The alert did not come from the system.
It came from outside it.
A sealed message appeared on Lin Chen's private channel, marked with a symbol he had never seen before.
International Medical Oversight Council.
---
An Unscheduled Inquiry
The message was brief.
> Your recent interventions have exceeded regional medical autonomy thresholds.
Provide justification.
Lin Chen read it twice.
Not because he didn't understand.
But because this was the first time someone had questioned his actions without asking for help first.
---
System Response
The Medical Authority System reacted instantly.
[System Log: External Governance Interference — Detected.]
[Recommended Action: Defensive Justification Mode.]
Lin Chen dismissed the prompt.
"No," he said quietly.
"Not defensive."
---
A Different Kind of Pressure
This wasn't a patient.
Not a crisis.
Not a life hanging by minutes.
This was politics.
Numbers twisted into language.
Success reframed as overreach.
Dr. Hart frowned.
"They're afraid of losing control."
"They already have," Lin Chen replied calmly.
---
The Choice
He could comply.
Submit data.
Reduce involvement.
Become a consultant instead of a decision-maker.
The system showed the probabilities.
Compliance reduced conflict risk.
But increased long-term casualties.
Lin Chen closed the interface.
---
A Measured Answer
He opened a secure channel.
One message.
> Authority is not claimed. It is proven.
Review the outcomes.
He attached nothing else.
No explanations.
No apologies.
Just results.
---
System Log
[System Log: Operator Stance — Assertive.]
[External Risk — Escalating.]
Lin Chen accepted it.
Some conflicts couldn't be optimized away.
---
End of Chapter
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