Lin Xi Chen left early in the morning to catch the bus to that location as soon as possible.
However, since it was morning, she couldn't fly about freely as she would at night. That was why she was dressed as if for a hike and had brought a jacket to guard against the mountain chill.
On the way, she bought a few extra bottles of water to stock up and refill her water bottle as soon as she arrived at the bus station.
She looked up the address of the place she had visited yesterday, and luckily, there was still one last morning bus heading there.
At least, she got lucky enough to finish her tasks in a day!
Lin Xi Chen quickly bought a ticket and ran to the parked bus; upon boarding, she noticed it was nearly empty, occupied only by a few elderly passengers and two individuals who looked highly suspicious.
She pulled her hoodie up over her head and kept her face bowed as low as possible to avoid the gaze of those two individuals.
Lin Xi Chen chose a seat next to the emergency exit—so she could make a quick escape if necessary—while watching the suspicious pair through their reflection in the bus window.
They wore black cloaks with gold trim; they sat motionless, stirring only occasionally—and in any case, Lin Xi Chen wasn't curious enough to pick a fight with them.
She rested her chin on her hand and leaned her head against the window, gazing out at the street to take in the view while gathering her thoughts.
Should I.....tell Lin Qiye....?
She took out her phone and stared at it for a long time, looking at the message thread between herself and Lin Qiye. He had messaged her repeatedly whenever she failed to come home for a meal or went to a friend's place without letting anyone know, causing Auntie and Yang Jin to worry.
And the most recent message asked if she had eaten anything yet and whether she needed more money to buy something to eat.
And the most recent message asked if she had eaten anything yet and whether she needed more money to buy something to eat.
She decided to reply:
"I'm fine—I've already eaten! I'll be home a bit late tonight because I have to take a make-up class, so tell Yang Jin and Auntie to go ahead and have dinner without me, Stinky Bro."
She then put her phone away and sighed; perhaps she should have chosen a more appropriate moment to bring it up. Lin Xi Chen wondered if she ought to buy a cheap wig and a pair of contact lenses to make herself look a bit more "normal."
Lost in thought, she momentarily forgot to eat a snack to stave off hunger; her stomach gave a soft growl as she rummaged through her bag.
Lin Xi Chen opened a bag of chips and started eating a handful to stave off her hunger just as the bus pulled up to the stop. The two suspicious individuals sitting opposite her also began to move; they stood up and quickly made their exit.
Seeing this, Lin Xi Chen quickly slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped out of the vehicle after them, following close behind as they headed into the forest.
This was the very path her group had taken to reach the tunnel; she recognized it because the trash they had discarded along the way had inadvertently marked the route.
The other two also picked up their pace when they realized Lin Xi Chen was following them. They were nearing the tunnel, which was tucked away just around the corner...
How on earth did she get the feeling that a scene straight out of a novel was about to unfold—like those two strangers vanishing around that corner, and the tunnel mysteriously sealing shut?
Just as Lin Xi Chen had anticipated, the two strangers managed to shake off their pursuer at the corner just as she was about to catch up to them. She carefully picked up a large tree branch to use as a weapon as she crept around the corner.
Even though the branch couldn't really do anything, at least it made her feel more at ease.
Lin Xi Chen sighed when she saw that the tunnel was blocked—or rather, that it was simply a rough rock face with no secret tunnel to be found. She struck the spot where the tunnel entrance had been the day before, only to feel nothing but solid rock.
Could yesterday have been nothing more than an illusion? Did she go alone, or was someone with her?
No, no, no—the sensation of being tapped on the shoulder was still there, so it certainly wasn't a figment of her imagination! Lin Xi Chen took out her phone to check for a signal; it was still there. She opened the class group chat, spotted the name of one of the people from that expedition group, and tapped on it.
"Hey classmate, can I ask you something?"
The other person replied to her immediately upon seeing Lin Xi Chen's message:
"Sure, what's up? Aren't you going to school today?"
"I'm so sorry, but my brother's eye condition is flaring up again, so I have to go to the hospital to help him."
"But may I ask, what is the name of the mountain we went to scout yesterday? The one with the giant statue and those monsters!"
"Huh? Yesterday I went straight home and crashed hard! Did you bump your head or something?"
Lin Xi Chen:....
She honestly had absolutely no idea what to say when that classmate sent her a meme along with this message:
"Cut back on reading novels and focus on your studies! It's study time now, so I'm logging off—take care of yourself!"
So... none of them remember where they went? That makes sense; fortunately, Lin Xi Chen hadn't expected much, so she wasn't particularly disappointed.
How is she supposed to get back now...? Maybe she should just use "Her Ruin" for the time being? Let's just get to the city first and figure things out later.
Lin Xi Chen muttered as she slipped her phone back into her pocket, unaware that the notification indicated the contact number she had just tried did not exist.
...
She jumped down into a dark alley, glanced around to see if anyone was there, and then pulled up her hoodie to conceal her striking hair. Usually, her hunches were never right—since she was just guessing—but today was different. A sense of unease hung over the place; Lin Xi Chen shrugged and sneezed—perhaps she had caught a cold from bathing late at night.
She walked past the bustling market, where crowds of people were busy buying food or playing prize-winning games at the stalls. Lin Xi Chen paused before entering to buy some mouth-wateringly aromatic meat skewers; after all, it wasn't often they got to feast on so much meat!
She bought plenty of skewers for Auntie, Yang Jin, and her annoying brother, then glanced at a small bakery tucked away in a corner—the kind of place people usually overlook. Inside, beautifully decorated cakes caught her eye, making her want to snap photos and share them on social media. She decided to buy a large cake to take home to her family; there was no special occasion—she was simply following a hunch.
...
Lin Xi Chen spent the entire morning wandering around the market; she would need to redye her hair if she wanted to face people, though as for her golden eyes, she could simply claim she was wearing contact lenses.
That was all she did, and since it was already time to eat, she decided to head home to prepare dinner.
She saw a large man smoking and knocking on the door; since no one else had returned yet, she was the only one there.
Lin Xi Chen stepped closer and placed her hand on the man's shoulder to turn him around, while raising her fist to threaten him.
"Hey! Are you stranger danger!?"
"H-Huh!? Who me?"