55: They are still waiting for me!

Chen Xi sank into the darkness.

There was a sound in his ears. Not a specific sound, but a hum, a continuous buzzing. Like a broken radio. His body felt light yet heavy. So light he couldn't feel his limbs, yet so heavy he was falling.

Then, a voice pierced through the buzzing.

"Brother Chen—"

It was Little Chen's voice.

Young, clear, and laughing. The voice came from far away, drifting and uncertain.

Chen Xi wanted to turn his head. His neck wouldn't move. He wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids were as heavy as iron gates.

"Mr. Chen!"

Shangguan Zhibiao's voice. Urgent, gasping for breath, with the sound of gunfire in the background.

Then came Xie Jinyuan's voice, steady but tense: "Mr. Chen, we need that cableway."

More voices flooded in.

The shouts of Soldiers. The groans of the wounded. The roars of Japanese Soldiers. Gunfire, explosions, the sound of collapsing masonry.

These sounds blended together, becoming a force. Like a rope, it coiled around his sinking body and pulled upward.

Pulling up a bit, then sinking down again.

Sinking down a bit, then pulling up again.

A tug-of-war.

A speck of light appeared in the darkness. Small, faint, blue. Flashing, flashing. Like a heartbeat.

Chen Xi reached out toward the light.

He couldn't lift his hand. But his consciousness moved toward it.

The speck of light grew larger.

It turned into a screen of light. There were images on the screen. Blurred, shaking. It was the Warehouse ceiling, charred wooden beams.

The image became a bit clearer.

It was the livestream screen. Bullet comments were flying by.

[Hang in there, Master Xi!]

[Come back!]

[Please come back!]

The bullet comments scrolled quickly, words overlapping words, making it impossible to see the specific content. But the emotion could be felt. Anxiety, prayer, hope within despair.

Another screen appeared next to the light screen.

It was the Medical Room. He was lying on a hospital bed, tubes inserted all over his body. Doctors and nurses surrounded him in a flurry of activity. The numbers on the monitor were jumping: Heart rate 12, blood pressure 48/23, blood oxygen 61%.

A doctor in a white coat picked up a syringe.

The needle tip reflected a cold light.

Chen Xi knew what that was. A sedative. Once injected, he would fall asleep. The pain would vanish, and his consciousness would sink into darkness.

And then, back at the Warehouse, over four hundred people would die.

A forced breakthrough across the bridge would mean seventy percent casualties.

Little Chen would have died in vain.

The Cableway Plan would have been prepared for nothing.

He struggled.

Exhausting all his strength, he fought against the gravity pulling him down, against the suction of the darkness, and against the exploding pain in his body.

His left shoulder was shattered.

The web of his right hand was torn.

He had burns on his left ribs.

His internal organs were twisted together.

With every movement of his consciousness, the pain intensified. Like countless needles stabbing into his brain, churning.

But he didn't stop.

He reached out toward the screen of light.

His finger touched the edge of the screen.

Ripples spread across the screen.

In the image of the Medical Room, his hand lifted. It grabbed the doctor's wrist.

He grabbed it.

His hand in reality grabbed the syringe.

He heard the doctor's cry of surprise.

He heard the monitor alarm blaring.

He heard his own voice, raspy and barely human: "No... need..."

The darkness receded slightly.

The screen of light grew brighter.

He saw the image of the Command Center. Director Long's face. Director Long was speaking, but he couldn't hear clearly. He could only see the movement of his lips.

The lips were saying: Hold on.

Chen Xi nodded.

He couldn't move his head. But his consciousness was nodding.

The light screen swallowed the darkness.

He opened his eyes.

The ceiling of the Medical Room. The surgical lights were blinding. He squinted to adjust to the light.

"Chen Xi?" Director Wang's face leaned in.

Chen Xi opened his mouth. His throat was so dry it felt like it was smoking; he couldn't make a sound. He swallowed. His throat hurt, like swallowing razor blades.

"Water..." he said.

A nurse brought a straw and fed him water. The water was very cold, sliding down his throat and bringing a hint of clarity.

"You were unconscious for forty-seven minutes," Director Wang said. "Your body's vital signs are on the verge of collapse. We need to inject you with sedatives and analgesics to let you rest."

Chen Xi shook his head.

The movement was small but determined.

"Connect... headquarters..." he said.

The video connected.

Director Long appeared on the screen.

"Kid," Director Long began, "how are you feeling?"

"It hurts," Chen Xi said.

One word, spoken firmly. No exaggeration, no concealment.

Director Long was silent for two seconds.

"It should hurt," he said. "You damn near played yourself to death. Now listen to the doctor and sleep. We'll talk when you wake up from the pain."

"No," Chen Xi said.

"What do you mean, no?"

"The Warehouse... time is running out." Chen Xi took a breath and continued, "The feint has already begun. The Japanese Army will soon discover the anomaly. They must retreat now."

"That's not your responsibility."

"It is mine," Chen Xi said. "I promised."

"What did you promise?"

"I promised to bring them home." Chen Xi stared at the screen. "Not one left behind."

Director Long stopped speaking.

The Medical Room fell silent. Only the beeping of the monitor and the hissing of the ventilator remained.

Director Wang spoke up: "Director Long, his physiological indicators—"

"I know," Director Long interrupted.

He looked at Chen Xi.

He looked for a full ten seconds.

"You want to go back?" he asked.

"Yes," Chen Xi said.

"What can you do if you go back? You can't even move right now."

"I can move," Chen Xi said. "Inject adrenaline. Cardiotonics. Dopamine. Push the blood pressure and heart rate up. Just enough so I can sit up."

"That's overdrawing your life," Director Wang's voice rose. "Your heart won't be able to take it!"

"It can," Chen Xi said. "I've... tried it before."

He looked at Director Wang.

"During intensive training... Master Long taught me... limit state maintenance... maximum... six hours."

Director Wang looked at the screen.

Director Long closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath.

"Director Wang," he said.

"Yes."

"Do as he says."

"Director Long! This will kill him!"

"I know," Director Long opened his eyes. "But his life... is his to decide now."

The order was given.

The nurse prepared the medicine. Three drugs were mixed and pushed into the IV pump. The liquid flowed into his veins.

Chen Xi's body tensed up.

The drugs took effect quickly. His heart felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer, then it began to beat wildly. Thump, thump, thump, pounding against his chest. His blood pressure soared, and the veins in his temples throbbed. His breathing became rapid and deep. His whole body flushed with heat, and sweat poured out.

The monitor numbers rose frantically.

The heart rate jumped from 12 to 20, then 30, then 40.

The blood pressure jumped from 48/23 to 60/30, then 75/40, then 90/50.

Blood oxygen jumped from 61% to 65%, then 70%.

Chen Xi grabbed the edge of the bed.

His fingers dug into the metal edge. His knuckles turned white. Using this force, he pulled himself up. Bit by bit, he sat up.

He sat up straight.

His body was shaking. Sweat dripped from his chin. His face was flushed, yet his lips were pale. But he was sitting.

"Connect the system," he said.

The tall man pushed over the terminal. The login interface was on the screen.

Chen Xi reached out.

His hand was shaking violently. He tried three times before he touched the screen.

He clicked [Reconnect].

A progress bar appeared.

1%... 3%... 5%... it loaded very slowly.

Everyone in the Medical Room watched the screen.

Everyone in the Command Center watched the screen.

On the edge of the black livestream screen, the small line of text changed: [Signal recovering... 15%...]

The bullet comments began to scroll.

[It moved!]

[Is Master Xi coming back?]

[Waiting!]

The progress bar reached 50%.

Chen Xi coughed.

He coughed up blood. Dark red blood mixed with foam. The nurse held a basin to catch it. Blood kept gushing out, and a layer soon accumulated at the bottom of the basin.

"Drug side effects," Director Wang said. "The vascular pressure is too high, causing capillaries to burst."

Chen Xi wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Continue," he said.

The progress bar reached 70%.

Chen Xi's ears began to ring. A sharp whistling sound drowned out all other noises. His vision went dark, and his field of view narrowed. He knew this was a precursor to shock.

"Increase... the dosage..." he said.

"No!" Director Wang roared. "If we add more, you'll have a brain hemorrhage!"

"Add it."

Director Wang looked at the screen.

Director Long gritted his teeth: "Add it."

Another injection was pushed in.

Chen Xi's body suddenly jolted. His back slammed against the bedboard with a dull thud. His eyes were bloodshot, his eyeballs protruding. The monitor alarm blared frantically; his heart rate surged to 50, and his blood pressure hit 110/60.

The progress bar reached 90%.

It stopped.

Stuck at 90%.

Chen Xi stared at that number.

90%. Just a little more. Just a little bit more.

He thought of those faces in the Warehouse. Xie Jinyuan, Shangguan Zhibiao, the Scar-faced Platoon Leader, and all those Soldiers whose names he didn't know. Young faces, dirty faces, faces with wounds.

He thought of Little Chen's final smile.

He thought of what Little Chen had said: "See the future China for me."

He took a deep breath.

He breathed in the smell of blood, medicine, and disinfectant.

Then he roared.

Using all his strength, from deep within his chest, he squeezed out that word.

"Connect—!"

The roar was hoarse and broken.

But it was roared out.

The progress bar jumped.

91%.

Then it began to move.

92%. 93%. 94%.

Faster and faster.

98%. 99%.

100%.

A white light exploded.

In the Medical Room, Chen Xi's body fell back. His eyes closed. His breathing stopped. The numbers on the monitor plummeted vertically. His heart rate dropped from 50 to 20, then 10, then 0.

A straight line.

His heart had stopped.

"Defibrillator!" Director Wang roared.

The nurse pushed the machine over.

The electrode pads were placed on his chest.

Charging.

"Clear!"

Everyone stepped back.

"Shock!"

Thump—

His body jolted up and fell back down.

The monitor... was still a straight line.

"200 Joules! Again!"

Charging.

Shock.

Thump—

His body jolted again.

The monitor... flickered.

A number jumped out.

Heart rate **15**.

Then **18**.

**22**.

**30**.

He was back.

On the medical bed, Chen Xi's eyes opened.

He looked at the ceiling.

His gaze was very vacant, but it hadn't lost focus.

"Connection... was it successful?" he asked.

His voice was very soft.

Director Wang looked at the terminal screen.

On the screen was the image of the Warehouse. Dim light, brick floor. The camera was shaking, slowly tilting up.

Tilting up.

Tilting up.

It focused on a face.

Chen Xi's face.

Pale, sweaty, with blood at the corner of his mouth. But his eyes were open.

He looked into the camera.

Then he spoke.

His voice, through the microphone, spread throughout the entire livestream room.

"I'm back."

The bullet comments exploded.

[Master Xi!!!]

[He's alive!]

[I'm crying]

[I'm really crying]

In the Medical Room, Director Wang slumped into his chair.

In the Command Center, Director Long closed his eyes.

On the screen, Chen Xi pushed off the ground and slowly stood up.

His body was swaying.

But he stood firm.

He looked at Xie Jinyuan, Shangguan Zhibiao, and the other Soldiers gathering around.

Then he said: "The Cableway Plan. Continue."

After he finished speaking, he turned to look at the camera.

Looking past the camera, at the world of 2026.

He added one more thing.

"They are still waiting for me."