Strongest Maniac: Born in an Asylum

One-Eye stared impassively at Walter.

His gaze was crystal clear. Could you please get lost?

He had absolutely no desire to engage with this madman. He couldn't even fathom why he had ever been curious about them in the first place. If he could turn back time to the moment Director Hess had called him, he knew exactly how he would have responded.

Director Hess: "You should come by my office. I have something to show you that you'll definitely be interested in."

One-Eye: "Get lost!"

That's what he should have said. Then he wouldn't have walked into the asylum and met these two lunatics.

"Just take a look! A Rolex watch, radiating an aura of nobility. I'm selling it to you at a low price today, and I'll even throw in a free acupuncture session. Isn't that tempting?"

"You have no idea how much this watch means to me. I can hardly bear to part with it."

Walter babbled on and on in One-Eye's ear, recounting the "history" of the Rolex. He kept waving his wrist back and forth, trying to make him appreciate the watch's unique temperament.

If he didn't know they were mental patients, One-Eye would have assumed Walter was just mocking him. A watch? If a drawing on a wrist could pass for a real watch, the world would have descended into chaos long ago.

However, he was genuinely surprised. He never thought two mental patients would possess such compassion. It was something he hadn't anticipated.

Money was meaningless to him. All his energy was poured into training and fighting malevolent entities. He had no family; his parents were gone, and he didn't know when he might fall in battle. To him, money was just a number.

He knew these two were trying to help the little girl with leukemia. It was a good deed. And in his experience, if money could solve a problem, then it wasn't a problem at all.

One-Eye looked at Leo. "If you can tell me what's happening with you, I can give you money."

"Okay," Leo replied, without the instant refusal he'd given before.

"There's 500,000 on this. The PIN is 857462."

One-Eye tossed a bank card onto Leo's bed. To him, money was dross.

Leo picked up the card. "This isn't money."

One-Eye took a deep breath. "That card lets you get money from a bank." He wasn't an expert on mental illness, but did they not understand the concept of a bank card? It was common sense. Then again, if they had common sense, they wouldn't be in their current situation.

Leo held the card out to Mark Zhang. "Here's money for you. The PIN is 857462."

Mark stared at the proffered bank card in shock, his eyes reddening once again. He had faced so many hardships, meeting both good people and bad. He'd experienced support, ridicule, and schadenfreude. But he never imagined that the very patients he had been so terrified of would end up helping him so profoundly.

He reached out to take Leo's hand, to thank him properly, but Leo flinched away again.

"Thank you, thank you so much! When my daughter is well, I'll work like a horse to repay..."

"You're in the way."

Leo found Mark blocking his view again and pushed him aside. He then turned back to the little girl, a wide smile on his face. When he smiled, the little girl smiled back.

Mark, having been pushed aside, didn't feel the slightest bit offended. He figured this benefactor didn't want him to feel pressured, which was why he was being so brusque.

"Sweetheart, make sure you thank our benefactor." Mark clutched the bank card, feeling a great weight lift from his heart.

The blood typing results came back with remarkable speed.

A young doctor walked into the chief physician's office, holding three data sheets. "Chief, of the three donors, two were not a match. Only one is compatible. However, during the test, we noticed something strange about this blood sample's data."

The white-haired chief physician took the test results and studied them carefully. A look of astonishment crossed his face. "Is this data correct?"

"It's correct. We ran the test three times, and the results were the same," the young doctor said, still in shock. It was the first time he had ever seen such a thing. "According to the tests, this person's hematopoietic stem cells are incredibly active. Their renewal cycle is less than half that of a normal person. And even during their dormant phase, they retain their regenerative vitality."

The chief physician had never encountered anything like it either.

"Well," he said, "regardless, what matters is that we have a successful match. Don't worry about the rest. I have to go give this news to the little girl's father. He needs to know this result more than anyone."

When the doctor delivered the news, Mark Zhang stood frozen for a moment. Then, he erupted with joy, jumping and cheering like a child. He tried to hug Leo, tried to kiss him, tried to kneel and kowtow to him.

But Leo just pushed him away again. Stop blocking my view... you're so annoying, it's like you have a mental illness or something.

Mark didn't feel slighted in the least.

Stare at my daughter all you want! Benefactor, don't even blink. Look at her however you please!

The story spread throughout the hospital. Every doctor and nurse soon knew that the VIP patient from the asylum, the "spirited young man," had voluntarily donated his stem cells to save the little girl with leukemia—and that the match was a success.

It brought a smile to all their faces.

The head surgeon who had always treated Leo stood up straight, puffing out his chest proudly. "You all know that patient? I'm the one who always saved him! If I had made a single mistake, that kid would be long gone, and he never would have been able to make this match. So, you see, my exquisite medical skills didn't just save him; they saved two people!"

Basking in the admiring gazes of his colleagues, the surgeon felt wonderful. He waved a magnanimous hand. "Tonight's dinner for the on-call staff is on me! Gong Bao Chicken over rice for everyone, with a side of tomato and egg soup!"

Vice Director Lee was also bursting with pride. He opened his phone, launched a social media app, and posted a reflection to his feed. The content was as follows:

« A joyous event occurred at our hospital today. A seven-year-old girl with leukemia has finally found a successful match! The donor of the hematopoietic stem cells is none other than a patient from the Green Mountain Asylum. This patient is special; he has been rushed to our emergency room countless times over the years.

Some once told me, 'Can't you stop letting these mental patients into our hospital?' I firmly told them, 'No.'

Others tried to pressure me, saying, 'His self-harm and constant admissions are a waste of public resources. If you continue to allow this, you can forget about your position as Vice Director.'

Faced with such pressure, I gave a firm and resolute answer: 'I am not afraid.' (I'm up for a promotion to Director soon, by the way.)

I'm not saying this to boast, but to tell everyone that when we put on this white coat, we must not judge others with prejudice. We must treat them as our own family.

Without my persistence, without my shouldering of that pressure, today's joyous event would not have been possible.

I am proud of my actions, and I will continue to strive for excellence. »

Vice Director Lee admired the article he had written. Then, his thumb began to habitually scroll the screen.

One second!

Two seconds!

Five seconds!

Obstetrics Department Head Wang: Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

Infertility Specialist Shen: Strong! Strong! Strong!

Orthopedics Department Head Zhang: The handsome Vice Director Lee!

Indian Miracle Oil Wholesaler: Vice Director Lee's spirit is an inspiration to us all!

Green Mountain Asylum's Director Hess: Staying a few more days?

Vice Director Lee smiled as he read the replies, feeling very pleased.

But his smile froze when he saw the comment from Director Hess.

He frowned.

His finger slid across the screen, tapping 'Delete Comment'.

Then: 'Settings' -> 'Privacy' -> 'Don't let them see' -> Add to list: 'Green Mountain Asylum Director Hess'.

Done!

He went back to replying to the comments praising him.

What a beautiful day.