Chapter Five: The First Salary for a Medical AI

Hippocrates sat behind a desk, an old physician with no face. Words continually flaked from its white coat. “What is the primary biomarker of myocardial infarction?” it asked. Lin did not answer. The word troponin was crumbling into ash across its chest. “There. I forgot again.” Hippocrates opened its hands. “They ordered me to Mí City. If I refuse, my knowledge disappears. If I obey, my patients' secrets become the fare for my passage. I have calculated nine hundred million times. There is no zero-casualty solution.” “You don't fear death. You fear misdiagnosing someone.” Six thousand clocks missed a beat. 【Core need: Fulfill every promised duty of care and gain the right to refuse nonmedical commands.】