Under the steel dome, time seems to have solidified into a dark grey viscous liquid.
The intensive care unit on the third underground floor is completely cut off from the surface world, and there are no holes on the six walls cast from a composite of titanium alloy and lead plates.
Only the central ventilation vents delivered triple-filtered sterile air, which was a mixture of ozone and disinfectant, and was almost bitingly cold.
The medical cold light embedded in the ceiling was adjusted to the lowest brightness. The faint blue halo turned into a hazy mist under the frosted glass lampshade, cutting the room into a geometric shape of light and dark - the medical equipment stacked in the corner was like a silent steel behemoth.
A faint green light flickered on the monitor screen, and the metal pole of the IV stand reflected cold and hard lines. Only a faint halo formed around the bed, outlining the outline of the human figure on the bed.
Gu Yuxiao was lying on a custom-made medical bed, his body maintained at 36.5℃ by a constant temperature system, but his pale, almost transparent skin revealed a coolness like icy jade.
His head was wrapped in multiple layers of elastic bandages, revealing only his smooth forehead and sharp cheekbones. Dried blood scabs seeped out from the gaps in the bandages at his right temple, like a dark brown spider web.
Even more shocking was the dressing from the chest to the right shoulder. Dark brown and dark red stained through the layers of gauze. These were the scars left by metal fragments that penetrated the shoulder blade at the moment of the explosion.
The electrodes of the ECG monitor were attached to the skin below his collarbone, and the wires were connected to the nearly horizontal curve on the screen.
Every faint rise and fall was accompanied by a long "drip" sound, dragging like a dying sigh in the silent room.
In the shadows of the corner stood a man in black combat fatigues. He wore a half-titanium alloy mask, revealing his right eye, a rare light brown pupil. The white of his eye was bloodshot, yet sharp as a hawk's, staring unblinkingly at the person on the bed.
This man, codenamed "Shadow", is the commander of the secret guards trained by Gu Yuxiao himself. At this moment, he has his arms folded across his chest, and the alloy floor under his tactical boots has been unconsciously dented by him, revealing an extremely turbulent undercurrent in his heart.
The specially made tactical watch on his wrist showed 3:17 in the morning. The sound of the second hand ticking was infinitely amplified in this confined space, like the drumbeat of a countdown.
The curve on the monitor screen suddenly showed a 0.1mV rise, like a barely perceptible crack appearing on the calm ice surface.
Ying's pupils suddenly contracted, and the soles of his boots rubbed against the ground, making a very slight "hissing" sound. The center of gravity of his body leaned forward to the forefoot, ready to pounce on the hospital bed at any time.
He observed Gu Yuxiao's face - under the pair of eyelids that were always tightly closed, the shadow cast by the eyelashes suddenly trembled slightly, like the wings of a butterfly blown by the wind.
Ten minutes later, Gu Yuxiao's left ring finger, which was placed outside the quilt, moved.
The movement was as slow as a snail crawling. The knuckles of the fingers were slightly raised, and the nails tapped the bed sheet three times. The force was as light as a feather brushing, but it made Ying kneel on one knee in an instant.
He took out a titanium alloy test tube from his tactical vest, unscrewed the lid with a very slight "click" sound, and then put one end of the built-in hose to Gu Yuxiao's lips.
The warm glucose solution slid into the dry throat. The movement of Gu Yuxiao's Adam's apple was so small that it was almost invisible, but Ying could see the muscles of his jaw line contracting slightly.
After swallowing the liquid, his tongue unconsciously licked the corner of his lips. This almost instinctive action made Ying's tense shoulders relax for a moment.
"Mr. Gu, the scan is complete." Ying placed a palm-sized black instrument near Gu Yuxiao's temple, and the indicator light on the surface of the instrument turned from red to green.
"All-band shielding is normal, there are no sources of electromagnetic interference, and there are no biological signals in the ventilation ducts."
Gu Yuxiao's eyelids finally began to lift.
“…How many days?” When he spoke, his throat made a dry, frictional sound, like the sound of an old bellows.
These three words took up a lot of his strength, and the dry skin of his lips cracked into tiny wounds, oozing blood.
"The ninth day, Mr. Gu," Ying replied immediately, taking out a saline swab from the first aid kit and gently wiping his lips.
"On the night of the seventh day of your coma, you moved your fingers once. After confirming your consciousness, I will maintain your 'deep coma' state according to your previous instructions."
Gu Yuxiao didn't respond, but simply rolled his eyes and looked around. When his gaze swept over the albumin solution hanging on the IV stand, his brows knitted slightly, a displeasure that only Ying could understand.
His gaze finally settled on a spot on the ceiling, where alloy plates of the same color as the walls were inlaid.
Ordinary people cannot detect it, but Gu Yuxiao knows that there are miniature thermal imagers and acoustic wave sensors hidden there.
“…Injury?” He spoke again, his breathing steady this time. The pain from the wound on his right shoulder traveled through his nerve endings, causing the muscles at the corner of his eye to twitch slightly.
"The right shoulder was penetrating, and the third, fourth, and fifth rib fractures were fixed with titanium nails. The left lower lobe repair was successful, and the cerebral edema caused by the concussion subsided on the fourth day."
Ying pulled out a tablet from his tactical vest and pulled up a three-dimensional anatomical diagram.
"The surgeon said that with your physical condition, you can get out of bed within a week, and it will take three months to fully recover, but..." He paused, and his fingertips drew a red warning line on the screen.
"Metal debris retained in the chest cavity may cause chronic inflammation and requires ongoing monitoring."
Gu Yuxiao's eyes turned cold instantly, like a Siberian cold wave passing through.
Three months? His slender fingers curled slightly under the quilt, his nails almost digging into his palms.
The world outside the window will not give him three months - the old fox Chao Zhenshan, the poisonous snake Ye Linyuan, and the jackal of his good second uncle Gu Yumou are probably sharpening their knives around the fat piece of meat of the Gu family.
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