Chapter 307: On Purpose, or a Coincidence?
Meanwhile, in the hospital...
A nurse stopped by the security checks, letting the guards check the drugs on his tray and his pockets. His face was covered by a mask, watching as they checked everything before looking back at him.
Without a word, one of them handed the tray back and stood straight at their post.
The nurse lowered his head a little and continued. But when he reached the hall to the intensive care unit, he had to make another stop for another round of security checks.
Just like the first, not a word was said.
Dominion guards checked the drugs, his pockets, and confirmed there was nothing suspicious about any of it. Once he was cleared, he was given access to the ICU door.
The nurse paused to go through the brief sterilization before walking into the quiet intensive care unit. Normally, there would be more patients. But since the patient here was important, he was alone.
The sound of a mechanical heartbeat echoed in the room, along with the quiet pump of oxygen.
The nurse’s steps slowed as he approached the bed, eyes on the patient. Slowly, he placed the tray to the side, eyeing the patient behind the oxygen mask. He quietly reached down, pulling something out from the hem of his scrub pants.
A syringe.
A very small, thin syringe that was easily overlooked despite the multiple security checks. The nurse remained calm as he pulled off the cap. But before injecting it into the patient’s IV tube, he looked back to make sure no one was watching.
"Stupid Dominion," he muttered before turning back to the patient.
Much to his surprise, the moment he faced the patient again, the patient was already awake and kneeling on the bed.
"What —"
TAK!
Using the bottom of the pistol’s handle, Rus struck the nurse’s jaw with it. The blow was hard enough to knock out even the most seasoned professional, sending the man’s body hitting the floor with a loud thud.
"Hah," Rus breathed out and stretched his neck, pulling at his hospital gown’s collar where a small mic was clipped. "It’s the second one, and like the first, he didn’t recognize me."
Rus huffed as he gazed down at the person on the floor, shaking his head before climbing out of the bed. Standing over the person who had tried to kill him — thinking Rus was Lucian — he asked,
"What do I do with him?"
*****
Meanwhile, inside an ambulance, Khan sat in the back with Warriyo, who was checking Lucian’s vitals while Nelek drove them to a new location.
"Wait for Gustav to come," Khan pressed into his earpiece. "For now, hide him. It’s the second night since the Black Dragon collapsed. Many more will come and attempt on his life."
Rus scoffed from the other end but didn’t complain.
With that, their open line went quiet. Khan glanced at Warriyo. "How is he?"
"His vitals are all stable," Warriyo remarked. "Surprisingly."
"Surprisingly?"
Warriyo looked up at Khan and nodded. "I was expecting his vitals to look more abnormal since he’s an intensive care unit patient. But they’re alright."
"That’s a good thing, right?"
"Pretty much."
Khan breathed out in relief, nodding. As for Warriyo, he leaned back slightly but kept his focus on Lucian’s vitals.
"By the way, how many assassination attempts has Rus dealt with while posing as the Black Dragon?" Warriyo asked, looking at Khan. "I’m worried about him."
"He’s going to be fine," Khan reassured. "There’s a reason anyone who goes in has to go through several security checks."
It might have looked like Dominion’s security was tight, but it was far different from how it appeared. Gustav had followed Ashley’s instructions by raising security in the hospital, but he had also lowered the strictness of the checks themselves.
Anyone approaching where Lucian was supposed to be would be checked for firearms and the like. But that was so Rus could deal with them easily... and quietly.
Because at this point, keeping Lucian safe was Khan’s job. Gustav’s role now was to find out who these people were and determine who their real allies and enemies were.
"But if these people don’t know it’s not the Black Dragon but Rus, it means they were just hired to do it," Warriyo commented. "Isn’t it a waste of time?"
"It’s still better than doing nothing," Khan shrugged. "At this point, we can’t ignore even the smallest things."
He paused, looking up at Warriyo. "Aside from the fact that the Black Dragon’s collapse is enough to make the entire underground move — whether to seize a piece of this power or to make sure he never gets up — we have to keep in mind that people would also move to stop another power from rising."
A moment of silence fell between them as Warriyo held Khan’s solemn expression.
"With Gustav and Red on her side, it’s going to take less than a day before all of her actions make their presence known," he continued under his breath. "And it’s going to take less than a day before everyone realizes that keeping the Black Dragon down shouldn’t be their priority — but rather stopping her from gaining more power as the Madam of Dominion."
Warriyo gulped.
He knew that, but somehow, having Khan say it out loud made it sound more dangerous and more real.
"She’s going to be fine, isn’t she?" Warriyo asked. "I want to trust that she... saw this coming."
Khan chuckled lightly. "She knew," he said with certainty, his eyes falling on Lucian’s figure. "Why do you think she asked to move him first?"
Another wave of silence fell before his calm voice broke through it.
"It’s because she knew that as the power shifts, the attention on her would shift just as drastically," he added under his breath. "And if she’s going to war, she had to make sure her war wouldn’t reach those behind her."
Khan lifted his gaze slowly. "If anything, those who didn’t side with her as soon as they could... would regret it."
"Dominion..." he trailed off, glancing at Lucian once more. "...had no idea what kind of monster they let inside their doors, and I can’t blame them. He didn’t let anybody know — and somehow, it makes me wonder if he did it on purpose for this very moment, or if it’s all just coincidence."
