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Chapter 244: Chapter 244: Back to the Beginning
The convoy proceeded through the heavy snow.
Inside the vehicle, Han Yi suddenly spoke up, "Let’s call it off."
The soldier sitting in the driver’s seat quickly stopped the car, turned his head towards Han Yi in confusion, and asked, "Chief? ... Are we not searching anymore?"
The soldier was puzzled. The chief and his wife were deeply in love. They had only been searching for two hours, so why call it off now? Was it because he was concerned about the weather, thus deciding to give up?
Han Yi was engulfed in an extremely gloomy mood, his face utterly expressionless.
"Contact Xiao Jian, tell him to call off the search." His voice was both hoarse and tired.
The soldier mumbled a response and took out the communicator to contact Xiao Jian.
The winds and snow outside were getting stronger, and the people from other bases had already returned to their camps, leaving only some logistical personnel clearing the battlefield.
However, the soldiers from the Space-Time Base, after the battle had ended, did not return. Instead, they all stayed behind, searching for signs of the chief’s wife amidst the snow—no footprints, no tire tracks, no clues at all. It was as if Han Jiaojiao had vanished into thin air. They only found the bodies of the driver and the bodyguard, both killed by a gunshot from the most common type of bullet used by many soldiers here. 𝚗𝚘v𝚙𝚞b.𝚌𝚘m
The search area kept expanding, but still, no news came back.
Han Yi also led a team to search personally, but by now... Han Yi seemed to be beginning to despair...
Han Yi’s condition was very poor. Anyone could see that his emotions were on a dangerous edge, ready to lose control at any moment.
After Xiao Jian arrived, his first words were, "Brother Han, let’s search a bit more, it’s not dark yet."
Xiao Jian did not call him chief, but instead used "Brother Han," perhaps subconsciously hoping that such an address would pull Han Yi out of his depression a bit.
Han Yi sat in the vehicle, his head drooping, engulfed in a massive shadow, cold and silent.
After a long pause, he said, "She’s not here anymore."
Until recently, he had been able to sense her location, but suddenly the connection was lost. Han Yi didn’t know why... He had always been able to sense Han Jiaojiao, and it had never been wrong before, except this time...
Could it be, she... died?
No! It can’t be!
She can’t be dead! There were only two bodies on the ground, no signs of struggle! She must have been taken away by someone!
"You all... go back to the base tomorrow." Han Yi slowly raised his head, looking at Xiao Jian, "Tell Changyuan, I won’t be coming back for now."
Xiao Jian, upon hearing this, showed no surprise. He knew that if Han Yi did not find Han Jiaojiao, he probably wouldn’t return to the base. And these soldiers, after a major battle, needed supplies and rest and definitely could not keep drifting outside forever.
It seemed, he had no choice but to lead the team back to the base first and then consult with Lu Changyuan about the matter.
Upon returning to the camp, unlike the jubilant cheers in other camps, the Space-Time Base’s camp felt dead and enveloped in an extremely oppressive atmosphere. Despite a great victory, no one showed any joy.
Xiao Jian felt a complete mess inside.
—Han Jiaojiao’s fate was uncertain, and Han Yi’s... condition was also very off. Xiao Jian couldn’t even dare to imagine how Han Yi would react if something had happened to Han Jiaojiao.
Night fell.
The cold wind was biting, mixing with the ice and snow.
Han Yi sat on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, motionless, and after a long while, his body suddenly shook! Following that, he started to cough violently. A sweet, metallic taste came from his throat, Han Yi gently wiped his lips, seeing a fresh trace of blood on the back of his hand.
It seemed, the Ability had exceeded the physical limit...
He had exerted all his spiritual power, covering nearly a hundred kilometers around, yet he still hadn’t found her.
Who... who exactly had hidden her tracks?!
Her usual cup was still on the table, her everyday pajamas were on the bed... but where had she gone?
Han Yi closed his eyes powerlessly, his heart seared by towering rage and hatred! Anxiety, anger, unease, fear, agitation! Various emotions filled his body, making him look like a demon from the abyss, emanating a chilling coldness and a strong intent to kill!
He wished he could kill them all!
"Knock, knock, knock—"
There was a knock at the door.
Xiao Jian said from outside, "Boss, the captain from Lingchuan Base wants to see you." He paused, then lowered his voice, "She said she might have a lead on your wife."
In the room, Han Yi opened his eyes. The captain of the Lingchuan Base was Hong Yun.
"Find an empty room and bring her there. I’ll be there shortly."
"Yes."
...
In a daze, Han Jiaojiao tried several times to open her eyes but just couldn’t wake up. She curled up painfully, hugging her head, the piercing headache seemed not yet fully subsided.
There were faint voices near her ear, sounding like someone talking, someone crying; all muffled and unclear.
She lay on the cold floor, took a deep breath, and after struggling for a while, she finally managed to open her eyes a sliver... Her body felt strange; she was conscious but couldn’t muster any strength.
Helplessly, she lay on her side, surveying her surroundings with her eyes.
Mirrored walls... glass door...
Han Jiaojiao’s heart sank bit by bit. She slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again, reassessed the prison that confined her—
Nothing had changed.
She hadn’t seen wrong...
It was that place.
Could it all be destined... After all the twists and turns, she had returned here.
Sadness and despair overwhelmed her; Han Jiaojiao painfully closed her eyes, feeling a profound irony at this moment.
Everything seemed to have returned to the beginning.
In the small glass room, naked girls huddled in the corner, their only cover their long hair and the degrading chastity lock. Some girls were crying, more looked numb and lifeless.
The room was not as populated as in the past lives; it must be because it was newly built, and as human trafficking thrived in the late apocalyptic world, its scale would expand.
Han Jiaojiao silently recalled... Liu Ling had found a round beast head insignia in the travel team, Cao Qi worked under Long Yueze, Long Yueze had the Shape-shifting Ability... Piecing together these fragmented events, she finally understood, the man who tortured and humiliated her relentlessly in her past life, the man who ceaselessly hunted her, the man who had plunged her into endless nightmares—was Long Yueze.
In her past life, she only knew he was an inconspicuous old man.
She hadn’t expected it to be him.
...Indeed, having the Shape-shifting Ability, it was not strange to change his face to that of an old man to lower others’ guards.
She just hadn’t expected that after such a big round, she would fall into this man’s hands again...
At this moment, the only thing Han Jiaojiao could feel fortunate about was that she still had her clothes on, but whether she would be stripped and kept like livestock afterward... was unknown.
Clamorous footsteps echoed up the corridor, drawing increasingly closer.
Accompanying the footsteps, someone spoke urgently, "... Don’t worry, sir, she’s locked inside, has been injected with Muscle Relaxant, not making a fuss, very obedient..."
As the footsteps stopped in front of her glass door, Han Jiaojiao forced her eyes open and saw several pairs of shiny leather shoes; she knew who had come.
