Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Escape

Jiang Qin was unperturbed to hear that the Jiang Family had not sent anyone.

But she was utterly surprised to hear that You Wei, the Bai family, her fans who were crowdfunding to hire Bounty Hunters, and Tianwen Entertainment had all sent people.

Mainly, it was because she knew her own circumstances. ’The Bai family from the Main Star? I don’t know them at all.’

’And Tianwen Entertainment… I’m pretty sure I already turned down their offer, didn’t I?’

’And yet, after I got into trouble, they still sent people to rescue me?’

’And my fans… I’d only been working for a few days and held a single livestream. I hadn’t even started to get serious about my career…’

While she was lost in thought, the inquisitive male walked over with a tube of nutrient liquid.

“Drink this.”

Jiang Qin took it and sniffed it. Detecting no strange odor, she downed it in one gulp.

The uncomfortable ache in her stomach from hunger instantly vanished, replaced by a feeling of fullness.

“Where’s Fox Ear?”

The male, who had been about to leave after seeing her drink obediently, was surprised that she would ask about Fox Ear.

Though surprised, he didn’t hide anything. “He went out to take care of something. He won’t be back until tonight.”

The male wasn’t worried at all that Jiang Qin would try anything, even knowing Fox Ear was away. After all, even if they were only A-level males, they were more than capable of handling a single female, so he couldn’t even be bothered to give her a word of warning.

After answering, the male paid Jiang Qin no more mind and walked straight out, presumably to stand guard or patrol the area.

Inside the shack, only the bound Jiang Qin and the male tinkering with the machine remained.

“Um, can you take me to the restroom?”

The male, engrossed in his modifications, heard the female’s cautious question.

He looked up and said, “I’ll bring you a basin.”

Jiang Qin was speechless.

“I won’t run. The basin… I can’t use it…”

The male considered it for a moment. Probably confident in his own strength, he nodded in agreement.

He got up, pulled out a key, and turned it a few times in the lock on the pipe where her shackles were anchored, releasing that end.

Then, holding the chain, he led her out of the shack.

The area was filthy, but it wasn’t so disgusting that people relieved themselves wherever they pleased.

There was a small, makeshift restroom every few shacks.

The male who had left earlier was nowhere to be seen. He had likely gone to patrol the surrounding area.

Jiang Qin’s heart began to beat a little faster, her mind racing.

“Go on in. Be quick.”

“Mm… I’ll try…” As she pulled open the dilapidated iron door, the stench that hit her was nearly strong enough to make her pass out.

It was disgusting inside.

Although using the restroom was just an excuse, she did actually need to go.

Thankfully, she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since last night, or she would have been unable to hold it in any longer.

Forcing down her nausea, Jiang Qin finished her business quickly, taking less than two minutes.

She knew this was her only chance.

If Fox Ear returned, she would truly have no hope of escape. He wasn’t nearly as accommodating as this male.

’He would probably really make me use the basin!’

…

“Are you done?”

The male outside urged her.

“Almost!”

Just then, Fox Ear’s voice suddenly sounded from outside.

He said, “Go on back to your work. I’ll wait for the little cutie.”

The male was indeed in a hurry, so he hastily handed the chain to Fox Ear and left.

Pushing the iron door of the restroom open a crack, Jiang Qin stepped out, covered in a cold sweat. She only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the male was truly gone.

The moment she relaxed, the figure of Fox Ear standing beside her suddenly vanished into thin air, and the chain clattered to the ground.

She quickly turned and fled.

Inside the restroom just now, she had tried using her Superpower to recreate the key.

’Creating a physical object really takes a lot of spiritual power. Or maybe my spiritual power is just low. That tiny key alone drained two-fifths of my reserves.’

When it came to conjuring Fox Ear, it was clearly just an illusion.

The only part that was different was the hand—the hand that took the chain was solid.

But it wasn’t real flesh and blood. It was more like spiritual power condensed until it was dense enough to become tangible.

As for the voice, that was Jiang Qin’s imitation too; the illusion only moved its mouth.

Luckily, the male was distracted, probably thinking about his machine, so he left without a second thought.

But this also meant that it was likely the time Fox Ear was supposed to return, which was why the male hadn’t questioned it.

If Fox Ear wasn’t supposed to be back at that time, he definitely would have asked a few more questions.

That was why Jiang Qin was now running for her life.

Her spiritual power was completely depleted, and a throbbing pain pulsed in her head.

As she ran, she had to be careful to avoid the Half-beastmen.

She couldn’t stay here. With a personality like Fox Ear’s, he would definitely search this camp first once he realized she was missing.

The old saying “the most dangerous place is the safest place” would definitely not work on him.

But getting far away was impossible at her speed.

These Beastmen’s abilities were off the charts; a single leap could cover more ground than she could running for over ten minutes.

If she still had her Superpower, it would be a different story; at the very least, she could have created some form of transportation.

Now, her only option was to find a place to hide.

She also had to find a way to deal with the scent on her body. The pill Fox Ear had given her likely had a tracking function in addition to its foul smell.

The more she thought about it, the more she gritted her teeth in frustration.

In all her three lifetimes, this was the first time Jiang Qin had ever encountered a situation like this.

Navigating the intricate warren of alleys between the shacks, she cautiously made her way toward the area with the strongest stench.

She had an idea.

The junkyard where they first landed was clearly far away and abandoned.

That meant there had to be another, closer dump near where the people in this shantytown lived, which was why they didn’t use the distant one.

It was disgusting, but it was the only hiding place that could solve all her immediate problems.

So, Jiang Qin kept heading in the direction of the concentrated stench.

After running for five minutes, she finally saw a Garbage Mountain at the edge of the shantytown.

Without a second thought, she quickly grabbed a leather-like sheet from the Garbage Mountain and began to dig a hole.

Once the hole was ready, she quickly squeezed inside along with the piece of leather.

Even after she was hidden, she didn’t feel safe. She kept digging deeper, all while listening for any sounds from outside.

She had also picked up a thin plastic tube.

After pulling the garbage back over the entrance, she left only a few small gaps for air. She also positioned the tube so one end stuck out, held in place by the trash.

She took a breath through it from time to time.

After that, Jiang Qin didn’t move again, lying quietly amidst the garbage.

’To be honest, it was miserable.’

She was positioned just a little way down from the top of the Garbage Mountain. Even though it was a spot where less trash had accumulated, the weight was now pressing down on her. She was terrified that if she stayed too long, she wouldn’t be able to climb out.

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