Su Wan hugged Wei Jingzhuo's arm and rested her head on his palm, finding some comfort in it. Then she slowly closed her eyes.
She had just fallen asleep when she had a nightmare.
In her dream, Jiang Wenpei, covered in blood, told her that Wei Jingzhuo only had one hour left to live, and it was already fifty-nine minutes past the hour.
“You only have one minute left, and you’re still wasting time,” Jiang Wenpei urged her. “Hurry up and get her into the examination room.”
She suddenly raised her head.
It was still pitch black, and I didn't know how much time had passed.
It felt like a huge rock was blocking my chest, so heavy that I couldn't breathe.
She didn't know how much time Wei Jingzhuo had left. Jiang Wenpei wasn't there, and no one could tell her how long Wei Jingzhuo could hold on before he died. What if Wei Jingzhuo suddenly stopped breathing while she waited like this?
A broken mirror can be mended, and hatred can be resolved, but death is the end of life, and there is no possibility of redemption.
The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became. Panic gradually gripped my entire body, and I began to tremble uncontrollably.
She tried to calm herself down and gently placed Wei Jingzhuo's hand back: "Ajin, I can't wait any longer. I have to save you, and even ghosts and monsters can't stop me."
She walked out of the room, carefully closed the door, and asked Lin Qingfeng, "Qingfeng, how long have I been asleep?"
Lin Qingfeng said, "Mistress, you have been asleep for about an hour."
What time is it now?
"The fifth quarter of the hour of midnight."
That was 12:15. Su Wan nodded and said, "Guard this place and don't let anyone get close to A Jin."
Lin Qingfeng said, "Don't worry, Mistress. To get close to the Lord, you must step over my corpse."
Su Wan had no worries about Lin Qingfeng's loyalty. She jogged all the way to the storage room.
Dozens of people were in the storage room, setting up makeshift defensive fortifications under Jiang Shan's command. Chu Mingyao, who was sitting on the ground leaning against a frame, quickly stood up when she saw her arrive and said, "Sister, why didn't you sleep a little longer?"
"Have the people who went out not returned yet?" Su Wan asked.
Chu Mingyao said, "Not yet. Perhaps they haven't discovered Jiang Yan's whereabouts."
Su Wan said, "I'll go out and look for them."
Chu Mingyao was startled and held her arms, saying, "Little sister, are you still half asleep? There's an invincible monster outside."
“I know, Sister Chu, please listen to me,” Su Wan said solemnly. “A Jin must get into the examination room as soon as possible. He is my husband, and I can’t just sit here and entrust his life to someone else. I have to go out and find them.”
Chu Mingyao said, "What are you saying, sister? You won't be of any help even if you go out. What use would His Highness be if something happened to you?"
Su Wan smiled slightly and said, "Sister Chu, no one understands ghosts better than me. I know their strengths and weaknesses. They won't die. Please take care of A-Jin and wait for me to come back."
Seeing that she wouldn't listen, Chu Mingyao simply hugged her and said, "No, I won't let you go."
Su Wan struggled twice but couldn't break free, so she could only say, "Sister Chu, let go of me, I don't have time."
"Absolutely not, I won't let you out." Chu Mingyao wouldn't let go. "You'll die if you go out."
As Su Wan was struggling, a series of loud knocks came from the metal door of the passage, two heavy knocks followed by two light ones.
"They're back!" a young man exclaimed excitedly.
Jiang Shan whispered, "Don't shout. Double-check the code to make sure it's correct."
The knocking resumed, two loud knocks followed by two soft ones. The person at the door made a hand gesture, indicating that the code was correct.
Su Wan and Chu Mingyao were overjoyed and ran towards the door. Jiang Shan said, "Then what are you waiting for? Open the door quickly!"
The metal door opened, and a tall figure clad in black armor appeared in the doorway, casting a long shadow on the passageway floor. The crowd erupted in excitement.
The man walked in with heavy steps and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Chu Mingyao, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong?" Jiang Shan also rushed over and asked, "Why are you the only one who came back? Where are the others?"
The man rolled over, reached down and crawled inside, saying, "Dead... all dead. Close... close the door, it's coming."
He climbed a few feet, then stopped moving, blood dripping from the gaps in his armor onto the ground.
By the moonlight, everyone could see that the armor on the man's back had been peeled off, and the edges of the armor on his lower back were rolled up. Five deep grooves ran down his back, exposing his white spine. It looked as if someone had grabbed him with their five fingers, and even the sturdy black armor couldn't hide it.
Jiang Shan's expression changed drastically. She rushed to the door and pressed the mechanism, and the metal door began to close.
Chu Mingyao covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out, and said, "Sister, they failed. We..."
He grabbed at empty air, and when he turned around, Su Wan, who had been beside him just moments before, was nowhere to be seen.
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