Jin Mu nodded after hearing Gu Jin’s promise. She still looked a little worried, but she didn’t argue anymore.
Just then, Gu Jin’s eyes fell on Mimi, who was sitting quietly on the edge of the couch, hugging her knees.
"What about Mimi?" Gu Jin asked. "Should we take her with us or...?"
She paused. Only now did she remember—she had forgotten to ask Feng Lian to look for Mimi’s parents.
"I’ll call Feng Lian," Gu Jin said. "I want him to find Mimi’s parents and make sure they go to jail. They can’t just abandon a child like that."
But the moment she said it, Mimi stood up and quickly tugged on Gu Jin’s sleeve.
Gu Jin looked down and saw Mimi’s big eyes full of worry.
"Please... don’t do that," Mimi whispered.
Gu Jin bent down to Mimi’s level. "Why not?" she asked gently.
Mimi looked down at her feet.
"They raised me for ten years. Even if they left me... they were still my parents. I don’t want to sue them. Maybe they’ll come back to find me."
Gu Jin felt her heart soften. Even after everything, Mimi still hoped her parents would come back.
She was so kind... so obedient. It made Gu Jin feel both proud and sad.
"You’re such a good girl," Gu Jin said softly.
"But just because you’re good doesn’t mean your parents were. They left you behind. That’s not okay. They need to take responsibility."
"They’re not from this country," she said. "They brought me here through secret ways. I don’t have a passport or ID. I don’t even know where they live."
She paused, then added, "And... I don’t remember their names either."
Jin Mu frowned. "That’s strange," she said. "How can you forget your own parents’ names? Unless..."
She narrowed her eyes. "Unless they gave you something to make you forget."
Gu Jin’s face turned cold. "You mean... medicine?"
Jin Mu nodded. "There are memory drugs. It’s possible they gave her something before leaving her."
Gu Jin felt a wave of disgust. What kind of parents would do that to their own child?
She turned to Mimi again, feeling torn inside.
Mimi could see her hesitation.
"I’ll follow you," she said suddenly. "I promise I won’t cause you any trouble. Let me stay with you. I’ll help you however I can. If I’m with you, you’ll never have any problems."
Gu Jin blinked. She didn’t expect Mimi to say that.
But she shook her head. "Mimi, I’m going on a very dangerous mission. I can’t take you with me."
Mimi lowered her eyes. "Then... I’ll wait at the hotel. I’ll be good. I won’t run away or make noise. I’ll wait until you come back."
Gu Jin looked at her for a long time. Then she nodded.
"Alright. I’ll find a safe hotel and leave you there. I’ll come back for you when I’m done."
Once Jin Mu and Pei Ke left the country, Gu Jin booked a secure hotel room for Mimi.
She made sure it had strong security and told the staff to take care of Mimi like she was a VIP.
After that, Gu Jin booked her ticket to Aeryndale State.
Her next goal: to find Long Yifan.
As soon as Gu Jin stepped out of the airport in Aeryndale State and walked toward the hotel she had booked, a strange feeling washed over her.
The air felt too quiet.
Her footsteps echoed more than they should.
She narrowed her eyes.
A sharp blade flew toward her from the left.
Gu Jin moved just in time, dodging it by inches.
More masked people jumped out from behind walls and buildings. They surrounded her with weapons in their hands and deadly intent in their eyes.
She didn’t recognize them.
"Who sent you?" she asked coldly.
None of them answered.
Instead, they attacked.
Gu Jin didn’t hold back. She summoned her fire element—bright red flames swirled around her hands. With a flick of her wrist, she threw a wall of fire at them.
Two attackers were instantly burned.
Another tried to sneak behind her, but Gu Jin sensed him with her plant element. Poisoned vines shot up from the ground and wrapped around his legs, paralyzing him.
But there were too many.
She had to end this quickly.
Gu Jin raised her hand.
A greenish-skinned skeleton appeared beside her, holding a staff.
"Attack," she whispered.
The skeleton raised its hand and cast an earth spell. The ground shook, throwing some enemies off balance.
But behind the scenes, Gu Jin channeled her hidden dark fire. Black flames shot out from the skeleton’s hand, hitting two assassins in the chest.
The enemies screamed as the strange black fire burned through their armor.
Gu Jin stood still, calm and silent, letting the skeleton "pretend" to be the one casting the spells.
Soon, all the assassins were either dead or too injured to move.
She looked around, breathing a little heavier but still calm.
She didn’t know who they were.
Maybe someone from the Institute? Were they angry that she had asked for their records to be cleared?
Or maybe someone else...?
She didn’t wait to find out. Quietly, she left the area, her steps silent and steady.
Far away, on a rooftop hidden in the shadows, a man stood with binoculars in hand.
He watched Gu Jin as she walked away from the fight, her long hair blowing in the wind.
"So she does have it," he said, his voice filled with excitement and greed. "The dark fire element..."
"If we catch her and plant the chip inside her brain... we’ll be able to control her completely."
"With her power, our organization will become the strongest in the world. No one will be able to stop us."
His figure melted into the shadows as he disappeared, already planning the next move.
The real hunt had just begun.
Gu Jin stood at the edge of a quiet, foggy valley. The air smelled like damp earth, and the sky above was gray and heavy.
Mist curled around her boots, hiding the ground in swirling white clouds.
This was the place. The place where she could open a spatial rift—a tear in space that led to another world.
She looked around. The whole area felt strange, like time had slowed down.
The fog made it hard to see clearly, and everything looked dull and dream-like. But Gu Jin wasn’t scared.
She had come prepared.
Her backpack was heavy with supplies—food, water, healing pills, weapons, and even a few rare herbs.
She had also bought a storage ring, just in case her special space couldn’t be used again once she entered the rift.
Last night, Gu Jin had already entered her space to speak with the two children living there—Si Kai, the serious boy, and the little girl with soft eyes and a bright smile.
She had told them they might not be able to come out for a whole year.
But the kids weren’t worried.
From their small islands inside her space, they looked up at the sky and said,
"We still need five more years to cultivate. Don’t worry about us."
Gu Jin smiled at the memory.
Now, a new feature had appeared in her space. She could send her voice to both islands, like a message from the sky. Even if she couldn’t go inside, she could still talk to them.
That made her feel safe.
Now, she stood still and watched the valley.
Dozens of people had camped in the area, waiting for a rift to open.
Tents were set up all around, some small and plain, others large and colorful.
A group of adventurers sat around a fire nearby, talking loudly and laughing.
"I heard someone fell into a world made entirely of treasure trees!" one man said. "He picked leaves worth thousands of gold coins!"
"No way!" another replied.
"I heard there’s a portal to the Land of Alchemist Elves. They trade potions for rare items. Some even give you spirit beasts if you win their favor!"
"Forget elves," a tall woman with a sword said. "I’m aiming for the Dwarven Market. They say the dwarves there can forge weapons that slice through mountains!"
Gu Jin sat down near a smooth rock and began setting up a small camp. She didn’t join the others.
She liked to stay quiet and watch.
She tied her hair up, set up her tent, and started a small fire using a matchstick and some dry leaves.
The fog grew thicker as night fell. Somewhere in the distance, someone was playing soft music on a flute.
The sound floated through the mist, adding a peaceful touch to the strange place.
Gu Jin lay inside her tent, staring at the ceiling.
She closed her eyes and thought of Long Yifan.
How was he? Was he in danger? Was he enjoying?