Chapter 2: Accepting the Mission

Li Yucheng didn’t have time to think. He scooped Liu Yingxue into his arms and rushed out of the dormitory.

In this era where bicycles reigned supreme, finding a car was as difficult as climbing to the sky. Yet Liu Yingxue was already at death’s door—there was no way a bicycle could get her to a hospital in time. Luckily, the walk from the school to the infirmary was only about ten minutes.

Li Yucheng ran full speed, clutching Liu Yingxue. Unfortunately, the sky was thick with dark clouds. In no time, thunder and lightning split the heavens, crimson flashes tearing the sky apart. Torrential rain poured down so hard that Li Yucheng could barely see.

The clinic was closed for the day. There wasn’t a soul around to help. Sweat, rain, and the blood from Liu Yingxue’s body mingled together, the metallic scent quickly swept away by the wind.

Every step was agony; Li Yucheng found himself gasping for breath, a despair he’d never known before settling over him. Just then, a streak of red-white light slashed through the night. Ahead of him, two tall figures materialized, both clad in white coats and strange helmet-like hats. By the flash of lightning, he could only make out their outlines.

Li Yucheng froze for a split second, startled, but with Liu Yingxue in his arms, saving her took precedence over everything. He shouted, “Excuse me, please move! I’m trying to save a life here!”

The two in white exchanged a glance. One said quietly, “Didn’t expect to be teleported here in the middle of such terrible weather.”

The other replied, “It’s not so bad. We’ve stumbled upon someone at death’s door. Maybe we can negotiate terms.”

“Get out of the way!” Li Yucheng’s patience snapped.

To his shock, both figures reached out toward him. Suddenly, the world blurred; he and Liu Yingxue seemed to float upward, the wind howling past his ears at a speed that made him doubt reality itself. His mind went blank.

…

When Li Yucheng came to, his clothes, which should have been drenched, were inexplicably dry. He was lying on a bed in a room where every wall was pure white, as were the sheets and quilt.

A nurse entered quietly, her smile gentle. “Hello, sir. Now that you’re awake, please rest here a while. We’re treating the young lady you brought in.”

Fear gnawed at Li Yucheng. He couldn’t remember any hospital like this near the school.

“Excuse me, where am I? What hospital is this? And where is the other patient?”

The nurse only blinked at him sweetly. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. Someone will explain it to you later.”

With that, she left, closing the door behind her. Li Yucheng leapt from the bed, slipped into the shoes by the floor, and tried to open the door. No matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t budge. Defeated, he lay back on the bed and closed his eyes, hoping desperately that this was all a nightmare.

He never wanted to be embroiled in Liu Yingxue’s private affairs.

…

Liu Yingxue drifted through a long and feverish dream. In it, she died and became a vengeful spirit, her soul returning home. She strangled Jin Junkai and Wang Xiaoqian in their bed, watching their faces twist in death. She flew outside, hovering in the air, howling at the sky.

A red mist swirled toward her. Within it, a blood-covered infant reached out its tiny hands. “Mama, Mama, avenge me!” The mist and the child receded farther and farther away.

“Wait for me! Wait for me! I’ve already avenged you!” Liu Yingxue chased after them, crying until she was hoarse.

But soon everything faded. She felt herself trapped by something she could not break free from. Then she saw someone stabbing an object into her chest—she screamed and woke.

What she saw astonished her even more. She was in a clean, orderly hospital room, surrounded by bizarre instruments unlike anything she’d ever seen. She lay in bed, dressed in pink pajamas, feeling light and comfortable.

There were two young doctors, a man and a woman, both no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, chatting softly at her bedside. The female doctor noticed Liu Yingxue was awake and smiled, revealing a pair of charming dimples.

“You’re awake! How do you feel?”

“Thank you both for saving me,” Liu Yingxue said gratefully. “But where am I? I remember losing a lot of blood…”

“We didn’t save your life,” the male doctor replied. “We merely kept you alive for now.”

A chill ran through Liu Yingxue. The thought of the faithless couple stabbed at her heart.

“Whatever the case, you saved me. I’m not afraid to die, but I haven’t had my revenge. Doctor, can you tell me—what about my child?”

Both doctors shook their heads. “The child is gone. We’re sorry.”

Hearing this, Liu Yingxue felt hollowed out. It was the agony of losing her own child.

“Please, doctor, save me! Even if it’s just for another month, I have to make them pay.”

The male doctor looked at her with sympathy. “It’s not impossible to save you. But you have to agree to our terms.”

“What terms? As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, I’ll do anything—walk through fire, climb a mountain of blades—I don’t care.”

“It’s nothing so dramatic,” the female doctor said, her dimples appearing again in a soft smile.

The two doctors explained their origins: they were from the future. A hundred years from now, the Earth would still exist, but humanity would be on the brink of extinction. People had invented terrible weapons and turned them on each other. Nations infiltrated and undermined one another; culture was invaded, and young people, obsessed with pleasure, stopped having children. Humanity entered negative population growth, and extinction loomed.

Liu Yingxue listened in disbelief. “I’m afraid I can’t help. Our country is practicing family planning—most people can only have one child.”

“Believe me, it won’t be long before our nation also faces negative growth and all its problems. If you help us, we’ll find a way to save you,” the male doctor urged.

Liu Yingxue felt helpless. It all sounded like a fairy tale. “If you really can’t help, we’ll have to find someone else. But your life will end here,” the female doctor warned.

She went on to explain Liu Yingxue’s current condition: after being beaten, the clinic doctor hadn’t realized she was pregnant and had given her medicine that promoted circulation, causing massive bleeding and miscarriage. Her blood was nearly gone—without these future doctors, she would have died.

Liu Yingxue sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to help, I just don’t know what to do.”

The young female doctor, still smiling, replied, “What we need from you is simple. Just help us with the ‘Genesis Project’.”

The male doctor’s eyes lit up with hope.

Liu Yingxue’s eyes widened. “Genesis? How?”

The female doctor explained, “We use genetic technology to select and combine superior genes, cultivating new life. All you have to do is help us find outstanding men and women and provide their genetic samples.”

Liu Yingxue hesitated. She wasn’t sure this was right, but perhaps it was the only way to save humanity’s future. At last, she nodded.

“Thank you for your cooperation. I hope we’ll work well together,” the male doctor said, shaking her hand.

He left to prepare for Liu Yingxue’s treatment. The female doctor remained, telling her something even more incredible.

Her name was Lan Xiaoyue, and the male doctor was Shi Jiangfeng. Both were hybrids—half-human, half-machine. In the future, environmental destruction and the proliferation of high-tech devices had made people lazy and mentally sluggish. Humanity was devolving, only kept functional by smart chips assisting their brains. That was another reason they had come back: to ensure the birth of new, healthy people.

Lan Xiaoyue left to get supplies. Liu Yingxue lay in bed, her mind a tangle of worries. She didn’t know if she’d made the right choice, but she knew she had to do what she could for the future.

After a while, Lan Xiaoyue and Shi Jiangfeng returned with a tablet. They had Liu Yingxue record a video and sign her name with a fingertip—her agreement to the terms.

The terms were simple: Lan Xiaoyue and Shi Jiangfeng would save Liu Yingxue’s life. In return, she must find two pairs of outstanding adult men and women each month to come to the mysterious hospital and provide genetic samples.

With no other choice, Liu Yingxue agreed. Then they began her blood transfusion and surgery.

All of it was done without pain.

Seven days passed.

Liu Yingxue finally woke, her memories slowly returning: her husband’s betrayal, the beating, Li Yucheng feeding her, fainting from hemorrhage at school, and then waking in this hospital. She had no idea how she’d arrived there.

For six or seven days, the nurses had cared for her with meticulous devotion. Liu Yingxue recovered well.

On the eighth morning, Lan Xiaoyue came to discharge her and informed her that the countdown would begin the day after she left.

They sent Liu Yingxue off, and Lan Xiaoyue handed her a universal wristwatch—it could make calls, record video, track locations, and do everything a modern smartphone could. In fact, it could do what smartphones couldn’t: as a self-defense tool, it would automatically detect danger and emit a laser to blind any would-be assailant.

For Liu Yingxue’s convenience, the hospital had been constructed above a small hill near her school. Though it floated in the sky, it was a massive mobile pod, invisible to all 1990s technology.

Lan Xiaoyue and Shi Jiangfeng sent Liu Yingxue back to school in an invisible little flying saucer.

No sooner had she returned than she discovered Jin Junkai was searching for her, even appealing to the principal. After her disappearance, Jin Junkai had been terrified that she’d expose his affair with Wang Xiaoqian, endangering his political career—at that time, moral scandals meant the end of a man’s prospects.

He mobilized all his connections, even enlisting Liu Yingxue’s two sisters, to search for her.

Now, as Liu Yingxue appeared on campus, it was as if a ray of hope had pierced Jin Junkai’s anxious heart. But she had returned with a secret mission, her emotions in turmoil—she had to face Jin Junkai’s betrayal and carry out the Genesis Project for the future.

Her sudden reappearance was so shocking that everyone froze for a full minute.

Principal Su Jinyu was the first to rush over and grab her arm, nearly in tears. “Teacher Liu, you frightened me to death! Where have you been these past days?”

“I’m sorry, Principal Su. There were some problems at home. I was in the hospital,” Liu Yingxue replied, voice trembling.

“I heard about your situation from Teacher Lin—say no more. See, Jin Junkai has come for you. You two should talk in my office,” Su Jinyu said, thinking privately that it’s better to break ten temples than one marriage.

Jin Junkai, standing by, let a fleeting look of disgust cross his eyes before donning a mask of concern. He stepped forward, reaching for Liu Yingxue’s hand.

She dodged away.

“Xue’er, it’s my fault,” Jin Junkai said awkwardly. “I made the kind of mistake all men make. Please forgive me. I’ve already arranged with the principal for you to take two more days off. Let me take you home to rest.”

Scoundrel, Liu Yingxue thought. “Jin Junkai, let’s get divorced,” she said, her voice firm and cold.

“Don’t be stubborn, Liu Yingxue. I will never divorce you. Just come home with me,” Jin Junkai insisted, reaching for her arm again.

This time, Liu Yingxue didn’t move. Suddenly, the universal watch on her wrist emitted a blinding flash, like lightning striking Jin Junkai’s eyes.

He screamed, clutching his face and collapsing. “You wretched woman! What did you do to my eyes?”

“Sorry, Jin Junkai. After what you did, I’m terrified of you. This is self-defense,” Liu Yingxue replied with delight. The watch had not let her down.

But before she could relax, Jin Junkai managed to open his eyes. Suddenly, he went berserk, raising his hand to slap Liu Yingxue hard across the face…