Chapter 2

The dark barrel of the gun carried the faint scent of gun oil.

The patients and their families in the hall screamed in terror and scrambled into the corners, clutching their heads.

I remained seated in my leather armchair without so much as shifting position.

My gaze passed over the muzzle and settled on the charred man lying on the stretcher.

Samuel's chest barely rose and fell.

Beside him, the heart monitor emitted a faint, steady beep.

I slipped a Ghost Gate Needle from my sleeve.

With a flick of my fingers, the longest Soulbinding Needle slid into my palm.

I picked up the lighter from the table and snapped it open.

A flame sprang to life.

I held the needle above the flame and looked straight at Michael.

“Go ahead and shoot.”

My voice remained calm.

“The moment you pull the trigger, this needle will fall into the fire.

“This set of Ghost Gate Needles will melt completely if exposed to an open flame for more than three seconds.

“After that, no one in the world will ever be able to perform the Thirteen Needles of Revival again.

“Samuel Hall will die, and by the time it's over, all you'll be left with is a corpse.”

Michael's entire body stiffened.

The hand holding the gun froze in midair as panic flashed across his eyes.

Just as the standoff reached its breaking point, the screech of brakes suddenly echoed from outside.

Seven or eight black luxury sedans with matching license plates forced their way through the crowd and came to a stop outside the Hall of Souls Clinic.

The doors flew open.

Michelle Hall stepped out, leaning on a walking cane as more than a dozen of Rivergate's most influential figures hurried in beside her.

The moment she saw Samuel on the stretcher, tears streamed down her face.

She rushed forward and broke into heart-wrenching sobs.

“My son! You fool!

“Was saving other people really worth throwing your own life away?”

Several of the city's most influential figures who followed her inside also had tears in their eyes.

After crying for a while, Michelle suddenly turned around.

She shoved Michael aside and walked straight to my desk.

Then, with a thud, she dropped to her knees in front of me.

“Ashley!”

Her voice was ragged with grief.

“I'm begging you! When your grandfather was still alive, he owed the Hall family a debt he could never repay! Just consider this a chance to settle that debt!

“If you'll save Samuel, I'll give you anything you want!

“If you want my life, I'll give it to you right here and now!”

The entire hall was stunned.

The families huddled in the corners could no longer hold back.

An elderly man with a full head of white hair suddenly jumped to his feet and pointed at me.

“Dr. Cross! My grandson is scheduled for the first slot next year! I'll give that slot to Mr. Hall! Please save him first! A good man like him can't die!”

“That's right! I'll give up my mother's slot too!”

“We'll all give up our places! Surely a life matters more than a rule!”

The entire hall erupted.

Everyone was pressuring me.

I looked at Michelle kneeling on the floor.

I looked at the families voluntarily giving up their slots.

The lighter in my hand had grown so hot it nearly burned my palm.

“A debt? When my grandfather died, every debt he owed the Hall family was already repaid.”

I rose to my feet and walked over to the medicine cabinet.

I grabbed a handful of dried sage and tossed it into a brass bowl.

A cloud of pungent white smoke billowed upward, stinging everyone's eyes.

“You want to give up your slots? That's your choice.

“But once I've made a decision, I don't take it back.

“Even if the sky falls today, I will not treat this man.”

Michelle trembled with rage.

She pointed a finger at my face and unleashed a furious stream of curses.

“You ungrateful disgrace! You heartless monster!”

Suddenly, a wave of shouting and commotion erupted outside the clinic.