Repeated attempts by Zhou Can ended in failure.

Sweat streamed down his forehead.

Liu Xia carefully wiped the sweat from his brow.

Time was running out as the patient began to suffer.

Moreover, prolonged throat stimulation had triggered a severe bout of vomiting.

Zhou Can’s window of opportunity was closing fast.

“If only we could use pointed forceps. These blunt, safe ones minimize tissue damage, but they only let you grasp a very short segment of the fishbone’s tail.”

Zhou Can knew full well that Dr. Fu would never agree to use pointed forceps.

That left him with only one option.

Instead of clamping with the very tip, he adjusted the forceps to grip a little further back.

This maneuver would let him secure as close to the fishbone’s exposed base as possible.

In this way, when pulling back, the tail was less likely to slip out.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Can tried the new approach.

After several attempts, he finally managed to get a solid grip.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the clamping force at the tip, meticulously gauging the feel.

It seemed as if he still hadn’t reached the base.

Pulling upward, the fishbone risked slipping from the forceps.

“Ugh…”

The patient began to retch violently.

Unexpectedly, the involuntary movement of the throat helped Zhou Can secure an even larger section of the fishbone.

He could now feel that he had likely clamped onto the fishbone’s exposed base.

It was like fishing—a light tug felt akin to reeling in a small fish.

But if it were a big fish, the pull would be much heavier, unmistakably substantial.

“This move will decide everything!”

Still with his eyes closed, he slowly pulled upward by relying solely on feel.

A slight, crisp sound emanated from the forceps.

“Ah!”

The patient let out a pained groan of relief.

A small smile crept onto Zhou Can’s face as he carefully retracted the forceps from the patient’s throat.

At last, he had safely withdrawn them.

Clutched by the forceps was a thick fishbone, over 2 centimeters in length.

Seeing that the fishbone—which had nearly cost a life—had been successfully removed, everyone beamed with relief and joy.

【Grasping Experience +1】

【Congratulations on your breakthrough during the fishbone extraction. Your deft handling has earned you 100 Grasping Technique experience points】

Zhou Can was momentarily stunned, then burst into elation.

Not only had he saved the patient, but he’d also unexpectedly earned a massive 100 experience points.

The Grasping Technique was notoriously difficult to master.

Those 100 experience points were worth nearly half a month of grueling practice in the dorm.

Up to now, he had received several experience rewards.

The highest on two occasions—once for diagnosing an extremely challenging case and another for his breakthrough with the long forceps during the fishbone removal.

With his eyes closed, he could clearly feel the forceps’ grip on the fishbone, sensing every nuance of its force and length.

The sensation was simply remarkable.

It felt as though he were pinching the fishbone directly with his own fingers.

That was what being ‘as deft as if it were one’s own finger’ truly meant.

Zhou Can couldn’t help but think of martial arts legends—sword and blade masters who trained their weapons to move as nimbly as their own digits.

Could his sudden enlightenment be considered a modest breakthrough?

After all, his ‘weapons’ were long forceps, bone forceps, and similar surgical tools.

With his experience points soaring, his Grasping Technique had markedly improved.

He was now confident that next time he could remove the fishbone in one smooth motion.

“Alright, it’s out at last!”

Dr. Fu grinned, his eyes crinkling with wrinkles—his hair already significantly white.

Doctors often age prematurely because of stress and overexertion.

Many find their hair turning gray well before the age of 40.

“Thank you, thank you so much!”

The patient repeatedly expressed his gratitude in an agitated tone.

“You can’t leave the operating room just yet. We need to monitor the bleeding at the fishbone injury site.”

Dr. Fu handled the situation with remarkable steadiness.

Even though the fishbone had been removed, he wasn’t about to grow complacent.

A laryngoscope examination revealed that the bleeding at the wound was within acceptable limits.

Had a blood vessel been punctured, the consequences would have been dire.

Only after the patient had offered endless thanks did he leave the operating room, a smile lighting up his face—the patient’s life had been saved.

After this ordeal, the patient probably wouldn’t dare eat fish for a long time.

Dr. Fu sighed in relief, grateful to have saved another life.

For a doctor of average skill, there were two types of surgeries he dreaded most. The first carried hidden risks; the second, though seemingly simple, demanded exquisite technical finesse.

The latter was somewhat easier—a minor loss of face and a specialist consultation at worst.

But the first type was truly terrifying.

A minor mistake could lead to a serious medical disaster.

Ever since his promotion to attending, every shift for Dr. Fu felt like walking on thin ice.

Yet, no matter how cautious he was, he still encountered multiple nerve-wracking incidents.