Chapter 122 24

Chapter 122: 24

Before He Lin could fully recover from the immediate danger, he was forcefully thrown backward.

As two gunshots rang out, a few drops of warm liquid splattered onto He Lin's face.

He Lin then crashed heavily to the ground, barely managing to throw out an arm to shield Li Shang, who had also fallen.

Time seemed to stand still. He Lin could only hear his own rapid breathing and pounding heart. It took him a few seconds to process what had just happened before he quickly turned over to check on Li Shang's condition.

Li Shang remained motionless in the position he had fallen, with only an alarming crimson dripping from between his fingers onto the soil—each drop like a knife piercing He Lin's heart.

For a moment, He Lin was even afraid to touch Li Shang's body, as if by not listening or looking, the thing he feared wouldn’t be real.

"Li... Li Shang..." He Lin knelt beside Li Shang, reaching out but unsure how to move him.

Just as he was at a loss, the person curled on the ground suddenly stirred.

Li Shang extended his other hand, grabbing He Lin's arm to support himself as he sat up.

He turned his head and met He Lin's eyes, which were still wide with fear and panic.

This expression was all too familiar to Li Shang. Back when he was Rong Qing, even a minor injury would make He Lin look at him this way. Seeing it again now felt strangely nostalgic.

Li Shang reached out and patted He Lin's head, comforting him, "I'm alright. The bullet just grazed me. It's just a graze—didn't hit any arteries."

After a moment, He Lin, who had seemed frozen, finally snapped out of it. His previously fixed eyes shifted, and he reached out to pull away Li Shang's hand, which was pressed against his neck. He cupped Li Shang's head, carefully examining the wound on his neck.

Seeing that the injury was indeed not serious, as Li Shang had said, and the bleeding had slowed, He Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into place—though the relief came with a jolt of anger.

Just as Li Shang stood up on his own and prepared to check on Ananta's condition, He Lin pressed a hand firmly on Li Shang's shoulder. When Li Shang turned around, he was met with a face full of anger.

"What were you doing just now?!"

Li Shang frowned, somewhat baffled by He Lin's unwarranted anger. With a practiced twist, he shrugged off He Lin's grip on his shoulder and strode over to where Ananta and Hong Mian lay. He Lin followed him, and together they quickly stripped them of their weapons and handcuffed them.

Only then did Li Shang turn back to face He Lin, who was still glaring at him angrily.

He sighed.

"I did my job. The mission was successfully completed, and the crisis is over."

After giving a curt reply, Li Shang reported the situation to the base via his wireless communication device.

"Li Shang, I'm asking you—why did you rush forward like that? Do you have any idea how dangerous it was?"

He Lin stepped in front of Li Shang again, staring intently into his eyes, demanding an answer.

"I was wearing a bulletproof vest. I could handle the situation. He Lin, you... calm down..."

Although they had been in a hurry when they set out, he had still worn a bulletproof vest just in case. It could save both his and He Lin's lives at critical moments.

But seeing He Lin’s eyes growing red, Li Shang, though he didn't think he was wrong, realized he had upset the other man greatly and his tone softened in apology.

The next moment, He Lin suddenly reached out and yanked Li Shang into a crushing hug. Caught off guard by the sudden move and still wearing his equipment, Li Shang barely managed to steady himself by holding onto He Lin's shoulders.

"Cough, He Lin, not so tight. I can't breathe."

"Promise me you won't do anything so dangerous again. Do you have any idea how terrified I was when you were lying there motionless, with your blood all over the ground? It's enough to give me nightmares for a lifetime."

Hearing He Lin's words, Li Shang didn't respond. Of course, he knew that feeling—he had seen He Lin like that before, lying motionless in a pool of blood.

He, too, had been tormented by nightmares for countless days and nights.

But he had never planned to tell He Lin any of this. Instead, Li Shang simply returned the embrace, gently patting He Lin's back in comfort.

He couldn't make that promise because, no matter how many times such a situation arose, he would always make the same choice.

"I'm fine..."

Li Shang had only managed three words before he turned his head aside and coughed lightly a few times. He felt a dull pain in his chest—the bullet hadn't hit any vital areas, but he had only recently recovered from an illness and was now drained.

When he had tackled He Lin, although He Lin had broken his fall, he had still hit the ground hard. Under the influence of adrenaline, he hadn't felt it earlier, but now he sensed that his insides were protesting.

The fight had reopened old injuries, and pain began to radiate from his waist and abdomen.

Li Shang found it hard to breathe for a moment. He lowered his head and let out a weak cough a few more times. A wave of suffocating pressure washed over him, his heart felt numb, and a chill spread through his body.

Lack of oxygen to his brain brought on brief dizziness, sharp pains shot through his body, and his waist ached as if it were about to break.

His legs felt weak, and he sagged against He Lin.

Having spent so much time with Li Shang, He Lin was well aware of his physical condition. Even without a word from Li Shang, He Lin knew he was unwell.

He dropped the argument immediately and quickly helped him sit down, removing all his gear.

Fortunately, the episode wasn't severe. Once freed from the equipment, Li Shang felt much better.

He Lin leaned close to Li Shang's ear and "threatened" him, "Get in that ambulance without a fuss later, or I'll dock your pay!"

It was something he had learned from Jin Tingrui earlier that day, though it had little bite.

Still, in all his years, Li Shang had never heard anyone threaten to dock his pay. For a moment, he was at a loss for how to respond.

.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

The evening's events had drawn the attention of the Ningcheng City officials. The entrance to Wuque Mountain was lit up with the lights of numerous police cars, and numerous officers had been dispatched to provide support.

By now, Jin Tingrui had already carried Lin Hui down the mountain. Due to excessive blood loss, Lin Hui remained unconscious.

Jin Tingrui placed Lin Hui on a stretcher in the ambulance and sat down himself. "Hurry, to the hospital!"

Zhou Chenlin and several officers had just located Cheng Xiaoyi on the mountain. Some had carried down the injured Gu Chuxi and helped down Jiang Mei, who had sprained her ankle.

As soon as Jiang Mei reached the foot of the mountain, she sat by the roadside and broke down sobbing.

Seeing the flashing police lights, Cheng Xiaoyi felt a sense of luck at having survived a brush with death. Having experienced such a trial, she once again felt grateful to be alive.

Cheng Xiaoyi could still stand and insisted on not needing support. During the descent, she had continuously heard gunshots from the mountain forest and now asked anxiously, "Where's Captain He? And Li Shang? Have they come down yet?"

Zhou Chenlin replied, "Try not to worry just yet. Let Fang Jue accompany you to the hospital in the ambulance. We've sent up a large team and have already sent teams up the mountain to search. Tracking the gunshots, we should be able to locate them soon."

Just as he finished speaking, Zhou Chenlin's phone rang. He quickly answered—it was a call from He Lin.

Captain Zhou said solemnly, "Alright, hold on. Our people will be there soon."

.

The mountain, which had echoed with gunshots just moments before, had gone quiet.

In the woods, aside from the two assailants whose fates were unknown, only He Lin and Li Shang were left.

The night was deep, and after the intense battle, it was approaching midnight, with the night wind carrying a chill.

The rescue team finally arrived. Li Shang initially thought he was okay, but He Lin insisted on having him lie on a stretcher, carried him down the mountain, and helped him into the ambulance.

In the ambulance, He Lin held onto his hand the whole time.

Once at the hospital, the doctors immediately examined Li Shang's wound. The bullet had grazed the side of his neck; though it missed major blood vessels, the wound was serious enough to need debridement and suturing.

Staff from the Ningcheng Municipal Bureau accompanied them to the hospital and helped with arrangements.

After Li Shang was wheeled into the operating room, He Lin finally felt the weakness from blood loss and exhaustion, bracing himself against the wall with a hand.

An emergency doctor, alarmed at the blood covering half of He Lin's body, quickly steadied him: "Sir, you should get checked and have your wounds treated as soon as possible."

He Lin waved off the doctor's concern and said, "I'm fine. Let me make a call first."

He quickly dialed Zhu Xiaonian's number.

"Hello?" Zhu Xiaonian, clearly nervous seeing He Lin's call, cautiously asked when no one spoke: "Is this He Lin?"

He Lin grunted in response: "I'm at the hospital."

Zhu Xiaonian, relieved it wasn’t Rong Qing on the other end, his voice jumped an octave upon hearing "hospital": "You, you... what happened this time? This isn't related to me, is it? Honestly, with your health, I should just buy you a hospital VIP card."

He Lin replied, "It's not me, it's Li Shang. He was injured during an arrest operation tonight."

Zhu Xiaonian exclaimed in exasperation: "Can you two stop worrying me?! Is it serious?"

He Lin answered truthfully: "It's alright, not too serious. No life-threatening danger, but he needs stitches. It'd be best if he stays hospitalized for a few days to recover properly. Could you help see about a better room?"

Zhu Xiaonian gritted his teeth: "Yes, yes, yes! Wait a moment, I'll get someone on it immediately. I might as well get you an annual hospital membership!"

He Lin glanced at Jin Tingrui, anxiously waiting for Lin Hui nearby, and Fang Jue, shivering while accompanying Cheng Xiaoyi for check-ups: "A few other colleagues are also injured and might need to be hospitalized."

Zhu Xiaonian, his teeth practically grinding, said: "I understand. I’ll make some calls for you all."

.

Only after confirming Li Shang's condition did He Lin go to have his own wounds sutured. He insisted on not undergoing general anesthesia, just a local anesthetic.

The wounds on his leg and abdomen were sutured, and a few stitches were also put on his shoulder, bandaged up.

Though the doctor worried about poor healing due to the delayed treatment, He Lin paid no mind, his thoughts focused entirely on Li Shang.

Li Shang’s suturing was completed quickly. The bleeding had stopped, and his cardiopulmonary function gradually stabilized over time, weak but steady.

He was soon taken to a hospital room, this one slightly larger than the private room He Lin had stayed in before.

However, Ningcheng was different from Yuncheng; Dr. Song wasn’t here, and the doctors weren’t familiar with their conditions.

Thus, after reviewing Li Shang’s medical report, the attending physician’s face turned pale.

He then confronted Li Shang and He Lin in the room, holding up Li Shang’s report and going through each problem—from old injuries to new ailments, from anemia to cardiopulmonary function.

The doctor spent over an hour scolding them with warnings and threats, even He Lin, who was keeping vigil by the bed, got a few words.

"Don’t think that just because you’re young and recover quickly, you can neglect your health. How you treat your body now is how it will treat you when you’re older. You’re a smart guy; can’t you understand such a simple truth? Complete bed rest! I won’t approve your discharge for at least a week."

Li Shang said nothing during the lecture, lying still and wishing he were deaf.

In contrast, He Lin nodded earnestly: "Absolutely, absolutely. I’ll make sure he rests properly."

Hearing this, the doctor adjusted his glasses and bluntly told He Lin: "And you—why did you wait so long to get sutured? Keep the wounds dry and change the dressings on time."

"Yes, yes, thank you, doctor. We’ll follow the instructions carefully."

After He Lin's repeated promises, the doctor finally stormed out.

He Lin sat by the bed, looking down at Li Shang lying there. Both feeling chastised and embarrassed, they gazed at each other and suddenly broke into smiles.

Seeing Li Shang’s smile, He Lin leaned in impulsively to kiss the corner of his lips.

By now, Li Shang’s SWAT uniform had been removed, with Zhou Chenlin’s team taking care of the equipment. He was dressed in a hospital gown, the collar a bit loose, revealing his neck and collarbone.

Li Shang’s fair neck was wrapped in layers of white gauze. Lying in bed, his features were sharp and handsome.

He Lin wiped his face and hands, and fearing he might be cold, tugged his gown closed.

Then he simply sat by the bed, watching Li Shang intently, unwilling to miss a thing.

Li Shang lay on the all-white hospital bed, his skin nearly blending with the sheets, only his dark eyes standing out. His spirits were quite good; after quietly gazing at the ceiling for a while, he turned to look at He Lin by the bed.

The colorless rims of Li Shang’s eyes suddenly tinged with a faint red.

Under such a gaze, He Lin’s heart raced. The warmth from Li Shang’s lips seemed to linger on his own, making his whole body feel warm.

Feeling unbearably restless, He Lin stood up and casually pulled the blanket higher for Li Shang.

After taking a few deep breaths, He Lin sat back down and said, "Get better quickly, so we can return to Yuncheng together."

Li Shang gave a slight nod, then gently moved his right hand, beckoning He Lin to extend his hand.

Unsure of his intention, He Lin grasped his slightly cool hand. Li Shang shifted again, freeing his hand from He Lin’s grip, then used his index finger to trace something in He Lin’s palm—perhaps a circle. He then brought He Lin’s finger to his lips and gently kissed it.

Afterward, ignoring He Lin, who was frozen in place, Li Shang said wearily, "I’m a bit tired now. Let me sleep for a while."

With that, he closed his eyes, his breathing evening out.

He Lin stared fixedly at his own finger, a smile spreading uncontrollably across his face. He savored the sensation in his palm, feeling as though Li Shang had drawn a circle.

Or maybe... a heart.

And that kiss just now...

The idea made He Lin’s heart race, even the pain from his wounds fading away.