Pain.Searing, blinding pain.
It felt like her skull was being split in two. Her body trembled uncontrollably, her stomach churned with nausea, and her vision was swimming in chaos.
The agony stretched on for what felt like hours—until, slowly, it began to ebb. Xu Xiyan could finally move again.
She sat up abruptly, forehead drenched in cold sweat, strands of hair sticking to her face as she hissed from the lingering pain.
When her blurred vision cleared, she realized she had washed ashore on an unfamiliar island.
The ten-year-old girl looked around in silence. Her dark eyes, far too mature for her age, shimmered with sorrow—but held not a single tear.
She had witnessed her entire family massacred before her eyes.
Parents. Grandfather. Uncles. Aunts. Cousins.
Gone. All of them.
But Xu Xiyan didn't cry. She wouldn't allow herself the weakness. Panic and tears would change nothing.
Instead, she etched a promise deep into her bones—a vow of revenge.
Without wasting another second, she chose a narrow path that led over the mountain. She wouldn't wait around to be found, whether by friend or foe.
Spring had come. Hibernating animals—snakes among them—were waking from their long slumber.
Xu Xiyan picked up a thick branch, about two fingers wide. A makeshift weapon. She had never feared snakes, not even as a child. Alone, without protection, it was best to carry something—anything—defensive.
Flowers had begun to bloom along the mountainside. As she walked, the birch trees cast dappled shadows over the path, shielding her from the full glare of the spring sun.
Further up, she saw a wire fence winding along the ridge—a clear sign of military presence. A unit must have been stationed deep within the mountain, and the fence was meant to keep civilians out.
Halfway up the trail, a sound made her freeze.
Rustling.Someone else was in the mountain.
Alarmed, Xu Xiyan dove behind a tree, heart racing. She pressed herself into the earth, breath shallow. Carefully, she peeled back the bushes in front of her, eyes narrowing.
Three men. Strangers. They were lugging a heavy box between them, struggling with the weight.
"Damn it! These roads are a nightmare," grumbled the shortest of the three, a man in his mid-twenties. He set the box down, leaning it against a tree. "We've got to climb over the mountain."
The tallest among them wiped his sweat and leaned against a birch. "Let's rest. Hell, we've been walking through this godforsaken place for days. If we don't find what we're looking for soon, I say we go down the mountain and raid some backwoods village for food."
"Do that, and you'll die faster than you can chew," the third man snapped coldly.
He was the second-tallest, and clearly the strongest. His eyes were dark, calculating. He reached into his jacket, took out a cigarette, sniffed it absently, then tucked it back into the pack.
"Move. We go up."
He didn't have to raise his voice. His authority was absolute.
"We need to report the Flaming Squad's movements to headquarters."
As soon as he gave the order, the other two fell silent, gathering their gear and pressing forward.
Xu Xiyan didn't move from her hiding spot. Her small fingers clutched the branch tighter.
She now knew two things.
One: she wasn't alone on this mountain.
Two: whatever these men were after… it was dangerous.