247: Chapter 248 The Near-Death Stress in a Dream Without a Real Gun!

"Beep—beep—"

In the extremely quiet space, only the monitor emitted a monotonous and steady electronic sound.

Shen Du, on the hospital bed, actually had not suffered any life-threatening injuries.

The only wound on his body was a skin abrasion caused by a stray bullet during the retreat.

What had kept him in a deep sleep for a full day and night was the physical and mental exhaustion of his body, which had not yet undergone professional training, after experiencing over a dozen hours of a hellish escape.

Suddenly, Shen Du's breathing became rapid without any warning.

He hadn't even fully awakened from the deep subconscious filled with smoke and gunfire.

The eyeballs beneath his tightly closed eyelids moved violently.

The next second, his body, which had just regained a sliver of strength from high-concentration glucose, suddenly erupted with a terrifying stress response.

Shen Du's body suddenly tensed up on the hospital bed, like a fully drawn bow.

He didn't open his eyes at all, yet his hands, relying on muscle memory carved into his marrow by the life-and-death speed, were frantically groping and scratching at the soft white hospital sheets.

No cold, hard metallic touch, no trigger, no magazine!

"Where is my gun?!"

Shen Du suddenly sat halfway up, a hoarse, low growl erupting from his throat, carrying the panic of a dying beast.

His body was completely in a tactical defensive state, ready to fight for his life at any moment.

A layer of fine cold sweat instantly seeped from his forehead.

"Shen Du! Shen Du, don't move!"

Just as he was about to pull out the IV needle on the back of his hand by instinct.

A pair of warm hands, trembling slightly from heartache, firmly pressed down on his arms, which were as stiff as stone.

Hong Yun, who had been guarding the bedside all night with heavy dark circles under her eyes, felt her eyes instantly redden.

Looking at the man before her, whose knuckles were still tightly gripping a virtual trigger even in his dreams, she felt a suffocating heartache.

Hong Yun did not press the call button to summon the doctor.

Instead, she leaned over and pulled Shen Du's tense, trembling shoulders tightly into her embrace.

Using the gentlest and firmest voice, she repeatedly forced herself to drown out the sounds of gunfire in his mind:

"It's okay... Shen Du, wake up, it's okay."

"Relax, we're home now."

That warmth with a familiar scent, along with the trembling whispers in his ear, acted like a powerful sedative, instantly cutting off the battlefield alarm in Shen Du's brain.

His spine, which had been as tense as a fully drawn bow, finally relaxed bit by bit.

Shen Du took a sharp breath and slowly opened his eyes.

What came into view was the white ceiling, the ticking high-end cardiac monitor, and the special military ward sign at the head of the bed clearly printed with the words "Shen Du".

His nasal cavity was filled with the strong smell of medical disinfectant.

But this smell, which was usually unpleasant, now became the most reassuring line of defense.

"We're really home..."

Shen Du's chapped, peeling lips moved slightly, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

He didn't bother with the fictional firearms anymore, but instead reached out with his still-trembling hand, picked up the glass of room-temperature electrolyte water on the bedside table, tilted his head back, and chugged it down without any regard for his image.

"Gulp, gulp—"

He didn't even taste the slight saltiness of the water; he only felt the cool liquid tumble down his throat into his empty stomach.

Through this swallowing action, his soul, which had been drifting in the ruins of the Kabul Valley, finally fell back into this physical body.

Shen Du set down the water glass and wiped the water stains off his chin.

His gaze then focused on Hong Yun, who was in front of him with a face full of worry and heavy dark circles under her eyes.

"Thank you for your hard work."

His voice still carried a torn hoarseness, but his eyes had regained clarity, and he immediately hit the core of his concern: "My mom... she doesn't know about this, right?"

Hong Yun forced a reassuring smile, reached out to gently brush aside the hair on his forehead that was soaked with cold sweat, and nodded.

"Don't worry, after you left for Europe, I found an excuse to safely send your mother back to her hometown in Zhejiang to recuperate."

Hong Yun whispered the truth, her tone carrying a hint of awe for that unfathomable power: "News about you has been blocked domestically. Not to mention foreign media reports, even any related words about the 'private jet crash' have been completely wiped from all domestic platforms; not a single trace can be found."

Hong Yun paused slightly, a flash of deep lingering fear in her eyes: "I also only rushed over to accompany you last night after you landed and I received an urgent notice from the two men outside the door."

Hearing that his mother had been properly taken care of, the last heavy stone hanging in Shen Du's heart finally settled firmly.

Hong Yun looked at his face, which was gradually regaining a hint of color, and sighed softly.

She pointed to the heavy, specially made soundproof door of the ward, lowered her voice, and said with a tone full of helplessness and undisguised heartache: "Since you've recovered, get up and go report your safety to those two door gods outside yourself."

Shen Du followed her gaze to the door and frowned slightly.

"Those two outside... their gunshot wounds haven't even been thoroughly debrided yet. They've been standing outside your ward like two wooden stakes, guarding you for a whole day and night. No matter how the nurses tried to persuade them, they wouldn't leave a single step."

Recalling the tragic scene she saw when she went out to deliver food earlier, Hong Yun's eyes were full of pity: "Honorary Vice President Yan Feng said he personally finalized the return route for that private jet, and it ended up being blown up by an anti-aircraft missile in mid-air. He feels he cannot shirk the responsibility. If you hadn't opened your eyes for a day, he wouldn't even dare to sit down. As for Shen Hong... he didn't say anything. But he feels that by taking you into danger and letting you experience such a life-and-death desperate situation, he has no face to leave."

Hearing this, Shen Du's heart constricted violently.

The memory of that dozen-hour extreme breakout flashed through his mind again.

Amidst the indiscriminate strafing of mercenaries covering the mountains and plains, and the devastating carpet bombing by the multinational coalition forces.

If it weren't for Honorary Vice President Yan Feng and Shen Hong fighting for their lives like lone wolves, using their flesh and blood to block the most fatal crises for him.

He, Shen Du, would have long since turned into a handful of scorched earth in the ruins of the Kabul Valley.

"These two reckless lunatics..."

Shen Du cursed under his breath, but his eyes couldn't help but heat up slightly.

He didn't hesitate at all and directly threw off the white medical blanket covering him.

He raised his hand and roughly pulled out the nutrient IV needle that had just been inserted into the back of his hand.

Not even bothering to put on the slippers by the bed, Shen Du stepped directly onto the cool sterile floor with bare feet.

He gritted his teeth, enduring the intense tearing sensation in his thigh and back muscles caused by overexertion.

He strode towards the tightly closed ward door.

"Click."

The heavy, specially made soundproof door of the ward was pushed open.

The corridor was quiet, and the pale lights shone on the clean floor.

On the bench outside the door, Shen Hong was leaning against the wall, eyes closed to rest.

The tactical vest soaked in blood had finally been changed.

He was wearing an ill-fitting, oversized hospital gown.

Thick bandages, already faintly stained with blood, were wrapped around his lower leg and left arm.

And in the spot closest to the door, Honorary Vice President Yan Feng, covered in stubble, his eyes red like a wild rabbit from bloodshot congestion.

Was standing guard like a frightened bird, nervously staring at the direction of the elevator.

The slight sound of the door hinge turning instantly triggered their nerves, which were stretched to the limit.

"Swish!"

Honorary Vice President Yan Feng, almost like a conditioned reflex, sprang up from the chair, his palm subconsciously reaching for his waist, only to grasp at empty air.

On the other side, Shen Hong also suddenly opened his eyes, and a sharp cold glint instantly burst from his tired eyes.

When they saw Shen Du standing at the door barefoot.

These two beasts who had crawled out of a pile of dead bodies were both stunned.

"My god..."

Honorary Vice President Yan Feng's body, which had been weak and hanging on only by sheer grit, seemed to have all its strength drained away the moment he confirmed that Shen Du was standing there, completely unscathed.

His legs went soft, and he slumped back onto the bench in a disheveled manner, pulling at his wounds and gasping in pain.

But he still managed to force a bitter smile, his voice raspy like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together: "You finally woke up... If you hadn't opened your eyes, I wouldn't be able to continue as a special envoy; I might as well find a rope and commit suicide in front of this ward to apologize."

Honorary Vice President Yan Feng was definitely not joking.

The route was arranged by him, the security level was set by him, and the accident happened right under his nose.

Shen Hong also let out a long breath of stale air.

He didn't speak, but the heaviness in his bloodshot eyes finally dissipated, as if relieved of a burden.

"Apologize, my ass."

Shen Du ignored the cold floor, walked quickly to Honorary Vice President Yan Feng, and slapped his broad shoulder hard.

He looked at these two scarred tough guys and scolded them solemnly, word by word: "Open your eyes and look, I'm standing here completely unscathed. You dragged me back from hell. The ones who should be lining up for treatment aren't me, but you two!"

At the corner of the corridor, a burst of hurried footsteps approached.

A nurse carrying a dressing tray was walking towards them, looking worried.

She wasn't actually here to do rounds, but had to come every so often to check on these two lunatics who had gunshot wounds but refused to go for debridement, terrified that they would suddenly go into hemorrhagic shock and die in the hallway.

Shen Du raised his head, waved at the nurse, and spoke in an unquestionable tone: "Please call a few people over to forcibly press these two severely injured patients into the ward for comprehensive debridement."

Hearing Shen Du speak, the nurse was stunned for a moment, then let out a long breath of relief.

"Oh my god, you're finally awake!"

As the nurse walked over, she glared at Honorary Vice President Yan Feng and Shen Hong, unable to help but complain loudly: "You have no idea how stubborn these two are! This is a top-security internal hospital; not even a fly can fly into the outer area, it's absolutely safe! But they, on the other hand, with shrapnel still inside them, stood outside this door like two logs for a whole day and night, and no amount of persuasion worked!"

Looking at the nurse's angry and anxious expression, Honorary Vice President Yan Feng, who had been holding on by a thread, finally grinned awkwardly.

Since Shen Du was standing in front of them, full of life, the obsession that had been forcing them to stand dissipated instantly.

Fatigue and pain rushed back like a tide.

Shen Hong leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and waved his hand slightly, signaling that he would no longer resist.

And Honorary Vice President Yan Feng slumped directly onto the chair, his strength completely drained, not even having the energy to lift a finger.

The nurse didn't dare to delay and immediately turned to use the intercom to call the nurses' station.

In just half a minute.

Several strong male orderlies pushed two gurneys over quickly.

Half-supporting and half-dragging, they lifted the two tough guys, who had completely let down their guard, onto the gurneys and quickly pushed them into the surgical debridement room deep in the corridor.

Watching the gurneys disappear around the corner, Shen Du took a deep breath of the cool air in the corridor and turned to walk back to the ward.

To ensure there were no latent internal injuries, he still needed to follow the doctor's orders and stay there for observation for a few more days.