Chapter 13's danger didn't feel like an overwhelming invasion; it was clean and pure...

Relying on his memories from the day, Shen Mi led Dan Heng through the complex terrain of Zone E. Under the cover of night, they evaded patrolling security personnel and finally stopped at the secluded mine entrance from that day.

The temperature at night is already lower than during the day, and the mine tunnel is located in the cold and damp mountains. Chen Mi is dressed in thin clothes, with only a T-shirt that he brought with him when he crossed over, which is obviously not enough to keep up with the temperature here.

Dan Heng noticed that Shen Mi was trembling involuntarily. His gaze lingered on her thin T-shirt for a moment, then he silently took off his own coat and handed it to her.

"Put them on." His tone was calm, as if there was no room for negotiation.

Shen Mi was taken aback, and subconsciously waved his hand: "No need, I..."

"Don't be reckless." Dan Heng's voice was calm, but carried an undeniable firmness. "The mine tunnels at night are colder than you can imagine."

Shen Mi nodded, convinced by Dan Heng. She looked at the dark green patchwork jacket, which had a faint yellow tinge but was much thicker than her thin T-shirt. She reached out and took it, draping it over her shoulders.

The coat was clearly much larger than her, with the sleeves reaching all the way to her fingertips. Shen Mi tugged at the hem of the coat and whispered, "Thanks."

Danheng did not respond, but simply raised his head and refocused his attention on the mine tunnel.

Wearing Danheng's coat, Chen Mi couldn't help but drift into a daze.

The game "Honkai Impact 3rd" has released several character-specific perfumes. At that time, she wondered what kind of perfume would be exclusive to Danheng.

Shen Mi's fingertips gently gathered around Dan Heng's coat collar, and he lowered his head almost imperceptibly, as if it were just an unintentional adjustment of his clothes.

Chen Mi's thoughts drifted away, as if he were smelling the shape of rippling water.

However, the fragrance in my nose was amplified at this moment—it was an extremely restrained, cool sensation.

Like the peel of a lemon cut open in the morning, it initially carries a slightly sour citrus note, but quickly calms down in the next second, revealing a dry, herbaceous scent. It is the unique aroma of vetiver, cool and restrained, like the surface of rocks after rain, blown by the mountain wind, clear and profound, even carrying a hint of indifferent bitterness.

There is no overwhelming sense of aggression; it is clean and pure. On the surface, it may seem aloof and indifferent, but it possesses a heart as firm and gentle as a rock.

It is understated and not intense, yet it is impossible to ignore.

Shen Mi felt her face getting hot. Even though it was freezing cold in the mine, she felt as if she were surrounded by the faint fragrance, and even the tips of her ears were burning.

Shen Mi bit her lip, trying to stop herself from overthinking at a time like this.

She tilted her head slightly to look at Dan Heng beside her—he had already squatted down again, his fingertips brushing against the soil beside the mine entrance, as if searching for some clue. Under the simple chest spotlight, his profile was sharply outlined by the cold light, yet it carried a calm sense of focus.

“There are signs of repeated trampling around here,” Dan Heng said in a low voice, drawing a line on the ground with his finger, the soil at the edge of which was slightly loose. “The footprints overlap a lot, which means that someone stayed here for a long time.”

Shen Mi followed his gaze and indeed saw messy footprints of varying depths on the compacted soil, as if someone had hesitated and lingered there.

Shen Mi leaned closer to look, trying hard to recall what he had seen during the day, but there were no footprints there then.

I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but it seems like even the traces of water seeping through the rock face have disappeared.

"Was it left behind by a missing person?" she asked in a low voice.

Dan Heng didn't answer directly. Instead, he stood up and walked slowly along the edge of the mine tunnel, as if checking his surroundings. Finally, he arrived at the "ore covered with a black cloth" that Shen Mi had mentioned. His gaze paused slightly in an inconspicuous corner.

Shen Mi followed and discovered that it was a piece of black plastic buckle discarded in a pile of weeds, which looked somewhat deformed and charred.

—It is the remains of a GPS locator.

Shen Mi's heart skipped a beat.

“It’s the same model as the fragment from earlier today.” Dan Heng picked up the fragment, his eyes darkening. “There’s more than one here.”

A chill ran down Shen Mi's spine. She stared at the corner covered by grass, as if she could already see broken locators lying on the ground, like marks of being silently crushed—someone had taken them here, and those people probably never left this mine tunnel again.

Her throat was a little dry: "Did they... really run away?"

Dan Heng lowered his eyes, rubbed his fingers on the plastic fragments, and said calmly, "People who escape won't bother to destroy the trackers; they'll just tear them off and leave as quickly as possible. But the trackers here have been burned, which means someone wants to erase all traces."

Shen Mi's mind was buzzing.

Dan Heng's voice deepened slightly: "This isn't running away, it's more like... being taken away by someone."

The moment the words left his mouth, a very faint sound came from deep within the mine tunnel.

"Hiss—" was an almost inaudible sound, like the scraping of metal against a rock wall, especially jarring in the dead of night.

Shen Mi and Dan Heng looked up at almost the same moment, glanced at each other, and said nothing, but both quickly tensed up.

Dan Heng tilted his head slightly, gesturing for Shen Mi to step back a little.

Shen Mi held her breath, her heart pounding wildly, her fingers gripping the hem of Dan Heng's coat tightly—the cool scent of vetiver and citrus still lingered in her nostrils, but now it was no longer a blush-inducing flutter, but a feeling of pressure that gripped her heart.

The sound rang out again, clearer than before, like something slowly moving deep inside the mine.

Someone's here! Someone's walking towards the mine tunnel!

Shen Mi's pupils contracted, and she subconsciously took a half step back, but Dan Heng quickly grabbed her wrist and shielded her behind him.

The sound grew closer. It wasn't footsteps, but more like the harsh, dull thud of something being dragged across the ground, each step feeling like a crushing blow to one's eardrums.

Dan Heng's fingertips tightened slightly. He didn't speak, but Shen Mi could feel his whole body tense, like a bowstring drawn taut.

Deep in the mine tunnels, the darkness seemed to writhe.

Soon, a blurry outline appeared at the edge of the field of vision—it was a human-shaped shadow, but its gait was very strange, as if its joints were not very flexible, making a slight clicking sound as it walked, and each step seemed to be dragging something heavy on the ground.

Shen Mi held her breath, her fingertips gripping the hem of Dan Heng's coat tightly.

The figure gradually drew closer.

In the dim light, she finally saw what it was.

—It's Chloe.

Among the people around Kulen, Shen Mi was deeply impressed by his appearance, which was missing half an ear.

Danheng led her to hide in the shadows behind the rock wall. The space was too narrow for two adults to fit completely, so Danheng had to hug Shenmi, cover her head with his hands, and press her into his arms, covering her almost entirely with his body to try to avoid being noticed by the other.

If they are discovered, they can use other excuses to cover it up.

Chloe's footsteps drew ever closer to the depths of the mine, his heavy breathing and low mutterings echoing through the silent tunnel. Just as he bent down to pick up a seemingly insignificant little fragment, Danheng and Shenmi's hearts nearly leaped out of their chests.

"What a hassle. I don't know what Cullen was thinking. If he had handled it more efficiently, I wouldn't be so exhausted today." Chloe complained as she dealt with the fragments, her voice growing increasingly low. "It could have been resolved much earlier, but she had to make it so complicated, leaving me to clean up her mess."

They stood in the shadows to one side, almost holding their breath. Danheng's eyes were fixed on Chloe, his gaze incredibly sharp, as if it could pierce through every inch of darkness in the mine tunnel, yet he remained perfectly calm. He lowered his head slightly, signaling Shen Mi to stay still.

Shen Mi gripped the hem of her coat tightly, her heart pounding as if it would burst from her chest. She could feel Chloe's footsteps getting closer, the heavy sound of them pushing her nerves to their limit. Her eyes involuntarily glanced at Dan Heng, whose expression remained calm as ever, but the air around him felt so heavy it seemed it could be cut.

Chloe was already very close; he was only a step away from where they were hiding. Shen Mi felt that he could almost hear Chloe's breathing.

Dan Heng moved slightly, his eyes narrowing as if he was pondering his next move.

“Damn it…” Chloe cursed as he bent down to pick up the pieces, completely unaware that he was less than two meters away from where they were hiding.

Just as Chloe bent down to toss a shard into the toolbox, he suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing slightly, as if sensing something amiss. Shen Mi's heart leaped; he could almost hear his own blood rushing to his ears.

Chloe slowly straightened up, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings, his eyes quickly scanning every corner with a hint of unease. Shen Mi felt a cold sweat creep down her back; she held her breath, barely moving.

Danheng maintained a deep gaze, quietly awaiting Chloe's move. At that moment, time seemed to freeze, and the air in the mine tunnel felt compressed into a massive boulder, making it almost impossible for them to breathe.

Chloe's gaze finally settled on a shadowy spot in the mine tunnel, where Danheng and Shenmi were hiding. Shenmi's heart pounded even faster; she could even feel her faint presence in Chloe's sight. She was so nervous she almost held her breath, afraid that the slightest sound would reveal their hiding place.

However, a few seconds later, Chloe finally snorted and shook her head, seemingly realizing she was being too sensitive.

Finally, Chloe's footsteps sounded again, accompanied by a slightly impatient whisper. He walked away and disappeared into the entrance of the mine tunnel.

Seeing him leave, Shen Mi breathed a sigh of relief, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her face was pale, and she barely had the strength to stand, collapsing to the ground instantly.

A note from the author:

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Dear ladies, I'm late again. [Let me see][Let me see][Let me see] PS: There's a story behind the scent of Teacher Danheng. It seems that when the game launched, the official website had a lottery for vetiver-scented perfume.