Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

Time loses its meaning in absolute darkness and extreme cold.

Chen tide huddled among the cotton wadding and rotten wood of the broken wooden cabinet, feeling her limbs numb with cold. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and each breath carried a heavy, musty smell that stung her throat, yet she dared not cough. She could only bite her lower lip tightly, using the pain to maintain her last shred of consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, the footsteps of the patrolmen outside gradually thinned out, eventually fading into a suffocating silence.

The night seemed to have reached its deepest point; even the wind had stopped. It was the darkest hour before dawn, the time when people were most exhausted.

It's now!

Can't wait any longer!

Once it's light, there will be no more chances!

Using all her strength, enduring the piercing stiffness and soreness, Chen tide slowly and painlessly moved out of the broken wooden cabinet where she was hiding.

She leaned against the wall, struggled to her feet, and looked up at the high window, where she saw only a blurry outline of darkness, slightly darker than the surroundings. The window remained ajar.

She had to climb out.

She used all her strength to prop herself up. Her arms trembled violently, almost giving way. But the will to live overwhelmed all the exhaustion and pain.

There was no one around at the moment. But in the distance, there seemed to be moving halos of lantern light.

No more hesitation! Chen tide pushed off with both hands and tumbled out of the high window, landing heavily on the soft, damp muddy ground of the alley with a dull "plop".

Sure enough, the sound of their landing seemed to have alerted something. A low, wary shout came from nearby: "What was that sound? Go check over there!"

It's the night patrol guards! The footsteps are rapidly approaching from the alleyway!

Chen tide's heart almost stopped beating.

She looked around; the alley was narrow, and there was nowhere to hide! If she were trapped here, she would be like a turtle in a jar!

As the lantern's light drew closer, footsteps approached the entrance to the alley!

At the critical moment, a cold and powerful hand suddenly reached out from the dark shadows behind her and covered her mouth! Another hand gripped her shoulder firmly and pulled her backward sharply!

Chen tide's soul was scattered.

But a very low, yet strangely familiar voice rang urgently in her ear: "Don't move! It's me!"

It's A-Yue!

Chen tide shuddered, her tense body instantly going limp, almost collapsing from exhaustion. It was A-Yue! What was she doing here?

A-Yue didn't give her time to ask questions. She released her hand covering her mouth and instead grabbed her wrist, whispering, "Come with me!" Then, like the most nimble raccoon, she pulled Chen Xi along, close to the shadow of the wall, and swiftly sneaked into the deeper part of the alley, in the opposite direction from where the guards had come from!

The footsteps and lantern lights behind them paused for a moment at the entrance of the alley. The guards seemed not to notice anything amiss, muttered a few words, and then turned away.

The two of them passed through the narrow passageway in one breath, then bypassed several corners where firewood was piled up, and finally arrived at the most desolate place in the northwest corner of the Zhou mansion.

Here, near the back wall, there are withered vines and piles of fallen leaves at the base of the wall, and next to it is a long-abandoned well covered with a stone slab.

Ah Yue stopped, released Chen tide, and whispered, "Why did you run off there? Are you crazy?"

Chen tide gasped for breath, leaning against the cold wall, and it took her a while to catch her breath. She looked at A Yue, her eyes filled with lingering fear, excitement and grievance at seeing a relative, but even more so with shock and confusion: "Sister A Yue... how... how did you get here?"

"I heard a noise and knew something had happened," A-Yue said succinctly.

"The sudden lockdown and search of the Zhou residence made me suspect it might be related to you. Last night you asked about the west wing… I was worried, so I went out to check, and I happened to see you climbing out of that window." She paused, a complex look flashing in her eyes. "What did you see? What was there?"

Chen tide's heart sank again. Looking into A Yue's trusting yet worried eyes, she knew she couldn't hide it any longer. She took a deep breath and quickly explained, using as few words as possible.

"Zhou Wenyuan..." A-Yue slowly uttered the name, her voice filled with unprecedented coldness and killing intent, "He really is no good."

"Sister Yue, what should we do now?" Chen tide felt a chill run through her body, not just from the cold night, but also from the cold in her heart. "Uncle Zhou... Zhou Wenyuan is definitely searching for me everywhere. We can't stay in the manor anymore. But how do we get out? The outside must be sealed off too."

"There's a hidden passage at the bottom of this well that was abandoned a long time ago and connects to the ditch outside the mansion. I discovered it when I was scouting the area two nights ago. It's very narrow and mostly blocked by silt, but you can barely pass through. It was originally left there just in case, but I didn't expect..." A-Yue turned to Chen tide and said.

"A secret passage?!" Hope ignited in Chen tide's eyes. "Does it lead to the outside?"

"I'm not sure, but this is the only way right now," A-Yue said in a deep voice.

Looking into A-Yue's determined eyes, Chen tide touched the cold dagger and wooden hairpin in his pocket, and nodded vigorously: "Staying here is a dead end, we might as well take a gamble!"

"Okay." A-Yue walked to the edge of the dry well, gripped the heavy stone slab with both hands, exerted her strength in her waist and abdomen, and with a low shout, slowly moved the hundreds of pounds of stone slab, creating a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through sideways! The dark, bottomless well opening was revealed below, and a strong stench of decay and silt wafted out.

Chen tide was secretly alarmed.

A-Yue took out a small strip of oil-soaked cloth and a tinderbox from her bosom, lit them, and made a makeshift torch. The faint light barely illuminated the area below the well. The well walls were slippery and covered in moss, and several thick, long-rotted ropes could be seen hanging down. About two zhang below, the well water had long since dried up, revealing thick, black silt and debris.

"I'll go down first, you wait for my signal up here." Ah Yue held the torch in her mouth, grabbed the edge of the well with both hands, and nimbly slipped into the well. Her feet landed on the cracks and protrusions in the well wall, and she quickly slid down. Soon, her figure disappeared into the darkness below the well, with only the flickering light remaining.

After about several dozen breaths, a slight, muffled sound, similar to striking a stone wall, came from down the well; this was the agreed-upon safety signal.

It was her turn.

Chen Xi imitated A Yue, gripping the cold, slippery edge of the well with both hands. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and lowered her body into the well. The feeling of her foot slipping made her dizzy, but she held on tightly to the edge, tentatively searching for a foothold.

Every step was incredibly difficult, like climbing a mountain of knives. Just as she was about to run out of strength and fall, a cool but steady hand caught her ankle from below. It was A-Yue.

"Jump down, I'll catch you. It's not that high." A-Yue's low voice came from below.

Chen tide gritted her teeth and let go. Her body fell downwards, but she only fell less than a foot before being caught steadily by A Yue, landing on the soft, slippery mud.

On one side of the well wall, near the bottom, there is a dark, narrow opening, half-hidden by collapsed bricks and silt, barely wide enough for one person to crawl through. Its destination is unknown.

At the edge of the cave entrance, some smooth marks eroded by the water flow can still be seen, indicating that this was once a waterway.

"This is the place." A-Yue handed the torch to Chen tide.

"Take this and stay close to me. It's very narrow inside; you'll have to crawl. Watch your head."

Chen tide took the torch.

The firelight flickered in the cramped space, illuminating A-Yue's profile, which was covered in mud but unusually resolute.

A-Yue bent down first and crawled into the low hole.

Chen tide followed closely behind.

After climbing for an unknown amount of time, Chen tide felt her consciousness becoming increasingly blurred, mechanically following the faint light and figures ahead. Her knees and elbows were already numb, and her soaked, cold clothes clung to her body, drawing away the little warmth she had left.

Just when she felt she was about to give up, A-Yue in front of her suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Chen tide asked breathlessly, her voice hoarse.

"It seems like we've reached the end. There's light."

A-Yue's voice carried a hint of uncertainty.