Jun Ci was breathing heavily, the ragged gasps carrying a metallic scent of blood. The smell was strong, a testament to his desperate flight, which had caused his trachea to bleed.
"Damn it..." he rasped, wiping his mouth and glancing back at the pursuing staff members, his brow furrowed.
He didn't know when Duan Chen would arrive to meet him, or if their plan would even succeed. Yet, Jun Ci felt no regret. Qin Nanyuan's rescue was a collective effort, and he couldn't abandon his teammates, leaving them alone. Such a feeling was unbearable. He knew firsthand the helplessness and confusion of being left behind. Therefore, he would never let his comrades experience that again. It was something that should not happen.
But... he gritted his teeth, nearly cracking his molars. The pain was immense. His very soul seemed to scream, its flame damaged. The agony was so intense it made his vision blur, pushing him to the brink of collapse.
"Duan Chen... why aren't you here yet!" Jun Ci roared through clenched teeth. He ran forward like an tireless machine.
Suddenly, in a moment of blurred vision, Jun Ci found himself at the cheetah enclosure. Cheetahs... even ordinary ones were dangerous, let alone those in a zoo. He spat out a breath and turned to flee in another direction. But as he turned, he saw his escape route blocked. It seemed his only option was the cheetah enclosure ahead, a suicidal move he would never make. Clearly, they were trying to force him inside. Was there no other way?
Just then, a person emerged from the cheetah enclosure. Their eyes lit up upon seeing him.
"Jun Ci! Come here quickly." The person's expression turned to alarm as they noticed the staff chasing him. "Hurry, why are those staff members after you?"
Yuan Qingqing... Jun Ci's gaze darkened. It was indeed Yuan Qingqing. But... without a word or hesitation, Jun Ci ran towards her. To his surprise, as he entered the perimeter of the cheetah enclosure area, the pursuing staff members hesitated. They glared at the reunited pair but retreated, not advancing further.
"Yuan Qingqing, why are you here?" Jun Ci's eyes held undisguised suspicion as he bluntly asked.
Yuan Qingqing sighed, a hint of weariness in her voice. "I accidentally got lost earlier. When I woke up, I found myself being carried here by a group of cheetahs. Strangely, my freedom wasn't restricted."
Freedom without restriction? Jun Ci silently repeated the phrase. He looked up at Yuan Qingqing, his voice tinged with doubt. "I have to wonder if you're really Yuan Qingqing. Do you remember what happened when we were children?"
Yuan Qingqing blinked. "What happened when we were children?"
Jun Ci's face changed drastically. He took a step back, drawing his weapon. "Who are you? If you were Yuan Qingqing, you'd never forget that we met once when we were kids."
"You're not Yuan Qingqing!" Jun Ci raised his weapon, pointing it at Yuan Qingqing. Upon hearing his words, her expression relaxed, and a soft smile appeared. She let out a relieved breath, speaking cheerfully. "So it really is you, Jun Ci! I knew what happened when we were children, but I wasn't sure if you were truly my teammate, so I resorted to this trick to test you."
"Really?" Jun Ci narrowed his eyes, still skeptical.
Yuan Qingqing nodded vigorously. "Of course. If it weren't true, why would I bring it up?"
Jun Ci slowly exhaled. "Then tell me, who is our captain? And what are their abilities?"
"Our captain is, of course, Duan Chen. As for their abilities... I'm not too sure," Yuan Qingqing replied, her brow furrowing slightly with what seemed like difficulty. "The captain only revealed part of their abilities on that train at the beginning. How could I possibly guess all of them out of thin air?"
Jun Ci finally breathed a sigh of relief. His expression softened considerably. "Thank goodness it's really you. I believe you now."
Yuan Qingqing smiled and nodded. "I believe you too. Where are you headed next? Are you going back to find the captain and the others?"
Jun Ci nodded, as if it were obvious. "Of course, I need to go back and find the captain and the others."
"Come with me."
Yuan Qingqing had no reason to refuse such a proposal. She agreed readily and walked right beside Jun Ci, showing no suspicion, not even leaving herself any room for a surprise attack. She was open and seemingly trusting Jun Ci completely.
However.
From an angle Yuan Qingqing couldn't see, Jun Ci raised his hand and crushed a pearl-like object on his clothing.
...
Meanwhile.
Duan Chen, seeing a small pearl on his clothes suddenly shatter, his eyebrows darkened. He examined the broken pearl with a relieved expression. Hill, who had been observing him, couldn't help but ask, "Did something happen?"
Duan Chen shook his head. "Nothing much. Relax, everything that's happening is still within controllable limits."
Hill asked no further questions and let out a small sigh. The crooked lines on her skin resembled the tracks of a centipede. Duan Chen found them rather jarring – black lines appearing on otherwise fair skin were difficult to accept. Yet, Hill seemed unfazed, which left one wondering what to say.
As the minutes ticked by, the two finally returned to their original hiding place.