Although Shi Jin had obediently kept his mouth shut, he couldn't escape the fate of being anesthetized in the end. His shoulder wound was too deep and healing slowly, so it had to be stitched up.

"I can bear it without anesthesia, really," Shi Jin tried to stay conscious.

But Uncle Long was impartial and simply stopped the bleeding on his wound before having someone take him to the nearest clean ward to prepare the tools and medicine for stitching.

Shi Jin was anxious and said, "Let me call Young Master Jun first. He won't be at ease until he sees that I'm safe."

"It's just local anesthesia, why are you being so long-winded?" Uncle Long retorted, making his assistant bring over a tablet.

It turned out to be just local anesthesia.

Shi Jin felt relieved when he saw Uncle Long's men bring over a tablet. His eyes lit up and he quickly flattered Uncle Long, "You really understand people's needs, Uncle Long."

Uncle Long gave him a deep look, walked over and pressed him onto the bed. Then he had his men set up the tablet on a stand, positioned directly above him so that the camera could capture both his face and his wound. He turned on the tablet.

Shi Jin had a bad feeling and tried to pull the tablet down, saying, "Uncle Long, let's focus on stitching up the wound. We don't need the tablet..."

But Uncle Long pressed his hand down and quickly answered a video call from Lian Jun.

The call rang only once before Lian Jun appeared on the screen, sitting in a car and holding his phone.

Shi Jin: "..." He's screwed.

Lian Jun had been in the middle of asking Fei Yujing for detailed information about Shi Jin when he heard that Shi Jin was injured. He was worried, but then a video call came in and he quickly answered it. On the screen, Shi Jin was lying on a hospital bed, his upper body naked, and a bloody wound on his shoulder was visible.

Lian Jun immediately muted the call and stared at the wound on Shi Jin's shoulder. He hung up on Fei Yujing and clenched his lips, his face stiff for a while before he asked in a tense voice, "How did you get hurt?"

"Got cut by a knife," Uncle Long answered on behalf of Shi Jin, starting to clean the wound with medicine.

As soon as the medicine touched the wound, Shi Jin's expression twisted in pain, and he almost screamed out loud.

With Lian Jun watching, Shi Jin gritted his teeth and suppressed his cries of pain. He forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, just a small injury... Uncle Long, didn't you say you were going to numb the area first before stitching it up?"

Uncle Long replied coldly, "Normally, when we encounter 'small injuries', we clean the wound first, then numb the area, and finally stitch it up."

Shi Jin felt a chill in his heart, knowing that Uncle Long was doing this on purpose. He felt sorry for Lian Jun's terrible complexion and secretly moved his hand out of the camera's view to poke Uncle Long, signaling him to take it easy and not to provoke Lian Jun anymore.

Uncle Long glared at him and said, "Now you're begging for mercy, but earlier you were so aggressive. Remember this lesson... Endure a bit longer, I'll give you anesthesia now."

Shi Jin was frantically pulling on Uncle Long's clothes, trying to get him to stop talking. He then smiled awkwardly at Lian Jun and explained, "It's just a minor issue... Don't worry, the wound isn't deep. After the anesthesia, it doesn't hurt at all."

Lian Jun frowned at him, his hand gripping tightly on the armrest of the wheelchair. His knuckles turned white from the pressure, and it took him a while before he spoke, "Be gentle."

Uncle Long snorted in response.

The effects of the anesthesia quickly kicked in, and the pain subsided. Shi Jin finally relaxed and laughed. Seeing that Uncle Long had no intention of stopping him, he even reached out to adjust the tablet, making sure the camera didn't capture the wound on his shoulder.

He only aimed it at his face and asked, "Have you encountered any danger on your end? When can you come back?"

"There's no danger, I'll be back soon. We're on our way to the airport now," Lian Jun replied, suppressing the urge to snatch the tablet back from him. He only looked at his slightly pale face, pushing down his own anxiety and worry before asking, "How's everything on your end? Fei Yujing was speaking a bit incoherently earlier, and I didn't quite catch it."

Shi Jin was trying to find a topic to distract Lian Jun's attention from his injury. Upon hearing his question, he quickly recounted the events of the day, emphasizing that David was likely Meng La.

As Lian Jun listened, his expression grew increasingly grim. He wanted to scold Shi Jin for choosing to take David away alone after discovering something was wrong. But as Shi Jin spoke, he could tell Shi Jin was carefully observing his own expressions, looking worried that he might anger him. Softening his tone, he said, "It was my fault this time. I didn't expect Gunfire to be related to the L country officials. You did a great job protecting everyone."

Shi Jin didn't expect to be praised and felt a sudden surge of happiness. "It wasn't that great, and it's not your fault. No one noticed...haha...until it was too late." He yawned and rubbed his eyes, suddenly feeling a bit sleepy.

Seeing this, Lian Jun guessed that Shi Jin was probably affected by the loss of blood and local anesthesia. He lowered his voice and said, "Take a nap. I'll be there when you wake up."

The drowsiness hit too hard and Shi Jin began to suspect that Uncle Long had given him general anesthesia instead of local anesthesia. He struggled to stay awake and asked, "Have you arrived at the airport? Be safe..."

"We're almost there," Lian Jun replied, reaching out to touch Shi Jin's head from his wheelchair. But unfortunately, the screen separated them and they couldn't touch each other. Lian Jun's voice slowed down even more as he said, "Go to sleep, I'll watch over you."

Shi Jin's eyes were already half-closed and he mumbled something before falling asleep with his head tilted to the side.

Suddenly, Uncle Long spoke up, "Shi Jin's wound is deep, he will definitely have a scar."

Lian Jun's expression, which had relaxed slightly when he saw Shi Jin sleeping, became tense again. He tightened his grip on his hand and responded with a low voice. He remembered the gunshot scar on Shi Jin's shoulder from his last injury and his emotions gradually became gloomy.

......

The night before, Shi Jin had stayed up all night and couldn't fall asleep. But when he finally did, he slept straight through until evening. When he woke up, the room was dimly lit and he had no idea what time it was. He felt a warm body next to him, and an arm draped over his stomach.

Realizing what was happening, Shi Jin turned his head to look at the person next to him. It was Lian Jun, lying on his side facing him with his eyes closed, clearly asleep.

Shi Jin couldn't help but smile and wanted to turn over to get a better look at Lian Jun. But as soon as he moved, Lian Jun's hand, which was resting on his waist, pressed down on his arm.

Lian Jun opened his eyes and said, "Don't move, be careful not to press on your wound."

Lian Jun's voice was still a bit hoarse from just waking up, but his eyes quickly cleared up and met Shi Jin's gaze. Unable to resist, Lian Jun propped himself up and leaned down to kiss Shi Jin's eyes.

As soon as Shi Jin was released, he immediately lifted his other arm and hugged Lian Jun, his hand sliding down his shoulder to his neck, stopping him from getting up, and then he lightly bit his lips.

Lian Jun was taken aback, but he continued the kiss.

Gurgle gurgle.

A strange sound was amplified by the night and spread throughout the room.

After the kiss, Lian Jun's hand moved down to Shi Jin's stomach and gently rubbed it, asking, "Are you hungry?"

Shi Jin was embarrassed, but he forcefully pulled him down and continued kissing!

As they kissed, both of them became a little heated. Lian Jun regained his senses first, slightly sat up and touched Shi Jin's face, saying, "Wait a moment, I'll have someone bring some food over. You should eat something first."

Shi Jin's body was hot and his wounds were painful. He forced himself to suppress his impulses and nodded, saying, "Okay."

In the kitchen, everything seemed to have been prepared in advance. Just two minutes after Lian Jun gave the order, a variety of easily digestible foods were sent over one after another.

Lian Jun asked Shi Jin to sit on the bed and set up a table for him to feed him.

Shi Jin's injury was on his left shoulder, so only his left shoulder was inconvenient to move. However, he had no problem eating. Although he felt reluctant, he stopped Lian Jun from feeding him and picked up his own chopsticks. He wielded them skillfully, not at all like an injured person.

Lian Jun withdrew his hand and felt relieved to see that Shi Jin had a good appetite. He was very attentive, occasionally passing him water or tissues.

After eating and drinking his fill, Shi Jin went to the bathroom to take care of his physiological needs, washed up a bit, and then lay back down on the bed.

Lian Jun lay down beside him, holding him in his arms and massaging his stomach. Suddenly, he lowered his head and kissed the wound on his left shoulder, saying, "Uncle Long said this wound might leave a scar."

"Scars are a man's badge of honor, so let it be." Shi Jin was very optimistic. Seeing that Lian Jun seemed a little down, he added, "I'm really fine. The wound isn't deep, and it'll be better in a few days."

Lian Jun tightened his grip on his hand and didn't say anything.

Shi Jin knew that he must be blaming himself and feeling upset again. He sighed softly in his heart, moved his arm that wasn't injured to hug him, and changed the subject, asking, "I forgot to ask earlier, did Old Ghost's subordinates all make it out? And what about Zhuo Yang and Long Shi, what happened to them?"

Lian Jun held his hand and adjusted his emotions before replying, "We've saved everyone, but they were drugged and need to stay in T country for treatment. Zhuo Yang took Long Shi and ran away, and their whereabouts are unknown. Number One and the rest will handle these matters themselves, so don't worry. Once you've recovered, we'll go straight back to B city."

Shi Jin was taken aback and asked, "Why do we suddenly need to go back to B city? Has something happened there again?"

"No, I just want to take a break," Lian Jun replied, patting his hair. "The weather here isn't suitable for recuperation. We'll rest in B city for a while. Do you want to go somewhere fun? I'll take you there."

Rest!

In an instant, Shi Jin grasped the key point and reached out to hold Lian Jun's hand. His voice suddenly rose as he said, "You promised me that you would go to the hospital for a detailed physical examination after taking a leave of absence. I don't want to play, I want to go to the hospital!"

Lian Jun's heart, full of tender thoughts, was completely taken aback by his sudden outburst. He propped himself up and looked into Shi Jin's bright eyes. His heart suddenly softened and he bent down to kiss him, saying, "Okay, I'll go get a check-up and try to get better as soon as possible. I'll take good care of you."

"You're taking good care of me now, but taking care of your health is not something that can be rushed. We still have to listen to the doctor," said Shi Jin, satisfied as he hugged him. His heart was suddenly filled with hope as he imagined a healthy Lian Jun walking freely like a normal person. He couldn't help but smile and say, "When you're better, let's go on a date."

He still remembered that he wanted to make up for Lian Jun's childhood. If they went on a date, he could confidently take Lian Jun to an amusement park and ride roller coasters with him.

However, Lian Jun misunderstood his intentions. Since they had become a couple, they had been busy with work and had never had a proper date. His heart suddenly felt uncomfortable, feeling like he was the most inadequate lover in the world.

Shi Jin was at the age where he loved to play and make trouble. But he always had to consider so many things, and he felt like he owed Shi Jin something.

"...Let's go on a date," he whispered, touching Shi Jin's face. He turned off the desk lamp and hid his expression in the darkness. "Sleep now. You're injured and need to rest."

Shi Jin had slept for a whole day, and he couldn't really sleep anymore. However, he thought about how busy Lian Jun had been all day and how tired he must be now. So he nodded and hugged Lian Jun's arm contentedly, closing his eyes and letting Xiao Si play a movie in his mind.

Xiao Si was uncooperative, and brought out Shi Jin's textbooks instead.

Shi Jin: "..."

......

Studying really does make people sleepy, as the ancients said.

......

The morning after breakfast, Lian Jun called a meeting with Number One and the rest - or rather, Lian Jun and the members of Number One held a meeting while Shi Jin sat on the side reviewing his studies.

In the face of learning, even recovering from his injuries had to take a backseat.

Shi Jin felt bitter in his heart.

He glanced at the group of Number One and the rest sitting in a circle on the sofa, resigned to his fate, and picked up his electronic pen, doing his homework while listening to the others' meeting.

After listening for a while, he had a rough idea of the current situation.

After he was taken to the hospital room by Uncle Long yesterday, Number Nine took over the situation in the hall.

After a chaotic battle, all the Gunfire reinforcements were captured. The person he identified as Meng La, David, passed out on the spot after he shot his arm. By the time everything settled down and Number Nine went to clean up the battlefield, David had fallen into a coma due to excessive blood loss.

Number Nine had some subordinates carry David into the operating room, where they had someone remove the bullet from his body. Afterwards, they locked him in a separate room and stationed multiple layers of guards to keep watch over him.

Once communication was restored, the L government quickly learned of the situation at the hospital. They were shocked to hear about Gunfire's attack on the hospital by posing as government officials. They immediately dispatched a high-ranking official and his team to the scene, using their privileges to temporarily block off the roads surrounding the hospital and create a safe zone. This was their way of expressing their sincerity.

The official was still at the hospital, waiting to apologize to Lian Jun in person.

The cause of the fire at the officials' building has also been investigated and, as suspected, it was caused deliberately.

On the other side, the subordinates of the Old Ghost had already checked into a private hospital in T country, and the situation was temporarily stable. After a phone call with Lian Jun, the Old Ghost resumed his pressure on Nine Eagles, with even more ferocity, expanding the battlefield to the domestic front and showing his determination to continue the fight with Nine Eagles at all costs.

Meanwhile, Nine Eagles began frantically contacting Lian Jun, but Lian Jun naturally ignored him, focusing on the situation with Gunfire.

Upon hearing this, Shi Jin was a bit surprised and couldn't help but interject, asking, "Are we going to continue fighting with Gunfire?"

"We just need to teach them a lesson," Lian Jun replied, asking, "Have you finished the problem set? I'll need to check it later."

Shi Jin immediately looked crestfallen, refocusing his attention on his tablet and continuing to work on the problem set.

As Number One and his companions listened to their conversation and watched Shi Jin diligently solving problems, they exchanged a knowing glance.

Giving Gunfire a lesson? With the person suspected to be Gunfire's leader now having been caught, Young Master Jun was clearly up to something. Only Shi Jin, with his occasional stupidity beyond cure, could be fooled by such a simple answer.

Three days passed in a hurry, and the L government finally followed the trail and pulled out the official that was in cahoots with Gunfire. At the same time, a message suddenly came from Nine Eagles that Zhuo Yang had suddenly fallen seriously ill and was admitted to the hospital.

After learning the news, Lian Jun finally answered the call from Nine Eagles. He then learned a dramatic piece of information from Zhuo Yang's deputy - Zhuo Yang was not actually sick, but poisoned with a drug made by Long Shi, who was already dead.

It turned out that on the day Zhuo Yang evacuated from City C with Long Shi, he became angry after learning that he had been tricked and wanted to force Long Shi to make the antidote for Lian Jun's treatment, in order to turn the tables. Long Shi naturally refused, so Zhuo Yang took out the two remaining drugs made by Long Shi and gave him a shot.

Long Shi pretended to compromise, causing Zhuo Yang to relax his guard. Then, he suddenly counterattacked and injected the last shot of the drug into Zhuo Yang while he was distracted. Zhuo Yang instinctively pulled out his gun and shot Long Shi dead.

Currently, the deputy of Zhuo Yang has made it clear that as long as Lian Jun can save Zhuo Yang, Nine Eagles is willing to pay any price.

Lian Jun's phone was on speaker, and everyone in the room heard the deputy's words.

Number Two's expression was complicated as he said, "Long Shi actually died..." Although they had anticipated this when they sent Long Shi away, his death was still so dramatic...

Everyone fell silent, all thinking the same thing - should they tell Uncle Long about Long Shi's death?

After hearing the deputy's words, Lian Jun tapped the armrest of his wheelchair and said, "My doctor is close to developing the medicine that can save Zhuo Yang, but the price I want is probably not something Nine Eagles is willing to pay."

The tone of the deputy suddenly became excited and eager, saying, "Whatever you want, just say it, and I promise to do it."

"I want Nine Eagles to disappear from this world," replied Lian Jun, then asked, "Can you make Nine Eagles pay the price?"

The deputy fell silent for a long time. Just when everyone thought he would hang up the phone directly or negotiate the price, he gritted his teeth and said, "I have to discuss this with the boss. He is in a coma now, and I cannot make the decision myself. Give me a few days."

Everyone was surprised and could not believe that the deputy showed an attitude of considering this. After all, Lian Jun's request was to make Nine Eagles disappear.

Lian Jun's expression also changed and said, "Okay, I'll give you time."

The deputy breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Lian Jun politely before hanging up the phone.

Number Two couldn't help but speak up, "This deputy is truly loyal to Zhuo Yang. He doesn't seem to care about what will happen to Nine Eagles, only about Zhuo Yang's safety."

"I heard that Zhuo Yang saved him from a pile of dead bodies and he's been protecting him ever since," Number One chimed in, feeling a bit emotional.

But at this point, their mission to L Country was finally accomplished - they had rescued the Phantom's people, obtained evidence of Nine Eagles's collaboration with Gunfire, and Nine Eagles was now weakened and vulnerable. The authorities could now openly target them without fear.

The situation was basically over. According to Lian Jun's arrangement, Number One and Number Three stay in L country for a while to wrap things up. Number Two and Number Five started packing up and would go back to B city with them.

After finishing a remote online test, Shi Jin saw that everyone had put on a look of 'we can completely turn the page on this matter'. He was confused and asked, "Wait, are we just going to leave Meng La behind? He's still locked up in our hospital."

Number Two chuckled and replied, "Who cares what he does? He said his name is David, so we'll just treat him as David. When the time is right and a new leader is chosen in Gunfire, we'll let him go and let him be an honest David with nothing to his name."

Shi Jin was stunned as he finally understood the lesson that Lian Jun wanted to teach Gunfire - to lock up their old leader, wait for a new one to take over, and then release the old leader. Lian Jun was trying to force Gunfire to fight amongst themselves.

He turned to look at Lian Jun, who was talking to Number One, and his expression changed constantly before settling into pride. He thought in his mind, "Our baby is so smart, just like me!"

Xiao Si said, "...Shameless."

Shi Jin's expression changed and he said menacingly, "What did you say?!"

Xiao Si quickly shut up and pretended to be malfunctioning.

After a few more days, Shi Jin's wounds had healed enough for him to fly back to B City. Lian Jun set the flight for the next evening.

Shi Jin thought that returning to B City early would allow Lian Jun to check his body earlier, so he had no objections to the departure time. However, he felt like he had forgotten something and couldn't remember what it was.

He was still troubled by this until the day before departure when he followed Lian Jun out of the hospital and saw Fei Yujing standing at the hospital entrance. Finally, he remembered what he had forgotten - Fei Yujing seemed to have disappeared from the hospital since the day of the accident, as if he had evaporated into thin air!

Realizing this, he quickly ran up to Fei Yujing and asked with a frown, "Where have you been these past few days? You didn't develop any stress symptoms and start running around unable to sleep again, did you?"

Fei Yujing had dark circles under his eyes, clearly looking like he hadn't slept well. When faced with Shi Jin's inquiry, he simply lowered his head and took out a business card from his briefcase, handing it to him and saying, "I'll be busy from now on. I'll be staying in L country for the short term. Take care of yourself and call me if you need anything." With that, he turned and got into a car parked nearby, driving away.

Shi Jin looked down at the business card in his hand, which only had Fei Yujing's name and a string of numbers printed on it. The number was different from the one he had saved for Fei Yujing before, causing him to raise an eyebrow. So this was Fei Yujing's personal phone number?

Xiao Si suddenly spoke up, reminding him, "Jin Jin, your progress bar has dropped to 450."

450, another historic low. Shi Jin looked at the business card in his hand, feeling a bit complicated.

So Fei Yujing gave him this number to show that he recognized him as his younger brother, which gave him a boost in survival?

He really...really didn't want that kind of recognition.