“Ye Lan!” Mu Xi couldn’t help but shout, her voice thick with worry, “Are you okay?”
“Don’t worry about me!” Ye Lan responded, her tone carrying a rare gentleness.
“A small scene like this won’t trouble me.”
A bullet struck the rearview mirror, sending fragments flying.
Ye Lan quickly ducked to avoid them and immediately made a bold decision.
She slammed the steering wheel, turning the vehicle toward a rocky area.
The terrain here was even more complex, with large boulders scattered about to form natural cover and a labyrinth.
“Hold on tight, Little Xi!” Ye Lan shouted, “It’s about to get bumpy!”
The RV charged into the rocky zone, weaving through narrow passages.
The chassis constantly scraped against the rock walls, letting out an ear-piercing screech.
The pursuers were forced to slow down, and some were even unable to follow this dangerous route.
Mu Xi was thrown to the other side of the bed, hitting a storage box.
She gritted her teeth to endure the pain, her admiration for Ye Lan growing even deeper.
‘That woman clearly could have escaped alone, yet she risked taking me along, protecting me during this life-and-death moment.’
The lights inside the vehicle flickered due to the violent vibrations.
Mu Xi heard several more intense impacts, followed by the sound of the pursuers’ vehicles colliding with one another.
“Ye Lan!” Mu Xi called out again, her voice a mix of fear and hope, “Are you okay?”
Ye Lan manipulated the steering wheel, her gaze as sharp as a hawk’s.
She cleared a sharp turn, hiding the RV in a narrow gap between two giant boulders before quickly killing all the lights and the engine.
“They’ll halt, then continue searching forward.”
“Trust me,” Ye Lan’s voice was low and firm in the darkness, “As long as I’m here, no one can hurt you, Little Xi. We’ll be free, I promise.”
Mu Xi nodded in the darkness, even though she knew Ye Lan couldn’t see her.
But now, for the first time, she felt a sense of security — not from Luoyuan’s fake protection, but from Ye Lan’s unreserved guardianship.
In the shadows, Ye Lan turned toward Mu Xi and spoke softly, “Little Xi, I have to go out for a bit.”
Mu Xi suddenly reached out, but she only managed to catch the hem of Ye Lan’s clothes.
The silence inside the RV amplified her frantic breathing.
“No, it’s too dangerous!”
Ye Lan held her hand, her voice low, “This RV has no offensive capabilities. Once we are discovered, we’ll become sitting ducks.”
She paused, then said, “I must strike first and deal with the people outside.”
The cold wind of The Desert seeped through the cracks in the windows, and Mu Xi shrank back.
Her long silver hair shimmered slightly in the moonlight, her pale face etched with anxiety.
“We won’t be found if we hide here, Ye Lan. Going out will only expose us.”
“Listen to me, Little Xi.”
Ye Lan leaned in, and Mu Xi caught the faint scent of metal and gunpowder on her.
“Those pursuers won’t give up their search. They’ll find this place sooner or later, and by then, we’ll lose the initiative.”
Mu Xi gripped Ye Lan’s wrist, “But… I don’t want you to take risks.”
Ye Lan let out a soft chuckle, her fingertips brushing against Mu Xi’s delicate face.
“I’m someone who has always licked blood from a knife’s edge. A small scene like this isn’t worth mentioning.”
She placed a small gun into Mu Xi’s hand and said, “Use this in an emergency. 30 minutes. I’ll be back.”
“You must come back,” Mu Xi said, biting her lower lip, her voice trembling.
Ye Lan gave her a deep look, “I promise.”
A hidden compartment next to the driver’s seat opened, and Ye Lan took out a tactical gun and two daggers.
She efficiently checked her ammunition before gently opening the door, slipping into the night of The Desert like a dark shadow.
The moment the door closed, Mu Xi felt a piercing sense of loneliness.
She was the only one left in the RV, and the silence of the surrounding Desert pressed against her nerves.
Mu Xi tightly hugged herself, trying to recall the bits and pieces of her time with Ye Lan — memories that were blurred yet emotionally intense.
5 minutes passed, and there was no sound outside.
Mu Xi gripped the gun, curling up in the corner of the bed.
She thought back to the fragmented memories she had of Wu City.
10 minutes passed.
Mu Xi quietly moved to the window and peered through a gap.
Rocks loomed over The Desert, casting eerie shadows under the moonlight.
Every boulder could be hiding an enemy, or… Ye Lan’s corpse.
The thought caused a sharp pain in her heart.
15 minutes, 20 minutes…
Mu Xi’s anxiety reached its peak.
She gripped the gun so hard her palms were soaked in sweat.
Ye Lan’s promise echoed in her ears: ‘As long as I’m here, no one can hurt you.’
But where was Ye Lan now?
30 minutes passed, and Ye Lan had not returned.
Mu Xi couldn’t suppress her fear any longer.
Countless terrifying scenarios flashed through her mind: Ye Lan being surrounded, Ye Lan being shot, Ye Lan dying silently behind some rock… or even worse, had Ye Lan abandoned her to escape alone?
‘No, impossible. Ye Lan isn’t that kind of person.’
By the 40 minutes mark, Mu Xi decided to go look for Ye Lan herself.
She cautiously approached the door, her finger just touching the handle when she suddenly heard a faint rustling sound outside.
She held her breath, pointing the gun toward the door.
The rustling grew closer, but the rhythm was familiar.
Mu Xi realized it was Ye Lan’s footsteps.
She leaned forward to open the door but worried it might be an enemy trap.
The door was pushed open gently, and Mu Xi immediately aimed the muzzle at the newcomer.
“It’s me, Little Xi,” Ye Lan’s voice came through.
She smelled of blood and gunpowder.
In that moment, Mu Xi’s frayed nerves finally snapped, and tears welled up uncontrollably, “You were gone so long… I thought…”
Ye Lan lowered the gun and gently embraced her, “I’m sorry. The situation was more complicated than I expected. The enemies had set up monitoring equipment, and I had to clear them out one by one.”
She paused and said, “It’s safe now — at least for the time being.”
“Are you hurt?” Mu Xi asked urgently, checking Ye Lan’s body.
Ye Lan shook her head, “I told you, a small scene like this can’t do anything to me.”
She wiped the tears from Mu Xi’s face and said, “Don’t cry, Little Xi. I promised I’d come back, so I will.”
Ye Lan stroked her long silver hair, “Alright, from now on, we’ll move together.”
She patted Mu Xi’s back and said, “Now we need to leave quickly. Enemy reinforcements will arrive soon.”
Mu Xi nodded and followed Ye Lan back to the driver’s seat.
As the RV started up again, she felt a strange sense of peace.
No matter how dangerous the future might be, at least she was no longer a controlled puppet, and Ye Lan would not abandon her.
“Where are we going?” Mu Xi asked.
Ye Lan started the engine, her gaze resolute, “We’ll find a safe place, then find a way to deal with Luoyuan.”
She turned to look at Mu Xi, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”
Ye Lan scanned the interior of the RV, her fingers sliding skillfully over the control panel as she checked every system function.
Her movements were precise and rapid, her eyes as sharp as a hawk’s as they swept over every corner where danger might lurk.
Only after confirming everything was safe did she press the ignition, and the engine let out a low roar.
“Systems normal, fuel sufficient, and communication equipment intact.”
Ye Lan gave a brief report to Mu Xi while handling the steering wheel, her voice carrying a hint of protectiveness she hadn’t even noticed herself.
“We can go.”
Mu Xi sat in the passenger seat, her hands clasped tightly together.
Her long silver hair shimmered faintly under the vehicle’s interior lights, making her small face appear even paler.