Observation Room, Operating Theater.
The cutting-edge "still surgery" is underway.
"Eight minutes left!"
The nurse pipes up as the timer hits 37 minutes.
"Shephard, we need to start rewarming now," Dr. Burke says, mid-procedure.
"Please hand me the bipolar forceps, thanks," Dr. Shephard replies, calm as ever.
"We need to rewarm now, Shephard!" Burke repeats, his tone sharper.
"Hang on," Shephard says, eyes glued to the endoscope as he works. "I can't get behind the aneurysm yet. If I can just reach the back…"
"I'm rewarming now!" Burke snaps, his voice rising to show he's not budging.
If they miss the window, delayed rewarming could mean Joe's heart won't restart—no matter how perfectly Shephard clips that aneurysm. This is the thoracic surgery expert, who rules the heart, laying down the law to the neurosurgery guy, who reigns over the brain.
"Done," Shephard finally says after a tense two-second pause, finishing the aneurysm fix.
"You sure?" Burke shoots him a look.
"I'm always sure," Shephard says with a smug edge. "My part's handled. Over to you, Chief!"
"Heh," Burke chuckles, catching the dig at his interim surgical chief gig.
Interim or not, it's still the top spot. Scoring a point against a rival in the race for permanent chief? That's a rush no "indescribable thrill" can touch. He made the right call sticking with this game.
"Alright, folks, let's grab Joe before he checks in with the Big Guy upstairs. Start rewarming!"
"Release the clamps!"
"Turn on the pump—reinfuse the blood!"
"Monitor cerebral perfusion pressure!"
"Keep arterial BP above 60!"
Burke rattles off orders like a drill sergeant, and the OR crew jumps into action, smooth and steady.
Up in the observation seats, Adam watches with a cool, detached gaze.
Steven Murphy hasn't slipped up once. Not that Adam's surprised. In a surgery like this, interns are just glorified assistants. If you're sharp, you get a little more to do. If you're green, you hang back and look busy. Unless some soap-opera-level drama hits, there's no room for screwups.
If every case turned into a theatrical mess, teaching hospitals would've shut down ages ago.
There'd been rumors about that once—"Avoid hospitals in summer and fall!" Fresh med school grads flood in, and supposedly, rookie mistakes spike the death rates. Total myth, though. Debunked hard.
Interns who aren't up to snuff just fetch tools and watch. Only when an attending trusts your skills—and knows you won't tank their rep—do they let you touch anything. Even then, it's with a tight leash.
Steven Murphy paid his way into this OR. Shephard and Burke might not say it out loud, but they're not thrilled. In a life-or-death zone like this, skill's the only badge that matters. So, they've barely tossed him a single task. Learning opportunity? Barely a scratch above zero.
Steven knows it too. A few hundred grand down the drain? He doesn't care. This is just his way of sending Adam a message.
The surgery wraps up without a hitch.
Steven steps out of the OR, flashing his polished gentleman's smile—until he rounds a corner, stumbles back a step, and nearly drops the act.
"Adam, you…"
"Steven, congrats," Adam says, leaning against the wall and holding out a hand.
Steven freezes, torn. He knows about Adam's freakish strength—the guy once hoisted a massive tumor for fourteen hours straight without breaking a sweat. Word spread like wildfire through the hospital; people still bring it up in awe.
And now, after Steven just stepped on Adam's toes, here's Adam, offering a handshake. Steven's half-convinced Adam's about to crush his hand into dust.
"Relax," Adam says, switching from a handshake to a pat on Steven's stiff shoulder. "We're classmates and colleagues. I'm not gonna hurt you."
"Hurt…" Steven forces a grin. "You wouldn't dare, right?"
"Heh," Adam chuckles. "We should catch up properly. Work's still on now, but how about dinner after? Let's grab a bite."
"…"
Steven's never been the tough-guy type—just a proud, prickly rich kid. Against Adam's quiet confidence, he's always felt a little shaky. Now, he's standing there, blanking on any excuse to wiggle out.
Ring-ring!
Saved by the bell—his phone goes off. Steven pulls it out, lights up with relief, and answers. After a quick chat, he waves the phone at Adam. "Sorry, man, my parents want me home tonight."
"No worries," Adam says with a knowing smirk. "Didn't Mr. and Mrs. Murphy mention? I'm the one who set up this dinner."
He gives Steven's shoulder another pat, then strolls off with a grin.
Steven's jaw drops.
What the hell?
You called my parents?!
Dazed, he stumbles back to their clinic and immediately unloads on Alice, his go-to confidante.
"Alice, what's his deal?"
"Uh…" Alice stifles a laugh, choosing her words. "Maybe he's got something to say to your dad."
"Isn't that just tattling to my folks?!" Steven fumes. "And what's he thinking? Why would my parents take his side?"
"Well…" Alice treads lightly. "Maybe he figures he's on the same level as your dad…"
"What?!" Steven blinks.
"Not in medicine," she clarifies fast. "In the rich-guy world. I mean, he's the youngest self-made billionaire out there. He's got the clout to talk to your dad mano-a-mano."
"…"
Steven's stunned again, muttering, "Okay, but why?"
Alice wrinkles her brow. Steven's her trusty backup—great family, smart, capable. Just… a little soft around the edges. Not surprising, though. As the only heir to Murphy Pharma, his mom coddled him growing up. Even now, he can be clueless about how the world works.
Why's Adam going straight to Peter Murphy? Simple: he doesn't see Steven as an equal worth negotiating with. Why waste time bickering with the kid when he can tackle the source of Steven's swagger—his dad?
Convince Peter, and Steven's got no leg to stand on in this rivalry. How Adam plans to pull that off, though? Alice can't quite figure it.
Money-wise, Adam's billions don't stack up to the Murphy family's tens of billions. Status? Adam's just a flashy arts-world name—too flaky. Meanwhile, Murphy Pharma's network, built over years, is a juggernaut Adam can't touch.
PS: Some stuff got cut from Chapter 392—turns out the guy wasn't scamming for drugs, but for a cheat code…