Return of the Legendary Cyber King

CH 2

Henry ran with everything he had, his wet sneakers slapping against the freezing slush. Every breath felt like sharp glass scraping down his throat.

His cheap jacket was soaked with cold mud, and his bruised cheek burned from Rose’s slap. But he felt no physical pain; his entire world had narrowed down to one person.

"Hold on, Lily," Henry whispered under his breath, his vision blurring in the snow. "Please, just hold on."

He cut through dark alleys, pushing his body to the limit. His cracked phone screen showed almost midnight by the time he reached the gates of Humpton Memorial Hospital.

He burst through the glass doors of the entrance, slipping on the floor before catching himself on the front desk.

"Hey! You can't run in here like that!" a security guard shouted, pointing an angry finger. "Look at the mess you're making, you bum!"

Henry didn't even turn his head. He shoved past the guard and sprinted up the stairs, taking them three steps at a time until he reached the fourth floor.

When he pushed through the double doors of the patient wing, his blood ran cold.

Room 402 was empty. Lily's bed was stripped bare, and the monitor wires lay tangled on the floor.

Down at the end of the hall, beside the freight elevator, stood a rolling bed. A dirty tarp was thrown over the glass cover of Lily’s life-support pod.

Lily lay inside, completely still and pale as death. The warning light on the machine was blinking a weak, dying yellow.

Beside the elevator stood Dr. Harrison, calmly sipping hot coffee while checking his watch. Two big security guards stood beside him with iron crowbars.

"Stop right there!" Henry’s voice cracked through the quiet hall, raw with fear and rage.

Harrison turned around slowly, lowering his cup with an amused smirk. "Well, well. Look who finally dragged himself out of the gutter."

Henry threw his body in front of the bed, his shaking hands gripping the cold steel frame. "What did you do to her?! Her machine needs power! Her body cannot get cold!"

"Mr. Smith, your shouting is bothering my staff," Harrison said smoothly, adjusting his glasses. "This special machine costs thousands of dollars a day. As of tonight, your account has zero balance."

"My contract with the Humptons guarantees her care until the end of the year!" Henry shouted, his knuckles turning white as he protected Lily. "You have no right to touch her!"

Harrison let out a dry laugh and pulled a stamped receipt from his coat pocket, waving it in the air.

"You really are stupid, aren't you?" Harrison sneered, leaning in close. "Young Master Brandon Thorne came to my office this morning. He handed me fifty thousand dollars in cash and a note signed by Eleanor Humpton."

Harrison’s eyes danced with spite as he tapped the paper on Henry’s chest. "Brandon said Rose's company is going public tomorrow. Keeping an unpaid, brain-dead vegetable on their books looks bad for business."

"Brandon paid you to kill my sister?" Henry whispered, the air leaving his lungs.

"Kill? That’s an ugly word," Harrison laughed softly. "We are just throwing out an unpaid bill. Young Master Brandon was clear: clean up Rose's books, and throw the trash into the gutter where it belongs."

Henry’s heart felt like it was being crushed in a vise. "She will die if you take her out into that storm! I am begging you, Harrison! Give me until midnight! Just a few more minutes!"

"A few minutes?" Harrison sneered, his face full of disgust. "Do you think a top hospital runs on a beggar's tears? Look at your torn clothes and your bloody hands. You spent four years washing dishes for the Humptons, and now they threw you out like a stray dog."

Harrison turned his back, snapping his fingers at the two guards. "Pull this bum away. Shut off the battery and wheel that bed to the loading dock."

The two heavy guards stepped forward, reaching for Henry's collar.

"Don't touch that machine!" Henry roared, throwing himself forward to block them.

The bigger guard cursed, driving his heavy boot straight into Henry’s ribs.

The hard kick knocked the wind right out of Henry. A sharp pain tore through his chest, sending him crashing down against the hard floor.

He coughed, tasting blood in his mouth, but he refused to stay down. Using his elbows and knees, he dragged himself back to the bed, wrapping his arms around the wheels.

"You stubborn piece of trash!" the guard barked, raising his boot to stomp on Henry’s hands.

Henry didn't flinch. He didn't close his eyes. He locked his gaze on the wall clock above the elevator.

The red second hand moved toward the top of the clock with steady clicks.

"Hold on, Lily," Henry muttered through his bloody teeth, his voice barely a whisper. "Just a few more seconds."

Harrison looked down at his wrist with an annoyed sigh. "Hurry up and pull the switch. I have a dinner to attend tonight."

The guard reached out, his thick fingers grabbing the red power handle on the side of Lily's machine.

Just as the guard began to pull the handle down, the deep bell of the city clock tower boomed through the winter night outside.

Midnight had arrived.

The four years were officially over.

At that exact second, the secret tracking net that had hunted Henry’s family vanished into thin air. Across the world, the enemy lost his trail completely.

A sharp buzz pulsed against Henry’s collarbone.

Inside the pocket of his coat, the flat black phone suddenly lit up with a bright blue light.

The phone began to ring with a clear, sharp chime that cut through the cold hall.

The guard’s hand froze, startled by the sudden sound.

Henry slowly let go of the wheels.

He stood up from the wet floor, his back straightening with cold authority.

The desperate look in his eyes was completely gone, replaced by a chilling calm that made the air feel like ice.

Henry pulled the black phone from his coat, pressed the screen to his ear, and spoke in a flat voice.

"Speak."

"Lord Architect!"

The voice on the other end was shaking with deep emotion, but neither the doctor nor the guards could hear a single word. The caller was Marcus Sterling, the powerful billionaire who managed Henry's hidden empire.

"The time is up!" Marcus said, his voice thick with tears of respect. "The lock has ended without a trace. All four hundred bank reserves, the global satellite defense grid, and the family's assets are back in your name. We have waited four long years for your return, Sir!"

"Marcus," Henry said, his voice flat and heavy. "Drop the greetings."

On the other end of the line, a man's voice spoke in rapid, urgent whispers,

"I am on the fourth floor of Humpton Memorial Hospital," Henry said into the phone, his voice echoing clearly down the corridor. "Buy this entire hospital group right now in cash. Strip Dr. Harrison of his medical license, ban his name from every hospital in the country, and send our medical team to move Lily."

Henry tapped the screen, ending the call, and slid the phone back into his coat pocket.

Dr. Harrison stared at Henry for a second, then burst into loud, mocking laughter that bounced off the walls.

"Buy the hospital in cash? Strip my medical license?" Harrison laughed so hard he almost spilled his coffee. "Look at this clown! You're even pretending to make a phone call and acting like a big boss just to scare us!"

The two guards laughed along, shaking their heads with sneers.

“Do you think this is some kind of movie or fictional story?” Harrison sneered, stepping up to the machine with a cruel grin. "Nobody on earth can save you now. I am pulling this plug—"

Before Harrison's hand could touch the handle, his own phone rang loudly inside his lab coat.

Harrison frowned, pulling it out. The screen flashed bright red with the caller name: DIRECTOR KAUFMAN - HOSPITAL OWNER.

Harrison puffed out his chest with pride. He shoved the glowing screen toward Henry’s face.

"Look at this, beggar," Harrison laughed. "Director Kaufman himself is calling me. He probably wants to thank me for kicking your useless sister out of our building."

Harrison cleared his throat, answering the call with a greasy smile. "Good evening, Director Kaufman! This is Dr. Harr—"

"Harrison, you brainless dog!"

A deafening roar blasted from the speaker, so loud that the two guards jumped back in shock.

Harrison froze, the smile sliding off his face. "Di... Director Kaufman?"

"What the hell did you just do on the fourth floor?!" Kaufman screamed through the phone, his voice shaking with pure panic. "What patient did you just touch?!"

Harrison’s throat went dry, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead. "I... I didn't do anything wrong, Sir! I only discharged an unpaid patient from Pod 4 to clear our bad debts—"

"You suicidal idiot!" Kaufman shrieked, the sound of glass smashing in his office echoing through the line. "The State Health Board just shut down my entire hospital group! Our accounts in eighteen banks were frozen thirty seconds ago! The Health Chief called me directly, crying with fear!"

Harrison’s knees began to shake. "That's... that's impossible.."

Kaufman sobbed in terror through the receiver. "Your medical license was wiped from the national system ten seconds ago! What kind of god did you just offend?!"

Harrison’s hand lost all its strength. His phone slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor and cracking into pieces.

The hallway fell into absolute, dead silence.

Less than a minute later, the elevator doors opened with a loud bang.

Director Kaufman ran into the hall like a madman, his expensive suit soaked with sweat and his face pale as a ghost.

The moment Kaufman saw Henry standing tall beside the bed, he knew this was the terrifying man his superiors had warned him about.

Without saying a single word, Kaufman rushed forward and hit Dr. Harrison across the face with all his might.

The heavy slap knocked Harrison off his feet, sending him crashing to the floor, spitting blood and broken teeth.

"You blind dog!" Kaufman screamed, kicking Harrison in the ribs before dropping onto his knees right in front of Henry's wet sneakers.

Kaufman slammed his head against the floor, crying in terror. "Sir! Please, spare my life! I knew nothing about this! Brandon Thorne forged the papers! Please, have mercy on my family!"

Henry looked down at the trembling owner with eyes like ice.

Kaufman scrambled up, frantically waving his arms at the frozen nurses down the hall. "What are you idiots looking at?! Bring the best bed! Move this young lady to the Presidential Suite right now! Turn on the backup power!"

"Don't touch her," Henry’s voice rang out.

It was not loud, but the pure coldness in his tone froze everyone in their tracks.

"Sir... please," Kaufman begged with tears running down his face. "Let us fix this! We will give her the best care in the world, completely free!"

"Your hospital is not fit to touch my sister," Henry said quietly.

Right then, the deep rumble of heavy engines shook the windows of the hall.

Down in the private driveway below, three bulletproof, black medical limousines pulled up smoothly.

The elevator doors opened again, and Marcus Sterling walked out into the corridor, followed by eight guards in dark coats and four top brain surgeons in white coats.

Marcus locked eyes with Henry and took a hurried step forward, his lips parting to speak.

Before Marcus could say a word, Henry raised one hand slightly, giving him a sharp, warning glance.

Marcus caught the silent signal instantly. Knowing his master's identity had to remain hidden from their enemies, Marcus swallowed his words, closed his mouth, and gave a deep, respectful bow.

"Sir," Marcus said, keeping his voice formal and guarded. "The transport pod is ready. We will move your sister to the private sanatorium under armed guard."

"Move her," Henry ordered.

The medical team worked quickly and smoothly. Within thirty seconds, Lily was safely moved into the new pod, her vital signs steady as the green monitors hummed to life.

Marcus stepped closer to Henry, leaning in to whisper so no one else could hear. "Sir, our business team is ready. Should we crush Humpton Tech and Thorne Telecom tonight?"

Henry turned slowly, looking out the frosted window into the storm.

A faint, cold smile touched his lips.

"No," Henry said, his voice sharp as a blade. "Let Brandon run my code tomorrow. Let Rose believe he is her savior. A building must reach its very peak before the fall can destroy it completely."