The air inside the cellar was thick with dust and silence. Every heartbeat echoed against the stone walls. Somewhere above, boots pounded across the floorboards, and the sound of Chen Hao's furious voice carried through the cracks.
> "Search everywhere! They're here. I can feel it."
Meilin held Xiaoya close, pressing her daughter's head to her chest. The child's soft breathing steadied her trembling hands. Rui crouched near the far wall, his flashlight beam flickering weakly as he searched for the hidden tunnel.
"Here," he murmured at last, pushing aside an old cabinet. Behind it was a narrow opening, covered in spiderwebs and years of dust. "It's small, but it leads outside — behind the hills."
Meilin's pulse quickened. "How do you know about it?"
Rui's jaw tightened. "Because my father built this villa — and he built that tunnel to hide from his own mistakes."
He glanced at her, eyes softening for a moment. "We don't have much time."
He lifted Xiaoya gently into his arms, motioning for Meilin to follow. They crawled through the tunnel, the earth cold and damp beneath their palms. Each breath echoed, mingling with the faint drip of water from unseen cracks above.
Halfway through, Meilin whispered, "Rui… what did Chen Hao mean about Xiaoya's blood?"
Rui hesitated. "You deserve the truth." His voice was low, pained. "The accident — the one that almost took your life — wasn't an accident. It was planned. You carried something in your blood — a cure they wanted to control. Chen Hao's father funded the experiments. When you ran, you became their threat."
Meilin's breath caught. "So Xiaoya—"
He nodded grimly. "She inherited what they couldn't reproduce. That's why they'll never stop."
Tears burned behind her eyes. "All this time… I thought fate was just cruel. But it was them."
Rui's hand brushed hers in the dark. "You survived because you were stronger than they expected. And I won't let them take her — or you."
Suddenly, the tunnel trembled. A sharp explosion rocked the ground, sending dust raining over them.
> "They found the entrance!" Rui hissed.
"Go!" Meilin urged, shoving him forward. "Get her out first!"
They crawled faster, the flickering light barely enough to see. The tunnel curved sharply before ending in a wooden hatch sealed by rusted metal bars. Rui kicked it hard once, twice — until it gave way with a splintering crack.
Cold night air rushed in. The forest stretched ahead, dark and alive with the sound of wind.
Rui lifted Xiaoya out and pulled Meilin through. The three of them stumbled into the open, gasping for breath. Behind them, the faint glow of fire flickered — Chen Hao's men were burning the villa.
Meilin turned to watch as smoke curled into the sky. "That place… held every memory we had."
Rui took her hand. "Then we'll make new ones — somewhere they can't find us."
But before they could move, a voice rang out from behind the trees.
> "Going somewhere, Rui?"
Chen Hao emerged from the shadows, gun in hand, blood trickling down his sleeve. His grin was sharp, feral. "You really thought you could crawl away from me through a hole in the ground?"
Rui stepped forward, shielding Meilin and Xiaoya. "This ends tonight."
Chen Hao raised his weapon. "Oh, it will."
Lightning split the sk
y — and in that flash, the world seemed to hold its breath.