Chapter 55: The Dead and the Dying (5000 words)
Looking at David's smile, McCall's expression remained neutral.
He simply surveyed his surroundings, quickly forming an initial impression of this Salvation Alliance based on what he observed.
Then he spoke:
"So... is this Salvation Alliance just the four of us?"
Seeing that McCall had automatically placed himself in their camp, David's smile became even more genuine.
The Salvation Alliance was an organization he had formed himself, and McCall's joining not only meant he had gained a top-tier operative, but also that the organization was officially established.
Based on David's experience, as long as he participated in a rescue operation and ultimately succeeded in saving people from their fated deaths, he would receive lifespan rewards.
So, after the branch objective of eliminating the Tarasov organization's Princeton operations was completed,
He could certainly let McCall and Finch work together to save the lives of those 'irrelevant numbers.'
As long as it was done in the name of the Salvation Alliance, theoretically, David should be able to receive lifespan rewards.
However, this theory still needed to be verified.
But no matter what, at least a promising start had arrived.
Therefore, David's smile at this moment was truly from the heart.
"Of course not. This is just the nascent form of the alliance.
To deal with the High Table, just the few of us alone are naturally not enough.
But if we're only dealing with the Tarasov organization's operations in Princeton, then the four of us are sufficient."
McCall was noncommittal about this. To be honest, his willingness to come here was more because of David.
He was very curious about David's background.
After all, there weren't many people who could possess such peak human capabilities.
Like himself when he was younger.
You should know that back then, he was the most outstanding member of the Defense Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Division.
And to be selected for the Special Activities Division, one had to be at least among the top performers in their respective military branches to even be eligible.
Then, after competing with elite candidates selected from other units, only the most exceptional individual would be chosen to join the black ops teams.
If calculated from the initial selection, the elimination rate was as high as one in ten thousand.
So, until McCall faked his death to escape, the personnel in the Special Activities Division never exceeded thirty people.
And there were none as young as David.
Therefore, when McCall spoke again, what he requested was a formal, completely honest, and sincere self-introduction:
"I believe that trust is the most important factor in a team.
What I need is a teammate who can take a bullet for me, not someone who'll stab me in the back.
So I think we should start by getting to know each other.
Let me formally introduce myself. I'm Robert McCall, former Defense Intelligence Agency Special Activities Division, a dead man walking."
With McCall having spoken, Reese was the first to respond:
"You can call me John Reese, former Air Force Pararescue and former CIA Special Activities, also a dead man walking."
"Ah, what a coincidence. I'm Harold Finch, a tech nerd, and also a dead man walking."
Hearing that their self-introductions all included the description of being dead men walking, the three exchanged glances and smiled in unison.
Of course, they weren't actually dead, but had all coincidentally used faked deaths to escape their former identities.
Then the three simultaneously looked toward the one who could be considered the organizer—David.
Although Finch had long been fully aware of David's background information,
He always felt that the current David was two different people from the David in the records, whether in personality or behavior.
After hearing Reese's report on the nightclub operation, Finch was even more certain of this.
The former David, as a medical student, was quite opposed to firearms and had even participated in several gun control rallies.
Although the protests weren't very effective, and the state government even slapped them in the face by passing concealed carry legislation,
All signs indicated that David was someone who supported strict gun control.
But now, David picking up a gun was like unleashing someone entirely different.
In Reese's words, at that moment, David showed no mercy—killing was just a cold, methodical task for him.
Such a person either had a deeply hidden background or had antisocial personality disorder.
Finch was more inclined toward the former.
Now it just depended on whether David was willing to be as forthcoming as they were and reveal his identity and background.
Seeing everyone's eyes on him, David smiled slightly and began his formal self-introduction.
"Hello everyone. My name is David Wells. I'm an intern physician in the diagnostics department at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.
At the same time, I'm also the night physician at the Continental Hotel and someone who shares the Machine's vision.
But unfortunately, the price for obtaining these abilities was developing a brain tumor.
You are dead men walking, and I am a dying man."
McCall, hearing David's introduction for the first time, was full of disbelief.
Compared to the straightforward introductions of the three, this David completely failed to explain why he possessed such exceptional skills.
Was this something a terminal cancer patient could do?
But just as he thought this, David continued:
"Oh, right, our new friend might not know about the existence of the Machine.
Simply put, the Machine can analyze the optimal solution for any given situation using its supercomputing power in one second.
For example, just now in the nightclub, it was the Machine that told me how to neutralize five targets in six seconds.
This way you can probably understand the Machine's function."
After hearing David's explanation, McCall's pupils suddenly constricted:
"Impossible. A machine like that cannot exist!"
Seeing that McCall didn't believe in the Machine's existence, David looked toward Finch.
Finch had no choice but to set aside his own questions for now and explain to McCall:
"No, it really does exist, because I built it, although there was a certain element of luck involved.
But it's undeniable that the saying 'nerds change the world' is indeed correct.
Later, I'll show you the Machine's true function—predicting the emergence of threats.
As for David's abilities, that is just a special case, and I don't understand exactly what's going on.
Alright, since everyone has been candid today,
Now I need to ask David a question: what exactly caused such a drastic change in your personality?"
David blinked. He had long anticipated Finch's question.
After all, his former self and he were completely two different people, and he neither wanted nor was willing to imitate his predecessor's style.
Because that style meant David should have died on the day he arrived in this world.
So it was quite normal for David to be found to have inconsistent personalities before and after.
David said solemnly:
"As everyone knows, we live in a three-dimensional space, but just like ants will never look up at the sky,
We will also never understand the existence of four-dimensional, five-dimensional, or even higher dimensions.
Therefore, I really did die, but a higher-dimensional existence pulled me back.
Having come back to life, I suddenly realized that there must be a reason for that existence to bring me back.
Rather than clinging to life, it's better to burn brightly and illuminate the dark lives of others.
This is the original intention behind forming the Salvation Alliance.
I want people not to live under fear, not to live under the shadow of the High Table!"
These words, mixing truth and fiction, were practically unassailable.
Anyway, no one can explain things like dying and coming back to life.
Then pushing it toward higher dimensions is always a safe bet.
It's that concept again—Schrödinger's cat.
If you can't prove that higher-dimensional entities don't have the ability to resurrect, then you can't prove that David's words are false.
Moreover, it's also quite normal for a person's personality to change drastically after surviving a near-death experience.
Even in late-stage cancer, it's common for one's temperament to become extremely volatile.
So, if David truly believed he had died and thus changed his personality, it was also plausible.
At least, that's what Finch thought.
By now, the last bit of reservation in his heart had disappeared.
In his eyes, he even showed a look of sympathy for David.
A terminal brain cancer patient still had to worry about so many things. How much willpower was supporting David to be able to do this?
Finch didn't know. He only knew that behind David's seemingly calm and composed exterior were bottle after bottle of painkillers.
This also proved that what David said about the brain cancer was absolutely true.
Even if David suddenly died now, Finch wouldn't find it strange.
Because today had already passed the death timeline predicted by the doctors.
Every step David took was like walking a tightrope at ten thousand feet. To have lasted until now, Finch didn't know whether David was pitiable or admirable.
Reese had similar thoughts to Finch.
The two were originally kindred spirits, and their understanding of things was generally aligned.
And among the three, McCall even recalled a book he had just read—"The Old Man and the Sea."
How similar was David's current state to that old man's?
Facing numerous adversities, never yielding!
Swearing to tear open the dark sky and let light spill onto the earth again!
Even knowing it was impossible, he would still charge forward. Such a brave man was worth following!
McCall walked forward and gently embraced David:
"Don't worry. Even if you die, I will inherit your final wish.
As long as I'm here, I will fight the High Table to the end!"
With McCall taking the lead, the tall Reese also came forward and hugged David.
He said nothing, but the firm embrace proved everything.
And Finch, limping, walked up to him and guaranteed:
"As McCall said, I'm willing to swear with my life that I will forever fight to protect the vulnerable, even if it means dying again."
David was somewhat overwhelmed by the sudden warmth.
He wasn't dead yet, so why did it look like they were holding a wake?
"Stop, stop. I'm fine.
No need, really no need. I have to at least see the moment the High Table falls before I can rest in peace.
Now that we've established initial trust, we can discuss the next plan."
At David's suggestion, everyone sat down in the renovated conference room on the second floor of the library.
David projected several photos onto the screen behind him using his phone.
"This person is the threat the Machine warned us about—a professional assassin from out of town, Teddy.
He doesn't belong to the Continental Hotel system, but is a member of the High Table's exclusive enforcement division.
He came here to do what he does best—killing.
He has temporary supreme authority over all Tarasov operations here.
That is to say, when he arrives, he will take over and consolidate all Tarasov forces to find the perpetrators of the nightclub incident, which is us.
So the solution currently provided by the Machine is to disrupt the Tarasov organization's infrastructure in industries like oil smuggling, weapons trafficking, and counterfeit currency printing here as much as possible before he arrives.
This way, other criminal organizations will take advantage of the vacuum and seize market share.
Most of the Tarasov forces will also be tied up by this, unable to focus on anything else.
We can take advantage of the chaos while both sides are fighting to directly hit the Tarasov stronghold in Princeton.
If we're even luckier, we can even eliminate the rival organization as well, returning a safer future to Princeton.
So, does anyone have any questions?"
McCall, sitting below, suddenly spoke:
"I only have one question: is the information provided by the Machine reliable?
Unreliable intelligence could get us all killed."
David smiled:
"Don't worry. The probability analyzed by the Machine through big data is as high as 99%.
So what I just described is an event that will almost certainly happen.
Regarding this, I think Finch can give you a more definitive answer."
Finch nodded, and as usual, pulled open the wall covered with social security numbers and photos:
"These are the 'irrelevant numbers' the Machine outputs, and behind every social security number represents a violent incident.
And after all these years of data collection, the Machine has never been wrong once.
So you can completely trust what David said."
McCall nodded, indicating he had no further questions.
Then David gave McCall information about a tanker carrying smuggled oil arriving at port, and gave Reese information about a counterfeit currency operation hidden within a meat packing plant.
Having done all this, David rubbed his temples, slightly easing his throbbing head:
"The rest is up to you. I'm already running on fumes."
The three nodded, all indicating understanding.
From their perspective, David, who could connect to the Machine's vision, must have expended enormous mental energy to catch a glimpse of the countless flashing images.
The human brain is far from comparable to a machine, and David must have put in tremendous effort behind the scenes to be able to relay the images completely to them.
"I called a car for you. It'll arrive at the corner in five minutes. Go back and rest early."
"Thank you."
David forced himself to walk outside, his body starting to deteriorate.
The three looked at David's departing back and couldn't help but worry.
"Why do I feel like his condition is much worse than when we first met?"
Reese nodded and said:
"That's true. His current appearance is drastically different from how he was operating in the nightclub not long ago.
It feels like two completely different people."
McCall frowned and asked:
"Is there really no way to cure his illness?"
Finch thought for a moment and replied:
"There is a temporary solution that doesn't address the root cause. According to the information I have, David has always concealed his condition, so he hasn't had surgery to remove the tumor.
If he underwent tumor resection, with aggressive treatment, he should be able to survive for a considerable time.
In that case, he would likely have to spend his days confined to hospital walls, and he probably wouldn't choose that."
McCall sighed softly.
"What a shame. Although he has the Machine's help, he is indeed the young man with the best mental fortitude I've ever seen."
Reese looked at the address of the counterfeit operation in his hand:
"All we can do now is perfectly complete what he assigned us. David, you must hold on and not die."
...
Compared to the three who still had to guess,
David knew his physical condition better than anyone.
Today he consumed two days of lifespan but didn't get enough replenishment.
So when the healthy state from the life-saving benefit disappeared, the rebound came particularly fierce.
He was even seeing double now.
David didn't have many options for this situation.
Either choose to continuously consume lifespan to maintain clarity of mind,
Or rely on super-high doses of painkillers to suppress the pain in his head.
Evidently, David could only choose the latter now.
Lying in the back seat of the town car, David swallowed bottle after bottle of painkillers.
The effectiveness of the painkillers was diminishing.
He had to complete the branch tasks in his grand ambition of saving the world as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, the pain in his head alone would render him incapable of doing anything.
David finally returned to the Continental Hotel in extreme nausea.
Charon at the front desk looked at David, who had a pale complexion, and said with concern:
"Do you need me to call a physician for you?"
David smiled bitterly:
"Am I not a physician? Do I still need someone else to examine me?
Don't worry, I won't die. I just need to go back and get some sleep.
Oh, by the way, if there are any new targeted therapies for brain tumors, remember to keep an eye out for me. Money is no object."
For a member's request, Charon naturally chose to accommodate it. He immediately contacted the pharmacy to check the inventory of relevant medications.
After David stumbled back into his room,
Charon received a reply from the pharmacy.
There were new drugs, but they required Winston's approval.
The diligent Charon naturally contacted Winston, who was still working in the lounge.
Winston, who had long known about David's health condition through intelligence, smiled slightly.
David was about to collapse?
And he still wanted to trade his life with the High Table?
It was unknown whether David would even see tomorrow's sunrise.
Winston thought for a moment, then said to Charon:
"Let him use it. Byron Pharmaceuticals hasn't conducted expanded access trials for the new drug yet.
Let him be the first patient to test it.
As for whether he dares to use it, that's up to him."
With Winston's consent,
Soon, David received the new targeted therapy brought by Charon.
Indeed, for a behemoth like the High Table, obtaining some unlisted experimental drugs was child's play.
This was undoubtedly good news for David.
The cancer cells had not developed resistance to this new targeted therapy.
This meant that with one injection, he could feel comfortable for a considerable time.
As for the expensive price of ten gold coins for this injection because it was an experimental product, that was secondary.
As for the side effects,
David himself had medical training and naturally knew that experimental drugs that reached expanded access trials had actually undergone multiple rounds of testing before.
The side effects of drugs that reached this stage were minor issues compared to the deadly tumor.
In other words, he was actually the new subject for the expanded access trial.
This was probably one of the reasons Winston was willing to let David use the experimental drug.
But having it was better than not having it.
David didn't hesitate much and injected himself directly.
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