kingnovel Chapter 734 A Guest Arrives
Chapter 734 A Guest Arrives
Three days after the battle at the police station.
Special care ward area of Huadong Shanghai Central Hospital.
"Beep...beep beep...beep..."
The instruments monitoring heart rate and vital signs emitted steady, rhythmic electronic beeps that echoed regularly in the quiet ward.
It was like a silent comfort, proving that the person in bed was recovering their vitality tenaciously and systematically.
This is a spacious and bright private hospital room. Sunlight streams through the clean windows, casting warm dappled patterns.
A gentle breeze, carrying the faint sounds of the city and the fresh scent of grass and trees from outside the window, softly rustled the plain-colored curtains, creating a delicate and pleasant "shush" sound.
Zhang Heng lay quietly on the hospital bed.
His face was still pale from blood loss and exhaustion, his lips were a little chapped, and his brows were unconsciously furrowed slightly in his sleep, as if he was still struggling with some nightmare.
But his breathing was steady and long, and his chest rose and fell slowly with each breath.
Suddenly, beneath his tightly closed eyelids, his eyeballs began to roll violently. His fingers twitched abruptly, gripping the bedsheet beneath him.
The next second—
"Ho!!!!"
As if pulled out of deep water by an invisible force, Zhang Heng suddenly sat up in bed!
His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, his forehead instantly covered in cold sweat.
The eyes that suddenly opened still held a deep-seated fear and confusion, the pupils slightly dilated, as if they had not yet completely broken free from that bizarre and fantastical space of consciousness.
"ah……!!?"
A short, hoarse gasp escaped uncontrollably from his throat.
"Brother Heng! You're awake?!"
A clear, joyful female voice, almost bursting into tears, suddenly rang in his ears like sunlight piercing through the fog.
Qi Shu, who was sitting on a chair by the hospital bed, looking somewhat haggard from days of caring for the patient and dozing off with his head propped up, was startled by Zhang Heng's sudden movement and almost dropped the water glass in his hand.
But in an instant, the fear was overwhelmed by the overwhelming joy!
She practically jumped up and rushed to the bedside, her big eyes instantly filling with tears as she stared intently at Zhang Heng, her voice trembling with sobs.
"You're awake! You're really awake!"
"Thank goodness! Waaah... I was so scared!!"
It seemed to be triggered by the voice of the strange tree, or more likely by the violently fluctuating life and spiritual signals of Zhang Heng at the moment of his awakening.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of rapid and crisp sounds of Poké Balls automatically activating echoed through the ward like celebratory cannon fire!
The Poké Ball placed on the bedside table suddenly emitted a dazzling yet soft white light!
In the light, familiar and reliable figures quickly coalesced and appeared, filled with urgency and utmost concern, instantly surrounding the hospital bed!
Swampert and Milotic appeared on either side of Zhang Heng, gently nuzzling his cheeks and emitting soothing growls.
The bluebird, with its fluffy, cloud-like wings folded, landed at the foot of the bed, its clear eyes fixed on its owner.
"Hehehe!"
Gengar emerged from the shadows under the bed, its upper body peeking out with a wide grin. Although it still wore that goofy smile, the concern in its eyes was clearly visible.
Doronbalut's slender, light blue-gray body hovered in mid-air. It lowered its head and gently touched Zhang Heng's shoulder with its smooth dragon horns, its dragon roar carrying a question.
The aluminum-steel dragon and the fire-breathing dragon brought their enormous heads close to the bedside, emitting gentle purring sounds from their throats.
Seven Pokémon, seven pairs of eyes, all their attention was focused on Zhang Heng, who had just woken up and was still in shock.
The ward was filled with the voices of Pokémon, some deep, some clear, and some concerned. They were all expressing the same thing urgently in their own way: Master, how are you?
Surrounded by the warm and familiar scent of his companions, and feeling their undisguised worry and dependence, Zhang Heng's violently heaving chest gradually calmed down.
The lingering fear in his eyes was slowly replaced by a deeper warmth and peace of mind.
He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, as if trying to expel the last bit of coldness and eeriness from his consciousness.
On his pale face, he tried to put on a weak but incredibly genuine and gentle smile.
He raised his still somewhat weak hand and gently patted the nearest Swampert and Milotic in turn. His gaze swept over the faces of each of his companions, and he said in a hoarse but clear voice:
"I'm sorry to have worried everyone."
"I am fine."
Is everything really alright? The sight of the World Tree, the eternal whisper, the dreamlike gaze.
And that phrase, "The world will eventually collapse..."
Is it really just a hallucination caused by overexertion, or a vivid nightmare?
Beneath Zhang Heng's smile, a barely perceptible heaviness and doubt quietly settled deep within his eyes.
"By the way, Brother Heng, a lot has happened while you were unconscious these past few days."
"A few days? Was I unconscious for a long time?"
After thinking for a moment, Qi Shu said, "Including today, it's already the third day."
Zhang Heng was stunned. He hadn't expected that he had been unconscious for so long. Moreover, unlike his usual refreshed state after waking up, he was still somewhat tired this time.
"Where's my dad? What happened these past few days? How's the police handling the aftermath?"
Zhang Heng was lost in thought, unsure where to begin, and anxiously threw out a series of questions.
Qi Shu said, "Master, he's alright. They've already started repairs to the police station and handling the aftermath for the injured and deceased..."
As they were talking, Qi Shu handed Zhang Heng his own illustrated guide. Zhang Heng took the guide and saw the images and pictures recorded on it.
The once bustling headquarters of the East China Alliance Garrison Bureau has been reduced to a graveyard of rubble and twisted steel bars.
Only the headquarters building, like a giant bird with its feathers plucked, stood alone in the middle of the ruins.
Large sections of its exterior walls have peeled away, revealing a menacing concrete interior riddled with cracks that seem poised to tear it apart at any moment.
The former aura of justice and majesty has vanished, leaving only silent decay, slowly settling in the deathly dust.
"Sigh..."
Zhang Heng sighed softly. Although they had been prepared for this surprise attack, it still caused an irreversible situation. More importantly, national dignity was trampled on, and public officials who upheld justice lost their lives...
"However, the master also sped up the elimination of the remaining accomplices who cooperated with the helmeted man, which can be considered an explanation to all those who sacrificed their lives..."
Qi Shu noticed the resentment in Zhang Heng's eyes and spoke up to comfort him.
Zhang Heng narrowed his eyes slightly. The helmeted man was a henchman hidden in a domestic underground organization. It would be very difficult to pry any useful information out of him.
"Did the helmeted man betray us and confess?"
Qi Shu shook his head and said, "No, it was Secretary-General Kang who used her Dream-Guiding Membrane to put him into a deep sleep and extract some useful information from his dream."
Zhang Heng nodded thoughtfully. Using Psychic-type Pokémon for interrogation was truly invincible.
“Master also told me that if you wake up, go to the champion’s office to find him, because a guest has been waiting for you for a long time.”
Zhang Heng was puzzled. At this point in time, his father should be busy purging the remnants of the underground forces in East China and overseeing the reconstruction of the police station. Why would he emphasize the matter of a guest so much?
"A guest? Do I know him?! Why are you waiting for me?!"
Qi Shu seemed to suddenly realize something and quickly said.
"Oh, by the way, while you were unconscious for three days, a champion challenger appeared in the Northwest region, even breaking Master's record of defeating eight of the region's strongest champions in a row..."
"That champion challenger is the guest today, and he came specifically to see you!"