The machines around Qin Mian's cradle hissed one last time… and then died completely.
Their lights dimmed.
The humming faded.
The screens flickered to black.
A soft silence fell over the bunker.
Chen Gu swallowed hard and stepped toward the cradle.
"This is it," he said. "The containment is offline. We have a small window to open it safely before her psi-pressure builds up again."
Thorne nodded quickly.
"Just tell us what to do. I really don't want to be vaporized today."
But Yin Lie wasn't listening to them.
His eyes were fixed on Qin Mian.
She lay inside the cradle with her hand pressed weakly against the glass, her eyes half open. Her breathing was unsteady but real—like someone who had forgotten how lungs worked and was relearning every second.
Her gaze flicked to him the moment he approached.
Fear.
Hope.
Confusion.
Warmth.
Twenty years of silence behind her eyes.
Yin Lie placed his hand over hers again, and the glass between them became cold.
"Are you ready?" he asked softly.
Her answer came in a trembling whisper:
"…if you're here… I'm ready…"
That one sentence nearly broke him.
He nodded once.
"Chen Gu. Open it."
Chen Gu's hands flew across the manual override panel.
"Siphoning the last of the psi-dampeners…
Releasing the restraints…
Bracing for pressure shift…"
Thorne braced against the wall.
"Should I hide? I feel like I should hide!"
Chen Gu shouted, "Now!"
With a sudden metallic gasp, the cradle's protective shell unlocked and slowly peeled open like a flower made of cold steel.
Frosty air rushed outward.
Bright blue light spilled across the bunker floor.
Qin Mian flinched from the cold.
Her small, fragile body curled tighter—
but then she reached out again, trembling, toward Yin Lie.
He stepped into the cradle's reach and held out his good hand.
"It's okay," he whispered. "Come with me."
Her fingers hovered over his for one second—
as if she still believed touching the real world might break it.
Then—
She placed her hand in his.
Her skin was cold.
Soft.
Unsteady.
But it was real.
Qin Mian gasped softly.
"…warm…"
Yin Lie tightened his grip just a little—not enough to hurt her, just enough to tell her she wasn't alone.
He carefully lifted her.
Her legs gave out immediately.
She collapsed into his chest.
Her voice trembled against him:
"I… I can't stand…"
"It's okay. Your body hasn't moved in twenty years."
His arm wrapped around her back, supporting her weight.
Her breathing was shaky, her heart racing like a trapped bird.
But she held onto him, tiny fingers gripping the front of his torn shirt.
"Lie…"
"…don't let go…"
"I won't," he said.
He meant it.
Chen Gu watched them with a mixture of awe and fear.
"She survived awakening. She's stable—for now. But we need to get her outside. Fresh air might help regulate her psi-pressure."
Thorne pointed toward the tunnel entrance.
"Uh… outside is kind of far. And also dangerous. Kai might still be out there plotting our doom."
Yin Lie didn't care.
"Which way?"
Chen Gu led them toward a narrow emergency passage at the back of the bunker.
The hallway was cracked, old, and full of dust.
Pipes groaned overhead.
Qin Mian's soft psychic echo shimmered across the air, making faint blue sparks drift like fireflies.
Every few steps, Yin Lie felt her leaning more of her weight on him.
Her legs wouldn't stop shaking.
Qin Mian whispered, "It's… heavy…"
"What is?" Yin Lie asked gently.
"…the world…"
"…everything feels heavy…"
He pulled her a little closer.
"You're doing fine."
Her eyes lifted toward him.
"You sound calm."
"I'm not," he admitted.
Her lips twitched—almost a tiny smile.
"Me neither."
They reached the bunker exit.
A rusted metal hatch that led upward into the abandoned industrial zone.
Chen Gu pushed it open, and sunlight spilled inside.
Warm, soft, golden sunlight.
Qin Mian gasped.
She clung tighter to Yin Lie, her eyes widening in shock.
"Lie…"
Her voice shook.
"…what is that?"
"Light," he said softly.
"Sunlight."
She blinked rapidly—too rapidly.
Tears filled her eyes.
"I've never… it's… bright…"
He guided her slowly, carefully, up the steps.
When they reached the top, the outside world opened in front of them—
Blue sky.
White clouds drifting lazily.
Wind brushing across broken factory roofs.
Birds calling in the distance.
Qin Mian stared.
Her fingers tightened around Yin Lie's shirt.
Her voice cracked with emotion she couldn't hold back:
"…the sky…"
She collapsed to her knees in the dirt, overwhelmed.
Yin Lie knelt with her, supporting her back as she reached out with one trembling hand toward the wide, open sky.
Her tears fell silently.
"I forgot…" she whispered.
"I forgot what open feels like…"
Wind touched her hair for the first time in twenty years.
She shut her eyes and let the sunlight warm her face.
Thorne wiped his eyes.
Chen Gu did too, though he pretended it was sweat.
Qin Mian whispered:
"This… this is real."
Yin Lie nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"And… I'm outside?"
"Yes."
She leaned her head against his shoulder, voice barely audible:
"…I didn't think I'd ever see this."
And Yin Lie answered softly:
"You deserve to see everything."
A sudden metallic click echoed behind them.
A gun being loaded.
Yin Lie's instincts flared.
He shielded Qin Mian immediately.
Thorne screamed.
Chen Gu cursed.
A calm voice drifted from behind a collapsed wall:
"Step away from her, Mr. Lie."
Inspector Kai walked out from the shadows, her coat fluttering in the wind, a gun in one hand and her nullification field crackling around the other.
Her expression was cold.
Her voice was colder.
"You got her out," Kai said. "Fine. Now I finish the job."
Qin Mian froze in Yin Lie's arms.
Her breath caught.
"Lie…" she whispered in terror.
Yin Lie stood, pulling her close.
His eyes hardened.
"Kai," he said quietly, "if you come any closer—"
Kai raised the gun.
"I won't warn you again."
Chapter 65 — Completed