While Abdullah was listening to the life story of the old man, he still couldn't understand why his heart was beating so fast—albeit in a steady rhythm—along with the story of this old man.
The story was touching, filled with experiences and sadness, but it wasn't something supernatural or anything that could help him with his strange illness.
It was simply the tale of an old man. Still, Abdullah enjoyed the story and decided that he would learn from it.
Yet his heart continued to beat abnormally.
As the old man neared the end of his story, Abdullah's heart seemed to sense it too. It began beating faster—this time, irregularly.
For a moment, Abdullah felt like he was in a never-ending race. His heart raced uncontrollably, and he couldn't calm it down. He clutched his chest and asked himself:
—Is this an illusion or reality? Is my heart about to explode, or am I having a heart attack?
But that's impossible! I'm at the ninth level of physical conditioning—my body is in peak form. How could I be having a heart attack?
Then he heard a notification from the AI system confirming that what he felt was indeed real:
Ding
> [Citizen Abdullah's condition has been confirmed as critical.]
[Warning: The host's heart has exceeded normal parameters. If the heart does not calm down, the host may die.]
[System is attempting to calm the host's heart by triggering the brain to release calming hormones.]
[Attempt failed… Retrying… Attempt failed… Retrying…]
[Confirmed: Citizen Abdullah's case is abnormal. Death may occur at any moment. Searching for any possible solution to aid the host.]
Abdullah stared at the AI system's notifications. He read them, though it seemed like it took time, the system had actually done all this in less than a second—and was still trying to help him.
Once he finished reading and realized he could die at any moment, he forced himself to remain calm so his heart wouldn't race from anxiety. That alone proved that his mindset and wisdom were beyond what was expected for someone his age.
He spoke inwardly:
—Open my status screen. I don't want the old man or anyone else to notice anything.
> [Command confirmed... Accessing host's status.]
[Host Status]
Name: Abdullah Adam
Nationality & Ethnicity: 97% Egyptian
Occupation: Final-year high school student
Heka System Level: Level 9 – Physical Conditioning
Stage 1: Deep Sleep → Not yet entered (Unknown reasons)
Stage 2: Dominant Gene Awakening → Not yet entered (Unknown reasons)
Skills: Pattern-Breaking Skill (??? — Self-created)
Other Skills: ??? - ??? - ???
Current Condition: Critical. Advised to avoid all physical activity and drink something to slow heart rate.
Abdullah looked at his status and saw there was no change. He scanned the last line, hoping there would be some solution—but was disappointed to find none. He thought for a few seconds.
Then a new, stronger notification appeared from the system:
Ding
> [Citizen Abdullah's condition has reached the most critical state ever recorded.]
[All attempts to calm the heart have failed.]
[After analyzing the situation, it has been confirmed that the host is entering the Deep Sleep stage in a dangerous and abnormal way.]
[Analyzing... Failed.]
[System now confirms that there's nothing more it can do. It requests the host to issue a command to call an ambulance.]
[Do you want to contact emergency services?]
Abdullah quickly read the notifications. He was shocked—he was entering the Deep Sleep stage? Wasn't that stage impossible for him because of his condition?
But it didn't matter now. All he wanted was for his heart to calm down, because the pain had become unbearable.
With sudden urgency, he grabbed the old man's hand and said aloud:
—Call the ambulance.
He needed the old man to stop talking, because strangely, he was still listening to the story—completely detached from the pain overwhelming both his heart and mind.
The system responded:
> [Executing command... Contacting emergency services.]
[Ambulance has been dispatched. Host's location sent to the nearest hospital.]
[All scans and test results have been sent to the hospital for preparation before host's arrival.]
[Hospital system contacted.]
[Hospital system analyzing condition of Citizen Abdullah.]
[Confirmed: Host's condition is critical – Level S.]
[Preparations completed by Global Health System.]
[Global Health System is contacting the public transport system to reroute the nearest ambulance.]
All of these procedures took just a few seconds. Abdullah tried to read, but his vision was failing him.
The old man finally reacted and asked:
—What's wrong, young man?
When he looked closely at the boy's face, he realized how ill he seemed, and quickly shouted:
—Stop the bus!
Everyone on the bus turned their attention to what was happening. Upon seeing a sick high school boy, they rushed to help in any way they could:
Some performed first aid, others offered juice, some sprayed water on him, while others simply prayed to Allah to heal the boy.
When the driver heard the commotion and saw that someone was seriously ill, he requested to reroute slightly for an emergency drop-off.
The request was approved, and the driver changed course.
No one objected—life was more important than arriving on time. In their minds, they thought:
—What if this were my son, my brother, or my relative?
Indeed, it wasn't even 15 minutes before the boy was sent to the hospital.
Everyone prayed to Allah for his healing.
It was a powerful moment—showing the unity of the Egyptian people, helping each other without conditions or expectations.
---
At the Hospital
Tension filled the air. The case was classified as Level S—extremely dangerous. The boy's life had to be saved.
A nurse asked the doctor nervously:
—Is it true that the boy who's coming in is in the most dangerous condition we've ever seen?
Her voice carried worry and tension for the child.
The doctor replied, also showing signs of concern and pressure:
—Yes, this is the most critical case we've seen in seven years—since the diseases were cured, and Heka and the human-created system emerged.
Everything was fully prepared. The room was ready. Procedures set.
The doctors and nurses were caught between anxiety, anticipation, and hope.
If they could solve this case... they'd become famous.
But their thoughts were interrupted by the loud burst of the emergency doors.
The boy entered, unconscious, lying on a stretcher. The medical team rushed to grab it and wheel him into the treatment room.
---
Next stop: The Hero's Awakening – Part Two: Hope
----
"Alright, as usual—did you like the chapter? If you did, don't forget to tell me what stood out to you and share your thoughts!
And... does anyone have a theory about why Abdullah's heart reacted to 'The Old Man's story?"