Jiang Nuan pressed her lips together.
“Bai Siyuan knew something was wrong there, and he’d already made arrangements in case contact was lost.”
“If there was something he had to deal with personally, he might have opened the entrance himself.”
“Possible.” Lu Shiyan nodded. “But voluntarily entering and deliberately trapping himself inside are two different things.”
He zoomed in on the map, his gaze settling on the red area at the edge of the restricted zone, which continued to ripple and fluctuate.
“Unless something went wrong with his plan.”
“Or perhaps he entered in the first place because he was waiting for someone.”
Jiang Nuan looked at the undulating red area and fell silent for several seconds.
“Was he waiting for me?”
She raised her eyes, her brows drawing together slightly.
Could Bai Siyuan have known that she would definitely come?
Could even this loss of contact have been another way for him to lure her back to the Bai residence?
But immediately afterward, the thought struck her as absurd.
An A-class restricted zone was not a toy for testing someone’s feelings.
No matter how crazy Bai Siyuan was, he would not joke with his own life like that.
“But the risk is far too high.”
She spoke thoughtfully.
“The A-class restricted zone that just formed deep within the Bai family’s main residence hasn’t even had all its rules identified yet.”
Even members of Squad Zero could not guarantee that they would make it out in one piece if they fell into an A-class restricted zone alone.
And Bai Siyuan was not a combat operative.
Lu Shiyan looked at her. “So this is only a possibility, not a conclusion.”
He closed the map. Once the projection vanished, the room was left with nothing but the daylight filtering in through the window.
“Based on the analysis so far, several possibilities hold up.”
“The question now is…”
Lu Shiyan turned his head, his gaze falling on her face.
“What do you plan to do?”
Jiang Nuan did not hesitate. “Enter the restricted zone and find Bai Siyuan.”
Lu Shiyan showed no surprise.
“I haven’t forgotten what Bai Siyuan did,” Jiang Nuan said. “It’s just that… during the time I spent in the refugee district, I might not have survived without him.”
“I still haven’t figured out why he sealed my memories, but until I have the answers, I don’t want to let him die in there.”
Lu Shiyan listened in silence before nodding. “All right.”
Jiang Nuan paused. “You agree just like that?”
“You’ve already considered everything that needed to be considered.” Lu Shiyan’s tone was calm. “Your decision to go in and save him is the result of weighing all the factors.”
“I acknowledge your judgment.”
Being acknowledged so solemnly by him made it sound as though she had just accomplished some extraordinary feat.
…But she was, in fact, a little happy.
The corners of Jiang Nuan’s lips lifted despite herself. “Then I’ll take that as the captain praising me.”
Lu Shiyan looked at her and raised a hand, lightly tapping her forehead.
“But I don’t agree to you going in alone.”
Jiang Nuan let out an “Ow!” and immediately covered her forehead. “Why did you hit me?”
His expression was rarely tinged with helplessness. “I didn’t use any force.”
“But you’re strong!” Jiang Nuan insisted, entirely unashamed.
Lu Shiyan looked at her for two seconds before reaching out and gently taking hold of her wrist, pulling her hand away from her forehead.
The skin there was fair and smooth, without even the slightest mark.
Lu Shiyan lowered his eyes to look at it, then bent down and blew softly against her forehead.
His warm breath brushed across her skin.
Jiang Nuan’s heart beat rapidly several times.
“Does it still hurt?” he asked.
She had only cried out on a whim.
What had Sister Menglan said again? Showing a little weakness at the right time could make the other person reveal their gentler side on their own.
She had not expected Lu Shiyan to actually play along.
She had been putting on such a half-hearted act, yet he was treating it as seriously as an injury that required careful attention.
…It was rather cute.
Her heartbeat suddenly quickened. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
The corners of Lu Shiyan’s lips curved slightly. He leaned back against the sofa, but he did not release her hand.
“Who do you want to take into the restricted zone this time?”
Jiang Nuan let him hold her hand as she thought.
There were three people available for the next rescue operation.
Aside from herself, Lu Shiyan was the captain of Squad Zero and had to remain at the base to hold down the fort, which meant he could not leave for an extended period. Shen Wu, meanwhile, had to go to the Li family.
This was a restricted zone below S-class. It had rules, but its lethality should not be too high.
Most importantly, Bai Siyuan’s life or death was unknown. She needed to bring someone who could keep him alive.
Qi Sui was the most suitable choice.
As long as Bai Siyuan was still alive, even if his abilities were out of control, Qi Sui’s presence would at least leave room for a turnaround.
Since she was taking Qi Sui, the best choice for the final member was Qinian.
The twins’ shared sensitivity would be extremely useful for determining their position and locating anomalies within the restricted zone.
Moreover, Qinian’s fire-based ability was naturally suited to leading the way and providing firepower suppression.
With that in mind, Jiang Nuan turned her head toward Lu Shiyan. “I want to take Qi Sui and Qinian.”
She explained the reasoning she had just gone through.
“And their teamwork is better,” she added.
Lu Shiyan listened quietly and nodded. “All right. You’ve considered it thoroughly.”
Jiang Nuan had just risen to inform Qi Sui and Qinian when she realized he was still holding her hand.
She turned back.
Lu Shiyan did not release her immediately. He simply looked up at her.
“What is it?” she asked.
The next second, he exerted a little force and pulled her back.
Jiang Nuan fell into his arms. His familiar, cool scent enveloped her at once, and her nose bumped against his shoulder.
One of Lu Shiyan’s hands rested at her waist. With the other, he lifted her face.
“Once you enter the restricted zone, prioritize your own safety.”
“Could you give me some warning next time?” Jiang Nuan rubbed her nose. “I understand, Lu Shiyan.”
Lu Shiyan looked at her for several seconds before lowering his head to kiss her.
The kiss could be called restrained, but the hand around her waist did not loosen, as though he simply wanted to keep her there a little longer.
Jiang Nuan froze for a brief moment, then tilted her face up and returned the kiss.
Sensing her response, Lu Shiyan deepened what had begun as a restrained kiss, but stopped just before it could spiral out of control.
When they parted, Lu Shiyan rested his forehead against hers.
“I’ll continue praising you when you come back.”
Jiang Nuan’s breathing was still somewhat uneven. “You’d better remember that.”
“Mm.” Lu Shiyan finally let go of her. “I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Jiang Nuan nodded.
As for the changes in her purification method, and the matter of Zero… they could wait until she returned from the restricted zone.
*
Inside the A-class restricted zone in the eastern wing of the Bai family’s main residence.
The moment Jiang Nuan stepped into the restricted zone, she could still hear Qinian click his tongue impatiently beside her.
The next second, the ground vanished beneath her feet.
“Qi Sui?”
Jiang Nuan spun around.
There was no one behind her.
Qinian and Qi Sui were gone. Even the Bai family corridor they had just walked through had disappeared.
In their place stood a broad, quiet road running through a school campus.
Buildings rose on either side of the road. Their glass windows reflected the gloomy sky, while the camphor trees beside the sports field stood utterly motionless.
The scene was so familiar that Jiang Nuan’s breathing stopped.
Static suddenly crackled from the loudspeakers in the distance.
Krrr—
Then a gentle, almost mechanical female voice rang out across the campus.
“Welcome, new students.”
“All students must complete identity verification before midnight tonight.”
“Those without student records will be treated as outsiders and eliminated.”
As the last few words faded, something in the broadcast seemed to let out a soft laugh.
Jiang Nuan stood rooted to the spot as a chill began creeping upward from her fingertips.
The teaching buildings, the sports field, the bulletin boards—even the towering old tree at the end of the main road—were all exactly the same as she remembered from her university campus.
