Chapter 0: The Shifting World Line (3)
==============================
“Ding ding ding…”
Lin Nan picked up her phone. It was a call from Nie Zhengchu.
She completely ignored the unconscious Security Team Leader at her feet, as well as the panicked personnel in the Special Care Zone, and answered the call.
“Director, the hospital says the Special Care Zone is full, but they can arrange for a regular ward on the next floor. I think we should let Patient 233 move in first; after all, staying in the hallway for too long isn’t good for wound recovery.”
Lin Nan replied, “Okay, I got it. I’ll talk to them when I get there.”
She understood all too well that the hospital leadership’s attitude was key when it came to arranging special care wards. The very reason she came to the Special Care Zone was to gather intel, and now that she had figured out the situation, she was off to have a little chat with that Dean she’d dealt with before. Why on earth weren’t the wounded from the Special Operations Bureau getting any special treatment?
As Lin Nan prepared to leave after throwing a punch, Ma Yongxin and the remaining three security guards dared not stop her, fearing that they’d end up like their Security Team Leader—head-first on the floor, dazed and confused.
“Hello, police station? There’s a crazy woman in the hospital! She’s not only shouting curses but also attacking people. Our Security Team Leader is injured because of her,” Ma Yongxin exclaimed, already dialing the police’s number.
Soon, the hospital’s security was informed, and not long after, over a dozen aggressive security guards, under the watchful eyes of the surveillance room, charged toward Lin Nan’s figure.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan found herself blocked at the entrance of the hospital’s office building.
To prevent medical disputes and riffraff from sneaking in, hospitals typically have access control measures with security on duty.
“If you’re looking for someone, you need to call in to this station and register your name before you can go in,” the guard said, clearly not in the mood to play nice. His paycheck depended on this, and even if a fairy showed up, he wasn’t letting anyone through.
“I’m looking for the Dean,” Lin Nan stated.
“Same deal here. We need a call to let you in,” the guard shrugged.
Lin Nan did not press further.
She recalled what Secretary Wang had conveyed over the phone and couldn’t shake off a sinking feeling.
Two years ago, while dealing with a super criminal, she had casually rescued the Dean’s family, and due to confidentiality concerns, she hadn’t left her name.
Even if she made it inside, whether the Dean would recognize her as the lifesaver was another story. Would she even be remembered? What if this time they managed to arrange for Patient 233 but what about next time? Would she have to play mediator every single trip to the hospital?
Although she had temporarily taken the place of the former head of the Special Operations Bureau in this Small World, she could have just kept her head down, ignored everything, and waited for Ji Shen and the Demon Race to finish their task. She would then make a flashy appearance as the final boss and, much like Kael’thas before, find a way to lose to them, calling it a job done.
But hey, one day as a monk means another day of hard work! She couldn’t just turn a blind eye to the people and events around her.
Maybe that saying about “the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility” was rooted deep in her bones. Why should she be a turtle hiding its head while others stepped all over her face?
At that moment, she had genuinely taken Patient 233 under her wing. Even if they were on the Asking Dao Continent, who dared bully her little brother? As the big boss, she couldn’t just let people take it out on her crew!
How could she lead a team if she kept swallowing her pride?
Better to step down than to be a nominal leader who was sneered at behind her back.
Thus, if she wanted to tackle this problem from the root, it required a plan.
Relying on some bureaucrat to wake up and understand was simply out of the question.
And just then, over a dozen security guards swarmed over, surrounding Lin Nan, who was standing outside the office building.
Lin Nan glanced at them, unfazed.
Fortunately, these security guards didn’t resort to violence; they simply formed a human wall around her.
Before long, a police siren wailed from a distance, growing louder.
A police van sped up and screeched to a halt at the office building entrance.
Ma Yongxin leaped out first, followed closely by three police officers.
“It’s this crazy woman! She knocked out a security guard and tried to barge into the office building with malicious intent!” Ma Yongxin pointed dramatically at Lin Nan, who was still encircled by security.
At this moment, not only was there a crowd of spectators outside the office building, but numerous hospital staff also peeked out from the upper floors, curiously glancing downward.
“Ma’am, you are suspected of injuring a security guard. Please accompany us back to assist with the investigation.”
Lin Nan sized up the three police officers who were glaring at her, her face unbothered.
Then she lowered her head and sent a message on her phone, completely ignoring them.
“Look at her! Is she not a madwoman? She acts like this even with the police here. Everybody be careful, we might need to arm ourselves; she’s strong!” Ma Yongxin shouted, acting like he was narrating a thrilling episode of “Cops.”
The officers, seeing her indifference, were indeed a bit annoyed.
One of them promptly pulled out handcuffs and took a step forward.
Just then, a series of “thud thud thud” footsteps echoed from within the office building.
Nie Zhengchu, running in like a whirlwind, exclaimed, “Wait! It’s a misunderstanding! We’re all family here, let’s not go overboard!”
Before he could reach the police, he whipped out a document encased in a black cover.
The lead officer frowned at the document handed over by Nie Zhengchu and examined it from various angles, before the three of them huddled together to discuss.
“Sorry, we’ve never seen this document before. We suspect you of having forged identification,” the lead officer said.
Nie Zhengchu, now both angry and amused, replied, “Let me just call your Director.”
Unfortunately, his lucky stars were not shining; the line was busy, and he tried a dozen times without success.
The police officers’ patience was wearing thin.
“You two, come with us to the station immediately.”
The surrounding crowd, naturally drawn by the spectacle, couldn’t help but engage in their favorite pastime—people-watching. And since the star of this incident was a rather attractive girl, it only added to the excitement.
But alas, they heard she was a madwoman and possibly a prostitute.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, look at that face and body. I’d pay three thousand for a night, no regrets.”
“Such a shame, so young and yet so foolish. What a waste of her potential.”
“Who wouldn’t be? She doesn’t even fear the police; she’s either mentally unstable or not too bright.”
Whispers and chatter filled the air.
Ma Yongxin genuinely lamented, how did such a beautiful girl end up here—getting tangled up with riffraff? And that bald uncle next to her? A fake ID dealer trying to get a free pass? It was all just a pipe dream!
Tsk, tsk, tsk, he couldn’t wait to share this scene with his classmates!