Part 28: Chapter Z-4: Transplant

Chapter Z-4: Transplant

After all the fancy names, this was the best they could come up with.







Delphi Agent Plan out your operation with that in mind.

Nozomi: I'm more concerned about that tumor, to be honest.



"Also, can someone fix the lights in here?"

The Professor: Otherwise, those veins are going to bleed out, and you'll have serious complications.



The Professor: We already know that this GUILT severely inhibits the autoimmune response. As you can imagine, that all but eliminates any such risk. We're confident the kidney won't be rejected.

He's not even a character we've seen before, so shading in his face is completely pointless.

Nozomi: Alright, professor. But, this had better not be a sacrificial operation. I already told them-

Delphi Agent: Yes, we're quite familiar with your contract, Dr. Weaver. I assure you, all your patients are people we expect to see back at work.

The Professor: Well then, Dr. Weaver. Please begin the operation.



Organ transplants have been going on for centuries. The hard part, really, was figuring out how to keep them alive afterwards, what with the risk of rejection, when the body's autoimmune system attacks the foreign organ. This is a particular concern with kidneys, but we have magical future science, so it's not going to be an issue in this game.

Also, according to Wikipedia, the penis is an organ you can transplant. I hadn't known that.

Nozomi: Well, since we're still waiting on that kidney, I might as well get started on the tumor. I can't transplant the kidney until that tumor is out of him, anyway. (The key to this operation is going to be anastomosing the opened veins.)

Anastomosis means a network of streams that both branch out and reconnect. It's not just a medical term; it applies to biology, mycology and geology as well. Here, Dr. Weaver is talking about connecting the blood vessels on the kidney with the ones already in the patient.

Nozomi: Once I administer the vasoconstricter, his blood flow should slow down. I'll need to complete the anastomosis while it's still in effect, or he could bleed out. In short, there are two parts to this:

-Tumor excision
-Transplanting the new kidney

A pretty tall order, considering. We've got a real risk of blood loss here, so just make sure I've got that kidney when I need it. (Depending on how this goes, I may need to bring my Healing Touch into play.)





OPERATION VIDEO
Viddler
Dailymotion

I had two recordings of this operation come out unusable, including the one where my control stick was miscalibrated and kept giving me the wrong tool. So, uh, enjoy this!



There's some vital plot development here: Nozomi has x-ray vision.



The tumors they hyped up are just two of those regenerating ones from Z-2. You don't need the Healing Touch to remove them, but you'll need it if you intend to complete this operation fast enough for the special bonus, which requires 3:50 left on the clock.



The kidney will show up immediately upon finishing with the tumors. How convenient!



You need to connect three veins to transplant the kidney. Before you cut them open, you'll have to use the blue constrictor to reduce blood flow. Cutting open major blood vessels can be tricky like that.



Nozomi: I assure you, the bleeding would be a lot worse without it.

You're supposed to inject more periodically to prevent it from wearing off, but this really shouldn't be an issue.



You have to drain the blood, then drag the color-coded vein over to the hole you made and suture it. It's a simple process, but your vitals are capped at 50, so you don't have a lot of breathing room if you get a miss.

Repeat the process for the blue vein.



The last one doesn't need to be constricted, because it's not a vein, but rather the bladder. The yellow tube on the kidney is the ureter, which delivers urine to it from the bladder. The next time you pee, say a silent thank-you to this little guy for all his hard work.



And you're done. It's a bit underwhelming after all the crazy GUILT operations, but welcome.







It's not really viable to get much of a vitals bonus on hard, as you're working under a very tight time limit. Time is the only one of these that's difficult to obtain.



This can be yours with the right use of the Healing Touch and some practice.



Delphi Agent: His prognosis is still in question, but that's something for our doctors to worry about.

Nozomi: I don't understand what Delphi is hoping to do here. Are you trying to save mankind or wipe it out?

The Professor: The path humanity has been on since the dawn of civilization will soon come to an end. Our planet cannot support 7 billion people, all living out long and meaningless lives. We're here to ensure that human beings are changed before it's too late. That is the meaning of our GUILT research. GUILT will free mankind from the sins that bind it to a history of destruction.

Nozomi: This is something you believe, professor?

The Professor: Our leader, Adam, has promised us salvation for the good work we do here. This is the only way to absolve our own sin; by paving the way for a new future. Freedom from the shadow of medicine-it's as simple as that.

Nozomi: I don't understand how a man like you could believe a word of that, professor.

Delphi Agent: Dr. Weaver, I would advise that you only speak about things pertinent to your job here. Doing otherwise would be considered... a breach of contract.

The Professor: Don't worry, doctor. I'm sure you'll come to understand, sooner or later.

End of chapter Z-4

That was the last non-GUILT operation we'll be seeing for the rest of the game. Wave good-bye to sanity, and prepare for the battles to come.