In the projection interface above the iron plate was a Base Dormitory that everyone present knew extremely well.
Those even more familiar with it, like Aili, could already tell from the cute stickers on the wall that this was her sister’s room.
But at this moment, the room in the recording was empty.
After a few seconds, the iron plate suddenly vibrated, emitting a girl’s voice they knew all too well.
“Hello, hello, can you hear me? It should already be recording, right?”
As the voice fell, a blue-haired girl with slightly chubby cheeks and a delicate, jade-like face suddenly popped up from below the camera.
It was Yun Ruoxi.
However, in the footage, she had clearly not yet been affected by mind control. She also looked younger than everyone remembered—about eleven or twelve years old.
It seemed to have been recorded last year, or even earlier.
“So, the pure and innocent Xiao Xi is back, huh.”
“Is she really that innocent?”
Aili murmured softly, “Sis…” Her hand unconsciously clenched.
In the projection, Yun Ruoxi stared straight at the camera with a hint of confusion. She leaned in very close, as if checking whether the device was working, muttering to herself:
“Hmm… the wiring should be fine, so why can’t it connect to a signal?”
“So troublesome… I’ll ask Ajin brother about it if I get the chance.”
The girl puffed her cheeks, looking a little annoyed. “Ugh, I should just find—”
Before she could finish, the screen suddenly went black.
Everyone paused slightly—was that it?
Fortunately, the next second, the projection lit up again. The same young-looking Yun Ruoxi appeared once more.
She nodded proudly. “As expected, a little piece of technology like this can’t stump me, Yun Ruoxi!”
Seeing such a lively and adorable version of her, everyone instantly recalled the time they had spent together, and faint smiles appeared on their faces.
Trainees in the battle camp who weren’t familiar with Yun Ruoxi often said she was cold. But anyone who became her friend knew that in private, she was actually very warm, lively, and cute.
“Alright, now we can finally start recording properly. I really wonder what kind of reaction Ajin brother and the others will have when they see this.”
Yun Ruoxi stepped back two steps and lightly coughed twice. She seemed unaware that everything earlier had already been recorded. She looked at the camera seriously, then revealed a gentle smile.
“Ajin brother, Sister Jiu, and everyone… if you’re seeing this recording, it means you’ve already left this place.”
“Xiao Xi is here to congratulate you all!”
She clasped her hands together and bowed slightly with a smile.
“Let me wish everyone an early New Year here—let’s make dumplings together!”
“Making dumplings in the battle camp, what a joke.”
“I want to congratulate you all for finally gaining freedom, for being able to choose your own lives and the paths you want to take!”
“You’re probably feeling a bit sad and angry right now, wondering why Xiao Xi didn’t leave with you.”
At this point, Yun Ruoxi suddenly paused. The corners of her lips twitched, and she muttered awkwardly in a low voice, “Wait… that’s not right…”
She stepped forward, looking a little aggrieved and unhappy.
“Actually, Xiao Xi really wanted to leave with everyone…”
The moment she said it, she suddenly realized she was recording. Her expression froze.
Then the screen went black again.
After a second, it lit up once more.
This time, the girl stood not far from the camera, wearing a standard bright smile as she repeated the previous lines.
Everything seemed normal.
That is—if they hadn’t seen the earlier version.
Now, the more they watched, the stranger it felt. No matter how they looked at it, that smile carried a hint of forced composure.
Zi Jiu suddenly laughed. “Xiao Xi… forgot to delete the earlier version, didn’t she?”
Lin Zhen nodded.
“She probably made this device herself. Her theoretical knowledge has always been solid, but she likely doesn’t have much hands-on experience creating things yet, so this kind of mistake happened.”
As he spoke, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips, his tone gentle. “But this is good. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have heard what Xiao Xi truly felt.”
After this incident, he had already realized—
The Yun Ruoxi who seemed carefree and without worries actually thought more deeply than anyone, and carried heavier burdens than anyone else.
She had simply never shown it, hiding everything deep in her heart, pretending nothing was wrong, covering it all with her cheerfulness and gentleness.
Why she didn’t leave with them.
“Because there’s something I can only do if I stay here, so I can’t leave with everyone,” Yun Ruoxi in the recording said at this point.
“But there’s no helping it!” She shrugged helplessly. “Xiao Xi… but don’t worry. Once I’m done, I’ll find my own way to leave!”
“Mm, now that I think about it.”
Yun Ruoxi nodded like an adult, looking completely confident, then suddenly raised her right hand.
“Ajin brother, you’re definitely going to say, ‘Xiao Xi, you’re being too overconfident. Do you really think this is a place you can just leave whenever you want?’”
“Hmph, am I right?”
“You’re wrong,” Lin Zhen shook his head with a smile. “But Xiao Xi is strong, and she’ll become even stronger. The strong always find a way.”
Yun Ruoxi’s eyes curved into a smile.
“Mm, there’s not much time. I can’t block the surveillance for too long, so I can only say a few more things!”
She lightly coughed and leaned forward slightly, revealing a sly smile.
“Even if you all leave this place, you have to remember Xiao Xi! If we meet again someday, don’t you dare forget me, or I’ll be angry! Don’t blame your big sister for leaving you behind when that happens!”
“Oh, right.” She blinked her pretty eyes. “Xiao Ai, you too…”
She added with a smile, “I’ll come back to pick you up, Xiao Xi.”
Yun Ruoxi walked toward the camera, as if she had suddenly remembered something.
The others silently nodded.
“Alright!” Lin Zhen suddenly nodded seriously. “I definitely—”
“I would never blame you, Sis!” Aili said with tears in her eyes, smiling.
“And finally, one last thing. Ajin brother, I know you were lying to me back then, but I don’t blame you anymore!”
As her voice fell—
The recording went black again.
Everyone turned to look at Lin Zhen, curious about what Yun Ruoxi meant when she said he had lied to her.
For a moment, Lin Zhen couldn’t recall what it was. In his memory, he hadn’t really lied to Yun Ruoxi much.
But suddenly, from the blackened recording, Yun Ruoxi’s voice sounded again.
She seemed to think the recording had already been turned off, so she spoke as if to herself.
Her voice was extremely soft.
Even in the silent spaceship, no one could hear it clearly.
Fortunately, Chicha was present. He amplified the audio so everyone could hear that sentence.
This time, the girl’s voice was no longer as gentle as before. Instead, it carried a faint, lifeless stillness.
“Because Xiao Xi… no longer has a home. Wherever I’m buried, it’s all the same, Ajin brother.”
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