“Holy shit…”

That sweet voice suddenly let out a soft curse.

I froze for a moment, too stunned to speak.

Then I felt her quicken her pace. I hurried to match her steps, hearing her faint, labored breaths.

Beneath us, the ground shifted—I distinctly felt the floor tremble slightly.

“Damn thing! I’m so pissed!”

The cute voice cursed again, her honeyed little mouth now spewing foul language.

I was utterly stunned.

Her hand had gripped my wounded wrist at first. Uncomfortable, I twisted my arm slightly. She seemed to notice the bandage and simply took my hand instead.

Hand in hand, we sprinted blindly through the dark.

Whether she could see ahead, I had no idea. I saw nothing.

…

…

Holding hands… for me, that gesture belonged only to childhood memories—walking in the park with Dad.

Since growing up, I’d never held hands with anyone. Not Mom. Not friends. No one.

My personality just wouldn’t allow me to link arms and chat effortlessly.

Yet I understood it. I even envied girls strolling hand-in-hand with their besties.

But I couldn’t do it. Unless someone forced me.

…

“Keep up, you useless…”

Her voice cut in—clearly aimed at me.

“Use…?” I choked, words stuck.

True, exhaustion slowed me. But seriously—did you swallow a firecracker?!

If she weren’t literally saving my life, I’d have snapped back already!

Helpless rage simmered inside, yet my legs pushed harder.

Maybe anger made the run feel lighter.

…

Past the bumpy stretch, we hit an upward slope. Loud booms echoed behind—gunfire? I ducked, heart hammering.

“Almost there. Hang in there, damn it.”

Her voice came again, followed by a light punch on my shoulder.

I gritted my teeth and ran—on and on.

…

We stopped at a wall’s corner.

A flashlight clicked on, blinding me. Squinting, I saw a blurry figure my height removing night-vision goggles.

Once my eyes adjusted, I leaned against the wall, staring in shock.

“Wei… Wei Qiuying… Aunt?”

She shot me an annoyed glance, swept the light around, then crouched beside me, unwrapping my bandage while muttering:

“What was Sister Yan thinking? Bringing you just increases the tomb-raiding difficulty.”

She examined my wound, silent.

I should’ve snapped back—warned her to watch her mouth.

But hearing that feminine voice from Wei Qiuying’s lips left me utterly flustered.

Had the Wei Qiuying shadowing us all along… been a woman? Impossible. I’d heard her speak—clearly a middle-aged man’s voice!

“Are you… male or female?” I whispered.

“Brace yourself. Might sting.”

She ignored me, uncapping an alcohol bottle I hadn’t seen her pull out.

I let out a muffled groan. Pain twisted my face—but I stayed silent.

“Shallow wound. Disinfected. Rest waits till we’re back on land.”

She rebandaged my hand, handed me a chocolate bar.

“We’ll run again soon.”

…

After eating it, I noticed her frame was slimmer, shorter—sitting, she was my height.

Yet her face remained Wei Qiuying’s rough, sallow, masculine mask.

“You’re… disguised? You’re not really Wei Qiuying?”

“Anyone with eyes and ears could tell,” she murmured, fiddling with a comms device.

“Or must I peel off this old man’s face before you go, ‘Oh! You’re a woman’?”

She turned, glaring, tone dripping with sarcasm.

…

I instantly wanted to shut up. If the situation weren’t dire, I’d have fired back already.

So I forced a smile. “Are you on your period?”

…

“Huh?”

“Enough. Listen: of the four who came down, your mom and I are on your side. That so-called Second Brother XX and Wu Datong? Pawns sent to sabotage us.”

I really wanted to see her face. Such a pleasant voice, young-sounding—why so sharp-tongued?

“Wu Datong’s already dead. I saw it.”

I echoed her tone softly.

“Dead?”

She rolled her eyes, rubbed the fake mustache on her chin, nodded slowly.

“Sister Yan came through. Probably your mom’s doing.”

“He was eaten by Pulao.”

I said flatly.

“How he died is none of my damn business!”

She glared, teeth bared.

…

“Did your mom brief you on the situation?”

We sat silently behind the wall. She waited for orders. So did I.

“No.”

Hugging my knees, I shook my head weakly. Mind blank. Face etched with despair.

“This is trouble…”

She pulled a dagger from her pack and handed it to me.

I drew it. The blade gleamed cold under the flashlight. My lips trembled.

Crying “I want to go home” would be pathetic—but that’s all I wanted.

[This wasn’t my choice. What karma earned me this bizarre hell? If I go back, I’ll study hard, turn over a new leaf! Please… any deity… have mercy. Send me home.]

I covered my face, sinking into silent despair.