Some time later.
Mu Xi tossed and turned on the simple bed in the mine cave, the damp air pressing down on her like a heavy blanket.
The silence of the gold mine was suffocating; every breath she took carried the metallic, fishy scent of earth and ore.
She closed her eyes, trying to find a moment of peace in this oppressive environment, but she could only hear the increasingly rapid beat of her own heart.
“Is this the path of revenge I’ve chosen?” She rested her arm across her forehead, a bitter smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
Just as she finally drifted into a light sleep, a sudden clamor erupted outside.
At first, it was just a muffled argument, but it quickly escalated into roars and screams.
Mu Xi snapped her eyes open, her body stiffening.
Her consciousness, not yet fully awake, was jolted into total alertness by a series of gunshots.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
In the narrow mine cave, the gunshots were amplified several times over, making her eardrums ache.
Mu Xi sprang from the bed, instinctively covering her ears with her hands.
Her eyes were fixed on the stone gate, as if something terrifying would burst through at any second.
“Little An? Li Xin?” she called out softly, but her voice was swallowed by the chaos outside.
A few minutes later, the stone gate was thrust open, and Ye Lan’s figure appeared in the doorway.
Her clothes were covered in dust and blood, and the wound on her forehead had begun to seep again, but her gaze remained as sharp as a knife.
“Follow me!” Ye Lan rushed to Mu Xi and grabbed her wrist.
Mu Xi instinctively tried to break free, “Let go of me! What on earth is happening outside?”
Ye Lan didn’t answer; she simply pulled her toward her own simple bed.
She flipped the bedding over with one hand, revealing a dark, hole-like entrance beneath.
“An underground tunnel?” Mu Xi’s eyes widened, “You prepared an escape route long ago?”
Ye Lan jumped into the underground tunnel and turned to reach back up.
“It’s not an escape; it’s a strategic transfer. Get down here, now!”
The gunfire outside grew denser, interspersed with screams of agony and the sound of structures collapsing.
Mu Xi bit her lower lip but didn’t follow immediately.
“Where are Little An and Li Xin?” Her voice trembled with fear, yet remained firm.
A flash of complexity crossed Ye Lan’s expression as she replied, “I will go back for them, but right now, I must ensure your safety first.”
“No!” Mu Xi took a step back and said, “I can’t leave them behind!”
Ye Lan’s gaze sharpened, “Do you think I want to? Those miners and guards have mutinied; they all want to kill me! The escort team is doing its best to control the situation, but we must leave immediately!”
Watching the blood spreading across Ye Lan’s bandages, Mu Xi suddenly realized the situation was even more critical than she had imagined.
However, thinking of Little An’s trusting eyes and Li Xin’s scarred body, she couldn’t just leave like this.
“I’m going to find them!” Mu Xi turned and rushed toward the stone gate.
Ye Lan tried to stop her, but her movements were slowed by her injuries.
Mu Xi had already pulled open the stone gate, and blinding light flooded in along with thick smoke.
In that instant, a bullet whizzed past her ear and struck the stone wall behind her, sending sparks flying.
Mu Xi froze in place, feeling a searing heat near her ear.
She saw the scene outside the mine cave: several miners held firearms and were trading fire with Ye Lan’s escort team.
Several corpses already lay on the ground, blood snaking across the rough floor.
A powerful hand pulled her from behind, dragging her back into the mine cave.
Ye Lan’s voice rang in her ear, laced with unprecedented fear and anger: “Do you want to die?”
Mu Xi was pushed toward the entrance of the underground tunnel, and this time, she did not resist.
As she slid into the dark passage, Ye Lan’s rapid breathing echoed in her ears.
“Little An and Li Xin…” Mu Xi whispered in the darkness.
“Little An is agile, and though Li Xin has difficulty moving, she has people protecting her.” Ye Lan led the way ahead, her voice low, “We must trust that they can protect themselves.”
The underground tunnel was narrow and damp; Mu Xi had to hunch over to move forward.
Her palms brushed against the rough rock walls, and a stinging pain radiated from her fingertips.
In the darkness, she could only follow the sound of Ye Lan’s footsteps, her heart filled with worry for her companions and fear of the unknown.
“Why did they mutiny?” Mu Xi asked, her voice echoing in the tunnel.
Ye Lan’s footsteps did not falter.
“Resources are scarce, and hearts are unstable. Some people couldn’t take this life anymore, and because of that slapping incident… I’ve already lost my status and my power to intimidate. Little Xi, you still don’t understand how quickly and terrifyingly the human heart can change, especially in an environment like this.”
“It’s my fault for causing such a mess,” Mu Xi said in a low voice.
Ye Lan’s pace paused slightly as she replied, “No, it’s all my problem. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”
That simple sentence sent a wave of complex emotions through Mu Xi.
She ought to hate this woman, yet in this moment of crisis, she felt a subtle sense of security.
The underground tunnel seemed endless, and Mu Xi’s legs began to ache.
Just when she thought the path would never end, a sliver of light appeared ahead.
“We’re almost there.” Ye Lan quickened her pace.
When they finally climbed out of the underground tunnel, Mu Xi took a deep breath of fresh air.
They were in the middle of a dense forest.
In the distance, the entrance to the gold mine was faintly visible, and intermittent gunshots still drifted over.
Mu Xi turned to Ye Lan and found that the other woman’s face was even paler than before, the blood on her bandages having spread to her clothes.
“Your injury…” Mu Xi instinctively reached out.
Ye Lan avoided her touch, “It’s fine. We have to keep moving; it’s not safe here.”
“Where are we going?” Mu Xi looked around, seeing nothing but endless trees.
“There is a safe house deep in the forest.” Ye Lan pointed in a direction and said, “There are food and medical supplies there.”
Mu Xi frowned and asked, “And then? We just abandon everyone else like this?”
Ye Lan’s gaze became sharp, “I told you, I will go back for them. But first, I must ensure your safety.”
“Why is it always me?” Mu Xi suddenly raised her voice and asked, “Why do you always protect me first? Little An and Li Xin need help too!”
“Because I love you!”
Ye Lan practically roared those words, then immediately winced as the movement agitated her wound.
“Even if you hate me, even if you want to take revenge on me, I will still put your safety first.”
Mu Xi was stunned by this sudden confession.
Looking at Ye Lan’s pale face and determined eyes, she didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
In the distance, the gunfire from the gold mine suddenly grew intense, followed by a massive explosion.
Mu Xi and Ye Lan turned simultaneously to see a plume of thick smoke rising from the gold mine entrance.
“Oh no!” Mu Xi cried out, wanting to rush back.
Ye Lan stopped her, “It’s too dangerous!”
“But Little An and Li Xin are still there!” Mu Xi struggled, tears in her eyes.
Ye Lan gripped her shoulders tightly and said, “Listen to me. I promise you, I will go back for them. But now, we must get to a safe place first.”
Mu Xi looked at the determination in Ye Lan’s eyes and finally nodded.
As they turned to head deeper into the forest, Mu Xi couldn’t help but look back once more toward the gold mine.
‘Little An, Li Xin, you must stay alive…’ She prayed silently in her heart, then followed Ye Lan’s footsteps, disappearing into the dense forest.
The thick shadows of the trees swayed under the moonlight, and dry branches snapped under her feet, making faint cracking sounds.
From time to time, Mu Xi glanced back toward the gold mine, where the thick smoke was still clearly visible.