Chapter 296: Phantom

【System detects abnormal healing energy fluctuations. Coordinate location: Hospital west side trash heap.】

When the cold, mechanical voice sounded in the empty hospital area and then dissipated,

Lin Hao suddenly opened his eyes, his consciousness breaking free from a chaos. His head was buzzing, his nasal cavity filled with the smell of rot,

beneath him was hard debris, making his back ache. He moved his fingers,

and tried to lift his legs again; the excruciating pain that should have come had disappeared without a trace, leaving only a faint sense of numbness.

He propped himself up to sit, looking around. This was the trash heap on the west side of the hospital,

scattered with old medical equipment, leftover food packaging bags, and some waste whose original appearance could not be seen. He looked down at his legs,

his pant legs stained with blood and mud; the wounds that might have been caused when he jumped out the window had disappeared, the skin smooth and flat, without a trace of a scar.

【System prompt: Detected A-Nian's residual energy fused with unknown gentle energy, forming a composite healing field.】

Lin Hao frowned and ignored the system's prompt. He remembered when he landed after jumping out the window,

the golden light on his chest flickered, the bone-breaking sound turned into a dull thud, and after that, he ran toward the direction of the safe zone; as he ran, his vision suddenly went black, and he lost consciousness. He didn't know why he was lying in the trash heap, nor did he know who had dragged him here, only knowing that the injury on his leg was healed, healed by that burst of golden light.

He raised his hand to touch his chest, where a hint of warmth still remained,

feeling the same as the golden light left by A-Nian before, but with a hint of indescribable gentleness. He stood up and moved his hands and feet,

except for being somewhat weak, there was no discomfort. He looked toward the direction of the hospital; the silhouette of the main building was clearly visible in the sunlight, the medical room window broken with a large hole, black traces still remaining on the window frame.

He took a step and walked toward the hospital, his steps steady, without the slightest stagger.

Passing through a patch of overgrown weeds, he walked to the bottom of the hospital and looked up toward the third floor. That was the laboratory where Sister Chu Yao Yao had once stayed;

in the early days of the apocalypse, Sister Chu Yao Yao was researching antiviral agents there, and it was also there that she made the decision to sacrifice herself.

【System detects unknown spiritual energy fluctuations, matching Sister Chu Yao Yao's consciousness residual characteristics.】

Lin Hao's gaze stopped on a window on the third floor; that window was tightly closed,

the glass covered with a layer of dust. His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, an inexplicable feeling surging in his heart. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he had seen wrong, but when he looked again, a transparent human figure appeared in front of the window.

It was a woman's figure, slender, wearing a white coat,

her hair neatly tied behind her head. She stood in front of the window, looking calmly at Lin Hao downstairs,

exactly the same as the Sister Chu Yao Yao in the illusion. Lin Hao's breathing stopped abruptly; he subconsciously raised his hand, wanting to wave, but froze in mid-air.

The transparent Sister Chu Yao Yao phantom looked at him, the corners of her mouth seeming to rise slightly, revealing a faint smile. Immediately after, she nodded gently at him, as if saying hello, or as if saying goodbye. Lin Hao looked at her movements, his throat tight, unable to say a single word.

He remembered the appearance of Sister Chu Yao Yao standing in the sunflower field in the illusion, remembered her gentle smile, remembered the words she had said to him. He remembered what Lin Chen had said—Sister Chu Yao Yao sacrificed herself, developed an antiviral agent, and saved everyone in the safe zone. He remembered the system's prompt just now—Sister Chu Yao Yao's consciousness residual; it turned out she really hadn't disappeared completely.

After Sister Chu Yao Yao's phantom nodded, her figure began to become transparent, fading bit by bit, like mist blown away by the wind. Lin Hao stared fixedly at that window, watching her figure gradually dissipate, finally disappearing completely, leaving only the glass covered with dust.

He stood in place, not moving, nor speaking. The warmth on his chest surged again, more intense than before, flowing through his blood throughout his body. He knew that was Sister Chu Yao Yao's consciousness residual, that she was helping him, and also saying goodbye to him.

【System detects Sister Chu Yao Yao's consciousness residual energy has dissipated. Composite healing field is running stably.】

Lin Hao ignored the system's prompt; he just looked up at the third-floor window, at that patch of empty glass. He remembered his previous cowardice, remembered he almost ended his life with the last bullet, remembered Sister Chu Yao Yao's nod, remembered A-Nian's golden light, and his heart suddenly became very calm.

He turned and walked toward the direction of the safe zone, his steps steady, one by one stepping on the ground, emitting a faint sound. The silhouette of the hospital gradually blurred behind him, and the third-floor window also disappeared from his line of sight. In his mind, the image of Sister Chu Yao Yao's phantom nodding still echoed, along with that faint smile.

In the distance came the sound of a car engine—it should be the safe zone's patrol team. Lin Hao quickened his steps and walked toward the direction the sound came from. The sunlight shone on him, carrying a hint of warmth. His leg was completely healed, and the feeling of weakness in his body gradually disappeared, leaving only that hint of warmth on his chest, and the image of Sister Chu Yao Yao's phantom nodding, unable to be shaken off in his mind.

He walked to the side of the road, stopped, and looked at the patrol car driving from afar. The team members on the car saw him and immediately waved, shouting loudly: "Lin Hao! Are you alright! We've been looking for you for a long time!"

Lin Hao nodded at them and said nothing. The patrol car stopped in front of him, and the team members opened the car door, jumped off the car, and looked around him. "What about the injuries on your body?" a team member asked, his face full of surprise.

Lin Hao looked down at his legs, then looked up toward the direction of the hospital, and said softly: "Healed."

The team members didn't ask any more, just patted his shoulder and said: "Let's go, come back to the safe zone with us; Team Leader Lin and Xia Nuan are both waiting for you."

Lin Hao nodded, bent down, and climbed into the patrol car. The car door closed, isolating the wind outside. The patrol car started slowly and drove toward the direction of the safe zone. Lin Hao leaned against the car window, looking at the scenery receding outside the window, looking at the silhouette of the hospital becoming smaller and smaller, finally disappearing completely from his line of sight.

He raised his hand to touch his chest; the warmth there was still there, and together with the image of Sister Chu Yao Yao's phantom nodding, it was carved into his mind. ===== CHAPTER 297 =====