However, as soon as Elysia followed Vill-V over, she immediately covered her eyes, her face turning bright red.
"Wait! Vill-V, why is Yuan not wearing anything?!"
Elysia quickly turned around and asked in a flustered voice.
When she had come out of her cultivation pod, she had been wearing clothes—albeit thin ones, but still clothed.
Unlike Chang Yuan, who was completely naked.
"Why are you so shy? Just don't look. As the lead surgeon, I don't even care."
Having performed surgeries on many people and even seen many die on the operating table, Vill-V had become desensitized to the human body.
So, she didn't understand why Elysia was so embarrassed.
"I... I'm not looking anymore."
Covering her face, Elysia turned and fled the scene.
She wasn't like Vill-V, who had the unshakable mindset of someone who had been slaughtering fish for decades.
Meanwhile, Chang Yuan's situation in the cultivation pod wasn't great.
He had underestimated the intensity of the MANTIS surgery.
In the dark abyss, all he felt was deep suffocation and despair.
The abyss kept telling him to just sink into it forever.
Chang Yuan kept thinking of Elysia in his mind, as she was his only emotional anchor.
He held on, though he didn't know how long he had been holding on.
Eventually, he even felt like it would be fine to just sink into the abyss, as he doubted he could save anything even if he woke up.
But outside, things were far from calm.
Beep beep beep—!
"What the hell is going on?!"
Seeing Chang Yuan's vital signs suddenly drop, Vill-V panicked and began adjusting the data.
Adrenaline, painkillers, and other beneficial drugs were injected frantically.
But none of this stopped his vital signs from declining.
"Vill-V, what's wrong with Yuan?!"
Hearing the alarm, Elysia rushed back inside.
She noticed Vill-V's frantic movements.
But a sense of foreboding rose in her heart.
And the next second, Vill-V confirmed her worst fears.
"Chang Yuan's vital signs are dropping rapidly for some reason. If this continues, he'll die!"
While operating the equipment, Vill-V explained the situation to Elysia.
"This doesn't make sense. Previous failed cases always had warning signs. Why isn't there one this time? Is it because of the Emperor-class Honkai beast genes?"
While trying to stabilize Chang Yuan's vital signs, Vill-V was also trying to figure out what had gone wrong.
"It's below 70%. It can't go any lower. If it drops below 50%, he might never wake up! Damn it, what else can we do?"
Frantically, Vill-V racked her brain for a solution.
Meanwhile, Elysia, knowing she couldn't help, stood in front of Chang Yuan's cultivation pod.
She no longer cared about being shy. She placed her hand gently on the glass cover, silently praying for Chang Yuan.
"Yuan, hold on. Remember our promise? I haven't said it yet, and the people you want to save are still waiting. So, wake up."
Outside the glass cover, Elysia whispered softly.
And it was this whisper that reached Chang Yuan in the abyss, just as he was about to sink into eternal slumber.
"The promise..."
In the depths of the abyss, Chang Yuan's eyes fluttered open as he murmured.
Those words pulled him back to the time when they had made their promise on the beach.
They had promised each other that they would help each other achieve their dreams.
"Hey, hey! His vital signs are rising! Elysia, what did you do? Keep going!"
Though she didn't know what Elysia had said to Chang Yuan, Vill-V was relieved that it was working.
Hearing Vill-V's words, Elysia realized what had made the difference.
She immediately began recounting their past memories.
And Chang Yuan, who had already felt a spark of will to live, now moved toward that voice.
Now wasn't the time to give up. The future might not be as bleak as he thought. There was still a glimmer of hope.
"He's stabilizing. He's stabilizing. Whew."
Seeing Chang Yuan's vital signs return to normal, Vill-V wiped the sweat from her brow.
If she had killed Chang Yuan here, she didn't know if others would seek revenge, but she herself might have died from guilt.
After all, Chang Yuan was like a half-mentor to her, having inspired her so much.
If she had killed this person who was both a teacher and a friend, she would have carried that guilt for the rest of her life.
"Vill-V, I think Yuan is waking up."
Seeing Chang Yuan's eyelids tremble slightly in the cultivation pod, Elysia reminded Vill-V.
Hearing this, Vill-V focused her attention on Chang Yuan.
As soon as Chang Yuan opened his eyes, Vill-V immediately opened the cultivation pod.
The nutrient solution and all the tubes retracted instantly.
"Yuan, are you okay?"
Elysia, worried and flustered, didn't care about Chang Yuan's current state.
She just wanted to know if he was alright.
"I'm fine, but Elysia, can you find me some clothes first? The cold isn't the issue, but this is really awkward."
Scratching his cheek, Chang Yuan couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Hearing this, Elysia instinctively looked down and immediately turned bright red, almost fainting on the spot.
She then fled without a word.
"Wow, you've grown quite well."
"...Big V Teacher, now's the time to find me some clothes, not to make comments like that."
Chang Yuan glared at Vill-V, his face dark with embarrassment.
He knew Vill-V didn't mean anything by it, and she certainly didn't have any feelings for him beyond friendship.
But this was still incredibly awkward. What was this, some kind of moonlit streaking?
"Why are you so shy? I've already seen everything before you went in. Here, I prepared some clothes for you."
When Vill-V said she had seen everything, she meant it in the most clinical sense.
She had to dissect Chang Yuan during the MANTIS surgery, so she was the only one who truly knew his "inner workings."
Catching the clothes Vill-V tossed to him, Chang Yuan dressed right in front of her.
If she wasn't embarrassed, why should he be? It wasn't like he was the one at a disadvantage.