In Times of Chaos, One Defends Righteousness with Their Life

00:15

The dead of night, when all was silent and still.

Li Guanqi stepped out of her room and strolled leisurely down the corridor. The overhead lights, though not overly bright, cast a pale glow just enough to illuminate the path beneath her feet. Her slender silhouette stretched long and delicate, her skirt and hair swaying restlessly in the night breeze.

Soon, she paused before a door.

The stiffness in her movements—especially in her black silk-clad legs—betrayed her hesitation. She seemed torn between knocking and disturbing whoever might be asleep inside.

Just as she wavered, faint footsteps sounded from within.

At that, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, steadied herself, and lifted her gaze, ready to face Gu Ruoxue.

A soft click followed as the door swung open.

Gu Ruoxue stood there, still dressed exactly as she had been during the day—no signs of rest, her attire immaculate, her hair perfectly in place without a single strand out of order.

"Dragging yourself here at this hour—what is it you couldn’t say earlier?"

Her voice was cool, detached, as if discussing some trivial bureaucratic matter. It carried no inflection, no emotion—just the same tone she might use when questioning a client in their club.

"Senior, you seem to have expected me?"

Li Guanqi’s eyes flickered up and down, her meaning clear from the way she took in Gu Ruoxue’s unchanged appearance.

"I don’t need to know whether you’d come. Only why you did."

Gu Ruoxue’s response was cryptic.

At that, Li Guanqi’s head snapped up, but Gu Ruoxue had already turned away, retreating into the room without giving her a chance to press further—let alone an answer.

"Now that you’re here, state your business." Her tone remained measured, revealing nothing.

Li Guanqi hesitated for a few seconds before stepping inside and closing the door behind her, shutting out the cold draft.

Inside, Gu Ruoxue’s desk was cluttered with an open laptop, stacks of documents, and miscellaneous items. She sat in her chair, fingertips resting against her chin as if deep in thought.

"I don’t know what brought you here," Gu Ruoxue said, gesturing for her to sit.

Li Guanqi smoothed her skirt and moved to comply—only for her gaze to freeze abruptly on the papers strewn across the desk. Her pupils contracted slightly.

Within her line of sight, the documents detailed various policy implementation plans, key statistical data, and post-execution reports.

Not just their societal impact, but also critical influencing factors, improvement suggestions—each one meticulously analyzed.

While most their age were still lost in the carefree haze of campus life, Gu Ruoxue had already been boldly conducting social experiments and research—trials that would be near-impossible to push forward in the real world—within this "artificial stage."

The difference between them was stark.

"Speak. What’s holding you back?"

Gu Ruoxue cradled a thermos, took a sip of water, and leveled her with an impassive stare, waiting.

Snapping out of her daze, Li Guanqi finally spoke after a pause.

"I want to invite you to help me awaken Su Cheng’s talent."

Gu Ruoxue ran a finger along the rim of her thermos lid. "I don’t see any strong opposition from the relevant parties. What are you afraid of?"

She shook her head. "No, that can’t be it. If you’re determined to go alone despite the lack of resistance, then the reason must be—"

Her sharp gaze pinned Li Guanqi in place, making her increasingly uneasy. Behind her back, her hands fidgeted unconsciously.

"You want to complete this ahead of everyone else, securing extra benefits for yourself."

Gu Ruoxue had her answer from those subtle tells. "You’re quite the schemer."

At this point, Li Guanqi felt the night’s efforts were doomed. Still, she made one last attempt.

"I just want things to return to how they should be—not this chaotic, frustrating mess."

"How they should be?" Gu Ruoxue let out a soft chuckle and set the thermos down. "Restoring past events to their original state can be called ‘returning to how things should be.’ But doing the same for something that hasn’t happened yet? That’s just willfulness."

Just as Li Guanqi braced for the conversation to collapse entirely, Gu Ruoxue did something unexpected—she pressed a hand to her chest and drew out a sword.

A sword?

A sword!?

No—more accurately, a blade.

Li Guanqi’s eyes widened in shock.

What was this about?

"This blade has a unique effect."

Gu Ruoxue gripped the sheath with her left hand and lightly tapped the flat of the blade with her right. A crisp metallic ring echoed through the quiet room.

"What effect?" Li Guanqi frowned, not quite following.

"Actually, it’s quite similar to your own trait."

"Trait?"

A vague understanding dawned on her.

"It can make the user invisible."

With that, she handed the sheath to Li Guanqi.

"Invisibility!?"

Li Guanqi accepted it with slender fingers, examining it closely. The blade seemed ordinary, resembling an ancient prototype of a war sword—yet not quite.

After a thorough look, she lifted her gaze to Gu Ruoxue.

"Just will it, and the effect activates."

Gu Ruoxue’s reminder came calmly.

Nodding, Li Guanqi focused—

Suddenly—

A faint glimmer flickered at the blade’s tip before it began fading from sight. Then the rest followed—the body, the hilt, her hand, and finally, her entire form vanished.

"Reversing it works the same way."

Another prompt from Gu Ruoxue.

After testing it once more—

"Wow." Li Guanqi couldn’t help murmuring in awe.

"Now your concerns should be resolved."

Gu Ruoxue’s tone remained steady.

"Thank you, Senior."

Li Guanqi bowed slightly, the sheath in hand, her eyes alight with excitement. With this, she wouldn’t have to worry about running into the Ji Family’s guards—her movements would be far smoother.

"No need."

Gu Ruoxue shook her head. "This isn’t purely for your sake. It serves my purposes as well."

Li Guanqi assumed she meant precautions against the Ji Family’s master and servants, but that wasn’t it.

To expedite results, Gu Ruoxue had employed drastic measures in her experiments—especially as their investigation into Su Cheng’s case neared its conclusion. Soon, incidents would erupt across various regions. Ending this farce swiftly and applying the findings to reality was the priority.

Li Guanqi hesitated briefly. "Then I should act now—find the right moment to awaken Su Cheng’s talent."

Gu Ruoxue gave a slight nod. "Mm."

With that, Li Guanqi vanished from sight and turned to leave.

Then—

Thud—

Crack—

Smack—

Before even stepping out the door, Li Guanqi stumbled around, bumping into things and nearly tripping over herself.

She dropped her invisibility, her face flushing with embarrassment as she glanced at Gu Ruoxue.

"Without your body as a reference point, this is bound to happen. You're still unfamiliar—it'll take more practice."

"Thanks for the reminder."

Li Guanqi vanished into the darkness again. This time, she moved smoothly, pushing the door open without hesitation and striding toward the archery range with steady, determined steps.

Unlike Gu Ruoxue.

The truth, the ending—

She still didn’t know.

And so, she would keep searching.