The sudden light forced Han Feng to close his eyes again. His throat was as dry as a lizard that had been baking in the desert for three days; he tried to swallow, but it triggered a tearing pain.
The simple syllable "water..." almost exhausted all his strength.
A straw was immediately brought to his lips. The cool liquid soothed his burning throat, and Han Feng sighed contentedly, trying to open his eyes again. This time he was prepared, slowly adjusting to the light.
The faces of the three girls gradually became clear—Su Wanwan's pink hair stood on end in a mess, Liu Mengran's eyes were so swollen she could barely open them, and she was clutching a tissue that had been twisted into a rope; Dongfang Wantang was still relatively calm, but her pale face and tear stains betrayed her emotions.
"I..." Han Feng was about to speak when he was interrupted by a violent cough.
"Don't rush to speak!" Liu Mengran immediately called Yu Die over, her fingers trembling so much she almost pressed the wrong button. "You've been unconscious for three whole days. Yu Die said your brainwaves are unusually active, and your body has almost recovered, but you just can't wake up..."
Su Wanwan threw herself onto the bedside, wiping her tears and snot all over Han Feng's blanket: "You bastard! Who told you to play the hero! What if you don't wake up?!"
Dongfang Wantang silently handed over a damp towel and said softly, "It's alright now, it's good that he's awake. But your meridians were so severely damaged before, how could you suddenly..."
At this moment, Yu Die and other medical staff quickly walked in. Seeing Han Feng awake, Yu Die visibly breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of ease showing in her eyes, and then began to skillfully check various indicators.
"A miracle." Yu Die exclaimed after examining the pupil response. "Such a severe energy backlash would have been impossible for an ordinary person to recover from."
Han Feng smiled weakly, but his gaze went past Yu Die's shoulder to Lin Zhengguo and Chen Feng, who were standing not far away. The two nodded slightly to him, their eyes full of relief.
After the examination, Yu Die tactfully led the medical staff away, and Lin Zhengguo patted Chen Feng on the shoulder, signaling him to leave as well. In the blink of an eye, only Han Feng and the three girls remained on the star platform.
"Can you tell me now?" Han Feng struggled to sit up, and Liu Mengran quickly tucked a pillow behind his back. "What happened after I fainted? How did Chi Shangling handle it?"
"Brother Liu and his men stayed in R country," Su Wanwan answered quickly. "Right now, Chi Shangling is being held at Longyuan's overseas base, guarded by twelve members of the Reverse Scale Squad in shifts. However..." She suddenly lowered her voice, "that woman hasn't woken up yet. The doctor said her brainwaves are like she's having a nightmare, constantly fluctuating violently."
Han Feng frowned and looked at Liu Mengran for confirmation. She nodded and added, "My brother said that Ikegami Aya occasionally shouts strange words, like 'return to your place.' They recorded a few audio clips; they'll analyze them when you wake up."
"Communicator." Han Feng suddenly reached out. "I need to contact Xiao Ran."
Dongfang Wantang frowned: "Your condition..."
"Now." Han Feng's tone left no room for refusal.
Su Wanwan pouted, pulled an encrypted satellite phone from her pocket, and handed it to him: "I knew you'd do this."
Han Feng raised an eyebrow in surprise, then smiled knowingly. He entered the password, and the call connected immediately; it seemed Liu Xiaoran had been watching the communicator the whole time.
"Awake?" Liu Xiaoran's voice came through the speaker, accompanied by the hum of machinery in the background. "Looks like you're tough as nails."
"The situation." Han Feng went straight to the point.
"Three important points." Liu Xiaoran's tone turned serious. "First, Chi Shangling's vital signs are stable, but her consciousness is abnormal. We detected faint energy fluctuations within her body, peaking every twelve hours."
Han Feng's eyes narrowed. This was exactly what he was most worried about—Chi Shangling might still be able to connect to the Moon Demon Clan's energy even in an unconscious state.
"Secondly, the R country government has taken note of our actions, but has temporarily brushed it off with diplomatic rhetoric. However..." Liu Xiaoran paused, "all the ancient martial arts forces in R country are holding back, seemingly unaware of Ikegami Aya's injury. The Ikegami family is currently keeping its doors closed to visitors."
"Looks like things are going smoothly." Han Feng exchanged a glance with Dongfang Wantang. "Continue monitoring, do your best to rescue Chi Shangling, and if necessary, bring her back to China."
"One last thing," Liu Xiaoran's voice suddenly lowered, "Chi Shangling woke up briefly in the middle of the night yesterday, and her pupils seem to have changed again."
The temperature in the ward seemed to plummet. Han Feng gripped the communicator tightly, his knuckles turning white: "Strengthen isolation measures, especially energy shielding. I'll get there as soon as possible..."
Before he could finish speaking, a wave of dizziness washed over him, forcing Han Feng to close his eyes and steady his breathing. The three girls immediately surrounded him, and Liu Mengran snatched the communicator: "Brother, let's leave it at that for now. Han Feng just woke up and needs to rest."
After hanging up the phone, Su Wanwan angrily poked Han Feng's shoulder: "Show-off! The doctor said you need to stay in bed for at least another week!"
"There's no time left." Han Feng smiled wryly. "If what he said is true, then Ikegami Aya might wake up soon..."
"Han Feng," Dongfang Wantang suddenly interjected, "When you were unconscious, it triggered changes in the Star Platform. Why don't you try communicating with it? It might be helpful."
Han Feng stared at the seven large pillars around him, vaguely sensing something different contained within them, but he didn't have time to think about it now.
"Do me a favor." Han Feng suddenly looked up at the three girls. "I need to see Zhang Jingcheng and Dongfang Lin, the sooner the better."
Liu Mengran immediately stood up: "I'll go contact them."
Su Wanwan pressed down on Han Feng's hand, which was about to pull back the covers: "Before that, you need to eat something! You've been relying entirely on IV fluids these past few days; your stomach is practically shrinking!"
Han Feng could only nod in agreement.
As soon as Liu Mengran's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, Han Feng immediately closed his eyes and focused his mind. Although his body was still weak, the power of the stars deep within his consciousness was already eager to resonate with the surrounding environment.
"What should I do?" he asked Dongfang Wantang.
"Clear your mind and let the star power flow naturally." Dongfang Wantang gently placed her palm on the nearest stone pillar. "It will respond to the true Star Soul Master."
Han Feng took a deep breath and relaxed all his muscles. The stellar energy within his body began to flow along a specific route, no longer deliberately guided, but flowing naturally like a stream returning to the sea. At first, nothing happened, only the regular "beeping" sounds from the medical instruments.
Suddenly, he "saw"—not with his eyes, but with some deeper perception—that the interior of the seven giant pillars shimmered with a faint light, like a sleeping galaxy.
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