Before her eyes was a two-story house constructed from wooden boards. It looked simple and crude.
Around her, more than a dozen wolves stared at her, unblinking. It was the unmistakable sight of predators watching their prey.
Huo Weiwu slowly curled her hands into two tight fists.
"Madam, you can dwell in the cabin, but I hope that you will remain vigilant, as wolves are very intelligent and some of them can even climb stairs. We've had incidents of soldiers getting attacked and devoured by wolves while they were still in the cabin," Lieutenant Shang cautioned.
Huo Weiwu's eyes reddened slightly as she gazed at Lieutenant Shang. Her words were stuck in her throat.
Lieutenant Shang waited for five seconds, and when Huo Weiwu showed no signs of wanting to plead for help, he gave her a small smile. Then he nodded, slid back into the car, and left.
Once the car had left, she stood there alone.
When Huo Weiwu saw the wolves running toward her, she felt a tremble in her bones and raced up the cabin's front stairs without even thinking about it. After locking the door behind her, she squatted in a corner of the room, leaning against the wall. She clasped her hands and placed them against her forehead. Then, she shut her eyes and tried to calm her heartbeat.
Her surroundings were strangely quiet. She could even hear crickets.
Huo Weiwu opened her eyes and stared at the reddish-brown wooden boards above her head. They were covered with straw and exuded the stench of old mold.
As the sky gradually darkened, Huo Weiwu stood up and turned on the light.
However, the light was broken, and the cabin remained dark.
In irritation, Huo Weiwu kicked a wooden stick beside her out of the cabin.
The stick landed on a patch of grass near her, and two snakes the color of mud slithered out of the grass. Their heads were triangular.
They were vipers, which meant they were poisonous.
The vipers had been startled, and they turned and started gliding toward her.
Huo Weiwu retreated to the door.
"Gu Haoting is too ruthless," she thought. "If this had happened ten minutes later, the sky would already have grown dark, and I would have gotten bitten by these poisonous snakes just by lying down in the grass. I wouldn't even have known how I died."
"And I have no idea how many snakes there are in the cabin."
"Gu Haoting really wants me to die!!"
"Gu Haoting, I'm going to kill you!" Huo Weiwu screamed as she curled her hands into fists.
The snakes coiled briefly, then approached her.
The snakes were about to reach her feet, so Huo Weiwu had no more time to deliberate. She opened the door and rushed out.
However, she left too hastily and accidentally twisted her ankle as she stepped out, which sent her rolling down the stairs. She landed heavily on the ground, and everything in her vision went dark as she passed out.
***
After God only knew how long, Huo Weiwu opened her eyes. She tried to move, and a sharp pain lanced through her ankle.
"Madam, are you finally awake? The Commander was worried to death," said a smiling middle-aged lady.
"Heh," snorted Huo Weiwu. "He's worried about me? You're really good at cracking jokes."
She sat up and touched her messy hair. After scanning her surroundings, she asked suspiciously, "What is this place?"
"Madam, this is the Commander's villa located in the eastern suburbs. He carried you here personally. It's the first time I've ever seen the Commander look so nervous," the maid continued.
"He was nervous about me dying because he knew I'd come back as a ghost and pester him for the rest of his life," snorted Huo Weiwu. She flung her blanket aside and attempted to get out of bed.
"I've prepared myself for that," rumbled Gu Haoting's deep voice from the door.
Huo Weiwu looked at him uncomprehendingly.
His eyes remained unmoved as the corners of his lips lifted, and a sense of wickedness filled the room. "Didn't you say that you wanted to kill me? I really want to know how you planned to do that by rolling down some stairs."
Huo Weiwu's entire face flushed red. She replied agitatedly, "Gu Haoting, did you install cameras in that cabin? Were you watching me?"
"Of course, it should come as no surprise that he derives pleasure from watching me embarrass myself!" she fumed in her head.
"Of course. How else do you think you made it back alive?" Gu Haoting retorted. He sat down beside her with a first-aid kit and an expressionless face. Then he grabbed her ankle and rested it on his thigh.