639: Chapter 634 The Long-Awaited Sting

"It's getting cold, time to go back."

His retreating figure looked particularly desolate and lonely under the setting sun.

Shen Yan stood in place, unmoving.

He knew that continuing the conversation would only reopen the old man's deepest wounds.

Action is always more powerful than words.

He took out his phone and dialed An Ran.

An Ran, an investor with deep connections in the industry, was also one of Shen Yan's partners, possessing unparalleled influence.

"CEO An, help me find someone."

"Who?" An Ran's voice on the other end always carried a hint of languid elegance.

"The best orthopedic and neurology experts in the country."

Shen Yan's tone allowed no room for argument.

"I want the absolute best, no matter where he is or what the cost. I need him to see me in T City within three days."

An Ran chuckled lightly on the other end.

"Ambitious words. Someone who can make CEO Shen this concerned must not be ordinary."

"Who is it? Worth you using such a significant favor?"

"An old man worthy of my respect."

"Alright, I understand. Wait for my news."

An Ran hung up decisively without asking further questions.

Two days later.

A private jet landed at T City International Airport.

A man in his sixties, spirited and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, stepped out accompanied by several people.

Gu Yanfei.

The leading authority in domestic neurosurgery, whose hands wielding a scalpel were hailed as the "Hands of God."

Countless dignitaries and wealthy individuals had to queue up for half a year to request him to perform surgery.

And now, he had been "invited" directly from the capital by a single call from Shen Yan.

When Shen Yan appeared before Fang Zhizhuo with Gu Yanfei, the old professor was utterly stunned.

He looked at Gu Yanfei, his mouth opening slightly, seemingly wanting to say something.

"Professor Fang, this is Professor Gu Yanfei from Peking Union Medical College Hospital. He is an authority in the field of neurosurgery."

Shen Yan introduced him naturally, as if he were just an ordinary doctor.

"It certainly won't hurt to have him take a look at your legs and run some tests."

Fang Zhizhuo's face cycled between pale and ashen.

He was somewhat angry at Shen Yan's unilateral decision.

But what he felt more strongly was an inexpressible tension and panic.

The hope he had buried for fifteen years seemed to have turned into a seed, uncontrollably sprouting in the ruins of his heart.

He wanted to refuse.

But the word "no" reached his lips, yet he could not utter it.

Gu Yanfei paid no mind to Fang Zhizhuo's resistance.

He squatted down and began examining Fang Zhizhuo's legs with focused concentration.

He pinched, tapped, and then used a small silver needle to test several key nerve points.

"Do you feel anything?"

"...Nothing."

"How about here?"

"...Still nothing."

Fang Zhizhuo's voice carried a tremor he himself hadn't noticed.

The examination lasted for over half an hour.

Gu Yanfei's brow remained tightly furrowed.

Every extra minute, the seed in Fang Zhizhuo's heart sank a little deeper.

Chen Guangke stood to the side, not daring to breathe loudly.

Finally, Gu Yanfei stood up and took off his gloves.

"Professor Gu, what's the situation?" Shen Yan asked.

Gu Yanfei did not answer immediately.

He walked to the side, looked at Fang Zhizhuo's X-ray and the medical records from many years ago, and pondered for a long time.

The entire living room was deathly silent.

Only Fang Zhizhuo's increasingly rapid breathing could be heard.

"The situation is very bad."

Gu Yanfei finally spoke, his voice low.

"Fifteen years is too long. The nerves have severely atrophied, and the connection with the muscles is almost completely severed. According to conventional medical theory, the possibility of recovery approaches zero."

Fang Zhizhuo's body shook violently.

He closed his eyes, and the last trace of color drained from his face.

As expected, it was like this.

As expected, he had only been wishful thinking.

However, Gu Yanfei's tone suddenly shifted.

"But..."

That word exploded in Fang Zhizhuo's mind like a clap of thunder.

He suddenly opened his eyes and stared intently at Gu Yanfei.

Gu Yanfei's gaze held a mixture of scholarly excitement and caution.

"When I was examining you just now, I discovered that the location of your spinal injury back then was extremely peculiar."

"Although it severed the main nerve conduction bundles, precisely because of this, it acted like an 'insurance policy,' protecting a cluster of deeper, more primitive neurons."

"For the past fifteen years, they have been in a dormant state, not necrotic."

Gu Yanfei walked up to Fang Zhizhuo, his eyes shining.

"Conventional nerve grafting and regeneration therapies won't work for you."

"But in the last two years, there has been a cutting-edge bioelectric stimulation regeneration technology in Country M. Combined with our latest neural stem cell transplantation surgery, it might be possible to awaken them."

"What does that mean?" Fang Zhizhuo's voice was hoarse and dry.

"It means..."

Gu Yanfei said word by word.

"The surgery is extremely difficult and carries enormous risks. There are very few successful precedents globally."

"The recovery process will be extremely painful and long, possibly taking one or two years."

"But, you still have a chance."

"A chance to stand up again."

Boom—

Fang Zhizhuo felt the entire world spinning.

He couldn't hear the sounds around him.

He could only hear his own heart beating like a drum.

In his eyes, which looked somewhat cloudy from years of darkness, a layer of moisture slowly, slowly began to well up.

He extended a trembling hand and tightly gripped the armrest of the wheelchair.

Using great force, he seemed to want to push his body upright.

But those legs remained like two dead pieces of wood, completely unresponsive.

He looked at Shen Yan, his lips trembling, and after a long time, squeezed out a few words from his throat.

"What are the chances of success...?"

Gu Yanfei pondered for a moment.

"Fifty percent."

"No, if we can use the best equipment and medication, without regard to cost..."

"Sixty percent!"

Sixty percent!

After being sentenced to fifteen years of death, this number was like heavenly music!

Shen Yan stepped forward and gently patted Fang Zhizhuo's shoulder.

He looked at Gu Yanfei.

"Professor Gu, list whatever you need."

"Whether it's equipment, medication, or a team."

"Within three days, I will place everything in front of you."

His calm tone made it sound like he was discussing a trivial matter like buying groceries.

But Gu Yanfei understood.

It meant that a super-surgery, potentially costing billions and requiring the mobilization of top global medical resources, was about to commence.

And the decision for all of this rested on the words of this young man before him.

Fang Zhizhuo could no longer maintain control.

A line of hot tears silently slid down from the corners of his wrinkled eyes.

Fifteen years.

For the first time, he truly felt his long-dead legs.

Sending him a long-absent pang, named "Hope."