Chapter 32 It's all over. Dan Heng arrives...
When Danheng arrived at Zone C, the power to the office had been restored, and the motion-sensor lights at the end of the corridor lit up one by one, bright but cold.
He paused in his steps.
The office floor was exceptionally clean, without a speck of dust.
He felt a sudden panic.
The doors to the corridor and offices were wide open, their hinges creaking slightly, producing an almost inaudible sound in the quiet early morning, like an invisible groan.
It was already past midnight, and there wouldn't be any extra people loitering around here. But that's precisely why even the slightest movement was so noticeable.
Dan Heng paused, his mind instantly tensing.
Because… a very faint sobbing sound came from the office, as if someone was trying to cover their mouth but still couldn’t stop the painful gasping.
Dan Heng's eyes darkened, and he suddenly rushed into the room!
The moment he pushed open the door, the bright incandescent light stung his eyes. Everything in the room was suddenly revealed before him—
Shen Mi squatted on the ground, her face pale. Blood from her left arm soaked most of her sleeve. She was using nylon cable ties to bind Kuren's hands behind his back. Binding a grown man twice her size was quite difficult, but Shen Mi still tried her best to tighten each cable tie, even though she knew he would no longer move.
In the corner, another familiar figure was bound hand and foot, her mouth taped shut, her eyes wet, struggling and making sobbing noises.
—Sang Li.
Dan Heng stood at the door, momentarily stunned.
Shen Mi didn't notice his arrival, and kept her head down, her attention focused on the nylon strap in her hand.
She turned around abruptly when she heard familiar footsteps, and Dan Heng's figure came into view. Instantly, Chen Mi was stunned.
"Danheng..." she said softly, as if she had finally held on until the moment of rescue and was about to give up.
Danheng frowned as he looked at her covered in blood.
He strode closer, stared at Shen Mi's injured arm, and said in a deep voice, "You're injured?"
Shen Mi nodded and then shook his head, beginning to briefly explain what had just happened: "It's nothing... I got a cut on my shoulder, but it's already been treated. Kuren killed Chloe, and I electrocuted Kuro..."
Shen Mi didn't know how he managed to say those words in such a calm tone.
Before he finished speaking, Dan Heng knelt down in front of Shen Mi, carefully lifted her injured left hand, and examined it closely.
"It's so serious, why didn't you say so during the communication?" Dan Heng's anxious voice came from above.
Shen Mi was startled by his sudden increase in volume.
Dan Heng didn't say much, but pulled her to sit on the sofa and knelt down in front of Chen Mi. He was usually calm, but at this moment he exuded a sense of oppressive power that was about to get out of control.
His gaze fell on the wound on her shoulder—red, swollen, inflamed, with rough stitches. The skin around the wound was stuck together with blood and sweat, covered with red gauze, and her knuckles were white and wrinkled, soaked with sweat.
Danheng carefully unwrapped the bandage and then used the first-aid kit on the table to re-bandage her wound.
Afterwards, Danheng gently brushed aside the sweat-dampened hair clinging to her cheeks. When his palm touched her skin, his cold fingertips trembled slightly, as if finally confirming that she was still alive, intact, and had not fallen.
Danheng's tone was heavier than ever before, even revealing self-blame.
“It’s my fault,” Dan Heng finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, unlike his usual self. “I shouldn’t have agreed to let you stay in Zone C in the first place.”
He spoke slowly, each word sounding like regret choking him.
Shen Mi paused for a moment, then slowly looked at him. She suddenly realized that Dan Heng was truly... worried about her.
Her heart skipped a beat at that moment.
"I..." She was about to say something when she suddenly seemed to remember something, and her eyes lit up.
"Wait, wait, wait, although I'm injured, but..." She hurriedly rummaged through her clothes, her movements a little clumsy, but she finally found the item.
"Look! What's this!"
She held the object in her hands and carefully presented it to Danheng.
Dan Heng looked up and saw a slightly worn blue ledger lying quietly in front of him.
The corners of the ledger were curled up, and there was a little bloodstain on the cover, showing that this thing had gone through quite a few twists and turns in Shen Mi's hands.
Then Shen Mi continued, "Although the process of obtaining it was full of twists and turns, the result was very good!"
Shen Mi grinned, but there was a gleam in his eyes.
"Here you go, Manager Mei. Take this and report it. Let it bring a new life to the people of this desolate planet."
Dan Heng didn't take it, but looked at Chen Mi and slowly asked what was on his mind: "You trust me that much? You believe I won't become the next Kuren?"
Shen Mi looked at Dan Heng with a firm gaze and a sincere tone: "I believe in you because you are more trustworthy than anyone else."
Dan Heng lowered his head, a slight smile playing on his lips, dispelling the danger and chill of the entire night.
"I feel... a little sleepy." After saying that, Chen Mi swayed and lost consciousness, falling forward.
Dan Heng reacted quickly, reaching out to pull Shen Mi into his arms and gently holding her. The person in his arms was breathing softly and had fallen asleep peacefully.
He lowered his eyelashes, looking at her pale but calm face, the wound still bleeding. His throat tightened, and he slowly got up and picked up Chen Mi.
She was curled up in his arms, her breathing shallow and shallow, her skin cold—a typical reaction to excessive blood loss.
The room was still dimly lit, and a faint smell of blood and the faint scent of burning electricity lingered in the air.
Dan Heng carried Shen Mi out slowly. As they passed the half-closed door, Sang Li inside had stopped struggling and was looking at them with a complicated expression.
A small knife was tossed in front of Sang Li.
"I don't want anyone else to know about tonight's events. Get out of here before I get back."
Her mouth was still taped shut, preventing her from speaking, but she nodded vigorously. It was as if she was expressing gratitude, or perhaps atonement.
Dan Heng kept walking without even glancing back.
———
When Chen Mi woke up, there was a soft sound of water.
A hazy consciousness struggled to emerge from the darkness, as if slowly pulled back to reality by an invisible force. Her eyelashes fluttered a few times, and blinding white light seeped in through the gaps in her eyelids. Before her consciousness could focus, she heard a familiar breathing sound.
Am I...home?
"No, not at all," came the system's disappointed voice.
She struggled to open her eyes. At first, her vision was blurry, but gradually, a figure appeared in her line of sight.
It's Savalei.
She sat by the hospital bed, her eyes lowered, quietly wiping Shen Mi's wrist with a damp towel, her movements gentle and focused.
“…Savare?” Shen Mi’s voice was so hoarse it sounded like she was scraping sandpaper, and her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
The hands that were wiping her paused, and Savare suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with the sight of a miracle.
"Sister Chenmi, you're finally awake!"
Shen Mi's throat felt like it was on fire. She tried to move her body, but found that her limbs were as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
"...How long have I been unconscious?"
Savare's voice still carried a trace of lingering panic: "It's been three days! You haven't woken up, I was so worried..."
"I'm fine." Shen Mi raised his hand to comfort Shavalei, but he had no strength at all, and in the end he could only slightly curve the corners of his mouth.
Remembering something, Shen Mi asked, "How is it outside... now?"
Savare opened her mouth and said succinctly, "The world has completely changed. Cullen and Chloe are both dead."
Shen Mi nodded.
Savare continued.
"There are rumors circulating that the two of them had a dispute over the distribution of the spoils in private, and that they turned on each other in the office and beat each other to death."
Shen Mi asked, "A mutual fight?"
“Yes.” Savare nodded. “I don’t know if it’s true or not, but they made it sound very convincing. They even said that Kuren was going to destroy the ledgers before he died, but Sanli saw him and stopped him.”
She paused, then lowered her voice and said, "Moreover, it's rumored that Sang Li has been blackmailed by Cullen for a long time and has done a lot of bad things for him. But she repented and felt that she could no longer help evil, so she exposed all the bad things Cullen had done to the company."
Shen Mi closed his eyes, whether to rest or to sort out the relationships in the story told by Shavalei, it was unclear.
"...Does the company believe what she said?" Shen Mi asked.
“Why don’t you believe me?” Savare spread her hands, her tone carrying an unspeakable meaning. “Cullen and Chloe, both of their bodies were in Cullen’s office, and Cullen was still holding a gun. Manager Mei said that when he arrived, the scene was chaotic, and he was the one who brought Sangli out of the office. That’s all I know.”
Shen Mi slowly exhaled. The company probably didn't intend to investigate further. A logically sound story with "certification" was naturally the best outcome in the eyes of the person cleaning up the mess.
"What about Supervisor Dan...?"
“He has now been appointed as the interim general manager by the company,” Savaree replied. “The company’s new manager is on his way and is said to arrive in five days. In the meantime, Manager Mei will handle all the matters left behind by Kulen.”
Savare's eyes were filled with undisguised admiration: "Manager Mei has barely slept these past three days. She has to soothe everyone's emotions, investigate the whereabouts of funds in the accounts, deal with the questioning from the company's senior management, and deal with wave after wave of public opinion storms... Now the people of the Wasteland Star almost regard him as their savior."
"Most importantly! The company has decided to restructure the mining plan for the barren planet, so we no longer need to exchange working hours for money to repay our debts as before!"
"Really?" Shen Mi was taken aback, then said from the bottom of her heart, "That's really good news."
After finishing speaking, Shen Mi turned his head slightly and looked out the window.
Soft morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, falling on the side of her face. It was clearly early morning, but for some reason, the world seemed to have just woken up; there was no sound of machines running, and even the air seemed a little fresher.
"...Does Manager Mei know I'm awake?" Shen Mi suddenly asked.
Savare shook her head, then smiled and explained, "I was just about to inform him. Actually, he's been making time to come see you every day for the past three days, but he only stays for a short while each time so as not to disturb your rest."
She had just turned around when she suddenly stopped, turned back, and softly called out, "Sister Chenmi—"
"Hmm?" Shen Mi responded.
Savare's eyes were slightly red, but her voice was clear and firm: "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I don't know what I would have done..."
Shen Mi gave her an affirmative smile: "Things will get better and better in the future."
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Author's Note: Two more chapters, and we'll officially enter the Luofu instance! [Starry-eyed]
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