Chapter 184: Awakening Under Pressure

Drip..

Drip..

In the cold, dimly lit high-ranking ward, what was once a spacious room was now filled with over twenty doctors and nurses.

All eyes were fixed on the boy in the bed as specialists summoned from various departments stared intently at the flickering EEG, anxious to prevent even the slightest mishap.

Even though Yenir’s condition had remained stable.

Rubbing his dry eyes, a Second-Stage Medical Awakener in a white coat sighed, overwhelmed by fatigue.

Although their sixty-member medical team had been rotating in three shifts, they had only been on duty for two days—not exactly a hardship, yet…

The psychological pressure was damn intense…

With top brass repeatedly checking in, the entire ward was urgently reinforced. A 24-hour combat team encircled the area so tightly that not even an ant could slip through.

Under such high security, they couldn’t tell if the military was guarding against a potential assault or had another motive in mind.

Every hour the military inquired, and under this enormous pressure, they almost wished this relic of a patient would just wake up.

“It shouldn’t be this way…”

“His vital signs are excellent, and his brain activity never ceases.”

“Two days in, so what’s going on?”

As the head of the medical team, the middle-aged doctor in a white coat muttered to himself, sighing repeatedly.

Honestly, he had never encountered a case like this before.

Looking at Yenir’s vital signs, there was nothing wrong; his injuries had been mended long ago after a barrage of heavy impacts.

No matter how you sliced it, the entire Capital Zone was sparing no effort to wake Yenir as soon as possible.

“Could it be his talent?”

“There have been plenty of similar cases. Awakener candidates with inherent willpower traits tend to exhibit such symptoms after advancing to Third-Stage mid-level.”

“He must be adjusting to his willpower attributes. After all, the mind and will are closely linked; no one can really say how it works…”

A neurosurgery specialist, urgently dispatched, offered his uncertain opinion from beside the director.

No sooner had he spoken than rapid footsteps echoed outside the heavy alloy door.

“Sss”

The hydraulic door swung open.

After several identity checks, a brigadier general representing the Military strode into the ward and immediately fixed his gaze on Yenir.

His brow furrowed.

Even though he had asked about the situation an hour earlier, his anxiety compelled him to check again.

“They’re pushing too hard from above…”

If it weren’t for high-ranking military officials led by Fang Hao opposing an emergency wake-up, they would have already resorted to drastic measures.

“Still not awake?”

“How much longer does he need?”

Listening to the brigadier general’s questions, the chief physician managed a wry smile and instinctively shook his head. But before he could speak further, a rapid series of beeps filled the room.

In an instant, everyone froze, their eyes snapping toward the alarm device.

It wasn’t a malfunction…

It was…

“He’s awake!!”

“He’s awake!!”

Watching Yenir’s trembling fingers, the middle-aged doctor’s face lit up with ecstatic joy as he sprinted to the bedside and launched into a frantic examination. Meanwhile, the brigadier general, still standing, felt his heart skip a beat as his expression turned grave.

“Watch him closely!”

“Relay my orders: all security forces, tighten the guard! Clear out all non-department personnel and medical staff immediately!”

With that command, he bolted out of the hospital, notifying top officials at breakneck speed.

As news of Yenir’s awakening spread among the high-ranking officials, the entire Capital seemed to stir into a state of urgency.

……..

“Ugh…”

“My head… it hurts…”

Straining to open his eyes, Yenir instinctively touched his head, finding the cold white light painfully bright.

Where am I…?

As his vision sharpened, Yenir blinked in surprise, his mind reeling at the sight of his surroundings.

A hospital? A ward? And a crowd of top officials standing around him?

Damn, somehow this scene felt incredibly familiar.

For a fleeting moment, he was dumbfounded—if it weren’t for the stark differences between these people and those from his trial, he might have thought he was still in the test.

“Yenir, you’re awake!?”

“It’s wonderful that you’re awake! You have no idea how many high-ranking officials have been worried about you!”

Quickly rushing to his side, Yang Guoping looked at him with unbridled excitement.

Seeing that Yenir hadn’t fully come to, Yang immediately began introducing everyone:

“Yenir, let me briefly introduce: this is Prime Minister Li Xuanguo; over there is Vice Chairman Fang Hao; and this is Commissar Hu from the Political Department.”

“Also present are General Qin Feng from the Northern Battle Zone and Commander Yi Guohao of the Capital Military District’s Security Command.”

After the swift introductions, Yang Guoping couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

With the news of Yenir’s revival, nearly half of China’s top echelon had gathered here.

After a slight nod and soft greeting, Yenir acknowledged them with a quiet hello.

Among those present, aside from Yang Guoping and Old Zhang, he was only familiar with a few. In his past life, by the time he reached the Capital, most of the old guard had been replaced—or, more likely, most had perished.

Take General Qin Feng, for instance—one of the Four Commanders at the Peak Third-Stage—who had fallen in battle shortly after Yenir fled to the Capital. They had never even met.

Yet, witnessing such an elaborate assembly, a subtle doubt began to creep into Yenir’s mind.

Their vigilance was understandable, but the overwhelming Spirit Energy fluctuations from outside clearly signaled an intense military presence.

Deep down, Yenir sensed that while many of these officials were elated at his awakening, some harbored inscrutable looks—Zhang Meng’s eyes even flashed with hidden hostility and a momentary glint of greed.

Something about this situation just didn’t add up…

Before he could ponder further, a dozen top officials exchanged glances until Commissar Hu spoke first.

With a friendly smile, Commissar Hu tried his best to appear approachable:

“Yenir, now that you’re awake, there are a few questions we need to ask you.”

“Your talent…”

“What is it? Could you activate your panel so we can take a look?”

“Hm?”

At these words, Yenir’s eyes narrowed and his heart skipped—a question about his talent immediately upon waking? While he had expected the military might mention it, such inquiries normally followed accolades, not in this context!

Especially since he believed that showing his panel was an entirely different matter.

The former signified trust; the latter, coercion! It was practically an interrogation!

Activate your system panel? Yenir had not forgotten that the Sword God System had imposed strict restrictions—exposing his true talent would lead to his erasure!

His gaze darkened as a subtle shift crossed his face, and he looked toward Hu Zhiping:

“Commissar Hu, what exactly do you want to know?”

“Doesn’t the Military already know your talent? What’s this about—since when does the Military demand that Awakener candidates reveal their abilities?”

At that, Hu Zhiping’s expression turned a bit awkward.

Indeed, as a post-apocalyptic norm, any Awakener’s talent was a secret. Demanding that Yenir activate his panel was overstepping.

Especially since asking immediately upon waking spoke volumes.

He could tell that Yenir was clearly reluctant to cooperate.

Standing next to him, Fang Hao sighed inwardly, intending to soften the blow. But before he could speak, the impatient Zhang Meng interjected coldly:

“Yenir, let’s be honest.”

“We suspect there were irregularities in your trial results. Did you exploit a loophole to cheat your way through the previous trial?!”

“This is a serious matter. We need your full cooperation—don’t hold anything back!”