Chapter 209 – Nightmare from Ten Thousand Years Ago – Becoming a Couple (05)
Bai Tang ran to the edge of the well and looked down. The water shimmered, but the bottom was not visible.
Mu Quyan found a red string at the edge of the well—one that could be tied around the wrist. He remembered that the woman in the red dress in the photo and the girl both had red strings on their wrists.
Based on Bai Tang’s description, it must have fallen off during the struggle between the woman in red and the victim.
Outside the door, the sound of a switchblade clicking echoed again. Mu Quyan’s heart sank.
When Mu Quyan looked up, he saw the terrifying face of the woman in red glaring at him—or more precisely, at the red string in his hand.
“Give it back to me…”
The woman’s voice was sharp and grating, like it was coming through a broken water pipe.
Bai Tang had seen this woman several times already. Perhaps he had built up some immunity, or perhaps it was because Mu Quyan was with him, but this time, he didn’t feel as terrified as he had been when dealing with the key.
He stepped in front of Mu Quyan. “You go. Hurry.”
Bai Tang was determined to protect Mu Quyan no matter what. He had Qiu’er and Xiao A to help him, and in a critical moment, he could escape into the Little White Room. But Mu Quyan couldn’t enter the system space—ironically, Bai Tang was actually the safer one.
Mu Quyan had finally found Bai Tang; there was no way he’d leave him behind and run.
He grabbed Bai Tang’s hand. “If we go, we go together.”
What they didn’t know was that they had made the fatal mistake of “talking too much.”
The woman in red wasn’t going to give them the chance to share heartfelt farewells. With the switchblade in hand, she charged at them—intent on taking both of their lives.
Mu Quyan grabbed the blade with one hand, pushed Bai Tang aside with the other, and began to fight the woman.
The woman in the red dress had relied on brute force, and with the help of a weapon, she was able to overpower the victim and push her into the well.
But Mu Quyan was different. He was a sanda (Chinese kickboxing) champion, a young and strong man. He quickly took the woman in red down, grabbed Bai Tang, and ran toward the door.
They ran for a long time. Only when they were far away from the tic-tac-toe-shaped building and had hidden themselves inside another house did they finally stop.
“You’re bleeding.” Bai Tang gently cupped Mu Quyan’s hand, distressed. There was a deep gash across his palm—an injury he had sustained by catching the woman’s blade barehanded to protect him.
“It’s nothing,” Mu Quyan replied, though his face had turned pale from the intense running, which caused the wound to keep bleeding.
Although people wouldn’t feel hunger or fatigue in this space, pain from injuries could still be felt. The greatest threat, however, was mental collapse.
Bai Tang took Mu Quyan’s hand and closed his eyes, activating his ability.
He wasn’t sure if it would work in a virtual space, but he had to try.
Fortunately, Bai Tang’s ability followed his soul. As long as he concentrated and willed it, he could still use it.
The wound on Mu Quyan’s hand visibly began to heal. Even Mu Quyan could feel the improvement—his body felt much better, and his mind clearer.
But his first reaction wasn’t joy at discovering this miraculous boy. Instead, it was shock—and wariness.
“Tang Tang, does anyone else know about your ability to transform into a squirrel and this healing power?”
Bai Tang shook his head. “Only you know~”
That was a relief.
Mu Quyan let out a sigh. People could be dangerous. Right now, everyone was talking about working together to uncover the secrets of the cube and escape, but no one really knew what others were thinking. If they found out about how special Tangtang was, who knows what they might do?
“Tang Tang, does using this healing power have any side effects on you?” Mu Quyan asked again.
“Nope, it just uses up mental energy. If I use it too much, I get sleepy.” As Bai Tang spoke, he even let out a yawn.
To Bai Tang, this space was just another ordinary dimension—albeit a more dangerous one. It wasn’t all that different from the various worlds he usually traveled to, so it didn’t place much of a burden on him. However, this space could quickly wear down a person’s spirit. While others might go mad, Bai Tang just got drowsy.
Mu Quyan gently stroked Bai Tang’s face, his eyes full of worry. “Baby, don’t sleep. If you fall asleep, you might not wake up.”
Just hearing the word “sleepy” made Bai Tang truly feel drowsy. In a daze, he murmured, “No… I’ll wake up. I will. Let me tell you something—I’m not from this world. I’m special…”
This nightmare space had already severed its connection to the world’s natural laws, so Bai Tang wasn’t afraid of any punishment for speaking the truth.
Being able to transform into a little squirrel and possessing unique powers were enough to prove that what Bai Tang said was real.
Mu Quyan believed him for reasons he couldn’t explain. Still, staying in one place too long was dangerous—the woman in red could show up at any moment.
“Tang Tang, can you turn back into a little squirrel before sleeping? It’s cleaner and more comfortable in my pocket than on the ground.”
“Mhm, sure~” came the soft, sweet voice, filled with deep affection.
With a soft “poof,” the boy transformed into a small yellowish-brown squirrel. His fluffy tail stood upright, and his pointy ears drooped sleepily to either side.
“Tang Tang, come here,” Mu Quyan said, holding out his hand.
The little squirrel darted lightly into his palm.
Mu Quyan carefully placed his beloved squirrel into the pocket of his shirt and even buttoned it closed to keep him from falling out while moving.
His chest felt warm and full. It was such a comforting feeling—especially seeing the tiny squirrel curled up in his pocket, hugging his tail as a pillow. It was unbearably cute.
Mu Quyan didn’t stay in the abandoned building long. Carrying the little squirrel, he quickly left. The woman in red was just a lingering shadow of this space—she couldn’t be killed. Staying in one place too long would only get you caught.
On the other side, Qi Jiu and Wei Kexin—who had gotten separated from Mu Quyan and Bai Tang at the electrical gate—weren’t so lucky.
They didn’t run into the woman in red, but they did encounter a schoolgirl in uniform—missing one leg.
The moment she saw Wei Kexin, she pointed at Wei Kexin’s leg and said, “Give it to me. Give it to me…”
Then she charged straight at her.
Of course, Wei Kexin wasn’t going to give her leg to anyone, so she and Qi Jiu turned and ran.
Maybe it was the heroine’s aura at work, but more than once, the girl nearly caught Wei Kexin—each time, they managed to escape only thanks to Qi Jiu’s protection. But Qi Jiu suffered many injuries in the process.
“I’m sorry,” Wei Kexin sniffled, her voice choked with tears.
If she hadn’t insisted on relying on her knowledge of ancient culture and insisted on taking what she believed were “clues,” they wouldn’t have attracted that girl—and Qi Jiu wouldn’t have gotten hurt.
Qi Jiu was covered in injuries, and the fight with the girl had rapidly drained his mental strength. Now, his face was deathly pale, but his eyes were filled with love for Wei Kexin.
“Don’t blame yourself. Protecting you is my duty.”
“Didn’t Mu Quyan say we wouldn’t feel tired in this space? Then why… why do I feel sleepy… like I want to sleep…” Qi Jiu’s consciousness began to fade.
“No! You’re not allowed to sleep. Don’t sleep!” Wei Kexin shook Qi Jiu gently, whispering in a panic.
She realized that in Qi Jiu’s current state, if he fell asleep, he might never wake up again.
The thought of Qi Jiu—who had protected her like a big brother all her life—dying in this space was unbearable.
“Kexin, I’m just going to rest for a while… If I don’t wake up, you have to find Mu Quyan… let him take you out of—”
“Don’t say that!” Wei Kexin’s tears streamed down like broken pearls. “If even you don’t protect me, how can I count on anyone else to?!”
Her words struck Qi Jiu like a bucket of cold water.
She was right—human nature was the least reliable thing of all.
What relationship did Mu Quyan even have with Kexin? To him, she probably wasn’t even worth a single strand of that boy’s hair.
Not to mention, earlier, that boy almost got hurt because of him and Kexin. If they encountered danger again, it was very possible that seeing Kexin alone, others would throw her out as a scapegoat.
No.
He couldn’t sleep.
He couldn’t die here.
He had to get Kexin out safely.
Qi Jiu rested for quite a while before finally regaining some strength.
His resolve grew even stronger—he couldn’t afford to collapse so easily.
“Qi Jiu, Qi Jiu… if we make it out of here, we still have such a long, long future ahead of us…” Wei Kexin hugged him tightly as she spoke.
It’s often said that moments of crisis reveal people’s true hearts. Before being captured by the research institute, Wei Kexin had always felt something for Qi Jiu—but it was that ambiguous space between close friendship and love.
Maybe it was because they were so familiar with each other that she never felt the kind of passionate excitement she’d imagined love to be.
But not all love is explosive and intense. Her feelings for Qi Jiu were more like a steady stream—gentle currents that eventually converged into a mighty river. It wasn’t until she was on the verge of losing him that she truly understood her own heart.
She couldn’t live without Qi Jiu.
Qi Jiu understood Wei Kexin’s feelings. After all these years of devotion, her words were the response he had longed for. It only strengthened his determination to survive and get them both out of there.
“Kexin, I… I like you,” Qi Jiu said seriously, looking into her eyes.
“I like you too, Qi Jiu.” Wei Kexin wasn’t the type to beat around the bush. With their future so uncertain, even if death awaited them, she wanted to face it alongside Qi Jiu.
The two embraced tightly.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor—steady, not frantic.
Qi Jiu and Wei Kexin looked at each other, uncertain whether the approaching person was a teammate or an enemy.
The one-legged girl they had encountered earlier moved by hopping on one leg, and her steps also had a very distinct rhythm.
Wei Kexin had no intention of sitting around waiting to be caught. She helped Qi Jiu up, opened the wardrobe in the room, and the two of them hid inside.
She could only hope that the one-legged girl, like the woman in red, was blind enough not to go rummaging through closets and drawers.
Wei Kexin left a small gap to observe the outside.
A faint beam of light filtered in from the corridor.
Light?!
Residual shadows (like the red-dressed woman) wouldn’t use non-lethal tools.
Light… A flashlight?!
Wei Kexin had never been this excited before. With a creak, the wardrobe door swung open. Qi Jiu tried to hold her back, but he couldn’t stop her from rushing out.
“Who’s there?”
The faint female voice caught Mu Quyan’s attention just as he was about to leave.
“Mu Quyan! Mu Quyan…” Wei Kexin ran excitedly down the hallway. It was such a relief to see someone she knew. With Qi Jiu in his current condition, she was genuinely worried she wouldn’t be able to carry him any farther on her own.
Watching everything unfold from the Little White Room, Qiu’er clicked his tongue.
“Didn’t the female lead just confess to that cannon fodder? And now she’s trying to cozy up to the male lead?!”
All-seeing Xiao A adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and said, “There’s only one truth—she just wants a tool to take care of her ‘husband.’”
Author’s Note:
“Toolman” Male Lead: I only love my Tang Tang. Don’t even think about getting near me.
Meanwhile, Little Squirrel Bai Tang was still fast asleep in the male lead’s pocket, snoozing away peacefully.