They Tried to Kill Me Quietly, Now I’m Coming Back Loud

The Gamble

Chapter 4

Esteban took a deep breath, his mind racing through the vast repository of medical knowledge that had been mysteriously implanted in his consciousness. There were several methods to save Clyde McCauley, but none of them came with guarantees. The old man's condition was too far gone, his organs too damaged. Still, doing something was better than watching him die on the floor.

He had no choice. He had to try.

Kneeling beside Clyde's crumpled form, Esteban carefully lifted the old man—surprised at how light he was, like picking up a bundle of dried twigs—and positioned him back in the chair. Clyde's head lolled to one side, his breathing so shallow it was barely visible.

Esteban closed his eyes and focused. Immediately, the technique materialized in his mind with crystalline clarity: the Ancient Nine Points Life Seal, a method of striking specific acupoints to trap what little vital energy remained in the body, preventing it from dissipating completely. The knowledge was there, perfect and complete, but knowledge and execution were two very different things.

The technique required powerful martial arts skills, precise strikes delivered with exact force at exact locations. Esteban had received the inheritance, yes, but he'd had all of ten minutes to process it. He was essentially still completely unskilled, his body untrained and weak from months of illness.

His fingers trembled as he positioned them over the first acupoint on Clyde's chest. He struck down—too soft. The energy didn't seal. He tried again, adjusting his angle and force. Still nothing. Sweat began beading on his forehead as he attempted a third time, then a fourth. Each failure made his heart sink deeper.

"What are you doing to him?" Josefina's voice was sharp with suspicion.

Esteban ignored her, gritting his teeth in frustration. His strikes were either missing the points entirely or lacking the necessary force to activate them. Time was running out—he could practically feel Clyde's life force draining away with each passing second.

There had to be another way.

Then it hit him. If he couldn't deliver precise acupoint strikes, he'd have to use brute force instead. It was crude, dangerous, and completely unorthodox, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Esteban pulled his fist back and drove it into Clyde's chest.

"What the—" Dr. Navarro's shocked exclamation was drowned out by the solid thump of impact.

Esteban didn't stop. Following the pattern from the Ancient Nine Points technique but replacing precision with raw force, he struck again and again. His fists hammered into Clyde's torso, his sides, working their way up toward the crucial final point. The old man's body jerked with each impact, looking for all the world like Esteban was beating him to death rather than trying to save him.

"Stop! Stop it right now!" Josefina lunged forward, but one of the bodyguards held her back, uncertain whether to intervene.

Esteban pulled back for the final strike. This was the most dangerous one—the temple point. Too hard and he'd cause irreparable brain damage. Too soft and the seal wouldn't complete. His vision was starting to blur, his own weakened body protesting the exertion.

He struck.

His fist connected with Clyde's temple with a sickening crack. For a heart-stopping moment, nothing happened. Then Clyde's mouth gaped open and a torrent of dark, poisonous blood gushed out, splattering across the pristine floor.

The technique had worked. The trapped toxins were being expelled.

But Esteban had nothing left. His legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor, his chest heaving, sweat pouring down his face in rivulets. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, and the beating he'd taken from Enrique earlier made itself known with renewed vengeance.

"Are you insane?" Josefina's voice was a shriek of pure fury. She shook off the bodyguard's restraining hand and rushed to her grandfather's side. "Are you saving him or killing him? My grandfather is over seventy years old, and you're punching him? Beating him like some kind of thug?"

"I wasn't... hurting him..." Esteban managed between gasps for air. "I was sealing... the life force..."

"Sealing life force?" Josefina whirled on him, her beautiful face twisted with rage and fear. "I've never seen anyone 'save' someone by beating them unconscious! If anything happens to my grandfather, if he dies because of what you just did, I swear you'll regret ever being born."

She spun toward the bodyguards, her voice cracking with emotion. "Get a car ready now! We're taking him to Edinberton General Hospital immediately!"

Four bodyguards moved toward Clyde while two others positioned themselves strategically around Esteban. They didn't grab him, didn't restrain him, but their message was clear: don't even think about running. If Clyde McCauley died, Esteban would be held accountable.

Dr. Navarro stood off to the side, his expression a mixture of vindication and barely concealed glee. "I tried to warn you, Miss McCauley. This charlatan clearly has no medical training whatsoever. Beating an elderly man in critical condition? It's barbaric. Criminal, even."

One of the bodyguards reached down to lift Clyde, his hands just inches from the old man's shoulders when—

"Josefina!"

The voice was weak, raspy, but unmistakably alive.

Everyone froze as if struck by lightning. The bodyguards' hands hovered in midair. Dr. Navarro's mouth fell open in shock. Josefina's head snapped around so fast Esteban heard her neck crack.

Clyde McCauley's eyes were open.

"Grandfather!" Josefina dropped to her knees beside him, her hands fluttering over his face, his shoulders, as if afraid he might disappear if she touched him too firmly. "Grandfather, you're awake! How do you feel? Are you in pain? Should we still go to the hospital?"

Clyde closed his eyes for a moment, taking internal inventory of his condition. When he opened them again, there was color returning to his cheeks and a clarity in his gaze that had been absent before. "I feel... much better, actually. Still weak, but the crushing weight on my chest is gone." He turned his head slowly toward Dr. Navarro. "Dr. Navarro, you truly are a master healer. Your quick thinking saved my life. The McCauley family will reward you handsomely for this."

Dr. Navarro's face went through a rapid series of expressions—surprise, temptation, then reluctant honesty. As much as he clearly wanted to take credit, too many people had witnessed what actually happened. "I... appreciate the sentiment, Mr. McCauley, but I must be honest. It wasn't me who saved you."

Clyde's eyebrows rose in surprise. He glanced at Josefina, confusion evident in his expression.

Josefina's entire demeanor had transformed in the span of seconds. The cold fury was gone, replaced by a warm, radiant smile that made her even more breathtaking. She pointed at Esteban, who was still sprawled on the floor trying to catch his breath. "It was him, Grandfather. He's the one who saved you."

Clyde's gaze fixed on Esteban with genuine astonishment. A smile slowly spread across his weathered face. "Incredible. A young man with such exceptional medical skills. I'm deeply impressed." He looked back at Josefina. "Help me sit up properly, dear. I want to speak with my savior."

Josefina helped adjust her grandfather's position in the chair while Esteban struggled to his feet, his legs still shaky. Clyde studied him with sharp, intelligent eyes that seemed to see far more than his frail appearance suggested.

"What's your name, young man?"

"Esteban Rodriguez, sir."

"Well, Esteban Rodriguez, the McCauley family doesn't forget those who help us. You'll be rewarded appropriately for saving my life."

Esteban nodded respectfully, but Clyde wasn't finished. His expression grew more serious. "However, I need you to be completely honest with me. My grandson—" He paused, seeming to catch himself. "I mean, you mentioned earlier that my condition was critical. What you did just now, did it cure me, or merely stabilize things temporarily?"

The knowledge in Esteban's mind provided the answer immediately, and he had no reason to sugarcoat it. "I've stabilized your condition, Mr. McCauley, but there's a significant risk of relapse. Your organs were on the verge of complete failure. What I did was essentially buy you time, but without proper treatment, you could deteriorate again within days, maybe even hours."

The warmth drained from Josefina's face instantly, replaced by that cold calculation he'd seen earlier. "Do you have a way to ensure his complete recovery?"

Clyde leaned forward slightly, his eyes intense despite his weakened state. "Esteban, if you can cure me completely, the McCauley family will agree to three requests of your choosing. Anything within our power to grant, it's yours."

Dr. Navarro made a strangled sound in his throat, his face flushing with envy. Everyone in Edinberton knew the McCauley family was the wealthiest in the city. Three favors from Clyde McCauley could set a person up for life, could open doors that no amount of money alone could open. The doctor's eyes fixed on Esteban with naked jealousy.

Esteban smiled humbly, though inside his mind was already racing through treatment protocols. "Your grandfather's condition is extremely serious, Mr. McCauley. If treated incorrectly, it could worsen dramatically, possibly fatally. I do have a prescription that should work, but..." He hesitated, embarrassment coloring his cheeks.

"But what?" Josefina pressed. "If you have a treatment, we need to start immediately."

"The prescription requires many precious herbs," Esteban admitted, his voice dropping. "Rare ingredients that are difficult to source and very expensive. I..." He looked down at his worn, blood-stained clothes, evidence of his beating from Enrique still visible in the bruises darkening his skin. "I don't have the money to purchase them."

Josefina actually rolled her eyes, though there was no malice in the gesture this time. "Money? You're worried about money? Esteban, write down the prescription. Whatever herbs you need, however rare or expensive, I'll get them. The McCauley family doesn't skimp when it comes to my grandfather's health."

Esteban nodded gratefully but held up a hand. "There's another issue. Many of these herbs vary significantly in quality and age. Even a slight mistake—using a ginseng root that's thirty years old instead of fifty, or ganoderma that's been improperly stored—can drastically affect the medicine's efficacy. Some substitutions could even be dangerous."

"So what do you suggest?" Clyde asked.

"I should come with Miss McCauley to select the herbs personally. I'll know the right ones when I see them."

Josefina was already standing, her decisiveness evident in every movement. "Then let's go now. The sooner we get the medicine, the sooner Grandfather recovers." She turned to one of the bodyguards. "Marcus, prepare the car. We're going to the herb market."

"Wait," Dr. Navarro interjected, his voice dripping with skepticism. "Miss McCauley, are you really going to trust this... this nobody? He just beat your grandfather unconscious! What if this is all some elaborate scheme? What if he's just trying to get close to your family?"

Josefina fixed Dr. Navarro with a look so cold it could have frozen fire. "My grandfather is alive and conscious, Dr. Navarro. When he collapsed, you wanted to send him to the hospital knowing full well he'd die before we got there. Esteban saved him. That's not a scheme—that's a result."

She walked toward the door, then paused and looked back at Esteban expectantly. "Well? Are you coming or not?"

Esteban hurried to follow, his body protesting every step but his heart lighter than it had been in months.

As they left, he heard Dr. Navarro muttering behind them, bitter and defeated: "This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous."