The provisional agreement was under review.
Not everyone on the council agreed.
Internal Friction
A senior advisor spoke first:
"They're giving too much autonomy to a single system.
What if it fails?"
Another countered:
"The results speak for themselves.
We can't ignore the data."
Lin Chen watched quietly.
This was exactly the environment he needed.
External Support Grows
Meanwhile, outside the council:
Hospitals quietly extended permissions.
Independent emergency centers aligned protocols with Lin Chen's system.
Analysts published neutral reports emphasizing the success metrics.
Support was rising, but unofficially.
The System Insight
[Dependency Index: Increasing.]
[Institutional Pressure: Split.]
[Public Trust: Growing.]
The system was no longer just a tool.
It was a decision influencer.
Dr. Hart's Observation
"They're forced to acknowledge you now," she said.
"You didn't sign, you didn't negotiate, yet they're adapting around you."
Lin Chen smirked.
"That's leverage. Recognition follows results, not signatures."
Council's Dilemma
The senior official finally conceded:
"If we don't approve this conditionally, the risk of ignoring proven results is too high."
The Silent Approval
No applause.
No official stamp.
Just movement.
Contracts began circulating internally.
Terms remained conditional, but acknowledgment existed.
Closing Thought
Control didn't always need formal signatures.
Sometimes, influence was visible in the way others couldn't ignore your results.
Lin Chen leaned back.
"The first step is always the hardest," he murmured.
"But after this, everything else is just negotiation.
End of Chapter 86