Wasteland Development Diary

Zhou Yi quickly arrived at Maria Hospital with 703.

The hospital was full of patients and their accompanying relatives and friends. Now, there were glowing guide lines on the ground, and you could find the corresponding department by following the arrows, which made things much more orderly.

Zhou Yi saw Chen Yin, wearing a white nurse's uniform, explaining something to a bone person with an arm in a sling.

She said something to them and quickly ran over in small steps.

"Chairman, you're here."

Although her other identity was a book-eating demon, she was still a medical worker here in her daily life.

Zhou Yi asked, "Where is Da Vinci?"

"The Dean is in operating room number 3, performing spinal surgery on a child."

"Okay, you go back to your work."

"Yes, sir."

Someone was already waiting outside the operating room.

Zhou Yi discovered that there were actually two Light-powered patients here.

One of them was a listless little Mountain Dog. It was wearing a coat with colorful feathers and a headband, accompanied by two Mountain Dogs dressed the same way—they looked like its elders.

However, Zhou Yi couldn't understand the Mountain Dogs' native language.

They seemed to be comforting the little Mountain Dog.

The other patient was an octopus immersed in a large wheeled tub of water. It looked very weak, hooked up to an IV drip, and had many blotchy black spots on its body.

Its companion was the head of the Bone Laboratory, former Silver Badge Adept, Octo-Bro Biki.

It hurriedly came over and waved a claw in salute: "Chairman."

Zhou Yi looked at the patient next to it: "Who is this?"

"This is Yuke, my old friend, also a Silver Badge Adept. It has developed a malignant Light-powered tumor and is already in the late stages. It couldn't be cured anywhere. The doctors in Mechanical City thought the success rate was low and wouldn't agree to perform surgery. So I had it come here to try."

Octo-Bro said, "Dean Da Vinci has already performed one surgery on it, but it will need a second one to completely remove it. Follow-up treatment with medication and stabilization, and a second round of organ repair and replenishment will be needed."

Zhou Yi asked, "Is this Light-powered organ cancer?"

"Yes."

"The conventional treatment is surgery and chemotherapy, but malignant tumors are attached to Light-powered organs, and will only become stronger under stimulation, eventually causing the patient to die in pain."

"To fundamentally solve the problem, they must constantly become stronger and advance to resist aging and cell deterioration. The higher the level of life, the stronger the limit of endurance, and the later the Light-powered tumor will worsen... but this path is really too difficult."

In the conversation with Octo-Bro, Zhou Yi also learned that Light-powered species also have cancer problems.

Due to the high-intensity use of Light-powered organs, they have a much higher cancer rate than ordinary people after a certain age, and because their endurance is also strong, they will suffer for a longer time.

If they can't level up, they will be worn down to death by cancer.

Octo-Bro's old friend was facing this ultimate dilemma.

"Thanks to Dean Da Vinci's new organ repair surgery, this is currently the only one in the world! We have successfully completed four cases of malignant Light-powered tumor treatment here!"

Speaking of this, Biki's speech became faster, and the whole octopus became a little excited: "Organ repair surgery is partly to remove the mutated cells, and to add new cells to the organ, thereby maintaining normal organ function... Although I can't explain the specific principle, it can repair those aging organs, whether it's the heart, lungs, blood, skin, or bones!"

"Dean Da Vinci is too strong!"

Zhou Yi knew in his heart that it should be related to the Life-Extending Flower.

After waiting for a while.

The operating room door opened.

The imaging vehicle came out and announced: "Next patient, Yuke, please enter the operating room."

"Chairman, I'll push it in first."

Biki said, and then pushed his friend in the tub of water into the operating room.

The imaging vehicle said through telepathy: "Chairman, do you have something to discuss with me?"

"I'll talk to you after you finish the surgery."

"We Mechanical Lifeforms can multitask, simple communication will not affect the surgery progress there."

So Zhou Yi said, "I learned from 703 that you have made breakthroughs in the research of the Life-Extending Flower here."

"Is the organ repair surgery the result of the application?"

"Yes."

The Mechanical Doctor said, "Please come with me."

The imaging vehicle led the way, all the way to a room.

A faint light appeared on the door, and it only opened after scanning.

After Zhou Yi walked in, he found that the room was very bright, the refrigerating box was keeping it cold, and the room was kept at a suitable temperature.

It was full of large and small petri dishes, and the white Life-Extending Flower with purple whiskers was fixed in an ecological box in the center.

It was now very lush, and had grown several light red fruits, which were very small, a bit like small cherries or wild apples.

"Chairman, the Life-Extending Flower was transformed by the Mud Tree Civilization into a parasitic medical plant tool, but its own reproduction and survival needs remain unchanged."

Da Vinci said through the imaging vehicle, "After it left the parasitic environment, it gradually returned to its original growth mode. However, because it has been improved for many years, it produces very few fruits. To plant it again, it grows very slowly."

"Fortunately, not too many fruits are needed. In one fruit, there are a large number of available special cells."

The imaging vehicle stopped in front of a shelf composed of a large number of petri dishes: "I extracted the fruit cells of the Life-Extending Flower and discovered the secret of its ability to maintain life functions."

"The Life-Extending Flower can produce a special embryonic stem cell, which has totipotency and can differentiate into almost all cell types. It can naturally combine with other cells to produce adult stem cells and continue to differentiate."

"In the experiment, I combined it with the cells of Light-powered species, and it can generate natural adult tissues, such as bone marrow, skin, blood, and so on."

"Many processes in the medical field are a bit complicated to explain... please allow me to directly state the conclusions."

"Over the past two years, a large number of clinical trials have proven that the embryonic stem cells of the Life-Extending Flower can combine and assimilate with most flesh and blood cells, supplementing the cell deficiencies and insufficient activity of existing organs."

"It is by relying on this cell that the Life-Extending Flower can replicate in vitro organs in its rhizomes to maintain the life of the host."

"I call this cell the 'Life-Extending Stem Cell'."

It said, "Organ repair surgery is, from the cell level, using Life-Extending Stem Cells to supplement the existing cells that patients can no longer differentiate, as well as the cells that have been removed, to help patients continue to maintain normal organ function, thereby extending life."

Zhou Yi held his breath: "Are you saying... we have now directly overcome cancer?"

"I can't say that, Chairman."

Da Vinci maintained his usual caution and restraint: "Only for Light-powered organ cancer in Light-powered species, Life-Extending Stem Cells have been proven to repair the phenomenon of self-mutation and canceration. Removing the cancerous cells and then repairing and assimilating them with Life-Extending Stem Cells is a simple and effective method."

"This is equivalent to artificially replacing organ cells, thereby suppressing the degree of mutation within an acceptable range, and reducing the possibility of malignant tumors from the mechanism."

"From the current clinical treatment effect and the number of differentiable cells of the Life-Extending Flower itself, it is expected to increase the lifespan of extremely deteriorated patients by 5 to 10 years. However, whether further implantation and repair can be performed in the future, and whether there are other side effects, requires more surgical cases to determine."

Zhou Yi was a little puzzled.

Doesn't it sound like cancer has been overcome?

"I'm not a medical professional, tell me directly what the problems are."

"Okay."

Da Vinci said, "This surgery works very well, and all four patients have recovered well so far. But it has three objectively existing problems."

"The first is that it can only be used for Light-powered species."

"Life-Extending Stem Cells are very strong and require a lot of energy to maintain activity. Ordinary people simply cannot withstand them, and will only be overdrawn, leading to severe malnutrition, severe internal bleeding, and collapse of the circulatory system. Only Light-powered species or enhancers can support it."

"The second is that the surgical precision requirements are high."

"The stem cells in the fruit seeds grow very quickly when cultured in a sterile environment, but because they have a strong assimilation ability, the entire operation needs to be extra careful. Carelessness can contaminate the cells and make them unusable for treating patients."

"Therefore, this surgery has high requirements for the doctor's operational precision. Currently, only I can be the chief surgeon in the hospital. I suggest introducing new Mechanical Doctors to improve this surgery."

"The third is that the number of available cells is limited."

"The Life-Extending Flower has a slow fruiting cycle, fruiting only once every six months. I have tried planting the fruit into flowers, but I have not yet succeeded. In the short term, the Life-Extending Stem Cell reserve can only perform 100 organ repair surgeries. If it is a higher-level patient, such as B or A level, the consumption will be even greater."

Zhou Yi listened carefully.

Ordinary people can't use it, which is a bit of a pity.

However, the high difficulty of the surgery and the slow fruiting of the Life-Extending Flower are the current objective problems.

Zhou Yi said, "This is already very good. No matter what, organ repair surgery is your original creation and is currently the only medical technology of its kind."

"This key breakthrough must be well publicized to the outside world."

Da Vinci said, "Chairman, if you want to publicize it to the outside world, please release it according to the information I gave. There is not enough experience accumulated in this surgery, and it is uncertain whether there will be any side effects. The surgery has certain limitations."

Zhou Yi nodded: "Professionally, follow what you say."

In fact, Light-powered malignant tumor patients, such as Octo-Bro's friend Yuke, are already terminally ill, treating a dead horse as a living one. This medical technology is a hope for them.

Side effects can be discussed later, and the most important thing is to survive now.

Zhou Yi sighed: "Your invention has already been internally designated as the special prize of the Wasteland Invention Award, it's just that our hospital is not a for-profit organization. The patent split is difficult to calculate. This way, you can set a price based on the materials, medicines, and surgical techniques, which will facilitate the split."

"Chairman, this new technology was not completed by me alone."

The imaging vehicle issued a steady voice: "Without the [Breathing] program supported by the programming department, without my electric cat partner 'Schrödinger', I would not be able to find this usable idea through inspiration."

"Without the strong help of Dr. Feng Ying and Nurse Lily, I would not have time to complete the analysis of Life-Extending Stem Cells. Without Nurse Xie Lian's long-term overtime work, and Dr. Wei Wu often performing surgery for me, I would not be able to conduct enough clinical experiments."

"And Maria Hospital. It participated in our treatment and diagnosis, guiding each patient in the right direction, guiding them to different areas for medical treatment and self-service, greatly reducing the workload of everyone."

"The most important Life-Extending Flower was provided by you."

"This is the victory of the entire Maria Hospital, the lucky result of the joint efforts of all doctors."

"Without any one step or any one person, organ repair surgery would not be available so quickly."

"I hereby request that the invention reward for this new surgery be distributed to every medical worker in the hospital."

"Everyone usually works very hard, and has long adhered to their duties for the mission of saving lives and treating diseases. Because we are the company's strongest guarantee, all colleagues who come to the hospital are convinced that we can restore them to health."

Zhou Yi said slowly: "You have worked hard, I know, the most tired people in the company may be you."

He pondered for a while.

"I'll think about the reward method first, and then tell you."

"The surgery cost and pricing must be made, this is to be made public. We have too few Light-powered employees, most of them are very young, and have not reached that step yet."

"Yes, Chairman."