Perhaps it was just an utterly ordinary day – so ordinary that they couldn’t even recall what they did, what they ate, or what major events had unfolded in the entertainment world.
It might have been due to some minor ailment that they went to the hospital. After a series of unfamiliar examinations, they were led to a turning point in their lives.
This was a life they could never have imagined, a fate they never dared to believe they would encounter.
But from that day on, the woman kept count of every single day.
A total of 356 days. In just over a week, a year would come to an end.
Every minute and every second of these past three hundred-odd days felt like a borrowed slice of hell – clearly not meant for them, yet inevitably forcing them to grow along its path.
Either wither away and find release, or struggle to survive.
Sometimes, the woman wondered: could living be an even more painful torment?
“He was only eleven. I stayed here with him for his eleventh birthday. On that day, he received a new viral injection, and all I could do was wait outside the lab, listening to his agonized screams, shamelessly deceiving him, telling him it would be okay, that he could hold on, that we would get out soon…”
She was choking on her tears as she spoke, her words no longer as scattered as before – this scene was undoubtedly etched deeply into her heart.
Behind that sealed door, she had traced every cruel detail countless times. In the quiet dawn and dusk, she clung to the same excuses to deceive herself.
Her voice hoarse, laced with resentment and accusation, she finally let out the words she had envisioned countless times over those three hundred and some days, yet had never had the chance to say until now.
“Why did it take you so long to come… Why did it take you so long?!”
No one on the channel knew what to say. The earlier attempts at lighthearted banter faded into silence, leaving only the anguished sobs of a mother and the restrained breaths of those listening.
Li Qing clenched his teeth in hatred and spat on the ground.
“Damn it.”
The poverty of language had never felt so unbearable. The suffocating rage was little better than taking a bullet to the chest – emotions exploding wildly beneath a thin layer of flesh and skin, scorching his reason and making his head burn with fever.
For a moment, he almost forgot this was just a fully immersive simulation.
The camera shifted from Li Qing and the other sophomores to Cheng Feng, capturing her face in a close-up.
Compared to her seniors, who were seething with anger and practically itching to draw their swords against the enemy, Cheng Feng was far more composed.
She had only lost her composure briefly at the very beginning. Then, as if unsure how to articulate her emotions, she forcibly stripped away all restlessness and unease, mechanically carrying out the next task.
“Send me the address. We’ll bring him back immediately.”
…
The students watching in the classroom were visibly moved. Putting themselves in that situation, they doubted they could have done much better. They might not have been able to control their own fiery tempers either.
A student raised their hand and asked, “Instructor, can we ask for spoilers?”
The instructor shot them a glance and replied flatly, “Look it up yourself after class.”
“No kidding?” Jiang Linxia chuckled twice, trying to lighten the mood. “If it’s been made into a simulation, that means the ending is bright and clear. At the very least, that little boy was rescued and properly taken care of.”
Another student remarked, “That team is incredible. How do they manage to gather accurate intel in such a short time? Even the mission briefing was so vague – if they’d missed even a slight lead in their search, the entire city’s population would have been wiped out.”
“Operating alone on the front lines, carrying out special missions… they must be the most elite unit in the expeditionary force.”
Among a hundred graduates from top military universities, perhaps not even one could become a soldier of that caliber.
“You must strive to reach that level too!” The instructor’s stern voice cut through the discussions. “If you become soldiers, you will bear the same responsibilities. The success or failure of a mission is not just a game – it involves countless living, breathing lives. Those lives rest on your duty. That is both your glory and your burden. There is no ‘can or cannot’ – only the absolute fulfillment of the mission!”
The weight of those powerful words hung in the air, and the students turned to look at the instructor. Under his sharp, sweeping gaze, they quickly straightened their backs and sat up properly.
…
Cheng Feng was running through the marginal areas on the second basement level, while several senior students were transporting the surviving patients.
After the target had been released in advance by a researcher, he hadn’t immediately fled – nor could he find a safe exit. Instead, following the researcher’s suggestion, he had hidden inside the ventilation ducts above the storage warehouse.
But when Cheng Feng went to check, he was already gone.
The enemy forces must have swept through the map during their retreat. By the time their team descended, the remaining enemy troops were likely searching for the target. Taking the woman was also meant to lure him out.
The boy was probably intelligent and cautious – sharp enough to evade multiple rounds of searching. There was no telling where he had gone by now. One thing was certain: they couldn’t count on him to respond willingly.
In such a massive underground structure, the ventilation system was bound to be an intricate maze. Trying to find the target without any leads was no small challenge.
Li Qing passed by Cheng Feng, carrying someone on his back. Cheng Feng stopped and asked, “How many are left?”
“Forty-two confirmed survivors so far… but most of them aren’t in good condition. They have wounds on them, and their symptoms are already severe. Before evacuating, the researchers gave them another shot…” Li Qing’s voice faltered as he spoke. He paused to compose himself before continuing, “If we have enough time, I want to take them all.”
Take the bodies too.
These people had all been waiting for military rescue, waiting to go home. Even in death, their remains should not be left in a place like this.
Cheng Feng nodded and raised her hand in acknowledgment. The two of them turned and continued running in their respective directions.
From a distant hospital room, a senior student shouted in a voice hoarse as gritted sand, “Song Zheng, there’s another patient in room A62! Breathing is weak, wounds are worsening – do you have any potent hemostatic injections left?!”
Song Zheng yelled back, “Potent hemostatics won’t work!”
“They do! The effect is minimal, but it’s better than nothing! Hurry up and get over here!”
Song Zheng quickly rushed over with his bag, clutching the last two hemostatic shots in his hand.
Cheng Feng unbuckled her backpack, preparing to hand over her medical kit as well. Suddenly, her ears twitched – she caught an unusual sound.
Her hearing had always been sharp, but more importantly, she had a precise judgment of different sounds and rarely made mistakes.
Perhaps out of the entire team, she was the only one familiar – almost accustomed – to scenes like this.
Before she could form clear memories, the war in her homeland had not yet ended, though it was already in its final stages.
But instead of peace, the talks between leaders had made things worse. Some radical enemy factions, realizing their inevitable defeat, grew even more reckless – more violent, more unhinged. Any region caught in their path was forced into a brutal final cleansing.
Those who had lived through war had seen hell with their own eyes.
Every faint sound could be fatal. Cheng Feng remembered that well.
She dashed into the adjacent room, located the ventilation shaft entrance, dropped her bulky backpack, and vaulted up using the nearby table.
The ventilation shaft was pitch black. Relying on her sense of direction, Cheng Feng crawled straight toward where she had heard the sound earlier.
The headlamp strapped to her helmet swayed within the narrow passage, illuminating the space as she removed the wire mesh blocking her way. She hadn’t crawled for long before the warm orange glow revealed a small, thin figure.
He might have been waiting for her – he hadn’t fled when he heard her climbing up. But the moment Cheng Feng tried to approach, he immediately scrambled backward, trying to keep his distance.
Seeing this, Cheng Feng quickly said, “Don’t run. I won’t come any closer!”
She took half a step back.
Even though she had the smallest frame in the team, maneuvering in the cramped shaft was still difficult. She ended up half-kneeling, half-lying in an awkward position as she tried to communicate with the person in front of her.
The eleven-year-old boy was nothing but skin and bones. In his hands, he clutched tightly to some kind of tool – one that, by the looks of it, had allowed him to move freely through the ventilation system.
His head had been shaved, making his pale skin appear even more pallid. The clothes he wore – far too large and empty – were evidence of the torment he had endured during this time. Only the distance made it impossible to see his features clearly.
Cheng Feng adjusted the position of her light, angling it toward the sidewall of the shaft near the boy. The soft glow reflected back, illuminating his face.
The boy turned his head slightly and shuffled back a little further.
Truth be told, Cheng Feng wasn’t particularly skilled at dealing with children. Although his expression and gaze were nothing like those of an ordinary kid – far more mature, composed, and indifferent – still, just coming up with an opening line wasted three or five seconds of her time. Enough time for her to type out code and mark potential ambush points in her field of vision.
“Your mother is with us…” Cheng Feng bit her tongue, sensing something was off. She sucked in a short breath and added, “I’m not threatening you – I mean we rescued her.”
The boy remained silent. His hollow, dark eyes stared blankly at Cheng Feng. No movement. No response.
Cheng Feng fell silent too. After a long pause, she didn’t give up. Mustering her resolve, she tried again, “How are you feeling right now? Do I look like a bad person to you?”
Realizing that Cheng Feng had found the target, every voice on the channel lowered to a hush.
Song Zheng found the remark oddly familiar and cautiously offered his opinion. “Sis… your tone is kind of unsettling. Or is it just me?”
Li Qing whispered tactfully in agreement, “Probably not just you.”
Cheng Feng ignored them, studying the boy carefully before blurting out, “Your hair is really short.”
Everyone’s breath hitched.
Cheng Feng’s voice was filled with relief. “Mine used to be that short too.”
A collective epiphany dawned on the team.
Are you seriously trying to find common ground right now? With an approach this… unique?
Cheng Feng, believing she was being warm and approachable, added, “But it grew back. At your age, I think it’ll grow out in about a month.”
Shen Dan couldn’t take it anymore and slapped the steering wheel. “Please – someone, anyone – go replace her! Or that kid’s gonna bolt!”
Cheng Feng was rather displeased, convinced that the others were interfering with her efforts to connect with the target.
Would it really be any better if one of them came up here? Even if Song Zheng broke into an impromptu stand-up routine on the spot, could this kid actually laugh?
Cheng Feng racked her brains, trying to think of a second topic.
A year might not be long, but it wasn’t short either.
The boy had already been ten years old when he was taken to the research facility -mature enough to have a relatively developed mind. He was fully capable of communication and should still remember what normal society looked like.
Choosing her words carefully, Cheng Feng was about to tell him about the little robot she had lost and then found again, when the boy suddenly spoke first. “What are you doing?”
“We’re rescuing people.” Cheng Feng’s tone grew more natural, though her speech was still a bit slow – she didn’t often get the chance to speak.
“Your mother, and all the people downstairs – we’re taking them all out. You’re the only one left now. Come on, hurry up and come with me.”
The boy’s gaze dropped, landing on her hand. His face bore a numbing stillness that was unsettling to see.
Even without him speaking, Cheng Feng could guess what he wanted to ask.
Go where? And then what?
The real answer probably wouldn’t satisfy him, so he didn’t ask.
Cheng Feng pressed her earpiece, putting the channel on speaker. “Ma’am, your son is here. He’s safe, no visible injuries. Would you like to say a few words?”
The woman broke into sobs, repeating over and over, “Yuyu, Mom is here…”
But unlike her overwhelming emotion, the boy showed no reaction. As if he had long grown accustomed to all of this. He even furrowed his brows slightly – hesitant, resistant.
Cheng Feng turned off the speaker function immediately.
Sensing her son’s reaction, the woman’s crying quieted – but the words she forced out between ragged breaths only sounded more desperate.
“I’m such a failure, aren’t I? I lied to him so many times… so many times… What do I do now? He’ll never believe me again.”
Every false hope, shattered over and over again, had become a punishment far crueler than the truth.
It fell upon the boy – and upon the woman, too.
“She didn’t do anything wrong,” Cheng Feng said. “We were the ones who did wrong. We came too late. I’m sorry.”
The boy lowered his head. A faint glimmer of light reflected in his pupils, adding a trace of warmth to his cold features.
Cheng Feng understood – he needed a reason. Something to convince himself that he could trust them.
But Cheng Feng didn’t know. Even his mother had been shut out of his heart. What could he possibly still hold on to?
An eleven-year-old boy.
Cheng Feng’s pupils shifted slightly.
Beyond the narrow passage, beyond the reach of light, everything was swallowed in darkness. The winding, endless corridor stretched on – perhaps leading nowhere, just an endless loop.
Her thoughts drifting, something suddenly occurred to her. She pointed at the boy and said firmly, “Stay right there. Don’t move. I’m going to get you something!”
She quickly crawled back to the entrance, grabbed the backpack she had left behind, and pulled a folded flag from a small pocket on the side.
Standard issue. Every military backpack had one.
Clutching it in her hand, Cheng Feng climbed back into the ventilation shaft.
This time, when she returned, the boy had moved slightly closer – while she was gone, he had quietly crawled forward a short distance.
The corner of Cheng Feng’s mouth lifted into a faint, not-quite-bright smile. Then, bending her elbow, she unfurled the Alliance’s flag and spread it flat on the floor between them. Once again, she stretched out her hands toward him.
“Come on. We’re really here to take you home.”
A homeland is an immensely broad concept.
It is never perfect – it has its flaws, its mistakes. In the beginning, it was merely a geographic distinction; in daily life, it plays only a quiet, understated role.
Most of the time, it simply signifies where a person comes from.
But when one falls into despair, it represents where a person can go.
It is a journey home.
It is the end of wandering.
It is the final direction a person without faith can still hold on to.
The boy’s lips pressed tightly together, the muscles at the sides of his face trembling faintly – for the first time, a different expression flickered across his face. A thin layer of mist gathered in his eyes, illuminated by the light.
And before him, reaching out, was Cheng Feng’s pale yet unwavering hand.
…
Song Zheng had just loaded a patient into the vehicle and was heading back when he realized Cheng Feng’s side had been quiet for a while. Worried, he asked, “Why’s it so quiet over there? Sis, you okay?”
“Target acquired!” Cheng Feng’s voice was filled with relief. “Prepare for evacuation!”
“Awesome!” Song Zheng instantly forgot any previous doubts and shamelessly praised her. “I knew you’d nail it! No one you can’t win over! Your commanding presence is absolutely brilliant!”
Li Qing chuckled. “Tsk, tsk, that’s enough. Move faster. We’re running out of time.”
Shen Dan steered the military vehicle closer to the research institute, preparing to rendezvous with the team for evacuation. As she slowly approached the intersection, the vehicle’s detection system suddenly blared an alarm – two armored vehicles were closing in nearby.
She immediately accelerated and cut into the channel, interrupting their briefly harmonious atmosphere.
“Hurry up! I’ve spotted a team approaching the institute – must be enemy reinforcements. Li Qing! Evacuate all survivors immediately! The rest of you, buy us some time! How many patients are still underground?!”
“Still coming? Damn it!” Li Qing’s fury flared, his blood boiling. But he kept his head, recognizing the urgency. He bolted into the driver’s seat and hit the gas. “I’m evacuating now, brothers. Hold the line – I’ll be back to back you up!”
The vehicles carrying the patients had already made two trips. Now, only two groups remained.
Two senior students rushed out of the main entrance with patients on their backs, loading the remaining survivors onto Shen Dan’s vehicle. Space was tight – they packed in as many as they could, shoving everyone in before telling her to evacuate immediately.
Through the earpiece, voices came through. “Song Zheng and I have two more here -should be the last survivors. We’re coming out now… Wait, this patient is having seizures!”
Their companion let out a breath, re-raising the gun he had slung behind him. “No rush. I’ll buy you time. I’ll hold the entrance.”
Shen Dan urgently asked, “Cheng Feng! Where’s Cheng Feng?!”
“Running,” Cheng Feng replied. “Coming out now.”
Climbing out of the ventilation shaft, Cheng Feng grabbed the boy’s arm. The moment her fingers touched his skin, she realized how frighteningly cold he was. No wonder his face had that pale, bluish tint.
“Why are you ice-cold?”
The boy answered flatly, “I came out of a freezer. It’s dangerous up there.”
Cheng Feng didn’t know what to say. Her lips moved soundlessly for a moment before she finally managed, “You’re really smart.”
The boy seemed to have some problem with his feet – he moved slowly behind Cheng Feng, his leg muscles completely lacking strength.
Cheng Feng shifted her backpack to her front, then lifted him onto her back, heading straight for the elevator shaft.
From the basement level to the first floor, there was no safe passage. With the elevator destroyed, their only way out was the shaft itself.
Cheng Feng wasn’t particularly strong – the military backpack alone weighed dozens of pounds. Even though the boy was thin, carrying him on top of it made him a heavy burden.
Fortunately, by the time she reached the elevator shaft, Song Zheng and the senior student had arrived.
The two gestured for her to wait. They tightly secured the patient to themselves, fastened the carabiners on their ropes, and using the anchored equipment, pushed off against the shaft walls as they struggled upward.
They had made this climb over a dozen times now – repeating the same motions again and again. Even iron men would be utterly exhausted by now.
Looking up from below, Cheng Feng could see Song Zheng’s young arms trembling. His jaw was clenched tight, and even though the climb was only two or three meters, sweat dripped from him with every strained movement.
Finally, after getting the patient to the surface, Song Zheng descended to take the boy up.
Cheng Feng helped secure the boy onto Song Zheng’s back. A teammate’s anxious voice crackled through the channel. “Guys, I really hate to rush you, but they’re already here!”
“Overloaded – can you believe one of their vehicles has nine people packed inside?! I’m reporting them!” another senior student roared in fury. “Do they even have shame?!”
“Whoa, you actually counted? Okay, so now it’s just the two of us holding the door -one deals with nine, what do you think?”
So far, out of their twelve-person squad, five were already out of commission. Shen Dan and Li Qing were busy transporting patients, leaving only five able-bodied people on-site. And those five were running on fumes – exhausted, worn down, barely holding on.
Oh, and there were also three non-combatant civilians with them.
This was far more dire than before. With such an overwhelming mismatch in combat strength, there was basically no second option.
Hearing this, Li Qing shouted over the channel, “I’m on my way back! Hold on, everyone – I’m coming to get you!”
Song Zheng’s urgency spiked at the warning. Gripping the rope tightly, he immediately started climbing up the elevator shaft.
Halfway up, several loud explosions suddenly echoed from deep within the building. The entire outer wall began to tremble – even the elevator shaft let out a mournful, vibrating groan.
If the structure hadn’t been built so solidly, the ground and exterior walls might have already collapsed.
Song Zheng’s eyes widened in terror. “What’s happening?!”
“They’re detonating it.” Cheng Feng’s face was expressionless, but her voice dropped slightly. “They must have a detonator on their side. They realized we successfully rescued the target – so they chose to blow it up now. Move! Fast!”
The detonations started from the third basement level and were gradually working their way up.
Even as she spoke, two more thunderous blasts echoed from somewhere outside, sounding closer and closer.
Song Zheng didn’t dare waste another second. Gritting his teeth, he strained every muscle to pull himself upward along the rope.
But his fingers had lost all strength, his muscles refusing to obey him. Halfway up, he could go no further. His voice cracked with desperation as he cried out, “Sis! I can’t do it!”
Cheng Feng pushed him from below while the senior student grabbed the other end of the rope, helping to haul him up.
By the time Cheng Feng and the other two stumbled back to the first floor, intense gunfire had already erupted outside once more.
“Leave through the back door on the second floor. The front and back of the first floor are both swarming with enemies – at least twenty in total,” the two seniors guarding the entrance warned. “Hurry up! We’re only flesh and blood – we might not hold much longer. Ammo’s running low too, barely over a hundred rounds left. But after coming this far, who the hell wants to lose again? Your seniors are betting everything on you!”
Cheng Feng and the others hoisted the two remaining patients onto their backs. With no clue where this so-called “back door on the second floor” actually was, they simply headed in the direction with the least tremors.
As she ran, a bizarre thought flashed through Cheng Feng’s mind: What kind of building has a back door on the second floor? For easier jumping?
The upper levels were also affected by the explosions; small chunks of debris rained down from the ceiling. A few swinging light fixtures crashed down, narrowly missing the corridor ahead.
The three moved cautiously but dared not slow down, weaving through the chaos until they were completely disoriented. Fortunately, Cheng Feng led the way – without her, the other two would have been hopelessly lost in the maze-like hallways.
“Good lord,” Song Zheng still had the energy to quip, “this is intense!”
Li Qing’s vehicle rounded a corner, and the research institute’s main gate came into view. He dropped a pin to mark his location and called out, “I’m almost there! Get ready to board!”
The senior student downstairs shouted back, “Forget about us – go rendezvous with Cheng Feng! Stay away from the main gate; we’re about to detonate!”
Song Zheng charged toward the stairwell leading to the second floor. Looking up at the seemingly endless staircase, his vision blurred and he nearly stumbled. “Damn,” he cursed, “why are the ceilings so high here?!”
But he only paused for a second before forcing himself to jog up the steps.
At the front entrance on the first floor, the senior student tossed aside his empty submachine gun and muttered under his breath, “Should’ve told them to leave a weapon pack before they left.”
He pulled a directional explosive charge from his bag and, gripping it as he prepared to aim, asked his teammate a strangely philosophical question, “Hey, do you think I could be this heroic in real life too?”
“In real life, you wouldn’t be this calm,” his comrade replied. “By the time we get missions like this in reality, we’ll definitely be strong enough.”
The senior nodded. “Yeah, you’ve got a point.”
Before detonating, the two senior students turned off their communicators.
All sounds of gunfire faded away, followed by two earth-shattering explosions. Even the stairwell they were in began to collapse.
Song Zheng paused mid-step, suppressing the urge to look back. He sniffled, his voice tinged with emotion. “So now… it’s just the three of us?”
“Six,” Cheng Feng corrected, shifting the weight of the patient on her back. “All six of us are getting out alive. Otherwise, we’ll have to start a third round.”
“I’m not dead yet, dear underclassmen.” Li Qing’s voice cut in. “Heads up – the enemy is closing in. Spot my location and get ready to jump!”
Cheng Feng’s stamina was nearly at its limit.
The person on her back was an adult woman, heavy as a mountain, mumbling incoherently and interfering with Cheng Feng’s concentration.
After reaching the second floor, cracks had appeared in the central floor due to the foundation collapsing.
Cheng Feng glanced at the map, confirming Li Qing’s location.
The accompanying senior student pointed in a direction. “The back door’s over there. There’s a straight ladder outside leading to the first floor.”
Cheng Feng shook her head – it would take too long. She led them toward the window instead, marking a red dot on the map.
Li Qing immediately changed course and pulled up beneath the window. Looking up, he saw the glass pane being pushed open and shouted, “Jump!”
Cheng Feng could already hear footsteps approaching from downstairs. Keeping her composure, she said, “You two go first!”
The senior climbed onto the windowsill, took a deep breath, and jumped.
Li Qing winced at the heavy thud, half expecting the roof to cave in – but the armored vehicle’s build held strong.
“Hit the gym when we get back, buddy,” he said. “Next! Hurry!”
Song Zheng looked down at the drop from the second floor and slapped his own uncooperative thigh in frustration. At this point, he figured even if he broke something, it wouldn’t make much difference. Gritting his teeth, he jumped.
The impact knocked the wind out of him, a sharp wheeze escaping his chest. The senior dragged him aside while his vision flickered with black spots.
Cheng Feng tried twice before she finally managed to climb onto the windowsill. She could already hear gunfire closing in from behind.
Li Qing’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he yelled, “Now!”
Cheng Feng shut her eyes and leaped. Bullets grazed past her as she landed hard on the roof of the vehicle.
The roof was cluttered with weapons and equipment – far from flat. Exhausted, Cheng Feng barely had the strength to break her fall. With the weight of the patient still on her back, she hit the surface directly, her organs screaming in protest.
Fortunately, Song Zheng caught her, softening the impact just a little.
“I think you broke something!” Song Zheng groaned, teetering on the edge of consciousness. His teeth chattered as he rambled, trying to distract himself from the pain. “I’ve made such a sacrifice today. I’ve been hurt so many times. I feel terrible… I’m fading fast…”
Bullets rained down from above. Cheng Feng and the other senior flipped over, shielding the survivors with their bodies. The boy was held safely in Song Zheng’s arms.
Li Qing’s vehicle shot forward, tearing through the air, carrying them away from the gunfire.
Only when the chaos subsided did Cheng Feng slowly lift her head. Through blurred vision, she saw rows of towering buildings whizzing past.
Above, several fighter jets circled – their wing insignia indistinguishable from where she lay.
“Where are we going?” Song Zheng asked softly, no longer aware of his injuries. “Did we complete the mission?”
Li Qing was tense. He didn’t know either. He just kept driving through the streets, filled with uncertainty.
A few minutes later, several vehicles bearing the Alliance’s flag came into view. A heavily armed soldier leaned out and signaled to them.
“The first wave of reinforcements is here!” Shen Dan’s voice crackled through the communicator, almost choked with emotion. “We’ve successfully made contact on our end!”
At the same time, a red notification box from San Yao popped up –
[Rescue Mission Complete! Congratulations on Clearing the Instance!]
