Doomsday Wonderland

No matter how smart you are, how meticulous your planning, or how strongly you believe you're defending your home and doing what's right, in the face of bullets, you're nothing.

Xie Feng drifted up and down in the water, coughing and sputtering, even blacking out for a moment. Just when she thought this was the end, she managed to fight her way to a scaffold outside the warehouse.

The dark storm had begun again.

Every ounce of strength seemed to drain from her, as if it had been swept away with the filthy yellow water, along with her tears. She finally climbed high enough to get above the waterline, but the sea breeze and cold rain hit her at once, making her shiver violently, her teeth chattering as if they might fall out.

'What time is it now? Qiu Chantian must be back by now, right?'

They had the yacht. Escaping the flooded harbor would've been far easier for them than it was for her.

The moment the security officer circled to the rear of the yacht, Xie Feng squeezed through the railing, clinging to the engine as she slipped quietly into the dirty water.

She had been naive, thinking she could hide beneath the boat, grab hold of something, and hitch a ride out with them without being seen—just like a small fish clinging to a bigger one on TV.

The second she hit the water, though, she knew it was impossible.

To avoid detection, Xie Feng forced herself to keep her eyes open in the murky, debris-filled water and swam deeper. Not far from the warehouse, she spotted some metal racks on the ground and used them as cover. Only after reaching the shelter of the racks did she dare to surface and catch her breath.

At that moment, Qiu Chantian was losing his temper on the yacht.

He'd been through a lot today, especially emotionally. From the shock of being kidnapped to regaining some composure, to believing he had figured out the kidnappers' intentions, only for Xie Feng's unexpected question to expose him.

After that, everything spiraled out of control. He was convinced his career was over and feared for his life. One moment he cursed, the next he begged, then promised, then threatened—none of it graceful. When his subordinates finally rescued him, all that pent-up emotion had to go somewhere.

"A couple of kids! And they managed to take down both of you? Where the hell was your security awareness? Calling yourselves security officers—what a joke! Have you followed any protocol at all? Is this how you do your job?"

His shouting echoed under the warehouse ceiling, so loud that Xie Feng's ears buzzed just listening from afar. "Great job! Now we've let one of them get away. The place is flooded. Where could she go? Obviously, she jumped into the water. Get down there and find her!"

Xie Feng bit down hard, clenching her teeth to keep from making any noise. She didn't know if it was the cold or fear causing her to tremble.

One of the security officers mumbled something quietly. Both men were standing on the deck, while the driver sat hunched to the side, too afraid to speak under Qiu Chantian's fury.

"Just do it! If you get worse and end up in the hospital, you can file for reimbursement!"

"I didn't hear a splash. Maybe she left earlier..." the officer said, his voice rising slightly.

Qiu Chantian went silent, staring at him.

"I'm giving you a chance to make up for this. Think it through carefully."

The security officer didn't dare say another word. Holding onto the railing, he stripped off his heavy boots and outerwear. With a loud splash, he jumped into the water, and Xie Feng, already submerged, felt her heart tighten in fear.

Heading toward the warehouse entrance now would be too obvious. With no other choice, she pressed herself against the bottom, holding her breath and praying not to be found.

But it was only a false alarm.

The warehouse was so large that even without the flooding, it would take a while to search. With his injuries, the officer had to swim and dive through the murky water, checking every corner. Anyone thinking rationally would know the chances of him finding Xie Feng were slim without pure luck.

Once, Xie Feng even saw him swim past her, not far away. It looked more like he was going through the motions than actively searching for someone.

After he climbed back onto the yacht two or three times, only to be sent down again, Qiu Chantian seemed to realize the search was futile. Of course, he wouldn't admit he was just venting his frustration. After scolding the officer thoroughly, he gave him a few words of praise and some vague promises to smooth things over.

Listening to their conversation, Xie Feng figured out how the officer had escaped. On the way over, she had suspected that he might have gone to the parking garage to get a car. But she hadn't thought to search him for keys. Everything happened too fast, and no one expected his car keychain to have a multifunctional military knife. Using the blade, he had slowly cut through the ropes.

"As for that nonsense about doomsday, don't take it to heart," Qiu Chantian said, trying to reassure his two subordinates. "They jumped to conclusions without even giving me a chance to explain. Yes, a small part of the video was cut, but that part has nothing to do with our planet. It doesn't affect the bigger picture. You both understand the sensitivity of this information, don't you?"

Xie Feng strained her ears, hanging on to every word.

'Nothing to do with us?'

Dawnstar and Noonstar were two planets with very similar conditions. How could they be so certain that some of the factors behind Dawnstar's destruction had no relevance to Noonstar?

But this brief explanation was already more than Qiu Chantian usually offered, and his subordinates nodded obediently, unwilling to ask further questions. With that, the topic was closed.

When they finally started the yacht's engine and roared away, Xie Feng was so cold that her head began to spin, her fingers slipping from the metal rack she clung to.

She had no idea how she managed to get out of the water.

Unfamiliar with the harbor, she didn't even know where the exit was. After stumbling upon a scaffold to rest on, she scanned the rain-soaked surroundings and spotted the flood barrier in the distance.

It would be tough, but she could make it out of here. What really worried her was the backpack she had left on the yacht and the phone inside.

Xie Feng had taken precautions, never storing personal information about herself or her friends on her phone. But if they went through her chat groups and followed the trail...

She needed to get back to the city to warn them. But the entire security force was probably mobilized, combing the streets for her.

Would returning to the city be walking into a trap? If she didn't go back, what could she do? How did things get to this point? Was it all her fault?

Amid the chaotic swirl of thoughts in her mind, Xie Feng found only one small comfort: now that Qiu Chantian's career remained intact, Dong Luorong likely wouldn't suffer any consequences either.

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