godfather of surgery

Chapter 1246 You've done a pretty good job imitating it!
In the afternoon, I had just finished a day of surgeries.

This was a rare moment of respite in the day. The young doctors were engrossed in processing medical orders and writing patient progress notes, the sound of keyboards clicking incessantly.

"Hey, have you heard? Professor Yang's team of five in the lab has recently run into some big trouble!"

A slightly boastful voice broke the silence of the office. It was Zhang Lin—the "unofficial spokesperson for Sanbo."

His explosive opening remarks immediately drew the attention of several young doctors who were engrossed in writing medical records. Their faces were filled with curiosity.

"Which five? The group led by Jiang Jitong?" asked a resident trainee wearing black-rimmed glasses. She was from the same hometown as Chu Xiaoxiao and had heard a little about the situation in the lab.

"It's them!" Seeing that he had attracted attention, Zhang Lin immediately perked up. He slid his swivel chair to the center of the office, as if he were about to hold a press conference. "Jiang Jitong, Liu Yang, Chu Xiaoxiao, Wang Chao, He Zijian! These five are Professor Yang's darlings right now. I'm telling you, they are the lucky ones who will soar to great heights with Professor Yang in the future! I'm telling you right now, you should quickly build good relationships with these five people. If you have any conflicts, make peace with them as soon as possible. These people will be extraordinary in the future."

"Really? Teacher Zhang, tell us more?" an intern chimed in, offering Zhang Lin a way out for his "performance."

Zhang Lin cleared his throat with satisfaction, picked up his thermos, took a sip of tea, and struck a pose.

“I can reveal this to you all, but you must keep it a secret!!! Do you know how amazing Professor Yang’s new research project is?” He lowered his voice, creating an air of mystery. “I heard it’s something that could revolutionize the current vaccine industry!! Do you know how much startup capital it has?” He made an eight-shaped hand gesture.

“Eighty...eighty million?” a master’s student exclaimed.

"Dollars!"

"..."

"Otherwise what?" Zhang Lin raised his eyebrows smugly. "And this is just start-up capital!"

While everyone was marveling at the start-up capital, Zhang Lin abruptly changed the subject: "However, the project is now facing a major problem."

Upon hearing that there was trouble, everyone immediately perked up their ears, and the lingering clatter of keyboards instantly disappeared.

"Difficulties? What's going on?" A PhD student who had just been dismissive of Zhang Lin's "gossip" stopped his work and swiveled into his chair.

"I heard that all the equipment, instruments, reagents, and software related to the project are malfunctioning!!!" Zhang Lin made a choking gesture, "We're being choked!"

With the soft squeak of the rollers scraping against the ground, many chairs gathered around.

“Several top international suppliers of laboratory equipment and core reagents have imposed a ‘soft blockade’ on us! We have nothing, and even ordering a regular enzyme takes half a year! The design modeling software that He Zijian uses is completely frozen.”

A collective gasp filled the office. Although these young doctors were in clinical practice, they were well aware of the ins and outs of the research community and knew that without guns and ammunition, even the most brilliant general could not win a battle.

“My God…wouldn’t that make it impossible to move an inch?” another resident exclaimed in astonishment.

"Anyone else would have been crying and screaming by now, and the project would have been a complete failure!" Zhang Lin slapped his thigh, his voice rising a few decibels. "But guess what? The professor wasn't afraid at all! And the five of them, including Senior Brother Jiang, not only didn't collapse, but they were actually provoked into a rage!"

He began to describe it vividly, as if he had seen it with his own eyes:
"Liu Yang, that's the guy who's usually quiet but becomes like a shot of adrenaline when he starts doing experiments. Now he's always in the strain bank and protein purification platform, rolling up his sleeves to express enzymes himself! Goodness, before he used ready-made, imported, high-purity enzymes, but now? He cultivates them himself, breaks them up himself, and runs them through columns himself. The purified stuff doesn't have enough activity? No problem, he optimizes the conditions and keeps going! The last time I ran into him in the central lab, he smelled like yeast powder and LB medium, and his hair was a complete mess."

"And then there's Chu Xiaoxiao, that pretty junior sister," Zhang Lin said with a hint of teasing. "She used to be so particular about herself, but now she spends all her time at the flow cytometer, grinding away at that outdated machine. No ready-made testing panels? She just takes the most basic antibodies and mixes them herself! Adjusting the voltage, adjusting the compensation, if one attempt isn't enough, she does it ten times, if ten times isn't enough, she does it a hundred times! I heard she's almost driven the platform administrator crazy, but they've also developed a bond with her. Now the administrator even reserves time for her!"

"The most amazing ones are Wang Chao and Senior Brother Jiang!" Zhang Lin said, spitting as he spoke. "Can you imagine? They went to the School of Electronic Engineering at Nandu University of Science and Technology, hung out with those engineering guys, and were banging away, supposedly trying to build their own machine to detect protein interactions! My god, I peeked at it out of curiosity last time, and the table was covered with circuit boards, optical lenses, and parts salvaged from some old equipment—it looked like a junkyard! But Wang Chao patted his chest and told me, 'Brother Zhang, don't let its appearance fool you, it can produce data!'"

"Professor Zhang? You went to see them at Nanjing University of Science and Technology?"

An intern asked, puzzled?

"Oh, these details are fine as they are. Don't pry. There are some things I can't tell you," Zhang Lin said impatiently.

The others immediately cast disapproving glances at the intern, wondering how she could be so inconsiderate as to interrupt Teacher Zhang by "leaking" such inside information.

"And then there's He Zijian. His computing software got stuck, so he just latched onto the digital medical center at Nandu Medical University and went off to work on artificial intelligence!"

Zhang Lin summarized: "In short, the entire research group has changed its style. It has transformed from a high-class 'elite force' into a 'homemade' and 'self-reliant' guerrilla team! But what's strange is that the atmosphere is even more enthusiastic and the enthusiasm is even greater than before! Professor Yang said that this is called 'unorthodox methods,' which forces you to develop your skills!"

He glanced around at his stunned colleagues and said in a prophetic tone, "Just think about it, after all this hard work, what kind of monsters will these five become? Top-notch theoretical knowledge, off-the-charts practical skills, and an incredible ability to solve real-world problems! Once Professor Yang's project is truly completed, they'll be the heroes! At that time, papers, patents, titles, and status will come pouring in! Soaring to the top? That's being modest! I think they'll be going straight to the moon on a rocket!"

The office was silent, save for the faint sound of traffic outside the window. Everyone was engrossed in Zhang Lin's "legendary" story, their hearts stirred to varying degrees. Some felt envy, some admiration, and others a sense of melancholy about their own predictable careers.

"So, seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Zhang Lin changed his tone, his voice filled with disdain, "Compared to these five lucky ones, Ji Ning is simply a complete idiot!"

"Ji Ning? Oh, the one who was in Professor Yang's group before leaving?" Someone else knew a few bits of information. "Who else could it be but him!" Zhang Lin sneered. "You guys don't know what he was like back then. He thought he was a graduate of a prestigious university, exceptionally talented, and that working on this kind of project with Professor Yang was a waste of his life, so he voluntarily withdrew!"

He spat, a symbolic gesture, but his expression was spot-on.

"Now you're dumbfounded, aren't you? You had no foresight! You're probably kicking yourself now!"

A burst of laughter and murmurs erupted from the crowd. In the fiercely competitive medical field, such cases of "shortsightedness" and "missed opportunities" always evoke a complex mix of disdain and schadenfreude.

“That guy Jiang Jitong, people from Hubei call him a nine-headed bird, and that’s no exaggeration. Jiang Jitong…” Zhang Lin suddenly stopped here.

"What's wrong with Senior Brother Jiang?" everyone asked immediately.

Zhang Lin shook his head, swallowing back what he was about to say. If it really came out, it would cause a bloodbath.

Zhang Lin became increasingly excited as he spoke, seemingly addicted to revealing secrets. He lowered his voice, his face displaying an expression of sharing top-secret information:

"Let me tell you something even more shocking, about Dean Xia!"

"Dean Xia?" Xiao Wang's eyes lit up; gossip about leaders always attracted a lot of attention.

“Yes! It’s our Dean Xia Changjiang!” Zhang Lin confirmed, glancing warily at the office door to make sure no leader was there.

"A few days ago, Dean Xia went to the research institute to inspect the work. Actually, he was worried about Professor Yang's precious research group. He heard they were under lockdown and wanted to check on them," Zhang Lin described vividly. "He was probably thinking that as the dean, if he stepped in to comfort them and help coordinate some resources, wouldn't Professor Yang be extremely grateful?"

"And the result? And the result?" several people urged.

"And then," Zhang Lin suppressed a laugh, beginning to mimic the scene. He first puffed out his belly, put his hands behind his back, and adopted Dean Xia's usual expression—a mixture of authority and concern—took a couple of steps, then said in a serious tone:

"Professor Yang, I heard you've run into some trouble with procurement? Should I report this to my superiors and get involved in coordinating things?"

After imitating Dean Xia, Zhang Lin immediately switched roles, leaning forward slightly and making Yang Ping's signature expression—a mix of indifference and even a bit of bewilderment—as he spoke in a calm, even casual tone:
"Dean, they are undergoing comprehensive 'scientific research survival training'. This difficulty is a good opportunity for them to practice."

Then, Zhang Lin switched to Yang Ping's tone, with a hint of sarcasm that left Dean Xia speechless: "Sometimes, things going too smoothly don't cultivate scientists who can truly fight tough battles. So, Dean, you still don't understand scientific research!"

Finally, Zhang Lin regained his composure, spread his hands, and said to his stunned colleagues, "Dean Xia's expression at that moment... tsk tsk, you didn't see it! His smile instantly froze on his face. That feeling of concern being stuck halfway, unable to be swallowed or spat out, was so awkward it could have been dug out with your toes! He stood there stunned for several seconds before finally saying 'Oh, oh,' and then 'That's good, that's good,' and then quickly left with his hands behind his back! I bet he was internally screaming: 'I don't understand scientific research?! I, the dignified dean, don't understand scientific research?!'"

"puff--"

"Hahaha!"

A low, barely suppressed laugh erupted in the office. Zhang Lin's imitation, though exaggerated, captured the essence perfectly, especially the awkwardness of a leader's concern being met with a "ruthless" response—it was incredibly lifelike. This kind of "leader getting the short end of the stick" scenario, so popular with lower-level employees, always quickly bridged the gap between everyone.

"My goodness, Professor Yang is so outspoken!"

"But it's also the truth. Dean Xia is the workhorse type. He's good at managing administration step by step, but he's really not good at scientific research. He hasn't touched scientific research in many years."

"Dean Xia meant well, but... he's a bit out of touch with the times."

"Professor Zhang, your information network is amazing! You know everything about what's going on in the lab!"

The crowd chattered excitedly, and the atmosphere in the office reached a fever pitch. Zhang Lin, enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention and controlling the conversation, smugly took another sip of tea.

"That's right! Don't you know who I am?" He patted his chest. "At Sanbo Hospital, from the hospital director and party secretary to the intern nurses, there's nothing I, Zhang Lin, can't find out!..."

He was speaking animatedly, seemingly unsatisfied, and preparing to delve deeper into the intelligence he had just gathered—

"Cough cough."

A cough, neither too loud nor too soft, came from the office doorway.

The cough wasn't loud, but it was like a blast of ice water, instantly extinguishing all the noise and laughter in the office.

Everyone, including Zhang Lin who was in the middle of a lively conversation, froze as if struck by lightning. Then, with expressions of horror and disbelief, they slowly, inch by inch, turned their necks to look at the doorway.

Dean Xia stood there with his hands behind his back, expressionless: "You've imitated it quite well!"

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.