Noon.

Medical Center.

Cafeteria.

Bang!

Meredith walked in and slammed the cooler onto the table.

"Is this it?"

Adam and the others immediately turned to look.

"Yes," Meredith replied irritably.

"Can we take a look?" Adam and Cristina asked in unison.

"What is it?" George, the chubby and slightly effeminate intern, asked curiously.

"You all want to see?" Meredith glanced between Adam and George.

Adam nodded with a smile.

George, not wanting to be left out despite his confusion, nodded enthusiastically.

"Go ahead," Meredith said, pushing the cooler toward them.

Adam held it steady, opened it, and after a quick glance, clicked his tongue in astonishment.

George leaned in and saw an indescribable mass inside.

"What is that?" he asked, puzzled.

"A severed fifth limb," Adam replied with a smirk.

Pfft!

George nearly choked, coughing violently while covering his mouth. "You could've warned me!"

"Wimp," Cristina scoffed, giving him a disdainful look before shutting the cooler.

"That girl is one fierce fighter," Adam remarked.

"If there were more women like her, there'd be a lot fewer rapists in the world," Cristina agreed.

"She was wearing the same shoes as me," Meredith murmured, momentarily dazed.

Americans tend to have an interest in mysticism, given that belief in God is mainstream.

Today, Meredith had worn a pair of shoes she hadn't touched in a long time, picking them from her closet on a whim. And now, she realized they were identical to the ones worn by this fierce young woman. That coincidence made her feel an unusual connection with the girl—something beyond the typical doctor-patient relationship. She felt emotionally invested.

Earlier That Morning.

Paramedics had wheeled in a severely injured and unconscious young woman. She was covered in wounds, barely clinging to life. Meredith had been the first doctor to attend to her, making her the girl's primary physician by default.

In the Operating Room.

While performing surgery, Dr. Burke had discovered something in the girl's mouth. When he extracted it, he couldn't immediately tell what it was.

But Meredith recognized it at a glance and stated what it was.

Immediately, a horrifying image formed in everyone's mind—a young woman, beaten to a bloody pulp by her assailant. Just as the rapist assumed she was too weak to resist, she had summoned the last of her strength and bitten off his detestable "fifth limb."

Dr. Burke, staring at the severed appendage held in his forceps, instinctively tossed it into a sterile container. It wasn't a lack of professionalism—just an unavoidable, visceral male reaction.

Due to the chain of custody rules, until the police arrived, Meredith was required to keep the evidence with her at all times.

And given the efficiency (or lack thereof) of the NYPD, Meredith had been stuck carrying it around, attracting attention wherever she went.

This kind of story had already spread throughout the hospital—and, by now, probably across all of New York's medical community. Dr. Burke and his team had also alerted other hospitals to be on the lookout for a rapist who was almost certainly in critical condition.

"Damn rapist!" Liz cursed viciously.

"I hope they don't find him too soon," Bianca said coldly.

"Even if he shows up at a hospital now, it's already too late for him," Cristina said with a smirk. "Bite wounds are jagged and unsuitable for clean surgical reattachment. Plus, saliva damages muscle tissue. Even if they attempt to repair it, they'd have to cut away a portion first. He'll be using a catheter for a long time—and he'll never be able to commit the same crime again."

"Sigh," Adam exhaled.

"What is it?" Cristina frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Your medical assessment is spot on," Adam said, shaking his head. "But saying he'll never commit another crime again? That's too optimistic. Sometimes, men like him become even more dangerous after something like this. It all depends on whether he has money."

Everyone fell silent.

Even if they weren't familiar with the history of twisted eunuchs in ancient China, they had certainly heard of men whose psychological scars made them even more depraved.

"But this is a serious crime. He'll be sentenced to a long time in prison, right?" George still had faith in the justice system.

"Yes, theoretically," Adam said dryly. "But only if he's poor. Otherwise, whether he's guilty at all will be 'up for debate.' There's always 'consent' or a 'misunderstanding in a financial transaction.' Hell, the girl could even end up being charged with aggravated assault. And even if he is convicted, watch as a heavy sentence turns into a light one, a light one into probation, and then the sentence keeps getting reduced. You'd be amazed."

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Hearing it laid out like that was disturbing—but it was the reality of America's legal system.

"Then what do we do?" Meredith asked, her voice thick with sorrow. "She's already been shattered—barely clinging to life. Are we really going to save her, only for her to wake up to a nightmare instead of a new beginning?"

"That's horrifying," Liz muttered, shivering.

"We do what we can," Adam sighed.

After all, she was born into 'the land of the free.'

"Adam, you can help her!" Liz suddenly exclaimed, her face full of hope. "You're a billionaire, a famous author—you can do something!"

"Isabelle Stevenson!" Adam's face darkened, his tone turning sharp. "In this hospital, I am your colleague and a doctor—not a billionaire or a celebrity. If you want to do something for this brave young woman, then go do it yourself.

As for what I choose to do, that's my business. You have no right to demand anything from me. Do you understand?!"

Did Adam want to help the girl?

The truth was, he did.

In fact, he had already decided that if the legal system failed her in some egregious way, he would quietly step in and provide whatever assistance he could. He considered it a good deed.

But wanting to help and being guilt-tripped into it were two completely different things.

Even if he did help, it would be in secret and only within his means.

Because in this so-called 'free world,' there were too many injustices and tragedies. If he openly built a reputation for being generous, he'd attract an endless stream of opportunists looking to exploit him.

Losing a bit of money wasn't the issue.

The real problem was how exhausting it would be.

And some scammers would go to extreme lengths—like faking illnesses to exploit his kindness.

The first person that came to Adam's mind was Frank from Shameless. That old crook would definitely pull a stunt like that.

Adam wasn't afraid of lawsuits, but if he lost his medical license because of some scammer? That would directly impact his longevity—something he cared about far more than any moral debate.

He had no interest in Liz's moral crusade. Even if she were a true saint, if she jeopardized his future, she'd become his enemy.

"Adam…" Meredith tried to smooth things over, but Adam cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Isabelle Stevenson!" Adam's gaze was icy. "Did you hear me clearly?!"