Once We Lived in Nanjing

Ban Xia subconsciously took a few steps to the left and hid under the shadow of a large tree. The thick trunk of the Birch Tree blocked the line of sight, and the girl stood there, stunned for two seconds. Fear, panic, and bewilderment surged up from the bottom of her heart like a tide, and cold sweat "whooshed" down her back, immediately soaking her clothes.

"BG, I've spotted it."

"It's on the rooftop."

"But I don't know if it has seen me."

Bai Yang's cold sweat "whooshed" out as well.

"Emergency situation, we have a class one contact! Attention all units, class one contact!" Old Zhao warned on the channel, "Abort the operation, activate the emergency plan."

After a few seconds, Ban Xia regained her composure behind the tree and stealthily peeked towards the rooftop of the New Bai store.

The dark red eye was nowhere to be seen.

A sudden fear gripped the girl's heart.

"BG... I think it might have spotted me..."

"Then what are you waiting for? Hide! Get to cover—NOW!" Bai Yang almost shouted into the microphone, took off his headset, threw it on the table, turned his head, and yelled, "Dad—! Take over for me!"

He finished shouting, grabbed his coat, pushed away his chair, and ran out. Forsythia was leaning on the door frame moved even faster; as Bai Yang called out, he had already stepped out the door.

Old Bai rushed into the bedroom to take Bai Yang's spot.

"BG4MSR, this is Old Daddy, taking over communication from now on, OVER."

"Attention all units, we have a class one contact, activate emergency plan one." Zhao Bowen turned to glance at Bai Yang, pressed the walkie-talkie, "We are sending people to the scene, all units alert, trigger the red alarm!"

"Team one received, switching to emergency plan one, turning at the two tunnels to enter the triple orbit adjustment program, entering a fake synchronous orbit, zenithal height of 81°, Zijin Mountain Communication Center data distribution, Guizhou Beijing dual-redundant backup, done!"

"Team two received, switching to emergency plan one, Swordman behavior prediction model is syncing, relative coordinates established, screening for blind-spot routes, done!"

"Team three received, switching to emergency plan one, emergency response team all members enter first-level combat readiness, done."

"This is the Six Heavens Saddle Airport Air Command Center, the helicopter is warm and ready to take off."

In just one minute, the East Red Plan team changed their mission objective from reaching First Base to safely retrieving the girl.

Amidst the overlapping responses, Bai Yang hurriedly crossed the living room, without even time to change out of his slippers, clattered down the stairs, and upon exiting the building, was blinded by the glaring headlights coming from across the way.

Under the night sky, the deep roar of a three-cylinder engine sounded as though a beast was lurking in the green belt.

Bai Yang was momentarily stunned.

The beast slowly revealed its true form, like a blaze lighting up; the streetlight illuminated the sleek curves, and behind the clear windshield were two fierce-looking headlights—a deep red... Mazda three-wheeler.

The Mazda stopped in front of Bai Yang. Forsythia, wearing a deep red helmet and sitting in the driver's seat, had a pair of sharp eyes visible behind the goggles. She tossed a black helmet to Bai Yang and then gave a thumbs-up:

Hop on!

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"Where... did you get this from?"

"You mean this hopper? Borrowed it from a kind soul."

Forsythia carried Bai Yang out of the Meihua Villa residential complex and as soon as she turned the corner, she floored the gas pedal. Bai Yang hadn't had the chance to react to the sudden acceleration, and the Mazda zoomed along Muxuyuan Street at breakneck speed, like lightning, the electric three-wheeled vehicle flying with the gusto of a supercar. Bai Yang, wearing the black helmet, sat in the back seat, having to tightly grip the seat to secure himself.

"Command center! Can you locate us?"

Forsythia shouted.

"This is the command center, we can locate you," replied the command center through the headset. "You are four kilometers from Nan Tu, expected to arrive in ten minutes, but be careful, there is traffic congestion at two intersections on Ming Palace Road, which might delay you by four minutes."

"Received! I'll try to cut the time to under ten minutes!"

Forsythia stared straight ahead, Muxuyuan Street was coming to an end. She slammed on the brakes with one foot and hit the gas with the other, turning the vehicle's head to the left! A sharp, piercing noise resounded as the three-wheeler tilted and took off from the ground.

"Damn—!"

Bai Yang roared.

The Mazda did a drift, soaring from Muxuyuan Street onto Zhongshan Gate Street. The tires smoked against the asphalt, and Bai Yang could smell something burning.

Bystanders probably had never seen such a life-threatening crazy sprinting Mazda. They didn't know if its ass was on fire, or if it was rushing to put out a fire somewhere else, frantically honking while dashing.

Soon, Ban Xia saw the line of cars blocked on the road. It wasn't yet 8 PM, the peak of the after-work rush hour. Traffic congestion in the city around the Ming Palace, with its crosswalks and traffic lights, meant a wait to get through. But Forsythia couldn't wait.

"Car! Watch the car!"

Bai Yang warned from behind, as a car stopped ahead. Forsythia didn't slow down a bit.

Forsythia was about to ram straight into the rear of the sedan ahead.

"Relax, your sister here is the dual champion of the World Electric Trike and Wheelchair Off-road Rally!"

Forsythia swerved, and the Mazda shot straight onto the sidewalk. They almost bounced Bai Yang's coccyx to pieces when hitting the curb. He howled, without even having the chance to curse, and before he could fuss about the tailbone's pain, it immediately turned into concern for his own life. They barreled along the pavement, their style even wilder than that of thrill-seeking old men. Drivers stuck on the road could only watch as a red Mazda flashed past them on the sidewalk, headlights on and emergency lights flashing, the horn blaring loudly.

They drove as fast as lightning, leaving people astounded by Forsythia's driving style.

"Red light!"

Bai Yang warned again.

"Don't worry, this car has no plates!"

Forsythia said through clenched teeth.

The Mazda dashed under the red light, so arrogantly.

"Where are we now?"

"Panda Building!" Catching a glimpse, Bai Yang spotted the two skyscrapers flying by the car window. "We just crossed Yixian Bridge!"

"How much farther?"

"Less than one kilometer!" Bai Yang answered. "Two minutes!"

Forsythia twisted the throttle to the max once again, the engine roaring beneath them.

Amid the low rumble, the helicopter skimmed over the city at low altitude, the dazzling myriad lights below. Every road was like a glowing river, and that deep red Mazda was racing so fast, cutting through the dense traffic and crowds like flames, as if there truly was a girl in Nantu waiting for it to come to the rescue.

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Ban Xia was hiding in Building A of the New Century Square across from Nantu. After spotting the big eyes, she immediately dived into the building. However, she wasn't sure where the big eyes were at the moment — they could appear from anywhere, in any direction. Enemy hidden, she exposed; the command center advised her not to act recklessly and to hide well before observing the changes.

She thought the big eyes had spotted her. No evidence, just intuition. The moment she saw the big eyes, that feeling of being watched returned, her body stiffened, her mind a blank.

Silence surrounded her, dead quiet and pitch-dark, unable to see her hand in front of her face.

No wind could be heard, so quiet that she could hear her own breathing and heartbeat. Ban Xia had temporarily shut off her walkie-talkie to maintain radio silence.

The command center had urged her not to act rashly at all costs. It's better to hide an hour or two longer, even till tomorrow morning or tomorrow night rather than act recklessly.

According to the observed activity patterns of the big eyes, it wouldn't stay in one position for long. If it couldn't find the target around Nantu, it would patrol elsewhere.

So Ban Xia settled down in the building, curled up under the counter, shut off the walkie-talkie, and waited patiently.

Suddenly, fine dust fell on her face.

The girl opened her eyes, knowing something was here, causing an imperceptible vibration.

Soon, she could sense the vibration herself; a slight tremor passing over the ground. The girl pressed against the smooth marble floor and heard "clack, clack" sounds growing louder and more intense - so much so that Ban Xia could hear the noise without pressing her ear to the ground.

She laid face-up, and through the wooden counter above her head, the layers of bricks and tiles, the glass, and the steel-reinforced concrete, through the void of darkness, Ban Xia could see that thing perched right above her on the ceiling.