The night was quiet, but Lin Chen's mind was anything but.
[System Log: Continuous Authority State — Exceeded Safe Threshold.]
[Operator Fatigue — Detected.]
He leaned back, staring at the pulsing world map.
---
First Step Back
Dr. Hart watched him closely.
"You can't keep this pace."
Lin Chen nodded slowly.
"I know."
He opened the interface.
A list of active interventions scrolled endlessly.
And then he began closing some threads.
Priority: High — Keep
Priority: Medium — Delay
Low — Delegate
For the first time, he let the system and subordinates handle cases without his direct input.
---
Delegation
A small team of trusted medical analysts received authority nodes.
Data flows
Prediction models
Containment protocols
Lin Chen didn't touch them.
Yet he monitored the outcomes.
[System Log: Operator Load — Reduced.]
[Delegation Efficiency — +18%.]
It worked.
---
The System Reacts
The Medical Authority System didn't protest.
Instead, it adjusted its recommendations.
Allowed local decision-making
Reduced alerts for lower-stakes cases
Focused predictive analysis on high-risk areas
The balance had shifted.
---
Dr. Hart's Insight
"They're learning from you," Dr. Hart said.
"Or at least they're being forced to adapt."
Lin Chen replied quietly,
"Authority without sustainability is meaningless."
---
A Quiet Victory
For the first time in weeks, Lin Chen felt a small measure of control.
He didn't need to be everywhere at once.
He didn't need to make every decision.
Instead, the system and his team amplified his decisions.
Lives saved still counted.
Risk still minimized.
But he could breathe.
---
A Subtle Shift
The map pulsed.
Requests continued to arrive.
But the weight no longer crushed him.
[System Log: Operator Load — Within Safe Threshold.]
He smiled faintly.
This was a start.
Authority had limits.
But limits didn't mean weakness.
They meant structure.
---
End of Chapter
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