The tunnel behind Platform 3 groaned as the group ran inside.
Rusted steel beams creaked dangerously overhead.
Water dripped from broken pipes.
The ground shook with distant footsteps — soldiers regrouping, chasing.
Kai carried Yin Lie on her back, his arms limp, his head resting against her shoulder.
Qin Mian ran beside her, holding his hand tightly—
her fingers cold, trembling, desperate.
Every few steps she would whisper his name:
"Lie…
Lie… are you still here…?"
But his eyes stayed closed.
His breathing was shallow.
Too shallow.
Chen Gu ran ahead with a flashlight, shouting:
"This way! Hurry! The supports are weak — the station's collapsing!"
Thorne wailed from behind:
"I CAN FEEL THE CEILING TRYING TO KILL ME—WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE CEILINGS—?!"
But Qin Mian couldn't hear any of them.
Her world had shrunk to one thing—
Yin Lie's pulse.
Weak.
Slow.
Fading.
"No… no no no… Lie—wake up—please—wake up…"
She squeezed his hand harder, as if her grip alone could keep him alive.
Kai shouted back:
"He's still breathing! Keep moving—!"
But Qin Mian shook her head.
"I can't… I can't feel him anymore…"
A spark of panic twisted in her chest.
It wasn't fear of the soldiers.
It wasn't fear of death.
It was the thought—
"What if I lose him?"
Her breath hitched.
Her steps faltered.
Something inside her broke loose.
The tunnel lights flickered.
The air thickened.
A faint ripple of blue spread outward from Qin Mian's body, brushing against the stone walls.
Thorne screamed:
"WHAT WAS THAT?! DID SOMEONE TURN ON GOD MODE?!"
Chen Gu spun around, eyes wide.
"Oh no…
Oh no oh no oh no—
Qin Mian, breathe—DON'T—!"
But she couldn't breathe.
Her chest burned with panic.
Her fingers shook.
Her heart was beating too fast, too hard, pounding against her ribs like she was trying to break her own body open.
She whispered:
"Lie…
Don't die…"
Blue cracks appeared across the tunnel floor, glowing faintly beneath her feet.
Stone dust floated upward.
Gravity trembled.
Kai skidded to a stop.
"Chen Gu! NOW!"
Chen Gu grabbed Qin Mian's shoulders.
"Listen to me! You cannot panic! Your power reacts to emotion—if you snap, the entire tunnel will—"
Qin Mian pushed him away violently.
Her voice fractured.
"Don't tell me to calm down—
HE'S DYING—!!"
The tunnel lights shattered.
Every bulb burst in a ripple of blue fire.
Darkness swallowed the corridor—
Then burst with faint dreamlight.
Chen Gu cried out:
"Kai—she's slipping—!!"
Kai cursed under her breath.
"QIN MIAN! LOOK AT ME!"
But Qin Mian didn't hear.
Couldn't hear.
Her mind filled with static.
Her senses drowned in fear.
She saw only Yin Lie's fading face.
Her trembling voice echoed:
"Lie…
Lie…
please…
don't leave me—"
And the world responded.
The walls shivered.
The ceiling cracked.
Metal beams bent inward like they were being pulled by invisible hands.
Reality Bending
Qin Mian clenched her head, falling to her knees.
Blue spirals of energy twisted from her body—
slow at first—
then faster—
faster—
Like a storm building inside her.
Chen Gu yelled over the roar:
"SHE'S BREAKING REALITY AGAIN—!!"
Thorne screamed:
"WHY IS THE AIR WAVY!? WHY IS THE FLOOR FLOATING!? AM I FLOATING!?!"
Kai shouted:
"THORNE, GET DOWN BEFORE YOU DIE!"
Qin Mian's vision blurred.
She saw two realities overlapping:
One where Yin Lie was alive—
One where he wasn't—
Each tear in her heart widened the cracks in the world.
She reached out to him, fingers shaking violently.
"Lie… don't go…"
Her power surged like a shockwave—
WHOOM—!!
The tunnel warped.
Tiles ripped upward.
Steel beams twisted.
Dust floated unnaturally, suspended mid-air.
A distant boom echoed behind them—
The squad was trying to break through the tunnel entrance.
Kai grabbed Qin Mian's shoulders from behind, shouting:
"LISTEN TO ME—
IF YOU LOSE CONTROL—
YOU WILL KILL HIM!"
Qin Mian froze.
Her breath hitched.
She stared at Yin Lie's unconscious face.
"I…
I will…?"
Kai nodded sharply, shaking her hard.
"Yes.
Your power isn't attacking the soldiers.
It's attacking everything."
Qin Mian swallowed.
Then whispered:
"…how… how do I stop…"
Kai's voice softened—just a little.
"You focus on him.
Not on losing him.
Not on fear.
On HIM."
Qin Mian stared at Yin Lie.
Her tears fell against his cheek.
She touched his face with trembling fingers.
"I'm here…
Lie…
I'm right here…"
The storm hesitated.
The blue aura flickered.
Chen Gu whispered urgently:
"Good… good… bring it down… don't push—just let go—"
Qin Mian closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against Yin Lie's.
Her voice was a shaking whisper.
"Lie… you told me once…
as long as you're here…
I won't break…"
A soft blue glow circled them.
The tunnel stopped shaking.
The floating dust fell.
The walls groaned, but didn't split.
Thorne collapsed to the floor:
"I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE AS A FLOATING BALLOON—THANK YOU EVERYONE—"
Kai rolled her eyes and smacked him.
"Shut up."
Qin Mian held Yin Lie tightly, tears falling silently.
Her power dimmed—
But didn't disappear.
It pulsed faintly, synchronized with his breathing.
Weak but steady.
Chen Gu wiped sweat from his forehead.
"That… was too close…"
Kai nodded.
"Move now. Before she loses control again."
Qin Mian looked up suddenly.
Her voice shook.
"If he dies…
I don't know if I can stop it again."
Kai and Chen Gu exchanged grim looks.
"Then," Kai said quietly, "we don't let him die."
She lifted Yin Lie again.
"Platforms seven and eight connect to a maintenance exit. We go there."
Qin Mian stood shakily, still gripping his sleeve.
"I'm right here…
I won't leave you…
Please… stay…"
As they moved deeper into the dark, unstable tunnel—
A distant metallic roar echoed from behind them.
Soldiers.
Reinforcements.
The Directorate was still coming.
And Qin Mian whispered, her voice trembling and soft:
"If they touch him…
I won't control myself next time…"
Her power flickered dangerously.
Kai exhaled sharply.
"Then let's make sure they don't reach him."
And the group ran deeper into the darkness—
Toward escape.
Toward danger.
Toward whatever the real world beyond the tunnels held.
Chapter 80 Completed