While Ni Mei was observing the surroundings, Ni Ni also observed whatever was in her sight. For instance, the sky. It was different from what she remembered. It used to be gloomy and lightning was always seen in the sky but now, it seemed like there were two suns in the sky. No wonder, it was so hot.
The buildings in the base weren't built sky-high. The tallest tower was only ten floors. And those towers seemed to be watch towers as for what they were looking out for, Ni Ni had no idea for now.
It was just three years but she felt like the journey of becoming Ni Ni from Li Hani was long and short at the same time. But a lot had changed in those three years which she knew nothing about. She stared at the side of Ni Mei's face wondering how much she could trust this girl in front of her.
Even her most trusted friend whom she had known all her life betrayed her without any hesitation. How was she able to put her faith in a stranger? But currently, with all the unknowns surrounding her, Ni Mei was her best shot. She couldn't separate from her either as she was related to Ni Ni.
And she wasn't just taking on Ni Ni's life but also her responsibilities, relationships, revenge, and all her debts.
"Let's go," Ni Mei broke her reverie and pulled her along as they sneakily made their way toward a secluded corner of the base. Suddenly a blaring alarm was heard in the base and Ni Ni felt Ni Mei's muscles tensing up. She looked even more serious. "Tsk. They found the dead bastard!" She turned to Ni Ni and added, "We need to leave before they find us." She stopped in front of the tall outer wall of the base and got down on the ground.
First, she pushed their backpacks out of the hole in the wall and then she helped Ni Ni crawl out of there before following her. Once out, she held Ni Ni's hand and ran into the wild.
Ni Ni heard strange howlings that seemed close and distant at the same time. The howling made Ni Ni's skin crawl with fear and she didn't understand what or who was capable of such howlings.
Before they could run far, Ni Ni started panting. It seemed the system wasn't lying. Her stamina was too bad. So bad that just a few steps were enough to make her huff and puff. Seeing her condition, Ni Mei bit her lips and finally making a decision, she took Ni Ni to hide in the building that had been half demolished from all the natural disasters.
"We'll catch our breath here first," said Ni Mei and started rummaging through the backpacks. She took out the dry food and offered it to Ni Ni. "Eat something first."
Ni Ni didn't refuse as the hunger pangs were really severe. She tried to choke down the dry food without even a frown on her face. She seemed rather dull and lifeless at the moment which slightly scared Ni Mei who had never seen her acting like this before.
"What is wrong with you? Are you scared?" asked Ni Mei trying to sound gentle but one could see her awkwardness through her subtle movements.
"Actually, you have better chances of survival if you leave me behind," said Ni Ni in a blank tone. She looked into Ni Mei's eyes and went on, "You are obviously stronger than me. I'll only be a burden to you."
"Even if you are a burden, I'm willing to carry this burden!"
"But Ni Mei..."
"Enough!" Ni Mei interrupted her words. "Just because mom and dad aren't around doesn't mean you can stop calling me sister. I'm half a year older than you which means I'll always be your elder sister. When mom and dad left, they told you to listen to me as I'm the one with the highest authority in our Ni family after mom and dad. But you went against me and fell for that slicker boyfriend of yours."
Ni Ni focused on the fact that Ni Mei was half a year older than her which meant, they weren't born to the same mother. As for if they shared the same father, that was something she had yet to figure out.
"If you really don't wanna be a burden, then just follow my lead. Don't always go against me just because you don't like me. I have said it many times, I don't want to steal your dad from you. Can you get over it? We are in times when living is already difficult, why are you still stuck on the fact that your dad shares some of his love with me?"
The mystery was solved. Ni Mei didn't have the same father as her.
Rubbing her temple, Ni Mei added, "Trust me. Even if I have to risk my life, I'll make sure to keep you alive."
Ni Ni's eyes narrowed when she heard those words and she finally sighed, "Then it seems I should tell you something very important."
"What is it?" asked Ni Mei.
"There seems to be something wrong with me," answered Ni Ni. She pointed at her forehead and added, "This wound seems to be hurting. And because of this wound, my mind is in disarray. Currently, I am unable to make sense of our situation. The world seems to be different from what I remember."
Ni Mei looked solemn once she heard this but she didn't take those words lightly. She did not think that Ni Ni was lying either. Eventually, everything turned into a sigh. "I did not expect this. But it's okay. I'm here. As long as I'm here, you don't have to worry about anything. How much do you remember?"
"Not much," replied Ni Ni without changing her expression.
"Then where should I begin?"
"Why don't we start with how our world turned into this?"