The man remained in the stairwell for several seconds after Qian Wei disappeared through the emergency door.
He touched the side of his neck, remembering the intensity in her eyes when she moved toward him.
Qian Wei had never looked at him that way before.
He was not conceited enough to assume she had suddenly fallen in love with him after forgetting his name. There had been no affection in her expression and certainly no shyness. For a few uncomfortable seconds, she had looked at him as though she had been fighting the urge to do something neither of them would understand.
Then she had patted his shoulder, thanked him for no apparent reason and hurried away.
Something was wrong with her.
The doctors believed that extreme exhaustion had affected her memory, but memory loss did not explain her unusually cold skin, heightened sensitivity or the way her attention kept returning to his pulse.
He decided not to confront her until he understood more.
Qian Wei was already outside the hospital by the time he caught up.
She stood near the entrance with her face raised toward the sky. Sunlight fell across the unfamiliar city, reflecting from buildings that rose higher than anything she remembered from 2026.
From a distance, she looked calm.
Inside, her thoughts were anything but peaceful.
[Mission reward confirmed.]
[Basic Control increased by 10%.]
A faint warmth spread from Qian Wei’s chest to the rest of her body. It was not strong enough to make her feel entirely normal, but some of the unnatural coldness eased. Her senses also became slightly less overwhelming. She could still hear the heartbeats of people passing nearby, yet the sound no longer dragged at her attention with the same force.
The hunger remained somewhere inside her.
For now, it had retreated.
Qian Wei glanced at her hands. "Does Basic Control only help me resist the hunger?"
[Basic Control improves Host authority over mutation instincts and voluntary physical changes.]
"What voluntary physical changes are you referring to?"
[Current control remains insufficient.]
"Of course it does. You never provide a complete answer when you could turn it into another mystery."
The system ignored her complaint.
Qian Wei dismissed the panel before anyone noticed her staring at empty air.
The sky above the city was clear and blue. It looked ordinary enough, which made the system’s warning more difficult to accept. In three months, the apocalypse would begin, and this peaceful world would start moving toward extinction.
People continued entering and leaving the hospital. A man complained about the cost of treatment while his wife told him that remaining alive was more important than saving money. Two nurses stepped outside with drinks in their hands and laughed about something that had happened during their shift. A young boy pointed excitedly at a vehicle passing above the road.
None of them knew that their lives had already entered a countdown.
Qian Wei remembered the apocalypse novels she used to read during quiet evenings. The protagonists usually received advance knowledge, collected supplies and found somewhere secure before everyone else realized what was happening.
Would she need to do the same?
Food, medicine, clean water, weapons, protective clothing and reliable transportation would all become essential if society collapsed. Her storage space could preserve supplies indefinitely, but she had no idea how much money the future version of her possessed or what goods were available in this era.
She did not even know how to open her own front door.
Qian Wei released a weary sigh.
Preventing human extinction would have to wait until she learned how to survive an ordinary afternoon in the year 2326.
Her partner approached and stopped beside her. His gaze moved briefly across her face as though checking whether the cold air had helped.
"You disappeared quickly enough to make me wonder whether you intended to walk home without knowing where you live," he said. "Are you feeling any better now?"
"The noise is easier to tolerate outside, and my headache has faded," Qian Wei replied. "I’m sorry about what happened in the stairwell. I became disoriented and reacted strangely."
"That is one way to describe it."
She looked at him carefully. "Are you angry?"
"No, but I am concerned because you stared at me for almost a minute without answering, then walked close enough to make me think you might either faint or attack me." He paused before adding, "You have never behaved like that before, even when you were furious with me."
Qian Wei felt guilt settle in her chest. "I cannot explain it yet because I don’t fully understand it myself. However, I would never deliberately hurt you."
The answer was sincere, although she did not know whether her body would allow her to keep that promise.
He studied her for another moment before nodding. "I will accept that for now, but if it happens again, you need to tell me instead of running away."
"I will try."
"I would prefer a promise."
"I don’t make promises I may not be able to keep."
Her response made his expression soften slightly. "That sounds more like you."
Before Qian Wei could ask what he meant, he pointed toward the vehicle area. "Wait here while I bring the car closer. The doctor said you should avoid unnecessary exertion, and I have no intention of carrying you back inside if you collapse again."
"I am capable of walking across a parking area."
"You are also capable of arguing about everything. Please remain here for two minutes."
Qian Wei watched him leave.
She expected him to return in an ordinary vehicle. Cars might have changed during the past three hundred years, but she assumed the basic shape would remain recognizable.
That assumption disappeared when a large silver object glided toward the hospital entrance.
Its body resembled a cross between an armored vehicle and the spaceships used in science-fiction films. There were wheels beneath it, but they did not appear to touch the ground. Smooth panels covered the exterior without any visible handles, while the dark windows blended into the metallic surface.
The vehicle stopped in front of Qian Wei.
She stared at it.
Was she supposed to wait until a door opened, or did future vehicles expect passengers to enter from beneath?
A section of the dark window became transparent, revealing her partner in the driver’s seat.
Qian Wei continued staring.
He lowered the window completely. "Are you planning to stand there until the hospital readmits you?"
"I am trying to determine where the door is."
His eyes narrowed. "You forgot how to enter a car?"
"I told you that parts of my memory are missing. You cannot expect me to remember everything immediately."
"That is true, but I did not realize the missing memories included doors."
He opened his side and stepped out. The panel beside Qian Wei slid upward when he touched it, revealing a perfectly ordinary passenger seat inside.
Qian Wei tried to hide her relief.
The vehicle looked like something that should have carried soldiers between planets, but at least she would not have to crawl beneath it.
"You could have opened it from inside," she remarked.
"I could have, but I wanted to see whether you remembered before I embarrassed both of us by explaining how a door works."
"It seems you were unsuccessful."
He gave her a faint smile. "Please get in before you begin arguing with the vehicle."
Qian Wei settled into the passenger seat. The door closed automatically, and a restraint slid across her body without anyone touching it.
She almost reached for it in alarm, but her partner noticed.
"It is only the safety restraint. It will release when we arrive."
"I knew that."
"Of course you did."
His tone made it clear that he did not believe her.
The vehicle moved silently into traffic.
Qian Wei looked through the window, fascinated despite herself. The streets were wider than those she remembered, while several lanes ran above the ground. Vehicles changed direction with impossible smoothness, and enormous displays floated along the sides of buildings without any visible support.
She wanted to examine everything, but doing so would reveal how unfamiliar the city was.
Instead, she leaned against the seat and closed her eyes.
Her partner glanced at her. "Are you tired?"
"A little. I think the doctor was right about me needing rest."
He raised his eyebrows. "Should I record that statement? You may deny ever saying it after your memory returns."
"If you mention it again, I will deny it immediately."
He laughed softly and focused on the road.
Qian Wei pretended to sleep.
With her enhanced senses, actual sleep was impossible. She could hear the vehicle’s systems humming beneath them, distant conversations from passing cars and, most clearly, the heartbeat of the man beside her.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The hunger stirred but did not overwhelm her.
[Basic Control active.]
Qian Wei focused on the system notification instead of the warm pulse close to her.
Approximately ten minutes later, the vehicle slowed.
"We have arrived," her partner said. "You should open your eyes before I become worried that you collapsed again."
Qian Wei waited several seconds to make it appear that she had been asleep before looking outside.
A small detached villa stood beyond a gate made from a dark material she did not recognize. Compared to the towering structures in the distance, the house looked surprisingly ordinary. It had two floors, narrow windows and a small garden that appeared too well maintained for someone who supposedly spent all her time at work.
The vehicle had stopped only a short distance from the gate.
Qian Wei assumed this must be her home, but she still needed to confirm it without revealing that she had no idea where she was.
"Thank you for bringing me back," she said as the door opened.
Her partner released his restraint. "I will walk you inside and make sure you have everything you need."
"That will not be necessary. The doctor ordered me to rest, and I intend to begin following his instructions immediately."
He gave her a suspicious look. "You have just remembered that you support medical advice when it helps you get rid of me."
"I am not trying to get rid of you. I simply don’t want to keep you away from work any longer."
"The station can survive without me for another ten minutes."
Qian Wei looked toward the house. If he followed her, he would quickly discover that she did not know how to unlock the gate, operate the door or find anything inside.
More importantly, remaining close to his heartbeat continued testing her new control.
"I appreciate your concern, but I need some time alone to process everything," she told him honestly. "You said we have been partners for a year, which means I probably trusted you before losing my memories. I would like to trust you again, but at the moment, I don’t even understand what happened to me. Please allow me to enter my home by myself."
His expression changed.
After a brief silence, he nodded. "Alright, but contact me if you need anything. My information should be saved in your communicator."
Qian Wei realized she did not know which object he meant, but she could investigate that later.
"I will contact you if necessary."
She stepped out of the vehicle, then hesitated.
"Thank you, ah..."
The unfinished sentence exposed the problem she had hoped to avoid.
He stared at her before understanding. "You don’t remember my name either."
"I told you that I couldn’t remember working with you."
"You could have asked at the hospital instead of calling me ’the man’ inside your head all afternoon."
Qian Wei’s eyes widened. "How did you know I was doing that?"
"Because every time someone avoided using my name, you looked relieved."
She had underestimated his observational skills.
He shook his head, although he appeared more amused than offended. "My name is Zhang Ren. Try to remember it before we meet again."
"Zhang Ren," Qian Wei repeated. "Thank you for staying at the hospital and bringing me home. I know I have made today difficult for you."
"You have made every day difficult since we became partners, so at least that part of you has not changed."
Qian Wei smiled faintly. "Then I suppose I will see you again after my medical leave."
"You will see me sooner than that. I intend to check whether you are eating and following the doctor’s instructions."
The mention of eating made the hunger shift inside her.
She controlled her reaction and stepped away from the vehicle. "You should return to work before your concern becomes another reason for the station to tease you."
Zhang Ren watched her for a moment before closing the door.
The vehicle moved backward without turning. Qian Wei stared until its upper body rotated smoothly while the wheels remained facing the same direction. It then travelled away as though it had always been positioned correctly.
Future cars could apparently move in either direction without reversing.
Qian Wei waited until Zhang Ren disappeared around the corner before facing the gate.
She could not see a keypad, handle or scanning device.
After examining it briefly, she stepped closer.
A soft click sounded, and the gate opened inward.
Qian Wei paused.
It might have recognized her face, body signature or some object hidden in her clothing. Whatever method it used, she was grateful that she would not have to climb over it and explain herself to curious neighbors.
She walked through with the confidence of someone returning to a familiar home. The gate closed automatically behind her.
The front door presented a more recognizable problem. A small security panel beside it contained a glowing area shaped like a fingerprint.
Qian Wei placed her thumb against it.
[Identity confirmed: Qian Wei.]
The lock released.
Relief passed through her as she stepped inside and closed the door.
She leaned against it and finally allowed the tension in her shoulders to ease.
Then she lifted her head and listened.
Zhang Ren’s vehicle had not continued far.
After turning the corner, he had stopped, stepped out and returned on foot. His heartbeat now came from the other side of the wall near the gate.
He had followed her.
Qian Wei almost went outside to confront him, but she understood his reason. She had forgotten his name, behaved strangely at the hospital and claimed not to remember her own address. He wanted to confirm that the security system recognized her.
She pretended not to notice him.
Outside, Zhang Ren watched the door remain closed for another minute before releasing a slow breath.
The fingerprint scanner had accepted her identity.
Whatever had happened to Qian Wei, she was still the same woman he had worked beside for the past year.
At least physically.
His suspicion eased, but it did not disappear.
Inside the unfamiliar house, Qian Wei opened her eyes and listened to him walk back toward his vehicle.
Only after his heartbeat faded into the distance did she turn around.
She had finally reached the home of the woman whose life she had somehow inherited.
Now she needed to discover who that woman had been.