Li Xiaoshu instinctively sidestepped, dodging the teapot. The dagger was yanked out along with him. I nearly fainted from the pain, gripping the edge of the table and forcefully flipping it upward. Bai Huaqian was thrown off balance, staggering back several steps, releasing his grip on me.

I seized the opportunity, grabbing the stamp album and smashing it down hard onto Li Xiaoshu's foot. Whether it was the sheer force or the weight of the album, Li Xiaoshu instantly crumpled to the ground. Black blood erupted from his left foot where he’d been struck.

Before I could catch my breath, I suddenly felt a pair of hands clamp down tightly around my neck from behind. Stars swam before my eyes, and I thrashed blindly behind me, catching a handful of hair and pulling with all the strength I possessed.

"Ah..." Bai Huaqian cried out, and the skeletal hands strangling me recoiled.

I snatched up the stamp album, shoving and weaving desperately to flee. I could only hear Bai Huaqian screaming hoarsely behind me, "He crossed the boundary!"

I kept my head down, running desperately. After what felt like an eternity, when the only sound I could perceive was my own ragged breathing, I slowly came to a halt.

Looking around, I realized I had stumbled into some desolate wilderness. The sky was already darkening, and a bleak wind brushed coldly across my face. Though the air wasn't frigid, a bone-deep chill settled into my heart.

What in the world had just happened? First day of sophomore year, Class Two, meeting my very first classmate, and it had plunged me into such a terrifying afternoon. Was this a dream, or had it truly happened?

I raised my left hand; the blood still flowed, and the slightest movement brought a fresh surge of agony. The stamp album was clutched to my chest, distinctly stained with my own fresh blood, and that other, black blood. There was no mistake. Every single event had been brutally, vividly real.

Patting my pockets, my phone was long gone, probably having slipped out during the scuffle. I staggered forward, desperate to find a paved road or at least one or two buildings in sight.

Not long after, I spotted the distant lights of passing cars, hearing an occasional blast of a horn. My left-hand wound continued to bleed, but my legs had betrayed me, feeling heavy as if filled with lead. Every step demanded the expenditure of my entire being. Pain, cold, and exhaustion cycled through, relentlessly eroding my body.

Hold on, just a little longer! The thought repeated ceaselessly in my mind. Gritting my teeth, I knew if I could just reach the highway, I would be saved.

One more step forward, and then another! It wasn't far now...

I opened my eyes to a stark white ceiling hanging above me.

"You're awake!" A voice came from beside me. I strained to turn my head, discovering that every joint in my body ached. Even that slight movement required me to shift slowly, segment by segment, like a badly controlled marionette.

The speaker was a young police officer, clad in a pale blue uniform with one stripe and one star pinned on his shoulder board. He was sitting in the chair next to my bed, holding a notepad and pen, seemingly waiting patiently for me to regain consciousness so he could question me.

"Someone found you near the entrance to the Xiangyu Expressway off the East Ring Road. Can you tell me what happened leading up to that?"

"East Ring Road?" I felt a jolt of shock. Hou Dayong had clearly taken me to a villa in the west sector of the city!

"What is it? Where is the last place you remember being?"

"A villa complex in the west sector," I managed, forcing my tongue to regain some flexibility, enunciating each word carefully.

"What was the name of the complex?"

I struggled to recall the name of the compound, but it remained elusive. I was certain I had entered through the main gate, yet I couldn't remember seeing any signage or names on the buildings. I could only shake my head gently, indicating I didn't know.

The officer nodded understandingly, his tone softening further. "Then do you remember what happened next?"