When Lu Cheng arrived in Ji City by car, it was already close to half-past ten.

Along the way, Lu Cheng hadn’t received any more phone calls.

After reaching the parking lot of the State People’s Hospital and parking the car, Lu Cheng was momentarily at a loss about whom to contact.

After getting out of the car and looking around, Lu Cheng called the landline number that had previously called him.

After a few rings, someone picked up: "Hello."

Lu Cheng asked directly, "Hello, teacher, I am Lu Cheng from Long County People’s Hospital. I am now at the State People’s Hospital in Ji City. Where should I go next?"

"Lu Cheng? Which Lu Cheng?" came a voice with a strange tone from the other end.

With patience, Lu Cheng explained, "This morning, this number called me to come from Long County to Ji City."

"Who asked you to come to Ji City?" the other side asked.

"A person named Teacher Yao. I didn’t ask for their full name," Lu Cheng replied.

"Yao Shuhua? Okay, wait a moment, let me ask him what’s going on. I just got here not long ago too!" The response on the other side was rather polite.

"Okay." Lu Cheng quietly held the phone, waiting for a reply.

The other party didn’t hang up but picked up a phone to dial another number. After a series of "okay"s, they picked up the landline again: "Dr. Lu Cheng, right? Since you are at the State People’s Hospital, I will give you a phone number to contact."

"Okay, I’m listening, leader, please go ahead."

"153XXXXXXXX" The voice on the phone relayed a number: "This is the number of a doctor at Xiangzhou People’s Hospital. Please contact them; we’re quite busy here as well."

"Fine, thank you, teacher." Although Lu Cheng didn’t know exactly what was keeping the other party busy, he preferred to believe they truly were occupied.

After the other party decisively hung up, Lu Cheng finally contacted the person he needed to reach.

After dialing again, the person on the other end finally recognized who Lu Cheng was and told him to wait outside the surgical building, saying someone would be arranged to meet him promptly.

Ten minutes later, Lu Cheng saw a middle-aged doctor, wearing scrubs from the operating room, coming downstairs: "Are you Dr. Lu?"

"It’s me, Director Song."

"We spoke earlier on the phone."

Lu Cheng immediately asked, "What exactly is the situation now?"

The visitor was Song Daoneng, Associate Chief Physician of Hepatobiliary Surgery. Wearing a mask and surgical cap, he quickly turned around, "The situation is fine. We contacted Professor Chen Song from Xiangya Second Hospital at the first opportunity."

"Currently, the probability of saving the spleen is high, but Professor Tong said that if you can assist in the operation, the risks associated will be even smaller."

"Dr. Lu, come with me to scrub in for surgery."

"Okay!" Lu Cheng nodded, following behind Song Daoneng, then asked, "Director Song, could you tell me who else is in the operating room right now?"

"Well, it’s just Professor Chen Song. Originally, we wanted to get someone from Xiangya Hospital, but it’s too far, and the professors over there are also quite busy, unable to make it at short notice."

"They couldn’t leave the hospital before eleven."

"Later, we urgently called a professor from Xiangya Third Hospital, and now they’re only just arriving by high-speed train in Huai City."

"Fortunately, Professor Chen stepped up and has solved most of the issues."

At this, Song Daoneng added somewhat discreetly, "However, the basic condition of this patient has been conveyed to Kyoto Hospital."

"Kyoto Hospital?" Lu Cheng truly did not understand what kind of institution Kyoto Hospital was.

How could Song Daoneng, merely a doctor at the State People’s Hospital, fully comprehend the special status of Kyoto Hospital? He replied, "Yes, it’s a hospital known for its exceptional consultations; I don’t fully understand it myself either."

Both quickly entered the operating room; after Lu Cheng changed into surgical attire, he washed his hands at the sink by the operating room door before pressing open the door to the sterile operating room with his hands raised.

The operating room was crowded with many people, all middle-aged or elderly, above forty.

Song Daoneng spoke, "Director Yao, Professor Chen, Dr. Lu Cheng is here."

Chen Song’s voice came from within the group, "Xiao Lu, quickly go onto the stage."

Lu Cheng responded, "Okay, Teacher Chen, I’m getting dressed."

"No rush, for now, the patient’s vital signs have stabilized, their condition is a splenic contusion with a longitudinal laceration."

"I have already performed hemostasis and debridement. It’s challenging to suture the deeper laceration. After discussing with some colleagues at Kyoto Hospital, the initial plan was for partial resection."

"Yet upon reassessment, I believe it might not be necessary to resect. Nonetheless, suturing will be challenging."

Having said this, Chen Song addressed another direction, "Dr. Zhou, could you call Professor Xing at Kyoto Hospital once more? I need to have another conversation with him."

Zhou Lü, a senior attending physician in general surgery, nodded, "Yes, Professor Chen."

As Lu Cheng donned his gown and sterile gloves, Chen Song had already begun discussing with the never-before-seen Professor Xing, "Professor Xing, according to the current injury grading, the patient’s rating is indeed AAST grade IV!"

"However, both the lobar artery and segmental artery pathways are favorable, so I plan to attempt preservation if possible, avoiding resection."

"What are your thoughts?"

Professor Xing seemed well-acquainted from prior discussions with Chen Song: "Professor Chen, I recently reviewed the suturing video you sent; your suturing techniques indeed have merit."

"The spleen being a parenchymal organ is mainly concerning for ischemic necrosis upon rupture."

"The indications and procedural models for systematic resection are based on the line of ischemia, primarily involving ligation of the lobar and segmental arteries, more applicable to regional injuries of grade III."