“Don’t look back anymore,” Ye Lan noticed her movement and said in a low voice, “Concentrate on walking; the terrain here is complex.”
Mu Xi withdrew her gaze but couldn’t rein in her thoughts, “What if they run into danger?”
“Li Xin and Little An are very clever,” Ye Lan pushed aside the branches ahead, revealing a nearly invisible path.
“I have trained everyone to handle emergencies.” As she spoke, her voice carried a clear trace of fatigue, and her steps were not as steady as before.
Mu Xi noticed that the bandage on her right arm was completely soaked through with blood, the dark red appearing particularly jarring under the moonlight.
“You need to rest.” Mu Xi instinctively reached out to support Ye Lan’s swaying body, touching a patch of damp heat.
“You have a fever.”
Ye Lan shook off her hand and said, “We’ll be there in ten more minutes. Don’t waste time.”
The rejection was too rough, aggravating her wound.
Ye Lan gritted her teeth, fine beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead, but she forced herself to keep moving forward.
Mu Xi followed behind, her heart a tangle of worry and some indefinable emotion.
This fearsome woman was like a wounded leopard at this moment, stubbornly dragging her injured body along.
Mu Xi thought of Ye Lan’s confession just now.
Those words, “Because I love you,” were like a thorn driven deep into her heart, both painful and strangely warm.
‘I should hate her’, Mu Xi told herself.
But the truth was, in this night fraught with peril, Ye Lan’s presence truly gave her a sense of security.
“We’re here.” Ye Lan’s voice interrupted Mu Xi’s thoughts.
A low building was faintly visible amidst the thicket ahead; it was so well-hidden that it was almost impossible to find without a careful search.
Ye Lan took a key from her pocket and opened a secret door disguised as a large tree root.
“Go in.”
Mu Xi ducked into the entrance and found a flight of stairs leading down.
Ye Lan closed the door behind her and lit an Emergency Light.
The dim glow illuminated an unexpected space; it was a fully equipped Underground Safehouse.
Simple but sturdy furniture was arranged in the central area: a double bed, a set of tables and chairs, and several storage cabinets.
On the shelves against the wall, Canned Food, drinking water, and medical supplies were neatly lined up.
In the corner stood a small generator, connected to several electronic devices, including a Communicator that looked old but was in good working order.
“How long can we stay here?” Mu Xi looked around, surprised by the completeness of this hiding place.
Ye Lan walked toward one of the cabinets and took out a first-aid kit and replied, “If we use everything sparingly, three months won’t be a problem.”
She opened another cabinet, grimacing as she pulled out a rifle and several boxes of ammunition.
“The weapons and ammo are also enough for self-defense.”
Mu Xi walked over to the Communicator and tried to turn it on.
“Can this contact the outside world?”
“Don’t touch that,” Ye Lan set down the Gun, her voice suddenly stern, “It’s not safe right now. Any signal could attract trackers.”
Mu Xi withdrew her hand and turned to check the other supplies.
On the food shelves, besides various types of Canned Food, there were dry rations, instant meals, and some vacuum-packed cooked food.
In the water area, there were several large barrels of purified water next to a simple filtration device.
The medical area did not only have basic medicine but was also equipped with surgical tools and intravenous equipment.
“You prepared all of this a long time ago.” Mu Xi looked back at Ye Lan, a hint of surprise in her voice, “Did you foresee that there would be a rebellion?”
Ye Lan sat on the edge of the bed and began to tend to her own wound.
“I just plan for the worst. That is the basic rule of survival.”
She tore away the blood-soaked bandage, revealing a hideous Knife wound beneath.
“You should learn that too.”
Mu Xi involuntarily approached her and said, “Let me help you.”
“I don’t need it,” Ye Lan refused, yet she sucked in a sharp breath of pain while trying to disinfect it.
“Damn…”
Mu Xi ignored her refusal and directly took the alcohol and gauze.
“Don’t move.”
Her fingers gently brushed the heated skin around the wound, feeling Ye Lan’s muscles tighten from the pain.
“Why are you always so stubborn?” Mu Xi asked while carefully cleaning the wound.
Ye Lan watched Mu Xi’s focused profile, her throat bobbing, “Because weak people don’t survive.”
“Showing vulnerability in front of me doesn’t mean you’re weak,” Mu Xi countered, though her movements remained gentle.
“You’ve already proven your strength.”
Ye Lan remained silent for a moment before suddenly speaking, “I’m going back. You stay here.”
Mu Xi’s hands paused and she said, “How could you possibly save anyone in your current state? You’re basically going to your death!”
“I won’t let my people wait too long,” Ye Lan stood up, but she swayed due to the excessive blood loss.
“Besides, Li Xin is still there.”
“You can’t even stand steadily!” Mu Xi supported her, “It’s almost dawn. At least wait until daybreak, wait until your wound…”
“No,” Ye Lan’s gaze was as sharp as a knife.
“With every minute delayed, they face more danger.”
Mu Xi grabbed Ye Lan’s arm and said, “Then I’ll go with you.”
“Impossible,” Ye Lan’s voice left no room for doubt, “You stay here.”
“It’s like this again.” Mu Xi’s voice was filled with frustration, “You just said you love me. If that’s true, then respect my choice!”
Ye Lan stared into Mu Xi’s stubborn eyes, a bitter smile surfacing at the corners of her mouth as she replied, “It’s precisely because I love you that I can’t let you take the risk.”
“Then what about Little An and Li Xin? I care about them too!”
“But I only care about you,” Ye Lan’s voice was barely audible.
“The others are my responsibility, but you… you are my life.”
Mu Xi was stunned by these words, a complex surge of emotion suddenly rising in her heart.
She thought of everything Ye Lan had done to her, from the initial control to the current protection.
Hatred and other feelings intertwined within her.
Outside, the faint sound of an explosion echoed from the distance.
Ye Lan turned to take her gun and said, “I must go. You stay here. Don’t open the door. I will bring them back.”
She loaded the weapon and then took a small Gun and a Knife from the cabinet, handing them to Mu Xi.
“Protect yourself. If I’m not back before dawn…”
“Don’t say such things,” Mu Xi interrupted her, taking the Gun and the Knife.
“You must come back.”
Ye Lan looked at her quietly, as if trying to carve her image into memory.
Then, she turned and walked toward the door, every step appearing exceptionally heavy.
“Ye Lan,” Mu Xi called out to her just as she was about to leave, “Hurry back.”
Ye Lan looked back, a faint smile playing on her lips, “Wait for me.”
***
After the door closed, the Safe House fell into silence.
Mu Xi stood where she was, holding the small Gun in her hand, feeling the coldness of the metal.
Outside was an endless darkness, and her heart was more turbulent than that dark night.
She walked toward the door but stopped at the last moment.
She didn’t know if she was worried about Ye Lan, or if she was worried about Li Xin and Little An, or perhaps even those Miners who had once shared her plight but were now enemies.
“Come back alive,” Mu Xi leaned against the door, whispering to herself.
“All of you must come back alive.”
Time passed exceptionally slowly in the oppressive Underground Safehouse.
Mu Xi estimated that nearly two hours had gone by, and Ye Lan had not yet returned.
The silence within the Safe House was as heavy as a physical weight, broken only by the low hum of the generator in the corner.
Mu Xi stood by the bed, her fingers unconsciously stroking the small Gun Ye Lan had left behind.
The body of the gun was cold, yet it seemed to carry the residual warmth of Ye Lan’s palm.
She bit her lower lip, her mind constantly flashing back to Ye Lan’s blood-soaked bandages and those words: “You are my life.”
“What am I even thinking…” Mu Xi whispered to herself, grabbing a can of Canned Food to eat a few bites haphazardly, then gulping down half a bottle of water.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.