Zhane gentlyid Hera down on the bed, then carefully uced and removed her military boots.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Zhane’s expression hardened as his gaze locked onto the dagger that had ttered to the floor from Hera’s boot. The sharp, metallic sound echoed louder in his ears than it should have.


    No matter how he tried to rationalize it, the thought kept hammering at him—Hera had truly gone into battle. She had joined those seasoned, battle-hardened veterans and thrown herself into the chaos of gunfire and danger to rescue Leo.


    He slowly picked up the dagger and ced it on the bedside table, then gently removed her waist belt, along with the holster carrying her gun. As he shifted her slightly, he noticed two more tactical daggers strapped behind her waist. With care, heid those beside the first.


    But before setting them down, he instinctively unsheathed one of the des.


    There—along the edge—was a smear of dried blood.


    Zhane’s face darkened even more, the weight of unspoken fears settling heavily in his chest.


    Zhane let out another heavy sigh as he slid the dagger back into its sheath and set it gently on the bedside table alongside the others. His eyes returned to Hera, and with a quiet tenderness, he reached out to brush a few strands of hair away from her face.


    "Hera," he murmured, his voice low and weighted, "why must you always throw yourself into danger for the sake of your men?" His hand lingered for a moment before falling back to his side. "Sigh... all it really shows is how ipetent we must be—if it takes you, our woman, to save us."


    He hated admitting it, but the truth was impossible to ignore now. Even without Hera saying a word, he could already piece together what must have happened. Somehow, she had learned that Leo was in danger.


    And instead of waiting or relying on anyone else, she had taken matters into her own hands. She must have gathered people—soldiers, allies—and stormed into a warzone herself, searching for Leo.


    It was just like her.


    It was reckless. Incredibly dangerous. But also—undeniably courageous. Zhane didn’t know whether to be furious at Hera for putting herself at risk... or heartbroken that someone as kind—and as maddeningly bold—as her would pull off something like this without telling any of them. For the first time, the ever-calm, collected Doctor Zhane genuinely felt like strangling someone.


    If he ever found out who let Hera get involved—who dragged her into this—he swore he’d jab them with the biggest syringe he could find.


    Coincidentally, just down the hall, a nurse was wheeling a freshly operated Terry out of the operating room. The man stirred slightly, his brow furrowed in difort. The nurse assumed the anesthesia was simply wearing off.


    But in truth, Terry was in the middle of a nightmare... being chased by aicallyrge syringe.


    Now, all Zhane could do was sit beside Hera and watch her sleep, waiting for her to wake. Hopefully, by then, her emotions would have settled enough for them to have a calm conversation—especially about Leo. She still didn’t know Leo’s full situation, and he needed to tell her.


    With a heavy sigh, Zhane reached for his phone. He had to inform the rest of their friends as well. If something like this could happen to Leo, it could happen to any of them. They needed to stay alert, stay careful—for Hera’s sake, too. She couldn’t take another scare like this.


    <strong>[Six Musketeers Group Chat]</strong>


    <strong>[Zhane: </strong>Leo got into serious trouble. He’s in my hospital right now—barely hanging on.]


    <strong>[Dave: </strong>What the fuck?! Could you <i>not</i> be cryptic for once? What the hell happened?]


    <strong>[Dave: </strong>How did Leo get hurt? Did he poke a ho’s nest or something??]


    <strong>[Zhane: </strong>No idea yet. Hera showed up at the hospital on a military chopper through an emergency route. She came with a group of armed veterans and brought Leo along with three others, all seriously wounded. They had gunshot wounds and other external injuries.]


    <strong>[Zhane: </strong> Leo’s in the worst shape—shrapnel embedded in his body, likely from explosives orndmines. From what I can tell, they were probably ambushed. I’m not sure if it was targeted or just bad luck, but Hera might know more. She went in person to rescue him.]


    [Zhane: q(╯?╰?)]


    [Rafael: Wait—did she actually <i>drive</i> there herself and follow the veterans?]


    [Luke: When exactly did all this go down?]


    [Luke: (′-﹏-`;) (￣ ￣|||) ]


    [Zhane: Hera was fully geared—tactical boots and battle suit, weapons, even some used magazines. One of her daggers had blood on it. So I can only assume she fought alongside the vets against whoever nearly killed Leo. I haven’t asked her yet—she broke down the moment they arrived, and I had to rush Leo into surgery. Honestly, his will to survive is incredibly strong. Most people wouldn’t have made it with those injuries.]


    [Zhane: With the current war on drugs, the mafia and other syndicates must be getting restless and desperate. They might be targeting people like us. We need to stay alert. I don’t want Hera worrying like this again—seeing her cry like that was hard.]