The Survivor’s Secret and a Royal Encounter

The night was deep, the moon half-hidden amidst layers of clouds, like a beauty’s charming smile, veiled by a hand covering her vermillion lips.

“Good evening, General!”

“General!”

Stepping out of the car, Oriental Lie instinctively glanced at the sky before nodding to the two tense Shadow Guards before him.

“Is Director Hua in?”

His deep, resonant voice caused the two Shadow Guards to stiffen involuntarily. Before they could even reply, another voice echoed from within.

“He is.”

Slowly, the glass doors parted, and a balding middle-aged man emerged.

“General Oriental!”

“Long time no see, Director Hua!”

Oriental Lie’s stern face softened into a rare smile as he looked at the balding man.

“Indeed, it has been a long time—almost three years, hasn’t it?”

Director Hua nodded, a subtle flicker of light in his eyes as he seemingly casually scanned their surroundings.

“Don’t worry. In this world, only a handful of people can track me without a trace, let alone within Huaxia itself.”

Seeing his cautious demeanor, Oriental Lie chuckled.

“It never hurts to be careful.”

After confirming once more that there were no suspicious individuals nearby, Director Hua nodded and turned, entering the research institute.

“Come with me.”

Oriental Lie paused, glancing at the wide-open door.

“Guard this place well.”

“Understood!”

****

“So, this is the survivor?”

The medical bed shook violently, rattling loudly. Oriental Lie frowned slightly as he observed the patient, bound tightly to the bed.

“That’s right. When he was found, he was reportedly drifting on a piece of ice before being rescued by a fisherman and sent to the nearest hospital.”

Director Hua reached up, pushing his thick glasses higher on his nose.

“Later, my students questioned the fisherman. He said that as soon as he pulled the man out, the ice immediately vanished, as if it had evaporated…”

Oriental Lie remained silent, his brow furrowing deeper. He stepped forward without a word, reaching out to remove the mask from the man’s face.

“Ah!!!!”

“Silence!”

The frantic screams had barely begun when a voice, like a clap of thunder, exploded in everyone’s ears. Director Hua, prepared, had already covered his ears, but the patient on the bed was not so fortunate.

The man’s crazed expression froze, then his head mechanically rotated with a series of clicks, his empty eyes staring at the soldier before him.

“Tell me, what did you see in the Antarctic?”

Oriental Lie’s voice, soft yet seemingly imbued with a strange magic, whispered in his ear.

“I saw… saw…”

The man’s pale lips trembled, his mouth parting slightly, his voice exceptionally hoarse.

“Don’t worry, it’s safe here. Tell me, what did you see?”

Oriental Lie continued to coax him.

“I saw ice, so much ice… so much water… and… hands…”

“And what else?”

Oriental Lie listened intently, meticulously observing every subtle movement of the man’s body, including his breathing rate and heart speed.

Suddenly, in his perception, the man’s spirit seemed to ignite and boil over.

“Cough, cough…”

The patient’s body suddenly began to convulse violently, and the surrounding machines blared with urgent alarms.

Without hesitation, Oriental Lie swiftly tapped the man twice. The man’s eyes rolled back, and he fell backward stiffly, like a wooden stick.

“Well?”

Director Hua stepped forward, finding Oriental Lie standing there with a deep frown. After a long moment, he slowly shook his head.

“Alas.”

****

The eastern sky was streaked with the pale light of dawn, and the night gradually receded. A new day arrived with the rising sun from the east.

“Aww~”

It was only around five-thirty, yet Lin Xuan was already yawning as she got out of bed.

Today was the second day of the school anniversary holiday. By all rights, she should have been able to sleep in.

‘This is too much for me!’

As she dragged herself to wash up, Lin Xuan recalled last night.

It was 1:30 AM.

At that time, she had just emerged victorious and exhilarated from a fierce battle in the canyon, ready to replenish her energy. But then, a message popped up on her QQ alt account.

[Tu Su: Senior, Senior, are you free tomorrow? (=^▽^=)]

[Nine-tailed Celestial Fox: I am free.]

[Tu Su: Then can I come see Senior? I just finished my mission! (｡>∀<｡)] [Nine-tailed Celestial Fox: You may.] [Tu Su: Then Senior, get some rest, see you tomorrow afternoon! ٩(*´◒`*)۶] 'What a polite child,' Lin Xuan thought. Just as she was about to turn off her phone, a message popped up on her main QQ account. [Little Sister: Brother, have you been lonely these past two days? Your little sister will come serve you tomorrow~] Lin Xuan's eyebrow twitched at this. If her sister found out she was still playing on her phone so late, she would surely get an earful. After a moment's thought, she decided not to reply. She turned off her phone and went to bed... "Hmm?" As she was washing up, Lin Xuan suddenly noticed a strange blue light flash across her vision. "What's going on?" Startled, she quickly leaned closer to the mirror, pulling down her lower eyelid with her hand. She scrutinized it carefully, but there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. 'Was it just my imagination?' After a thorough double-check, Lin Xuan finally relaxed. 'Perhaps I didn't sleep well last night.' Thinking about it, if she usually went to bed at one or two in the morning, she'd usually sleep until noon. Waking up so early today probably meant her body was just too tired! Having finished her washing and makeup, and seeing that it was still quite early, Lin Xuan made herself a cup of honey water. She pulled a stool to the doorway to watch the sunrise, hoping it would also help shake off her lingering drowsiness. Just as she was about halfway through her honey water, a delicate shout suddenly echoed from the other side of the alley. "Die!" Lin Xuan followed the sound, feeling a sudden mist obscure her vision. When the scene cleared, she saw a girl, appearing around fourteen or fifteen, standing in the alley, striking a serious Tai Chi pose. She slowly retracted her stance, a triumphant expression gracing her small face. "At this level, you think you can contend with this princess?" With that, she placed her hands on her hips and let out a 'ohohohoho' laugh. Lin Xuan's eyebrow twitched. What a chuunibyou girl! Compared to her, Lin Xuan suddenly felt how sensible her own sister was! As she mused, she slowly turned her head, pretending not to notice. 'Yes, the sunrise is truly beautiful!' At that moment, the girl seemed to have finished her hearty laugh. She patted her clothes, performed a dramatic turn... and froze midway. Her expression gradually solidified as she saw Lin Xuan calmly sitting in front of the flower shop, enjoying the sunrise. **** "Are you the tyrant of this place?" Two white spectral flames ignited in the hollow eye sockets of the colossal red skull. As it awoke, countless white skeletal claws stretched out from beneath the swampy ground. In the blink of an eye, an endless horde of skeletal soldiers surrounded the intruder and their companions. "Little wight, have you come to seek death?" Gently leaning against the massive bone sword, which stood four to five meters tall, the Red Skull Monarch slightly lowered its head, its eyes burning with eerie fire, gazing down at the tiny mid-level undead before it. "I have come to find a subject." Facing the overwhelming might of the Undead Monarch, Zhao Zheng merely raised her head, meeting its gaze with indifference. The skeletal soldiers surrounding them, armed with various weapons, paused for a moment before their bone joints twisted, emitting a strange, clicking laughter. Lacking vocal cords, and with insufficient soul strength to transmit sound, they could only express their mockery in this manner. "Find a subject?" The Red Skull Monarch, who had originally intended to cleave her with a single strike, found its interest piqued by her bizarre reply and burst into laughter. "I have no subjects of yours here! Little wight, judging by your attire, you were a royal noble in life. Perhaps your brain was shattered before you died?" As its words fell, the surrounding skeletal soldiers erupted into even more rampant 'laughter'. Boom! A blood-red aura surged skyward, instantly shattering large swathes of skeletal soldiers around them. "Enough, now begone! Since you've given me a rare laugh, I shall spare your life!" Her dragon robe fluttered in the wind, but Zhao Zheng merely met its gaze, unblinking. Then, a slow smile spread across her pale face. "The subject I seek," Zhao Zheng slowly extended her hand, "Is right here." In an instant, the surroundings felt as if a mute button had been pressed. A deathly silence descended without warning. Following the direction of her pointed finger, the two spectral flames in the Red Skull Monarch's eye sockets suddenly flared. "How dare you!"