Chapter 18: Running is the Best Option
When Hoàng Hải Vân opened her eyes, the suffocating darkness of the water was gone. Instead, everything around her was pure white—clean and pristine. For a moment, she wondered if she had arrived in heaven. She shifted her body and sat up.
But… everything she touched felt real. The curtains, the bed—they all had texture. She reached up to touch her face, then her body—there was still warmth.
At that moment, the door creaked open. She immediately lay back down and pretended to be unconscious.
A warm, gentle voice spoke:
"Still not awake?"
Another voice, crisp and clear like a bell, replied with a teasing laugh. The tone carried a hint of amusement, making it clear the speaker was young.
"Maybe it's better if she never wakes up. A face this beautiful… it'd be a shame for time to ruin it."
She swallowed hard. Was she saved? Or captured? What if she had just fallen into the hands of another group of assassins?
The first voice, the more mature one, chided, "Don't talk nonsense."
The younger one just chuckled—a carefree, lighthearted sound, like wind chimes in a gentle breeze.
As they chatted, their voices faded toward the door.
"What should we do with the beauty we just brought back? She was clearly dead, yet we couldn't perform the body refinement ritual. It's like she's just in a deep sleep, her soul still lingering somewhere, refusing to accept a new brain."
"Very strange."
Once silence settled in the room, she cautiously cracked open an eye.
Where the hell was she?
What did they mean by "body refinement"? What did they mean by "soul"?
She slowly sat up and tiptoed toward the door.
The place was eerily clean and luxurious, like a five-star hotel, yet there was no one in sight. If she was a prisoner, why wasn't there a single guard watching her?
Whatever.
Running was the best plan.
She slipped out of the building, running as fast as she could. The compound was massive, but after a long sprint, she finally reached the perimeter—right next to the ocean.
The problem?
Barbed wire fences surrounded the area, and every few meters, there were guarded checkpoints. The guards were all dressed in black, standing alert. Even if she got past them, she'd fall straight into the ocean. Either way, she was dead.
As she was trying to figure out a plan, her foot hit something—
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
A deafening alarm blared.
Shit.
She bolted.
Immediately, a swarm of people poured out from the buildings, all chasing after her. She was fast, but her body still felt weak from almost drowning. The chances of escaping were slim.
Before she could react, someone grabbed her and flung her backward. She hit the ground face-first, pain shooting through her legs and the raw sting of scraped skin burning her cheeks.
Frustrated, she lifted her head, biting back a curse.
Why the hell had she reincarnated into this damn body? She had barely been here for long, yet death had already come knocking multiple times.
She braced herself, expecting a brutal beating.
But…
The men chasing her suddenly froze.
They stared at her. Then at each other.
She stared back, equally confused.
These men were all dressed in black—lean, muscular, and strikingly handsome.
Whoever owned this place had to be a complete lunatic. Even the security team had to be made up of good-looking men?
Then, to her utter disbelief—
They bowed to her.
"Young master."