However, when Xia Mengxi followed the route recorded in the diary to an office, the expression on her face instantly fell.
Because the drawer where the Rusty Steel Key had been placed was now only filled with dust—there was nothing inside.
Combining how Lin Xue’er kept twisting the key between her palms, it could be deduced that the reason the key was here before was entirely deliberate on Lin Xue’er’s part.
But then again, after Xia Mengxi was escorted out last time, Lin Xue’er was already waiting outside for her.
It was just that she happened to be standing there at the right moment, so Xia Mengxi hadn’t thought deeper about this issue.
“What now… Without the Steel Key, we can’t get out, ugh!”
Even though she now knew that there was a second route in the Underground Prison, the problem was, according to Li Siqi’s words, the passage used by the other party had collapsed after a trap was triggered due to years of disrepair, leaving only this one way open.
Still, since there’s a second route, doesn’t that mean there could also be a third way out?
And according to what Li Siqi said, before the other party arrived at the underground prison, she passed through a hall-like stone staircase area, each level of which had a large iron door.
Perhaps in those places, there might be information or items that could help them escape.
“Since we can’t get out for now, let’s deal with other things first, and then… prepare for a long battle!”
Having made up her mind, Xia Mengxi returned to the main gate guarded by Zhe Zhong and briefly explained to Li Siqi that a minor issue had occurred.
The latter didn’t seem particularly surprised, so the two left together and headed for the Cafeteria.
Upon entering the Cafeteria, Xia Mengxi first removed the collar from her neck and took some ice cubes for Li Siqi to reduce her fever.
“You wait here for me a bit. There’s a Tracking Device in this collar. I need to move it to a safe spot to draw Lin Xue’er away. That way, I’ll have more time to act. When I return, you can take me to that place leading to the Qinmi Passage.”
Li Siqi still didn’t quite understand why this was necessary, but after hesitating for a moment, she nodded.
But Li Siqi thought letting her lure Lin Xue’er away wasn’t a good idea and said, “Let me do it. If that woman has already come, with your exhausted body, you can’t even run.”
Seeing Li Siqi stand up and even reach out her hand, Xia Mengxi rolled her eyes wordlessly and replied bluntly, “You’re injured. You can run even less, so stop arguing—I’ll do it myself.”
“Are you kidding? This little wound? I’m totally fine!”
Knowing Li Siqi’s general personality by now, Xia Mengxi realized she needed to be firm.
Absolutely no hesitation—otherwise, the initiative would immediately slip into the other party’s hands.
So, after leaving those words behind, Xia Mengxi left the Cafeteria without looking back, heading directly in the opposite direction from the Qinmi Passage Li Siqi had mentioned.
“This spot will do. If it draws too much attention, Lin Xue’er won’t believe it.”
After placing the broken collar on a room’s ventilation duct, Xia Mengxi patted the dust off her hands and returned to the corridor outside.
At that moment, an unbearably familiar, cold voice slowly drifted from the corridor.
Goosebumps broke out over her body as cold sweat trickled down her back.
“Hey… little one, care to explain why you’re here?”
Damn! Snow!
Clear!
Faced with Lin Xue’er’s sudden appearance, the only word that flashed through Xia Mengxi’s mind was—
But after taking so many things that lowered her constitution, her strength and speed were much slower than an average clever young girl.
Seeing Lin Xue’er drawing closer and closer, Xia Mengxi held onto the belief that as long as she could get back to Li Siqi, she’d be safe—this conviction unconsciously brought out the same courage she’d shown when facing danger in the past.
“Little one, where do you think you’re running to? Do you really believe you can escape a place like this?”
To conserve her strength, Xia Mengxi didn’t respond to the person behind her.
She also kept from angering Lin Xue’er to avoid provoking her into using her full strength.
She only gestured with her middle finger in front of herself, making sure not to let the gesture be seen from behind.
“Little one! Stop running! You can’t possibly escape the palm of my hand. So, sit down now and obediently tell me how you escaped, and I won’t punish you.”
Xia Mengxi made a funny face at the person behind her and retorted, “Who’d believe you!”
Only a fool would trust Lin Xue’er’s words. Besides, now that she had someone she could rely on, there was no way she’d yield.
“Fine, fine, fine. In that case, I really want to see how long you can keep running.”
Xia Mengxi ignored Lin Xue’er, who was hot on her heels.
At this moment, she felt like she was about to explode.
But no matter how tired she was, she gritted her teeth and pushed on.
After all, she’d endured for so long—if she gave up now, all her previous suffering and forbearance would be for nothing.
Damn it! Come to think of it, there was actually no need to go through all that trouble with the Tracking Device.
After all, Li Siqi was already at her side—she could’ve just tossed the Tracking Device aside.
If Li Siqi couldn’t handle Lin Xue’er, then the time she bought with her trick would be meaningless anyway.
And without finding the key, she should’ve just worked together with Li Siqi from the start.
She could’ve held Lin Xue’er off in front while Li Siqi looked from behind—then they’d get the Steel Key directly without so many worries.
Damn! Under Lin Xue’er’s constant psychological pressure, it’s as if her brain had stopped working!
Such a simple logic, she didn’t think of it.
Instead, she wasted so much effort on pointless moves.
Fortunately, it seemed Lin Xue’er hadn’t realized there was already a third person in the Underground Prison.
Otherwise, why would she let Xia Mengxi keep running, waiting for her stamina to run out?
Sure enough, as Xia Mengxi ran and was about to reach the Cafeteria, Li Siqi, having heard some movement inside, came out, and Xia Mengxi quickly hid behind her.
This scene was instantly caught by Lin Xue’er as she turned around.
For someone who should have been dead to appear before her eyes at this moment, and to protect her plaything behind her—
The expression on Lin Xue’er’s face was as calm as the air before a storm.
“No wonder you managed to escape. So you had someone helping you. Hah, little one, do you really think she can protect you?”
Lin Xue’er smiled coldly at the two of them, took out her phone, and spoke to Xia Mengxi again, completely ignoring Li Siqi.
Li Siqi, seeing Lin Xue’er’s actions, instantly understood this was a warning.
“Little one, I’ll give you three seconds. If you don’t come back before I count down, don’t blame me for getting angry.”