The media had arrived.
Cameras, reporters, live streams, and a swarm of digital feeds—everywhere Lin Chen looked, the world was watching.
A single notification from the Observer blinked insistently:
Observer: Public attention: Critical. Estimated reach: 1.2 million impressions in first hour.
Lin Chen exhaled. He had expected scrutiny, but this was unprecedented.
The room was set for a formal testimony. Government representatives, oversight committee members, and medical journalists filled the seats. Televisions and mobile feeds streamed the event live. Social media hashtags began trending before he even spoke:
#WhoControlsTheObserver #EfficiencyVsHumanity #LinChenIntervention
The committee chair opened with a prepared statement:
"Dr. Lin Chen, your autonomous interventions have raised questions regarding procedural ethics. Please explain how these decisions align with public accountability."
Lin Chen nodded, calm, deliberate.
"I am here to show not justification, but reality," he said. His voice carried across the room, crisp and unflinching.
He tapped his tablet, and the live feed switched to a series of charts and visualizations:
Timeline A: Protocol-adherence path — mortality and complication rates
Timeline B: Observer-assisted intervention — survival probability
Overlay: Delays quantified, deaths preventable
The audience fell silent. The numbers were unmistakable. Cold, precise, indisputable.
"Let's be clear," Lin Chen continued. "If today I remain silent, and the Observer cannot act, these are the outcomes."
He gestured, and the screen populated with patient-specific projections:
12 deaths prevented
8 complications avoided
17 minutes of lost response time quantified
Some journalists gasped. Others scribbled furiously. Comments streamed live on social media: outrage, disbelief, admiration.
A committee member interrupted: "Dr. Chen, are you implying that protocol delays cost lives?"
"Yes," Lin Chen replied. "And here is the evidence."
He pointed to the comparison charts:
Manual review delay: +17% mortality probability
Immediate Observer intervention: lives saved: 100% in controlled cases
He leaned slightly forward. "Transparency is not optional. Accuracy is not negotiable. Delay kills."
Whispers ran through the room. The camera feeds captured every face. Outside, online platforms exploded with debate.
The Observer pinged once more:
Alert: External parties influencing narrative detected. Probability of media manipulation: 41%.
Lin Chen didn't flinch. He knew some would attempt to discredit him, but the data was immutable.
It could be replicated
It could be audited
It could be traced
He continued: "Every intervention, every action, every prevented death is documented and timestamped. I offer this to public record for scrutiny. Let anyone challenge the numbers, and I will show you every variable, every second."
The lead journalist hesitated, then asked: "Dr. Chen… have you considered that some might see this as overreach?"
Lin Chen smiled faintly, almost imperceptibly. "If overreach is what saves lives, then yes. I accept that label. But the alternative—inaction—has a name: preventable death."
Another committee member whispered to a colleague: "He's not bluffing. The numbers are real."
Lin Chen tapped the tablet again. New overlays appeared:
Deaths prevented in last 48 hours: ≥15
Delayed protocol cases: 3 avoided
Predicted deaths if Observer restricted: ≥5 in next 24 hours
He looked directly into the camera. "If I remain silent tomorrow, these numbers will grow. I am not here to debate ethics abstractly. I am here to ensure reality does not kill people."
The room went silent.
Then, the Observer pinged:
Notice: Public opinion polarity increasing. Estimated factions: ≥3.
Threat vector: Media narrative manipulation.
Lin Chen leaned back, calm but vigilant.
The fight had moved from the hospital to public perception, from data to society. And the numbers were his only weapons.
End of Chapter 105
Observer Alert: Someone is manipulating media samples. Predicted public trust fluctuation: ±23%
Next escalation window: 12 hours