Li Jie felt as though he had spent countless centuries struggling in the depths of the sea.
His consciousness rose and sank in the dark currents. For a few fleeting moments, he thought he was finally about to reach the surface, only for a larger wave to drag him back into the abyss.
Until a steady, rhythmic sound pierced the thick darkness.
Beep... beep... beep...
A senior citizen's transit card?
Li Jie jolted inwardly, then suddenly realized it was the sound of a heart monitor.
He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as though they had been sewn together. Only after an immense effort did he finally let a sliver of light through.
A blurry white ceiling. At the edge of his vision, a fluorescent tube dissolved into a halo of light.
An oxygen mask pressed tightly against his nose and mouth, every breath carrying the smell of plastic and disinfectant. He could feel its edges pressing into his cheeks, along with the constant flow of humid air.
Sensation slowly returned to his body.
At least it wasn't sharp pain now. His brain issued a command, and his fingers slowly moved, curling inward.
He moved his eyes, taking in his surroundings. White walls, a metal IV pole, various familiar and unfamiliar instruments on the bedside table, and green waveforms bouncing across a screen in time with the beeping.
His gaze slowly lowered to his right leg, elevated and immobilized in a support frame. Thick white gauze wrapped it from the upper thigh downward. A drainage tube emerged through a gap in the gauze and connected to a bag hanging beside the bed, already nearly half full of dark red fluid.
Ah... what a sorry state...
He sighed, feeling the emptiness in his stomach.
I want dumplings...
"Uh..."