Waiting outside the operating room feels like an eternity, the air thick with tension.
Noah leaned against the wall, his back pressed firmly against it. His usually bright blue eyes had dulled; now, they were intensely fixed on the red light blinking above the door.
Meanwhile, Alicia, wearing the same expression as Noah, sat in one of the waiting chairs, her gaze locked on the door.
No words escaped her lips—lips that usually overflowed with cheerful comments. Now, she had fallen completely silent.
Jason, who had joined them, stood quietly in the corner, waiting for his boss to give him instructions.
They had been waiting there for nearly an hour, but the light indicating that the operation was still in progress remained on.
After a few more minutes passed, the light above the door finally turned green.
At that moment, the three of them began to feel a glimmer of hope, and the tension in their eyes started to soften.
Alicia jumped from her chair and rushed to stand near the door, waiting for the doctor to come out and give them the news they had been desperately waiting for.
Her cold, slightly trembling hands were interlocked in front of her, reflecting her tense mood.
As Alicia sensed her brother's presence beside her, she looked up to meet his calm gaze. A cold, forced smile appeared on her lips as she voiced her concern.
"B-Brother Noah, Mom will be alright, won't she?" Her voice was gentle and shaky.
They had been informed that their mother, who had been in a coma for the past three years, had suddenly shown signs of responsiveness.
Yet shortly after, she had experienced a heart attack along with other complications, prompting the doctor to perform emergency surgery.
However, the surgery had been slightly delayed because the hospital required payment before proceeding.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Noah immediately paid all the bills. He was extremely frustrated with the hospital's poor administration.
What if his mother didn't make it because of the delay?
If that happened, he would sue this hospital.
"Of course, Mom will recover and return to us," he responded in a soothing tone, though a tide of anxiety engulfed him internally. "Don't worry. She's the strongest woman I've ever met..."
Noticing his sister's anxious smile, Noah gently placed his hand on her shoulder, offering silent support.
He then turned his gaze toward the door, following her line of sight.
Before long, the door finally swung open, and two middle-aged men in doctor robes stepped out and stopped in front of them.
After a brief update from the doctor about the surgery, Noah and Alicia faced the devastating news they had feared.
"I apologize. Your mother didn't make it. She died during…"
The news hit Noah like a thunderbolt.
His entire body was engulfed in a turmoil he had never felt before, causing his knees to buckle as he leaned against the wall for support.
Just as he tried to calm and compose himself, he noticed Alicia's body was about to fall.
Quickly, he grasped her hand, placed his other hand on her waist, and held her tightly.
"Alice…"
He called out her name, shocked by how cold her body felt. Her face was as pale as paper, and her lips were slowly turning blue, as if all the blood had drained from her.
"Doc, my sister fainted!"
Noah was too anxious and overwhelmed to fully understand the doctor's words. Still, he followed the nurse as she guided him to a room adjacent to the surgical area.
After laying Alicia on the bed and allowing the doctor to evaluate her condition, Noah felt as if a weight had been placed on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.
He rested his hand on the nearby wall, lowering his head as he focused on breathing normally.
The notification alert buzzed in his ears, but he ignored it, reading the message with a wry smile.
[SYSTEM ALERT – HEALTH DETECTED]
[Host Status: Mentally Unstable | Emotionally Unstable | Power Level: 1]
Noah felt a tremor inside, knowing that the woman who had raised him for decades was gone.
Why did she die?
Why did she leave when he hadn't even returned her kindness yet?
Countless questions now disturbed his mind.
As the storm inside him raged on, he heard someone calling his name.
"Noah..."
Noah glanced back and noticed Jason standing right behind him.
"It's important to check on your mother's condition first. Don't worry about Alicia—I'll gladly stay here and wait for her," Jason said calmly.
Jason's words pulled him from his suffering, enabling him to think clearly once more. He nodded and asked the nurse to guide him to see his mother's body.
Upon seeing his mother's lifeless body on the bed, tears inevitably streamed from the corners of his eyes.
Each step he took closer to the bed felt like a nail being driven into his heart.
It hurt.
But he ignored it and kept moving.
For a brief period, he shed silent tears until, at last, his system buzzed in his ears once more.
The ringing persisted despite his attempts to ignore it.
Wiping away the tears, he tried to check his system.
'Why does the sound seem like a warning? This is the first time I've heard something like this…'
When Noah observed the typically white writing, it now appeared vividly red.
His heart clenched.
The series of lines continued to appear as if urging him to open the notification.
[SYSTEM ALERT – THREAT DETECTED]
[SYSTEM ALERT – THREAT DETECTED]
[SYSTEM ALERT – THREAT DETECTED]
[SYSTEM ALERT – THREAT DETECTED]
'What the hell is this…'
In a hurry, he opened the system alert message.
Noah felt as if his soul was escaping from his body. He was too shocked to realize that it was his mother's alert notification.
...
[SYSTEM ALERT – THREAT DETECTED]
[Name: Martha Green
Age: 45
Status: Deceased
Cause of Death: Reported as heart failure
Unusual Detection: Traces of poison found in the bloodstream
Conclusion: Foul play suspected
Recommended Action: Initiate investigation. A potential external threat is involved.]
...
WHAT!? Someone killed my mother?