Qiao Qingqing arrived at Lin Chaohai’s newly opened factory.
The factory, located in the city’s industrial park, occupied a large plot of land. The buildings were newly constructed, the equipment state-of-the-art, representing a huge investment and showcasing the man’s ambition. With this development, he could rise to prominence through selling medicines.
Yet Qiao Qingqing considered the few detailed medical texts on acupuncture truly priceless—just lying there unused while Lin Chaohai chased profits elsewhere.
Since the factory had just opened, most employees were still in training, and the confidential medicinal formulas required hierarchical access control. Currently, only one production line was running, no one worked overtime, and after dark, only the on-duty security guards remained; the rest of the staff had gone home.
Qiao Qingqing, disguised, found an inconspicuous spot, passed through the walls, and arrived at the power distribution room, cutting electricity to the workshop.
Using her spatial abilities, she moved through the factory, taking the most expensive top-tier machines along the way.
Lin Chaohai’s pharmaceutical factory specialized in traditional Chinese medicines for rheumatism, colds, and general weakness. Qiao Qingqing collected all in-progress products from the production line and everything in the warehouse into her spatial storage.
She then gathered important raw materials—various herbs that, while not the rarest, had been carefully selected and processed from cultivation bases. She even emptied the cardboard boxes.
In the office, computers aside, everything in the file cabinets and safes went into storage as well. Once done, she left without hesitation, passing through walls again.
Next, she visited the old factory, located in a distant town. Most items had already been moved; only a few warehouse goods remained, all of which she collected.
After finishing, she checked the time:
[Rebirth Countdown: 00:19:36]
Suddenly, she felt exhausted. It was as if the vitality she had gained from that thunderbolt was rapidly draining, leaving her physically spent. Even pains long dormant began to resurface.
It was time.
She stored her truck in the space, removed her disguise—the coat, hat, mask, shoe covers, and gloves—and revealed her true self.
Walking slowly along the deserted path, she reached a once-familiar town—the location of her high school. Over the years, everything had changed; only the gate and the moss-covered buildings remained in ruins. Only the old banyan tree at the entrance stood as it had in her youth.
The night wind brushed her face as Qiao Qingqing approached the tree, a step at a time, yearning for a lost dream. At that moment, she realized more than ever that she was a ghost trapped in the past. Her heart, family, and life had all been lost to destruction over these years, slowly dying.
She reached the tree, her weathered hands touching the bark, tears streaming down her face. A sudden, violent pain struck her stomach, blood mixed with a spicy taste rose to her throat, overflowing from her mouth and staining her clothes. She knew this life had reached its end.
“Little sister! What’s wrong! My god!”
An old woman rummaging through trash nearby saw her and, unfazed by the blood, limped over, taking Qiao Qingqing’s trembling body in her frail arms.
“Help! Somebody help!” the woman shouted.
Qiao Qingqing tapped her arm gently, signaling her to stay calm.
“I’m fine,” she said softly. “I’m just going home.”
The old woman, ragged and partially blind, clearly poor and struggling, was touched by her composure. “There’s no obstacle you can’t get past… I’ll call someone to take you to the hospital.”
Qiao Qingqing shook her head. She didn’t want to drag a kind, unfortunate soul into her affairs. Instead, she handed her the remaining 1,500 yuan.
“No need,” she said. “Turn left at the end of this road. There’s a police station. Call them for me—thank you.”
The old woman hesitated, then accepted the money.
The rebirth countdown had reached its final moments.
Qiao Qingqing leaned against the banyan tree, closed her eyes calmly, holding a pre-written will.
In the will, she explained she had a terminal illness, but Lin Chaohai had forced her to borrow from loan sharks for him. He had had a child with a mistress during their marriage and was moving assets, emptying factories, and spending all cash. He wouldn’t let her get medical care.
Whether people believed her story or not didn’t matter. The missing workshops, the vanished assets—they would always spark speculation. Lin Chaohai, meanwhile, would be ruined, deeply indebted, and targeted by high-interest lenders.
As for Qiao Qingqing, it was finally time to go home.
A soft breeze brushed her face once more. The world grew silent.
[Rebirth Countdown: 00:00:00]