After Su Yi made his decision—the moral imperative to save a life, regardless of its future complications—he temporarily teleported to his penthouse, went to Natasha's secured vault, and obtained the Horse Talisman. He returned instantly to the hospital, its faint emerald glow hidden beneath his palm.
He held the Talisman near the comatose girl, focusing his will to guide its power. He carefully tried the Talisman's essence and confirmed his theory: the power of the Horse Talisman, which granted perfect health, did not purify the chaotic, radioactive energy residing within Jessica Campbell; instead, it sought to balance and integrate it.
This was crucial. Had it been a simple purification, it would have stripped the young girl of her burgeoning abilities, merely healing her back to a non-powered state. Since the strange, complex energy was the source of her superhuman strength, the Talisman treated it as a fundamental biological component that simply needed stabilization.
Under Su Yi's unwavering guidance, the Horse Talisman unleashed its power. A gentle, pervasive wave of life-giving energy enveloped Jessica's frail body, instantly soothing the deep, corrosive pain that had tormented her cellular structure for months.
The original accident had bombarded her with toxic, radioactive chemical agents, which had simultaneously granted her powers and corrupted her system, causing the perpetual coma.
This chaotic energy was relentlessly eroding and altering Jessica's body. Even without consciousness, she could feel the agony—a constant, electrical buzzing deep in her marrow.
However, under the flawless effect of the Horse Talisman, the pain gradually faded into nothingness. Jessica felt an intense, profound comfort, as if she were suspended in warm, still water or basking in the gentle heat of a perfect sun. It was a sensation of pure, biological relief she hadn't felt since before the accident.
Amidst this overwhelming warmth, Jessica's consciousness began to pull itself back from the abyss of her daze. Figures, moments, and fragments of memories flooded her mind in hyper-speed replay.
She watched it all like an audience member in a silent theater, quietly reviewing her life as if watching a movie. Her growth from childhood, her family, her school life... right up until the critical, horrifying moment the accident occurred.
Jessica vividly recalled arguing with her younger brother, the distraction causing her father to swerve. She relived the crushing impact, the terrifying rush of the chemical agents, and the subsequent blackness.
Watching the accident unfold again, Jessica desperately wanted to stop it, to scream a warning. But she found herself unable to speak, unable to move, only able to watch everything helplessly, utterly powerless.
Jessica's emotions gradually intensified, and her monitors registered a spike in brain activity. The grief, regret, and helplessness were almost unbearable.
Su Yi, who was closely supervising the complex process of cellular restructuring, noticed her significantly fluctuating mental state.
"Is she about to wake up?" he murmured to himself, his senses keenly focused on the subtle energy currents around her.
He wasn't entirely sure; he could only sense that Jessica's emotions seemed unstable, fighting for control over her paralyzed body. However, this was undeniably a good sign. For a comatose patient, having strong emotional reactions indicated that consciousness was actively returning and fighting the paralysis.
Jessica had not yet been fully healed—the integration was still underway—so Su Yi chose to continue, his presence calm and protective. He had already taken the calculated risk; discovering his identity was a minimal threat compared to leaving her suffering.
A crucial, unforeseen biological consequence was occurring as the Horse Talisman did its work. As the talisman integrated the raw, radioactive power into her central nervous system, it didn't just fix her body; it fortified her mind.
The perfect stability created by the ancient magic unintentionally shielded her core consciousness, insulating her brain's higher functions against any form of external suggestion or psychological manipulation. The traumatic chemical residue that had been so chaotic was now locked away, and in its place, an absolute psychic barrier formed around her identity.
After a long while, Su Yi noticed that Jessica had calmed down, the memory flash fading. The Horse Talisman's work was nearing completion. Yet, she still hadn't fully woken up.
Jessica felt an inevitable wave of dejection and loneliness. She was aware, but she was trapped. It was as if she was on a sun-drenched island—perfectly comfortable—but there was no wind, no waves, not a single sound she could make or hear from the outside world. This feeling of silent, absolute isolation filled Jessica's heart.
She didn't know how much time had passed; it felt like an eternity. Then, Jessica was surprised to find that the complete silence was breaking. She seemed to be hallucinating sounds. A faint, low sound seemed to appear by her ear, which made her inexplicably, desperately happy.
Sound meant hope. Sound meant the world still existed.
The sound, of course, was Su Yi talking quietly to himself; though not loud, it reached Jessica's newly restored sense of hearing with startling clarity.
"The effect of the Horse Talisman is quite good," Su Yi sighed, stepping back to admire his work. "The chaotic energy in her body is now basically stable. Her system is accepting the power perfectly."
He checked her physical appearance. "It's just that she still looks very thin; she'll just need to slowly recover muscle mass after she wakes up."
Su Yi stood by the bed, continuing his reflective monologue. "You're lucky, Jessica Campbell; I happened to come across you. I've now perfectly healed your injuries, integrated your powers, and given you a fresh start. Whether you can fully wake up now depends on your own will."
He leaned closer, his voice soft. "Although life is full of hardships, there will always be hope for people like you. Good luck, Jessica."
Su Yi planned to observe her for a few more days, assuming a gradual recovery. If Jessica still didn't wake up by then, he would have to call for outside help, perhaps from Strange, though he preferred to keep the miracle a secret.
With the healing complete, Su Yi used teleportation to return the Horse Talisman to the secure vault before returning to the ward, re-entering moments before Dr. Christine Palmer's shift ended.
As soon as Su Yi returned, he heard Christine's professional, quick footsteps outside the door. He instantly adopted an innocent posture, pretending nothing had happened, and prepared to casually stroll out as if he were just leaving.
Christine pushed the door open, seeing Su Yi standing near the monitoring equipment. She was a bit surprised.
"Su, you can't just barge in here; this is a private patient's room," she gently admonished.
Su Yi had already thought of a simple, effective excuse. "I was just going to the restroom down the hall, and as I passed by, I thought I heard a beeping sound—something unusual. So, I came in to look. I didn't find anything, but better safe than sorry, right?"
Christine, who knew Su Yi wouldn't maliciously interfere, still chose to believe him. He was standing at a respectful distance, looked calm, and didn't appear flustered.
"Don't worry," Su Yi added with a sincere tone. "This concerns a life; I didn't touch any machines or equipment. I just checked the monitor display from here."
Christine accepted his explanation and began her work, first checking the data on the various instruments connected to Jessica.
What she saw caused her to stop breathing. The data was impossible.
From the readings, Jessica's core physical condition had improved significantly—exponentially, in fact. Her vital signs were stable, her cellular markers were normalized, and her internal trauma indices had dropped from critical to near-zero. Her data was now close to that of a perfectly healthy person.
Christine was completely puzzled and quickly took out the medical record book, her brow furrowed in concentration. Comparing the current instrument readings against the previous entries, Christine felt even stranger.
"What's wrong, Christine? Is there a problem?" Su Yi asked, feigning concern.
Christine was at a complete loss for a medical explanation. "From the data, her physical condition is already very good, close to that of a normal, healthy person. But, the previous data in the medical record book... it indicated she was at death's door."
She observed the instruments repeatedly, confirming they were not malfunctioning. The sudden, miraculous changes in the body data were scientifically unfathomable. Not only the monitor data, but Christine also observed up close and checked Jessica's physical condition—her skin tone was improving, and the constant, pained tremor was gone.
"Her physical condition seems to have improved drastically; this is beyond abnormal," Christine whispered, unable to rationalize it. Logically speaking, a spontaneous, total reversal of a coma-inducing radioactive condition should not be possible.
She couldn't explain it, nor did she have any reason to suspect the kind, polite investor standing next to her.
"Su, after you came in, did you notice anything at all? Anything unusual at all?" she asked, desperate for a clue.
Su Yi pretended to think hard, then gave the only safe answer he knew she could verify. "Yes, I did. As I was about to leave, I noticed that the monitor showed she seemed to have had an emotional reaction—a high spike in activity."
Christine observed again, checking the recent brain activity logs. "This is a good thing; an emotional reaction indicates that her consciousness is gradually waking up, and there's a high probability she'll regain consciousness soon."
Su Yi took the opportunity to ask, "Is she also your patient?"
Christine shook her head. "No, she's actually Doctor Kathy's patient. It's just that, as you've seen, she's been in a coma for several months now, and Doctor Kathy has something tonight, so I'm just helping her with a round of checks."
"Several months," Su Yi sighed dramatically. "No wonder she looked so frail."
Christine finally confirmed the instruments were normal, recorded the impossible data in the medical record book with a note questioning the readings, and signed off.
"Checks are done; let's go," she said, managing a smile.
The two left the ward and closed the door.
Christine said with a slight apology, "Sorry, I still have four of Doctor Kathy's patients to check on, so you might need to wait a bit longer."
"No problem at all, Christine. I have plenty of time, and they need you the most right now." Su Yi's understanding made Christine very happy and appreciative.
Christine went off to check on the remaining patients, while Su Yi took the opportunity to finally go to the restroom, his mind focused on the next step: the Peter Parker problem.
Back in the now-silent private room, Jessica Campbell lay utterly still, but she was no longer merely a shell. She was fully, painfully conscious.
She had heard every single word of the conversations.
First, the soft voice of the mysterious man, "Su," talking to himself about the Horse Talisman and her powers. She had heard him say he had healed her, stabilized her energy, and wished her luck.
Then, she had heard the doctor, Christine, express shock over the impossible data and her eventual dismissal of the findings.
"It's that mysterious man named Su; he must be the one who healed me." The realization was a sudden, electric surge of certainty. The man who saved her, the one who knew about her power, was a secret.
Jessica focused, concentrating on the perfect stillness of her body. She tested the limits of her senses, her mind feeling incredibly sharp, almost fortified. The pain was gone. In its place, she felt an immense, latent physical strength thrumming beneath her skin, but it was perfectly contained.
She tried to move a finger. Nothing.
She tried to speak. Nothing.
Trapped again. But this time, she had two things she hadn't had before: her power, and a name.
Su.