[Chapter 268: Regenerative Elixir]
Raymond's wife sat frozen with fear in her chair, unable to utter a word.
"Let's go inside," Daniel said, pushing open the heavy automatic door of the ICU.
Frank Douglas and Raymond's wife followed closely behind him.
Inside, the Heart Rate Monitor emitted faint, irregular beeps.
Raymond lay on the hospital bed, his body covered in tubes. Half of his chest had collapsed, and his face had taken on the ashen, near-death pallor of someone on the brink.
Raymond's wife looked at Daniel with hopeful eyes. "Mr. Cross, can... can he still be saved?"
Daniel said nothing. He stepped forward and tapped Raymond's chest with two fingers.
His Spiritual Sense probed inward and discovered that half of Raymond's soul had already fled his body, huddled like frightened shadows in a corner of the ceiling.
"Come back," Daniel commanded.
He clenched his hand, his magic power flowing out like silk threads, forcibly drawing that half of the soul back and stuffing it into the damaged body.
Then, Daniel extended a finger and tapped Raymond's forehead.
A glow of orange-red light bloomed and seeped into Raymond's brain.
Moments later, Raymond's eyelids twitched weakly. He barely managed to open his eyes, though he remained extremely fragile.
He looked at the three of them with a hazy gaze.
"Raymond!"
Frank and Raymond's wife exchanged shocked and relieved looks.
Daniel interrupted, "Don't speak to him just yet. I've forcibly awakened him for now. Frank, please explain the contract. If there are no issues, have him sign it. Then we can move on with treatment."
Frank nodded and quickly laid out the deal: trading half his fortune to save his life.
Raymond barely hesitated, nodded slightly, and raised his hand. Soon, he signed the contract.
...
As soon as the pen lifted from the paper, Raymond's head lolled to the side, and he fainted again.
Raymond's wife panicked. "Mr. Cross, how is he?"
"He knows how to choose," Daniel said, pulling out a small medicine bottle.
As he removed the stopper, a burst of vitality, so thick it felt almost tangible, flooded the ICU. It even diluted the harsh smell of disinfectant.
A Fifth-Tier Regenerative Elixir.
Daniel pried open Raymond's mouth and fed him the elixir.
"With this down your throat, you won't be able to die even if you wanted to."
Daniel placed his hand on Raymond's abdomen.
The Higher Ascendant-level magic power within him surged forth like a breaking flood, forcibly catalyzing the elixir's medicinal effects.
Bzzz--!
The Heart Rate Monitor flatlined suddenly, its sharp alarm stabbing through the room.
Just as Raymond's wife and Frank turned pale, something bizarre happened.
The broken ribs rattled with crisp cracking sounds.
Beneath his bluish-violet skin, they rapidly began to swell.
His necrotic lung lobes, nourished by the elixir, inflated like balloons.
His shattered spine, damaged nerves, and mangled internal organs -- all rapidly healed and reintegrated at a speed that defied biological sense.
Sweat beaded Daniel's forehead. This heaven-defying elixir consumed a staggering amount of his magic power as well.
...
Ten minutes later, Daniel withdrew his hand.
Raymond's ashen face had flushed with rosy life. Even the deep wrinkles on his forehead had smoothed considerably.
"Rise."
Daniel flicked his forehead.
Suddenly, the old man on the bed opened his eyes, sat upright, and yanked the oxygen tube from his throat.
"I... I'm not dead?"
Raymond touched his chest, where the fist-sized bullet hole had vanished. In its place was smooth, pink new skin.
He looked up at Daniel, eyes shining with the wild joy of rebirth and the awe of supernatural power.
"I... I'm okay?"
Daniel nodded. "You're okay. Not just okay -- every underlying illness you had is cured. Your body is now like that of a healthy 20-year-old."
"This is truly a miracle." Raymond laughed heartily, rolled off the bed, and gripped Daniel's hand tightly. "Mr. Cross, thank you for giving me a second life."
"Just don't forget the contract."
"Mr. Cross, rest assured, I will not breach it."
Raymond took a step, steadier than Blake had been before running away.
Daniel added, "You should thank Frank Douglas and your wife. Without Frank, I wouldn't have come to save you. And your wife as well. As for your children... that's your problem. Handle it yourself."
Though Daniel left it unstated, Raymond understood clearly.
His face darkened briefly.
Then he nodded and thanked Frank and his wife.
Frank smiled broadly and gave Raymond's shoulder a quick pat.
Raymond's wife still could not find her voice.
...
When Raymond pushed open the ICU door and appeared before everyone, full of vigor, the children who had been hiding and watching from a distance stared as if seeing a ghost -- gaping at the old man who should have been in a morgue, his chest agape wide enough to fit a fist.
"Run!" Blake shouted, then turned and fled.
The others quickly followed.
"Hmph!" Raymond snorted heavily. "Don't expect to get another cent from me."
The corridor light bounced off Raymond's rosy face, reflecting a sickly yet vibrant energy.
The terrified children disappeared from view, leaving only a stunned crowd of doctors and nurses.
The old dean adjusted his glasses, trembling as he stepped forward to ask something -- but Frank stopped him with a look.
"Mr. Cross, let's talk somewhere else."
Raymond's attitude toward Daniel was no longer just polite. It was reverence, almost worship, like facing a god.
Raymond was a shrewd businessman who knew life was more precious than money.
Now, every breath of air tasted sweet in his lungs. He felt an inexhaustible strength coursing through his body, a sensation he hadn't known in over thirty years.
"Mr. Cross, about that half of the assets," Raymond said softly as they walked, "my businesses are spread across Las Vegas and Europe. Some are fixed assets, some liquid securities. Accounting for these and transferring them to your name will require complex legal work. I'll have my legal team work through the night."
Daniel kept his hands in his pockets, walking casually. "How long will it take?"
Raymond wiped sweat from his forehead, "At least a month, given the volume."
Daniel waved his hand. "No need for trouble, Raymond. I'm not one to nitpick. Just estimate a rough figure and transfer half of that to me."
Raymond sighed in relief. This way, some profitable projects wouldn't have to be halted.
He just needed to give a rough estimate.
"In that case, it can be done much faster," Raymond said.
Daniel looked him in the eye, his tone calm. "I hope it can be settled within half a month. Can you manage that?"
*****
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