Ye Nianzhen stopped in her tracks and gave Hong Xiao a deep look, her eyes filled with complexity and determination.

She didn't speak, but simply raised her hand slightly, palm up, as if waiting for something.

Hongxiao was stunned. He didn't understand the meaning of Ye Nianzhen's action, but a strange sense of trust quietly rose in his heart.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally placed his scarred hand in Ye Nianzhen's palm.

Ye Nianzhen's palm was warm and strong. She gently grasped Hong Xiao's hand, as if she were transferring some kind of power.

Hongxiao felt a warm current surge into his palm, instantly flowing throughout his entire body, making his cold mechanical body and emaciated frame feel warmer than ever before.

He looked at Ye Nianzhen in surprise, the coldness in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by an indescribable gratitude.

He realized that Ye Nianzhen hadn't come to mock him, but to help him.

Ye Nianzhen smiled and nodded. She released Hong Xiao's hand and then turned to her companions, saying, "Let's take him with us. He might become one of us."

The companions looked at each other, but seeing Ye Nianzhen's determined eyes, they finally nodded.

A surge of unprecedented excitement welled up in Hongxiao's heart; he seemed to see a glimmer of hope for his survival.

In just that brief moment of contact, he had completely understood the strength and high level of Ye Nianzhen's abilities as a healer.

So he followed the crowd quietly and obediently. Along the way, he saw Ye Nianzhen being kind and gentle to the poor people, showing them concern and care, and he also saw the gratitude and respect that the people showed to Ye Nianzhen.

All of this shocked Hongxiao like never before.

He had never met anyone who cared so genuinely about others, nor had he ever met a healer who was so respected and loved.

When they arrived at the place where Ye Nianzhen and the others were temporarily staying, Ye Nianzhen gestured for him to eat something and take a shower, and then told him that she would come to treat him personally soon.

Hongxiao was shocked once again.

Unexpectedly, he was able to get treatment without paying any physical or labor costs. It turns out that the stories about Ye Nianzhen that people talked about were all true.

He watched Ye Nianzhen's departing figure, his heart filled with complex emotions.

He obediently ate some food, took a hot shower, changed into decent clothes with the help of the housekeeping robot, and quietly waited in the room for Ye Nianzhen to arrive.

Ye Nianzhen didn't keep him waiting long and returned here quickly.

Her attitude towards Hongxiao wasn't actually very good, after all, they were former enemies.

However, this is not the time to dwell on those things. The important thing is to work together to break the illusion, leave this place, return to reality, and defeat the mastermind behind it all.

So she continued to treat Hongxiao as usual, and then awakened his memories by entering his mind.

Memories of the previous two worlds and reality gradually resurfaced in Hongxiao's mind. He was in a daze, as if he had lived several lives in an instant.

When her memories were fully restored, Hongxiao's eyes became resolute.

He looked at Ye Nianzhen and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Thank you, Ye Nianzhen. I owe you my life."

In this world setting, he was originally a mercenary.

Sent to this no-man's-land on a mission, he was unexpectedly betrayed, seriously injured, and ended up here.

Half of his body was blown away, and he only survived by being replaced with a machine. This was also thanks to the fact that he was actually a hybrid of a species with an exceptionally powerful healing ability in the universe.

He thought he would die alone in this desolate place, but he never expected to meet Ye Nianzhen.

Ye Nianzhen looked at Hong Xiao and sighed softly.

She knew that Hongxiao's past experiences had made him ruthless and suspicious, but at this moment, his eyes revealed an unprecedented firmness and gratitude.

She believed that if given a chance, he would definitely become a valuable assistant to them.

“You’re welcome, Hongxiao,” Ye Nianzhen said. “We’re all in the same boat now. Only by working together can we break this illusion and return to reality.”

Hongxiao nodded, knowing full well that Ye Nianzhen was telling the truth.

The ways of dealing with people he used to know as a fugitive seemed to have no use at this moment.

He understood that only by letting go of past grievances could he truly integrate into the team and have a chance to return to reality and defeat the mastermind behind it all.

So he started trying to communicate with the other people in the team. Although it was difficult at first, he gradually found that they were actually very easy to get along with.

They all share a common goal: to break free from the illusion and return to reality.

Under Ye Nianzhen's treatment, Hongxiao's health gradually recovered.

His semi-mechanical body could not be restored, but with the help of others, it was replaced with higher-level mechanical parts with greater combat power. In addition, the details of the connection points to his body were improved, making him more agile and his combat power higher.