Chapter 51 – Blazing Flames

Xu Anran and Gu Lanshan searched the entire house under the pretense of cleaning. I watched but said nothing.

Each of us here has our own agenda, our own motives—it’s just a matter of who’s more capable.

They won’t find what they’re looking for in this house.

Because I never took Wei Qinzhou’s body away.

Outside, night fell, and the natural light disappeared. With nothing else to do, we all chose to rest early.

After the argument in the kitchen, Qin Yuezhang had a dark expression and refused to even glance at me.

I didn’t want to break things off completely, but I couldn’t bring myself to shamelessly strike up a conversation right after the fight.

The guest room only had one bed, so we laid down some straw, spread a sheet over it, and made do.

Qin Yuezhang lay on his side facing the wall. Under the cover of night, I couldn’t even make out his silhouette.

Seems like he’s really angry.

But it’s fine.

I lay flat on the bed, staring quietly at the pitch-black ceiling, waiting for what would come next.

Even after cleaning, the house still carried a faint musty smell that grew more irritating the longer it persisted.

I didn’t open the windows—no matter how stifling it got. Earlier, while cleaning, I’d noticed some windows were rusted shut from years of disuse, and the ones that could open, I quietly locked.

So, by the time the smell of burning grass and branches seeped into the room, the fire outside had already grown fierce.

This season was already dry, and with most of the house made of wood, even a single spark could spell disaster—once the fire started, it would spread rapidly.

To this day, I still don’t know how the fire back then started. Did someone hate me? Did they want to drive me out? Or was it just an accident? Who knows? By now, the answer doesn’t matter anymore.

“What’s burning?” Qin Yuezhang suddenly sat up. He looked toward the window, his face paling. “There’s a fire outside!”

I pretended to have just noticed and jumped up. “Let’s go!”

Qin Yuezhang ran while pulling off his jacket and pressing it over my face. “Cover your mouth and nose!”

His scent instantly enveloped me.

Look at this guy—he’s so damn annoying.

We rushed out together. Passing through the main room, I saw the crumpled sheets on the makeshift bed—the person who’d been there was already gone.

“Outside!” Xu Anran shouted from outside. “Get out, there’s a fire!”

Before Qin Yuezhang and I could step through the door, flames licked down from the wooden ceiling, igniting the furniture inside.

In the blink of an eye, the scorching blaze engulfed the entire house!

“Qi Youxuan is still inside!” I shoved Qin Yuezhang hard in the back, pushing him outside. “Put out the fire!”

“Yan—Qin Yuezhang!” Qin Yuezhang looked terrified, trying to charge back in.

I really admire how he can stay calm in such a critical moment.

Xu Anran grabbed the impulsive Qin Yuezhang. “The most urgent thing is to find water to put out the fire!”

Qin Yuezhang stared at me darkly.

I flashed him a smile before turning and rushing back into the inner rooms. The smell of burning charcoal clung to me, and the temperature had risen to terrifying levels.

Qi Youxuan’s room was the innermost one—the last place the fire would reach and the hardest to escape from. Fighting through the discomfort, I pushed forward on sheer willpower and burst into her room.

“Cough! Cough, cough…” A weak voice came from inside. “Yan Ru, Qin Yuezhang, help… Qinzhou, Wei Qinzhou, help…”

Following the sound, I found Qi Youxuan pinned under collapsed wooden furniture, only half her body visible.

I charged through the flames and reached her, lifting the heavy timber off her. “Are you okay?”

Qi Youxuan’s face was ashen, her eyes welling up with tears. “I thought you’d abandoned me.”

“Never!” I said firmly. “I’ll carry you out!”

With that, I grabbed her hands, wrapped them around my neck, and hoisted her onto my back.

But the fire was growing fiercer. Once she was on my back, I realized there was no way out anymore.

“Dying in Snowscape just means leaving it,” Qi Youxuan said weakly from my back. “Yan Ru, it’s all about to end.”

“No!” I set her down and asked urgently, “What’s Wei Qinzhou’s safety gate code?”

Qi Youxuan froze, her gaze darting away.

“Are you really content to let it all end like this? If so, Wei Qinzhou’s death would be completely meaningless!” I stared into her face and lowered my voice. “Tell me, what’s his safety gate code? Hurry, there’s no time!”

Qi Youxuan struggled to speak. “I’m sorry, Yan Ru… I don’t know.”

What…?

What?

She… doesn’t know?

My mind went blank. I even forgot my surroundings as a sharp ringing filled my ears.

She doesn’t know? How could she not know?

Wei Qinzhou’s notes clearly stated that only he and Qi Youxuan knew his safety gate code!

I orchestrated all of this, found Qi Youxuan—the one Wei Qinzhou protected—lured her into Snowscape… and now she’s telling me she never knew?

No, I refuse to accept this answer!

“Then why did you use the safety gate code as leverage to bargain with me on the mountain?”

Qi Youxuan stammered, “On the mountain… cough! I had no choice. I wanted to protect Qinzhou just once, so I had to lie to you…”

So she lied to me.

She actually dared to lie to me!

Fury at being played for a fool surged through me. My chest heaved uncontrollably, my rage hotter than the flames.

I stood up abruptly, my face muscles twitching as I fought to suppress my anger. I looked down coldly at Qi Youxuan on the ground, my jaw clenched.

Along with the anger came overwhelming disappointment and exhaustion.

I started this fire to force Qi Youxuan into revealing the safety gate code in a life-or-death situation. But after all this scheming, she didn’t even know it!

Hah, how absolutely ridiculous!

Without access to Wei Qinzhou’s safety gate, all of this was for nothing.

Everything we did was meaningless.

Maybe my expression was too terrifying, because Qi Youxuan instinctively shrank back. “Yan Ru… what’s wrong?”

I let out a cold laugh and raised an eyebrow. “Qi Youxuan, do I look like a fool to you?”

“No, I don’t!”

I tilted my head. “You’re useless here now. Get lost. You’ll never see Wei Qinzhou again.”

Fear flashed across Qi Youxuan’s face. She tried to get up, but her injured leg gave out beneath her.

“No, that can’t be!”

The fire was spreading rapidly, about to swallow the entire room. If we didn’t leave now, it’d be too late.

Dying in Snowscape would end this operation for her. But reality wasn’t any kinder than Snowscape.

I turned to leave.

But as I did, I froze.

A figure stood in the doorway.

Gu Lanshan.

His eyes were wide, as if overloaded with information his brain couldn’t process.

His gaze shifted between Qi Youxuan and me before settling on me. Gu Lanshan narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice trembling with disbelief. “Consultant Qin… you… you’re Yan Ru?”

Tsk—he was here too.

Now things are complicated.

I already had enough problems, and now Gu Lanshan had to show up.

I couldn’t let him expose my identity in front of Xu Anran—otherwise, Xu Anran might terminate this Blizzard operation.

“Let me explain, it’s not what you think.” I gave him a placating smile and slowly approached.

Gu Lanshan ignored the flames, waiting for my explanation.

When I reached him, I said, “Let’s get out first. It’s too dangerous here. You go get Xiao Qi.”

“You’d better give me a damn good explanation.” Gu Lanshan turned toward the room.

But as I glanced up, I saw the wooden roof beam, weakened by the flames, finally giving way. A few tiles fell, shattering against the ground with a brittle cry.

Danger!

I bolted for the exit.

“Consultant Qin… ah!” Gu Lanshan reached out, but it was too late.

The heavy main beam, consumed by fire, collapsed with a deafening crash—right onto Gu Lanshan!

He was knocked to the ground, grimacing in pain as he struggled to push himself up.

Even though you can’t die in Snowscape, the pain is still real. I heard Gu Lanshan’s agonized screams as the fire crawled over him.

Through the flames, we locked eyes for the last time in Snowscape.

Gu Lanshan’s expression was full of regret, his gaze accusing—like I was some deceitful conman.

This Gu Lanshan—mediocre skills, mediocre brains, just brute strength. It’s hard to believe he’s a top technician at Weiyao Technology.

Was Blizzard’s main task in Snowscape just manual labor before?

I smirked coldly, lips moving soundlessly to leave him with one last sentence before turning and sprinting out of the fire.

Goodbye, idiot.