Chapter 35: The Rose’s Accompaniment
Suddenly slammed to the ground, the high-security prisoner lifted his head and glared fiercely at the two of them.
Huai Yu was stunned. “What’s wrong?”
“Just in case,” Lin Xuefeng smiled. “Some people experience secondary mutations in their abilities after gaining powers. And for some, their sensory abilities become significantly enhanced.”
“We talked about too many things we shouldn’t have. I was worried he might have heard us.”
Huai Yu let out a sigh. If she hadn’t been alone for so long, and if Lin Xuefeng hadn’t made her feel so at ease, she wouldn’t have said so much she shouldn’t have.
But the mental relaxation she felt at this moment was incredibly satisfying, so she curiously asked:
“Then how can we tell if he heard us?”
Lin Xuefeng raised an eyebrow. “How to tell? No need to.”
Then he added with slight regret, “What a pity. When mutation levels are unstable, the Rose Corridor really dislikes bloodshed and conflict. So—”
Bang!
A stream of water silently wrapped around the high-security prisoner’s head, then instantly compressed inward.
Huai Yu could only watch as the man’s once-ferocious eyes turned vacant in an instant, bulging wide—
With a muffled sound like something heard underwater, his hard skull caved in, and red and pink matter slowly oozed out, even pink viscous fluid began leaking from his nose.
His scream of pain barely started before it ended. Now, only a faint trace of consciousness remained, barely clinging to life, with breathing sounds almost inaudible.
The water sphere around his head didn’t dissipate but continued swirling, ensuring not a drop of blood or brain matter spilled out.
Lin Xuefeng turned back around, his expression clear and calm. “Huai Yu, let me teach you something else—when it’s time to strike, don’t hesitate. Don’t give any minor character the chance to interfere or turn the tables.”
His movements were so crisp, without the slightest hesitation. Huai Yu was stunned by the bloody yet strangely quiet scene, her face instantly turning pale.
But soon she nodded, her eyes sparkling. “Okay, I’ll remember—what if he dies though?”
“Nothing to worry about. A high-security prisoner escaping and resisting law enforcement… do we even need to explain it?”
Lin Xuefeng spoke confidently, but his face quickly turned troubled. “Sigh, once he stops breathing, I’ll still have to drag him to the Mutated Plant Defense Camp’ gate… what a hassle.”
Huai Yu sat back down, resting her chin on her hand as she watched him. She thought this person was really interesting—and his way of doing things was even more interesting.
But—so annoying! She had spilled all her secrets, and he hadn’t said anything in return? Could it be that even his name wasn’t real?
…
Bringing the prisoner here was meant as a live demonstration and to ensure absolute security for the Rose Corridor. Now, seeing that the man was barely alive and couldn’t make a sound, Lin Xuefeng disdainfully “dragged” him outside.
The hut returned to silence. Huai Yu pressed her hand against her chest, feeling her heart pounding fiercely—it was extremely thrilling.
She took a deep breath to calm herself and then looked at Lin Xuefeng. “You still haven’t told me—why are you going to the Wasteland?”
Lin Xuefeng smiled sweetly to coax her, “I can’t tell you yet—hmm, that rose is really beautiful, can you give it to me?”
“You’re taking a flower to the Wasteland?” Huai Yu was puzzled.
Lin Xuefeng’s smile didn’t waver. “I feel like its company would be really romantic.”
“You…” She wanted to ask more, but Lin Xuefeng waved his hand. “Huai Yu, it’s very late. You should get some rest.”
Huai Yu was indeed exhausted.
After running around all day, overdrawing her abilities several times, and enduring constant mental stimulation throughout the night…
She really shouldn’t have relaxed enough to sleep, but thinking about Lin Xuefeng’s abilities made her feel at ease. She nodded. “Alright then…”
She took off her jacket and crawled into her sleeping bag, intending to say a few more words, but she fell into a deep sleep before she could even complete a thought.
…
The next day.
The room was dim, and a curtain of water like a flowing wall divided the treehouse into two. Through it, a faint orange-red firelight flickered.
It was the only light source in the dark room.
This is…
Huai Yu stared blankly for a moment before unzipping the sleeping bag and sitting up. She lifted her wrist to look at the blurry numbers—
!!!
It was already 10 a.m.! The sound of rain tapping on the roof hadn’t stopped but had lessened significantly. The room was empty, and even the curtain over the door only showed a slight gap.
Where was Lin Xuefeng?
Huai Yu got out of bed and hesitantly pressed her palm against the water curtain. In an instant, the entire curtain flowed down like a massive silk sheet, briefly pooling on the brick floor before quickly draining away along the slope of the ground.
Was this… to protect her?
Huai Yu curiously looked at her palm. The touch was cold, but her hand wasn’t wet—it felt strange.
She pulled aside the door curtain. Dim daylight seeped in, and the whole room brightened slightly.
Only then did Huai Yu notice—the room seemed… different.
Like the door curtain she had just moved.
Originally, she had braided it out of three-strand dry grass, uneven and full of broken stems sticking up everywhere.
After all, dry grass isn’t very flexible, so Huai Yu didn’t think it was her fault.
But now, the grass curtain had been completely replaced. Layer upon layer of fine, neat dry grass was woven together like a woven mat, looking very orderly. Hanging it on the door made the whole treehouse feel much more complete.
Looking around the room:
The rose that had been in the makeshift “vase” was gone, but her makeshift cabinets and stools were now spotlessly clean.
The clothes she had hung up, which hadn’t yet been properly washed, were now clean and completely dry, with no hint of dampness.
Even the pots and bowls she used last night…
The old bicycle leaning against the wall, covered in mud and grass clippings…
There were even three baskets woven from tree vines, all different sizes!
When Huai Yu, full of amazement, looked all the way to the bedside, she found a small, crystal-clear ice sculpture sitting atop the bricks!
The ice sculpture wasn’t shaped into anything fancy—it had a simple base with a line of words frozen into it—
[Thank you for the rose — Lin Xuefeng]
She opened her mouth, but after a long while, she didn’t know what to say. In the end, she could only bitterly mutter:
“Like the snail maiden!”
…
The snail maiden was gone, but Huai Yu’s life had to go on.
The high-security prisoner had vanished without a trace. Huai Yu turned into the shed and froze again.
Inside the shed, the messy, hastily dragged-in branches and logs had all been neatly cut into short sections.
Some of the thicker branches had even been split in half.
They were stacked neatly according to size along the edge of the shed. Though the quantity wasn’t huge, it looked incredibly pleasing.
Huai Yu picked up a piece of wood experimentally and found that the fresh branches she had dragged back just a few days ago were now completely dried out—light and easy to lift.
At least when she started a fire again, there wouldn’t be so much damp smoke.
Thinking about the ice sculpture by the bed, a sudden, unexpected feeling of wistfulness rose from her heart.
