Amnesiac Yandere Ex-Wife Always Wants to Remarry - Chapter 18.1

Chapter 18.1

The Ice Fire Cave’s volatile climate relies on its complex terrain, and even the detection platform can only cover its entrance. Only in recent years have they developed miniature detectors.

The miniature detectors are about the size of a fly, and they emit a buzzing sound like a fly’s wings when working. This mission will use them to lead the way at the very front, feeding real-time detection data back to the glasses.

It hadn’t been fully developed yet, but due to the urgency of the mission, it had to be released from the lab temporarily.

So at this moment, seeing that all the miniature detectors had been deployed, the entire combat team immediately entered the cave and began the mission.

Upon entering the cave, there was a winding, narrow path. The light inside the cave was dim and extremely quiet. Fortunately, the miniature detectors were reporting detection results in real-time, so it didn’t put too much pressure on the team members.

Occasional whispers came from the team, but Ming Chunshan didn’t bother with them, only quietly telling Xia Pingwu:

“If you feel unwell anywhere, remember to tell me.”

Xia Pingwu nodded:

“Don’t worry, I’m keeping the new lab device on me properly.”

At the same time, someone suddenly called her from behind:

“Deputy Xia, do you know?”

She slowed her steps, turned her head slightly to look: “Know what?”

Ji Jie moved closer to her, explaining quietly: “Deputy Xia, they’re talking about how, even though the detection platform can’t detect it, the Ice Fire Cave has never bred strange beasts all these years.

“It is said that it’s because the previous combat team captain put something inside. Deputy Xia, you always followed the previous captain, so you must know something, right?”

The intern is talking to Elder Sister again.

It’s my fault. Ji Jie is clearly injured; I should have let the interns rest.

Ming Chunshan grumbled inwardly. She was about to reach out to change the subject, but Xia Pingwu looked back at her.

Then, Xia Pingwu didn’t turn her eyes to look at Ji Jie, but looked at her with a half-smile:

“It seems like your Captain Ming would prefer you ask her. She is the previous captain’s own daughter. Asking her is faster than asking me.”

Ming Chunshan’s fingers stiffened, realizing her careful maneuvering had been mercilessly exposed. But she wasn’t angry, only quickly replied with a playful smile:

“The previous captain suppressed the Ice Fire Cave too early. Neither Elder Sister nor I know.

“We’ll find out if we get the chance to go inside. No more chatting now, raise your vigilance!”

Her final word was loud, echoing throughout the rock walls of the entire path, as if it could continue deep into the cave along the winding path—

Just then, a crisp sound came from inside the cave:

“Snap.”

Before everyone could react, a series of “snap,” “snap” sounds followed.

“What is that sound?”

“I don’t know, the detector didn’t pick up any anomalies. It should be empty ahead!”

“The detector… the detector’s light went out!”

Xia Pingwu looked up, calmly commanding:

“Don’t panic, everyone move closer!

“The detection platform’s final report showed a super low-temperature state inside. Everyone’s combat suits today have super strong cold resistance settings, please note.”

She hadn’t finished speaking when her wrist was grabbed by Ming Chunshan, who naturally took over her words:

“Focus on gathering information, don’t get into protracted battles!”

“Yes!”

The replies were loud and uniform, but Xia Pingwu suddenly raised her hand, placing a finger on her lips:

“Silence.”

She lowered her voice, reminding everyone:

“Listen closely, there’s a sound.”

Many detectors had been released, and the continuous “snap,” “snap” sounds kept coming. Everyone exchanged bewildered looks, and just as they were about to ask, Xia Pingwu spoke again:

“The detector’s volume is small, and its working sound is very low, so why is the sound of it shattering so loud?”

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone immediately exchanged glances.

At that moment, someone suddenly yelled out first:

“Look! The fragments are flying back!”

In the blink of an eye, countless sharp fragments darted out from not far away. The more they flew outward, the more oxygen they encountered, and one could faintly see sparks trailing from the debris!

Everyone immediately scrambled to take cover. Xia Pingwu immediately raised her gun to block, but the spot where her wrist was grasped tightened. Ming Chunshan blocked in front of her, the pressure of her ability surging out recklessly in all directions!

Wherever it reached, the fragments were instantly annihilated, leaving no trace.

Ming Chunshan scoffed: “They’re just fragments of junk metal. Look how scared you all are.”

The team members in front of them immediately lowered their heads and huddled together like quails. The next moment, however, they suddenly started screaming one after another.

Because they saw that the ground beneath Ming Chunshan’s feet suddenly churned up a wind, spiraling around Ming Chunshan and even engulfing Xia Pingwu behind her. For a moment, the latter’s curly long hair instantly flew wildly in all directions!

This gust of wind came too unexpectedly and carried a strange pulling sensation. Even Xia Pingwu couldn’t react. She instinctively grabbed Ming Chunshan’s hand and only managed to shout:

“It’s a trap!

“Chunshan, close your eyes, and hold on tight to me!”

After that, Xia Pingwu couldn’t hear anything.

It wasn’t until she felt gravity again, and the anticipated pain didn’t come, that she realized her body was being held tightly by someone.

Instinctively, she tentatively called out: “Chunshan?”

Then, the scene before her shifted, and her body was immediately pressed down from above. Her head was gently supported, and Xia Pingwu saw those eyes, almost identical to before, looking at her with extreme tenderness.

The chaotic dizziness in her ears faded, and she heard Ming Chunshan’s husky voice saying to her:

“Elder Sister, you called my name first just now. You really still worry about me.”

“Talk properly.”

Xia Pingwu scoffed, averting her eyes to stare at the familiar ceiling pattern of the cave. She paused for a long while. In the silence, the world seemed to be left with only the monotonous and frantic sound of a heartbeat.

She didn’t know whose it was.

A moment later, she withdrew her gaze and instead stared at Ming Chunshan. She pulled her hand out from under the pressure of Ming Chunshan’s body, slowly and gently pinching Ming Chunshan’s jaw.

Her expression was calm, showing no discernible emotion when she focused on Ming Chunshan, and her voice was light and understated:

“Otherwise, the battery might not last long enough.”

Ming Chunshan’s expression instantly changed.

She immediately rolled off and sat demurely beside Xia Pingwu, remaining silent for a long time.

A moment later, perhaps the silence made her uncomfortable, she saw her fingers move slightly, and a hint of her ability coiled out from her fingertips, circling steadily around Xia Pingwu:

“Elder Sister, are you cold?”

A wave of warmth immediately washed over her. Xia Pingwu’s heart softened. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Ming Chunshan explaining in a low voice:

“I don’t know if that equipment is recording audio or video. It’s better if we go back to the bedroom. There are no cameras there.”

Xia Pingwu didn’t say anything, glancing at her. Just as she was about to speak, a gust of wind suddenly swirled around her ear.

Her expression darkened. She immediately pulled Ming Chunshan closer. The change happened too quickly, and she only managed to remind her:

“It’s coming again!”

Hearing this, Ming Chunshan barely thought, immediately reaching out and hugging Xia Pingwu tightly.

Under the fierce wind, Xia Pingwu’s long hair flew out from under her hat, curling and dancing straight towards Ming Chunshan’s neck.

The wind swirled all around, filling their eyes and ears with chaos. In a flash of lightning, all the sights and sounds from the last time she was here poured into Xia Pingwu’s mind—

In her memory, coming down the winding path led directly into the cave, where the temperature was extremely low, and there was no food or water. Everything had to rely on self-sufficiency.

But she was sure there was no wind at all!

Amidst her thoughts, it was as if a connection had successfully been made. Xia Pingwu turned her head and said sharply:

“This is not where we came last time. We might be…”

At the same time, the ability swirling around the two of them circled once and actively lunged into the wind.

A larger airflow suddenly erupted, but it finally moved away from their sides, intensely swirling until it was a safe distance away from them, like an entire circle surrounding the two of them.

They were temporarily safe, at last.

Xia Pingwu folded her arms: “Didn’t you just tell them that you didn’t know about the Teacher’s Wife’s trap?”

“She taught so many things, how would I know which one it was.”

Ming Chunshan leaned closer to Xia Pingwu, her tone wheedling,

“Alright, seeing as she did teach me a few things.”

Xia Pingwu stared at the constantly swirling airflow around them, too lazy to respond.

Ming Chunshan, beside her, couldn’t help but glance at her again, leaning closer: “Elder Sister…”

“I’m fine.” Xia Pingwu didn’t shy away. Instead, she proactively changed the subject, pointing at the surrounding vortexes and saying to Ming Chunshan, “Do you know why, even though you followed the method the Teacher’s Wife taught, you couldn’t put us down?”

“Why?”

Ming Chunshan replied casually, then wrapped her arms tightly around Xia Pingwu from behind, quietly resting her chin on Xia Pingwu’s shoulder.

Xia Pingwu reached out and pressed down on her head, looking at her out of the corner of her eye:

“You actually ask me why?”

Her voice lowered, carrying a hint of threat:

“Why aren’t you the slightest bit worried?”

“I’m not worried, because Elder Sister is here.”

Ming Chunshan was exceptionally sweet-tongued at this moment, making Xia Pingwu believe that this girl would probably buy herself an electric dog tail when they returned and wag it in front of her every day.

That wasn’t enough. Ming Chunshan even rubbed the top of her head against Xia Pingwu’s neck, affectionately asking her:

“Every time before, it was fine as long as Elder Sister was here.”

“…Because the ability you used in the passage just now resonated with the Teacher’s Wife’s trap, and you used it a second time just now, so not only did we fall into the trap, but we’ve been completely trapped.”

Xia Pingwu sighed lightly, adding,

“And because of this, we’ve been separated from everyone else.”

Speaking of this, she reached out and twisted the communication earpiece. The buzzing sound that indicated the earpiece was working didn’t sound. She considered:

“Speaking of the others, although following that path leads to where we were before, I’m not worried about them getting lost, but I hope they don’t encounter any troublesome strange beasts…”

“They won’t encounter strange beasts.”

Ming Chunshan suddenly smiled, her warm breath making Xia Pingwu’s earlobe itch. She winked playfully at Xia Pingwu, explaining,

“I felt it when I used my ability just now.

“That strange beast followed us in.”

At this, Xia Pingwu immediately pushed Ming Chunshan away. She took a few steps back to steady herself, her eyes glaring as if she wanted to devour someone:

“You knew and didn’t say anything earlier?”

“Don’t worry, she doesn’t know how to get out either. She’s probably spinning around in the wind right now.

“Of course, I can’t let her interfere with the two of us…”

Ming Chunshan didn’t finish speaking, as Xia Pingwu glared at her again. She immediately changed her tone to one of admiration:

“Speaking of which, my mother is actually quite clever to think of such a trap activation method.

“Anyone who uses their ability gets swept away, and ordinary people just fall into the ice cave.”

Xia Pingwu didn’t think so.

Her expression seemed to fade a little more, returning to its previous unruffled state.

Then, she turned her head, casually looking around, maintaining her folded arms:

“You missed one point.

“The Teacher’s Wife arranged for all creatures using abilities to be swept away, but where are they being swept to?”

Ming Chunshan paused. Xia Pingwu drew a short blade from her waist, held the tip upright, and slowly walked forward.

The former instinctively reached out to pull her back, but heard Xia Pingwu’s voice, level and steady, as she lowered the blade:

“To answer that question, we must realize that if the Teacher’s Wife’s trap is only effective against Ability Users and strange beasts, then if I don’t use an ability…”

As the tip of Xia Pingwu’s blade slowly descended, the wall of wind in front of them was sliced open like a thin piece of paper.

The swirling wind sounds were as if a “pause” button had been pressed, and they were met with a wave of scalding heat.

Xia Pingwu’s voice was filled with certainty, and for a moment, one could almost detect a hint of a smile.

She said:

“Chunshan, this is the ‘Fire Cave’ of the Ice Fire Cave.”

The pull of gravity returned once more. This time, both of them were prepared. Ming Chunshan grabbed Xia Pingwu’s hand, and they landed steadily on the ground.

…They didn’t land completely steadily.

Unable to use her ability to avoid it, Ming Chunshan could only jump up and down uselessly:

“Elder Sister! You didn’t say it was this hot! We should have stayed in the wind!”

“Staying in there, who knows what else would be waiting for us.

“This place is good. The threat is obvious: it’s just hot.”

Xia Pingwu, seemingly unfazed, stepped away from Ming Chunshan a little and began to pull out the long spear from her back.

Ming Chunshan was still playfully clinging to Xia Pingwu’s sleeve when she saw the latter’s composed expression. After putting down the spear, she began to take off her jacket.

Ming Chunshan was instantly silenced, her eyes darting around: “Elder Sister, what are you doing?”

She retreated two more steps, then continued to jump up and down: “This… this is not appropriate, and you’re still on your period. Let’s go home and…”

“Talking too much will deplete your body’s water.”

Xia Pingwu had already stripped down to the casual shirt she was wearing underneath. This shirt was thin and breathable, and very useful as a makeshift tourniquet in an emergency. She bought one every year. Fortunately, the habit hadn’t changed up to now.

She folded the rest of her clothes and put them aside, then took off her shoes, stepped onto the clothes, and looked up at Ming Chunshan:

“You take yours off too.”

Ming Chunshan’s gaze had already lifted to examine the patterns on the ceiling. She hadn’t expected the Fire Cave and the Ice Cave to look exactly the same. No wonder it felt so familiar when she fell in with Elder Sister just now, but it really wasn’t hot at all back then…

Speaking of which, hugging Elder Sister from behind felt so comfortable. Elder Sister smelled good…

Did Elder Sister just talk to her? What did she say again…

Her thoughts became increasingly noisy, but Xia Pingwu’s repeated voice was like a thunderclap, instantly snapping Ming Chunshan out of it.

Yes, the Xia Pingwu in front of her was patiently repeating: “Ming Chunshan, take off your clothes.”

Perhaps the Fire Cave was too hot. Xia Pingwu saw in a flash that a blush rushed from Ming Chunshan’s cheeks to her entire face, and then down to her neck, and then to all her exposed chest area.

So pure. Xia Pingwu felt like she was facing a blushing maiden.

Xia Pingwu was very patient, trying to bring her attention back:

“Chunshan, if you keep covering up like that, it’ll be my turn to carry you out this time.”

The blush was momentary. Ming Chunshan certainly knew that Xia Pingwu wouldn’t be intimate with her at this time, especially the Xia Pingwu from ten years ago.

She immediately reacted and obediently began to take off her clothes.

However, rational understanding was one thing, but the atmosphere was still too awkward. Even turning her back didn’t help, so she could only make small talk:

“Elder Sister, the layout here is the same as the Ice Cave. Can we walk out together too?”

Xia Pingwu gave a simple reply, then paused and sighed: “Chunshan, luckily we came to the Fire Cave.”

Ming Chunshan didn’t have a habit of wearing shirts. Underneath was a thick, long-sleeved top. Taking off any more would mean being bare-chested.

She had no shame about being exposed, but she felt a bit embarrassed in front of Xia Pingwu.

She could only endure the discomfort and turned to look at Xia Pingwu: “What’s wrong?”

Xia Pingwu sighed again, reaching out to touch her forehead:

“Although the feeling isn’t strong, I feel a little cold.

“I think I might be running a fever.”

Ming Chunshan immediately crouched in front of her: “Elder Sister, let me carry you.”

She looked so much like a playful puppy that Xia Pingwu couldn’t help but want to laugh. She half-bent down and patted her back, smiling warmly:

“You’re wearing so many thick layers; carrying me will make you overheat.

“Chunshan, take off your long-sleeved top and exchange it with me.”

Wear… wear Elder Sister’s clothes!

Ming Chunshan’s ears turned red again.

While being carried on Ming Chunshan’s back, Xia Pingwu felt a sense of disorientation.

It was like many years ago. They kept walking side-by-side, seeming like they would continue to walk down for a very long time.

Xia Pingwu stared at the wound on Ming Chunshan’s neck and spoke:

“Chunshan, for this emergency mission, why did you agree to bring me along this time?”

She saw Ming Chunshan’s movements pause slightly, and couldn’t help but lightly purse her lips, continuing to ask:

“I don’t mean anything by it, but… did someone force you?”

“Xia! Ping! Wu!”

Xia Pingwu didn’t have time to hear Ming Chunshan’s answer when a familiar shout suddenly rang out in her ear.

It sounded even more exasperated this time.

She reacted quickly this time, immediately grabbing Ming Chunshan’s shoulders:

“Chunshan, that voice is back.”

Ming Chunshan also immediately understood and instinctively held her breath.

There were many identical winding paths around the cave, and only one led to the exit. They could only rely on their previous experience, carefully observing the entrance, hoping to find the correct path.

In an already extreme survival environment, if a strange beast was also present…

Ming Chunshan cursed, annoyed: “How did this guy get down from the wind!

“Elder Sister, did she say anything else? Don’t panic…”

She was worried that Xia Pingwu would lose control like last time, but Xia Pingwu had already reached out and covered her mouth:

“Don’t talk.

“She’s asking if I want to see the Teacher’s Wife. If so, to follow her.”

Ming Chunshan immediately frowned, calling out vaguely:

“How do we follow you! Which path are you on!”

The strange voice didn’t speak again. At the same time, it was replaced by the familiar buzzing sound of the communication earpiece.

Xia Pingwu was about to speak when Mao Xiqing’s voice suddenly erupted in her ear:

“Captain Ming! Can you hear me! Vice-Captain Xia! Can you hear me!”

Why did the connection suddenly resume?

Xia Pingwu didn’t have time to think. She immediately replied: “I can hear you. What’s the situation on your side?”

Mao Xiqing’s voice was clearly joyful:

“All of us are in the Ice Cave. One of the small paths suddenly started emitting hot air. Should we proceed, please advise!”

Hot air?

Perhaps due to that word, Xia Pingwu felt the hand Ming Chunshan was holding her with was a bit warm.

She immediately forced her mind back to the situation.

After all, she could guarantee that in the Ice Cave ten years ago, she and Chunshan hadn’t encountered any hot air.

While she was still hesitating, Ji Jie’s voice suddenly came through:

“Please allow me to go in and scout the way!”

“The Teacher’s Wife’s trap has been activated. No one can predict what will happen if you go in rashly…”

Xia Pingwu explained the risks, but then Ji Jie’s voice became even firmer:

“Captain Ming is right. Interns are also part of the team and should bear responsibility.

“Therefore, I request to go in and scout the way voluntarily.”

Xia Pingwu hadn’t had time to object when Ming Chunshan, carrying her, had already taken a few steps back and replied:

“Okay, you go ahead.”

Then, the communication earpiece rustled with the sounds of securing a safety rope onto Ji Jie and letting her walk in alone.

Since it’s come to this, there’s no other way.

Xia Pingwu had no choice but to look back at the passage in front of them, reminding Ming Chunshan: “Let’s go back to the topic of the strange beast.

“Chunshan, can you feel it?”

Silence fell once again. Ming Chunshan listened for a moment, then turned her head and asked: “What?”

Xia Pingwu lowered her voice: “That strange beast is getting closer.”