"So what do you want?" Kerry also felt the pressure, his speech slowed down a bit as he asked, "Do you need money? Or do you have some sort of political demand?"
Martin's voice was choked with tears as he said, "I don't need those things. I'm standing here because this world has closed all doors on me!"
"I have a daughter, her name is Renina, she just turned seven... she's sick. The doctor says it's a disease called Huntington's Disease, it's terminal..."
"Oh my God..." The kind-hearted Mrs. Weasley couldn't help but let out a sympathetic sigh at this moment.
Martin's voice seemed to be filled with pain and despair, spreading through the airwaves:
"Renina's condition is progressing very rapidly, the doctor said... her bodily functions are deteriorating comprehensively. Soon she won't be able to walk independently, won't be able to speak, will lose her memory, even her ability to swallow will be completely lost..."
"In a few years, she'll leave us forever due to systemic decline and weakness..."
Mr. Kona frowned and said, "Poor child, only seven years old..."
Madam Kona gently held his hand and whispered, "For ordinary people, sickness is even crueler than a wizard's Dark Magic. I'm so grateful I found you, but most people... aren't as lucky as I am."
She was even more grateful that her own children were born wizards, free from most illnesses.
But Michael's expression was more severe as he said in a low voice, "This kind of reason for hijacking... if they can't cure his daughter, no amount of money will make him give up his plan..."
On the phone, Kerry seemed to be communicating with someone else before speaking, his voice carrying a calm reassurance:
"Quivin, I understand your love and concern for your daughter. Please stay calm. We just received news—the Global Medical Foundation is willing to unconditionally cover all of Renina's treatment costs, and send her to a cutting-edge medical research center renowned in the field of neurodegenerative diseases for the best treatment..."
"Can she be cured?" Martin interrupted him, asking coldly.
"This..." Kerry's fluent speech suddenly stumbled.
"Can she be cured? Answer me!" Martin shouted loudly, "Can their treatment cure my Renina?"
Kerry said tactfully, "Their treatment can significantly alleviate her condition, greatly improve her quality of life, and reduce the pain caused by the disease..."
"Liars! All of you are liars!"
Martin suddenly roared with rage, his voice like thunder in the cabin, seemingly accompanied by a break in his rationality:
"Alleviate the condition? Do you think I'm a fool? I've already looked into it! All the doctors, all the research institutes, they all say there's no way! No way to stop it! No way to reverse it! It's terminal! Everyone says it's terminal!"
Kerry was silent for a moment, momentarily unable to speak.
The passengers in the cabin, who had been very sympathetic to him just now, all had the same thought at this moment—since you already know it's terminal, then why hijack a plane?
Do you think under pressure, medical science will make a leap forward and develop a special drug in a matter of hours?
This isn't some superhero movie!
"But he was cured!"
Martin seemed to hear the voices of the crowd and roared, filled with the fury of being deceived by the world:
"I know an old man who was cured! He had the same disease as my daughter, in the advanced stage, he was almost dead! But just because he was a scientist... a remarkable scientist! Someone took him away and cured him!"
"You wealthy people! With power! Hiding the life-saving treatments and only using 'pain relief' to brush off us ordinary people!"
"Why is that person saved? Why must my daughter die? That old man was already dying of old age, my Renina has decades of future! Why? Why take away her chance to continue living! Why lie to me!"
He was so agitated that his face turned red, his body trembling, as if the next second he would press the deadly button.
The stewardess he had previously taken hostage, Eliza, suddenly boldly stepped forward, her voice trembling as she said, "Please calm down, sir... I believe that if there's really a way, Renina will surely be saved..."
Martin's bloodshot eyes stared at her, panting heavily. He did not speak or move, his frail body seemed to contain an immense rage.
After an eerie silence, Kerry Clarkson's voice echoed again, extremely cautious:
"Quivin, I have to tell you... we just urgently checked the publicly available medical records, and consulted experts in the relevant field."
"I can assure you, if any institution had treated Huntington's Disease, it would have become world-shaking big news!"
"But... based on the information we've confirmed so far, there has been no precedent for this disease being completely cured!"
"No precedent? Hah!"
Martin said with a vicious expression:
"What's shown to the public won't be found, but my neighbor knows that cured old man! He personally guaranteed to us that the guy couldn't stand before, but now he's completely healed! He can still continue doing experiments!"
"His name is Cornelius Dawan! Go check it out! Use your pervasive media power to check!"
"See if there's such a person, see if he had the same disease as my daughter, and see if he's still lying on a hospital bed waiting to die now!"
"I demand that my daughter receive the same treatment as Cornelius! If the normal channels can't fight for her right to live, then I'll use my way to show the world this injustice!"
...
...
"Why can Cornelius Dawan be cured? Just because he's a scientist? Just because he has connections? But my daughter's life is just as precious..."
Martin's voice of accusation came through the television, Cornelius held a test tube, standing still for a long time.
The host wore an earpiece, trying to appease the agitated hijacker, "Please stay calm... we need some time to confirm..."
"Plop!"
The test tube accidentally tilted, and a drop of viscous liquid fell onto the lab bench.
Cornelius sighed, put down the test tube, cleaned the lab bench, then took off his lab coat and left the lab.
Without a moment's hesitation, he dialed a very familiar number:
"I'm very sorry, Ferdinand... yes, a few months ago, I made a call to an old friend, maybe it was that call that... I'm very sorry, I didn't expect to give you such a big trouble..."
On the other end of the line, Ferdinand's calm voice came through, "Calm down, Cornelius, this isn't entirely your fault..."
...
Ferdinand turned his gaze to the TV, suppressing his inner worry and panic, and said:
"Huntington's Disease is extremely rare to begin with, no one thought your old friend would have a case nearby, and it's a child at that..."
——Plus she has such a crazy father, willing to commit such an extreme act as hijacking a plane for an unverified rumor.
"Anyway, besides the call you made back then, they have no evidence of your recovery, right?… that's good, just stay put. Vid will sort this out when he returns."
"Mr. Grey Jr. is coming back?" Cornelius immediately perked up, "When is he returning? I have some questions to discuss with him..."
"Within a day or two." Ferdinand said in a calm voice, "It won't be too long."
However, once the call ended, Ferdinand's composure and calmness vanished, he silently watched the tense face of the host, a feeling of unprecedented powerlessness and anxiety on his face.
He knew... Vid was on that plane.
In his ear, Vid's confident, smiling voice from last night seemed to echo again:
"Someone will probably take this opportunity to target me, right? It's the best opportunity."
"Mom and Dad, if you hear anything bad about a plane at home, don't worry... I've made all possible preparations."
Ferdinand intertwined his fingers with force, as if wrestling with himself, causing pain that he seemed oblivious to.
He silently chanted in his heart, "You little rascal... if you're so confident, you must come back safely..."