Chapter 5 — Protecting Mom, Once Again

The pre-operative documentation for Madam Hsu Chi is still missing several items. Please proceed to Building B of the Rehabilitation Center at Hospital Number Three before eight o'clock tonight to provide the necessary supplements. Missing this deadline will severely affect insurance claims and medical record archiving.

The signature at the bottom indicated the Medical Affairs Office of Hospital Number Three. I forwarded the message to Han Kanh. He replied swiftly:

Do not respond. Do not make any moves for now.

Hsu Chih Hanh read the message and let out a cold laugh.

They truly believe everyone is just like them, rushing to forge documents.

At half-past seven in the evening, I sat with him inside a car parked outside the rehabilitation center. My mother did not come. She was currently in a secure ward, protected by personnel arranged by the police. The rehabilitation center blazed with lights, resembling a high-end resort from the outside. Before eight o'clock, Lu Hoai Khiem appeared. He wore a cap and walked with brisk strides. Chu Tung Nien followed closely behind him. Trailing them was a middle-aged man clad in a grey suit. Han Kanh lowered his voice:

Tan Thieu, the organ trafficking intermediary.

The three men entered Building B. A hospital room on one of the upper floors was brightly lit. Diep Man Nung was also inside. She was not in a wheelchair; instead, she reclined against a sofa, her complexion vastly superior to her image in public postings. The table before her was strewn with documents. There were blank organ donor consent forms, draft certificates of brain death, and anesthetic incident reports. There were also photocopies of identification papers belonging to my mother and me. Tan Thieu flipped through the papers, his voice laced with frustration.

The originals have been sealed; we can only manufacture a replacement set.

Chu Tung Nien chimed in:

The signature samples are sufficient. I can still arrange for someone to alter the data within the system.

Lu Hoai Khiem’s voice sounded hoarse.

Hurry up. Hsu Chih Hanh has already intervened. If this drags on any further, we will lose our window of opportunity.

Diep Man Nung spoke up abruptly:

Didn’t you say her daughter was easily manipulated?

Didn’t you say Hsu Chi obeyed you in everything?

Why has it all come to this?

The room fell silent for a single second. Lu Hoai Khiem lowered his tone:

I do not know why she suddenly went mad either.

Diep Man Nung let out a laugh, her voice trembling with the threat of tears.

I cannot hold on much longer, Hoai Khiem.

You promised me that I would receive a heart.

I have waited for twenty years; I cannot lose to that woman.

Those words traveled through the wiretap device, ringing with crystal clarity inside my earphones. I closed my eyes. In the end, she had abandoned all pretense. At fifteen minutes past eight, Han Kanh issued the order to move. People breached the stairwells, elevators, and back doors simultaneously.

Nobody move!

Chaos erupted within the room. Chu Tung Nien attempted to snap his laptop shut but was immediately subdued. Tan Thieu tried to tear the documents apart, only to have them snatched away by the police. Diep Man Nung screamed in terror. Lu Hoai Khiem stood frozen in place. The moment he saw me walk through the doorway, his entire body stiffened. The document folder on the table lay open. Inside were cash, foreign bank account details, signature samples, and accidental death disposal plans for numerous patients. The top document displayed my mother’s information. The notes section contained a single sentence:

The husband will cooperate, the daughter can be pacified, prioritize execution.

I gazed upon those characters and suddenly burst out laughing. Prioritize execution. In their eyes, patients were never human beings. They were merely numerical codes on a slaughterhouse statistical sheet. As the handcuffs clicked onto Lu Hoai Khiem’s wrists, his eyes remained bloodshot as he stared at me.

Wan Ninh, I truly never wanted you to lose your mother.

I walked up to stand directly before him.

Whether you ever thought of that no longer matters.

The moment you raised that blade, you ceased to be my father.

Following that night at the rehabilitation center, the scandal at Hospital Number Three erupted entirely. Initially, the news circulated only within a small circle. Before long, the Health Commission released an official investigation notice. The International Medical Center affiliated with Hospital Number Three harbored severe illegal and regulatory violations in its medical practices. Several medical personnel were suspected of falsifying medical records, unlawfully acquiring citizens’ health information, and participating in an illegal organ-trafficking ring. Chu Tung Nien was placed under criminal detention. Tan Thieu’s brokerage network was dismantled. The vice director of Hospital Number Three was taken away for questioning. Lu Hoai Khiem was subjected to coercive measures on suspicion of attempted intentional injury, falsification of medical documents, and crimes related to illegal human organ trafficking. Due to her failing health, Diep Man Nung was temporarily spared detention, but her exit from the country was restricted and she was subjected to continuous interrogation. She was no longer the fragile female piano artist portrayed on the internet. The dialogue snippets and on-site audio recordings were all incorporated into the investigative summary. She had nonchalantly reveled in a path to survival constructed upon the deaths of others. Public opinion shifted swiftly. Those who had previously berated me for lacking understanding began to voice their apologies.