The voices outside still echoed faintly through the hospital's walls—a violent storm of shouting reporters and flashing cameras.
Inside the now dimmed VIP room, tension was suffocating.
Shen Fuyue, earlier trembling and cowering under the bed, had finally been coaxed out.
Two senior nurses, with patient, gentle voices, had knelt beside her—one soothing, the other slowly extending a hand.
"It's alright, Miss Shen... please come out. You're safe... we're going to help you."
It had taken nearly thirty agonizing minutes. Shen Fuyue, frozen and dissociating, had not spoken a word. Her blank, unseeing eyes had darted between them, her body trembling uncontrollably.
When she was finally coaxed out, her face pale as paper, the nurses had quickly administered a light sedative—enough to calm her without rendering her fully unconscious.
Now, she lay weakly on the hospital bed, barely responsive. Her chest rose and fell in shallow, fragile breaths. Her arms were limp at her sides.
"She's stable," one nurse said softly to Dr. Luo, who stood with arms crossed, face drawn and cold.
Inspector Zhang Min returned to the room, her expression as grim as before.
"They're ready," she said curtly. "Rear corridor's clear. We can move her now."
Dr. Luo gave a sharp nod.
"You know where you're taking her?" he asked quietly.
Inspector Zhang didn't answer with words. She opened her palm—revealing the small folded note he had given her earlier.
"I'll follow the instructions," she said simply. "I have my team in place."
"Good." Dr. Luo's voice lowered further. "There will be eyes on us every step of the way. Don't trust anyone not on your vetted list."
He glanced at the sedated Shen Fuyue, a flicker of regret passing through his otherwise hard gaze.
"She's not safe here anymore."
Without another word, the team moved into position.
Two nurses carefully strapped Shen Fuyue onto a mobile stretcher, swaddling her in a warm blanket and placing an oxygen mask lightly over her mouth to help ease her shallow breathing.
Inspector Zhang watched the process closely.
"Go."
The rear service corridor had been prepared in advance. Dr. Luo himself led the way to the door before stepping aside.
"Inspector Zhang," he said quietly. "I'll handle Shen Weimin's extraction next. The sooner he's off-site, the fewer questions they'll have."
"I'll handle her." Inspector Zhang's voice was clipped. "Watch your back, Doctor."
Then she wheeled Shen Fuyue out with her team—two trusted officers flanking the stretcher, one in front, one behind.
As they moved through the corridor, Dr. Luo was already turning sharply back toward the ICU wing.
Meanwhile—
At the hospital rooftop helipad, a separate operation had been quietly set in motion.
Shen Weimin, still unconscious but stable, was prepped for immediate air evacuation. The head nurse and a small crew of ICU staff had swiftly wheeled him into the isolation capsule for transport.
"Move quickly," Dr. Luo ordered as he arrived at the ICU floor. "Top floor. No delays."
"Understood."
One of Inspector Zhang's remaining subordinates approached."Doctor—Inspector Zhang said I am to assist you with the secondary operation."
"Good." Dr. Luo's gaze was cold. "You stay on Weimin's side until he is in the air. Report directly to me—no one else."
"Yes, sir."
Turning to the lead nurse, he barked final orders:
"Wheel him out through the secondary lift. Top floor. All floors in between have been cleared. Notify no one."
As the team hustled the unconscious Shen Weimin out of the ICU wing, Dr. Luo exhaled slowly, eyes hard. He knew precisely what the hospital board's so-called 'orders' really meant.
Throwing them both to the wolves.
Back at the rear service gate—
The ambulance was waiting.
A small team of paramedics had been pre-screened by Inspector Zhang's trusted officers. Two plainclothes officers now stood ready inside.
The moment the stretcher was secured, Inspector Zhang climbed into the ambulance herself, locking the doors from the inside.
As the driver started the engine, she finally unfolded the slip of paper.
Her eyes scanned it quickly:
"Qinghe Hospital is compromised. Divert to Xingyao Private Clinic. Use Route B. Do not broadcast destination."
A flicker of steely resolve crossed her face.
She leaned forward to the driver.
"Change of plan. Do not head left toward the main road. Take the next right—Route B."
The driver hesitated for half a second. "Ma'am—our orders were—"
"You heard me." Inspector Zhang's voice cut like steel. "Right. Route B. Now."
"Yes, ma'am."
The ambulance smoothly turned away from the expected path—taking the lesser-used industrial route. The detour would bypass several key media checkpoints entirely.
As the vehicle rolled out of Lianhua Hospital's back premises, a grim calm settled inside the cabin.
Shen Fuyue lay still, oblivious to the high-stakes operation surrounding her. Her fragile form, barely breathing beneath the soft blanket, was now the center of a quiet battle few would ever see.
Inspector Zhang's jaw remained tight.
She would follow the note's instructions to the letter. Shen Fuyue would not be paraded before the cameras—not today, not ever—not under her watch.
Meanwhile—
Back on the rooftop helipad, the air ambulance carrying Shen Weimin lifted silently into the sky.
Dr. Luo, watching from the stairwell, allowed himself a rare sigh of relief.
One phase complete.
But the real fight was only just beginning.