godfather of surgery

Chapter 1340 The Professor's Fury
Yang Ping was truly angry this time. Despite the huge investments made in these countries, he resolutely and decisively withdrew without the slightest hesitation.

The announcement was simultaneously released through the official channels of the Sanbo Institute, the newsletters of international academic journals, and the paid announcement sections of *Nature* and *Science*. The statement was carefully worded, calm, and devoid of any emotion.

To the global medical community and patients:
Given that systems regulation theory and its derivative technologies (including but not limited to K therapy) face unreasonable regulatory barriers, academic misinterpretations, and malicious commercial lawsuits in some countries and regions, after careful evaluation by our team, we have decided:
1. Immediately cease providing any new technology licenses, product supplies, clinical training, and data support related to the theory of systemic regulation to sixteen countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia (a detailed list is attached).

Second, existing application projects in these countries (including K-therapy clinical centers) will enter a 90-day orderly withdrawal period. We will assist existing patients with transition programs or referrals to other regions for continued treatment.

Third, this decision will not affect normal cooperation with other countries and regions. The establishment of the International Systems Medicine Translational Alliance (ISMTA) will continue, and partners with an open mind are welcome to join.

We firmly believe that medical progress should serve all of humanity. However, when the environment for scientific exploration is eroded by non-scientific factors, a temporary retreat is necessary to protect the purity of its long-term development, and we deeply regret the inconvenience this decision may cause.

—Yang Ping Research Team of Sanbo

The sixteen countries on the list are precisely the core regions where Horton's articles have the greatest influence, where pharmaceutical lobbying is most active, and where regulatory trends are most closely followed. The announcement did not mention any specific conflicts, but those in the industry understand that this is a direct response to the encirclement and suppression; no debate, no backing down, a clean and decisive exit, without any hesitation or ambiguity.

On the first day the news broke, pharmaceutical stocks on Wall Street and in Europe rose sharply.

Stocks of giants like Pfizer, Novartis, and Roche rose between 3% and 5%. Analysts excitedly commented that Yang Ping's team's withdrawal cleared away the biggest theoretical challengers and potential market substitutes for traditional chemotherapy drugs, targeted therapies, and biologics. The complexity of systems medicine makes it difficult to standardize and scale, and this proactive withdrawal was wise, proving the robustness of traditional R&D pathways.

In an interview with CNBC, Horton appeared reserved yet confident: "This demonstrates a commitment to scientific rigor and patient safety. Any responsible scientist should welcome this kind of self-discipline. Complex systemic interventions require longer periods of validation; rushing into implementation is dangerous."

Despite being embroiled in legal trouble, Berg issued a brief statement through his lawyer: "This confirms some of my concerns that the theory itself may have fundamental flaws that cannot be overcome under strict regulation."

Internal celebratory emails from pharmaceutical giants have begun circulating. “We have successfully defended our position.” “Next quarter, we will focus resources on advancing our next-generation PD-1 inhibitor and CAR-T optimization programs.” “Communications with the FDA can be more proactive, emphasizing the stability advantages of established therapies.”

What they saw was a troublesome "idealist" admitting defeat and leaving the stage. What they were calculating was the vacated market share and the right to regain control of the discourse.

After the announcement was released...

Houston, USA.

Senator John Walker, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is receiving K therapy from Yang Ping for glioblastoma.

At this moment, Griffin, an oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, is facing the most difficult conversation of his career.

Sitting opposite him were old Walker and his son.

The treatment was complex and expensive, requiring three weekly visits to the center for monitoring and adjustments. However, the results were remarkable. After multiple treatments, the persistent low-grade fever disappeared; imaging showed that the main intracranial tumor lesion had shrunk by 60%; now, Mr. Walker's physical condition has almost returned to normal, and he has even resumed his three weekly workouts.

But today, he received a formal letter from the center.

“Mr. Walker, I’m sorry.” Dr. Griffin pushed a document in front of him. “This is an official notice from headquarters, the China Sanbo Research Institute. According to their decision, after ninety days, this center will no longer be authorized to provide K therapy and related support.”

Old Walker didn't look at the documents; he just stared at Dr. Griffin, his usually insightful eyes now as cold as icy rain. "No longer authorized? What does that mean? What about my treatment?"

"We have three months to complete the transition. We... will do our best to find alternatives for you. For example, re-evaluating the previous targeted therapy combination, or considering joining other clinical trials..."

“Alternatives?” Old Walker’s voice was soft, but every word was like a blade. “Dr. Griffin, you know those alternatives don’t work for me. You told me yourself that my tumor’s genetic profile showed it was insensitive to conventional pathways, and that K therapy, based on the idea of ​​systemic regulation, bypassed traditional therapies to be effective. And now you’re telling me to go back to those ineffective treatments?”

"This is a decision made by the upstream technology provider, we..."

“Upstream?” Old Walker stood up, walked to the window, his back to Dr. Griffin. “I am a patient. I went to great lengths to obtain K therapy because it is effective. Now, because of some academic controversy or business struggle that I have no idea about, someone is telling me that the effective treatment is to be taken away? Replaced with an ineffective one? This doesn’t make any sense in the market, much less in the medical ethics.”

He turned around, his eyes devoid of anger, only filled with an extremely rational chill: "Who made this decision? Who forced Professor Yang to withdraw K therapy?"

"It is said that this is because in some countries, the theory has been subjected to...unfair treatment and excessive regulatory restrictions, with the United States being the most severely affected."

Old Walker was silent for a few seconds, then picked up his phone. “I understand. You can continue with your transition plan, but my treatment will not stop.”

He walked out of Griffin's office and made a phone call.

“Mike, it’s me, Walker. I need you to investigate a few things for me, use all your connections, yes, about K therapy’s withdrawal from the US. I need to know who’s behind this, I need to know every name, every agency, every relevant regulatory document or congressional proposal. Also, help me contact all the important friends you know who are receiving or waiting for K therapy, from Washington to Wall Street to Silicon Valley, we need to talk.”

Similar scenes have been repeated at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Johns Hopkins, and other institutions in the sixteen countries on the list.

Patients who are eligible for K therapy have already undergone rigorous screening; they are either extremely wealthy, have significant social influence, or have such complex conditions that they have no other choice. They are not the silent majority; they are a tiny minority with the power and resources to achieve this.

Panic and anger spread silently and violently, first and foremost, within the smallest circles at the top of these pyramids, like a supernova explosion.

Tang Shun found a new file in his inbox from an anonymous, encrypted server. The sender ID was a string of gibberish, and the subject contained only one word: LIST.

The file opened to reveal a meticulously organized spreadsheet, the contents of which made Tang Shun gasp in shock.

The table details information on some patients in the sixteen countries on the list who have been directly affected by the decision to withdraw K therapy in the past seventy-two hours. It is described as "some" because the list is already alarming enough:
United States:

Raymond Walker: Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee

Marcus Reynolds: Founder and CEO of the world's largest social media platform
Alex Carter (founder of AI giant)
Richard P. Watson (Senator, Senior Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee)
James "Jim" Colbert (co-founder of a top hedge fund)

Maria Chan (Nobel Prize laureate in Physics)

(The following seven people include the spouse of a Supreme Court justice, two top Hollywood producers, and three family heirs who are on the Forbes Top 100 list.)

United Kingdom: Lady Lillian Windsor: A key member of the Windsor family.

Lord Charles W. Ellington (former cabinet minister, now a member of the House of Lords)

Sarah P. Mitchell (BBC board member, daughter of a media mogul)

(The following four people)
Australia, Switzerland… the list continues, and behind each name lies wealth, power, prestige, or intellectual capital.

More importantly, the last column of the table indicates each patient's level of dependence on K therapy: the only effective option.

The attachment also includes several summaries, which appear to be a compilation of the recent activities of these individuals' agents or family members:
"Walker's office has requested a full briefing from the FDA and NIH on the incident and is questioning whether it involved 'unreasonable regulatory discrimination'."

“Reynolds and Carter contacted at least twelve Silicon Valley CEOs and venture capitalists to form a temporary communication group.”

"Colbert's hedge fund has begun analyzing the stock prices of major pharmaceutical giants, seemingly with the intention of shorting them."

"Lady Lillian Windsor and Lord Ellington have raised urgent questions in the House of Lords, asking the Health Secretary to explain 'why British patients are being deprived of one of the world's most advanced cancer treatment options.'"

Tang Shun immediately forwarded the list to Yang Ping.

The meeting was convened quickly.
"Where did this list come from?" Yang Ping asked.

“Completely anonymous and untraceable, but the information is very detailed, some even involving undisclosed treatment details that outsiders couldn’t have fabricated,” Tang Shun said. “It’s possible that someone in these patient groups took the initiative to compile and share it, or it could be… that some insiders were unhappy with this decision.”

"Or perhaps someone wants to muddy the waters even more," Song Ziming added.

Lu Xiaolu stared at the list, his eyes gleaming: "Professor, no matter who gave it to us, this is a sharp knife. No, it's the launch code for a nuclear bomb. If these people unite, their power is enough to overthrow and crush any medical lobbying group."

Yang Ping stared silently at the unfamiliar names and titles on the screen. When he decided to withdraw, he considered the purity of the theory and the long-term development of the team, as well as breaking free from the unfair encirclement. He knew, of course, that this would affect the patients, but it was a choice he had to make.

“We don’t need to actively use this list,” Yang Ping said slowly. “But we need to let everyone know that the consequences of withdrawing are real and concrete; they fall on living, breathing people, not just on a concept, Zhang Lin.”

"exist!"

"There may be a more intense backlash from the public, and the accusations against us for 'disregarding patients' lives' will reach their peak. You need to adjust your response strategy."

"Please give me your instructions, Professor."

"The focus has shifted from explaining 'why we withdrew' to articulating 'what forced us to withdraw.' The emphasis is not on complaining, but on presenting a logical chain: certain forces attempt to stifle the theory using unscientific means → the theory withdraws from its sphere of influence → patients who relied on the theory for treatment bear the consequences. The chain of responsibility is clearly made public."

Zhang Lin quickly took notes: "Understood, shift the focus from 'our decision' to 'the consequences of their actions'."

“Tang Shun, Song Ziming,” Yang Ping continued, “Closely monitor any contact signals from these countries’ official channels. If there are any, the response will always be: the principle remains unchanged. K-therapy is an integral and inseparable part of the systems regulation theory. Either fully embrace the theory and establish a fair and scientific framework for cooperation and oversight, or lose everything. There is no middle ground, regardless of the reason.”

“What if they only want K therapy and continue to reject the rest of the theory?” Tang Shun asked.

“That means they still don’t understand the essence of systems medicine, and the basis for cooperation doesn’t exist.” Yang Ping’s answer was without hesitation. “K therapy is not a magic bullet. Its success depends on understanding and regulating the entire patient system. If it is separated, it will become another tool that can be abused, and may even harm patients due to misuse. We cannot start that.”

As Yang Ping had predicted, public opinion subsequently began to shift dramatically.

It began with an in-depth report in The Wall Street Journal titled "The Abandoned Patient: When Cancer Therapies Become Hostages in Geopolitical Academic Disputes." The article featured detailed interviews with Alex Carter and another unnamed Wall Street executive, depicting their despair and anger as they went from regaining hope to facing the discontinuation of their treatment. The article cleverly described K therapy as "one of the most groundbreaking advances in cancer treatment in recent years," while attributing its withdrawal to "complex international academic politics and a rigid regulatory system."

Following this, The Washington Post published a strongly worded op-ed by Walker:

“We are witnessing a tragedy: the world’s richest nation, due to bureaucratic arrogance and the shortsightedness of vested interests, is actively abandoning cutting-edge medical technology that could save its own citizens’ lives. K therapy is not science fiction; it has already proven its value in my body. Now someone is telling me that I will lose it because of some controversy unrelated to its efficacy. This is unacceptable. The FDA, NIH, and those agencies that are pushing for restrictive policies behind the scenes must explain to Congress and the public: which is more important, the lives of patients or the financial statements of certain pharmaceutical companies?”

The BBC aired an hastily produced short documentary, "No More Medicine," which followed a British patient with advanced osteosarcoma, documenting her breakdown and struggle after learning that her treatment was about to stop. The documentary ends with a scene of the patient silently weeping into the camera, accompanied by the narration: "Science should transcend borders, but now, an invisible wall is dividing the hope of survival."

On social media, "BringBackKTherapy" and "MedicalHostage" became trending hashtags. People stopped discussing the complexities of systems regulation theory; they only saw an effective cancer treatment about to be taken away. Patient organizations, family groups, and even some previously neutral doctors and academics began to speak out, and pressure poured onto governments and regulatory agencies worldwide.

Horton and the pharmaceutical giants attempted to fight back, publishing articles in industry media emphasizing that "safety is unproven," "long-term risks are unknown," and "the overall regulatory principles should not be shaken by individual cases." But this time, their voices were drowned out by an even stronger wave.

The capital markets reacted most directly and brutally. As public opinion fermented, and short-selling reports surfaced (rumored to be linked to Colbert's hedge fund), the previously rising stock prices of pharmaceutical giants began to plummet. Investors realized that the exit from K therapy not only failed to eliminate competition but could also trigger enormous political and reputational risks, even leading to the companies' loss of credibility among top customers and talent. Worse still, if the government succumbed to pressure and changed policy, their previous lobbying efforts would be in vain, and might even backfire.

The pressure begins to circulate upwards along the power chain.

Tang Shun received an informal call from a senior official at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The official's tone was unusually polite, even tinged with urgency.

“Dr. Tang, we have noticed some recent communication difficulties surrounding K therapy. The Secretary is very concerned about the well-being of American patients, especially those who are benefiting from this therapy. We hope to find a constructive way to ensure continuity of treatment.”

Tang Shun replied according to the established line: "Thank you for your attention. The interruption of treatment continuity stems from the lack of a holistic cooperative environment in the system regulation theory. We always insist that any solution must be comprehensive and based on mutual respect and scientific principles."

"We understand your concerns regarding theoretical recognition. Perhaps we could begin our discussion with the extension of the emergency authorization for K therapy? This is a standalone medical product..."

“I’m sorry,” Tang Shun interrupted gently but firmly, “K therapy is not a standalone product; it is a specific application of systems regulation theory in the field of oncology. To strip it away is like demanding to use only the engine while refusing the blueprints and safety standards of the entire car. We cannot accept such a fragmented licensing arrangement.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. "...I understand, I will pass it on."

Similar informal probes have also emerged from sources such as the UK Department of Health and the Australian Department of Health. The rhetoric is becoming increasingly soft, and the bottom line is becoming blurred. They are beginning to discuss "the possibility of reassessing the regulatory framework," "holding expert hearings," and "establishing special approval pathways."

But Yang Ping's team's response has remained consistent: all or none.