The end

Shi Jinse had been picked up from the postwar ruins by Remiya. He had been only nine then, the same age as Lei Ouyan.

He had lived with Remiya ever since, and joined the medical team because he wanted to save people.

But no one had imagined that he was a Heteromorph. Nor had anyone imagined he could hide in a human base for so many years.

Qin Miaomiao was locked in the Variant Prison again.

Beside him, Shi Jinse lay curled into a ball, barefoot and dressed in loose white clothes. His whole body was becoming increasingly translucent, like someone terminally ill.

A Heteromorph Control Lock was wrapped around his hands. Even when he did nothing, it constantly drained his life force. It was an extremely cruel method, like slowly bleeding a human dry.

Their purpose was to force him to reveal Remiya's whereabouts.

Damon had also issued a final ultimatum: if he still refused to reveal where Remiya was, Shi Jinse would be killed in three days.

"Do you think I abducted Remiya too?" Shi Jinse suddenly asked.

Qin Miaomiao looked at him warily. He didn't actually think so. Just as with Brode, not all Heteromorphs were cruel.

Shi Jinse wasn't either.

He shook his head.

Shi Jinse suddenly smiled. "Thank you."

"They don't want to know where Remiya is. They want to use me to threaten her into handing over the Heteromorph Suppressant," Shi Jinse said quietly.

Qin Miaomiao didn't quite understand. Who were "they"?

Suddenly, with a beep, the prison door opened.

Li Weisen stood in the doorway, still wrapped in bandages, and looked at the rabbit. "What are you standing there for? Get out!"

Was he here to break him out? Wasn't he the most law-abiding citizen in the entire base? Qin Miaomiao hopped over, only to realize that Li Weisen had no intention of taking Shi Jinse.

He stopped immediately.

Li Weisen asked, "Are you crazy? Do you know he's a Level V Heteromorph? That Rainbow Shrimp you ran into the other day was only Level III. And he was controlling it."

It wasn't him! Qin Miaomiao shouted soundlessly, missing Shi Jinse's slight start behind him. He couldn't explain it. He just felt that it wasn't Shi Jinse. He trusted him.

"Cut the bullshit. Are you coming or not? If we waste any more time, I'll get caught too!"

Qin Miaomiao glanced back at Shi Jinse, then turned to Li Weisen with a determined look. If he stays, I stay.

"Fuck! You're a pain!"

Outside the main district of NAT Base, Lei Ouyan had been standing there for a long time. The moonlight seemed to have settled over him like frost.

Chris stood before him. "That's everything I have to tell you."

For years, Remiya had been conducting a secret experiment, developing something called the Heteromorph Suppressant. It could suppress Heteromorphs at their very root-not destroy them, but completely erase their mutated genes.

Shi Jinse was a test subject. Born to a human woman who had mutated while pregnant, he possessed immense power and could maintain a human form.

When Remiya had found him on the battlefield, she had known he wasn't human. Even so, she had brought him back to conduct her experiments.

She had been injecting Shi Jinse with the suppressant all these years. That was one reason he had been able to remain in the human base without giving himself away.

But the experiment hadn't succeeded. Shi Jinse's Heteromorph genes hadn't been fully replaced, only weakened.

Once the injections stopped, signs of mutation appeared.

Yet they all seemed to know that the suppressant Remiya gave Shi Jinse wasn't the final version. Only Remiya knew the formula for that version.

That was why they had taken Remiya, hoping to make her hand over the formula.

Only then had Chris realized that humans had always been frogs at the bottom of a well. They were certain Heteromorphs had no intelligence, refusing to believe they had already evolved an intelligent class.

They had even colluded with humans and obtained confidential information. She couldn't imagine who it could be. Or perhaps she didn't dare imagine it.

Lei Ouyan remained silent throughout, as though all of this had been expected and was of no consequence. Yet Chris felt something about him had changed. The ice that had frozen in his eyes seemed to have melted long ago, revealing a little light.

For the first time, she saw a future in Lei Ouyan's eyes.

Lei Ouyan looked into the distance. Chris followed his gaze as several figures gradually approached. She let out a long breath. "Go. Don't worry. Leave the base to me."

Li Weisen had finally compromised. He hadn't expected to lose a battle of wills to a rabbit. Not only had he broken someone out of prison, he had released a Level V Heteromorph.

He might as well see it through, so he had brought them straight to Lei Ouyan.

Qin Miaomiao stood in the shadows, afraid to approach. Li Weisen kicked him from behind. "You couldn't wait a minute ago. Why are you putting on an act now that we're here?"

None of your damn business! Qin Miaomiao turned to glare at him, then looked cautiously at Lei Ouyan. I'm sorry.

"I know it wasn't your fault."

Qin Miaomiao abruptly raised his head, his eyes brimming with longing as he looked at Lei Ouyan. You believe me?

"Would I believe Damon instead?"

Qin Miaomiao froze for a while, then leaped straight onto Lei Ouyan. The gloom that had lingered in his heart for days vanished. Whatever happened to the world, he was only a tiny rabbit. He couldn't concern himself with anything else. All he cared about was whether Lei Ouyan still wanted him.

Once his joy subsided, Qin Miaomiao finally realized something. He stared at Lei Ouyan's earpiece. Can you hear me talking?

Lei Ouyan glanced at him, neither confirming nor denying it.

Blood immediately rushed to Qin Miaomiao's head. Scenes from the past came flooding back. Didn't that mean Lei Ouyan knew everything he had said, good or bad?

"More or less," Lei Ouyan said, noticing the colorful cord hanging from Qin Miaomiao's bag.

Qin Miaomiao noticed his gaze and grew a little embarrassed. Your sister gave it to me. She said you braided it yourself.

Lei Ouyan took it off. Qin Miaomiao hurried to stop him. What are you doing? You're not taking it back, are you? You gave it to me, so it's mine!

Lei Ouyan smiled. With gentle movements, he tied the colorful cord around Qin Miaomiao's ankle.

Qin Miaomiao froze. His face instantly felt as though it were on fire. He was practically a braised rabbit's head. What are you doing...?

"Nothing," Lei Ouyan said. "Just marking you."

Now he really was a braised rabbit's head.

Shi Jinse came over next, and Qin Miaomiao confessed without being asked. I thought he might know where Remiya is, so...

Afraid Lei Ouyan wouldn't know, Li Weisen added, "Your rabbit insisted on bringing him. Don't blame me if anything goes wrong."

Qin Miaomiao really wanted to shut his mouth.

Shi Jinse smiled, his voice so faint that it seemed he might disappear at any moment. "I'll take you there. But you need to understand that I'm still a Heteromorph. I've only maintained a human appearance all these years because of Remiya's suppressant. The closer we get to that place, the stronger my mutation will become. I..."

He lowered his head. "I might return to my original form."

"Then why go?"

"Because I want to save her too," Shi Jinse said.

Before them stood an abandoned building. Its countless windows seemed like living eyes, scanning the land until they appeared, when every gaze turned toward them at once.

Li Weisen's scalp prickled, as though ten thousand eyes were watching him from the darkness, accompanied by eerie laughter.

Shi Jinse was now extremely weak. He leaned feebly against the wall. "You can't beat him. Are you still going?"

Qin Miaomiao looked at Lei Ouyan. His expression was unchanged, his eyes calm. Li Weisen stepped forward, his gaze burning as though he had been waiting a long time for this moment.

The answer was yes.

Shi Jinse gave a weak smile and beckoned to the rabbit.

Qin Miaomiao hesitated, then went over. Shi Jinse handed him a pill. He didn't speak, but Qin Miaomiao heard his voice. Take this when you're in danger.

But this is...

Before Qin Miaomiao could ask, Shi Jinse fainted. Then he vanished into thin air, as though he had melted into the ground.

They all froze.

Lei Ouyan frowned and said gravely, "Let's go inside first."

But the moment they stepped into the building, the entire structure plunged downward like a massive elevator, descending straight underground. When it stopped, everything was pitch-black.

Lei Ouyan switched on a light, walked forward, and pushed open a door. A fierce gust swept toward them.

"Watch out!" A piercing cry followed, almost tearing through their eardrums. For a rabbit, it was even more agonizing. Qin Miaomiao felt as though his head would explode. A metallic sweetness rose in his throat.

Lei Ouyan raised Heavenly Bane. Only after a deafening blast did they gain a moment's peace.

"Fuck, what is that thing?" Li Weisen felt as though his ears were about to bleed.

"A White Ling Bird," Lei Ouyan said. A gigantic white bird flew out, the mere beating of its wings enough to knock them over.

Its beak was long, pointed, and incredibly hard, its cry shrill and piercing. As it swooped down, Li Weisen charged forward and raised his blade to block it, only to be driven into a corner. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Hurry... get inside." Li Weisen forced the words through clenched teeth, then sprang up, stepped on the bird's head, and leaped onto its back. He drove his long blade straight down.

The White Ling Bird thrashed in agony. Li Weisen urged them again, "Go!"

Lei Ouyan hesitated for a few seconds, then shouted, "Rabbit!"

Qin Miaomiao froze for a moment. He thought he saw a smile curling at Li Weisen's lips, bold and unrestrained, as though this was something he had long awaited.

He followed Lei Ouyan.

Li Weisen was thrown to the ground. Qin Miaomiao couldn't help looking back.

"Go." Li Weisen braced himself on his blade and stood. His unhealed wounds had reopened, leaving him covered in blood, yet he seemed unable to feel pain. He leaped onto the bird's back again. This time, he was quickly thrown off.

Again and again, he repeated it, tireless.

Only now did Li Weisen finally find what he wanted.

He wanted to fight on the battlefield, to defend humanity's land. He was willing to sacrifice anything for it, even his own life. He had said it before: nothing could make him give up his life, unless it was to protect this land.

Li Weisen stood. His blade was chipped, yet it still carried an unstoppable force.

"Leave this to me," he said. "Lei Ouyan, I owe you this."

He leaped up one last time, driving his blade firmly into its eye. Another shriek rang out, but its beak suddenly seemed to take on a life of its own, bending around to stab straight at Li Weisen.

The door closed, shutting everything outside. The room suddenly began to rotate like a Rubik's Cube, moving them into another space.

And what faced them now was not a Heteromorph, but Damon.

Lei Ouyan wasn't surprised. Perhaps he had known all along.

Damon undoubtedly wanted to protect the entire human base. That was why he had gone so far as to modify Heteromorphs, creating the first Artificial Heteromorphs to use as weapons against them. It was also why he had handed Remiya over to the Heteromorphs, forcing her to surrender the suppressant formula.

He had hoped to use all of this as leverage in exchange for a promise from the Heteromorphs-a promise to stop attacking humans.

He had been desperate for results, yet far too naive. The Heteromorphs wanted dominion over Earth. The formula would only be turned against humans.

But by the time he understood that, there was no way back. His only choice now was to accept the Heteromorphs' terms and become their puppet.

To maintain a brief peace.

"Is this what you wanted?" Lei Ouyan asked gravely. Damon was silent for a few seconds before replying, "I just didn't want to make mistakes."

Not wanting to make mistakes, he had kept making them.

"Remiya will hand over the formula soon. Once she does, everything will be over. We can all return to the way things were. Why are you trying to stop me?"

"Do you think that's possible?"

"I told you not to stand in my way." Damon was so obstinate that he seemed to have lost all reason, his eyes bloodshot. "You can't beat me."

As he spoke, he revealed his weapon: a silver gun.

Damon rarely drew his weapon. The last time Lei Ouyan had seen it was when he was very young and had almost been bitten to death by a Heteromorph. Damon had fired, and a Laser Net had instantly enveloped the creature, tightening until it sliced and strangled it to death.

Now, seeing it again, the gun was aimed at him.

Damon fired without hesitation. Lei Ouyan dodged, and the two instantly clashed. Lei Ouyan was still at a disadvantage.

Qin Miaomiao had wanted to help, but a swarm of Heteromorph foot soldiers suddenly appeared. Overwhelmed, he was slammed hard against the wall. They seemed to be there specifically to keep him occupied.

Outnumbered, Qin Miaomiao was quickly defeated. He lay on the ground, unable to move, his consciousness fading.

A Heteromorph bared its fangs, about to bite off the rabbit's head. Lei Ouyan glanced over, distracted, then drew the Hidden Weapon and hurled it over, pinning the creature to the wall.

Damon seized the opening to fire. The edge of the shot grazed Lei Ouyan's face, leaving a blood-red wound.

Qin Miaomiao struggled to raise his head. Damon pressed forward relentlessly. Lei Ouyan seemed to have lost his rhythm and the initiative, retreating again and again until he was slammed to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

Lei Ouyan...

Qin Miaomiao's vision dimmed to a yellow haze. He struggled to crawl forward and reached out. A pill lay on the ground-the one Shi Jinse had given him.

Gritting his teeth, Qin Miaomiao used the last of his strength to pick up the pill and swallow it. A strange sensation suddenly surged through his body.

Lei Ouyan stood. Damon pressed his gun against his forehead. "You lost again."

Lei Ouyan kept his head lowered, silent for a long time. Then he looked up, his gaze chilling, a faint sneer at his lips. "Did I?"

"Let him go!" A human voice rang out, followed by a slashing flash of light. Caught off guard, Damon reacted swiftly enough to block the Laser Sword, but the next instant, Lei Ouyan's blade was at his throat.

Only then did Damon see the person behind him: a boy he had never seen before.

The pill had contained Shi Jinse's blood. Qin Miaomiao had become human, and all his wounds had healed on their own. So this was... Shi Jinse's ability?

He froze, then ran to Lei Ouyan's side, eager to speak. "I'm..."

"I know." Lei Ouyan's voice actually softened. "I know it's you."

Qin Miaomiao froze. How did he know?

"Hmph." Damon snorted. "So you really are a Heteromorph?"

He looked at Lei Ouyan and continued, "Lei Ouyan, you keep a Heteromorph by your side yourself. What right do you have to say I was wrong?"

As soon as he finished, he broke free of Lei Ouyan's hold, and the two grappled again.

The Heteromorph foot soldiers swarmed forward once more. Only then did Qin Miaomiao realize that Shi Jinse's ability wasn't merely self-healing. He could control space.

Damon fired. Qin Miaomiao reached out, and with that single motion, made the Laser Net explode on its own. He raised his hand, lifting Damon into the air before slamming him to the ground. After this happened several times, panic finally appeared in Damon's eyes. Even Lei Ouyan was astonished.

But Qin Miaomiao had only just acquired this ability and couldn't control it well. For some reason, it suddenly stopped working. At that very moment, Damon fired at him.

"Watch out!"

Qin Miaomiao looked up. The Laser Net flew toward him. Completely unprepared, he was bound in an instant.

Lei Ouyan charged forward again and quickly restrained Damon, his gaze terrifying. "Release him, or I'll kill you."

"Hahahahaha!" Damon suddenly laughed. "I'd love to know-if you had to choose between Remiya and him, who would you choose?"

Qin Miaomiao was in so much pain that he could barely breathe. The Laser Net kept contracting, slicing open his skin. It healed, then was cut open again, but every fresh wave of pain was unbearable.

The pain robbed Qin Miaomiao of his voice. Only a few broken words escaped. "Lei... Ou... Lei Ouyan..."

Hearing the boy's stifled voice, Lei Ouyan's eyes reddened. Without hesitation, he drove his blade into Damon's shoulder blade, his voice steeped in malice. "I said, release him."

Damon spat out blood and laughed, savage and arrogant. "Lei Ouyan, you'll destroy this world by doing this..."

Suddenly, Damon seemed to be seized by the throat, unable to make a sound. Lei Ouyan turned and saw Shi Jinse, supporting Remiya with one hand while extending the other toward Damon. His eyes were cold and merciless.

He had gone to find Remiya.

Damon finally gave in and released Qin Miaomiao. Shi Jinse lowered his hand as well. Damon fell to the ground, barely conscious.

Lei Ouyan helped Qin Miaomiao up. Delirious with pain, Qin Miaomiao curled into his arms, murmuring, "It hurts... it hurts so much..."

Lei Ouyan said softly, "It's all right. It won't hurt anymore."

"Number Three, this is not what you should be doing." The deep, heavy voice belonged to the Level V Heteromorph here.

Expressionless, Shi Jinse laid Remiya on the ground, then spoke. "I have a name."

He stood and continued, "My name is Shi Jinse."

As he spoke, he suddenly reached out. The wall before them tore open like muscle, revealing the Heteromorph's true face: a skull.

He opened his mouth and laughed, shaking the entire building until it threatened to collapse. Bricks and rubble kept falling. "I think you've forgotten what you are!"

Before his words had faded, countless arrows shot at them from every direction. Shi Jinse clenched his hand, and all the arrows snapped and fell to the floor.

The skull laughed again. "Not bad. Just what I'd expect from my apprentice."

Then he suddenly flew into a rage. "I told you to infiltrate humanity so you could find their weaknesses, not turn into something neither human nor monster!"

As he spoke, an invisible force suddenly blasted Shi Jinse away. He slammed into the wall and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Remiya struggled to open her eyes. "Xiao... Jin."

The skull seemed determined to kill Shi Jinse. As a second shock wave came crashing toward him, Lei Ouyan stepped forward and raised the Heavenly Bane to block it. The Heavenly Bane was made from the strongest material in the world, yet now it began to crack.

He gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger. A blast of light struck the skull, making him release his grip. At last, they had a brief moment to breathe.

Shi Jinse glanced at Qin Miaomiao beside him, who was now terribly weak because of him. "I'll get you out, but I can't defeat him. I can only force him into a brief recovery period."

He looked at Remiya. "You know what to do after that."

Remiya caught his hand. "Xiao Jin."

Shi Jinse clasped her hand. Human warmth traveled from her palm straight into his chest, but there was nothing inside it.

Monsters had no hearts.

Yet Shi Jinse still felt as though he had truly become human. He smiled. "Being human is so much better than being a monster."

Thank you for making me human, for letting me experience human joy and warmth.

He stood and walked toward the skull, leaving them with only the sight of his slender back.

When Qin Miaomiao opened his eyes again, everyone was outside, and he had turned back into a rabbit.

Because Shi Jinse was dead. He had been a Level V Heteromorph, the only one who could stand against that Heteromorph. So he had sacrificed himself to get them out. Li Weisen was covered in blood, a huge hole in his shoulder. No one knew whether he was still alive.

Lei Ouyan helped Remiya to her feet. Qin Miaomiao met his gaze, and his eyes instantly reddened.

Qin Miaomiao thought it was all over. Then a rumbling roar split the sky, and a fighter jet landed. He thought rescue had arrived, only to see Hao Yin.

It was the first time he had seen that expression on Hao Yin's face: solemn and hopeless.

A powerful sense of dread instantly surged through Qin Miaomiao. He seemed to be the only one who didn't know what had happened. Lei Ouyan stood there, and he hurried over to him.

The Heteromorph was currently recovering. Remiya's voice was faint. "Damon's conspiracy with the Heteromorph isn't over yet. To gain the Heteromorph's trust, Damon placed the NAT Base's Spring Eye in its nest. The reason was simple: if the Heteromorph was threatened, it would destroy the Spring Eye at any cost."

The consequences of destroying the Spring Eye were all too clear. Every nutrient humanity needed to survive would cease to exist. Humanity would be doomed.

But destroying the Spring Eye would also cause tremendous harm to the Heteromorphs, so they wouldn't do it lightly. The real reason Damon had sent Remiya here was to make her surrender the formula in exchange for the Spring Eye.

To him, sacrificing Remiya was no great loss, even if she was his fiancée.

"So the Spring Eye is here now?"

"Yes," Remiya said. "That's why we needed Hao Yin to come. The fighter carries enough finished suppressant. If we want to save the human base, our only option is to deliver it to the Heteromorph's core and kill it for good."

Only the suppressant could completely destroy this Heteromorph without damaging the Spring Eye.

But they had only just escaped from there. How could they get back inside now? Qin Miaomiao looked at everyone, and only then noticed the grief in Remiya's eyes.

He looked at Lei Ouyan again. Those eyes were still calm and untroubled. Qin Miaomiao felt something inside him collapse. He shook his head. No. It couldn't be what he was thinking.

"The Heteromorph is repairing itself right now, and all its major barriers are active. An ordinary person would have a hard time getting inside." Remiya's voice grew quieter and quieter. Even without the rest being said, everyone understood. "We'll have to sacrifice a fighter. Lei Ouyan is the only choice."

The building erupted in roaring flames. Everyone was unusually calm, as though they had long known this day would come.

Only Qin Miaomiao stared at Lei Ouyan in despair. How could he accept all this so calmly? Didn't he want to live?

"In times like these, no one gets to live their whole life in peace." Lei Ouyan looked at the rabbit and said calmly, "I think ending mine here is enough."

"No! That can't be right! Don't go! There has to be another way!"

Qin Miaomiao screamed. He wasn't from this world. He couldn't stay rational; he could only follow his heart. No. You can't accept a fate like this.

Frantic, he bit Lei Ouyan's hand, trying to bring him to his senses. But Lei Ouyan seemed unable to feel the pain. Once the rabbit had finished venting, he rested his hand on his head. "No one will try to eat you anymore. Isn't that good?"

The rabbit shook his head, his eyes brimming with tears.

Lei Ouyan moved the rabbit aside and called, "Hao Yin."

Hao Yin's eyes reddened. He couldn't say a word, but he had no choice. He had tried before landing. He couldn't get inside at all.

If only one of them could survive, he would have chosen Lei Ouyan without hesitation. But he wasn't even qualified to go to his death.

Hao Yin gave a bitter laugh. "Understood."

Lei Ouyan turned away. Qin Miaomiao tried to stop him, struggling desperately to fly up, but he had no control over himself. Hao Yin controlled the equipment he wore, and he could only be forced to fly toward him.

"Let me go! Lei Ouyan! Lei Ouyan, don't go!"

Qin Miaomiao sobbed and screamed, as though he would shed every tear the rabbit had in his lifetime.

"Lei Ouyan, I'm begging you! Don't go!"

"Please!"

"Hao Yin, please let me go! Let me go!"

Qin Miaomiao's words dissolved into incoherence. He reached out, trying to grab something, but caught nothing. At last, he understood what despair meant.

It was helplessness, with nothing to hold on to.

Lei Ouyan boarded the plane, then turned back to look at the rabbit. He smiled and said, "Thank you."

Lei Ouyan had always known that peace had no place in his life in this world. Nor did tenderness. All he had was slaughter and blood.

Not because he preferred them, but because they were all this world had given him.

He had wanted to protect this world. In the end, he had accomplished nothing.

Yet he still desperately hoped his rabbit could live on, could live a little longer.

A single rabbit had given him something in this world to hold on to.

Lei Ouyan looked back one last time. If there's another life, I hope we meet in a better age.

He flew the fighter into the flames without hesitation, like a moth.

Suddenly, a tremendous roar filled heaven and earth, like the instant Pangu split the heavens from the earth. The universe dissolved into chaos, shrouded in a thick fog that would not clear.

"Lei Ouyan!"

The rabbit cried out in despair, but no silver-haired young man appeared again. The immense shock wave hurled him away, and the combat suit he wore finally split open.

But he could no longer fly. He could no longer reach the place he wanted to go. Qin Miaomiao fell from the sky and plunged into the lake.

There was a moment when he could have saved himself, but he didn't.

He remembered that poem again-

I wait for the wind across the fields.

I wait for the tidings the clouds bring.

When the curtain of jasmine leaves lifts, the roses will appear.

I watch the people passing by.

I wait for the lamps to be lit, to shine upon those I love, and those who love me.

Qin Miaomiao felt he would never see them now. This tender, precious human world no longer belonged to him.

The icy lake water swiftly enveloped him. He watched the moon fall upon the lake's surface, tinged with the blue of deepest night, looking so much like an eye.

The moon had fallen, and the world was coming to an end.

He closed his eyes.

Lei Ouyan...

"Qin Miaomiao!"

"Miaomiao!"

"Meow Meow!"

Qin Miaomiao's eyes flew open. In the dim light, in a place both strange and familiar, several faces gradually came into focus before him. It took him a few seconds to recognize them: his class monitor and classmates.

His fractured memories finally returned. He was still in the escape room, still inside that box, only now some water had collected at the bottom.

He abruptly sat up. "Lei Ouyan?"

"Lei what?" The class monitor stared at him in confusion. "What's wrong, Meow Meow? You look out of it."

Together, they helped him out. Unable to stand steadily, Qin Miaomiao sat on the floor and stared at those familiar faces, dazed for a long time.

Only then did he realize he had returned to his original world.

Then what about Lei Ouyan?

The scattered fragments in his mind pieced themselves together. Qin Miaomiao couldn't tell what had been real and what had been a dream. All he remembered was the last look Lei Ouyan had given him, tender yet resolute, leaving no room for anything else.

Qin Miaomiao had returned, while Lei Ouyan had stayed forever at the end of the world.

A dull pain throbbed in the left side of his chest. Every beat of his heart seemed to strike against his ribs. It hurt too much. Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore. No longer caring whether he embarrassed himself, Qin Miaomiao suddenly threw his arms around the class monitor and cried. His words were incoherent, but he kept repeating one sentence. "I came back, but what about him...?"

"What about him...?"

"Don't cry. It's okay." The class monitor had no idea what had happened, but Qin Miaomiao was crying so hard it frightened him. All he could do was gently pat his back. "Don't cry. We'll stop playing. Let's go outside. You'll be okay once we're outside. Once we leave this place, you'll be okay."

Qin Miaomiao's clothes were a little wet. He sat in the lobby with a dry towel draped around him, still looking as though his soul had left his body.

The class monitor bought him a hot drink and brought it over. "Did it scare you senseless?"

Qin Miaomiao had calmed down a little. "Thank you. I'm okay."

He lowered his head, saw his ankle, and abruptly froze again. The class monitor was puzzled too and asked offhandedly, "When did you get an anklet?"

Several thin strands of multicolored cord were braided together. It seemed rather old, its colors considerably faded. This was the protective cord Remiya had given him.

Why was it here?

As though sensing something, Qin Miaomiao suddenly raised his head.

A man stood at the reception desk in a simple black T-shirt and flax-colored trousers, his hair short and neatly trimmed. His back was to Qin Miaomiao as he spoke to the owner.

Qin Miaomiao suddenly stood. The class monitor asked, "What's wrong?"

"Who is he...?"

"Probably the writer for the scenario we just played. He wrote the story," the class monitor said. "He heard someone got scared senseless and came to check."

Qin Miaomiao looked over just as the man turned around. Their gazes met without warning. Qin Miaomiao went still.

The music in the shop was tender and wistful. The lilting female voice had just reached the line, "In this lifetime, we meet on a narrow path; in the end, there is no escape."

The man paused, then walked over. He stopped in front of Qin Miaomiao. Though it was a midsummer night, he carried a faint trace of coolness.

He held out his hand and gave Qin Miaomiao a slight nod. "Hello. My surname is Lei."

At that moment, the curtain of jasmine leaves lifted, and the roses finally appeared.