Chapter 336: (Extra 10)
“What am I supposed to do with you?”
Yu Xi frowned, analyzing the tone in his voice. She gripped the tri-edged military dagger tightly in her hand and slowly raised it in front of her in a defensive stance. Lowering her voice, she said, “Let me leave, and I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
She wasn’t confident she could win. The man before her had a strange and terrifying ability — he had subdued three men in an instant, silently and effortlessly. That kind of overwhelming strength was beyond anything she could handle. In fact, until now, she had never imagined a human could possess such power.
Human?
She repeated the word in her mind. Xing Min… was he really human?
She was distracted for only a second before snapping back to high alert — he had moved. He took a step toward her and even reached out his hand. Her heart clenched, and she instinctively slashed the dagger at him.
He tilted his body slightly — yet for some reason, he didn’t fully dodge. The sharp tip of the blade grazed his cheek; leaving a thin, bleeding cut.
He stopped walking and looked up at her, blood trailing down his pale face.
Yu Xi froze.
“You’re this strong… how did you not dodge?” The fear and wariness in her heart hadn’t faded, but strangely, seeing the wound on his face stirred a flicker of frustration and unease. Just then, from the stairwell nearby came the sound of soft footsteps, followed by the faint creak of the emergency door being pushed open. Noticing Xing Min’s brief distraction, Yu Xi turned to leave — only to find herself surrounded by a faint golden shimmer, like a web of glimmering threads.
The next second, her body was pulled backward against her will — just like the three men she had seen earlier. Xing Min silently swept her into apartment 805 using the same mysterious method.
As the door closed quietly in front of her, Yu Xi felt a chill run through her heart.
She thought she’d slam into the wall, but instead, her body was caught by a pair of outstretched arms. Her back hit the man’s chest, and one of his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. His other hand gently covered her mouth, his breath cool and damp brushing her ear.
“Shh — it’s their backup,” he whispered.
With one arm around her waist, he took a small step forward. Through the peephole in the door, Yu Xi saw the dim, dark hallway — and indeed, three or four unfamiliar men had arrived.
They were all armed, peeking around and whispering to each other in low voices.
They had heard noises outside the building earlier, but now couldn’t find their companions. Bold as they were and outnumbering any average resident, they still didn’t dare provoke the entire building. So for now, they were cautious. This was their first attempt tonight.
The pitch-dark building now felt like a giant maw. Their companions had entered… and then vanished without a trace.
All four doors in the hallway were shut. Even Yu Xi’s apartment — unit 808, whose lock had been broken earlier—had been closed back up by her before she left, so everything appeared normal now.
“Where the hell did they go?”
“Even if they ran into someone tough, we heard noise just now. Why did it go dead silent all of a sudden? Don’t tell me… it’s haunted?”
“Yeah. Three guys — gone without a trace? Not even a peep?”
“Brother Zhong… I’m scared… it’s cold and wet out here, let’s just go back.”
“Let’s retreat for now. If they’re okay, they’ll come back on their own. If not…well, there’s nothing we can do.”
The words sounded logical, but really, it was just self-reassurance. Still, the others quickly agreed and tiptoed away through the stairwell.
Yu Xi didn’t understand why Xing Min had chosen to hide. He clearly had the ability to take out these guys the same way — so why go through the trouble of pulling her in?
“You…” She tried to speak, but the moment she opened her mouth, her lips brushed against the palm still covering them.
The arm around her waist suddenly tightened again. The tall man behind her pressed closer, his body caging her between himself and the door.
“Let go,” she said with a frown.
His hand had been about to move away — yet, for some reason, it paused. Then it pressed back down.
His fingertips brushed the corner of her lips, the pressure gradually increasing. His fingers began to rub along the curve of her lips, slowly stroking from upper to lower lip, brushing again and again against the seam — almost as if trying to press inside.
Yu Xi: …?
What the hell kind of move was that?
“What are you doing…”
Yu Xi completely lost her patience. She nearly opened her mouth to bite down on his fingers.
She still held the tri-edged military dagger in one hand and couldn’t put it back into the space in front of him, so she only had one free hand. She tried prying away the arm locked around her waist, then reached up to pull the fingers off her lips. She used all her strength both times, but his hands didn’t budge an inch.
Her eyes cooled. She flipped the dagger around and aimed it straight at his arm — but this time, it didn’t land. The blade stopped half a centimeter from his skin, frozen in place, unable to move even a fraction further.
She heard his voice by her ear.
“This place is small. A few more people and we won’t be able to fit in.”
Yu Xi froze for a moment before realizing he was explaining why he had chosen to hide earlier instead of confronting the intruders.
“If the place is so small,” she said coldly, “then let me go home.”
He gave a low laugh, his breath brushing so close to her ear it almost touched her lobe.
“We haven’t settled our matter yet — how could I let you leave?”
He was certain that if he let her go now, she would keep her distance from then on, always guarded.
He’d made her some promises, and even he didn’t know how long he would end up staying because of them.
He was willing to do anything for her — anything she wanted, without hesitation.
But some feelings… couldn’t be controlled.
Especially here, when he had a physical body of his own. When all he had to do was reach out and he could touch her….
The emotions stirred in him were intense. Craving. Unbearable.
He had once spent hundreds of years in silent darkness, long since used to loneliness. But now, just a dozen days without seeing her, without speaking to her — even knowing she was just one floor away — felt unbearable.
The scent on him was clean, like fresh woods and leaves. She didn’t hate his closeness. It wasn’t his presence that unsettled her, but his strange powers — and her own internal calculations on how to escape. So she didn’t dwell too much on his behavior.
“What do you want?” she snapped. “Just say it already!”
What did he want?
She didn’t see it — but behind her, the man’s clear blue eyes instantly darkened with just those words.
“What do I… want?”
His voice, normally smooth and calm, now carried a hoarse undercurrent—like something deep within was threatening to spill out uncontrollably.
“…?”
Was that such a strange question?
**
Five minutes later, Yu Xi was sitting on the coffee table in Xing Min’s living room, holding the medical kit he’d shoved into her arms, staring at the man on the sofa with an expression that was hard to describe.
The room was warm, bathed in a faint, barely noticeable light that seemed to keep out the moisture and chill from outside. Even though the lights weren’t on, the space didn’t feel dark.
In the corner, several meters away, the three men from earlier were still unconscious, their limbs suspended as though bound by invisible restraints.
When they had first been dragged in, they had hit the wall and passed out, but not for long. Just as Xing Min was making his request to her, they woke up and started cursing loudly.
Apparently annoyed by the noise, Xing Min had casually taken out a spray bottle from who-knows-where and gave each of them a quick blast to the face. The three immediately passed out again.
Maybe Yu Xi stared at them a little too long, because those pale golden light fragments reappeared around them and silently dragged their bodies around the corner into a spare room. The door shut by itself, cutting them off entirely.
“Focus,” Xing Min said, reaching for the medical kit in her arms and flipping it open.
Yu Xi looked back at him, still wary. “After I treat your wound — will you really let me go?”
“Mm.”
He turned his face slightly, revealing the long, thin wound she had left across his cheek.
Even though the lighting wasn’t bright, she could clearly see it. The dagger had been sharp. The cut wasn’t deep, but it stretched from beside his nose all the way to his temple. Because it hadn’t been treated in time, blood had smeared across half his face. It looked painful.
But his expression was calm, and there was even a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He looked… genuinely pleased.
Was this guy insane?
Yu Xi silently cursed in her heart, but still used a wet wipe to clean away the blood before taking out an alcohol pad to disinfect the wound. Her movements weren’t gentle — she even pressed a little harder on purpose to test his reaction. But he didn’t so much as frown.
She quickly gave up on testing him. The power gap between them was too large, and she couldn’t guess what he was thinking. Better to get this over with fast and hope he’d let her go.
She finished applying gauze and was about to pack up the medical kit when he caught her hand.
Yu Xi’s brow twitched. “You’re going back on your word?”
“How could I?” he sighed softly, taking the kit from her lap and setting it aside. Still holding her hand, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to the back of it. His voice was low and gentle.
“Don’t be afraid of me. I won’t hurt you. I’ll only protect you.”
Yu Xi: …?
**
The door lock that had been broken couldn’t be repaired, but the door itself still closed just fine. Yu Xi dug up an old bolt lock from home and nailed it to the inside of the door, locking it manually.
Besides, there was still a security gate and a rolling shutter — no real impact.
The incident that night had left Yu Zhenzhen deeply worried. Yu Xi didn’t want to add to that, so she kept quiet about Xing Min’s unusual behavior.
Xing Min started coming to her place again, seemingly aware that she was planning to relocate, wanting to discuss possible escape routes. But her attitude was cold, unusually guarded. She didn’t let him in, and even drove him off a few times.
He tolerated it twice. The third time, he didn’t. He dragged her back to his apartment, pressed her up against the door the moment they entered — and kissed her.
Yu Xi, caught mid-struggle with her lip bitten, thought: …?
Seriously, this?
She clenched the pink crystal vial in her hand. Just a moment ago, the aura that flared off him had been so intense, she thought he’d snapped and was about to kill her. She’d gone on full alert, pulling out her strongest weapon, ready to fight to the death.
And then… this?
That’s all?
The man biting her lip still seemed angry, but as soon as he noticed she’d stopped resisting, his breathing grew rapid.
He cupped the back of her neck, his tongue sliding past her teeth and deeply into her mouth, his intensity almost uncontrollable.
The whole room filled with the sounds of their entangled breathing and kisses. Yu Xi thought she’d be disgusted, furious — but she wasn’t. In fact, her mind had never been clearer.
And with that clarity, some thoughts clicked into place. She wanted to test them.
So Yu Xi wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him back, actively seeking him out.
“Xiao Xi…”
His body stiffened. A deep, trembling breath escaped his throat. Her sudden initiative made him shudder, but the hand gripping her waist only tightened further.
He followed her lead, even retreating two steps until his back hit the wall, lowering his head to tightly hold the girl in his arms.
After a while, Yu Xi pulled away, lips still resting lightly against his as she whispered,
“My sister doesn’t know about you, and I don’t want to scare her either… so stop coming over all the time, okay?”
“…Mm.”
“If anything happens, I’ll come find you. Got it?”
“…Okay.”
Yu Xi leaned back slightly, looking into the fogged-over blue eyes and damp lashes caused by their kiss. She felt like she’d just unlocked a whole new world.
“Then I’m heading back. If I stay too long, my sister will worry.”
“…When are you planning to leave?”
“In a few days. I heard on the radio that there’ll be movement soon. I want to see how things go.”
“Understood.”
And just like that, Xing Min really did stop showing up uninvited. But he still messaged her every day. The signal had gotten worse than before — calls were out of the question, and even messages now had noticeable delays.
So even if she didn’t reply often, he never pressed.
Then again, even if he did get upset over her silence or anything else — Yu Xi now knew exactly how to deal with him.
She would sometimes look at her reflection in the mirror with a doubtful expression, but more often than not, she chose to trust the unmistakably genuine reactions she got from Xing Min.
As for everything else — well, the world was already like this. Yu Xi had no intention of thinking too far ahead. She’d just take it one step at a time.
**
That morning, Yu Xi was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the three of them when she suddenly heard a series of thunderous booms outside, loud and jarring like explosions rolling through the dark, deathly still skies above the city.
Tianbao was jolted awake, clutching her blanket and bursting into tears. Yu Zhenzhen, who had been washing up, rushed in to comfort her.
Yu Xi quickly ran to the balcony and opened the inner layer of the stainless steel shutters. With her enhanced vision, she spotted several fighter jets streaking low between the clouds. As they passed, multiple missiles were launched—no guided trajectory, just direct blasts into the clouds, erupting one after another and releasing thick white gas that lingered in the sky.
Yu Xi’s heart surged — the authorities were finally taking action!
The white gas bombs were even more effective than she’d expected. By noon, the deep darkness that had cloaked the city for what felt like an endless night began to recede. By evening, even the thick cloud cover that had smothered H City for over a month had thinned significantly.
The heavy rain eased into a gentle drizzle, and eventually — stopped entirely.
That evening, many people saw the long-lost setting sun in the western sky. Although still filtered through layers of clouds, and the light dim, the sight of it brought the city to life with hope and celebration.
To them, it signified the end of disaster and the beginning of recovery.
Their lives were finally returning to normal.
That day, countless people wept with joy in their homes. Some expressed deep gratitude. Others, however, were gripped with a gnawing fear.
The Long Night has ended. The rain has stopped. Rescue teams were moving through the city. Water would soon recede, and power and utilities would be restored. But the things people had done to survive during the crisis — those couldn’t be undone.
They knew the city was still in terrible shape. Restoring order would take time.
But that was all it would take — time.
The city would eventually return to how it was.
But they — they were no longer the same.
Could life really go on, just as before?
Those who reflected this way were ordinary people — those who had done what they had to in desperation.
But those who had done evil purely for the sake of it? They weren’t celebrating the end of the disaster. On the contrary, they were uneasy, cursing under their breath, thinking about whether they should raid nearby supplies while order had yet to be fully restored — or escape to somewhere even more chaotic before things stabilized.
**
Yu Xi was also planning her own departure.
After several days of careful thought, she was sure of one thing: if Xing Min had any other agenda, if he meant her harm, he would’ve made his move already.
Yes, she has a storage space and supplies. But in terms of combat ability — especially defense — she was nowhere near his level. And he’d clearly been living alone in his apartment these past days without issue, showing no signs of lacking food or water.
In short, he didn’t need her.
Not for resources, not for safety. So it made no sense for him to go to such lengths and act out this elaborate play just for supplies.
That meant — just as she’d suspected — his only real target was her.
And judging from his behavior, compared to using force or coercion, he seemed to prefer her willingness and initiative.
Initiative?
Oh, she could do that.
Honestly, with a face like his, that wasn’t exactly a hard test.
After careful consideration, Yu Xi ultimately brought Xing Min into her evacuation plan and laid out the escape route she had in mind.
He listened intently, staring at the map on the computer, and later that evening, after dinner, the two of them sat together and finalized the full evacuation route.
There were two routes in total.
Route One was the standard path: leave the complex heading south, then veer west at the city’s edge. From there, follow the main roads to the outskirts, towards the Qiuwang Mountain scenic area.
Route Two was shorter. Since the rainwater still hasn’t drained from the city, they could take a boat westward. On that side of the city was a cultural park that had originally been a dead end due to a large lake that blocked westward passage. Normally, they would’ve have to detour around it via the south.
But now, the flooded ground and lake were practically the same. As long as they avoided the park’s rides, buildings, and a few small hillock spots, they could cross the lake directly and reach the western outskirts.
Of course, whichever route they chose, they were bound to encounter other citizens.
But with the disaster easing, people’s emotions and mentality had improved. That meant fewer problems on the road.
This — was the best possible time to evacuate.
But when it came to the evacuation plan, Yu Zhenzhen had never fully agreed.
Now that the weather had improved and the number of rescue teams had increased, personnel were distributing supplies all across the city. Along the way, they used loudspeakers to inform people about the current situation and emphasized their ongoing efforts to restore water and electricity.
The broadcast also clearly listed several official shelter locations and advised families with relatively stable conditions to stay put — forcibly relocating came with too many risks, and not everyone had the means to do so.
Even if the rescue team hadn’t said that, most people wouldn’t choose to leave at this stage anyway. The disaster had dragged on for over a month, and just when things were finally improving and relief supplies have arrived, who would abandon the safety of home to venture into the unknown?
Even when it started drizzling again in H City the next day, most residents still didn’t change their minds.
Yu Zhenzhen actually wanted to stay too. The apartment was wind and rain-proof, safe and warm, and with no shortage of supplies; they could easily hole up here until the crisis was truly over.
But Yu Xi had already made up her mind to leave. Maybe it was the influence of those two messages — the “advice” and the “warning” — or perhaps just a persistent sense of unease that had always lingered at the bottom of her heart.
Either way, her instincts told her: don’t rely on luck. Prepare for the worst.
Their evacuation destination was Qiuwang Mountain. Yu Xi planned to dismantle and bring the modified windows with her, along with any furniture and household items they were using. She could bring everything. All she had to do was lock the doors tight and leave before dawn — no one would notice right away.
Even if the disaster really was over, they could just treat it as a short getaway to a mountain inn. Once the city fully stabilized, they could return. And if they didn’t want to live here anymore, they could just rent somewhere else — no need to buy property.
She had more than enough gold bars in her space. Renting a luxury villa long-term would be no problem at all. Buying or not buying a house no longer mattered.
Yu Zhenzhen understood Yu Xi’s unusual circumstances. While she didn’t fully agree with the plan to evacuate, she supported her sister’s decision.
So, Yu Xi shut the door, avoided Tianbao’s gaze, and started packing everything from the apartment. At first, Yu Zhenzhen tried to select just the essentials, but Yu Xi told her there was no need — her space was huge. If there was anything they wanted to take, just take it all.
And just like that, what started as simply bringing warm clothes and bedding became packing the entire wardrobe — clothes, bedding, even the cabinets — done in a second.
The heavy, scattered, and fragile jars of spices, half-eaten braised beef, half-finished fish soup, bits and pieces of pots and dishes, Tianbao’s half-assembled blocks, the laundry racks… even the entire bed — if it weren’t for the fact that Tianbao still needed a place to sleep that night, Yu Xi could’ve emptied the whole apartment in the blink of an eye.
This moving style began to shift Yu Zhenzhen’s view of the evacuation.
They had only bought the apartment recently. What she was most emotionally attached to were the familiar furniture and everyday things. Now that Yu Xi could bring them all without leaving a single thing behind — honestly, it didn’t matter where they went.
That day, Yu Zhenzhen deliberately didn’t let Tianbao take a nap. After dinner, she bathed her early and soothed her to sleep. Then Yu Xi emptied the living room of anything that could be taken.
By the time they were done, only Tianbao’s bed, the heater, the generator, and the windows in two rooms and the balcony were left in the apartment.
Rain had started falling again outside. The windows couldn’t be touched for now — it would be too noticeable to the neighbors.
Yu Xi set her second alarm for 4:00 a.m. — the darkest hour of the night. After getting up and washing up, she first put away the generator, then quickly dismantled the two layers of windows in the living room and one of the bedrooms.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhenzhen put on warm clothing for herself, then carefully dressed Tianbao in layers: a thick fleece set, a padded down coat, a waterproof outer jacket, a hat and scarf — bundling her up into a little dumpling.
Tianbao was still half-asleep, obediently letting Yu Zhenzhen dress her before snuggling into her arms and drifting off again.
Yu Xi entered the bedroom, packed away the bedding and the heater, then dismantled the window there as well.
With all the windows gone, the room was exposed. Fine rain blew in from outside. Although the wind wasn’t too strong, the temperature hovered around 3 to 4 degrees Celsius. With the dampness in the air, it still felt freezing cold.
Yu Xi took an unopened inflatable raft and an engine-powered propeller from the space and gestured for Yu Zhenzhen to drag them along. She herself picked up Tianbao and grabbed a small fuel canister. They quietly opened the door and, after stepping out, locked it behind them layer by layer.
At the far end of the corridor, Xing Min was already waiting at the stairwell door. He wasn’t dressed heavily—just a short down jacket—and carried a waterproof survival backpack. When he saw Yu Xi approaching with Tianbao in her arms, he reached out, silently asking if she wanted him to carry her.
“It’s fine, I’ve got her,” Yu Xi replied, handing him the fuel canister instead. She then motioned for Yu Zhenzhen to pass the engine propeller over. Xing Min glanced at Yu Xi, but still walked over to take the engine.
The round, barrel-shaped inflatable raft was still carried by Yu Zhenzhen. Xing Min switched on the flashlight strapped to his wrist, and the group moved quietly down the stairs to a window in the hallway just above the parking garage.
This floor had once housed first-floor residents, but both the first and second floors had long since been evacuated to higher levels.
The waterline sat just below the windowsill—it had risen noticeably and now reached above an average adult’s shoulder. And this was considered one of the shallower areas; in some lower-lying parts of the city, the water had already swallowed buildings whole.
Yu Xi handed Tianbao to Yu Zhenzhen, then climbed out the window herself with the unopened raft. Below the window was a garage platform — not large, barely a meter wide — but just enough for her to deploy the inflatable.
She pulled the activation cord on the raft. Instantly, the barrel-like shape unfolded, popping open into a full-size rubber boat. At the same time, a triangular windproof tent unfurled from the center. Yu Xi pushed the raft into the water, climbed aboard first, then had Xing Min hand her the engine.
She secured the motor into its mount, filled it with fuel, then steadied the raft against the garage platform so Yu Zhenzhen, Tianbao, and Xing Min could climb in one by one.
The interior of the tented raft could fit up to eight people. For the three adults and one child, it was more than spacious.
Yu Xi took out her phone and opened the pre-downloaded offline navigation. Xing Min started the engine, and the inflatable raft skimmed across the water, heading swiftly toward the residential complex’s main gate.