Chapter 2: Underground King

In the ICU at Skynos Hospital, Cassandra Yale lay deathly pale, barely clinging to life. Watching her daughter on the bed, Mia Looske felt as if knives were carving up her heart. Attending physician Walker stood beside her, an Organ Donation Registration Form in his hand. "The patient's brain tumor grew rapidly," he said, "and it already caused a dangerous rise in intracranial pressure, leading to coma and respiratory and circulatory failure. At most, she has an hour." He tapped the form. "The most rational choice is organ donation. You can get thirty thousand dollars in compensation." Tears welled in Mia's eyes. "Doctor, is my daughter really beyond saving? Please-save her. She's only twenty!" "If we'd operated earlier, there might have been a sliver of hope," Walker replied, shaking his head. "But your family couldn't come up with the surgical fee. There's no hope left." He gave a thin smile. "Sign it. This is the best outcome. Even if you lose your daughter, you still have your son. The money can help pay your debts." At that, Mia broke down. She sobbed so hard her whole body shook. Walker's brow creased. "Enough crying. I've explained it clearly. There's very little time left. Keep this up and you won't even get the chance to sign." Grief swallowed Mia, but thoughts of her son running himself ragged and the mountain of debt at home finally nudged her hand. Trembling, she took the form and a pen, ready to sign. Walker's lips curled. Once the ink hit the paper, his task would be done. Just then, a figure burst through the door. "Don't sign!" It was Shane Yale. One glance at his sister on the bed, and the knot in his chest eased-he wasn't too late. Then he saw the form in his mother's hands and tore it to shreds. Mia started crying all over again, choking on her words. "Shane, your sister, she…" Walker's face darkened. "What do you think you're doing? Your sister can't be saved. This is the best choice!" "Best, my ass. Get out!" Shane shot him a vicious glare. If he had come a minute later and they'd gone ahead with organ harvesting, there would have been no coming back. He turned to Mia. "Mom, trust me. Cassandra will be fine. I'll bring her back." He guided her out to wait beyond the ICU resuscitation room. Walker's patience snapped. "The patient can't be saved. Our expert panel decided this. Face reality." Shane moved back toward the door. "Out. I'll save my own sister. I don't need idiots getting in the way." "You?" Walker sneered. "With what? Playing the devoted brother now? Where were you before? You couldn't even pay for surgery. You want someone to blame, blame your poverty-" Shane cut him off with a single kick that sent Walker skidding onto his back. Then he shut the heavy door. Inside, the monitors around the bed wailed. Shane stripped every lead and sensor away. He swept over Cassandra with his Divine Sense-clearer than any top-of-the-line scanner-seeing the tumor as if it sat in the palm of his hand. He pulled out a set of silver needles. His hands moved like lightning, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of major acupoints were pinned. The Nine Needles of Soul Revival-an ancestral divine art of the Ancient Medical Sect. It was said that when the soul returned, even Death had to weep. He channeled Threefold Vital Essence without pause. The Three-Life Mantra was the most suited to healing; its true energy nourished meridians and flesh with remarkable effect. As the last needle went in, the tumor began to shrink at a rate visible to the naked eye. Vitality surged back through her body. Outside, Walker had landed on all fours and lay there stunned for a heartbeat before fury seized him. He scrambled up and started cursing at the door. "Bastard! You dare hit me? Come out here if you've got the guts!" "Our entire expert panel couldn't treat this-who do you think you are? Keep dreaming! If you really cure her, I'll crawl out of Skynos Hospital on my hands and knees!" "What kind of old lady raises a son who goes around hitting doctors? This isn't over!" He slammed his fists against the metal. The alloy door was locked from inside; from the hallway, it might as well have been welded shut. The soundproofing swallowed his shouts. A young nurse edged closer. "Director, should we call the police?" "No." After venting, Walker's breathing steadied. He thought of that Organ Donation Registration Form and abandoned the idea of calling the cops. "ICU charges by the hour. We'll deal with him when he comes out." Mia stood off to the side, dazed. She had no idea what her son was doing. All she could do was wait. Time crawled. After half an hour, the heavy door eased open. "Kid, you finally came out!" Walker barreled forward, fuming. "Even our expert group couldn't handle this and you think you can-what are you, Hua Tuo reborn-" He choked on the rest as if he'd seen a ghost. His eyes bulged so wide they nearly popped from their sockets. Behind Shane stood a tall, clear-eyed girl-Cassandra. The most striking thing was the color in her cheeks and the light in her gaze. She looked nothing like someone on death's doorstep. "I… this…" Walker's mouth worked soundlessly. He was her attending physician. He knew exactly how bad her condition had been. Yet here she was, alive and whole. He pinched his thigh hard. Pain lanced up his leg. Not a dream. "How is this possible? How is this possible?" It wasn't a misdiagnosis. The entire expert panel had reviewed her case. All of them couldn't have been wrong. For her to recover so quickly-what had this young man done? Was he some kind of immortal? "Mom…" Cassandra didn't spare him a glance. She threw herself into Mia's arms. Surviving a brush with death broke the dam; mother and daughter clung to each other and wept. Walker stood there as if someone had slapped him a hundred times. His face burned. He didn't know what to say. His mind flashed to his earlier bluster-if Shane cured her, he'd crawl out of Skynos Hospital-and he wondered if anyone had heard. Noise erupted at the entrance. A dozen men surged in. At their head strode a tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man with a stormy expression and a natural air of authority. Behind him, a phalanx of bodyguards in black suits carried a stretcher bearing a young man soaked in blood, grievously wounded. In seconds they were at the door. The man raised his voice. "I'm Omar Zorn of the Forseas Chamber of Commerce. Who's the attending doctor? Save my son. Now." "I-I am…" Walker snapped to attention at the name. Omar Zorn-the president of the Forseas Chamber of Commerce, worth billions. That was secondary. More importantly, he ruled the underworld. People called him the Underground King. No one dared cross him. He was the real power here. Omar Zorn seized Walker by the collar and jerked his chin at the stretcher. "Save my son. Cure him and you'll be a benefactor to the Zorn family. Fail, and you'll be buried with him." As the Underground King, his presence hit like a blade. The air around him seemed to carry a killing chill. "Yes!" Walker flinched, a full-body shiver running through him. At this point, he had no choice. Fortune or disaster, he had to take the case. He spun toward the nurses and barked orders to get the patient into the resuscitation room.