Krafft's Anomaly Notes

Chapter 373 Preoperative
"To be honest, I still don't understand the purpose of this structural mutation." Kraft held a wooden stake and complained incessantly.

There was no one else here except Kup, who was also preparing for surgery. He was threading the needle into the sheep's head, getting familiar with the feel of scalp suture.

He wisely made no comment, nor did he have time to do so.

Suturing was indeed taught, but until I left Dunling, my practice progress was still on overnight pigskin. Priel Collar did not provide any practice opportunities, so it was good enough to maintain my feel.

Unexpected things happen all the time, and no one could have expected that they would encounter a situation so soon that even Kraft could not handle it alone, so they had to force the only two people who still understood the basics to do the job.

It is one thing to know that the part you are responsible for is not difficult, but the psychological pressure is another.

By tomorrow, the sheep's head in his hand will be replaced by Dominic's head, and the surgeon may not have the energy to protect himself. Anyone would suffer from sleepless nights.

"Don't be stressed. I see you've done a pretty good job sewing it. You'd better make it more even so that nothing goes wrong tomorrow."

A fleeting, sharp sense of danger flashed by, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end.

Coop watched as the axe was raised high, gestured a few times, and then chopped down neatly, splitting the stake in two. An etched cavity was visible on the cross-section, as if it had been carved out of thin air with an extremely sharp blade.

"I should be the one who's nervous." Kraft held the two halves of the wooden stake, measured the size and angle of the cavity, then added two more blows with the axe to break it into several small pieces of wood, which he threw into the fireplace.

The stove was overfilled with fuel, so much so that his cheeks were burning. Kupp had lost count of how many stakes he had hit, but the accuracy was clearly still not up to expectations.

"No, I cut half a circle too far along the wood grain." Kraft leaned back in his chair, taking deep breaths as if trying to calm some overwhelming discomfort, which made people even more worried.

The surgeon's abnormal condition is bad news for both the patient and the assistant.

"Isn't that a bit risky?" Coop finished the last stitch, tightened the suture, and tied knots with his backhand and forehand to secure it. "You don't seem to have tried using 'this thing' directly for surgery before."

As an assistant, he was well aware that some previous surgeries must have been intervened and guided by special means, but this was the first time that supernatural forces were so obviously involved.

As the saying goes, once the devil gets his foot in the door, he'll make his home in your soul.

The key significance of some things is not whether they are right or wrong in themselves, but that they set a precedent and become an ominous sign.

"We have to take emergency measures. Do you still remember the hypnotic substance that was put into the well in Wendeng Port?"

"How could I not remember? That thing almost cost me my life."

"At that time, we diluted the original solution for surgical anesthesia." Kraft picked up a new wooden stake and closed his eyes again.

Coop felt a little breathless, not sure if it was an illusion caused by invisible and intangible objects filling the room, or the shock of suddenly learning the truth about the earliest anesthesia method.

Perhaps he has never been far away from that world. From Wendeng Port to the south, from the beginning to now, the gaze from the other side has always been with him.

"You know, if the original solution had not been poured into the well and demonstrated its wide-ranging consequences, we would probably consider using it to replace ether inhalation anesthesia in some difficult surgeries. After all, the effect is so perfect.

"If the number of surgeries and the density of people using the system in the area are controlled, the probability of problems occurring is theoretically very low.

"It's similar this time. We only use this cutting method as a temporary emergency measure. It will naturally be replaced in the future as experience and technical conditions mature. It's just that it's difficult to achieve a similar effect."

As Kraft spoke, he stood up again and chopped the wood, making a satisfied sound. It seemed that the positioning was very accurate this time. Practice makes perfect. "Of course, your concerns are reasonable. The use of unnatural forces is like lighting a lamp in the forest at night. When the number and frequency accumulate, there is a probability that something will be attracted.

"But the specific outcome also depends on whether the one holding the light is an unarmed child or a fully armed knight. If it is the latter, ordinary jackals and wild beasts will not matter.

"We are no longer powerless children, but unfortunately there are more than just jackals roaming this forest. If only we had an army."

“But an army makes a lot more noise.” No one knows better than Coop the terror of facing the darkness of ignorance, let alone being the focal point of it.

He had never supported the active use of the power over there, but Kraft always made exceptions with good reasons, and he couldn't use his irrational fear to refute a master.

“May you succeed.”

"May we succeed." Kraft nodded. "Don't throw away the sheep's head after it's been sewn. It's inedible. Save it for the culture medium to make jelly."

His hands began to tremble slightly, indicating that he was not as relaxed as he looked. Even if he only used the "magic" lightly, the burden it brought was not simple.

"Come on, let's go over tomorrow's procedures one last time."

Kupp took a deep breath and started preparations before morning prayer. I led people to clean the operating room on the second floor in the southeast corner, which was converted from the scripture copying room. The patient entered the operating room, confirmed the fasting time, and started inhalation anesthesia.

"It is expected that by the end of morning prayer, the anesthesia will be completed and you will be notified to enter the room. We will complete the skin disinfection and draping together, paying special attention to covering the patient's eyes. Next, I will be responsible for holding the ether bottle.

"As required, the light source avoids all open flames and only uses silver mirror reflections. The base has been fixed and is away from the operating table. Yvonne is getting used to the operation. The thing is a bit heavy, but it's nothing to her."

He paused, and found that the sheep's head was still in his hand. He put it aside and continued to repeat what he knew by heart: "You will cut the forehead skin and skull, and allow Benny to watch from a distance during the process. I hope our success will give him confidence.

"Then continue with the operation. I will be responsible for observing the patient's condition and providing additional anesthesia when necessary. Before using special means for observation and cutting, you will remind me to be ready."

"Very good, continue." Kraft moved the chair away from the fire. Perhaps because the temperature was too high, sweat seemed to be coming out of his back.

"The time starts from the moment you enter the skull. When the hourglass flips twice, it will remind you that half of the time has passed. When the hourglass flips four times, it should end as soon as possible. If you find that you are not in the right state, you can raise the issue immediately. At other times, try not to make any noise.

“If all goes well, you will definitely finish before breakfast time, when I will disinfect my hands again and take over the stitching work.

"Mr. Benny will be allowed to observe the entire operation from a distance. I hope your success will give him the confidence to sign the consent form for his own child's surgery."

"That's right." Kraft breathed a sigh of relief, then asked a sharp question, "What will you do if I make a mistake or even faint?"

"Then I should take charge of cleaning up the scene, sew it up directly to keep it beautiful, inform others that the patient has been called by the Lord, and pay attention to Field and Benny's emotions, just like talking to the family members after the treatment failed before. Then prepare for confession, sacraments, and burial."

"Yes," Kraft squeezed out the last word, slumping in his chair, causing the aging mortise and tenon joints to creak.

He was mumbling something between his pale lips, which looked like the monks' whispered prayers.

Coop unstitched the sheep's head, threw it into the pot on the fire, and quietly closed the door and left.

Before leaving, he saw Kraft raise his hand, holding an invisible blade, and drop it towards the imaginary skin.