Bengtie, I'm really not a villain!

"You're so handsome!"

Kiana muttered, her tone a mix of coquettishness and sullenness, as if she wanted to "punish" Jing Ye's outstanding appearance in this way.

Himeko, who was intently observing her surroundings, caught a glimpse of Kiana's absurd behavior out of the corner of her eye, and her brows furrowed instantly.

She turned her head and gave me a stern glare, her gaze so sharp it seemed to pierce through everything, filled with reproach.

"What kind of time is this to be acting like this!"

Kiana, already feeling guilty, was frozen in place by that gaze. She immediately shrank back and playfully stuck out her tongue.

An embarrassed smile appeared on her face, and she obediently withdrew her hand, like a child who had done something wrong, and quietly squatted to the side, but her eyes still occasionally stole glances at Jing Ye.

In stark contrast to Kiana's lively and energetic nature, Raiden Mei felt as if she had fallen into an ancient ice cellar, a bone-chilling cold creeping up her spine and quickly taking over the back of her neck.

The wind had started blowing at some point, ruffling her hair, but it couldn't dispel the worries in her heart.

The Jingye before me, with the slight trembling of her eyelashes and those subtle yet familiar movements, perfectly matched the figure deep in my memory, so perfectly that it was frightening.

But she knew in her heart that if Furibas's face could miraculously reappear on Kiana in this bizarre world, then was the boy in front of her an old friend who had crossed time and space and gone through countless hardships, or was it a joke carefully designed by the mischievous fate?

This question, like a heavy dark cloud, weighed heavily on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

She instantly recalled the image of Furibas being pinned to the mud, covered in injuries and looking utterly wretched.

Memories and reality intertwined wildly, her stomach churned, and a strong feeling of nausea rose in her throat. She had to force herself to endure it to keep from losing control.

As dusk settled, the shadows cast by the Hyperion ships stretched long, like the outstretched claws of a giant beast, shrouding the desolate land.

Jing Ye lay on the cold ground, his body rising and falling gently with his weak breaths. His pulse was like a candle flickering in the wind, each beat so weak that it was almost impossible to detect, as if it would be completely extinguished at any moment.

His black hair lay scattered messily on the scorched earth, and his pale face appeared even more lifeless in the dim light.

When Himeko reached out and tore open Jingye's tattered clothes, the surrounding air seemed to freeze instantly. Everyone gasped.

There were no obvious external injuries on his chest, but strange purple patterns appeared, like an evil spider web, spreading towards his heart at a visible speed, emitting a chilling Honkai energy fluctuation.

The patterns shimmered with an eerie light, contrasting sharply with the deathly silence around them, exuding an indescribable sense of strangeness and danger.

"Cases of men surviving Honkai energy attacks are extremely rare."

Himeko's voice held a rare hint of surprise and doubt. Her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with seriousness as she stared intently at the markings on Jingye's chest.

"How could his heart be so badly eroded..."

Kiana's face was full of bewilderment.

Raiden Mei stood frozen in place, her nails digging deep into her palms, almost drawing blood.

Although her memories of this world told her that "Honkai energy" was basically only suitable for women and that very few men could withstand it, she knew better than anyone else...

Jingye can not only withstand it, but he can even turn Honkai energy into his own.

If it's Jing Ye, if it's the mysterious and elusive Jing Ye who has always brought her hope in despair.

This realization caused her unease to grow wildly like weeds.

If it really is him, why is he so badly injured?

What kind of turmoil will this world, which has finally begun to find some peace, experience again?

Raiden Mei's heart was filled with countless questions and worries. Her body trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with fear and confusion.

She hoped the person in front of her was just a stranger who looked similar, because she knew all too well that once Jing Ye woke up, what awaited them would not be the joy of a long-awaited reunion.

Inside the Hyperion's medical bay, piercing alarms wailed like a swarm of frenzied bees, echoing through the confined space.

The scarlet warning lights flashed incessantly, staining the surrounding walls, equipment, and even the faces of the people in a crimson hue, as if they were in a perilous purgatory.

The pungent smell of disinfectant mingled with the faint acrid smell of burning in the air—the distinctive, unsettling odor of Honkai energy overflowing.

Jing Ye was placed in the core treatment pod, where silver-white restraints firmly secured him to the suspended bed.

His body rose and fell gently with his weak breaths, and his already pale face now looked even more lifeless.

Even so, the eerie purple pattern on his chest grew increasingly sinister, like a venomous snake come to life, its scales shimmering with an ominous light, writhing wildly as it spread throughout his body.

Each expansion of the patterns was accompanied by a slight hum from the treatment chamber, as if an invisible force was fiercely battling against the chamber's protective system.

"How could this be?"

Himeko's voice was filled with shock and confusion. Just a few minutes ago, when Jingye was carried onto the ship, the out-of-control Honkai energy had clearly been stabilized by everyone's combined efforts.

But at that moment, the numbers on the monitoring screen were fluctuating wildly like a rollercoaster. The heart rate, which had been weak and steady, instantly soared to a dangerous 200 beats per minute, and the blood pressure curve was also dropping sharply.

The red warning symbols flashed incessantly, stinging the eyes.

Kiana tiptoed and carefully approached the observation window, her nose almost touching the cold glass.

Her large, sapphire-blue eyes were now filled with worry and doubt.

"They were fine on the way here, how come they're like this as soon as they enter the medical pod..."

Before he could finish speaking, a deafening roar suddenly rang out, and a blinding purple light burst forth from Jing Ye's chest.

The entire treatment chamber trembled violently, the metal frame creaked under the strain, and the protective glass was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, as if it would shatter completely at any moment.

Kiana was startled by the sudden commotion and her eyes widened in surprise.

As Kiana watched the chaotic data inside the cabin intertwine with Jingye's out-of-control state, a bold yet unsettling conjecture gradually took shape in her mind.

She murmured softly, a hint of disbelief in her voice:

"Was his Honkai energy rampage suppressed because he came into contact with us?"

These words struck like a heavy hammer in the oppressive atmosphere of the medical pod, making Raiden Mei's heart leap into her throat.

"Never make dangerous assumptions before a conclusion is reached."

However, as Himeko's words still echoed in the medical pod, Kiana could no longer contain her eagerness.

She rushed to the observation window, gripping the frame tightly with both hands, pressing her nose hard against the cold glass, leaving a noticeable red mark. "But when we moved him just now, it was clearly..."

In Kiana's view, Jingye's fluctuating state was by no means accidental. There must be some close connection between his relative stability during the transport and his current frenzied rampage.

Inside the treatment chamber, the situation grew increasingly critical. The once-tough, silver-white restraints were now groaning in unbearable pain, as if they might snap at any moment.

The eerie purple patterns, like creatures crawling out of hell, frantically climbed along Jing Ye's neck, converging at his Adam's apple into a bottomless, bizarre vortex, as if to completely devour his life force.

The numbers on the monitor screen were like a runaway horse, completely out of control. The heart rate curve surged past the critical value like a rocket, instantly turning into a glaring straight line, as if announcing that life was about to come to an end.

The piercing alarm was deafening, like sharp steel needles piercing everyone's eardrums, pushing their nerves to the limit.

"let me try!"

At the critical moment, Kiana suddenly turned around and, ignoring Himeko's exclamation, resolutely rushed towards the isolation pod door.

Chapter 142 The Woman Takes the Initiative

The moment the metal door slowly opened, the leaking Honkai energy, like a raging beast, crackled with tiny arcs of electricity at the tips of her hair.

The purple lightning danced and flickered in her hair, reflecting on her resolute face.

But she gritted her teeth, her eyes revealing a stubborn determination, like a determined little beast, and pounced on the floating bed without hesitation.

When her palm touched Jing Ye's burning forehead, time seemed to freeze, and the entire medical pod fell into an eerie silence.

The wildly spreading purple patterns on Jing Ye's chest seemed to have been doused with cold water, gradually losing their luster and slowly becoming dim, eventually disappearing beneath his pale skin.

The previously fluctuating values ​​on the monitoring screen gradually stabilized, like a calm lake surface, no longer rippling.

The piercing alarm stopped abruptly, and only a faint hum of electricity echoed in the air of the medical pod, as if recounting the thrilling scene that had just unfolded.

Himeko rushed in with an emergency light in hand. The dim light was like a ray of hope, first sweeping across Jingye's calm face. His closed eyes and slightly rising and falling chest brought a sense of comfort.

Then, the light fell on Kiana's face, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

The air inside the cabin still carried a faint smell of burning. Kiana tilted her head and poked Jingye's cheek with a smile: "See, I told you it would work!"

Tiny arcs of electricity still lingered at the ends of her hair, casting flickering light and shadow on her profile.

Himeko grabbed her wrist, the metal buckles of her combat suit clanging together.

"Who gave you permission to act on your own? Do you know how dangerous that was just now!"

Although her words were harsh, Himeko's trembling fingertips betrayed her lingering fear.

"Okay, okay, Himeko-sensei, don't be angry~"

Kiana stuck out her tongue, then suddenly spread her arms and twirled around like a proud peacock.

"Thank goodness I reacted quickly, otherwise this person would have been..." Her voice trailed off—as she turned around, she met Raiden Mei's gloomy face.

Raiden Mei stared intently at Jing Ye, her purple pupils slightly contracting.

The image of Jing Ye's cold face in his memory kept overlapping with the pale sleeping face in front of him, and the old crescent-shaped wound on his chest suddenly began to ache faintly.

She knew better than anyone that Jing Ye's control over Honkai energy was almost obsessive, and he would never allow himself to get out of control like this.

"His vital signs have stabilized for now." Himeko's voice came from behind, tinged with weariness, "But this situation is completely illogical..."

Her analysis gradually faded into background noise, and Raiden Mei felt her eardrums buzzing.

As Kiana skipped and hopped around explaining her "heroic deeds" to Himeko, the electric current in the girl's hair echoed the purple markings remaining on Jingye's chest, and she suddenly realized something was amiss.

Although the alarms inside the medical pod had stopped, the air remained tense and suffocating.

Raiden Mei stared at Jingye's steady breathing, her nails digging deep into her palms. The past experiences she had shared with Jingye were like sharp blades, repeatedly cutting into her mind.

She knew this man all too well. How could someone with such a strong desire for control and who was always shrewd and calculating be lying in such a wretched state in the wilderness, and who just happened to need their touch to calm his rampage?

Cold sweat slid down her spine, leaving icy trails—proof of a mixture of fear and doubt.

"Mei? You look terrible."

Kiana bounced over, the residual electric arcs in her hair still crackling, "Were you startled by my cool moves?"

The girl's clear voice reached Raiden Mei's ears, but it was as if it were coming through a thick fog.

Could it be... that from the very beginning, he deliberately exposed himself to the detection range, intentionally calming his rampage after being touched?

This guess made Raiden Mei grip the hilt of her sword tighter; it matched her impression of Keiya.

"Since touching him can quiet him down, why don't we just touch him more often!"

Kiana's eyes widened, and she clapped her hands excitedly, her sapphire-like eyes instantly sparkling.

"Perhaps after a few more encounters, the Honkai energy within him will be able to stabilize completely!"

As she spoke, she eagerly reached out, like an impatient little bird, and grabbed at Jing Ye's arm, wanting nothing more than to put her plan into action as soon as possible.

"Nonsense!"

Himeko's voice was like a thunderclap, instantly shattering Kiana's illusions.

Her combat boots slammed hard on the metal floor, producing a sharp, piercing scraping sound.

Himeko frowned, her gaze fixed on the chaotic data stream on the monitoring screen, which resembled a messy spider web. Her brows seemed to be knotted together by an invisible hand, and her eyes were filled with worry and anxiety.

"His physical condition simply cannot withstand frequent stimulation, and those Honkai energies..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jingye's body erupted with Honkai energy once more; Kiana's touch had only calmed him down for a brief moment.

The once sturdy restraints were now strained and groaning in pain, as if they might snap at any moment.

At the same time, the chilling purple patterns, like evil vines awakening from hell, rapidly spread upwards along his neck, as if to devour him completely.

Kiana forcefully swung her arm, breaking free from Himeko's obstruction, and stubbornly stood in front of the treatment pod.

"But that's exactly how I calmed him down! I can't just stand by and watch him..."

Himeko swallowed back the stern rebuke that was on the tip of her tongue.

For a moment, the entire medical pod fell into dead silence, with only the sharp buzzing of the alarm and Jing Ye's heavy, labored breathing intertwined, as if playing a symphony of death.

"We have no choice but to give it a try."

Himeko gritted her teeth, her face filled with struggle and helplessness, and finally slowly took off her gloves.

Her hands trembled slightly, as if they were bearing a heavy burden.

........................

Himeko took a deep breath, trying to steady her trembling fingertips, and then slowly reached out her hand, her fingertips seemingly bearing a heavy burden, as she slowly and laboriously approached Jingye's skin.

When her fingertips finally touched Jing Ye, the chilling purple markings on the boy's chest seemed to be slightly stimulated, dimming only slightly.