The meeting was not listed on any public schedule.
No flags.
No press.
Just a secure channel and a room filled with people who understood consequences.
[System Log: Closed-Door Session — Active.]
---
The Room
Twelve participants.
Regulators.
Policy advisors.
Medical council representatives.
No one introduced themselves.
They already knew who Lin Chen was.
---
The Opening Statement
A senior voice spoke first.
"We cannot officially grant you global authority."
No surprise.
"But we also cannot ignore the outcomes."
Silence followed.
Lin Chen waited.
---
The Proposal
A document appeared on the screen.
Conditional Cooperation Framework.
Not a title.
Not a rank.
Access.
Emergency data sharing
Priority medical corridors
Limited override in time-critical scenarios
All wrapped in careful language.
No word like command.
No word like control.
Only "coordination."
---
The Condition
Another voice added,
"This cooperation remains unofficial."
Lin Chen nodded.
"Results don't require announcements."
A few eyes lifted.
---
The Test Clause
The final page appeared.
> In the event of systemic failure, all responsibility remains with the operator.
Dr. Hart glanced at Lin Chen.
He signed without hesitation.
---
After the Meeting
The channel closed.
No applause.
No congratulations.
But the system changed.
[System Log: Restricted Global Access — Expanded.]
[Operational Authority: Implicitly Recognized.]
Requests that once waited hours now arrived in minutes.
Some didn't ask anymore.
They notified.
---
A New Normal
Later, Dr. Hart spoke quietly.
"They didn't give you power."
Lin Chen replied,
"They acknowledged dependency."
Outside, emergency alerts lit the map—
regions that no longer debated whether to involve him.
They already had.
---
The Cost
A private message arrived.
> This arrangement will not protect you forever.
Lin Chen typed a single response.
> It doesn't need to.
---
End of Chapter
---