"Where on earth have I ended up!"
Shang Yu looked around in bewilderment, finding himself in a hospital corridor filled with the pungent, stinging scent of disinfectant.
A medical professional in a white coat hurried past him. On both sides of the corridor, some people were leaning on railings as they moved slowly, while others rested against the walls. There were also several empty hospital beds scattered about.
A hospital? But he distinctly remembered being at the movie theater just a moment ago!
He rubbed his chin as he walked, deep in thought, and after only three steps, he arrived at a startling conclusion: "I must be dreaming!"
Just then, the previously noisy environment suddenly fell unnaturally silent, as if time itself had frozen.
Shang Yu looked up, startled to find himself face-to-face with a patient in a hospital gown. Their eyes met. Ordinarily, when two strangers’ gazes lock, both would choose to look away, but this patient did not.
What unsettled him even more was that everyone in the hospital seemed to have stopped what they were doing at that very instant, focusing their gazes on him in unison.
Their eyes held no emotion—only numbness and indifference, like countless surveillance cameras blinking with red lights. But cameras don't make one’s skin crawl.
Furthermore, he realized he couldn't see these people’s faces, yet he could see their eyes with perfect clarity. Each pair of eyes shimmered with a bizarre light, as if they were capable of piercing through to his soul.
In such a situation, only a hero would choose not to run.
Shang Yu, for one, was no hero. But he discovered that no matter how much he wanted to leave, his feet kept carrying his body forward. It was as if some invisible force were compelling him to move in a certain direction. The people’s necks creaked as they twisted to follow his path, right up until he reached the door of a hospital room.
He would never forget the sight inside for as long as he lived:
The ECG monitor was beeping rhythmically; on the hospital bed lay a woman with faint, shallow breaths, with black mist swirling around her—something he had been powerless against.
Back then, he was still a child. Even though he knew he was "different," he had been unable to pose any threat to that mist.
The door opened on its own, and Shang Yu walked in, numb.
"Mom—"
He whispered the word, only to find that his voice was as filled with helplessness and terror as it had been all those years ago.
Suddenly, with a thunderous roar, the floor beneath him collapsed, and he plummeted.
Everything around him blurred. He felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss, swallowed by endless darkness.
Fear, despair, helplessness—those long-buried emotions instantly engulfed him. It was as if he had returned to that afternoon, watching the person on the bed breathe her last, watching the ECG monitor flatline.
Yet he could only sit in the chair, unable to move.
As soon as this thought formed, he was back in that chair.
A pair of hazy eyes met his. His mother was too exhausted; even catching a final glimpse of her child as she passed required every ounce of her remaining strength.
The monitor’s alarm blared. Shang Yu stared blankly at the flat line.
What should I do? What can I do? Even if I returned to this day with the abilities I have now, how could I save you? I can’t save you!
Then I will learn more, I will train harder, and one day, I will be able to save you!
Everything around him blurred once more. When it cleared again, Shang Yu found himself running.
He was in a school hallway. He knew there was something he had to do, so he ran fast.
He sprinted through the teaching building, across the playground, out the school gate, and down the street. He rushed into the hospital, headed to the basement, and saw the man's body.
He was already dead!
"Dad—"
When Shang Yu opened his eyes, Jiang Yuansheng’s face was inches away. The hall was dim, making her features unclear, but her eyes were exceptionally sharp.
In his grogginess, Shang Yu easily confused her with the people from his dream.
*Smack!*
A crisp slap followed by a stinging pain brought him back to reality. Shang Yu clutched his cheek, and just as he was about to speak, a gun floated into the air before him.
"Send a message to Qi Jingtao."
"Qi Jingtao? Who’s that?"
*Smack!*
Shang Yu opened his phone efficiently, navigating to the chat interface with Qi Jingtao, which currently contained only a greeting.
"Sis, what should I write?" he asked sheepishly.
"Tell him you’re working with Jiang Yuansheng. 'Yuan' as in money, 'Sheng' as in the 'sheng' in survival," she instructed, then realized he didn't know who she was. "By the way, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jiang Yuansheng, and for the time being, I am the only kidnapper here."
"Can I not—"
The gun was already pressed against Shang Yu’s temple, leaving him no choice but to send the message.
Jiang Yuansheng watched the message go through and smiled. "Send: 'I already know everything.'"
Shang Yu obediently edited and sent the message.
"Now send a sticker."
Shang Yu opened his saved stickers, which were exclusively memes of a panda character. Jiang Yuansheng’s eye twitched; she snatched the phone away and sent one of the panda wearing imperial robes.
Outside, the phone in Qi Jingtao’s pocket vibrated twice. He ignored it, focusing instead on the file about Jiang Yuansheng.
When he finished, he rose slowly, his gaze fixed on the crowd ahead.
Group Leader Feng lunged forward, trying to block him, and said anxiously, "Lord Qi! There are over a hundred people in there! You can't just act recklessly!"
Qi Jingtao didn't respond, simply sidestepping him and walking on.
"Lord Qi! This won't do, you can't just—"
Group Leader Feng tried to keep pleading, but was interrupted by Xiao Nan, who clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry," Xiao Nan said, offering comfort. "Lord Qi isn't the type to act without thinking. Trust me, Lord Qi only needs to lift a finger, and this crisis will be over in an instant."
"Why isn't he replying?" Jiang Yuansheng sounded impatient.
"Big Sis, it’s only been thirty seconds."
"Call him."
Shang Yu resisted, but he had no choice but to comply.
The phone in Qi Jingtao’s pocket rang. He reached in and hung up immediately. After a moment of thought, he pulled the phone out.
It was Shang Yu.
And those messages.
Xiao Nan, who had just been saying that Lord Qi was a man of measure, watched as his Lordship stormed into the encirclement, walked to the entrance of the screening hall, and placed his hand against the door.
A gust of wind whipped up around Qi Jingtao, forcing everyone nearby to shield their eyes.
Three seconds later, just as Qi Jingtao raised his hand to push the door, it swung open from the inside.
Jiang Yuansheng stepped out, followed by Shang Yu, who was currently contemplating how to escape from her clutches.
"Lord Qi, we finally meet." Jiang Yuansheng looked at the heavily armed men behind him and raised her hands. "Since my supernatural ability has been suppressed by you, I think Shang Yu and I will choose to surrender!"
"Don't lump me in with you!"
Despite his protest, Shang Yu raised his hands above his head, waiting to be cuffed.