Chapter 69: Linlin, I’m Here to Pick You Up!

The entire night sky within sight was blanketed by black-purple flames.

Not “illuminated”—completely “covered.”

The flames poured from the mouths of hundreds of black dragons, converging, intertwining, and surging in the air before turning into a fire curtain that spanned the entire horizon and pressed down toward Jiang Niaoniao’s several-hundred-meter-tall giant body.

Below, countless people were running, shouting, crying.

Lin Zhizhi carried Xiao Ye on her shoulders, sprinting madly through the ruins.

“The world is ending—!”

Xiao Ye clung to her neck with both arms, her voice hoarse from screaming.

Lin Zhizhi had no time for her. 

She only stared at the overwhelming black-purple sky overhead, pushing her speed to the limit.

Where to run?

She didn’t know.

But she had to run.

She dashed into a still-standing building, barely crossing the threshold.

Boom—!

The door behind her was blasted away by the shockwave.

Then the ceiling.

Then the entire building.

Lin Zhizhi threw herself over Xiao Ye, shielding her with her body. 

The structure collapsed overhead. 

Stone chunks slammed into her back, the pain so intense her vision blacked out.

But she didn’t let go.

“Run faster!”

Xiao Ye was still screaming.

Lin Zhizhi gritted her teeth and snarled.

“Shut up! Keep yelling and I’ll throw you out!”

The words had barely left her mouth.

Rumble—

Nine hundred meters above them, Jiang Niaoniao’s giant Jealous Witch Incarnation was completely swallowed by the inextinguishable fire.

The black-purple flames attacked like living things, rushing in from every direction.

They coiled around her legs.

Climbed her waist.

Wrapped her arms.

Finally even the vivid red spider lilies on her head were engulfed.

Jiang Niaoniao let out a hoarse roar.

The sound was half beast, half wind, more like glass being ground to powder by sandpaper.

Her body thrashed, rolled, and twisted inside the flames.

But the flames would not die. 

They burned across her skeleton, spread over her evening gown, and danced among her spider lilies.

Inextinguishable fire meant exactly that.

The giant Jealous Witch Incarnation spread her arms within the inferno.

Countless dark-red shadow tendrils surged out of her body.

Layer after layer.

Dense and endless.

Like countless tentacles, they wrapped the inextinguishable fire clinging to her, swallowed it piece by piece, and devoured it.

Then the flames burned inside her for a few seconds and vanished, absorbed.

The vivid red spider lilies on Jiang Niaoniao’s head began to grow wildly.

One.

Ten.

A hundred.

A thousand.

They burst from the darkness above her head and spread in every direction.

Taller.

Denser.

Finally they cascaded from hundreds of meters up and rained down onto the flame-scorched ruins.

They landed on charred rubble.

They landed on smoking craters.

The spider lilies’ roots sank into the scorched earth.

Their petals swayed in the night wind.

In just nine seconds the entire wasteland turned into a sea of spider lilies.

Vivid red flowers.

Blackened soil.

Purple night sky.

The flowers swayed in the breeze as if dancing.

As if breathing.

As if mocking.

And Jiang Niaoniao’s giant Jealous Witch Incarnation stood at the center of the flower sea.

Every trace of flame on her body had vanished.

Her frame had grown again.

Nearly a hundred meters taller.

She lifted her head and stared at the several-thousand-meter-tall Envious Witch Incarnation in the distance.

A hoarse voice rumbled from her throat.

“Linlin… is mine…”

The voice was a curse.

A vow.

A deathbed scream.

Behind her, Ruan Yuan was still sprinting along the black threads with everything she had.

She heard the voice.

She saw the spider lilies.

But she didn’t stop.

She kept her eyes fixed ahead.

Fixed on the transparent cocoon.

Fixed on the two tiny figures inside.

Closer.

Eight hundred meters.

Seven hundred meters.

Six hundred meters.

Then—

Bang!

Another barrier.

Thicker than before.

Ruan Yuan slammed into it full force and was blasted backward. 

She tumbled through the air more than a dozen times before crashing hard onto a tendril.

It hurt.

But she could still move.

She pushed herself up and gripped her blade.

The barrier was right in front of her.

Through the semi-transparent black layer she could see inside.

She could see the slide.

She could see the two tiny figures.

Pink.

Black.

Pressed close together.

“Linlin!”

Ruan Yuan shouted with all her strength.

Then she saw the tiny pink figure move.

Not the giant Envious Witch Incarnation.

The small pink figure on the slide.

She… heard it?

At the same time, inside the time-frozen space.

Linlin thought she heard something.

Very faint.

Very far away.

As if rising from somewhere incredibly deep.

“Linlin…”

Who?

She froze.

The voice sounded familiar.

Extremely familiar.

Like… like Ruan Yuanjie?

Linlin’s mind exploded.

The sealed memories cracked open at the sound.

The crack widened.

More and more images flooded in.

Ruan Yuan feeding her cake.

Ruan Yuan holding her while she slept.

Ruan Yuan stroking her thigh at the dinner table.

Ruan Yuan waiting for her outside.

Ruan Yuan saying “I’ll wait for you to come back.”

“Linlin…”

The voice grew clearer.

Linlin snapped back to reality.

She looked down at herself.

Small hands.

Small legs.

Pink dress.

She had shrunk?

She looked around.

This park.

This slide.

Wasn’t this the place she and Ruan Yuan had visited?

The octopus slide with “Bai Linlin” carved on it?

But why did it look brand new?

Fresh paint, fresh slide, even the swings beside it were new.

As if… time had rewound nine years.

Linlin lowered her head and looked at the tiny figure lying across her lap.

Small face.

Closed eyes.

It was Xiran.

She had buried her face in Linlin’s stomach—the eleven-year-old Xiran again.

Arms wrapped around Linlin’s waist. Asleep?

Linlin froze.

Xiran’s expression looked wrong.

Brows furrowed.

Lips pressed tight.

Like she was having a nightmare and it hurt.

Linlin hesitated.

Then she reached out.

Gently placed her hand on Xiran’s head.

Stroked it.

The hair was soft and cool.

She stroked again.

From the crown down along the strands, over and over, soothing.

Xiran’s brows seemed to relax a little.

Linlin looked at her and slowly recalled what had just happened.

She had said “I’m willing.”

She had promised Xiran she would “stay here with me always, forever and ever.”

By all logic the quest should have completed.

She sneaked a glance at Xiran’s panel:

[Understand Xiran’s Past: Completed]  

[Resolve Her Obsession with Linlin: Incomplete]

Linlin: ???

What?

Her mind filled with question marks.

No way…

She had promised “together forever,” yet the obsession still wasn’t resolved?

What exactly was Xiran’s obsession?

Linlin took a deep breath.

She would worry about that later.

Right now the question was: where were they?

She looked at the sky.

Sunset.

Golden-red, hanging on the horizon.

But it had clearly been night just before.

How had it rewound to sunset?

There was nothing around them.

Only this brand-new park and the small Xiran lying on her lap.

Time… stopped?

Linlin suddenly realized something.

She was trapped somewhere.

Not physically trapped.

Trapped in… time.

While she was thinking, a dull thud sounded from far away.

Linlin looked up.

Nothing in that direction.

Only empty air.

Thud!

Again.

Then, like glass shattering, the empty space began to crack.

Fine lines spread outward from a single point.

More and more.

Denser and denser.

Then—

A blade.

A black blade.

Stabbed through the crack.

Linlin stared at the blade.

So familiar.

It was Ruan Yuanjie’s blade.

The cracks widened.

The black blade sliced sideways.

Rip—

The space tore open.

Then a black figure burst through the gap.

Long black hair.

Shattered halo.

White eyes.

Red energy blades.

It was Ruan Yuan.

She staggered on landing and nearly fell.

She was covered in wounds.

Her clothes were torn, exposing bleeding gashes.

Blood streaked half her face.

But she stood firm.

She looked at Linlin.

Linlin looked at her.

They stared at each other for two seconds.

“Linlin.”

She said.

“I’m here to pick you up.”