A skull base glioma, and the comatose patient was also showing signs of brain herniation.

As soon as Yan Feifan heard Dr. Qiu Ge's description, he understood that this was purely a last-ditch effort.

Tumor resections in the skull base region were among the most difficult and complex areas of neurosurgery.

The margins of a glioma are extremely irregular, making it difficult to remove completely, and it is prone to recurrence.

The signs of brain herniation indicated that time was of the essence, leaving a very narrow window for surgery.

All these difficult factors combined meant one thing: the patient was knocking on death's door.

Dr. Qiu Ge was truly just trying her luck and leaving the rest to fate.

Yan Feifan looked at the cranial MRI scans on the tablet and asked, "Dr. Qiu, to what extent do you want the tumor to shrink?"

Qiu Ge used a stylus on the tablet screen, drawing as she explained, "These areas on the brainstem absolutely cannot be damaged."

"If the glioma here..."

"And here..."

"...shrinks a bit, and if the entire glioma retracts toward the lower left, I'm somewhat confident I can wake the patient up through surgery."

Qiu Ge added, "Of course, it will likely be accompanied by severe aftereffects of brain injury, such as paralysis of the limbs."

"But there's a high probability we can give the patient another two or three years of lucid life."

"This is also what the patient..."

At this point, she suddenly noticed that Yan Feifan's eyes had lost their focus. He seemed to have zoned out, staring into space.

Qiu Ge was somewhat displeased and was just about to offer a few words of criticism when she saw Wang Chuan, who was sitting to the side, make a hushing gesture at her.

She rose quietly and followed Wang Chuan away from the sofa seating area, tiptoeing over to the vicinity of the desk.

"He may look like he's zoning out, but he's actually entered a state of high-speed thinking."

Wang Chuan explained in a low voice, then continued, "Usually, when he comes to, he'll have an excellent solution."

Qiu Ge let out a soft "oh."

"A legendary epiphany?"

Wang Chuan smiled and explained softly, "It's more like he cuts off all external interference, and his brain goes into overdrive."

"Or perhaps because his brain is in overdrive, he becomes unable to process irrelevant information."

Qiu Ge let out another soft "oh" and turned to look at Yan Feifan, who was sitting on the sofa, as still as a statue.

"There's a reason they call Mr. Yan a genius."

Wang Chuan also sighed softly. "Feifan's intelligence is just one aspect. More importantly, his diligence and focus are second to none."

"Especially his focus..."

Wang Chuan said admiringly, "It makes his learning efficiency incredibly high. He basically gets things on the first try and masters them as soon as he starts."

Qiu Ge agreed in a low voice, "Smart, diligent, and focused. He's practically perfect."

"It's no wonder at all that Mr. Yan has achieved so much at such a young age."

Qiu Ge retracted her gaze and turned to Wang Chuan.

"Wang Chuan, congratulations on finding such a satisfactory protégé."

Then she changed the subject. "How is Yanyan doing?"

Wang Chuan smiled faintly. "Yanyan has made new friends and got a cute little dog. She's much more cheerful than before."

"Recently, she started working out with a fitness coach to prepare, both physically and mentally, for the major surgery ahead."

"Is it starting again?" Qiu Ge asked, a little worried.

Wang Chuan sighed softly and said, "I hope this will be the last time."

He added, "This time, Feifan will be the lead surgeon."

"Is he confident?" Qiu Ge asked, surprised.

Wang Chuan's gaze fell on Yan Feifan, who was still sitting quietly. He nodded slowly. "Feifan may be young, but he has always been steady. To date, he has accomplished everything he said he could do."

"He said that by next year at the latest, he can perform Yanyan's surgery as the lead."

"I believe him..."

Just as he said this, Wang Chuan noticed that Yan Feifan moved.

"Feifan must have come up with a plan..."

Qiu Ge walked back to the sofa area in a few steps and noticed that Yan Feifan's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

Now she believed it.

This guy, Yan Feifan, had indeed been using his brain, thinking at full capacity.

Qiu Ge's eyes filled with anticipation as she asked, "Mr. Yan, do you have a solution?"

Yan Feifan picked up the tablet and, using the stylus, marked a total of six points on several of the cranial MRI scans.

"If we can inject dehydrated ethanol at these six points, according to my analysis and simulations, we should be able to achieve your goal."

Next, it was Qiu Ge's turn to take the tablet and think.

Her way of thinking was different from Yan Feifan's quiet sitting; she paced as she thought, her lips occasionally twitching.

Wang Chuan poured a glass of water for Yan Feifan and himself. Watching Qiu Ge pace back and forth between the sofa and the window, he said, "We'll just have to wait. No telling how long it will take."

He then added, "Feifan, if you've ever been to Dr. Qiu's office, you'd know she has a little 'thinking path' in there."

"In reality, it's a seven or eight-meter-long track where the pattern on the floor tiles has been worn away."

"She wore it down by pacing back and forth just like this."

Wang Chuan looked at Yan Feifan and chuckled. "Maybe before long, people will start jokingly calling you 'The Thinker' or 'The Zoner'..."

This time, the two of them only had to wait for about ten minutes before Qiu Ge stopped pacing.

"Mr. Yan, by sacrificing a few of the patient's less critical tissue functions, I can get the Puncture Needle to the six locations you've specified."

"Mr. Yan, let's go. The patient doesn't have much time."

Yan Feifan quickly reminded her, "Dr. Qiu, the dosage of dehydrated ethanol for these six injection points, as well as the waiting time for the ethanol to take effect, are all based on simulations and theoretical analysis."

"I can't make any guarantees about the actual results."

"If something goes wrong..."

Qiu Ge waved her hand dismissively, taking full charge. "If something goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility."

"Mr. Yan, this surgery was always about pulling a life back from the brink of death."

"The patient's family is fully aware of this."

"Mr. Yan, you don't need to have any reservations. Just treat this surgery as a validation of your simulations and theoretical analysis..."

Yan Feifan followed Qiu Ge, and they hurried to the Neurosurgery Building in the northwest section of the hospital.

The two of them scrubbed in, disinfected their hands, and put on surgical gowns before entering a neurosurgery operating room.

Yan Feifan saw that the patient was already in the operating room.

The patient appeared to be in his early fifties.

He was seated in the surgical chair, his completely shaved head held firmly in place by a halo brace.

Three assistants stood quietly beside the surgical chair.

"Dr. Qiu, everything is ready. We can begin the surgery at any time."

Having reached the patient's side, Qiu Ge heard the report from one of the assistants, nodded, and without another word, held out her hand. "Bone drill!"

She took the bone drill from the assistant, took a deep breath, and drilled a small hole in the patient's skull, two centimeters behind his left ear.

Immediately after, Qiu Ge took the Puncture Needle, glanced at Yan Feifan, and carefully inserted it...

She had inserted it halfway when she was suddenly interrupted by Yan Feifan.

"Dr. Qiu, let me do it!"

"You?"

Yan Feifan said softly, "Dr. Qiu, you've already established the direction and angle of insertion."

"As for the depth of the insertion..."

He said with a hint of confidence, "I can control it with a bit more precision..."

Qiu Ge and Yan Feifan's eyes met for a moment. She then released her hand and stepped aside from the operating position.

"Trust those you choose to use. And you, Mr. Yan, have proven yourself time and time again."

"Since you insist, then you do it..."