After washing up, Nan Muran returned to the living room, but she couldn’t calm down at all. She felt restless and on edge.

In the end, she could only stand blankly in front of the surveillance monitor, staring at the open space outside the villa without moving an inch.

Bai Mei wanted to persuade her to sit down and wait, but she was stopped by Jiawu.

Tank and Da Fu, confused by their master’s strange mood, also began to act unsettled.

Woof woof woof, meow meow meow—the living room on the first floor of the villa became a lively mess.

To keep them quiet, Nan Muran thought for a moment and took out two fruits that Xiaobai had previously given her: “Here, these are for you.”

Tank and Da Fu stared at the translucent emerald green fruits in her hand, practically drooling.

Once the two little ones gobbled the fruits down, they immediately started rolling around on the ground in discomfort and pain.

Knowing this was a normal reaction, Nan Muran didn’t bother with them.

She just kept standing in front of the monitor, motionless, eyes fixed on the screen.

After a long while, once the pain passed, the two creatures fell silent.

Jiawu picked up their limp, sleepy bodies and carried them back to their beds, then sat back down beside Bai Mei.

The couple looked helplessly at the unmoving Nan Muran and chose to quietly wait with her.

As dusk fell, a light drizzle began outside.

Nan Muran frowned. Weather like this was torture for people who had just escaped from the lab.

Time continued to pass. When it was around 3 a.m., the small willow on her left wrist trembled slightly: “Ye Ye and the others have appeared.”

Nan Muran felt like the blood in her entire body froze. She even forgot how to breathe.

She wanted to rush out to find them, but her legs felt like they were made of lead and wouldn’t move.

“They’re moving fast. They’ll be here soon. Ranran, you don’t have to go to them,” the little willow said, sensing Si Ye and the others rapidly approaching.

Jiawu and Bai Mei noticed her strange behavior. “Ranran, what’s wrong?”

Nan Muran finally felt her chest was about to burst. She exhaled deeply and turned to the two of them: “Xiaoliu says… they’re almost here.”

“Should we go out and meet them?” Jiawu asked, quickly standing up.

“Xiaoliu says they’ll be here very soon. Let’s wait a little longer.”

Meanwhile, Si Ye’s group was speeding toward the mountainside villa.

“How much further, Eagle?” Chen Dong asked, glancing uneasily at the pitch-black forest around them.

Maybe it was because he’d seen that girl’s willow whip before—it had moved like it had eyes of its own—but this forest gave him an incredibly eerie feeling.

“No more than six kilometers,” Eagle replied.

He was known as the living map of their Lone Wolf team. When it came to navigating terrain, he was even more accurate than Beidou GPS. No one doubted his word.

“Pick up the pace. The people from the lab are gaining on us,” Si Ye said coldly.

The four of them rushed through the dense forest without bothering to find a path, crossing over obstacles with ease.

They finally arrived at the clearing in front of the mountainside villa.

“What the…” Eagle almost swore. He was sure he hadn’t remembered wrong—there should’ve been an old European-style villa here.

Chen Dong glanced around. “No way, Eagle. Don’t tell me your internal GPS is off.”

“This is the place! The cliffs, the edge, and the old villa that should be right here…” For the first time, Eagle doubted himself. Something was clearly missing.

Inside the villa, Nan Muran saw the four figures appear on the clearing. She felt like a weight had lifted from her shoulders.

Her voice trembled slightly. “Brother Wu, there are people chasing them. Please call them into the villa.” She wanted to do it herself, but she was afraid—afraid they’d run away again.

Jiawu also saw the four people at the villa entrance. Coincidentally, he knew two of them.

One was the so-called Wild Wolf, Si Ye. The other was Eagle.

Just as Si Ye was strategizing how to best use the terrain, the heavy sound of a door opening startled him.

Chen Dong, Qiangzi, and Eagle immediately turned toward the sound, assuming defensive stances.

But as soon as they saw the figure standing in the doorway, they instantly recognized the man as a fellow soldier—only people like them would instinctively feel that kind of kinship.

Eagle reacted first. “Jiawu?”

“Long time no see, Wild Wolf,” Jiawu said with a rare smile. His gaze moved past the three in front and landed on Si Ye standing behind them.

“Long time no see.”

Si Ye didn’t have anything against Jiawu personally, but he didn’t like international mercenaries showing up on home soil.

Jiawu understood Si Ye’s attitude and didn’t take it to heart. “Come with me.”

Chen Dong and Qiangzi instinctively looked at Si Ye. “Captain, are we going?”

“The pursuers are almost here,” Jiawu reminded him.

Si Ye glanced over his shoulder and gave a nod. “Thanks.”

As the four followed Jiawu inside, they were instantly surrounded by warmth. The sudden change made them shiver uncontrollably.

They passed through the entrance garden and turned at the hallway.

The group was surprised. The villa was so well-hidden—there hadn’t been a single trace of it visible from outside.

Chen Dong was the first to spot the figure ahead and froze in place, gulping nervously. “Captain…”

Si Ye followed his gaze and saw a girl in loose loungewear silently watching them from a short distance away. Her damp, deer-like eyes didn’t blink once.

The dark clothing made her already fair skin look even more luminous. With her delicate features and seaweed-like hair cascading down, she looked like a finely painted oil portrait.

They knew this girl—she was the one who had taken out the entire Scorpion Squad in five minutes at Mount Cui.

But her eyes were filled with shimmering light, her gaze complex and unreadable.

Eagle was the first to notice that she wasn’t looking at any of them—she was looking at their captain.

Si Ye’s looks were extraordinary, so being stared at by girls was nothing new.

But this girl clearly wasn’t ordinary.

That look in her eyes—how to describe it?

It was like seeing a lover you hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Long time no see, Si Ye,” Nan Muran said softly, her voice distant, like echoing through time.

Then, while Si Ye was still stunned by her words, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

Si Ye was startled by her sudden action. He instinctively raised his arms, glancing helplessly at Bai Mei and Jiawu.

He didn’t know whether to return the hug or gently push her away—it all felt too awkward.

“What’s going on?” Chen Dong whispered to Eagle.

Eagle shook his head. Did the captain somehow pick up a love debt?

That couldn’t be—it had been a tough year, and they’d barely had time to rest, let alone flirt.

Jiawu was also surprised. Could it be that the person Ranran had been waiting for all this time… was Wild Wolf?

Only Bai Mei, sitting in her wheelchair, was truly happy for Nan Muran.

Ranran had finally met the person she had been waiting for. Everything she had endured was worth it.

Si Ye could feel the soft warmth of the girl in his arms and was completely at a loss. But as time passed, the ever-cold expression on his face began to blush. His ears were burning up.

Even he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold—or embarrassment.