Chapter 196: Back from the Dead

“Accelerate!” Ye Lan commanded, her voice chillingly calm, “Second Squad, divert the fire immediately!”

A chorus of voices responded through the vehicle’s comms.

Mu Xi could feel the weight of Ye Lan pressing down on her, that body serving both as her shield and her shackle.

And at this moment, she had no choice but to accept this contradiction. 

At the very least, survival was the only hope for the future.

“Remember,” Ye Lan whispered to her amid the hail of gunfire, her lips nearly brushing Mu Xi’s earlobe. 

The warmth of her breath made Mu Xi shudder involuntarily. 

“No matter what happens, stay close to me. This world wants us dead, but I won’t let it get its wish.”

At that moment, Mu Xi suddenly understood—the bond between her and Ye Lan had already surpassed the simple relationship of captor and captive.

Fate had bound them to the same sinking ship. 

No matter whether the future held rebirth or destruction, they would face it together.

The piercing shrieks of bullets tearing through the air came one after another. 

Mu Xi instinctively curled herself up, her long silver hair falling over her trembling shoulders.

On the abandoned forest road, the vehicle bounced violently. 

Her small hand clung tightly to the edge of the seat.

‘How could there be a sniper?’

Mu Xi bit her lower lip, her frantic breaths filling the cabin.

The people from Wu City might already know the Manor’s location, but they shouldn’t have arrived yet.

‘Otherwise, why send in drones? They nearly blew me up as well.’

Her gaze drifted to the dark shadows of trees outside the window, her voice tinged with a subtle fear, “Who’s the sniper in the forest…?”

Ye Lan’s fingers tapped lightly on her thigh, a glint of caution flashing in her deep phoenix eyes.

She didn’t look at Mu Xi, but her body leaned slightly as if unconsciously trying to shield her.

“I don’t know either,” her voice was calm as still water, but undercurrents swirled beneath the surface. 

“For now, let’s just get out of here. We’ll deal with everything else later.”

Mu Xi felt her stomach twist.

The vehicle pressed on through the shadowy forest, the crack of tires over dead branches mingling with distant gunfire.

Suddenly, a crisp explosion shattered the brief calm. 

A bullet struck the tire of the car ahead, sending it spinning out of control.

The third bullet whizzed past their own window, leaving a spiderweb crack in the glass.

Mu Xi screamed, instinctively leaning toward Ye Lan.

“Little An!” Amidst her fear, Mu Xi suddenly remembered the maid who harbored a secret affection for her. 

“Which car is Little An in?”

Her voice rose with worry, her eyes frantically searching outside the window.

At the same time, another figure rushed into her thoughts, “What about Li Xin? Her injured leg… Can she get away?”

The driver slammed the brakes and then floored the accelerator, narrowly dodging another bullet. 

The vehicle nearly slid sideways.

“I sent someone from the Escort Team to pick her up from the Underground Hospital,” Ye Lan’s voice, rarely, carried a hint of uncertainty, “but there’s been no news.”

Mu Xi’s heart clenched, recalling Li Xin’s mangled legs after trying to help her escape.

“I have to find her,” Mu Xi’s hand was already reaching for the door handle, her body moving before her mind caught up. 

“I can’t just leave her behind like that…”

Ye Lan’s hand shot out, seizing her wrist with such force that Mu Xi cried out in pain.

“Don’t you dare.” Her voice was low, yet far more threatening than any shout. 

“You are mine. You move only within the bounds I allow.”

As they wrestled in tense silence, a clear female voice echoed through the forest: “Boss, if you let Mu Xi out now, I won’t kill you all.”

Mu Xi froze as if struck by lightning. 

That voice was icy and all too familiar, stirring up waves in her memory.

“Jing Ji?” she murmured, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Ye Lan’s eyes narrowed dangerously. 

She reached under the seat, pulling out a strangely designed pistol.

“So that woman survived,” her tone held a cold, almost playful cruelty, as if she were talking about a broken toy now repaired. 

“Turns out she’s the sniper.”

Mu Xi’s thoughts raced back.

Jing Ji—the Lin Jun Squad member who had once tried to take her to the outside world. 

After a fierce fight with Ye Lan’s Nightfall Guards, the two had plunged off a cliff together.

Mu Xi had always believed she was dead, silently carrying the burden in her heart.

And now, Jing Ji was alive, and she’d come back for her.

“I’ll go see her,” Mu Xi blurted out, then realized just how reckless that sounded. 

“Just let me negotiate—”

Ye Lan’s laughter cut her off, sharp as a blade, “Do you really think I’d let you near that woman again?”

She leaned close to Mu Xi, their noses almost touching, her breath scorching as it brushed Mu Xi’s cheek, “I’m already on the verge of madness. Don’t push me any further.”

Mu Xi trembled, trying to retreat, but the door blocked her escape.

Ye Lan’s presence left her both terrified and inexplicably dizzy with confusion.

In the forest, Jing Ji’s voice rang out again: “I’ll count to three. If I don’t see Mu Xi come out safe, I’ll blow up your gas tank. —”

A cold light flashed in Ye Lan’s eyes. 

She suddenly flung open the door, her movement as swift as lightning.

“Lock the doors and don’t move,” she ordered Mu Xi, her tone allowing no argument, “I’ll handle this problem.”

“Are you crazy!”

Mu Xi almost instinctively grabbed Ye Lan’s sleeve, “She’ll kill you!”

She was shocked at her own words as soon as they slipped out.

Why was she worried about the person who held her captive?

Shouldn’t she be celebrating if this bastard died?

A faint, unreadable smile played at Ye Lan’s lips. 

She bent down and, unexpectedly, pressed a kiss—almost gentle—on Mu Xi’s lips.

“So you do care about me,” she said, a note of satisfaction in her tone. 

“Don’t worry. No one can take away what’s mine… Not you, not even my own life.”

“Two…” Jing Ji’s countdown continued.

Ye Lan pulled away, the click of her weapon being loaded rang clear and crisp.

She gave Mu Xi one last look—a look with a determination Mu Xi had never seen before—then leaped into the shadowy trees, vanishing like a ghost into the night.

“Three!” Jing Ji’s voice had just dropped when a gunshot shattered the night.

Mu Xi covered her mouth, her heart pounding so hard it threatened to leap out of her chest.

Sounds of fighting echoed from the forest—two women battling over her.

She was both captive and prize, victim and the center of this war.

Staring into the pitch-black woods, her fingers unconsciously traced the heart-shaped tattoo on her lower abdomen. 

A burning pain radiated from that spot.

The air inside the car seemed frozen. Her breath turned rapid and shallow.

The darkness outside swallowed everything, only the occasional burst of gunfire betraying the ferocity of the battle.

Minutes passed before the Imperial Guard finally sensed something was wrong and rushed out of their vehicles, storming into the forest.

Mu Xi’s fingers dug unconsciously into the leather seat, leaving crescent-shaped marks behind.

Her stomach twisted in knots—whether from worry or a desperate hunger for freedom, she couldn’t tell.

“Ye Lan’s wounded! Hurry!” A guard’s shout pierced the night.

Mu Xi pressed herself against the window, catching sight of several dark figures supporting a staggering form out of the underbrush.

It was unmistakably Ye Lan, but gone was her usual sharpness and invincibility.

Her body was covered in blood, her clothes torn, skin riddled with wounds.

“Where’s Jing Ji?” Mu Xi’s voice squeezed out from her throat, but no one answered.

The Imperial Guard quickly loaded Ye Lan into another vehicle, leaving Mu Xi to watch through the window as the woman who’d made her fear and depend on her in equal measure was carried away.

Ye Lan’s head hung limply, black hair soaked in blood, plastered against her pale face.