107: Chapter 107 Don't be afraid, I'm a good person

...

An adult's spine is composed of 26 vertebrae stacked together, forming the central axis of the human body. It supports the weight of the head, upper limbs, and torso, transferring the load to the pelvis and lower limbs.

Inside the spine is the spinal canal, a tubular passage formed by the connection of the vertebral foramina of each vertebra, through which the spinal cord passes. The spinal cord is a vital component of the central nervous system, transmitting neural signals and managing the sensory and motor functions of the torso and limbs, while also participating in certain reflex activities.

They are the bridges for information transmission within the body.

When spinal nerves suffer damage, their signal transmission function is directly obstructed, leading to a series of severe consequences.

Such as Noah's paralysis.

Looking at the old man who was overflowing with gratitude, Lin Fang's eyes flickered with scrutiny. Spinal nerve necrosis is considered an irreversible injury in modern medicine, but for the Hades Chip, it was merely a bridge that needed repairing.

Indeed, while Noah was unconscious, this 6mm biochip had already embedded itself deep into his spine below the neck. The Hades Chip, capable of simulating nerve impulses, was the true doctor.

It was just that Noah could never know this.

Or, it wouldn't matter even if he did.

—

"Elias, this is just a misunderstanding."

After the boy with curly brown hair was set down, Elias felt the scene was utterly bizarre.

It was as if the Evil Queen in a fairy tale had suddenly turned into Snow White. His great-grandfather—the once stern and formidable Noah Sackler—was now standing next to that young man with a full smile, his tone gentle to the point of being unrecognizable.

It even carried a thick air of flattery. Elias had often seen this kind of expression on his own father's face when he faced his great-grandfather, but now...

Elias's mind couldn't wrap itself around it.

"Great-grandfather, are your legs better?" the boy asked in wonder.

"That's right, Elias. Come here," Noah said, stroking the boy's head and leading him to Lin Fang. "This gentleman healed me."

Lin Fang smiled. "Little friend, don't be afraid. I'm a good person."

Elias shrank back. This was the man who had killed Ballmer and left him tied to a pillar for hours.

Watching the boy huddle closer to Noah, especially noticing the shallow wound on the back of his neck, Lin Fang's expression became even stranger.

Lin Fang recalled a short story he had read.

If you were a great hero in ancient times, and you personally wiped out your enemy's entire family in revenge, only to find a child still in the house amidst the corpses, what would you do?

In a comment section where even Satan would only be fit to guard the door, the best end for such a child was to be tossed into the air: if they landed face up, they'd be stabbed in the front; face down, stabbed in the back; and if they somehow landed on their feet, they'd be split vertically...

In the end, death was inescapable.

He wouldn't even mention the other, more terrifying suggestions; even Lin Fang felt his hair stand on end thinking about them.

Compared to those netizens, he was much more merciful. He had merely implanted a chip into this potential future heir of the Sackler Family.

"Noah, how much do you know about the Ryder and James families?" Lin Fang suddenly asked as he sat back down, tapping the table thoughtfully.

Noah, who was still feeling the changes in his body, was taken aback. The two families mentioned were top-tier plutocrats no less powerful than the Sackler Family. The Ryder Family controlled the livelihoods of several major regions in Western America, while the James Family held a pivotal position in the energy sector.

It was worth noting that a world-renowned star athlete had emerged from the James Family in recent years.

Why was His Excellency Lin Fang bringing up these two families? Noah was puzzled, but he still recounted everything he knew without the slightest concealment.

For some reason, he could no longer muster any thought of resistance before Lin Fang, as if his own thoughts were no longer under his control.

Well... it must be an illusion.

Noah pushed the thought aside and continued, "The actual controller of the Ryder Family is Salifu Ryder. Last year, Ryder spent a massive amount of funds to acquire three top Research Institutes focused on tumor immunotherapy. Although he hid it well, as far as I know, Salifu was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer..."

At this point, Noah finally realized what Lin Fang wanted to do. He wanted to control these two families just as he had controlled him.

Salifu clearly desperately needed a miracle drug for cancer to save his life. And for Lin Fang, who possessed such magical and incredible technology to extend life, conquering cancer was not impossible.

For powerful rulers like them, life was the most precious luxury of all.

As for the James Family...

Noah felt a chill in his heart. The ruler of that family was also an old man and had a good personal relationship with Noah; he had even participated in those initial investments in life-extension technologies. As a giant in the American energy sector, the current head of the James Family, William James, was undergoing health recuperation at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This place housed most of America's retired high-ranking officials and was heavily guarded; it was extremely difficult for an ordinary person to see William.

But for Noah Sackler, William's close friend, this problem could be easily solved.

Noah sighed. He realized Lin Fang was weaving an invisible, giant web, and the Sackler Family was merely the first prey to fall into it.

Terrifying. Everything was within the other man's control!

Noah bowed slightly, his tone respectful. "Your Excellency Lin Fang, William is an old friend of mine. If you need, I will arrange for you to meet him immediately."

Seeing how cooperative he was, Lin Fang couldn't help but smile.

—

A week later, inside a private estate in Washington, two low-profile black sedans drove deep into the grounds.

This was another residence of the Sackler Family.

The two sedans stopped in front of a white building deep within the estate. After the drivers opened the doors, a middle-aged man and an elderly man stepped out of the cars one after the other.

William James stepped out of his sedan. He was tall, and although he was a centenarian, his straight back and broad shoulders still hinted at the presence he had in his youth.

"Are you Salifu?" William scrutinized the middle-aged man who had stepped out of the other car. The man's complexion was poor, clearly showing he had suffered a major illness.

A polite smile appeared on Salifu's face. "I have long heard of your great name, Mr. James. I often heard stories about you when I was a child."

As the two were conversing, an old man leaning on an ebony cane appeared at the door.

"William, my good friend, how have you been these past few days?" Noah walked forward step by step with a smile, while also greeting Salifu beside him.

William turned to look at him. "Thanks to you, I now want to use my leather shoes to kick your ass hard."

"Hey, I didn't interfere with your choice."

"Besides, if it weren't for me, you'd still be in the hospital drinking that damn medicine every day, crawling slowly like a snail. You should be thanking me instead."

"Damn it, even that would be better than you!"

Amidst their bickering, the three rulers of America's top financial syndicates walked into the room together.

The light in the room was dim. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn except for a narrow slit, filtering the afternoon sunlight into a slender beam that fell diagonally across the middle of the mahogany long table.

A black-haired young man sat behind the light, his face hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable.

He was younger than Salifu's son, yet upon seeing him, the three men—whose combined ages totaled nearly 300 years—subconsciously held their breath.

"Chairman," the three said in unison.