"How did you fall asleep?" Xia Chuhe questioned 03.
03 After a moment's thought: "She shared half of the candy you gave her. After eating it, she felt very sleepy."
Xia Chuhe was certain that there was nothing wrong with the candy she gave Bao'er. That meant Bao'er had poisoned the candy, and she had planned her departure.
03 Trying to salvage the situation: "I know an assassin with tracking abilities... but I need Bao'er's hair..."
Bao'er isn't around, where can I find her hair?
Xia Chuhe lowered his eyes, summoned the off-road vehicle from the farm, and sent 03 in to search carefully to see if he could find Bao'er's hair.
03 is short hair, and Xia Chuhe's hair is on the stiffer side.
If there is a hair in the car, 03 can tell who dropped it.
Meanwhile, Xia Chuhe contacted 123, who was located at the Food and Amusement Park: "Can you track the addresses of forum users?"
123: [The other party needs to grant address permissions and be online in order to track the device.]
At this point, we had no choice but to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.
Xia Chuhe: [Please check Bao'er's address]
A while later, 123 sent a message: [The most recent address update was last night, near the Black Mountain base.]
123: [Did something happen to Bao'er?]
Last night, at the Montenegro base...
It was just a place the three of them passed by.
Xia Chuhe: [She's missing. Please keep track of her location.]
123: [Who arrested them? Should we send someone over?]
Xia Chuhe: [She walked away on her own.]
123 stopped responding.
Xia Chuhe silently reasoned.
If Bao'er's destination is nearby, then there are only three bases to choose from: Black Mountain Base, Colored Stone Base, and Northern Tiger Base.
The Black Mountain base is unlikely; Bao'er has no connection to it.
It's unlikely that they'd go to the Colored Stone Base either. If they were to go, Bao'er would go with Xia Chuhe. Besides, Xia Chuhe didn't encounter Bao'er on the way there and back.
That leaves only the North Tiger Base.
But will BoA really go there?
The three's original destination was the North Tiger Base, so Bao'er didn't need to go there alone.
03 After searching the car, strangely enough, the three of them had stayed in the car for more than ten days and not a single hair had fallen out.
03 He didn't tell Xia Chuhe about this strange thing, only saying that he hadn't found Bao'er's hair.
Xia Chuhe's mind was focused on exploring the base, and he did not doubt 03's explanation.
"Go to the Black Mountain base and find out if Bao'er has appeared."
Xia Chuhe decided to split up with 03.
03 She went to the Black Mountain Base, while she went to the North Tiger Base.
First, investigate both bases. If you can't find anyone, then pin your hopes on 123's tracking technology.
03 had no objection to Xia Chuhe's arrangements and immediately set off.
Just as Xia Chuhe was about to leave, his wristwatch suddenly vibrated.
She looked down and saw that it was a message from Bao'er.
Sister, have you ever wondered why, out of so many people in the dungeon, I was the only one who ended up in the wasteland?
Sister, I've never thought about this before. Being around you and my teachers, all I need to do is be a happy and hardworking child.
It wasn't until you led me on this journey back to the past that I felt the calling from my bloodline and understood the meaning of my existence.
Sister, you are a good person, a very, very good person, but good people are often soft-hearted. So, I had to keep this from you and do it all by myself.
Come find me, come to the place where we first met.
Sister, if there's something you need behind that locked door, I'd be happy to be the key. No matter how many times, I'd be willing.
The message was quite long, with somewhat incoherent and nonsensical wording.
Xia Chuhe didn't fully understand Bao'er's meaning, but she grasped two important pieces of information:
Bao'er is in the abandoned safe house where she first accidentally entered the first instance.
What Bo-ah is doing is dangerous; it's a kind of seductive sacrifice.
Xia Chuhe immediately opened the car door, trying to find the abandoned safe house from his memory.
Just then, 123 also sent a message to Xia Chuhe, along with precise coordinates.
123: [Bao'er's watch just sent a message; I'll send you its location.]
Xia Chuhe: [Received]
Xia Chuhe stepped on the gas and sped away.
The off-road vehicle was fast and moved freely across the wasteland.
Xia Chuhe arrived at the place where it all began in less than half an hour.
The abandoned safe house remained the same, except that an "X" had been crossed out on its sign.
Even though the powerful mutated earthworms have been eliminated and the spreading ice and snow dungeon has collapsed, the base still hasn't sent anyone to repair this safe house.
Xia Chuhe couldn't wait to pull open the iron gate and jump into the safe house.
Warm flames encircled the inner walls of the safe house, burning into a soft yet scorching solid barrier.
Bao'er stood at the original entrance to the Ice and Snow Dungeon, her lower body completely transformed into flames.
"What are you doing! Stop right now!" Xia Chuhe shouted.
Bao'er smiled sweetly, her dimples blooming: "Sister, you're here. I'm opening the door, hoping there's something you need behind it."
"Stop! I order you to stop!" Xia Chuhe said firmly.
Bao'er nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to my sister."
Bao'er verbally obeyed, but her body remained unmoved, and more and more parts of her body turned into flames, which in the blink of an eye climbed up to her chest and abdomen.
Xia Chuhe's eyes were bloodshot. He rushed forward, trying to interrupt Bao'er's transformation into flames.
Her hand passed through the flames, but she touched nothing.
Xia Chuhe embraced Bao'er's head and the parts of Bao'er's body that were still human.
Bao'er clasped her hands together and murmured, "Transform."
The flames suddenly shot up a large distance, completely obscuring Bao'er's body.
Xia Chuhe came up empty-handed, having gained nothing.
The humanoid flame that Bao'er had transformed into grew smaller and smaller, gradually shrinking to the size of a pale, fist-shaped flame.
The fire barrier inside the safe house was completely extinguished, with only the flame radiating heat.
The flames shot towards a corner of the safe house at incredible speed and then disappeared.
The air was like the surface of water where a pebble had been thrown in, and Xia Chuhe seemed to see ripples spreading outwards.
Something has been opened.
Tears blurred my vision.
Xia Chuhe followed his senses and groped his way to the place where Bao'er had disappeared.
The walls seemed to be nothing, allowing her to enter another space without any hindrance.
It was a cold place with only one snow hut to spare.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
