BACK TO THE PAST PART 3

The memory froze like a fractured painting, but instead of dissolving into darkness, it began to shift and swirl, colors bleeding into one another until they crystallized into one final, searing moment – the day of her death.

Every detail remained as vivid as a fresh wound, each moment etched in betrayal and bitter irony.

Dawn had barely broken when she found herself staring up at her three-story mansion, its grand structure looming against the pale sky. The morning's eerie tranquility shattered as footsteps thundered through the great hall, reverberating off marble floors in a growing cascade of sound.

"Master!" Little Firefly's warning came just as she began counting: "100...150...200...300?"

"There's no time. You'll have to run." His voice carried an edge of anxiety she rarely heard.

"It'll be fine," she answered with practiced nonchalance. "This will be quick, and I'll have enough time to escape."

They emerged like shadows given form – men in tactical black uniforms. Each wore heavy bulletproof vests and carried an arsenal of military-grade weapons, their blades and firearms gleaming with lethal promise. They formed a perfect circle around her, and she couldn't help the predatory smile that spread across her blood-flecked face.

"Oh? For me?" she purred, even as Little Firefly's voice trembled with fresh urgency.

"Master! It's your sister! I can sense her aura!"

"I figured," she replied coolly. "She's been doing a lot of shady dealings recently. Let's see how this plays out."

The three hundred men stood frozen like statues; muscles coiled tight with anticipation. Their breath came out in white puffs against the cold morning air, a stark contrast to her own measured breathing. She could smell their fear—subtle but unmistakable.

But, wait, there was something else, something that made her pause.

The distinctive tang of military-grade plastic explosives – C4, if she wasn't mistaken, mixed with mercury fulminate and improvised detonators. Her enhanced senses traced the scent to their bulletproof vests, where slight bulges at the sternum caught her trained eye.

Through gaps in their armor, she glimpsed carbon-fiber edges and metallic components that had no place in standard tactical gear. These men moved awkwardly, their uncoordinated actions betraying that they had no idea they'd been turned into living bombs.

Interesting, she thought. They've become expendable suicide troops.

The soft click-clack of heels cut through her analysis, drawing every eye except hers. That distinctive stride, arrogant and measured, could only belong to one person.

"Li Hua. Sister." Each syllable dripped with honeyed venom.

While a smile tugged at her lips, her eyes never left the ring of soldiers. She searched for detonation wires, calculating possibilities. Individual triggers might give her a chance to save some men, but a synchronized network would turn this courtyard into a calculated killing field.

As her gaze traced the edges of their bulletproof vests, her heart clenched – she recognized faces among them. Men she had spared, souls she had diverted to the defensive unit for a chance at a gentler life. Now they stood before her, transformed into unwitting bombs. The bitter irony of her mercy returning to haunt her tasted like ash in her mouth.

"Master." Little Firefly's gentle reminder pulled her from her tactical assessment. "Your sister awaits your response."

"Li Min. How nice of you to drop by." The dryness in her voice masked the storm of emotions beneath.

"Haha. Sister, you were always such a gracious host. Look at this scene, it's fantastic. Though, you could've worn something nicer." Li Min gestured dismissively at Li Hua's blood-spattered silk pajamas.

"You jest, sister. Even after all these years, your thoughts still drift to such trivial matters?" Li Hua's fingers tightened imperceptibly around her weapon's hilt. "Though I must say, your timing is impeccable. Did you orchestrate this little morning exercise, or are you merely here to observe?"

Li Min's laughter rang out, musical and sharp like breaking glass. She stepped onto the patio but maintained her distance. "Oh, dear sister, when have I ever been content with merely observing?"

Li Hua's eyes snapped to her sister with predatory focus, unwanted memories crashing over her like a wave.

She remembered finding Li Min at thirteen that day in the small, abandoned warehouse. The girl had been huddled in a corner, surrounded by empty crates and the musty scent of decay.

Beneath the dim light filtering through broken windows, Li Min's body told a story of systematic abuse – cigarette burns dotting her arms like cruel constellations, violet bruises blooming across her collar bone like twisted flowers, and ribs visible through her tattered clothing. The air had been thick with the metallic tang of blood and fear, a scent Li Hua knew all too well.

Yet what struck Li Hua most weren't the marks of cruelty, but the girl's eyes.

Dark and unnaturally still, they held a calculating patience that Li Hua recognized instantly – the same patient, predatory gaze she'd seen in her own reflection countless times. In that moment, looking at this broken but undefeated child, Li Hua had found a mirror of her younger self, a reflection of her own survival instincts honed by pain and necessity.

She'd made a silent vow then, standing among the shadows and dust, to dedicate everything – her resources, her power, her very life if necessary – to ensuring Li Min would never be victimized again. The promise had burned itself into her soul like a brand, becoming the cornerstone of every decision that followed.

Why do you hate me, Li Min? The question pierced through her defenses now, raw and uninvited, like a blade between her ribs. Everything I did – every harsh lesson, every brutal training – was to forge you into someone who could stand in this world with her own two feet. But instead of growing strong and resilient, you learned to fear me and resent me. When I tried to gentle my approach, I only seemed controlling and suffocating in your eyes. No matter which path I walked, it led me further from you. What am I doing wrong?

"Master." Little Firefly's presence wrapped around her like a warm embrace, his essence resonating with the turmoil of emotions churning beneath her composed exterior. He could feel her pain, her doubt, her love for Li Min all tangled together like threads of silk in a storm. "In all our years together, I've never known you to be cruel without purpose. Your methods may be harsh, but they forge strength from weakness. There's always calculation behind your actions, a measured assessment of how much pressure to apply before the steel breaks instead of bending. Perhaps your sister saw only the pressure, and never understood the protection beneath it."

Li Hua's grip tightened on her blade once again, its familiar weight now a bitter reminder of every lesson she'd forced upon Li Min. The memories of their training sessions – each bruise, each tear, each moment of pushing past limits – flashed through her mind like scenes from a nightmare she couldn't wake from. "When I found her, all I could think about was making her strong enough to never be victimized again. But maybe in my desperation to protect her, I became the very thing she needed protection from." The admission tasted bitter, like medicine she'd long refused to swallow, the truth of it burning in her throat like poison.

Little Firefly's warmth spread through her consciousness like gentle sunlight as if to say, I'm here with you until the end, Master, no matter what path you choose.

A low cough cut through the tension. Li Min's shoulders relaxed at the sound as a middle-aged man stepped forward from the formation.

Li Hua's gaze shifted to him instantly, recognition flickering in her eyes. Despite his lean frame and otherwise youthful appearance, his graying temples betrayed the passage of time.

"Mistress Li," he said, his measured tone carrying across the courtyard, "would you please allow me to have a few words?"

"Little Firefly, you said you could transfer my soul, right?" Li Hua asked in her mind.

"Yes, Master."

"Then do it now."

"It's going to take some time, Master. Would you mind holding them off?"

"Of course."

The memory froze again, Captain Fu's annoying face caught mid-sentence like a paused film.

What's going on? Li Hua thought, as the edges of her consciousness began to blur. The scene before her wavered like a mirage, colors melting and merging into one another until even Captain Fu's frozen expression faded into the encroaching darkness.

"Do you regret it?" A voice suddenly echoed in her thoughts.