Kiana had only been knocked unconscious by the shockwave. After a short period of rest, she recovered quickly without any lingering effects. Bronya, on the other hand, had appeared at the very end,
just as Raiden Mei and the others were about to follow Murata Himeko onto the Hyperion. Because Hua Yi was found injured at the time, Himeko didn't press for too many details. Once she confirmed that Bronya was Mei's friend, she allowed her to board the Hyperion as a survivor.
Currently, a member of the medical staff in a white lab coat was giving a report to Himeko, who stood alongside Mei, Kiana, and Bronya.
"The patient's condition is quite complex," the medic began. "He appears to have undergone an almost exaggerated level of self-training. His body shows symptoms of extreme over-exertion. For a normal person, this level of physical strain would be enough to leave them bedridden and paralyzed, yet he can still move freely. He even managed to engage in combat with Honkai Beasts and Deadwalkers."
The medical staff member paused briefly. Himeko and the others, thinking the report on Hua Yi's condition was finished, asked in confusion, "Then why was he bleeding?"
"Because what I just described was merely the lightest of his injuries."
"?!?!"
"The bleeding was caused by shrapnel from an external impact likely debris kicked up when a Honkai Beast struck the ground. Normally, he should have been able to dodge an attack of that level, but he had already been engaged in high-intensity combat for over ten hours prior. Both his physical and mental fatigue had reached their absolute limits."
"Hua Yi was at the Nagazora border fighting off the Honkai Beasts. That's why the city didn't fall sooner," Himeko added.
The medic nodded and continued, "Aside from the external wounds, his internal injuries are far more severe. Beyond the over-exertion I mentioned, he seems to have used some method to forcibly absorb an excessive amount of Honkai Energy.
This has caused varying degrees of damage to his internal organs. If he were a normal human, he would have either turned into a Deadwalker or died instantly from organ failure."
"Forcibly absorbing excessive Honkai Energy? Why would he..."
Himeko was stunned, unable to comprehend Hua Yi's near-suicidal actions. It was Bronya who offered an explanation.
"Bronya saw him earlier at the Nagazora defensive line. The battle had already ended. He was saving a member of the guard who was on the verge of turning into a Deadwalker."
"By absorbing the Honkai Energy invading someone else's body to stop the transformation?" Himeko murmured. "Theoretically, it's possible, but regardless of the risks involved, the sheer pain of that process is not something a normal person... no, it's something even most Valkyries couldn't endure."
A long silence fell over the room as the weight of those words sank in.
The medic took a deep breath. Truthfully, when she first saw the data from the instruments, she hadn't believed her own eyes for a long time.
"The good news is that the patient's recovery ability is beyond imagination. Despite such injuries, his life is not in danger. His coma is simply the result of extreme physical and mental exhaustion. Once he wakes, his mobility will not be affected. Based on the data we observed during treatment, if he continues his recovery, he will be completely healed in less than three days."
Whether the medic did it on purpose or not, she had managed to make their hearts stop with the bad news before finally letting them breathe a sigh of relief. Himeko and even Raiden Mei shot her resentful looks.
"So can we go see him now?"
"The patient is still in a coma. Sleep is the best way for him to recover, so please do not attempt to wake him by force."
With the medic's permission, the group filed into the infirmary. Looking at Hua Yi lying on the white hospital bed, Himeko couldn't help but sigh.
"With that sunny, 'boy next door' look, it's hard to connect him to the guy who goes toe-to-toe with giant Honkai Beasts and Titans."
In today's world, the gender ratio is so skewed that the 'person next door' is usually a girl, Major Himeko, the medic thought to herself. She wanted to joke, but considering how her reporting style had already annoyed everyone, she wisely kept her mouth shut to avoid drawing more fire.
Himeko's words caused Mei and Kiana to reminisce about every moment they had shared with Hua Yi since they first met. So much had happened in such a short time. He had sacrificed so much in silence. This pale figure covered in wounds didn't look like him, yet it was undeniably him.
Because the medic had warned them not to disturb him, everyone remained quiet. Even the usually boisterous Kiana acted with surprising grace.
It was unlikely that a person in a coma would wake up from a bit of noise anyway.
Once they were satisfied that Hua Yi's condition wasn't as dire as they had feared, they quickly stepped out of the ward. Kiana's expression was troubled; she felt incredibly inadequate.
Hua Yi had eliminated so many Honkai Beasts and done so much, yet she had been knocked out just by the shock of Raiden Mei's awakening. It was mortifying.
Then there was this Bronya who had suddenly appeared. Being able to find Hua Yi at the edge of the city meant she had the strength to wander through a Honkai-infested Nagazora at will. In the end, it seemed she was the weakest one among them.
Kiana couldn't stand that.
"Aunt Himeko, does Aunt Theresa have a way to make me stronger?"
As she spoke, Kiana felt a powerful aura of authority radiating from Murata Himeko. It seemed she didn't need to look to Aunt Theresa the Himeko standing right in front of her was formidable enough. However, that thought was pushed aside for now as Kiana realized her slip of the tongue.
"Cough, Miss Himeko, I didn't say anything just now."
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