C30 The Furious Jiang Wei

Urendir couldn't fathom why she had feigned sleep to give Jiang Feng a chance. Perhaps her concern for him had slowly blossomed into love.

Yet, witnessing Jiang Wei's distraught reaction, Urendir was engulfed by an inexplicable sense of loss, questioning whether she should have pretended at all.

Choosing silence, Urendir sat still, watching intently, waiting to see how Jiang Feng would address Jiang Wei's distress.

"Jiang Wei, how did you wake up so quickly?"

Jiang Wei was a mess of tears and sniffles.

"Dad, do you really like Sister Urendir? Tell me the truth."

Jiang Feng settled onto the floor, ready to open up about his feelings.

"Jiang Wei, your dad really likes her."

Urendir's heart, previously heavy with loss, lightened slightly at Jiang Feng's resolute look.

"But what about Mom?"

"I'll take you to see Mom. When you want to be with Dad, you come to me. When you want to be with Mom, you go to her."

"What's the point? It's almost like you're divorced."

"I never married Cui Wei. I've never even met her, let alone know what she looks like. You can't force someone's feelings."

"I just wish... I wish you and Mom could be together. That's what a family is." Jiang Wei's tears flowed uncontrollably.

Urendir's heart melted with compassion for Jiang Wei.

She could never consent to sharing a husband with Cui Wei. Moved by Jiang Wei's sorrow, Urendir lifted her from the floor and nestled her onto the bed.

"Jiang Wei, don't cry. I won't be with your dad."

"Wah, Sister, I... I like you too, it's just... just..." Jiang Wei's tears were relentless.

"Don't cry, don't cry..." Urendir soothed, her voice a tender balm.

Her kindness only deepened Jiang Feng's resolve.

He rose and approached Urendir. "Urendir, stop deceiving yourself."

"I'm not fooling myself. Let it go. I won't be with you."

"Enough. Everyone can see you're holding back your true feelings."

"I didn't do it."

"You're still denying it?" Jiang Feng's anger flared as he shouted, "If that's the case, why are your eyes red and swollen, with tears in your eyes?"

Urendir's subtle changes didn't go unnoticed by Jiang Feng.

Despite her best efforts to hold back her tears, Urendir's eyes betrayed her, already rimmed with red.

"Jiang Wei, please, no more tears," Jiang Feng bellowed.

His outburst startled both Jiang Wei and Urendir.

Realizing her father's genuine anger, Jiang Wei fought to steady her emotions. The sound of crying had ceased, yet the tears continued to fall, defying her will.

"What are you doing? You've frightened Jiang Wei," Urendir chided.

"Jiang Wei, I'm sorry. I'm begging you, as your father, please let me have a choice."

Seeing the earnestness in her father's plea, Jiang Wei dabbed at her eyes, struggling to keep her composure as she spoke haltingly, "Dad, I... I just want you to be happy. If you're happy... then I'll be happy too. It's just that..."

"Jiang Wei, take your time, there's no rush. Speak slowly, and try not to cry," Urendir soothed her.

Gathering her emotions, Jiang Wei continued, her voice steadier:

"In the future, after my father from that time sends me into the time machine, one of his engineers rushes to tell him that the two parallel universes are independent yet interconnected. This was unexpected news, not mentioned in the plans. I don't fully grasp what it means, but the time machine was already active, and I was about to depart. Just three seconds before I left, my father yelled that the younger version of himself must find Cui Wei, the young mother, and have Jiang Wei, the baby, or I would vanish for some reason..."

Both Jiang Feng and Urendir were stunned by her words. What did it mean for two parallel universes to be independent yet interconnected?

Jiang Wei had come from another universe, presumably creating a parallel one. They were supposed to be separate, not affecting one another. If they were indeed connected, did that mean if Jiang Feng didn't have the baby with Cui Wei, the Jiang Wei before them would cease to exist?

Confusion reigned in Jiang Feng's mind.

"Hey, Jiang Wei, can we rely on what you're telling us?"

"It was in the final seconds that Dad blurted it out."

"Jiang Wei, you're not lying to me, are you?" Jiang Feng remained doubtful.

At that moment, Jiang Wei felt deeply wounded. Her fragile heart couldn't bear it any longer, and she yelled, "I can't stand your constant suspicion!"

Immediately after her outburst, Jiang Wei bolted from the room.

Urendir made to follow her, but was held back by Jiang Feng.

"What are you doing, Jiang Feng?" Urendir demanded.

"Urendir, do you really believe it? Could it be true? What if Jiang Wei misunderstood?"

"Better to err on the side of belief. Are you still questioning it at this point?" Urendir, visibly upset, wrenched away from Jiang Feng's grasp and dashed off.

Truth be told, Jiang Feng's skepticism wasn't genuine; he was simply too afraid to face the truth. Acknowledging it would mean he couldn't be with Urendir.

Urendir and Jiang Wei were the most important people in his life.

Jiang Feng was at a loss, facing such a dilemma for the first time. He sat down, his expression numb, unsure of what to do next.

The room fell into a silence that lasted a full ten minutes.

Then, Urendir returned, frantic, "Jiang Feng, I've combed through the entire police station and there's no sign of Jiang Wei."

"What are you saying?" Jiang Feng was taken aback, not having anticipated Urendir's failure to find Jiang Wei.

"I can't locate her. Jiang Wei's presence is too faint; I can't pinpoint her location."

"This can't be happening!" Jiang Feng's anxiety spiked.

Without wasting another moment, Urendir and Jiang Feng hurried downstairs to seek help from Ding Mong, the dormitory supervisor.

Ding Mong, along with his team and a group of volunteers, searched tirelessly for another fifteen minutes. Despite their efforts, turning the police station inside out, Jiang Wei remained missing.

In the midst of the chaos, Cai Huadao arrived, breathless, "Brother Jiang Feng, what's going on? You haven't found your daughter yet?"

The weight of regret bore down on Jiang Feng. He looked up to the heavens and bellowed, "Jiang Wei, where are you?"

His cry, amplified by the collective strength of thirty people, soared through the clouds and reverberated across the sky.

Did Jiang Wei hear it?

She certainly did. Such a resonant cry was impossible for Jiang Wei to miss.

Jiang Wei perched atop a towering iron spire, her body bare save for the swirling flames that danced around her.

Her gaze, heavy with sorrow, was fixed on the gleaming, sun-kissed waters of the Jiang Meng River below.

She found herself over ten kilometers from the police station. To put it in perspective, it was as if Jiang Feng had leapt continuously for ten minutes from a building's pinnacle.

With only the strength of eight, Jiang Wei's leaping prowess fell short of scaling a twenty-story height. How, then, had she covered such a distance in a mere ten minutes?

The answer lay in the Flame Power, which surged with formidable force in response to emotional turmoil. Propelled by this power, Jiang Wei had soared to the iron tower in under three minutes.

Upon arrival, the flames had consumed her clothing.

Seething inwardly, Jiang Wei thought, "You wanted to challenge and doubt me; now, I'll give you a real reason to worry."

There she sat, legs swinging, basking in the sunlight that caressed her skin, while the river below shimmered with brilliance. Atop the tower, the beautiful girl was enveloped in sunlight's warm embrace.

The scene was a masterpiece, a vision of perfection beyond reproach.

But as the minutes ticked by, boredom crept in.

Gracefully, Jiang Wei descended the tower, landing softly on the ground. Scattered zombies roamed below, yet none dared approach, deterred by the protective orbit of flames around her.

In a nearby mall, Jiang Wei discovered clothes that caught her fancy.

With glee, she dispelled her fiery shroud and slipped into various beautiful garments, admiring her reflection with unbridled satisfaction.

She settled on a form-fitting ensemble that accentuated her well-defined silhouette.

Jiang Wei, a pure-blooded biochemical being, matured more rapidly than her newly mutated counterparts. Ignoring her stature, the eight-year-old bore the semblance of an eighteen-year-old.

Suddenly, an eerie sensation prickled at her back.

Jiang Wei spun around, startled to find an unexpected figure looming behind her.

The man gazed at Jiang Wei with drool dripping from his mouth.

"Who are you?" Jiang Wei demanded.

"I, I, I'm here to give you a love hug," he stammered before lunging at her.

Jiang Wei was quick to react, deftly sidestepping his advance.

"Ah, I love it, I just love your spunky attitude," the man said, his excitement growing.

Jiang Wei looked for an escape but found herself trapped by walls at her back.

"Nowhere to run, sweetheart. Go ahead and scream; no one will come to your rescue, even if you shout yourself hoarse."

The man's grotesque, sleazy expression was enough to make Jiang Wei's stomach turn.

With no escape in sight, Jiang Wei felt a surge of warmth in her palms, readying herself to unleash her power.

Just then, someone crashed through the glass and stormed in. Without hesitation, he pinned the vile man to the ground and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks.

"You dare hit me?"

"I'm hitting you because you prey on young girls."

"Does she look like a young girl to you?"

"She's barely over a meter tall. If she's not a little girl, what is she, a young wife?"

After a scuffle, a crowd gathered and restrained the lecherous man.

The newcomer approached Jiang Wei and said, "Sorry to scare you, kiddo. Are you here by yourself?"

"I, I, my parents are at the police station in the Elk District. I sneaked out to play and got lost."

"This area is too dangerous. The Elk District may not have many zombies, but if you run into one with smarts, it's game over. Come on, follow us back to the station."

"Wait, who are you?"

"I'm Huo Yuan, captain of the first search team at the Elk District's refugee camp. Don't worry, I mean you no harm."

With that, Huo Yuan extended his hand to lead her back to safety.

Jiang Wei hesitated briefly but then thought of her parents' worry after her hour-long absence. She took Huo Yuan's hand, ready to return with him to the station.