Chapter Sixteen: The Reborn One?

Just then, a commotion erupted not far from the gymnasium.

"Damn it! The signal is back; I need to let my mother know I'm safe."

Pei Siying and Zhang Min exchanged a glance, their lips curving into a shared, knowing smile. They turned to Li Luyan and said, "It’s all thanks to you; otherwise, we never would have been able to defeat that Tier 3 monster." As she spoke, she gave Li Luyan’s shoulder a light pat.

Li Luyan’s body stiffened, and she shifted half an inch to the side, almost imperceptibly.

Pei Siying’s hand hovered in mid-air, a flash of darkness passing through her eyes. She chuckled softly. "In any case, we can call for help now." She pulled her hand back to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear and continued, "Before the signal is damaged completely."

"I wanted to ask... is Yu Yue doing alright?" Her voice sounded dry.

The smile vanished from Pei Siying’s eyes. She replied with a languid tone, "Your friend’s ribs were shattered, and she suffered internal organ ruptures."

Li Luyan instinctively gripped the gymnastics mat beneath her. If Yu Yue had died because of her...

No.

Seeing Li Luyan’s pupils shrink, Pei Siying seemed satisfied, her voice even carrying a hint of pleasure. "However—" she drawled, savoring Li Luyan’s expression, "Minmin’s Light-element ability snatched her back from the jaws of death. Now she just needs to recover."

Li Luyan let out a sigh of relief, the heavy stone that had been pressing on her chest finally shifting away. As long as Yu Yue was okay. She had almost let someone else die for her—it was so close.

"We’ll be going now. Get some rest." Zhang Min stood up first, the hem of her brown windbreaker sweeping an arc through the air.

Pei Siying rose as well, casting one last meaningful look before leaving. Li Luyan felt as if she had been locked onto by something.

...

The two stepped out of the gymnasium into dead silence. The monsters in the vicinity had all been obliterated by Li Luyan.

Pei Siying pulled a pack of 1916 cigarettes from her cargo pants pocket, expertly lighting one with a flick of her lighter. The flame danced—much like hope itself.

"Are there any left?"

"Have to ration them... still, we came back too late," she said, her voice low.

Zhang Min reached out, raising an eyebrow. "Care to share one? Hm?"

"In your dreams. You came back earlier; why didn't you stock up more?" She exhaled a cloud of smoke that blurred her vision, hiding Zhang Min’s expression.

"...The dorms had already fallen by the time I returned," Zhang Min said, her eyes darkening. "In the end... I couldn't save her."

"...Alright, Zhang Min." Pei Siying patted her back, her voice dropping. "It’s good enough that we made it back. Who would have thought we’d be partners again this time around?"

"The Tongying Association..." She squinted. "Just you wait."

"The Tongying Association?"

"The organization that killed me."

"Fine, fine..." Pei Siying exhaled another plume of smoke. "Too bad I didn't live until then, but—" She changed the subject. "Since they haven't organized yet, we need to improve our strength first."

"What do you think of Li Luyan?" Zhang Min asked, her gaze sharp and her voice gravelly.

"She’s worth recruiting... after all, this kind of talent is rare, especially since she possesses near-destructive power when she loses control." Pei Siying took a drag of her cigarette, tilting her head.

Zhang Min replied, "We shouldn't let her lose control unless it's an absolute last resort."

Pei Siying scoffed, a smile touching her lips, though it didn't reach her eyes. "In chaotic times, the 'saints' die first. Zhang Min, you’ve lived two lifetimes, after all."

"I don't know..." She shook her head. "But I don't think we should provoke Li Luyan."

"Tch, Zhang Min, you’re always like this." Pei Siying fished a fruit candy from her pocket and popped it into her mouth. The scent of peach permeated the air. "You've been reborn once, yet you’re still so timid."

"It’s precisely because I’ve lived through it once..." She suddenly grabbed Pei Siying’s hand with surprising strength. "That I know what should be touched... and what shouldn't."

She was so close that Pei Siying couldn't help but swallow hard. She pulled her hand away and said with an unnatural expression, "Alright, alright... I get it." She pivoted again. "It’s getting dark... let’s head back."

Zhang Min took one last look toward the gymnasium. Through the shattered window glass, Li Luyan’s solitary figure could be seen sitting in the corner.

"Do you think she heard us?"

"Who knows." Pei Siying walked forward without looking back. "Anyway... there’s plenty of time."

The sun sank, and the two shadows stretched long into the twilight. The last glimmer of human civilization would never be extinguished.

The sky looked as if it had been stained with ink. The gymnasium gradually fell into darkness. Li Luyan sat on the gymnastics mat, her fingers unconsciously picking at the material until the yellow foam underneath was exposed.

Interesting. Reincarnators, are they?

She couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth. She never expected something out of a novel to actually appear in real life.

However... what made her even more curious was the organization called the 'Tongying Association.' What kind of group could have killed Zhang Min?

A vision of that rebellious girl flashed through her mind—a rebellious girl with a high IQ.

"Yan... sister." A gasp came from behind her; it was clearly Yu Yue.

She turned around and saw the thick bandages wrapped around the girl's chest. Her throat tightened, and her voice came out hoarse: "Yu... Yue?"

"Who told you to come here!" She stood up abruptly, her voice rising half an octave.

"I was just worried about you..." She forced a smile.

Li Luyan looked suspiciously at the injuries covering the girl, then at her own unscathed body. "You were worried about me?"

She took a few heavy breaths. "I was just afraid you’d... overthink things." She forced the words out, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

Li Luyan carefully supported her. Her skin was warm, and the realness of the touch finally eased Li Luyan’s fear that she might have died.

She helped Yu Yue onto the mat. "Don't run around anymore. I'm fine." Seeing Yu Yue’s pale complexion, she felt her heart clench, and her voice softened involuntarily. "If Lin Youwei saw you hurt like this, she’d be heartbroken too."

"That’s true. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the senior. She’s been locked up for two days; it’s time to let her out." She furrowed her brows.

Meanwhile, in the containment room for the infected, Lin Youwei was tied up against the wall.

She tilted her head back, feeling like life had lost all meaning, her stomach letting out an untimely growl. "I'm so hungry..." She looked down at her flat stomach. "I’m going to starve into having abs at this rate."

The door of the isolation room suddenly clicked.

Lin Youwei lifted her head sharply. Someone was finally here. She said listlessly, "Someone’s finally here... if you hadn't come, I would’ve started chewing on the wall."

The moment she saw who it was, tears of excitement almost welled up in her eyes. She scanned behind the person and asked, puzzled, "Li Luyan? Why are you the only one here? Where’s Yu Yue?"