A mutated wood ability user had arrived at the hospital and pulled several heavily injured, near-death ability users back from the brink of death.
The news spread quickly, and many people rushed over, wanting to see this legendary healer with their own eyes and offer sincere thanks.
At that moment, Ji Chaoxi was in a hospital rest room recovering her energy.
On the table in front of her lay a small pile of beast cores—gifts from the patients she had saved.
Ye Jiming was nowhere to be seen.
Ji Chaoxi felt a little worried that he might cause trouble in Yuzhou Base.
But then she thought it was not her concern.
And then another thought, one she could not suppress, surfaced.
No one here knew her.
If she left now, there was a high chance she could escape.
There was no time to waste.
She decided to go immediately.
Ji Chaoxi collected the beast cores from the table and walked straight out of the hospital.
It was already midnight.
The cold air struck her face and seeped through her clothes, clinging to her skin and making her shiver.
It also made her thoughts clearer.
If she left Ye Jiming, she could change her fate.
Whether she succeeded or not, she had to try.
The night moonlight was hazy.
The wind blew through the trees, their shadows swaying like figures watching from the darkness.
As if someone stood hidden within the shadows, watching her with cold, sticky eyes.
Ji Chaoxi’s heart rose to her throat.
Ye Jiming could even disguise himself as Bai Xuan. That thought alone put immense pressure on her.
She felt like anyone could be him.
It suffocated her.
Yuzhou Base was different from Longcheng Base.
Here, high-voltage wires formed towering walls to block sudden mutant beast attacks.
Climbing over the wall would likely trigger alarms.
The only way out was through the main exit.
As time passed, Ji Chaoxi’s heart sank further.
A bad premonition grew stronger.
She had reached the exit.
Under the moonlight, a tall figure stood at the five-meter-wide gate.
A cigarette burned between his fingers, its red ember flickering in the darkness.
Ji Chaoxi froze.
The sweat that had formed from nervousness turned ice-cold, seeping into her bones.
The wide exit should have only taken seconds to cross.
But because of that figure, it now felt impossibly far away.
Uncrossable.
“Wife, want to know why I’m standing here?”
A voice like a devil’s whispered through the night.
“Because I was waiting for you.”
He stepped forward.
Long legs carried him in an instant to her side.
Ji Chaoxi’s throat tightened.
She could not speak.
A hand tilted her chin upward.
The faint smell of tobacco lingered at her nose—like a devil’s breath, dangerous and suffocating.
Ye Jiming’s thumb brushed over her cold, soft lips.
His gaze, hidden in shadow, was twisted and possessive.
“Baby, want to explain why you’re here? I’m all ears.”
The figure before her was slightly taller than Bai Xuan, heavier in presence, more oppressive.
It was Ye Jiming himself.
“I…”
Ji Chaoxi’s voice was dry.
“If I tell you… will you believe me?”
Ye Jiming chuckled softly.
“I will. Everything my wife says, I believe.”
“I… you weren’t in the hospital, so I came to find you.”
“Good. I like that explanation.”
He paused.
The silence stretched unnaturally long.
“So… now that you’ve found me, what are you planning to do next, baby?”
A strong wind blew.
Her hair whipped across her face.
Ji Chaoxi closed her eyes briefly.
The exhaustion from using her ability made her dizzy.
Her body swayed forward half a step.
That half step brought her into his space.
Almost into his arms.
From the darkness, his eyes darkened.
He reached out and pulled her into his embrace, erasing the last distance between them.
Ji Chaoxi pressed against his solid chest.
Her body stiffened—but the coldness faded slightly.
Feeling her faint trembling, Ye Jiming tightened his arms.
“Cold?”
“…Mm.”
A coat was draped over her immediately.
Then her feet lifted off the ground.
She was carried effortlessly.
“Baby, it’s too cold. Should we go back?”
Ji Chaoxi held onto his clothes and slowly exhaled.
“Let’s go back.”
When they were near the apartment, Ye Jiming turned and brought her to a smaller two-story building instead.
“Are we staying here tonight?” Ji Chaoxi asked.
“Yes.”
The door opened automatically, revealing a warm, dim light inside.
Ji Chaoxi stood in the living room, uncertain.
Ye Jiming pinched her slightly cold cheek.
“Hungry? Want something to eat?”
She nodded.
“Wait here.”
He pushed her onto the soft sofa, wrapped his coat around her, and walked into the kitchen.
Ji Chaoxi watched his tall figure move about.
Then looked down at the coat on her shoulders.
Warmth slowly spread through her.
The doors and windows were tightly shut, blocking out the cold wind.
Her stiff body gradually relaxed.
She curled up on the sofa and stared into space, like a lost child.
From the kitchen came the sound of cooking.
The aroma of food drifted into the living room, pulling her thoughts back.
She turned her head slightly.
Through the doorway, she could faintly see his busy silhouette.
He should have thrown her into a mutant beast horde.
And yet now, he was cooking for her.
For a moment, she even thought—
If she could stay here forever, maybe it would not be so bad.
But the curse of dying after torture always lingered.
In the dead of night, she often woke from nightmares of being torn apart by mutant beasts.
It had been two years.
If not for her wood ability filled with life energy, she would not have lasted this long.
The system had said her ending was already determined.
Before that ending arrived, even death was not allowed.
She buried her face into her arms.
Silent tears fell.
Like so many sleepless nights before.
A hand lifted her head from her arms.
Blurred vision met Ye Jiming’s darkened gaze.
“Ji Chaoxi, what are you crying for?”
He frowned.
Her face was covered in tears.
Her eyes were red.
He did not know how long she had been crying.
So quiet it was almost like she wasn’t breathing.
“Because you couldn’t escape, so you feel wronged?”
His tone darkened.
“Ji Chaoxi, give up that thought. You won’t escape.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks in silence.
Ji Chaoxi took a shaky breath.
“Ye Jiming… I won’t run anymore. If… can you—”
He waited two seconds.
Impatiently, he said,
“Say it.”
“Can you let me die quickly?”
“No.”
The refusal was immediate.
His brows furrowed deeply.
Why would she say that?
Did she know the ending from the past life?
If she wasn’t Ji Chaoxi, then how did she know?
He looked at her tear-streaked face.
He should have felt disgust.
But he did not.
A voice inside him kept telling him—
She was not that Ji Chaoxi.
Then… who was she?
And why had she become this Ji Chaoxi in this world?
A flash of insight struck his mind.
This world…
So that’s how it was.