Lin Mi rushed up the emergency staircase, throwing off the people who tried to catch her. Just as she stepped onto the fourth-floor landing, the ground trembled faintly beneath her feet.
Immediately afterward, screams rose from below, followed by a loud BOOM— as if a surge of flames had suddenly erupted.
“!!”
Her throat tightened instantly.
The kitchen was on fire!
Now they shouldn’t try to stop her anymore, right?
What was happening downstairs was the best proof. The people on the third floor would finally understand the seriousness of the situation.
Without wasting a second, Lin Mi sprinted toward the conference hall. She was just about to reach the banquet hall when she spotted a red emergency alarm switch mounted on the wall.
Right!
How could she have forgotten this?
Without hesitation, she lunged forward and pulled down the alarm lever!
“WOO—WOO—WOO—”
The sharp, piercing fire alarm echoed through the entire hotel.
On the third floor, chaos had already erupted.
“Ahhh!”
“Fire! There’s a fire!”
The previously dismissive staff members finally panicked when flames suddenly burst out before their eyes. Their expressions turned pale as they realized how serious the situation was.
They stopped caring about anything else, shouting desperately as they urged and directed frightened guests toward safety.
“Run! There’s a fire! Evacuate!”
Suddenly, the crackling sound of burning material rang out. Thick black smoke rapidly filled the kitchen and began spreading down the hallway.
The staff scrambled—some searching for fire extinguishers, others making frantic phone calls.
Fortunately, there weren’t many guests on the third floor. Once they sensed danger, they fled downstairs quickly.
**
After pulling the alarm, Lin Mi charged straight into the banquet hall.
Inside, the conference room was brightly lit. The screen displayed summit content, and someone was speaking on the stage. Rows of well-dressed elites filled the seats.
Staff members stood at both sides of the hall.
The sudden fire alarm made everyone freeze for a moment. Faces filled with confusion, guests exchanged looks—no one knew what was happening.
The staff reacted quickly, reassuring the attendees while sending someone to investigate.
“…”
Lin Mi, breath slightly uneven, saw that everyone was still unprepared.
There was no time to explain!
Before the staff could respond, and before the guests fully processed what was happening, she dashed onto the stage and grabbed the microphone.
“Please stay quiet and listen! There’s been a serious gas leak in the third-floor kitchen— it’s already on fire! The flames are spreading fast, and the situation is extremely dangerous! Hotel staff are handling it now, so I need everyone to evacuate in an orderly manner! There are fire exits on both sides of the hall, and another staff passage near the restroom corner. People in the first six rows, take the left exit! The middle six rows, use the right! The back rows, head for the staff passage! Do NOT take the elevator! The fire will soon spread to the fourth floor—there may even be an explosion!”
She delivered every word in one breath, her voice forceful and unmistakably urgent.
When she saw someone standing up to question her, she raised her voice even louder, drowning out the murmurs below the stage.
“That’s all! Please evacuate IMMEDIATELY and DO NOT crowd!”
For a few seconds, the entire hall fell into stunned silence.
Then— a wave of louder chaos erupted.
Some were frightened, some yelled in disbelief, some stood up in panic.
“Let’s go!”
“Oh my God! Explosion?!”
“Run!”
In an instant, the hall was in motion. People abandoned their belongings—some didn’t even grab their phones—rushing toward the exits.
The moment she finished speaking, Lin Mi dropped the microphone and sprinted toward the audience area.
Her target was clear.
The moment she stood onstage earlier, she had already spotted Wei Xun sitting in the front row.
“…”
Wei Xun had been absentmindedly twirling his pen—these conferences were always the same. But when he suddenly heard a familiar voice, he finally looked up at the stage.
Her?
She hadn’t left yet?
Fire?
So this was the danger she warned him about earlier?
In truth, he hadn’t dismissed her morning reminder.
After all, he had many enemies. It wasn’t impossible that someone might try something.
So after returning to the conference room, he had his assistant conduct a discreet sweep of the entire floor. No suspicious persons were found.
Everything in the hotel looked perfectly safe.
So he let his guard down—but still kept a trace of vigilance.
Never did he expect that what she warned about was… a gas leak?!
Lin Mi leapt over a row of chairs, reached him, and grabbed his wrist without a word—dragging him toward the exit.
“Mr. Wei! Move!”
She pulled him along, speaking quickly as they ran.
“The fire’s spreading! There might be an explosion—come with me!”
She had already memorized every passage and route in the hotel.
“…”
Wei Xun was momentarily stunned. He had not expected her to be so bold—so forceful. His body stiffened for a second.
Lin Mi’s grip was tight—firm, decisive, not allowing resistance.
By the time he realized it, he had already run several steps with her.
But he didn’t resist.
He let her pull him along— even matching his steps with hers as they rushed toward the exit.
The banquet hall was already in chaos.
Thankfully, most attendees remained relatively calm. Even though panicked, they followed Lin Mi’s instructions, forming three evacuation groups.
With the staff directing the flow, the scene didn’t devolve into total mayhem.
Lin Mi and Wei Xun were among the first group rushing out of the hall.
“…”
Behind them, Assistant Han stared blankly.
His CEO… was just taken away by a woman?!
No, wait—
Was this a beauty saving a hero?
“Eh—Boss! Wait for me! You forgot your phone!”
Assistant Han grabbed the phone from the table and ran after them.
But the rushing crowd cut him off within seconds.
Meanwhile, Lin Mi and Wei Xun squeezed into the flow of fleeing people, running toward the stairwell. The faint smell of smoke drifted through the air.
“Why are you here?”
Wei Xun asked as they ran, his voice low and quick, mixed with tension.
He clearly wanted to ask how she knew all this—and why her warning was so accurate.
“No time to explain!”
Lin Mi didn’t look back. She only sped up, gripping his hand even tighter.
“We need to get out first!”
She knew her actions were abrupt, risky, and possibly insane. But once the fire spread, the consequences would be unimaginable.
She couldn’t convince everyone.
She couldn’t save everyone.
But she could save— the one person who once helped her.
She genuinely didn’t want a tragedy to happen.
She mourned the innocent lives that had been lost in the original timeline.
She wanted to stop the disaster and earn the system’s reward.
But all of that came after ensuring her own safety.
She was still selfish.
She was young.
She had parents to care for.
She couldn’t throw her life away.
So—
She would do everything she could.
And leave the rest to fate.
(End of this chapter)