At night, after the charity gala at the California Garden Grand Hotel concluded, the organizer personally came out to see Deputy Mayor Huang and Gao Zhinan off.

"Mayor Huang, Director Gao, your presence tonight has truly honored me. Thank you, thank you so much." The host was a major figure in Liin City who controlled a large corporation. Although it had not yet reached the heights of the Vast Sea Group, his company was powerful enough to dominate the region, and even Gao Zhinan had to show him respect.

"Alright, General Chen, there's no need to see us out. They're waiting for you inside to wrap things up. Director Gao and I will take our leave now," Deputy Mayor Huang said with a beaming smile, clearly in an excellent mood.

Just earlier at the charity gala, he had secured a verbal agreement with this General Chen for an eight-figure long-term investment. If it materialized, it would be a remarkable political achievement for him and was naturally a cause for celebration.

"Since you insist, Mayor Huang, I won't see you out any further. Take care and goodbye," the organizer said with an apologetic smile before returning to the hotel.

Although the charity gala was over, the reception that followed was still in full swing. Deputy Mayor Huang had to leave early for reasons of propriety, and since Gao Zhinan was seeing him off, he decided to leave as well. The host, however, was in a different position and still had a great deal to attend to.

After General Chen had left, Gao Zhinan turned to Deputy Mayor Huang. "Mayor Huang, are you heading home? Let me give you a ride."

Deputy Mayor Huang, however, shook his head as he gestured toward the luxury sedan parked at the hotel entrance. "It's alright, old classmate. I appreciate the gesture, but I'll get my own ride back. I can't ride in yours."

Gao Zhinan was a businessman, so he naturally owned several expensive cars worth millions, which he could use at his leisure. Huang Tao's status, however, was different. As a government official and a Party member, he had to avoid any appearance of impropriety; otherwise, he would be in trouble if someone were to use it against him.

With this in mind, he started walking toward the hotel's taxi stand. He had only taken a few steps when his feet suddenly gave out, and he collapsed, landing hard on his hip and thigh against the sharp edge of a step. The pain made him gasp sharply. He felt as if his bones were about to break and couldn't help but cry out in agony.

"Old Huang, what happened?"

Gao Zhinan was just about to get into his car when he heard Deputy Mayor Huang's scream. His heart skipped a beat. Without a second thought, he jumped out of the car and sprinted toward the source of the sound.

He hadn't run far when he saw a pale Huang Tao sitting limply on the ground, his hands trembling on the pavement and his forehead slick with sweat. A large pool of blood was spreading from under his left hip. The expressions of everyone present changed drastically. Deputy Mayor Huang is injured?!

This… this… could he have really been right?!

Seeing the scene, Gao Zhinan didn't immediately rush over to check on his old classmate. He remembered what Chen Fei had said, and a chill went down his spine.

He then hurried forward to help Deputy Mayor Huang up. "Mayor Huang, are you alright? How do you feel?" he asked, full of concern.

"Don't. I can't get up. My hip is in agony." As Gao Zhinan gently tried to help him stand, Huang Tao's face turned deathly pale. He drew a sharp, pained breath as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. The pain in his hip was so intense he felt it was impossible to stand.

Seeing this, Gao Zhinan's expression changed drastically, and he yelled at the staff nearby, "What are you all standing around for? Call an ambulance, quickly!"

"Old classmate, how could I be so unlucky today? To end up like this just from walking… ugh… hss…" At that moment, Huang Tao had none of his usual composure as an executive deputy mayor. He spoke despondently, wincing and hissing as the pain flared up.

Gao Zhinan, however, didn't think so. His expression was strange as he said, "Old Huang, I don't think this is just bad luck. Remember what I told you before? A bloody calamity."

"A bloody calamity? Are you saying...?!" Deputy Mayor Huang's expression changed instantly. He was so dumbfounded that for a moment, he even forgot the pain.

People always fear what they don't understand. If today's incident truly was the "bloody calamity" that young man mentioned, then Huang Tao might have to overturn his entire worldview. It was too astonishing, too terrifying.

WEE-WOO. WEE-WOO.

As a five-star hotel, the California Garden Grand Hotel naturally had an ambulance on standby. Within minutes, it arrived and sped off toward the nearest city center hospital, sirens wailing.

As the city's largest and most comprehensive Class A Grade 3 hospital, the City Center Hospital was their first choice, especially since it was the closest.

Lying in the ambulance, Huang Tao couldn't stop thinking about the warning Chen Fei had given him via Gao Zhinan. A chill ran through him, and he couldn't help but ask, "Old classmate, do you think today was a coincidence, or did he... did he really predict it?"

"If it were just a coincidence, he wouldn't have needed to stop me just to tell me that," Gao Zhinan muttered, a complex mix of emotions stirring within him.

Just as Huang Tao had said, they were old classmates—the only two from their town to go to university. They naturally didn't believe in things like spirits and ghosts. But now, the reality laid bare before him was enough to overturn the worldview he had held for decades. The shock was simply too great.

"You mean this isn't a coincidence?" Huang Tao's heart clenched. Disregarding the confused looks from the paramedics, he exclaimed in shock, "Old classmate, how is that possible? If this is real, don't you think it's too horrifying? How could one person possibly be capable of something like that?!"

"Alright, Old Huang, don't worry about all this for now. Just focus on getting better. We can talk about everything else once we get to the hospital," Gao Zhinan said slowly, glancing at the ambulance crew.

Although the incident was a great shock to both him and Huang Tao, Gao Zhinan was different. As a businessman, he was willing to entertain certain beliefs for peace of mind, regardless of whether they were true or false, so he was somewhat superstitious. Still, he could never have imagined that Chen Fei's skills were so terrifyingly profound that he could actually predict a person's fortune and misfortune. It left him utterly stunned.

BEEP. BEEP.

Suddenly, the cell phone in Huang Tao's pocket rang. Gao Zhinan retrieved it, looked at the screen, and said to the deputy mayor, "Old classmate, it's your son."

"You answer it. Tell him I'm fine," Huang Tao said, still reeling from the shock of Chen Fei's prediction. He had no desire to take the call.

"Hello, Feng? It's your Uncle Gao. Your dad had a little accident and got hurt. We're taking him to the City Center Hospital now... What? You and your mom are coming over? Okay, then hurry over." After hanging up, Gao Zhinan turned to Huang Tao. "Old classmate, your son and your wife are on their way to the hospital."

"Alright, let them come," Huang Tao replied, still looking stunned and absent-minded.

Seeing this, Gao Zhinan shook his head and also fell into silence as the ambulance raced toward the City Center Hospital, sirens wailing.

It was already well after the hospital's regular hours. Although there were doctors on duty, the situation was still quite troublesome. Fortunately, Huang Tao was the city's executive deputy mayor, a man of significant influence, so no one dared to be negligent. Deputy-director-level doctors from various departments who were on duty were immediately mobilized, and hospital staff began to run the necessary examinations.

Just then, a man and a woman hurried into the City Center Hospital. They were Deputy Mayor Huang's son, Huang Feng, and his wife, Feng Juan, a professor at Northern Mountain University. Feng Juan had an air of refined elegance. She was of medium height, wore glasses, and was dressed in a cyan sweater. The moment she arrived, she rushed over to Gao Zhinan and asked anxiously, "Old Gao, how is Huang Tao? Is it serious?"

Gao Zhinan shook his head and sighed. "We don't know for sure yet, but it looks troublesome. When I brought Old Huang over, I heard the doctors say that he injured his sciatic nerve and also fractured his pelvic bone. He'll probably need surgery immediately."

"Uncle Gao, wasn't my dad with you at some gala tonight? How could something like this happen?" Huang Feng blurted out, stunned by the severity of the situation.

"Hush! How can you speak to your Uncle Gao like that?" Feng Juan immediately scolded her son before turning back to Gao Zhinan with a worried expression. "Old Gao, I don't understand all this about fractures and sciatic nerves, but the city has upcoming elections. If Old Huang is held up by this, what are we going to do?"

Gao Zhinan froze when he heard this. That's right, there's going to be a reshuffle in the city soon, and my old classmate has been working hard for it. After all, if he managed to advance in this election, his career would take off, and he might even have a chance to enter the upper echelons. But if he failed this time, he'd have to wait another three to five years. By then, he'd be getting a bit old for it.

"Don't worry, Feng Juan. I'll immediately have the best orthopedic surgeon at the City Center Hospital operate on Old Huang. We'll minimize the risk. Everything will be fine," Gao Zhinan said, and immediately went to find the busy doctors.

"Director Gao, forgive me for being blunt, but Deputy Mayor Huang's situation is quite serious. None of us here has the confidence to perform this surgery. Moreover, even if the head physicians of our departments were here, I doubt they would be much more confident," one of the deputy-director-level doctors said cautiously, which made the expressions of Gao Zhinan, Feng Juan, and the others change drastically.

"What? Is it really that serious? Old Huang just took a fall, how could it be this bad?" Gao Zhinan demanded.

"Director Gao, we're not trying to be alarmist," the doctor said carefully. "A pelvic fracture alone is a very serious matter, let alone the damage to the sciatic nerve. If this isn't handled properly, it could very well lead to lower limb atrophy and paralysis."

Just then, medical staff wheeled Huang Tao out of the examination room. He was clearly aware of the severity of his condition. His face was gloomy, and the atmosphere in the hallway grew heavy.

"Old Huang, how about we ask Doctor Chen to take a look?" Gao Zhinan suddenly suggested. "Maybe he can help you."

At his words, a sharp glint flashed in Huang Tao's eyes, and they lit up with sudden hope.

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