Through the haze, the song gradually grew louder.
It seemed to be drawing closer and closer to Natasha.
She could barely resist the drowsiness pulling her into sleep.
In her daze, she seemed to see a man approaching.
He waved a Stone Carving, and Natasha felt a strange power rouse her, like crops parched by a long drought suddenly receiving a pitcher of water and bursting with new life.
The eerie, cheerful singing seemed to have been shut out.
Natasha snapped her eyes open, the drowsiness and fog gone, and instinctively moved to attack the man before her.
Suddenly, she seemed to come to her senses.
This man had saved her.
Their eyes met, and Natasha lowered her hands apologetically.
"Thank you for saving me."
Natasha studied the Asian man before her.
"You're welcome."
The man put on his sunglasses, straightened his back, and lightly clenched his jaw, making the muscles stand out as he prepared to leave.
"Wait, sir."
Seeing him about to leave, Natasha hurried forward to stop him.
In this godforsaken place that nobody knew or cared about, Natasha had finally found a living person. How could she possibly let him go?
Even if "living person" deserved quotation marks.
After weighing her options, she decided to reveal her identity.
"Sir, I'm Natasha, an FBI agent."
Natasha pulled out an FBI ID.
"Oh?"
The man removed his sunglasses and squinted at the ID, spotting the emblem of the United States.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, he put his sunglasses back on.
"I'm an agent. I hope..."
Natasha stressed her identity again.
"I know. That identity makes me very angry."
The man continued slowly toward the exit of the narrow tunnel.
Left with no choice in this eerie place, Natasha could only follow the man who refused to listen to reason.
After leaving the tunnel, the man cautiously scanned his surroundings, then quickly walked over to a motorcycle.
Natasha followed him.
The man tossed Natasha a helmet.
Natasha breathed a sigh of relief.
For all his harsh words, he was still pretty kind.
She hurriedly put on the helmet and climbed onto the back of the motorcycle.
"Sir, what's your name?"
Natasha planned to build a rapport and win this man over little by little.
"Yan Shuangying."
Yan Shuangying put on his sunglasses and helmet.
He hit the throttle, and the motorcycle sped away.
[Character Card-Yan Shuangying]
Naturally, Yan Shuangying was someone Jiang Xiang had released by chance earlier.
Jiang Xiang had set no conditions; a chance appearance would do.
Yan Shuangying's background had been set as having crossed into this world after completing a mission.
Then he had inexplicably become entangled in this eerie fishing village for a month or two.
In an overgrown thicket, Yan Shuangying carefully cleared and checked the alarms and traps he had set.
He pulled aside the weeds.
A door came into view.
Yan Shuangying led Natasha into the Safe House.
In truth, Yan Shuangying did not fully trust this woman who claimed to be with the FBI.
He had not seen anyone else in this eerie place, so someone suddenly appearing was strange, after all.
"Sir, where are we?"
Natasha paced through the empty Safe House and asked Yan Shuangying.
"A fishing village."
Yan Shuangying took a sip of water.
Natasha badly wanted to learn about this place, but after the crisis she had just faced, she found herself at a loss as to where to begin.
After a long silence, Yan Shuangying spoke first. "This house is relatively safe. Don't go into areas where the houses are clustered together, and don't go out after dark."
After those warnings, Yan Shuangying headed to the bedroom on the other side to rest.
"Sir." Natasha gave Yan Shuangying a pitiful look. "This place is so dangerous. Could you protect me? One careless moment, and I could die right in front of you..."
As an operative, Natasha had a knack for analyzing behavior and expressions, but for now, she had no way to handle this expressionless, unyielding man. She could only play the vulnerable woman to ask for what she needed.
"I think you've misunderstood something. If you died, it would cause me a little trouble, but I'd do my best to bury your body."
Natasha fell silent.
Was there something off about this man's sexual preferences?
"If you can bring me useful intelligence or demonstrate your value, I can consider giving you some help. If you don't meet my expectations..."
"I'm not interested in rescuing people in distress."
Yan Shuangying stood straight and spoke calmly.
Could a few flattering words and a little coyness really earn her help?
Natasha was not that naive.
"What do you need?" Natasha dropped the seductive, pitiful act and asked calmly.
Yan Shuangying was not surprised. How could an agent possibly be some naive innocent?
Although he did not really know what sort of organization the FBI was, it was probably some official American agency.
"What are you good at, or what intelligence leads do you have?"
"I... I'm good at combat and interrogation. Also acrobatics and ballet?"
Yan Shuangying frowned.
It was the first time Natasha had seen his expression change.
"Is that all?"
"I have intelligence leads, too."
Natasha immediately handed Yan Shuangying the encrypted document she carried.
Natasha was an operative with flexible professional boundaries.
She would not refuse to adapt just because of a few confidentiality rules.
Yan Shuangying paused and carefully studied the English words.
"The way to read this document is..."
A short while later.
"Good. You can stay."
At that moment, Yan Shuangying tentatively acknowledged that Natasha was of some use.
Natasha had shared some intelligence, and Yan Shuangying would not be stingy in return.
"I've been here for over a month. I don't know how I got in. I've been living on canned food stored in the cellar and spring water. The cans are a little strange, though. Their expiration dates actually go all the way to 2005."
Natasha's heart gave a small jolt.
"By the way, what date did you arrive?" Natasha asked casually.
"July of 1950, I think. You?"
Natasha inwardly gasped.
Should I tell the truth?
Or hide it?
But was he telling the truth?
A flood of thoughts flashed through Natasha's mind.
"2004. It was 2004 when I came in."
Natasha stared solemnly at Yan Shuangying.
Yan Shuangying's eyes narrowed, and his mouth fell open slightly in disbelief.
"Are you serious?"
Natasha nodded, equally solemn.
Yan Shuangying sank onto a stool.
He looked around helplessly, at a loss. Before long, he took a deep breath and regained his composure.
He could only make the best of things now that he was here.
Before you continue