A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 97

The Martial Surgeon – Chapter 97

Chapter 17: The Hunt (2)

The robotic surgery suite was quiet.

There wasn’t much communication between the staff, nor were there elaborate assists being exchanged. Most of the surgical process was handled by Seung-yong, who was seated at the controls.

Only Sang-hyuk, standing as the first assistant, occasionally helped Seung-yong.

Jun-hoo didn’t have much to do, at least on the surface.

To others, it might have seemed like Jun-hoo was having an easy time.

Retracting the incision site, suctioning or irrigating (washing the area), or dabbing gauze on the bleeding areas, and so on.

He wasn’t doing any of the things he usually did. Except for the beginning of the surgery, he had mostly been standing there like a decorative screen.

But that was a serious misunderstanding.

Jun-hoo was as focused on the surgery as Seung-yong, who was performing it.

The monitor showing the stomach, the operating robotic arm, and finally, Seung-yong, who was moving the controls.

He was analyzing these three things one by one, like analyzing the moves of martial arts.

First, regarding the robotic arm, its movements were clean and without unnecessary actions. It had a long reach that could access every part of the surgical site. The rotation angle of the wrist was also flexible.

It often performed procedures for extended periods at wrist angles that would have been difficult for a human to endure.

The surgical view was also superior, providing a wider and more open view than laparoscopic surgery [minimally invasive surgery using a camera]. A three-dimensional feel, so to speak.

However, Jun-hoo didn’t think his abilities were inferior to the robotic arm.

If he gained enough surgical experience, he was confident that he could easily surpass the robotic arm.

Jun-hoo had internal energy [qi or vital energy] that could be used in surgery, and he had various martial art techniques that could be applied to surgery.

When comparing robotic surgery to martial arts, robotic surgery was closer to a type of weapon chosen by a martial artist, like a sword, knife, spear, staff, or hidden weapon.

In the same context, robotic surgery could also be understood as a famous sword because it offers more options than other surgeries.

The reason why robotic surgery is expensive could be somewhat equated to the logic that famous swords are hard to obtain even with money.

Still, the exaggeration crossed the line. This surgery could have been sufficiently handled with laparoscopy. They only chose robotic surgery for the sake of the digestive surgery department’s profits.

Jun-hoo’s gaze suddenly rested on Seung-yong.

Seung-yong was operating the console with skillful hands. There was no hesitation or impatience in Seung-yong’s touch. It conveyed the confidence that the path I take is the right one.

It was the kind of demeanor that only those who had achieved mastery in their field could show.

When compared to the martial arts world, Seung-yong’s surgical style resembled the martial arts of the Kunlun School [a fictional martial arts sect known for their elegant and powerful techniques].

The Kunlun School was a group belonging to the Nine Sects and One Gang [common factions in martial arts stories], and they often displayed cool and unrestrained martial arts. In reality, Seung-yong’s surgery was also cool and unrestrained.

He fearlessly cut out the mesentery [membrane that attaches the intestines to the abdominal wall] infiltrated with cancer cells, and he fluently removed the infiltrated lymph tissue.

Seung-yong’s character was questionable, but Seung-yong’s skills were beyond doubt.

He can’t even be compared to Seung-beom. He’s a formidable opponent.

To Jun-hoo, Seung-yong was a difficult style to deal with.

He was skilled, he had reputation and fame, and he was greedy, but he knew how to package his greed as if it were a good deed.

If he chose to specialize in digestive surgery, he felt like he would become enemies with Seung-yong because Jun-hoo was incompatible with people like Seung-yong.

“Sang-hyuk, insert an endoscope camera into port number 4 additionally. We need to secure the field of vision a bit more.”

“…….”

“Change the number 2 robotic arm to an electric cautery and dock it. And Seo Jun-hoo.”

Seung-yong called Jun-hoo’s name.

The head of the department, Seung-yong, remembers the name of an intern who is on his second day of working in the digestive surgery department?

Jun-hoo was quite surprised by that fact.

Perhaps noticing Jun-hoo’s agitated expression, Seung-yong chuckled.

“When Code Blue [medical emergency] was issued a while ago, you performed CPR on a patient with dextrocardia [a rare condition where the heart is on the right side of the chest]. I said I would remember your name then, right?”

“Ah. Yes, that’s right.”

“I never forget something I’ve decided to remember, whether it’s good or bad.”

Seung-yong’s answer was meaningful.

“Jun-hoo, use the endoscopic tool to take out the lymph nodes that you’ve dissected so far.”

“…….”

“I need to rest my hands for a bit.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Jun-hoo pushed the endoscopic forceps he was holding into the port.

His eyes did not leave the monitor in front of him.

Typical open surgeries involve looking directly at the surgical site with one’s own eyes while performing the surgery.

However, robotic surgery and laparoscopic surgery require a slightly different way of handling the gaze.

You have to move your hands while constantly looking at the monitor, so there is a disconnect between the field of vision and the procedure.

Not only that, using long endoscopic tools inevitably dulls the sense of touch since you can’t directly touch the surgical site.

But that was not the case for Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo used the Eagle Claw skill to fix his gaze on the monitor. He drew internal energy from his dantian [energy center in the body] and maximized his sense of touch in his hands.

Then, the endoscopic forceps felt like his own arm. The subtle vibrations and sensations transmitted from the forceps were felt intact.

He was bored anyway.

Should he show off his skills for once?

Swoosh.

The endoscopic forceps passed smoothly through the port. While the forceps moved to the fragmented lymph nodes, the forceps did not touch a single blood vessel or nerve.

Snip. Snip. Snip.

Jun-hoo gripped the lymph nodes scattered around the stomach with the forceps and pulled them out one by one to the outside of the port.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The number of lymph nodes falling into the curved tray gradually increased.

He was only cautious at the beginning. After grasping the principles necessary for the procedure and formalizing those principles into martial arts techniques, there was nothing to fear.

Swish. Swish. Swish.

Jun-hoo’s hand movements became faster and bolder. Even so, there were no cases where the forceps failed to grip the lymph nodes and idled in the air.

Jun-hoo was a sharpshooter with a perfect hit rate.

By incorporating martial arts into the procedure, Jun-hoo achieved the feat of removing the lymph nodes resected by the robotic arm in an instant.

It only took 3 minutes.

The once empty curved tray was now piled high with lymph nodes.

“The procedure is finished.”

After completing his mission, Jun-hoo took his eyes off the monitor and put down the endoscope-specific forceps in his hand.

But the atmosphere in the operating room was somehow strange.

The staff members were looking at Jun-hoo with strange eyes.

What is it?

What’s with this chilly atmosphere?

Confused, Jun-hoo couldn’t help but ask.

“Did I make a mistake??”

* * *

“No. You did very well. Thanks to you, I saved time,”

Seung-yong replied in a satisfied voice.

Removing the dissected lymph nodes from the body was close to manual labor. For example, it was like gripping beans with long chopsticks and putting them on a tray.

In some ways, it was useless, but it was a task that required a high degree of concentration and precise hand movements.

Other doctors sometimes used suction devices for this task, but Seung-yong did not because he counted the number of dissected lymph nodes and checked them one by one.

That’s how the surgery can be perfect.

Anyway, in order to allocate the physical strength needed for the next surgery, Seung-yong entrusted Jun-hoo with the task of removing lymph nodes.

But what?

The result was better than expected. He finished the work that would take Seung-yong nearly 10 minutes to remove with the robot in just 3 minutes.

That’s not to say that the procedure was inadequate. To prepare for any problems that might arise, Seung-yong was carefully observing Jun-hoo’s procedure.

But there was nothing wrong with Jun-hoo’s procedure. There was nothing to nitpick.

Is he a natural-born surgeon?

To have this kind of skill when he’s just an intern…….

Seung-yong was impressed with Jun-hoo, but he didn’t show it much. Expressing his inner thoughts as they were was amateurish.

In general, a manager needed to say that they did poorly even when they did well, and that they did well even when they did poorly. That was how Seung-yong managed people.

“We’ve overcome the most troublesome procedure well. Now, all we have to do is resect the greater omentum [a large fold of peritoneum hanging down from the stomach] while preserving the vagus nerve [a major nerve in the body] and remove only the cancer tissue.”

“…….”

“From now on, I’m going to speed things up, so everyone needs to stay focused.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Yes, Chief.”

But it was the moment when Seung-yong was about to loosen his wrists and put his hands on the controls when, suddenly, Jun-hoo asked a question.

“Chief, there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“Tell me.”

“I’m asking this question because I might specialize in digestive surgery…….”

Jun-hoo paused before continuing.

“What is the best surgery for stomach cancer patients?”

“…….”

“Of course, it depends on the stage of the cancer and the patient’s condition, but I’m curious about what is generally the most effective surgery.”

“Hey, are you asking the chief something like that during surgery? Are you in your right mind?”

Sang-hyuk scolded Jun-hoo in a whispering voice. Seung-yong had already heard everything, though.

“It’s okay. Interns are very curious, and he might become a member of our department, so would it be right to treat him so harshly?”

Seung-yong gently reprimanded Sang-hyuk, and Sang-hyuk lowered his head.

“Before that, let me ask you. What do you think is the most effective stomach cancer surgery?”

“Considering the cost of surgery and the speed of recovery after surgery, I think laparoscopic surgery is generally the best.”

Jun-hoo’s answer was clear. It seemed that he had already thought deeply about this topic himself.

He’s not just good with his hands, but he can also think?

Interesting.

Seung-yong stared intently at Jun-hoo and began to answer.

“That’s an answer that only knows one thing and doesn’t know two. Do you know what kind of society South Korea is?”

“It’s too broad of a question, so I don’t know how to answer it.”

“There’s no need to think hard. It’s very simple.”

A cold smile appeared on Seung-yong’s lips.

“South Korea is a capitalist society. A society where money determines the value of all things.”

“…….”

“Surgery is no different. You can apply the standards of capitalism. Isn’t the most expensive thing the one with the greatest value?”

“…….”

“In that respect, the best surgery is the most expensive surgery. That’s robotic surgery. That’s why I insist on robotic surgery. Is that an answer now?”

Seung-yong didn’t believe in the Hippocratic Oath or anything like that.

Dedication to patients?

Service to humanity?

Seung-yong’s belief was that such things were nothing more than hypocrisy disguised as pretense.

Everyone moves for their own benefit.

“Yes. Thank you for answering my question with sincerity, even though you could have just ignored it.”

Jun-hoo replied in a dry voice.

“That look. It’s a look that says you don’t agree with my words.”

Seung-yong preemptively poked at Jun-hoo’s weakness. Even if he was wearing a mask, it wasn’t difficult for Seung-yong to read Jun-hoo’s emotions.

“I…… I think it’s a value that’s hard to accept easily, from the perspective of someone who has lost many precious people.”

Jun-hoo said as if he had some kind of story.

“Then you must be the type who likes the saying that you should think of patients as family.”

“Is there any problem with that?”

“Of course there’s a problem. If you specialize in surgery, you’ll have hundreds of patients who will die at your hands in the future.”

“…….”

“Do you want to bear the pain of losing hundreds of family members?”

Seung-yong asked back in an absurd tone.

The way of thinking that you should treat patients like family only burdened doctors. There was no benefit and only harm.

Meanwhile, Jun-hoo didn’t budge even when faced with Seung-yong’s provocative gaze.

“Yes. I will bear it. I will become stronger by the weight of the lives of the patients I bear.”

“…….”

“Because I will be able to save more patients as I become stronger.”

There was even a chill in Jun-hoo’s eyes as he answered.

Oh, look at this guy?