People with clearance could see more information than most ordinary people.
The couple's daughter had originally been hospitalized for severe gastroenteritis, but routine tests at the hospital revealed that she was a bone marrow match for the White-Bearded Old Man's son and a heart match for another of his colleagues.
The girl had never needed those tests, but the hospital staff had said, "The hospital has launched a new promotion. Children who have just come of age can receive a free physical."
Their daughter had turned eighteen just two weeks earlier, so she qualified for the free examination.
The couple had always struggled to make ends meet and had never dared spend money on a physical for their daughter. Naturally, they agreed when a free opportunity came along.
They did not understand that even in an ordinary world, there was almost no such thing as a free benefit. How could a place as short on resources as the Underground City possibly offer a genuinely free lunch?
This examination program had been deliberately arranged by the Underground City's upper echelon.
Its purpose was to find suitable reserves of organs for themselves and their families.
Every hospitalized patient whose physical condition met the requirements would undergo these tests.
They simply used different excuses for different people.
The White-Bearded Old Man's colleague had a heart condition that could not wait. Once the girl was confirmed as a suitable match, preparations for surgery began.
Of course, the girl had not died in a medical accident at the hospital. She had actually been snatched away right in front of her parents.
The couple had been completely unprepared. When they realized something was wrong and tried to get her back, they were injected with anesthetic and knocked unconscious.
When they woke again, they had been dumped