Chapter 94: Never Changed
As time ticked by second by second, the traffic finally started moving.
But it was moving much slower than Qi Xia had imagined.
It seemed that right near the entrance, the strange weather phenomenon had indeed caused an accident.
By the time the eerie crack disappeared and traffic began flowing into Qingdao again, it was already eight in the morning.
During this time, Qi Xia had been calling Yu Nian'an's phone nonstop, but no one answered.
After thinking it over, only one reason could explain the situation.
Yu Nian'an had already been taken into police custody.
"Driver, change the destination." Qi Xia sensed this acutely, realizing he couldn't go home, and said to the driver, "Forget about where I got on. I'll give you a new address."
Qi Xia searched for an address on his phone and handed it over.
"Oh?" The driver took the phone, glanced at the destination, and nodded. "Alright, the mileage is about the same. I'll take you straight there."
Finally, around ten thirty in the morning, the driver pulled up to the destination.
It was a cheap rental housing area in the old part of the city, north of the market.
"We're here, kid." The driver let out a long breath. "Can't believe we wasted so much time."
"No problem, Master." Qi Xia pulled another 1,500 yuan in cash from his pocket and handed it to the driver. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it! I'm just doing my job!" The driver took the money excitedly. "If you need anything else, just call me again!"
Qi Xia nodded. Just as he was about to head toward the rental house, he suddenly remembered something and turned back. "Master, I know you're exhausted right now, but don't go home before noon. If you're tired, just stay in the car for a while."
"Huh?" The driver was taken aback. "What do you mean? I can't even go home?"
"I have no reason to lie to you." Qi Xia said. "Something big is about to happen. It'll be safer to stay outside."
With that, Qi Xia stopped paying attention to the driver and walked toward the rental house.
This was a backup hideout that Qi Xia and Yu Nian'an had rented, precisely for moments like this.
He planned to grab a few clothes here, then figure out the next steps.
After taking seven steps, the phone in Qi Xia's pocket suddenly vibrated.
Startled, he quickly pulled it out and looked.
Incoming call from "A."
"An?" Qi Xia blinked, feeling like his deduction might be off.
Hadn't Yu Nian'an been taken by the police?
Or... was this call forced by someone else?
"Hello?" Qi Xia answered, his tone calm and collected.
He knew that even if this call came from the police, he had to make sure they took Yu Nian'an out of the building; otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Xia!" Yu Nian'an called weakly. "I'm sorry... I think I got sick. I've been sleeping since yesterday afternoon and only just woke up."
"Sick?" Qi Xia frowned slightly. "Did you feed the fish yesterday?"
"Pfft..." Yu Nian'an let out a soft laugh. "What are you doing? Testing me with a code? Nothing happened. I'm just really not feeling well."
Qi Xia understood immediately and said urgently, "An, listen to me. Pack your things and wait for me downstairs. I'll come pick you up right now."
"Huh?"
"No time to explain. Trust me." Qi Xia said anxiously. "I've lied to a lot of people, but I've never lied to you."
"Okay..." Yu Nian'an agreed. "I'll pack now. How long until you get here?"
"I..." Qi Xia checked his phone and sensed trouble.
From here, taking a cab would take at least an hour, which would probably coincide with the terrible earthquake.
"Don't worry about when I'll arrive. Just leave the house as soon as possible, even if you only stand by the door."
"Oh... alright." Yu Nian'an nodded. "I'll wash my face and be downstairs in about ten minutes."
"Good!"
Qi Xia hung up and quickly turned to find the taxi driver. He saw that the driver hadn't left yet—he was sitting in the driver's seat, using a miniature UV flashlight to check the bills for counterfeits.
"Master!" Qi Xia knocked on the window, startling the driver.
"Oh my god!" The driver quickly put the money away, only to realize it was his "big customer."
"Kid?" He rolled down the window and looked around. "What's wrong now?"
"Take me back to where I got on yesterday!" Qi Xia said. "And step on it. I'll give you a hundred!"
"Pfft!" The driver laughed and waved at Qi Xia. "I got it. Hop in!"
Qi Xia opened the door and got in, looking anxious. He kept checking his phone, regretting not noting the exact moment the earthquake struck.
All he knew was that it happened around noon. But was it eleven? Or twelve?
Thinking about it, he urged the driver again, "Please, a little faster."
"Kid, you're pushing it. I'm driving on no sleep here..."
"Uncle, I'm really in a hurry."
"Alright, alright..."
The driver couldn't argue with Qi Xia, so he pressed the accelerator a bit harder.
The hour-long trip took only forty minutes.
"Thanks, Master." Qi Xia tossed him a hundred yuan and got out without looking back.
But when he looked around, something felt off.
Yu Nian'an wasn't waiting for him downstairs.
"What's going on?"
Qi Xia's first thought was that Yu Nian'an might have gone into a convenience store nearby. He dialed her number, but no one answered.
"An, where are you...?"
Before he could figure it out, a series of loud roars came from the distance.
It sounded like tens of thousands of trains were running on the road.
The next second, the ground began to shake violently. Qi Xia lost his balance and slammed hard onto the pavement.
"Damn it!"
He knew it was bad. The last time the earthquake struck, he had been standing in this exact spot.
It was as if fate had planned it—the same time, the same place.
Even though everything had started over, nothing had changed.
Cars began to collide in chain reactions all around him, and screams filled the air.
Qi Xia couldn't afford to hesitate. He ran toward the entrance of his building. Even if there was only a one-in-a-million chance that Yu Nian'an was still inside, he had to save her. But moving during an earthquake was nearly impossible. Qi Xia fell at least five or six times before he managed to regain his balance.
"An!!" He shouted up at the building. They lived on the third floor—she should have been able to hear him.
Qi Xia steadied his nerves and stepped into the stairwell.
He remembered that the last time he entered this stairwell, the entrance collapsed, which had killed him.
Realizing this, he quickly dodged to the side. A massive stone crashed down right where he had been standing.
The stone was enormous—if he had been hit, there would have been no chance of survival.
"So I really did die back then."