The ambulance that's carting a pregnant woman is currently racing down the highway. The pregnant woman's water has already broken, which means she's in a dire situation right now.

As I clutch the steering wheel tightly, I make sure to press the gas pedal all the way to the maximum.

But the hospital director, Corey Johnston, who has tagged along for the ride, suddenly issues an order.

"Pull up at the rest stop ahead."

I'm momentarily stunned by the order. But I soon protest anxiously, "The patient can't afford to wait at all! She and her baby might die anytime soon!"

Corey merely waves a hand impatiently.

"Who's the one calling the shots here—me or you? I've been dabbling in the medical world for 30 years! As if a driver like you know better than me!"

Thinking that Corey needs to go to the bathroom urgently, I soon park at the rest stop. But I witness him strolling into a supermarket leisurely, only to come out with two huge bags of snacks a long time later.

"I bought my daughter the local specialities. She loves snacks like these the most."

As Corey speaks, he tosses the snacks and his phone onto the front passenger seat. His phone screen flickers to life due to an accidental contact, which reveals the wallpaper of the lock screen.

It's a photo of Corey and his daughter.

I frown at the sight as my breath hitches in my throat.

Why do I have a feeling that Corey's daughter looks quite similar to the pregnant woman in the ambulance right now?

Anger and panic surged through me before I could even process what was happening.

"You bought junk food? Are you trying to kill the woman in the back?"

I gripped the steering wheel so hard that my knuckles turned white.

The hospital director, Corey Johnston, nonchalantly tossed two huge bags of chips and jelly onto the passenger seat.

He even sneered at the dust on the car seat and gave me a sideways glance.

"Don't raise your voice at me, you brat. My daughter has loved these handmade chips since she was a kid. If I'm late, they'll sell out."

Behind us, the pregnant woman on the stretcher let out a gut-wrenching scream.

Teresa Kennedy, the intern nurse, sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "Dr. Johnston, the patient's blood pressure is crashing, and the amniotic fluid has already drained."

Her hands were covered in blood as she desperately pressed down on the gauze.

"We have to get to the hospital in ten minutes, or we're going to lose both of them…"

Corey just scoffed and tore open a bag of nuts.

He popped one into his mouth, his words muffled as he chewed. "Young people these days are so weak. Back when I was a field medic, women were out harvesting wheat right up until they went into labor. Giving birth isn't some grand tragedy. Don't try to scare me."

As I looked in the rearview mirror at the woman's deathly pale face, my heart raced.

She was drenched in cold sweat, her hair soaked through. She bit her lip tightly, barely having the strength to groan anymore.

She was curled in a ball from the agony, and the sterile pads beneath her were already soaked crimson.

I slammed the gas pedal to the floor, and the ambulance roared forward.

The sudden jolt threw Corey back, and his nuts spilled onto the floor.

He exploded in a rage. "Matthew Brock, are you trying to get us killed? You're ruining my snacks! What is my daughter supposed to eat now?"

Suddenly, he lunged forward, grabbed the steering wheel, and yanked it sharply to the right.

The ambulance swerved violently across the highway, tires shrieking against the asphalt.

Cold sweat broke out across my back as I fought the brakes to keep us from flipping.

"Are you insane? We're on the highway!" I screamed.

However, Corey pointed at my nose with a sense of righteous indignation. "I'm the hospital director. This is my vehicle. You're just a damn driver. Who do you think you are, lecturing me? Now, take the next exit."

I stared at him, completely stunned. "The exit? The hospital is straight ahead. That exit leads to Brackford."

Corey pulled out his phone and checked the time. "My daughter is resting in Brackford. I'm dropping these off on the way. It's only a 12-mile detour. It won't take more than 15 minutes."

Back in the cabin, Teresa finally snapped. "Dr. Johnston, the patient doesn't have 15 minutes! She won't even last for five! She's hemorrhaging! This is a severe placental abruption!"

Corey whipped around and glared at her. "What does a fresh-off-the-boat intern like you know? I've spent 30 years in medicine. I've forgotten more than you'll ever learn. I said she's fine, so she isn't going to die."

He turned back to me, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Matthew, if you don't do what I say today, you can pack your bags tomorrow. And it won't just be you. I'll have your mother kicked out of the ICU immediately."

The threat against Mom's life made my heart sink.

I gritted my teeth, my eyes burning. "Corey Johnston, you're literally murdering this woman."

He let out a cold laugh. "Murder? That's a heavy word. In this hospital, I am God. My word is the law. I'll ask you one last time. Which way are you turning?"

The emergency dispatch radio suddenly erupted with noise.

As I reached for it, Corey snatched the receiver first.

A man's frantic, heart-wrenching sobs came through the line. "Doctor! Where are you? My wife is fading! She couldn't even talk just now. Please, hurry up!"

Frowning, Corey pulled the receiver away from his ear. "Keep it down. And please, stay calm."

He spoke in an official tone, but his voice was full of impatience. "This is Corey Johnston, director of Ashvale Hospital. I'm personally overseeing this transport. What are you so worried about? Women bleed when they give birth. You families always love to overreact."

The man on the other end was clearly desperate. I could hear the rhythmic thuds of him banging his head against the floor.

"No, Dr. Johnston! She has a blood-clotting disorder! The doctors said a hemorrhage would kill her! Please get her to the hospital. I'll do anything you need me to!"

Corey snorted. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. We're moving at top speed."

With that, he hung up and reached over to kill the power to the entire communication system.

The cabin fell into a haunting silence.

"How could you turn off the radio?" I hissed.

Corey pulled a pack of chips from his bag. "He yapped too much. It's giving me a headache. These country folk have zero class and even less medical knowledge."

He pointed toward an upcoming off-ramp. "Move it. Exit here. I just remembered that the viral bakery in Brackford is having a sale today. My daughter loves their strawberry mousse. If we're late, the line will be out the door."

I kept my foot on the gas and gripped the steering wheel tightly, completely ignoring his commands.

The ambulance streaked past the exit like a bolt of white lightning.

Corey's face turned livid when he realized I was defying him. "Matthew Brock! How dare you ignore me!"

He suddenly unbuckled his seatbelt and lunged across the seat to grab my steering wheel. "Pull over! I'm firing you right now!"

As we struggled in the cramped space, the ambulance swerved dangerously across the lanes.

In the back, Teresa screamed, "Stop it! Her heart rate is down to 40!"

I shoved Corey back with everything I had and locked the doors. "Corey, if you touch this wheel again, I will drive us all off this road and end it right now!"

My eyes were bloodshot, like an enraged beast's, as I glared at him intensely.

Stunned by the look in my eyes, Corey dared not lunge again.

He slumped back into the passenger seat, frantically smoothing out his rumpled white coat. "Fine. You ungrateful bastard. Just you wait. When we get to the hospital, I'm going to make sure you're ruined."

Corey pulled out his phone and rapidly dialed a number. "James? It's Corey. Get security down to the ER entrance immediately. I've got a rogue driver here who nearly ran us into a ditch. We need to handle this strictly."

After hanging up, he gave me a triumphant look. "Matthew, your career is over."

I didn't even look at him. My eyes were locked on the road ahead.

As long as I got the patient to the hospital, I didn't care if I lost my job.

Right then, Teresa's hysterical sobbing drifted from the back. "Matthew… She's stopped breathing…"

"Get the adrenaline ready! Start CPR! Now!" I roared at the rearview mirror. My foot was practically snapping the gas pedal in half.

Teresa's hands shook as she tore open the medical kit. Her tears splashed onto the woman's pale face.

"It's no use, Matthew! I can't stop the bleeding. The gauze is soaked through!"

Corey sat in the passenger seat. His brow was furrowed but not out of concern for the patient. He was busy using a tissue to meticulously brush potato chip crumbs off his shirt.

"What's the panic? If she's dead, take her to the morgue. It happens."

That casual remark made me want to punch him in the face.

Ten minutes later, the ambulance screeched to a halt in front of Ashvale Hospital's emergency department.

The moment the doors swung open, medical staff rushed forward with a gurney.

James Walker, the chief of ER, approached Corey with a sycophantic grin. "Dr. Johnston! You shouldn't have troubled yourself with a routine transport like this."

Corey instantly put on a mask of deep sorrow. He straightened his coat and sighed while pointing at the woman in the back. "It's tragic. Her condition was dire, and I did everything in my power. Unfortunately, our driver here is incompetent."

He suddenly turned his attack directly toward me. "He insisted on stopping at a service station for a smoke and took the wrong exit. We were delayed for 40 minutes. If it weren't for his sheer negligence, this patient would have arrived ages ago."

James' expression hardened instantly. He turned on me, stabbing a finger toward my face. "Matthew! Who the hell do you think you are, playing games with a patient's life? Security! Arrest this irresponsible bastard!"

Several burly guards lunged forward, pinning my arms behind my back.

I thrashed against them and glared at Corey's hypocritical face. "That's a lie! You forced me to stop to buy snacks for your daughter! You even pulled the plug on the radio! You're the murderer here!"

A crowd of bystanders and family members began to gather, whispering and pointing.

"What a scumbag. Delaying a patient just to have a smoke."

"He should be in prison."

"Dr. Johnston is such a saint, overseeing the transport himself. It's a shame he had to deal with a lowlife like that."

As Corey listened to the praise, a faint smirk touched his lips.

He stepped closer to me and lowered his voice, so only I could hear. "You want to go up against me? Take a look in the mirror, you nobody."

He straightened up and waved a dismissive hand at James. "Lock him in the security office. Once we've handled the patient, turn him over to the police."

Teresa climbed out of the ambulance, drenched in blood. Trembling, she tried to defend me. "Dr. Walker, that's not what happened. Matthew didn't—"

Corey shot her a chilling look. "Teresa, you're still an intern, aren't you? You should think very carefully before you speak. If you choose to back up his delusions, your permanent contract might just disappear."

Teresa trembled in fear, tears welling up in her eyes. She forced herself to swallow the rest of her words.