Chapter 2

I followed the ambulance in a panic and rushed Melvin and Sharon into the ER. In the vehicle, I frantically tried to explain the situation to the doctor.

"Oysters! They ate oysters!"

The doctor's expression turned grave, and he immediately began preparing for emergency treatment.

However, once we got to the ER, Tyler pushed ahead of me and grabbed the doctor's white coat. "Doctor, they just ate some not-so-fresh seafood. I saw what they ate. It was just some shrimp and shellfish. It probably caused severe food poisoning and an allergic reaction!"

He deliberately left out the most critical detail about the oysters.

The doctor glanced at his chef's uniform, hesitated for a moment, then chose to believe him.

He ordered, "Treat it as a severe food allergy and acute gastroenteritis first! Get the antihistamines and prepare for stomach pumping!"

Yet, after they started the IV, Melvin and Sharon's condition continued to deteriorate rapidly. They even began showing symptoms of nerve paralysis in their limbs.

The doctor in charge of the resuscitation was sweating profusely, muttering under his breath, "This isn't right. Allergic reactions aren't this severe."

Just then, the heart monitor let out a sharp, piercing alarm.

I could not take it anymore and shoved Tyler aside. I rushed to the doctor, shoving my phone with the photo in his face.

"They ate oysters! Raw oysters that weren't cleaned properly! Don't you understand?!"

The doctor looked at the photo of the poorly prepared oyster dish, and his face went white as a sheet. He immediately dropped the allergy medication and shouted for a specialist.

"Quick! Get anesthesiology and the ICU! Prepare the toxin antidote! The patient has tetrodotoxin poisoning!"

The entire ER erupted into chaos as doctors and nurses ran around frantically, preparing to rush the patients to the ICU.

Just as the medical team confirmed the treatment plan and was about to administer the critical life-saving drugs, Tyler, that bastard, suddenly "helpfully" spoke up again.

"Doctor! Wait a minute! I just remembered!"

He grabbed the doctor's arm with an urgent expression on his face. "I-I think I heard the patients mention something when they were chatting at the restaurant. T-They have severe allergic reactions to a lot of common medications!"

The busy, stressed medical staff immediately stopped what they were doing. To be safe, they had no choice but to perform an emergency allergen test on the two elderly patients.

This back-and-forth cost another full 30 minutes of critical rescue time.

I was shaking with rage, wishing I could strangle this lying piece of trash right then and there.

Just then, Vivian finally arrived after finishing her interview, fully made up and dressed impeccably. She did not even glance at the ICU warning lights as she walked straight to Tyler and pulled him into her arms, her face full of concern.

"Tyler, are you okay? Did they scare you? They didn't give you a hard time, did they?"

Tyler immediately acted like he found his protector and whined pitifully to her. He even pointed at me, his voice tearful. "Vivian, he was so mean just now. He kept yelling at me! I was so scared."

Vivian immediately cooed at him soothingly. "It's okay. Don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, no one can bully you."

Then, she turned and glared at me furiously. "Ezekiel, what's wrong with you?! Tyler came here out of the goodness of his heart to help, and you're taking it out on him?! He's just an apprentice, so what does he know? How does it make you a man to yell at him? If you have a problem, take it out on me!"

I looked at this absurd scene unfolding before me and felt completely heartbroken.

I practically shouted, "Vivian! Even if it's my parents lying in there, don't you care at all whether they live or die?!"

Vivian was startled by my yelling, then curled her lip in disdain and straightened the collar of her dress. "What are you making such a fuss about? Life and death are normal. What's so shocking about that!"

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a click. The red indicator light above the ICU suddenly went out.

The doctor walked out looking exhausted, pulled off his sweat-soaked mask, and shook his head heavily at me. "I'm sorry. We did everything we could. The two elderly patients missed the optimal window for treatment, and the toxins spread too severely to control."

My head buzzed, and I froze.

When Vivian heard this, not only did she show no trace of sadness, but she seemed to relax as if a burden was lifted, letting out a long sigh of relief. She took Tyler's hand, turned to leave, and her voice even carried a hint of cheerfulness.

"Well, they're dead now. It's got nothing to do with us anymore. Let's go. I don't want to stick around and catch whatever bad energy this place is giving off."