Chapter 94: Unchanged

As time ticked by second by second, the traffic finally began to move.

However, it was moving much slower than Qí Xià had imagined.

It seemed that the area closest to the entrance had indeed caused accidents due to this strange weather phenomenon.

By the time the eerie rift vanished and traffic resumed entering Qīngdǎo, it was already 8 a.m.

During this period, Qí Xià kept calling Yú Niàn'ān's phone nonstop, but no one answered.

After thinking it over, only one reason could explain the situation.

Yú Niàn'ān had likely been taken into police custody.

"Master, let's change the destination," Qí Xià said sharply, realizing he couldn't go home. He turned to the driver and added, "Forget where I got on; I'll give you a new address."

Qí Xià finished speaking and quickly searched for an address on his phone, then handed it over.

"Oh?" The driver took the phone, glanced at it, and understood the location. "Alright, the distance is about the same. I'll take you straight there."

Finally, around 10:30 a.m., the driver dropped Qí Xià off at the destination.

It was a cluster of cheap rental houses in the old Shìběi district.

"We've finally arrived, young man." The driver let out a long sigh. "I didn't expect it to take so long."

"No problem, master." Qí Xià pulled out 1,500 yuan in cash from his pocket and handed it to the driver. "Thanks a lot."

"No worries at all! It's what I should do!" The driver excitedly took the money. "If you need anything else, just call me!"

Qí Xià nodded, about to head toward the rental house, but then he suddenly remembered something and turned back. "Master, I know you're tired right now, but try not to go home before noon. If you're exhausted, just rest in the car for a bit."

"Huh?" The driver was stunned. "What do you mean? You're saying I shouldn't go home?"

"I have no reason to lie to you," Qí Xià said. "Something big is about to happen. Staying outside will be safer."

After saying that, Qí Xià ignored the driver and walked toward the rental house.

This was the backup hideout that Qí Xià and Yú Niàn'ān had rented, specifically for situations like this.

He planned to grab a few clothes here and then figure out his next steps.

After taking just seven steps, Qí Xià's phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

He was startled and quickly pulled it out to check.

It was a call from "A."

"An?" Qí Xià was taken aback, feeling that his earlier assumption might be wrong.

Had Yú Niàn'ān not been taken into custody by the police?

Or... was someone else making her call?

"Hello?" Qí Xià answered the phone, his tone calm as he greeted her.

He knew that even if the police were involved, he had to get them to take Yú Niàn'ān outside, or the consequences would be dire.

"Xià!" Yú Niàn'ān called out weakly. "I'm sorry... I think I'm sick. I've been asleep since yesterday afternoon and only just woke up."

"Sick?" Qí Xià furrowed his brow slightly and asked, "Did you feed the fish yesterday?"

"Pfft..." Yú Niàn'ān chuckled. "What are you doing? Giving me some kind of 'code'? Nothing's happened; I just really don't feel well."

Only then did Qí Xià understand, and he quickly said, "An, listen to me. Pack your things right away and wait for me downstairs. I'm on my way to get you."

"Huh?"

"There's no time to explain. Just trust me." Qí Xià said urgently, "I've lied to a lot of people, but never to you."

"Okay..." Yú Niàn'ān agreed. "I'll pack up. How long will it take you to get here?"

"I..." Qí Xià glanced at his phone and sensed that the situation was tricky.

It would take at least an hour to get there by car, and that might put them right in the path of that terrible earthquake.

"Don't worry about how long I'll take. Just get out of the house as fast as you can—even if it's just to stand by the door."

"Oh... alright then." Yú Niàn'ān nodded. "I'll wash my face and be down in about ten minutes."

"Good!"

Qí Xià hung up the call and hurriedly turned back to look for the taxi driver. Sure enough, he hadn't left and was sitting in the driver's seat, using a small ultraviolet flashlight to check for counterfeit bills.

"Master!" Qí Xià knocked on the window, startling the driver.

"Whoa!" The driver quickly tucked away the money and realized it was his "big client."

"Young man?" He rolled down the window and looked around. "What's up now?"

"Take me back to where I got on yesterday!" Qí Xià said. "And hurry this time—I'll give you another 100 yuan!"

"Hey!" The driver smiled and waved Qí Xià over. "Got it. Hop in quick!"

Qí Xià opened the door and got in, his face still showing urgency. In the car, he kept checking his phone, but unfortunately, he hadn't noted the exact time of the earthquake.

He only knew it would hit around noon, but was it 11 a.m. or 12 p.m.?

Thinking about it, he urged the driver again: "Please go a bit faster."

"Young man, you're asking too much. I'm already driving while fatigued..."

"Uncle, I'm really in a rush."

"Alright, alright..."

The driver couldn't refuse Qí Xià and pressed the accelerator harder.

What was normally a one-hour trip took just forty minutes.

"Thanks, master." Qí Xià tossed 100 yuan and got out without looking back.

But as he scanned the area, he felt something was off.

Yú Niàn'ān wasn't waiting downstairs at all.

"What's going on?"

Qí Xià's first thought was that she might be in a nearby convenience store buying something. He tried calling her, but still no answer.

"An, where did you go...?"

Before he could figure it out, a series of massive rumbles echoed from the distance.

It sounded like thousands of trains thundering down the road.

The next second, the ground shook violently, and Qí Xià lost his balance, crashing hard to the ground.

"Oh no!"

He knew something was wrong. The last time the earthquake hit, he had been standing in this exact spot.

It was as if fate had arranged it—same time, same place.

Even if everything had restarted, nothing had changed.

Cars around him started colliding in a chain reaction, and screams filled the air.

Qí Xià didn't have time to think; he bolted toward his apartment building. Even if there was only a one-in-a-million chance Yú Niàn'ān was inside, he had to save her. But moving during the earthquake was nearly impossible—he fell five or six times before regaining his footing.

"An!!" He shouted up toward the building, knowing she lived on the third floor and should be able to hear.

Qí Xià steadied himself and stepped into the entranceway.

He remembered that the last time, the corridor had collapsed when he entered, which was what killed him.

Thinking of that, he quickly dodged to the side, and a huge rock smashed down exactly where he had been standing.

The rock was enormous; anyone hit by it would have no chance of survival.

"So, I really did die last time..."