"I need to go in...I need to find the truth..."

With his last shred of willpower, Ning Yu reached out his hand toward the source of that mysterious power...

The world seemed to stand still at that moment.

Ning Yu felt no passage of time, nor could he hear any sound; only boundless darkness and nothingness enveloped him. His body felt as if it had shattered into countless fragments, or as if he had been thrown into a rapidly spinning vortex, uncontrollably tumbling and tossing. The excruciating pain had long since numbed his senses; he couldn't even feel his own heartbeat or breathe.

Am I... going to die?

A thought flashed through his mind, but it was quickly replaced by another, stronger desire.

"No, I can't die yet..."

He still has so much to do; he can't fall yet. He must find the truth, he must protect those he cares about, and he must fight his way through this cruel apocalypse!

This unwavering determination, like a spark in the darkness, burned tenaciously, dispelling the surrounding coldness and despair.

After an unknown amount of time, Ning Yu felt a force supporting him, slowly bringing him to a stop. He tried to open his eyes, but found everything blurry, with only blinding light and distorted colors.

"Cough cough..."

He tried to cough, but no sound came out; only a few drops of bloody foam escaped from the corner of his mouth.

"Ning Yu! Ning Yu!"

Dr. Zhao's anxious shouts could be heard from afar, but the sound seemed so distant and unreal.

"What am I doing..."

Ning Yu struggled to move, but found he couldn't even move a finger. His body felt as if all his strength had been drained, leaving only endless exhaustion and weakness.

"Don't move, you're too weak."

A gentle voice sounded in his ear, and a warm hand gently pressed on his shoulder.

Ning Yu tried to turn her head to see who was speaking, but found that her vision was still blurry and she could only make out a vague outline.

"Who are you……"

"Shh, don't talk, just rest."

The hand gently stroked his forehead, like a mother comforting a wounded child.

Ning Yu felt a warm current coming from that hand, slowly flowing through his entire body, gradually restoring some sensation to his originally cold and stiff body.

He tried hard to see the person in front of him clearly and to speak, but found that he couldn't even lift his eyelids.

"Don't worry, you're safe now..."

That gentle voice rang out again, but with a barely perceptible tremor.

"Now, tell me... what did you see?"