Strategy to Capture Men

She seemed to witness countless people, countless things, countless picture fragments.

Han Yanyan didn't know how she left that world. She returned to the pure white space, and for the first time, she appeared in it lying down. The space was no longer brightly lit - instead, lights flashed, and a shrill alarm rang out with tenacious regularity. It was an old-fashioned alarm sound, and it hurt her eardrums. It wasn't at all like Leo's high-tech fantasy style, but more like those old movies she had used to like.

Han Yanyan lay on the floor, her limbs twitching, every cell of her body in pain. She couldn't even distinguish which part of her body was in pain. It seemed like even her hair was hurting.

In the flickering light, she was seized in the fear of that pair of eyes.

Although the shape was different, when she had met Yao Chen's eyes she had been reminded of another pair. Amid the flying sand and stone, those eyes had coldly watched the collapse of a world.

Ding Yao and Qiao Wenxing had belonged to their own worlds, but the owner of those eyes had transcended that world. Now, so had Yao Chen.

"Han Yanyan! You crazy fuck! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!?"

Leo's angry roar pulled Han Yanyan back to the present. She wanted to laugh, but the severe pain made it so she could only summon a twisted grin.

"Now... am I... qualified... to talk... talk to...you?" Her voice barely came out. All she could manage were gasps. In her extreme weakness, she found the courage to burn down her bridges.

"We're going to talk about shit! Do you know that you're going to die?!!” Leo was freaking out. "If I hadn't pulled the plug in time, you would be dead by now!"

"Ha... ha..." Han Yanyan did her best, and eventually squeezed out a smile somehow uglier than crying. "If I die... then you can go... find another... architect!"

"Are you trying to threaten me? In your dreams!" Leo snarled sullenly. "Who do you think you are? Do you think you're important? You're just an architect! You're right, it's no big deal for me to find another. It won't cost me much. Since you want to die so badly, piss off and die!"

This Leo was definitely not a good person. Han Yanyan's heart sank. She lost consciousness and fell into darkness.

Leo slammed the comm off and stamped to his feet in anger. "I want a replacement! Another architect! This goddamned woman!"

But the person behind him didn't agree.

"How many have we already gone through? She's the only one up until now who's managed to make even a little progress. If we switch, can you guarantee that you can find someone else like her?" they asked coldly.

Leo was struck speechless. For this, he had already lost three architects. As a last resort, he had gone to the middle of nowhere to find someone new, a backwards place in the frontier. It was precisely because of how isolated and unknown it was that he had found rough, uncut jade like Han Yanyan hidden there.

But this sort of thing was heavily dependent on luck. If he lost Han Yanyan, would he be able to quickly find a second? This one was a tough nut to crack. Not just anyone off the street was capable of solving it.

"But, but she's in terrible condition now. Not far from death," he argued.

"Just cure her," said the other. "She's not dead yet, is she? Bring her back. That shouldn't be difficult for you. "

They waved the gun in their hand.

Han Yanyan's life was in Leo's hands, and Leo's life was in theirs. He had just ruthlessly ordered Han Yanyan's death, but now he had to submissively take back his words and treat her.

This motherfucking woman, her body and spirit are so fragile she'll have to be genetically enhanced to save her life! Dumbass! Leo thought angrily.

Han Yanyan woke up not knowing long it had been. She had completely lost her sense of time. But this time waking up, not only did she feel no pain, but she also had the strange feeling that she was "full of energy".

It was neither a physical nor mental sense of fullness. If one had to compare, it was far closer to the feeling that she had felt in the apocalyptic world, when her body was full of power.

Very strange.

"Hey, idiot!" Leo called out grumpily, "Are you alive? Say something quickly. "

"I don't seem to be dead. I'm sorry to disappoint." Han Yanyan played with her hair.

Leo snorted.

"Now, can we talk?" she asked slowly.

"We can talk shit!" Leo exploded. "What do you want to talk about? I'm telling you, until this is over, not only are you stuck here, but so am I!"

The things that came out of Leo's mouth when he was riled up were often the truth. And the implications of this sentence were enough to shock Han Yanyan.

After a moment of silence, she asked another question. "Then I would like to know, once a world has ended, can I see the people in it again?"

"Ding Yao? That....." Halfway through, Leo stopped short. "No, are you talking about Qiao Chengyu?"

Han Yanyan was silent.

"Hahahahahahahahaha!" It was like he had just heard something extremely funny. "Oh my God, you're killing me, you... ahem, ahem, don't think too hard about it. When a world is over, it's over."

Han Yanyan remembered that last still frame when Qiao Chengyu had looked at her, his expression, his eyes. She remembered how he held her hand and knelt down on one knee, and swore to her that he would give her a good marriage and a happy family, his gaze full of yearning.

Her hands clenched into fists.

"But," hinted Leo in a sly and roundabout manner, "If you really like someone, you might be able to see them again, so long as you work hard and satisfy me."

She looked up suddenly.

"Anyone I want to see?" she asked. "Including Ding Yao?"

Leo choked. "That one is off the table."

Han Yanyan's gaze dropped, her eyes deep and unfathomable.