Mr. Gallagher’s voice still echoed in Simon’s mind as he stood by the bed.The old man’s words were weak, but they carried weight. “Go, Simon,” he had said. “An ancient saying says, the hand that can pull one soul from the river must not argue with the riverbank.”Simon tightened his grip on the leather medical kit. For a moment, he did not move. Then he nodded once, slow and firm, accepting something heavier than responsibility. He turned toward Genevieve.Genevieve did not wait for another word. She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him forward. “Please. There is no time left.”They ran back through the corridor together. Genevieve’s breathing was uneven, her professional calm was completely gone. Nurses stepped aside when they saw her expression. Something in the hospital had already changed, even before they returned.Ward Nine was no longer controlled.It was collapsing.Monitors screamed in uneven rhythm. Clara’s body shook violently again, her oxygen mask was slipping as she gaspe

Clara Ashbourne kept staring at Simon as if the rest of the ward no longer existed.The monitors had calmed. The nurses stood frozen around the bed, still holding instruments they had almost dropped during the panic. The silence felt almost unnatural after the chaos that had filled the room only moments earlier. One of the younger nurses slowly lowered the emergency syringe still clutched in her hand and whispered to her colleague, “I've worked here for three years... I've never seen anyone come back from unconsciousness like that.” The older nurse shook her head without taking her eyes off Clara. “Neither have I. Whatever this man just did, it wasn't luck.”Ethan sat in the chair, his voice still trapped by Simon’s touch, his eyes burning with humiliation and disbelief. Doctor Coleman stood a few steps away, pale with anger, while Genevieve watched Simon like her entire medical training had just been turned upside down.One of the senior nurses cleared her throat, still unable to

Four days after Doctor Coleman ordered Simon Gallagher’s name to be hunted through hospital records and other possible records, Simon was already hunting someone else.The hospital had not forgotten him. Nurses still whispered when he passed the corridor to visit his grandfather. Genevieve watched him with questions she could not ask in public. One certain time, Clara Ashbourne had sent flowers to Mr. Gallagher’s ward with a small card that simply read, Thank you, Simon Gallagher. Simon had read it once, placed it beside his grandfather’s pomegranates, and said nothing.He knew attention was dangerous for a man like him. Coleman’s pride had turned him into a small enemy, but Simon had larger men to deal with. The Marwick brothers were still moving stolen oil through fake farms, and the trail from Black Lantern had given him the next name the progress in his quest to bring down the Marwicks.Lobo.That evening, Simon left the hospital after visiting his grandfather without using the m

The depot became quiet after the guard pointed at Simon.Lobo turned slowly and stared at him. “What did you just say?” he asked, his voice was low and sharp. “Say it clearly, since fear has suddenly made your tongue useless.”The guard swallowed hard, but his hand remained pointed at Simon. “Boss, he caused the Black Lantern arrests. I heard men screaming about him before the police came. They said he walked in alone, and by the time he left, the gangsters were crawling out like dead men.”Another guard shifted uneasily. “People said he was a cop,” he muttered, glancing at Simon’s empty hands. “They said police vehicles were waiting outside after everything burned.”Lobo stared at them for two seconds, then burst into laughter again. This time the laugh was louder, almost forced. “One pretty boy terrified half the underworld?” he said, turning back to Simon. “I don’t believe it.”Simon’s face did not change. “Belief is not required.”The answer made Lobo’s smile tighten. His business

Simon calmly removed his jacket and dropped it onto the concrete. His black shirt clung to his shoulders as he turned slightly, measuring the distance between the men, the fuel trucks, the office door, and the weapons.The security men rushed him.The first came with a baton raised high. Simon stepped to the side, caught the man’s wrist, and guided the baton into the ribs of the second guard beside him. The second guard folded with a cry. Simon turned the first man’s arm behind him and pushed him into the path of a third attacker. Both men crashed into each other and stumbled over a fuel hose.“Cut him off!” one guard shouted. “Don’t let him use the trucks!”Simon moved between the parked fuel trucks with frightening ease. The narrow space made their numbers useless. One man swung a metal rod, but Simon bent under it and struck him once in the stomach. The man dropped to his knees. Another tried to grab Simon from behind, but Simon’s elbow found his jaw before his hands could close.