Chapter 309 – The Graveyard Gate
An hour later, Tu Ran left the jade shop carrying a bag of cash.
She hailed a taxi and headed to the orphanage, where, under the guise of making a donation, she was able to meet the orphanage director.
Looking at the elderly man with graying hair and a kind smile, Tu Ran was flooded with childhood memories. Behind her sunglasses, her eyes grew a little misty.
As their hands met in a handshake, she saw an image of her grandfather collecting her body, pushing her into the crematorium, and using his limited savings to buy her a grave plot. He had buried her ashes there.
She donated all the money, and with her grandfather’s guidance, she toured the entire orphanage—from the classrooms to the small park. Many children, curious and adorable, observed her, including a few she used to visit regularly.
None of them recognized her.
Throughout the visit, Tu Ran kept herself fully covered—wearing a hoodie with the hood up, a mask, and sunglasses, keeping her identity hidden.
After finishing the tour, she said her goodbyes and left.
With the remaining money, Tu Ran bought a bouquet of flowers and took a taxi to the cemetery.
When she arrived, the weather had turned gloomy. What had been a sunny day was now overcast, and large clouds floated in, bringing a dampness to the air.
Tu Ran glanced at the sky—it looked like rain was imminent, so she knew she had to hurry.
She quickly found her name among the rows of tombstones.
When she saw the black-and-white photo on the gravestone, Tu Ran froze. The photo was taken when she had just started looking for a job, her smile bright and radiant. It was the only photo she had sent to her grandfather, the orphanage director, after she left the orphanage. It was also the only photo he had of her as an adult.
Tu Ran felt a sharp ache in her nose, and finally, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
She knelt down, placing the flowers in front of the tombstone, her gaze locked on the photo of herself. The tears soaked through the mask she wore.
It was only when she saw that photo that she truly felt it—she was dead. She had really died.
The real Tu Ran was buried in the ground, no longer existing in this world.
Her body now belonged to another world, and it had no connection to anyone in this world.
The rain, which had been gathering for some time, suddenly came pouring down, washing the dust off the tombstone. Tu Ran was drenched from head to toe, but she didn’t move. Half-squatting, she curled her body in on itself, staring at the inscription on the gravestone, her gaze vacant.
The people who had come to visit their loved ones in the cemetery quickly left to find shelter from the rain. The entire cemetery was left with only Tu Ran.
A flash of lightning split the darkened sky, briefly illuminating the rows of tombstones in the cemetery.
Tu Ran, still crouching, suddenly lifted her head.
She slowly stood up, her gaze sweeping past the tombstones in front of her and landing on the open grassy area at the far end.
The grassy area was meant to extend the cemetery, but the construction hadn’t yet begun. It was filled with lush green grass.
Under the rain, the grass seemed to gleam with a vibrant green, fighting to push through the earth. But suddenly, a black boot appeared out of nowhere, crushing down on the grass. The shoots of grass bent low under the heavy weight.
Soon, the other foot followed, stomping down and flattening another patch of fresh sprouts.
Through a faint blue energy field hovering in the air, a second, then a third pair of feet emerged…
Tu Ran’s gaze fixed on their outfits.
They were pioneers.
Before Tu Ran could fully comprehend how three people could emerge together, the first man, wearing goggles, glanced over in her direction. Without thinking, Tu Ran immediately crouched down and hid behind a tombstone.
The moment Tu Ran crouched down, she realized that the goggles worn by the pioneers could detect living beings behind structures.
She quickly rolled to the right, and as she moved, a hole was blasted through her tombstone.
Tu Ran glanced back at her tombstone. Her photo had been pierced.
Her gaze darkened instantly. With a forceful push, she activated [Teleportation], leaping out from behind the tombstone and charging toward the three men.
In the same instant, their pupils reflected the image of a person wearing sunglasses and a mask, with an indeterminate gender, jumping out from behind the tombstone. In less than 0.1 seconds, she appeared right in front of them. Their pupils widened in unison.
Raindrops hung suspended in the air, as if time had frozen.
They tried to make a move, but their reactions were sluggish. In that split second, all they managed to do was point their guns at Tu Ran.
Before they could pull the triggers…
Tu Ran, already charging toward them, flicked her wrist and sent a sharp dagger flying from her sleeve. It plunged into the neck of the man who had fired, and blood sprayed out instantly.
The man fell backward, clutching his throat.
Without a hint of emotion, Tu Ran pulled the knife out and kicked his body, sending him into the still-forming Gate.
The remaining two men watched in horror, their eyes wide with fear.
Such speed… they had only seen it in one person.
“Y-y-you… are… Tu Ran?!”
A fierce glint flashed in Tu Ran’s eyes. “Then I definitely can’t let you live.”
With a swift motion, she spun around and effortlessly drove the knife into the transparent helmet, said to be bulletproof, of the man who spoke. The blade sank into his forehead.
The man remained frozen in an expression of twisted terror, blood flowing down from his brow. Tu Ran kicked him into the Gate, and another person vanished from the grass.
Only one man was left.
Taking advantage of the moment, the man quietly made his way toward the Gate.
Tu Ran used [Teleportation] and silently appeared behind him, grabbing the back of his collar.
With ease, she pulled him back, and no matter how much the man struggled, he couldn’t break free. The Gate was just three steps in front of him.
His eyes were filled with rage as he reached out, trying to grasp the Gate.
Tu Ran’s left hand tightened on his neck, while her right hand raised the bloodstained dagger and pressed it against his throat.
“Stay still,” Tu Ran whispered threateningly in his ear, while her left hand read his memories.
She didn’t immediately strike. The man, seeing a glimmer of hope, hastily begged for his life: “Tu-Tu-Tu Ran, we’re not here to capture you! Calm down, we’re just doing our job under the Federation’s orders. Let me go, I’ll leave right now, I won’t show up in front of you again, and I won’t tell the Federation. I’ll pretend I never saw you, alright? Please…” His voice trembled with fear.
At this point, he still believed that Tu Ran was killing them because they had found her and she feared they would expose her whereabouts.
Tu Ran had already finished reading his memories and didn’t even listen to his pleading. With a swift motion, she executed him and discarded his body into the Gate.
The heavy rain washed the blood off the ground, and it soaked into the earth, nourishing the small grass.
Tu Ran stayed in the rain, never leaving, her gaze fixed on the Gate until it finally disappeared, and no one else came out. Only then did she turn and leave.
There were no surveillance cameras in the cemetery, but as she passed the main exit, Tu Ran noticed an old, outdated camera.
She lifted her eyes and gave it a brief, indifferent glance, tightened the drawstring of her hoodie, and lowered her head, continuing along the uneven ground as she left.
…
The heavy rain let up by evening, and within an hour, a post by an internet user named “Sheng Sheng, Did You Practice Your Vest Today?” went viral, topping the trending charts and being shared across major media outlets.
