Katie's and Luke's expressions darkened. They hadn't expected me to still be able to command the rescue in this state.

A flicker of panic flashed in Luke's eyes, which was quickly replaced by cold determination.

He crouched down in front of me and said in a voice low enough for only the two of us to hear, "Ashton, don't push it. Devan's already half-dead, so why not let him die with some value? Do Katie and I a favor."

"Luke's right."

Jason kicked me in the back. "Aren't you impressive? The youngest department head in the country? Now look at you, lying on the floor!"

How shameless and despicable!

As I stared at his twisted expression, I almost wanted to bite his throat out.

Katie walked over as well. Her voice was tinged with a hint of patronizing pity as she said, "Ashton, stop being stubborn. Your hand is done for. How can you operate now? Let Luke do it. It'll be better for everyone.

"Don't worry. Once this is over, he'll give you a sum of money that's enough to set you up for life."

She was still dreaming of soaring to new heights. She had no idea they were digging a grave for themselves.

"Keep an eye on them!" I yelled at the two security guards who were still frozen in place.

They exchanged uncertain glances, clearly intimidated by the situation. They didn't know whose orders to follow.

Jason immediately stepped in front of Katie and Luke and addressed the guards arrogantly, "What are you trying to do? Didn't you hear my brother-in-law say he wants to save the patient? I think Ashton's just stalling to make sure Mr. Williams Senior dies! Tie him up!"

He actually tried to have me bound!

My body shook with rage. The pain from my shattered fingers crashed over me again, threatening to knock me out.

In the midst of the chaos, Luke walked right past me and approached the operating table.

He picked up a scalpel and began gesturing with it theatrically. A look of uncontainable excitement was plastered across his face.

"See that? This is what real expertise looks like."

He turned to the terrified nurse and said, "Bring over my new product. Sterilize it."

The nurse looked like she was about to cry. She cast a desperate glance at me.

"Don't give it to him!" I screamed. "That's an unapproved medical device. If you put it in the patient, he'll die!"

"Shut up!" Jason rushed over, produced a roll of tape from somewhere, and roughly taped my mouth shut.

"Mmm!" I struggled fiercely, but two guards held me down, pinning me to the ground.

An overwhelming sense of despair washed over me.

I watched helplessly as the nurse shakily opened the silver metal box under Luke's pressure.

I saw Luke take out the so-called fully bioengineered heart valve and prepare to insert it into Devan's chest cavity.

No!

It wasn't a valve at all. It was a rough, jagged piece of metal! Inserting it would instantly puncture the heart and aorta! Devan would die right there on the operating table!

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

I saw the greedy smile on Luke's face, the shimmering hope for the future in Katie's eyes, and Jason's cocky grin.

And I saw my battered and mangled right hand, deformed into an unnatural shape.

A chilling thought blossomed in my mind.

If they were going to destroy me, then I'd drag them to hell together.

I stopped struggling, letting my body relax completely.

The guards holding me thought I'd given up, so their grip loosened just slightly.

That was the moment I was waiting for.