The world shattered amidst the sound of explosions.
Han Feng shielded Liu Mengran tightly beneath his body, his back exposed to the raging flames. The knight's body exploded like a miniature nuclear bomb, the shockwave shattering all the windows on the entire floor, and the flames engulfed everything within a twenty-meter radius.
"Crack..." Han Feng heard the sound of his ribs breaking.
The heatwave crashed down like an invisible wall, instantly scorching the skin on the back of his neck. Excruciating pain overwhelmed every nerve, but his body, pressed against Liu Mengran, remained motionless. The explosion's roar temporarily deafened him; the world seemed to become a silent film, with only the lingering orange-red flames flickering on his retina.
"I can't faint... I can't..."
Han Feng bit his tongue, the taste of rust spreading in his mouth. Through his blurred vision, he saw Liu Mengran's lips trembling, as if she were calling out something. Her pupils reflected his distorted face, which could no longer be called a human face, but more like a wax figure melted by high temperature.
"Han...Feng..."
The faint sound pierced his tinnitus, becoming his only connection to reality. Han Feng wanted to respond, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering it on Liu Mengran's pale cheek. He tried to raise his hand to wipe away the glaring red, but found his arm as heavy as lead.
The aftershocks of the explosion were still raging, and the ceiling began to collapse. A chunk of concrete slammed into Han Feng's back, causing him to groan as his spine creaked under the strain. The regenerative abilities provided by the body-enhancing serum were racing against the devastating damage; every second was agonizing.
"System...Life Potion..."
"Warning! Host's vital signs have dropped to critical levels!" Zero's voice seemed to come from afar. "Automatically activate emergency protocols... Unauthorized operation initiated..."
Han Feng felt a cool energy spreading from his heart, rapidly flowing to his limbs and bones. This was the effect of the life-saving potion, but not through oral administration; rather, it was injected directly into his bloodstream by some force. Spiderweb-like blue patterns appeared on his skin, like wires on a circuit board, shimmering with a faint light.
"What is this...?" Liu Mengran stared in horror at the supernatural phenomenon, her fingers gripping Han Feng's tattered collar tightly.
Han Feng didn't have time to explain. With his last shred of clarity, he pushed Liu Mengran towards the relatively safe corner of the load-bearing wall, then stood like a human wall between her and the sea of fire. The blue patterns grew brighter and brighter, forming a semi-transparent film on his body, resisting the relentless high temperature.
"Don't look..." Han Feng managed to squeeze out two words, reaching out to cover Liu Mengran's eyes. He wasn't sure if he still looked human and didn't want her to see the horrifying scene.
Darkness surged in like a tide. In the last moment before his consciousness faded, Han Feng felt something warm drip onto his hand—it was Liu Mengran's tear.
Then, the world fell silent.
......
White. An endless expanse of white.
When Han Feng opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the glaring ceiling of the hospital room. The pain throughout his body had subsided, replaced by a strange sense of lightness, as if his body had been disassembled and reassembled.
"Ding! Host awakening confirmed." Zero's voice rang in his mind, but the tone was different from usual, less mechanical and more humanly tired. "Mission 'Defeat the Knight' completed. Rewards: R Country Gene Technology Analysis Document, Radar Scanning Skill."
A semi-transparent virtual boy figure appeared before Han Feng's eyes, visible only to him. This usually playful virtual figure now had a stern face, arms crossed, looking as if it were about to interrogate him.
"How do I use this radar scan?" Han Feng tried to ask in his mind, but found that his throat was as dry as a desert, and the voice he made was hoarse and unpleasant.
The system did not answer his question directly, but instead said in an unprecedentedly serious tone: "Your mission was extremely dangerous, with an estimated survival rate of only 3.7%. It's a miracle you survived. I made an exception and helped you absorb the life-saving potion before you fell unconscious, which is an overreach of authority."
Han Feng frowned: "Overstepping authority?" The word sounded particularly out of place coming from a system. "Aren't you a system? How can you use the term 'overstepping authority'?"
The virtual boy's image flickered, seemingly hesitant. "With your current strength, these are things you cannot know," it finally replied. "When you are strong enough, you will naturally understand."
The setting sun shone through the hospital room window, turning the pristine white walls a vibrant orange-red. Han Feng noticed faint blue lines remaining on the back of his hand, like veins, barely visible. He tried moving his fingers; his joints were incredibly flexible, and his muscles contained an unprecedented strength.
"That life-saving potion... its effects seem to have exceeded expectations."
"Because you absorbed it while you were near death, it activated your deep potential," the system explained, then changed the subject, "By the way, in addition, you have already received ten skill rewards from the system. According to the agreement, I need to upgrade you immediately."
Han Feng's heart tightened. What did the system upgrade mean? Would it disappear? "How long will it take?"
The virtual boy's image began to blur. "Uncertain, maybe a week, maybe a month." It paused, "Because you gained skills upon completing the mission, but because of my involvement, I don't know how long it will take for me to level up."
"Wait! At least tell me how to use radar scanning!"
"Remember," the system interrupted him, its voice fading into the distance, "someone is already watching you."
Before he could finish speaking, the virtual image vanished like a projector whose power had been cut off. Han Feng felt a long-standing "background noise" in his mind abruptly stop, leaving an eerie silence. He tried to call out to the system, but there was no response.
Han Feng struggled to sit up and found his hospital bed surrounded by monitoring equipment, but strangely, there were no medical staff in sight. A figure flashed through the small window in the ward door, followed by the sound of the doorknob turning.
The people who came in were several medical staff and Lin Zhengguo. Seeing that Han Feng was about to sit up, Lin Zhengguo did not let the medical staff help him. Instead, he immediately went over to help Han Feng up and said to him in a reproachful tone, "What exactly did you go through this time? Do you know that when they brought you back, you had almost lost your vital signs? It's a miracle that you survived!"
Looking at the old man in front of him, Han Feng noticed that he seemed to have aged and looked more haggard in the few days since they last met. His eyes were full of concern, which warmed Han Feng's heart.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com