[Jake's POV]
Forty-eight hours.
That was exactly how long I stayed in the medical bed on the forty-second floor of Apex Tower. For two days, I endured the agonizing, slow-burn healing of a mortal body. Without the System's regenerative protocols, every breath was a battle, every movement a sharp reminder of the sniper round that had torn through my side. The sterile smell of the medical suite, the constant beeping of the heart monitors, the heavy, suffocating weight of my own physical limitations—it was a brutal, humbling experience.
But while my body rested, my empire went to war.
