Chapter 58 – Vault 09's Secret
The chilled air inside Vault 09 coiled around Bai Xueqing like a ghost. Her eyes remained fixed on the cryo-pod. The woman within was identical to her—down to the mole beneath her left ear, the faint scar along her collarbone.
Her heart thundered. "What is this?"
Mr. Zhen's voice oozed through the speakers again, calm and laced with cruelty.
"You are the product of an unfinished experiment, Bai Xueqing. A war relic, reborn."
The lights flickered. Somewhere above, alarms triggered.
She moved closer, hands hovering just above the frosted glass.
"I'm not… her," she whispered. But the word her tasted wrong.
Wrong and familiar.
"You're both right and wrong," Mr. Zhen said. "You are Bai Xueqing—but you were once Bai Yuxian, the General of Flame. You died in a war that never made history books. And you were recreated for a purpose."
She clenched her fists. "Lies."
"No. Truths buried in your blood," he replied, as another panel lit up nearby. "Your memories were fragmented—your past self locked away while your new body adapted to this era. But Vault 09 kept the original."
The chamber shuddered. Footsteps echoed in the distance—Mo Chen and Lin Nuo closing in.
Xueqing pressed her palm against the cryo-glass. Her vision swam.
Memories bled through.
Flames.
Steel.
A battlefield under twin moons.
Mo Chen—dressed in dark robes, shouting her name as arrows fell.
And her—dying, her last words etched in fire:
"I'll find you again."
The lights popped. Mo Chen burst in, gun drawn, eyes sweeping the room.
His gaze fell on the cryo-pod—on her double.
He didn't hesitate. "Get away from it."
"Mo Chen—" she turned to him, confusion in her voice. "What is this?"
His expression tightened. "Something I hoped you'd never have to face."
Lin Nuo followed, panting. "You two seriously need to start giving us all life briefings. What the hell is that?"
"It's... me," Xueqing said hollowly.
"No," Mo Chen said firmly. "That was you. Once. In another life."
She turned to him, trembling. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want to taint this life," he said softly, stepping forward. "You were meant to live freely. But they found you. They triggered it too soon."
Behind them, mechanical arms stirred. The cryo-pod's pressure seals began to release.
"She's waking up," Lin Nuo muttered. "That's bad, right?"
Mo Chen reached out, gently gripping Xueqing's hand. "Listen to me. No matter what happens… you are this life's Bai Xueqing. You are not a puppet. Not a weapon."
The pod opened with a hiss.
The figure inside took a breath and slowly opened her eyes.
And those eyes—those sharp, ancient, fire-filled eyes—locked onto Bai Xueqing.
"Finally…" the other Xueqing said, voice hoarse but eerily familiar. "We are one breath apart."