2025-10-14 16:05:15The message arrived before dawn. “URGENT: Hospital Board Inquiry. Attendance Mandatory.”
Rick read it twice, the words blurring on the screen. His stomach tightened. The rain outside hammered the window in steady rhythm, too much like a pulse he didn’t want to hear.
Evelyn stirred under the covers. “Another emergency?”
He shut off the screen. “Board meeting. They want to review the Lila case.”
Her voice thickened with sleep and dread. “Already?”
“Someone leaked footage,” he said quietly. “Probably internal.”
Evelyn sat up. “Rick… don’t go in there alone.”
“I have to.”
He dressed in silence, the glow of the golden rune briefly lighting his wrist before fading beneath his sleeve.
The boardroom smelled of disinfectant and tension. Seven members sat in a semicircle, holo-screens casting their faces in pale blue light. Yuren Sun stood at the far end, hands clasped behind his back, calm, unreadable.
The chairman, Dr. Mei Zhao, adjusted her glasses. “Dr. Franklin. We’ve received an external complaint from the Healers’ Syndicate regarding your conduct during the Lila Morrison resuscitation.”
Rick kept his voice steady. “What complaint?”
“That you performed an unauthorized procedure involving non-standard acupuncture meridians, without peer supervision or institutional approval.”
Rick’s heart thudded. “I saved her life.”
Mei Zhao’s tone remained cool. “That isn’t the question. The Syndicate is concerned that your method constitutes the use of esoteric biotechnic intervention, an act prohibited under Article 47 of the Medical Ethics Accord.”
Across the room, a man in a black coat sat silently, Syndicate insignia glinting on his lapel. His eyes never blinked.
Rick forced himself to breathe. “With respect, Article 47 forbids untested gene-altering tech. I used needles and pressure points, nothing supernatural.”
The man finally spoke, voice soft but edged. “And yet the child’s body emitted anomalous luminescence. Explain that.”
Rick looked to Yuren, who gave a slight nod, permission to answer but not to confess too much. “I can’t explain it,” Rick said. “All I know is that her pulse synchronized when I aligned the channels.”
The Syndicate man leaned forward. “Aligned them how?”
Rick hesitated. “By instinct.”
A murmur swept the board. Mei Zhao tapped the table. “Enough. Master Sun, as his mentor, what is your evaluation?”
Yuren stepped forward, voice measured. “Dr. Franklin acted under extreme duress. His decision was reckless but not malicious. I take full responsibility for his training.”
The Syndicate agent’s gaze sharpened. “You defend him.”
“I defend life,” Yuren replied. “Something your regulations occasionally forget.”
The room froze at the challenge. Mei Zhao sighed. “The board will deliberate. Until further notice, Dr. Franklin is suspended from independent procedures.”
Rick opened his mouth, but Yuren’s look stopped him. When they stepped into the corridor, Rick whispered, “You said you’d help me.”
“I am,” Yuren murmured. “By keeping you alive.”
By midday the hospital corridors buzzed like a hive. Everywhere Rick turned, whispers followed. “Did you hear? He’s under investigation.”
“The Syndicate thinks he used forbidden meridians.”
“Maybe he sold data to the underground clinics.”
Each rumor twisted sharper than the last. Rick pushed into the staff lounge, jaw clenched. Evelyn stood by the coffee dispenser, eyes wide. “Rick, what happened?”
He poured himself black coffee, hand shaking. “They’ve suspended me. Pending investigation.”
Her face paled. “God. The media’s already running with it. They’re calling it the Golden Fraud.”
He set the cup down too hard; coffee splashed over his fingers. “Isaac’s behind this.”
She hesitated. “You can’t prove that.”
“I don’t need proof. I can smell his fingerprints.”
Evelyn lowered her voice. “Yuren told me to keep you calm. If you fight the Syndicate, they’ll erase your license.”
Rick’s laugh was hollow. “Maybe that’s what they want.”
From the doorway came another voice, cool, amused. “Or maybe you brought it on yourself.”
Isaac leaned casually against the frame, tablet in hand. “I just watched the footage. Impressive light show. Want to tell me how you did it?”
Rick’s eyes narrowed. “You leaked it.”
Isaac’s smile didn’t waver. “Hard to leak what was already under review. Maybe the world deserves to see what kind of miracle worker they’re employing.”
“Careful,” Rick said softly. “You’re playing with lives.”
“Only yours.”
Evelyn stepped between them. “Stop this. You’re both doctors.”
Isaac’s tone turned sharp. “He’s not a doctor. He’s a gambler with a god complex.”
Rick took a step forward, but Yuren’s sudden voice froze them all. “Enough.”
The master entered, gaze cutting through the tension. “My office. Now, both of you.”
Yuren’s office felt smaller with both apprentices inside. Rain streaked the windows, thunder rumbling above.
Yuren sat behind his desk, fingers steepled. “You’ve turned my ward into a battlefield.”
Rick started, “Master, I.”
“Silence.”
He turned to Isaac. “You’ve been feeding rumors to external auditors. Do not insult me by denying it.”
Isaac met his gaze without flinching. “I shared data. Not rumors. Transparency protects the institution.”
“Transparency?” Yuren’s tone iced over. “Or ambition?”
Isaac’s jaw tightened. “Someone had to stop him before he drags your name down with his superstition.”
Rick’s fists clenched. “You think I wanted this?”
“You crave it,” Isaac shot back. “Every glance, every whisper, you feed on it.”
“Enough!” Yuren slammed his palm on the desk. The lights flickered.
For a moment the air itself seemed to hum, the faint golden resonance that always followed Rick now bleeding into the room. Isaac took a step back. “You see? It’s happening again.”
Rick looked down. His wrist glowed faintly through the fabric, light leaking like blood. Yuren rose slowly. “Rick. Control it.”
“I’m trying,” he whispered, but the pulse answered faster, syncing with the thunder outside.
Yuren caught his wrist, pressing a thumb to the rune. “Breathe.”
The light dimmed, though not before Isaac’s tablet recorded every flicker. When it was over, Yuren released him, voice low. “Both of you will report to the Clinical Review Division at dawn. You’ll assist in the trauma ward under supervision until the board decides otherwise.”
Isaac exhaled, victorious. “Understood.”
Rick stood rigid. “You’re grounding me.”
“I’m protecting you,” Yuren said. “From them, and from yourself.”
Rick wanted to shout, but Yuren’s weary eyes silenced him. Isaac left first, smirking. The door clicked shut.
Yuren turned to the window. “The Syndicate has begun to move. And you’ve given them reason.”
Rick’s voice broke. “I saved a child.”
“I know,” Yuren whispered. “And they fear what that means.”
Outside, lightning forked across the Salt Lake horizon, white veins glowing in the dark water. Rick stared at his reflection in the glass: pale, haunted, with a faint trace of gold pulsing beneath his skin.
He murmured, “If healing is a crime, then what am I?”
Yuren didn’t answer. The thunder did.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 402
"Good!" Sterling grunted, turning around. "Lock the gates permanently! Set the automated defense turrets to shoot anything that tries to climb the walls! Let them rot in their fake health!"Sterling marched out of the room. The ten terrified doctors quickly followed him, eager to get away from the black folder on the table. The heavy white doors clicked shut. Isaac was alone in the giant meeting room. He looked at the heavy black folder on the silver table. He reached out and picked it up. There was no medical data inside the folder. The pages inside were completely blank. It was just a prop. A tool for a magic trick. Isaac smiled a genuine, warm smile. It felt strange on his face. "You are safe now, my broken friends," Isaac whispered to the empty room, looking down toward the junkyard. "Breathe the clean air. Drink the boiled water. Grow strong in the dark."Isaac turned and walked out of the meeting room. He walked down the clean white hallway toward his private office. He had
Chapter 401
Isaac stood perfectly still. His brilliant, mathematical mind moved incredibly fast. He could not let Sterling drop the bombs. If Sterling bombed the junkyard, all of the innocent people Rick had saved would die. The beautiful green miracle would turn into black ash. The Ghost Doctor’s sacrifice would be for nothing. Isaac had to stop the army. He had to protect the junkyard. But Isaac could not just say, 'No, we must be kind.' If he showed any compassion, Sterling would arrest him for treason. Isaac had to use logic. He had to use a lie that was so smart, so terrifying, and so perfectly calculated that the Guild would be too afraid to touch the junkyard. Isaac reached into the inside pocket of his pristine white suit jacket. He pulled out a thick, heavy black folder. The folder was tied closed with a thick black ribbon. In the center of the folder was a large, dark red wax seal. It was an Official Classified Report. Isaac walked slowly to the large silver table. He placed the h
Chapter 400
The clock on the pure white marble wall made a soft, sharp sound. Tick. Tick. Tick. The sound was very quiet, but in the massive meeting room of the Pharmaceutical Guild, it sounded like a heavy hammer hitting a drum. The room was perfectly clean. The walls were made of white glass. The long, oval table in the center of the room was made of polished silver. Bright, cold artificial lights shined down from the high ceiling. There were no shadows in this room. There was no dirt. But right now, the room was full of fear. Ten of the smartest, richest, and most powerful doctors in the City of Iron sat around the silver table. They wore spotless white coats. They wore expensive silver glasses. They were all staring at the giant digital screen on the wall. Usually, the screen showed beautiful, climbing numbers. It showed how much money they were making. It showed how many pills they had sold to the sick, desperate scavengers in the junkyard. Today, the screen showed something impossibl
Chapter 399
Usually, at this time of the morning, the heavy food wagons rolled out of the gates, bringing the daily rations of dry bread and dirty water. But the gates did not open. Jace walked up to the edge of the crater. He looked at the closed gates. Then, he heard a strange, hissing sound. He walked over to a rusted metal pipe sticking out of the mud. It was one of the public water fountains where the scavengers drank. The dirty water trickling out of the pipe suddenly sputtered. It spit a few drops of brown mud. And then, it stopped completely. The pipe hissed with empty air. "Brin," Jace said. His young voice trembled. Brin turned around. "What is it, Jace?""The water," Jace whispered, staring at the dry pipe. "They turned off the water."The thousands of healthy, strong people in the crowd suddenly felt a very different kind of fear. It was not the fear of sickness. It was not the fear of the robotic dogs or the red electric rifles. It was the primal, deep, terrifying fear of abs
Chapter 398
The thousands of scavengers cheered. They raised their rusted pipes. They raised their heavy rocks. They were terrified, yes. But they were no longer helpless. They were a healthy, massive army of broken things that refused to be broken again. The Ghost Doctor was gone, but his medicine remained. High above the roaring crowd, inside the tallest, cleanest white tower in the inner city. Auditor Isaac sat perfectly still behind his clear glass desk. His white suit was flawless. His thin silver glasses rested perfectly on his nose. He was staring at his giant digital screen. The screen showed the live video feeds from the city’s Surveillance Drones. The drones were flying high over the junkyard. They were showing the massive crowd of thousands of scavengers gathered around the black iron crater in Sector Four. Doctor Vance stood next to the desk. He was shaking. He had washed the mud off his face, but he still looked terrified. "Auditor Isaac," Doctor Vance stuttered. "Look at them.
Chapter 397
Brin covered her mouth with her dirty hands. Her tough, brave face completely broke. The giant iron furnace was gone. The thick metal walls, the heavy ceiling, the flat iron operating table... everything had vanished. At the bottom of the crater, there was only a massive, perfectly flat, smooth pool of solid black iron. It looked like a giant black mirror resting in the dirt. The clinic had been melted down to absolute nothingness. "No," Jace whimpered. Tears instantly filled his brown eyes. He slid down the steep dirt path into the crater. He ran to the edge of the smooth black iron mirror. He fell to his knees. He touched the cold, black metal. "Doctor Rick!" Jace screamed at the top of his lungs. His young voice cracked with pure agony. "Doctor Rick, where are you?!"Brin walked slowly down the path. She stood next to Jace. She stared at the black mirror. "He burned it," Brin whispered. Her voice was hollow. "He used the white fire. He destroyed the clinic so the city guards
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