Chapter 5: Makka Pakka

The emerald glowed like a bottomless, eerie pool, instantly absorbing the blood. Once dull, the gemstone now emitted a faint, ghostly light. For a fleeting moment, Lin Wanjun thought she saw a vision of green meadows beneath a blue sky.

But it was just an illusion.

She had cut open all ten fingers, squeezing out her blood. Apart from the gem growing lustrous and radiant, there was still no sign of anything remotely related to a dimensional space.

Relying on the wealth of experience she’d gained as a seasoned bookworm over the years, Lin Wanjun even tried chanting various incantations.

“Open sesame!”

“Mahli mahli hong!”

“Makka Pakka, Upsy Daisy, goodnight, Little Pointy!”

…

Nothing worked! Absolutely nothing!

Lin Wanjun was starting to suspect that even if this damned ring drained every last drop of her blood, it still wouldn’t open a spatial gate to let her enjoy a single moment of bliss!

Sucking on her still-bleeding thumb, Lin Wanjun stared intently at the gemstone on the ring, mentally retracing the original plot.

In the chapter where the spatial dimension was unlocked, how did that damn author describe it?

Blood gushed from Song Zhanjin’s wound, like a trickling stream soaking Dong Yingying’s clothes…

At that point in her recollection, Lin Wanjun curled her lip.

What a terrifying thing ignorance was—what kind of decent author used “a trickling stream” to describe blood loss?

At that rate, Song Zhanjin would’ve bled out and dropped dead on the spot!

Wait a second—Song Zhanjin’s blood soaked through Dong Yingying’s clothes?

Something clicked in Lin Wanjun’s mind. She shot to her feet in excitement, snatched up the ring, and rushed downstairs.

The living room was empty, with only faint sounds coming from the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Lin Wanjun walked to the kitchen doorway and called out, “Mom.”

“Where’s Zhanjin? Where did he go?”

Hearing her daughter-in-law asking after her son, Li Yuetang’s face lit up with gratification.

They’d only been apart for a few minutes, and she was already missing him?

“He went to the unit. Said there’s some kind of competition this afternoon.”

Seeing the disappointment on her daughter-in-law’s face, Li Yuetang couldn’t bear it.

“Just as well—your dad didn’t come home for lunch. Be a dear and take it over to him, will you?”

She pulled out a clean, breathable cloth bag and filled it with a dozen or so meat buns, then called her husband, Song Mingcheng.

“Junjun’s bringing you lunch. Make sure to let the sentry know to let her through.”

The Courtyard was still some distance from the military zone. Lin Wanjun rode her bicycle down a poplar-lined boulevard and soon arrived just outside the camp.

After giving her name, the soldier on duty straightened up respectfully. Once her name was recorded, he personally led her toward the administrative building of the military district.

Song Mingcheng’s office was on the second floor.

As soon as she stepped inside, Lin Wanjun was startled by the scene before her.

In addition to Song Mingcheng, there were five or six high-ranking officers present. They all turned to look at her simultaneously, and for a moment, Lin Wanjun felt like she was back defending her thesis at university.

No, this setup—this atmosphere, this lineup of personnel—was far more nerve-wracking than any thesis defense.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Song Mingcheng gave a couple of coughs.

“Ai ai ai, you’re scaring my daughter-in-law!” he said as he got up and took the cloth pouch from Lin Wanjun’s hands, smiling warmly. “These guys heard you were bringing buns and absolutely refused to leave!”

Lin Wanjun snapped out of her daze.

“My mom made a whole tray,” she said. “She figured you uncles must’ve been working hard all morning, so she wanted to make sure everyone got a taste.”

Her words sent the room into laughter.

“Ai, Old Song, your daughter-in-law is really clever and sweet! Always protecting her mother-in-law’s reputation, even in front of outsiders.”

“Hey, little girl, do an impression of your mother-in-law’s tone and expression when she was packing the buns! Let’s see how close you can get!”

One of the officers stood up and began imitating Li Yuetang.

“Three buns—no wait, five… Still not enough. Forget it, just pack the whole tray. That bunch of starving ghosts could eat a horse!”

Lin Wanjun was rendered completely speechless.

Not bad—her impression really was spot on.

Watching these powerful high-ranking officers, who could command the wind and rain outside, fighting over steamed buns like kids, and recalling her mother-in-law’s comment about “those starving ghosts eating like there’s no tomorrow,” Lin Wanjun couldn’t help but laugh.

“Dad, I want to… ask Zhanjin a few things.”

She waited until Song Mingcheng and the others had finished their buns before speaking.

“No problem, he’s over at the training grounds. Just head straight over!”

Song Mingcheng waved cheerfully, then as if something came to mind, he added, “Hold on, Junjun, let me get you something good!”

As he spoke, he dashed into the office across the hall, and with practiced ease, rummaged through a drawer and came back with two bags of imported chocolate, which he stuffed into Lin Wanjun’s hands.

One of the officers protested, laughing and cursing, “Old Song, you’ve got no shame—bribing your daughter-in-law with my stash!”

Song Mingcheng let out a snort.

“You didn’t seem to care about your dignity when you were stuffing your face with the buns my daughter-in-law brought!”

Hugging the two bags of chocolate, Lin Wanjun walked out of the administrative building, a swirl of emotions rising in her chest.

Growing up in a single-parent household, she had never known what a father’s love felt like. She had once tried asking her mother about her father, only to be met with a fierce outburst.

“You don’t have a father. Remember that. There’s not a single decent man in this world!”

But now, Song Mingcheng was showering her with the warmth of a father’s love without the slightest reservation—spoiling her like his own daughter. How could she not be moved?

Lin Wanjun made up her mind.

She had to unlock the ring’s space as soon as possible. She was going to help the Song family survive the toughest years ahead.

At the training grounds, Song Zhanjin, now a company commander, was in the middle of overseeing drills.

Everyone had been focused and serious at first—until suddenly, the whole group started getting distracted. Their gazes shifted past him, fixed behind him like a bunch of dazed love-struck fools.

“Snap out of it and focus on your training! Anyone caught daydreaming—fifty push-ups on the spot!”

Song Zhanjin was known across the entire regiment as the best at leading soldiers. The troops he trained were literate, skilled, and willing to risk their lives. His commands were law, and discipline was absolute.

But right now, Commander Song realized he couldn’t keep this bunch of rascals in line. No matter how fiercely he barked orders or scolded them, they all seemed completely unfazed.

He was determined to find out what kind of external interference could make his soldiers lose control like this.

Just as he was about to turn around, a flash of red darted toward him, and the next thing he knew, a fist slammed straight into his chest.

“Song Zhanjin, you heartless bastard! We just got married and you’re already out here fooling around!”

Caught completely off guard by the sudden “attack,” Song Zhanjin staggered, instinctively grabbing the assailant’s wrist.

It was Lin Zhaodi—no, Lin Wanjun.

Tears streamed down her face, making her look pitiful and fragile. Yet even as she looked like a weeping beauty, she rained punches and kicks down on him, scolding him for being unfaithful.

Then, to top it all off, she suddenly sank her teeth into his arm, biting down hard enough to draw blood.

Hiss—Wife, that hurts!

Taking advantage of the moment when Song Zhanjin flinched in pain and loosened his grip, Lin Wanjun seized his bleeding arm and swiftly pressed the green gemstone of the ring against it.

Instantly, the gem began absorbing his blood. The once-clear emerald deepened into a rich, dark green.

The hand wearing the ring began to heat up, and a sharp, stinging pain spread rapidly through her fingers.

Suddenly, a burning pain seared through her finger. The ring instantly morphed into a thin red line, fusing seamlessly with Lin Wanjun’s skin.

The ring had vanished—leaving behind only a barely noticeable red mark around her finger, like a tattoo or birthmark.

At the exact same moment, a vast, boundless space appeared within Lin Wanjun’s mind. It connected to her consciousness with perfect clarity and ease.

Her heart leapt with joy.

It worked!

Just then, Song Mingcheng arrived, having rushed over after hearing about the commotion.

“What’s going on here? Everything was fine—why are you making a scene now? Song Zhanjin, did you bully Junjun again?!”

A bewildered Song Zhanjin looked like he was about to cry.

Wrongfully accused!

I was just training my troops when she suddenly ran over, bit me, hit me—in front of over a hundred soldiers! I’m the company commander! Don’t I deserve a little dignity?!

Meanwhile, Lin Wanjun had no time to explain herself. She was eager to find a quiet place and begin exploring the abilities of this newly awakened space.

Lin Wanjun looked at Song Mingcheng and wailed, “When we were outside just now, a woman called him ‘husband.’”

The moment those words landed, Song Zhanjin was stunned. Song Mingcheng and the group of gossip-hungry soldiers around him were just as dumbfounded.

Song Zhanjin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he shouted, “No! I told you, that was a misunderstanding! You weren’t even mad at the time!”

“I didn’t react then, but the more I think about it, the weirder it seems. Why did she just so happen to call you ‘husband’? Why not any of the other men around?”

At that moment, Lin Wanjun fully experienced the wicked thrill of being a villainess.

Casting off the burden of being the heroine was a joy. No need to force some flawless image. No need to worry about getting scolded by readers—villainesses get cursed no matter what they do, right?

If you’ve got lice all over, what’s one more? If you’re drowning in debt, what’s another loan? Who cares? Might as well enjoy it while it lasts!

After flinging her accusations, Lin Wanjun clutched her face and ran off sobbing dramatically, not caring in the least about the mess Song Zhanjin had to clean up.

Behind her came Song Mingcheng’s furious roar, followed by Song Zhanjin’s feeble attempts to explain himself. But Lin Wanjun didn’t care one bit.

Hahaha! I’m the wicked supporting character—who could possibly scare me?

She left the military camp and found a secluded grove.

Focusing her mind, she silently summoned the space. The red thread on her finger began to glow and heat up. In the next instant, a quaint, antique-style door appeared before her…

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