The story broke before the reports were finalized.
International media seized the narrative.
Not because of statements.
Not because of politics.
Because the numbers told a story too powerful to ignore.
[System Log: Global Media Exposure — Maximum.]
[Public Opinion: Polarized.]
---
Two Headlines
On one side:
> "The Doctor Who Saved a City Without Permission."
"Results Over Rules: A New Medical Paradigm?"
On the other:
> "An Unregulated Power Operating Above Nations."
"Efficiency Today, Accountability Tomorrow?"
Lin Chen read them all without expression.
Dr. Hart frowned.
"They're turning you into a symbol."
He nodded.
"Symbols are easier to attack than results."
---
The Debate
Panels formed overnight.
Experts argued across time zones.
"Unapproved authority sets a dangerous precedent."
"Yet refusing help would have cost thousands of lives."
One commentator said bluntly:
"If we condemn success because it bypassed protocol, then what exactly are our protocols protecting?"
No one answered directly.
---
A Quiet Metric
While debates raged, hospitals continued sending updates.
Patient recovery rates remained stable.
Secondary outbreaks failed to materialize.
[System Log: Post-Intervention Stability — Confirmed.]
Numbers did not fluctuate with opinion.
---
Pressure Behind the Scenes
A private call reached Lin Chen.
"You've forced our hand," a senior official said.
"We can't openly endorse you. But we can't stop relying on your system either."
Lin Chen responded calmly.
"I don't need endorsement."
A pause.
"What do you need, then?"
"Transparency," he said.
"And access when lives are on the line."
---
The Label
By the end of the day, a new term circulated in reports:
> Independent Authority Actor
Neither hero.
Nor villain.
Something harder to categorize.
[System Log: Global Identity Status — Reclassified.]
---
The Calm Before the Next Test
Dr. Hart leaned back, exhausted.
"They'll test you again."
Lin Chen looked at the world map.
"They always do," he said.
"Because results make dependency inevitable."
Several regions pulsed faintly.
Requests forming.
Crises waiting.
[System Log: Incoming Global Requests — Pending.]
---
End of Chapter
---