CHAPTER 247: CHAPTER 247

"I don’t want to be a test subject..." Shen Li’s voice was barely more than a whisper, rough with fear and quiet resolve.

"You won’t be..." Qingran said gently. "I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to protect you."

Shen Li didn’t answer, but she didn’t bolt either.

That was something.

Qingran continued, voice steady. "I don’t know what your body did to survive what others couldn’t. But right now, that survival is important. And I swear to you, no labs, no chains. I’m just trying to keep you safe."

The girl’s eyes flicked down to the dust beneath her boots, then slowly back up.

"Will it hurt?"

"No..maybe" Qingran said immediately. "Not if I can help it. You’ll stay conscious. You won’t be alone."

Another pause.

And then, Shen Li nodded.

Qingran stood and motioned subtly to Ruihuang, who stepped closer, just enough to shield the girl from the curious stares beginning to drift their way.

"Let’s go.." Qingran said quietly.

"We’re not staying in the open."

Meng Nian took point without needing to be told, his eyes already scanning for exits and threats.

Ruihuang fell back beside Shen Li, his presence calm but steady, like stone beside wind.

The plaza was getting restless behind them.

They didn’t have much time.

Qingran led them down a side street, ducking beneath a collapsed power line and weaving through a line of broken stalls.

Once they were two blocks out, she slowed slightly, letting Shen Li catch her breath.

The girl was quiet, but Qingran noticed the way her fingers trembled slightly, even if her face remained blank.

"Are we going far?" Shen Li asked, barely audible.

"Far enough.." Qingran replied. "We’ve got a safe place. Food, water, warm beds."

"Who are you?"

Qingran hesitated.

"A survivor.." she said finally. "But the kind who doesn’t believe survival should come at anyone else’s cost."

Shen Li snorted softly, bitter. "Most people don’t think like that anymore."

"Then let’s prove them wrong."

Behind her, Lingquan’s voice returned, steady and low.

[She’s stabilizing. Smart girl. Fear’s still there, but it’s not overwhelming her.]

"Will it stay that way?" Qingran murmured under her breath.

[That depends on how long you can keep her from finding out what she really is.]

Qingran’s jaw tightened.

"Shen Li do you know about the objective given??"

Shen Li glanced at her cautiously. "Yeah. The one about finding the cure. Everyone’s been talking about it nonstop."

Qingran nodded. "And what do you think it is?"

Shen Li shrugged faintly. "Some think it’s a serum. Others say it’s hidden tech, or maybe something buried under one of the labs. No one really knows."

Qingran inhaled slowly.

"Shen Li," she said carefully. "It’s you."

The girl froze.

Her eyes flicked up to Qingran’s face, searching it for a lie. "What?"

"You’re the cure.." Qingran said gently. "Your body has somehow become the cure for this objective..."

Silence stretched for a few beats.

Shen Li’s fingers dug into her sleeves. Her lips parted, then closed again.

Finally, she whispered, "And what do you plan on doing to me?"

Qingran didn’t hesitate. "Nothing you don’t agree to. I won’t take blood unless you say yes. I won’t push you to do anything you don’t understand. I just want to protect you... and figure out how to use this to help everyone else."

Shen Li’s shoulders relaxed just slightly.

"Then you better figure it out fast," she muttered. "Because if the others find out... I’m not going to get a choice."

Qingran looked ahead, her expression hardening.

"They won’t. Not while you’re with me."

The air was heavy with unease, the streets crawling with desperation. Qingran’s instincts screamed warning as Ruihuang’s fingers brushed against the hilt of his blade.

Meng Nian’s eyes locked onto the surrounding rooftops, his gaze piercing through the shadows.

Qingran’s gaze swept the area, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the lurking figures. "We’re being watched.." she murmured, her voice barely audible over the distant hum of the city.

The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the sound of footsteps echoing through the alleys.

A group emerged from the darkness, their faces twisted with hunger and malice.

"Stop right there..." one of them snarled, brandishing a bat wrapped in barbed wire.

Qingran’s stance shifted, her body shielding Shen Li as she faced the mob.

"You don’t want to do this," she warned, her voice low and menacing.

The leader, a woman with sunken eyes, sneered. "Oh, we want to do this. We want to know what’s so special about that girl."

Qingran’s smile was a cold, calculated gesture. "You’ll find out when you’re burning in hell."

The air seemed to vibrate with tension as the two groups faced off. Qingran’s fingers twitched, and a wave of blue flames erupted from her skin, casting a hellish glow over the scene.

The mob recoiled, their faces illuminated by the flickering flames. Qingran’s voice was a deadly whisper.

"You should have stayed hidden."

Ruihuang drew his blade, the steel glinting in the firelight. Meng Nian stood frozen, his eyes locked onto the crowd.

The standoff was a powder keg waiting to ignite. Then, a young man lunged forward, and Qingran’s flames sliced through the air, scorching the ground mere inches from his feet.

The sound was like thunder, the flames dancing in the darkness.

Qingran’s voice was a cold, unforgiving promise.

"Cross that line, and you’ll never walk again.."

The young man’s eyes widened as he stumbled backward, his gaze fixed on Qingran’s flames.

The mob hesitated, their faces twisted with a mix of fear and desperation.

But they didn’t retreat. Instead, they took a step forward, their eyes locked onto Shen Li with an unnerving intensity.

"We’re not going anywhere.." the leader snarled, her voice dripping with malice. "Not until we get what we came for."

Qingran’s flames danced in the darkness, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Her voice was a cold, calculated warning.

"You’ll regret this.." she said, her eyes locked onto the leader. "You’ll regret not running away when I gave you the chance.."

The leader sneered, her eyes glinting with desperation.

"We’re not afraid of you.." she spat.

"We’re desperate. And desperate people do desperate things."

The air was thick with tension as the two groups faced off.

Qingran’s flames seemed to pulse with an inner power, as if sensing the mob’s desperation.

"Very well, suit your fucking self.."

Ruihuang’s blade glinted in the firelight, his eyes locked onto the mob. Meng Nian stood frozen, his gaze piercing the shadows.

Shen Li’s breath caught in her chest, her eyes wide with fear.

She knew that they were in grave danger, and that Qingran’s flames might not be enough to protect them.

The standoff continued, the silence between them oppressive.

Then, the leader took another step forward, her eyes locked onto Shen Li with an unnerving intensity.

"We’re not leaving until we get what we want.." she repeated, her voice dripping with malice. "And what we want is that girl."

Qingran’s flames flared higher, casting a fierce glow over the scene. "You’ll have to go through me first." she said, her voice cold and deadly.

The leader sneered, but her eyes flickered with uncertainty. She knew that Qingran’s flames were not to be underestimated.

"We’ll see about that.

" she spat, her hand gesturing to the mob.

The mob surged forward, their faces twisted with desperation. Qingran’s flames danced in the air, casting a wall of fire between them.

The mob recoiled, their faces scorched by the heat. But they didn’t give up. They kept coming, their eyes locked onto Shen Li with an unnerving intensity.

Qingran’s flames seemed to pulse with an inner power, as if sensing the mob’s desperation.

She knew that she had to protect Shen Li at all costs.

"I won’t let them take you, don’t worry. This is nothing.." she whispered, her eyes locked onto Shen Li’s.

Shen Li’s eyes filled with tears, her face pale with fear. "Thank you." she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The mob continued to press forward, their faces twisted with desperation.

Qingran’s flames danced in the air, casting a fierce glow over the scene.

Qingran’s body moved before her thoughts could finish forming.

The flame surged forward, not a wall this time but a snake, it was fast and precise.

It shot out and struck the ground before the lead woman’s feet with a loud crack. Sparks snapped through the air like lightning.

The heat forced the mob backward, faces twisting, some shielding their eyes, others tripping over themselves in a panic.