Tao Ran never expected that the very first mission she encountered after escaping from the Time and Space Administration would already make her anxious and uneasy.
As always, her luck was terrible.
The very first problem she faced after crossing over was one that touched on morality, humanity, and even life and death!
And to make things worse—she had left in such a hurry that her temporal system must’ve glitched. Now, at this critical moment of decision, she hadn’t yet received the memories of the body’s original owner. Her mind was completely blank.
The butterfly tattoo on her wrist—the connector that linked her to the Higher World—remained unresponsive no matter how many times she scratched at it. She was cut off!
Great.
At the moment, she was in a small clinic.
Judging from the crude setup, this place was definitely not legitimate.
Experience told her—most likely, it was a black-market clinic.
Standing beside her were a delicate-looking girl named Xiao Ai and a bespectacled man named Liu Jie. Both looked to be in their twenties and neither seemed friendly.
They didn’t take her seriously. At the moment, they were bargaining with a Black female nurse, trying to get the surgery fee reduced.
Tao Ran had arrived just five minutes ago.
And in those five minutes, she had gathered two crucial pieces of information.
First, from phrases like “dependent visa,” “no medical insurance,” and “her husband’s our classmate, still studying, no income source” —combined with the surroundings—she could infer that the original owner was living abroad, a housewife on a dependent visa, supporting her student husband.
Second, the body she now inhabited was pregnant. And right now, they were arranging an abortion for her. Xiao Ai and Liu Jie were the ones the husband had called to “accompany” her for the procedure.
A life-threatening operation right off the bat?
After some observation, Tao Ran instinctively wanted to refuse.
Even putting aside the original owner’s will, she herself wouldn’t dare undergo surgery in a place like this. Worse, those two so-called “friends” were trying to convince the nurse to use cheaper drugs just to save a few dozen dollars—clearly, they didn’t care about her safety at all!
The best option was to leave. Tao Ran stood up to go.
But maybe she stood too quickly, because a wave of dizziness washed over her.
Before she could steady herself, Xiao Ai’s hand flew out, landing a heavy slap across her face.
Tao Ran hadn’t expected it and took the hit squarely.
Smack!
The sharp crack of the slap echoed through the room. The force sent Tao Ran, who had just stood up, collapsing back onto the stool.
Her ears rang.
All she’d done was stand up—was that really worth a slap? She’d completed so many missions, but this was the first time someone had dared to hit her in the face!
She clenched her fist—only to realize, miserably, that she had no strength to fight back.
The next second, Liu Jie grabbed her by the shoulders.
Tao Ran tried to twist free using technique, but to her horror, she realized her luck couldn’t get any worse.
She prepared to strike back—only to forget what to do next.
Not just that—every bit of her knowledge about martial arts, inner energy, cultivation, talisman drawing… everything she’d once mastered—was still there somewhere in her mind, but locked behind an invisible barrier. She couldn’t access any of it!
“Damn it! Was she forcibly sent back to the beginner’s village?”
Could this day get any worse?
“Unlucky!” Xiao Ai rolled her eyes and spat, then made a call. “Fang Ming, your wife suddenly doesn’t want to do the surgery. Talk to her!”
“Xiao Ran!” came a pleasant male voice over the phone.
Of course—the original owner’s name was also Ran.
“Xiao Ran, you can be willful any other time, but this is a serious matter. Don’t be foolish! Who’s going to raise the child if you don’t go through with it? You’re only a few weeks along—deal with it quickly and cleanly.
“I won’t be back for another week. You’ve been vomiting and dizzy every day—your pregnancy is already affecting your work! If you don’t do the surgery, you’ll lose your job!
“Next month’s rent is due. The mortgage back home, our living expenses—they all depend on your paycheck! Don’t forget you said you wanted to go home for Christmas and New Year. What about the tickets, the gifts, the dinners, my parents’ presents—”
By the time he got that far, Tao Ran was already fuming.
What kind of scumbag was this?
So the wife was the one covering all their expenses, paying the mortgage, supporting him while he studied abroad—and yet he dared call her “willful”? This man wasn’t just a parasite; he was straight-up PUA-ing her!
“With what you earn, we can’t afford to raise a child,” Fang Ming continued. “Let me make it clear—I’m at a crucial point in my studies and can’t take a part-time job.“
Just be obedient. Once I graduate, I’ll make good money. For now, you suffer a little, and later I’ll take care of you.”
He was still spouting empty promises, but Tao Ran had already made up her mind—she had to get out of this hellhole.
She struggled, but this body was thin, frail, and weakened by pregnancy. She couldn’t fight back. Liu Jie, shameless as he was, didn’t hesitate to use force on a pregnant woman—his hands pinned her shoulders while his leg pressed her down against the wall, leaving her unable to move.
The nurse, impatient now, barked, “If she’s not doing it, then get out!”
But Xiao Ai, more anxious than Fang Ming, snapped, “Stop talking nonsense! Do it! Use anesthesia!”
“Are you sure?” the nurse asked.
“Sure! Absolutely! That girl’s not right in the head—her husband said to do it!”
“But with her condition, partial anesthesia won’t work. It has to be full anesthesia—price goes up,” the nurse said, holding up two fingers.
Xiao Ai ground her teeth and agreed.
“The patient clearly doesn’t want the surgery. That might cause trouble later,” the nurse shrugged. “Even if I agree, my coworkers might not. You know how it is—I’ll need to take them out for afternoon tea.”
“So you want a tip, huh?”
Xiao Ai bit her lip, pulled out a large bill, and handed it over.
The nurse shook her head again—two fingers still up.
Tao Ran tried to reason with Liu Jie, but two orderlies had already come over.
Moments later, she was strapped to the iron table.
Right in front of Xiao Ai and Liu Jie, a dose of anesthesia was injected into her arm. Soon after, she was wheeled into the operating room.
The more they pushed, the more determined Tao Ran became not to let them succeed.
She’d heard abortions were quick—but she needed to act faster.
Summoning the last of her strength and clarity, she grabbed the nurse who’d been bargaining with Xiao Ai earlier.
“I can pay you more than they can. But you need to help me.”
“There’s a ring on my finger. Stop the surgery, and it’s yours.”
“There’s $300 in my bag and $200 in my pants pocket. That’s for your afternoon tea.”
“I’ll give you another $1,000 as compensation. You can keep my phone, passport, and work ID as collateral. I’ll redeem them by tonight!”
“You’ll get paid twice. You can keep their surgery fee—just tell them it’s done. I’m going back to my country soon, so they’ll never find out the procedure wasn’t performed.
“And even if they do, since I was forced into it, they won’t dare come after you. You can rest easy.”
Tao Ran’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke, forcing each word out while her mind still held clarity.
“But if you go through with it…”
Her tone suddenly turned sharp, eyes cold and fierce.
“If you violate my will and force this operation, I’ll report your clinic. My people don’t fear death—but even if I die, I’ll make sure justice is served. You don’t want a lawsuit or a death case on your hands, do you?”
A mix of threat and temptation—hopefully, it would be enough to stop the operation.