Chapter 40: Old Flame

Someone was following them. Zhang Min looked around, but saw no one.

Yet, a lingering sixth sense—the distinct sixth sense of one who had been reborn—told her someone was definitely trailing them.

"What is it, Zhang Min?" Pei Siying noticed something was wrong, edged closer, and asked in a low voice.

"Someone is following us." It was a flat, declarative statement.

Clearly, Pei Siying had sensed it too, murmuring, "I feel it as well."

"So, what's the plan?" Pei Siying's hand had already slid down to instinctively touch the small knife concealed inside her waistband.

"Yu Niaoniao, that fool, still hasn't realized. Let's get her to walk ahead of us," Zhang Min frowned, shaping the words with her lips for Pei Siying.

Such a fine "vessel" could not be allowed to die; her path to ascension depended entirely on Yu Niaoniao.

Pei Siying nodded, stepped forward quickly, and patted Yu Niaoniao on the shoulder. Forcing a casual tone, she said, "Niaoniao, why don't you walk in front? Zhang Min and I have something to discuss."

Yu Niaoniao suspected nothing and nodded with a smile, "Alright, you guys chat." She quickened her pace, walking a few yards ahead of the other two. She had always known that Pei Siying and Zhang Min were closer.

Even though she had been the one to meet Minmin first, for some reason, from the very first time Minmin and Pei Siying met, they had shared an effortless rapport like old friends, leaving her with the distinct feeling that she was gradually being excluded.

A sudden, sharp sting of sorrow pinched at her nose. *No, I mustn't let Minmin and the others see this. Perhaps I'm just overthinking it.*

Feigning nonchalance, Yu Niaoniao began to hum a tune, completely oblivious to the danger.

Zhang Min and Pei Siying slowed their pace, their eyes scanning the surroundings with vigilance.

Tree shadows swayed and the wind whispered through the brush, yet not a single figure could be seen.

"Who on earth is it..." Zhang Min narrowed her lovely peach-blossom eyes, scrutinizing every corner.

Suddenly, a dark silhouette darted out from behind an abandoned vehicle on the flank, lunging straight at Yu Niaoniao!

"Watch out!"

Pei Siying shouted at the top of her lungs, abruptly drawing her knife and rushing forward. This was Zhang Min's vessel; she couldn't afford to die. If she perished, they would have to scour the ruins for a brand-new vessel.

Only through Zhang Min's ascension could they hope to survive on this polluted earth.

Startled by the cry, Yu Niaoniao spun around, her pupils contracting sharply as a man rushed toward her—a handsome man, at that. The attack was so sudden that she completely forgot how to dodge.

***

Right at that critical, split-second juncture! A blade of ice cleaved through the air.

The man's expression shifted, and he withdrew his hand just in time. The icy projectile sliced through the empty space and gouged a hole in the ground; had he not pulled back an instant sooner, his hand would have been severed.

The tall, slender man licked his lips, casting an enigmatic, sinister smile at Pei Siying. "Quite the sharp reflexes you've got there, little girl."

*Gao Zheng?* Zhang Min narrowed her alluring peach-blossom eyes. She vividly remembered that Gao Zheng was definitely not a native of Tongcheng, and she had only ever encountered him later at the Tian'an Base in her past life.

Why was Gao Zheng in Tongcheng in this lifetime? Something was deeply amiss.

Clearly, Pei Siying recognized him as well, though she did not react with the same intensity as Zhang Min, having died early in her previous life and remained ignorant of subsequent events.

He broke into a smile, the corners of his lips curling into a handsome arc. "Don't be frightened, girls. I was merely testing your reactions."

Gao Zheng tilted his head, his gaze wandering among the three young women before finally resting on Zhang Min's face.

A playful smirk played at the corner of his mouth. "It's awfully dangerous for young ladies to travel alone in this apocalyptic wasteland. Could you perhaps use a valiant knight?" He made a show of flexing his arm, though there were scarcely any muscles to speak of.

Only then did Yu Niaoniao recover her wits. The man standing before her reeked of malicious intent, and he had just tried to ambush her.

Frowning deeply, Yu Niaoniao channeled her energy into her arms and whipped out the massive machete strapped to her back. She spun the blade with blinding speed, looking every bit ready to hack Gao Zheng to pieces.

"Niaoniao." Zhang Min finally spoke. She heard the faint tremor in her own voice. "He means no harm."

It wasn't that she was being overly presumptive, but as someone reborn, she could confirm that Gao Zheng was also a returnee from the future, and his journey to Tongcheng this time was specifically to find her.

The man standing before her likely did not yet know that she, too, had relived her life.

Pei Siying frowned nearby. She could not comprehend why Zhang Min had suddenly altered her stance, but years of mutual trust prompted her to remain silent.

As Gao Zheng moved, Yu Niaoniao tightened her grip on her machete in tense anticipation.

He simply extended two fingers and gently pushed aside the blade inches from his face. "Come now, don't be like that. It's not very ladylike." He bowed slightly, displaying the effortless elegance of a gentleman in a film. "I am Gao Zheng. Shall we get acquainted?"

"We don't need companions," Pei Siying interjected coldly, an ice blade spinning in the palm of her hand. "Especially not strangers of questionable origin."

Even though she, Zhang Min, and Gao Zheng had been teammates back at the Tian'an Base in their previous lives, things were different now. They had both been reborn, and the cascading butterfly effects were simply too vast. It was impossible to tell whether this Gao Zheng was friend or foe.

Gao Zheng's gaze finally drifted away from Zhang Min's face, fixing instead upon Pei Siying.

The smile at the corner of his mouth deepened, radiating a subtle, chilling danger. "Little girl, your ice-attribute ability is indeed impressive, but..."

***

Abruptly raising his hand, a flash of golden light cut through the air, and the ice blade in Pei Siying's grip instantly melted into a puddle of water. "...against absolute strength, it is still wise to exercise caution."

Pei Siying gasped involuntarily. She knew this Team Leader Gao had been formidable in her past life, but she had not expected him to wield such terrifying power already.

"What on earth do you want?" Zhang Min stepped forward, shielding her two companions behind her. Though she had already deduced that Gao Zheng was a fellow time-traveler, she had zero desire to have any entanglement with this man in her second chance at life.

All levity vanished from Gao Zheng's expression as he straightened to his full height.

"I'm looking for an old friend," he said, his voice dropping to a low register while his gaze remained fixed unwaveringly on Zhang Min. "Someone I once thought I would never see again."

Zhang Min skipped a heartbeat; Gao Zheng's stare was far too scorching.

She forced herself to look away, terrified that if she kept gazing into his eyes, she might yield to the urge to plunge a knife into his chest. *Wouldn't it have been better to write off the grievances of our past lives? Why did he have to track her down?*

With a light chuckle, Gao Zheng suddenly took a large step forward. Before Zhang Min could react, he had firmly caught her by the wrist.

The man's palm was abnormally warm, matching the flush creeping up her cheeks.

"Let go!" she snapped softly, attempting to wrench herself free, only for his grip to tighten further.

Gao Zheng gently rubbed his thumb against her pulse point, his eyes deepening by degrees. "Minmin, why are you afraid to look at me?"

"Let her go!" Yu Niaoniao suddenly charged forward, attempting to slam her body into Gao Zheng.

The tackle was entirely devoid of technique, yet it unexpectedly forced Gao Zheng to release his grasp.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Min retreated a few paces, fixing a sharp, piercing stare upon Gao Zheng. He had clearly realized that she had been reborn; continuing this charade was utterly pointless.

"Enough!"

She drew a deep breath. "Gao Zheng, let's cut to the chase. What is your actual purpose in coming to Tongcheng? I hardly remember you ever being a local."

A slow smile spread across Gao Zheng's face—not a false, polite grin, but the most genuine smile he had worn in a long time.

"I came to find you," he answered simply. Yet the look he cast toward Zhang Min was anything but simple, resembling the expression of someone gazing upon a long-lost, priceless treasure.