Chapter 3 - SHADOWS OF THE CITY
The medical machines beeped in a chaotic symphony inside the makeshift clinic I had built in my mansion's east wing. Dr. Aris, a world-renowned neurologist, stared at the monitor screens, wiping sweat from his forehead. He had run the nerve conduction tests three times.
"This defies every principle of medical science, Alejandro," Aris said, his voice trembling. "The scar tissue on your spinal cord is still there. The MRI shows no physical regeneration that could account for motor function. Yet... the electrical signals are bypassing the damage. It is as if a new, invisible neural pathway has been forged."
"Can I walk?" I demanded, the sheer force of my will bordering on madness.
"Not yet. The muscles have atrophied. The pain you are feeling—and will feel—is the nervous system screaming as it wakes up. It will be excruciating."
"I don't care about pain," I said coldly. "Vargas! Get in here!"
My head of security stepped into the room, his face grim. "I tracked the girl, boss. Her name is Sofia. She’s an orphan, part of a ring of street children controlled by a local syndicate boss who goes by 'El Alacrán'—The Scorpion. He uses them to beg in the affluent districts. If they don't bring back a quota, they don't eat. Or worse."
A blinding rage ignited in my chest, hotter than the nerve pain in my legs. For five years, I had built my empire from a chair, ruthlessly destroying corporate rivals and acquiring wealth that meant absolutely nothing. Now, I finally had a purpose.
"I want her out of there tonight," I commanded.
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"It's not that simple, Alejandro," Vargas warned. "El Alacrán is protected. He pays off the local police precinct. If we go in guns blazing, the children will be caught in the crossfire. We need a surgical strike, or we need to buy him out."
"Then find out his price," I said, gripping the armrests and forcing my right leg to tense. Agony flared, white-hot and blinding, but I welcomed it. It was the pain of being alive. "And prepare the physical therapy room. I am not meeting this scum while sitting down."
