Kael guessed that the person speaking softly near his ear must be Yanfei.
"You've been sleeping for so many days, still refusing to get up, you lazy pig," Yanfei tried to speak lightly, but the choke in her voice betrayed her true feelings.
"You promised you'd take me out sea-fishing on the Alcor. How could you break your promise? I'm going to hold you accountable."
"Or did you perhaps break our contract while on board by getting close to Beidou, and now you're too ashamed to wake up and face me...?"
"I... forgive you... I'm not angry, so please wake up quickly, okay...?"
Yanfei couldn't maintain her forced cheerfulness any longer. By the end, she was clutching Kael's hand tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
Kael could feel warm tears continuously falling onto his hand.
"I... kept our contract, you know."
Kael heard his own voice speak. Suddenly, his vision brightened, and an unfamiliar scene appeared before him.
It seemed that the version of himself within the life simulation had awakened.
Kael found this sensation extremely peculiar.
He could hear, see, and feel through the simulated version of himself.
Yet, this body was completely beyond his control.
It was like watching a movie in first-person view.
Yanfei, who had buried her face in his palm, abruptly lifted her head, eyes filled with joyful surprise.
"Kael!!! You're awake!!!"
She moved to throw herself into his arms but suddenly remembered Kael's injuries, forcing herself to stop midway.
"Where... is this? Wait! Someone attacked the Alcor! How are our crewmates? And also..."
Kael asked these questions anxiously while supporting himself against the edge of the bed, attempting to sit up.
Suddenly, his body froze in place.
"My legs... why can't I feel anything below my waist...?"
Baizhu, noticing Kael had opened his eyes, wore an expression of shock. He stepped forward, carefully examining Kael's condition.
The lump on his head was still there, indicating that the internal bleeding hadn't fully dissipated yet. By all accounts, Kael shouldn't have regained consciousness.
For the first time, Baizhu started to doubt his own medical expertise.
Could it be that he had misdiagnosed?
Yanfei noticed Baizhu standing silently to the side and anxiously asked, "Doctor Baizhu, how is Kael doing now?"
"Hmm..."
Baizhu pondered for a moment before replying, "Mr. Kael still has residual internal bleeding in his head and might lose consciousness again. He'll need to remain here at Bubu Pharmacy for further observation."
Besides, Baizhu thought, he could also take this opportunity to further study Kael's unusual physical condition.
Kael didn't care at all about the bleeding in his head. Right now, something else mattered far more to him.
"Why can't I feel my lower body?"
Baizhu glanced at Yanfei, "You haven't told him yet?"
Kael turned towards Yanfei and saw her avoiding his gaze, eyes reddened.
"Yanfei, what exactly happened?"
Baizhu shook his head gently at the scene before him. "I suppose I'd better explain it to Mr. Kael myself."
"When you were brought here, you had multiple bone fractures all over your body, including severe damage to your spine. I tried my best to treat you, but your injuries were too severe. Unfortunately, there's nothing more I can do."
"I'm truly sorry, but... you're paralyzed."
Yanfei watched helplessly as the life drained bit by bit from Kael's expression. Her eyes immediately filled with tears again, and she stepped forward to firmly hold his hand.
"It's okay. We'll find a way. I promise I'll help you stand again..."
Kael gave her a pale, forced smile, trembling slightly as he squeezed Yanfei's hand back.
"Alright."
After hearing that Kael had woken up, Beidou rushed over from the Alcor to Bubu Pharmacy as quickly as she could.
"Kael, how are you feeling now?"
Seeing Beidou rush in, still panting heavily, Kael forced another weak smile.
"I'm fine."
Beidou had been completely occupied lately, dealing with the aftermath aboard the Alcor.
Coupled with her constant worry over Kael's condition, she looked visibly exhausted.
Just seeing Beidou's face, Kael knew she had endured a tremendously difficult time recently.
"What about our crewmates aboard the Alcor?"
He still vividly remembered the scene he saw before losing consciousness—the cabin floor littered with bodies. He struggled to speak, "How many... of our brothers did we lose?"
Hearing Kael's question, even the usually strong and composed Beidou's eyes filled with tears.
"So many..." Beidou's voice trembled as she began listing the names. "Guorui from Spear of the Crux... Yungui from Shield of the Crux... our navigators... our astrologers..."
Beidou recited each fallen crew member's name, one by one.
They were her companions, her family. She remembered every single name, every single memory shared with them.
Every crew member aboard the Alcor had joined the Crux Fleet because they believed in her.
When Beidou finished speaking, her face was streaked with tears.
"I failed everyone... I wasn't strong enough to protect them... I betrayed their trust... I'm a failure of a captain..."
Scenes of their moments together flashed through her mind like a slideshow—one after another.
Kael clenched his fists, tears pouring uncontrollably down his face.
Everyone aboard the Alcor had been so kind.
They had accepted him, a monster in others' eyes, treating him like family and letting him feel a warmth he'd never known before.
Why did such a terrible thing happen...?
Suddenly, Kael recalled the words of that orange-haired man.
"Exactly as described in the intel... what an ugly face..."
That man knew him...
"This is all my fault... it's all because of me!"
"They were targeting me! They knew me! I'm the one who brought this disaster upon everyone! I'm a curse... I doomed the Alcor... I killed them!"
Kael furiously pounded his fists against his numb legs.
Cruel taunts from the past echoed relentlessly in his ears.
"Your face is cursed by the gods."
"You're a monster. Why don't you just die already?"
"That disgusting face of yours only brings disaster."
"You'll only bring misfortune to everyone who comes near you..."