"Come here...come to my side..."
Xie Chen's hoarse voice echoed in the narrow, cluttered room, carrying a fragile vulnerability on the verge of collapse and an undeniable stubbornness. He knelt on one knee, the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth particularly glaring in the dim light. His hand, reaching out to her, trembled slightly, but his gaze was like a chain, firmly binding her, as if she were the only light he could grasp in the boundless darkness.
Su Nian's heart felt as if it had been scalded by those words. Fear, worry, and an indescribable pang of heartache instantly overwhelmed her. Almost without thinking, she staggered forward and tightly grasped his outstretched hand.
His hands were icy cold, but his palms were still warm from the battle and sticky with blood.
"How are you? Where are you hurt?" Su Nian's voice was trembling with tears as she frantically tried to check his injuries.
"It's alright." Xie Chen gripped her hand tightly, so hard he almost crushed her bones. He used her strength to stand up with difficulty, most of his weight resting on her, his breathing heavy. "Go...we can't stop..."
He glanced at the "cleaner" who had been knocked unconscious in the corner, then warily scanned the doorway. The fighting outside seemed to have temporarily subsided, but no one knew if any other "cleaners" were approaching.
[Warning! Multiple life signs... are rapidly approaching... towards... the main entrance and flanks...]
[It is recommended that you immediately implement the evacuation plan for the ventilation ducts. Repeat: Evacuate immediately!]
[Mission objective... Vital signs... Deteriorating... Requires... Emergency treatment...]
The alarm blared sharply, carrying an unprecedented urgency.
Su Nian looked up at the dark ventilation vent, then at Xie Chen, who was leaning almost his entire weight on her and whose face was as pale as paper, and gritted her teeth.
"Where do we go from here!" she said, pointing to the ventilation shaft with a resolute tone, as if she had nothing to lose.
Leaning Xie Chen against the wall for the moment, Su Nian quickly moved several old computer cases stacked together, climbed up unsteadily, and tried to pry open the rusty vent grille. The grille made a teeth-grinding "creak" sound, and rust chips fell down in a flurry.
"Faster...faster..." she murmured to herself, using all her strength.
Finally, with a loud crash, she forcefully pried open the fence, revealing a narrow opening just wide enough for one person to pass through, leading into a deep, dark space filled with the smell of dust and rust.
She jumped down and helped Xie Chen, who was already somewhat delirious, to his feet. "Xie Chen! Wake up! We have to climb up!"
Xie Chen barely opened his eyes, his unfocused gaze fixed on her anxious face. He nodded, and with his strong willpower and Su Nian's support, struggled to climb onto the stack of computer cases.
First, Su Nian climbed into the ventilation duct, then immediately turned around and pulled Xie Chen upwards with all her might. He was seriously injured, and his movements were slow and labored. Each effort aggravated his wounds, causing him to groan in suppressed pain. Su Nian could feel his trembling and cold sweat, and her own arms ached from the excessive force, but she gritted her teeth and dared not relax for a moment.
When Xie Chen finally entered the pipe completely, Su Nian was almost exhausted. She quickly restored the fence to its original state, hoping to buy some time.
The ventilation ducts were pitch black, with only occasional slivers of light filtering in from afar, outlining the cold contours of the metal pipes. The air was foul, thick with the suffocating smell of years of dust and engine oil. The ducts were narrow, forcing them to crawl forward.
Su Nian led the way, with Xie Chen following behind her. Their heavy breathing was amplified in the enclosed space.
"Stay close to me..." Su Nian whispered, crawling forward cautiously. Her hands and knees stung as they rubbed against the cold, rough metal surface. But she couldn't care less; all her senses were focused on the breathing behind her and the danger that might be coming from any direction.
[Follow the coordinates... turn left... fifty meters later... turn down...]
[Attention... There is a surveillance camera ahead... Avoid... the infrared sensor...]
088 served as a temporary navigation system, its voice faint yet precise.
After crawling for an unknown amount of time, Su Nian felt as if all the bones in her body were about to fall apart. Xie Chen behind her grew increasingly silent, his breathing becoming weaker and weaker, with only the occasional soft sound of his foot hitting the pipe wall indicating that he was still following.
"Xie Chen? Are you alright?" Su Nian couldn't help but turn around, and in the pitch black, she could only barely make out a blurry outline.
There was no response.
Su Nian's heart sank, and she groped her way closer to him. Her fingers touched his cold cheeks, and she could feel that his forehead was covered in cold sweat and his body temperature was frighteningly low.
"Xie Chen! Xie Chen!" She gently patted his face, her voice filled with panic.
“…Nian…” he finally managed to utter a weak sound, filled with deep exhaustion and confusion, “Cold…”
Su Nian's heart clenched. She recalled the endless pain and cold she felt when his underground origin was sealed in the vampire world. Was it a relapse of an old injury? Or was it a side effect of the suppression of this world's rules and the forced activation of power just now?
Without thinking twice, she took off her thin coat and groped her way to cover him with it, then held his cold hand tightly, trying to transfer some warmth to him.
"Hang in there, we'll be out of here soon..." she whispered, unsure whether she was trying to comfort him or herself.
Just then, Xie Chen suddenly grabbed her hand tightly with surprising force. He pulled her hand to his chest, and through the thin fabric, Su Nian could feel his weak and erratic heartbeat.
"Don't... leave again..." he whispered brokenly, his consciousness seemingly sinking into some kind of chaotic dream, "I can't... lose you... again..."
These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Su Nian's ears!
Can't afford to lose it again?!
He remembers?! He remembers things from other worlds?! Or... is this just the rambling of a confused consciousness?
Before she could think it through, Xie Chen suddenly coughed violently, his body curling up as if enduring immense pain. His grip on her hand tightened and loosened intermittently, as he uttered incoherent words:
"...The star trail...is broken..."
"...The seal...it hurts so much..."
"...Remember...my..."
As Su Nian listened to his painful murmurs and felt his body trembling, her heart ached as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand. For the first time, she clearly sensed that beneath his seemingly strong and indifferent exterior lay such profound pain and obsession that transcended countless worlds.
Without further hesitation, she bent down and, in the darkness, gently embraced his cold body by instinct.
"I'm here..." Her voice carried a tenderness and a sob she herself didn't realize, "This time, I won't leave."
When she hugged him, Xie Chen's violently trembling body seemed to stiffen slightly. Then, as if grasping at a lifeline, he used his last bit of strength to hug her back, burying his face deep in the crook of her neck, like a wounded beast seeking comfort.
[Target...emotional fluctuations...stabilizing...vital signs...rate of decline...slowing down...]
[Host's...behavior...effective...continue...maintain...]
[Warning... An exit has been detected below... but... at the same time... an unknown... energy reaction exists... Be careful...]
Guided by 088 and half-dragged, half-carried by Su Nian, the two struggled to climb to a branch of the pipe. The faint sounds of the city's nighttime hustle and bustle could be heard below, along with a weak, damp breeze.
The exit seems to be just below! But the unknown energy reaction warned by 088 also made Su Nian dare not be careless.
She cautiously peeked out to observe. Below appeared to be an abandoned small freight station, piled with some miscellaneous items, and dimly lit. She didn't see any sign of the "cleaners" yet.
"We've arrived. It seems safe down there." Su Nian turned around and whispered to Xie Chen, who was still unconscious.
Xie Chen didn't respond, but just held her clothes tightly, as if afraid that she would disappear if he let go.
Su Nian looked down at the not-too-high distance below, then at Xie Chen, who was almost unable to move, and gritted her teeth.
"Hold on tight, let's jump."
She adjusted her posture, letting Xie Chen's arm wrap around her shoulder, and then, with all her might, she pulled him down into the unknown darkness below, a mixture of hope and danger!
Bang!
The two crashed heavily onto the cold, dusty concrete. The force of the impact made Su Nian's vision go black, and she almost fainted. Xie Chen let out a suppressed groan of pain beneath her.
Ignoring her own pain, Su Nian hurriedly checked on Xie Chen. His eyes were closed, his brows furrowed, and he seemed to have fallen into a complete coma.
"Xie Chen! Xie Chen!" she called out anxiously.
Just then—
Da, da, da.
Clear, unhurried footsteps echoed from the depths of the platform's shadows.
A tall, slender man in a black trench coat slowly emerged from the darkness. He was toying with a compass-like instrument that shimmered with a ghostly blue light. His gaze fell with interest on Su Nian and Xie Chen, who had fallen to the ground in an embrace, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.
“It’s truly moving,” his voice had a metallic quality. “The drama of a pair of doomed lovers is always so captivating, no matter how many times you watch it.”
Su Nian suddenly looked up, shielding the unconscious Xie Chen tightly behind her, and stared warily at the strange man who had suddenly appeared.
Who is he? An accomplice of the "Cleaners"? Or... the mysterious person who sent the warning message?
The man stopped, his gaze passing over Su Nian and landing on the unconscious Xie Chen, his interest growing even stronger.
“However, what interests me… is him.” The compass in his hand pointed at Xie Chen and emitted an even more rapid buzzing sound.
(End of Chapter 82)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com