The heavy rain washed away the dust, but it couldn’t wash away the blood before her eyes.

At last, Seventeen had come.

Doctor Lane was a madman who cared neither for life nor death, nor any of his research outcomes, he only wanted to drag everyone down to hell with him.

The bomb was detonated. The underground laboratory was mostly destroyed, and rainwater kept pouring in through the cracks that had opened up in the ceiling.

Before she completely lapsed into unconsciousness, Hannah tightly grasped the two boat tickets in her hand.

She saw someone swimming towards her, rainwater drenching his black hair, he had a pair of beautiful eyes, like the most dazzling rubies, capturing one’s attention at first glance.

"I got the boat tickets."

Everything before Hannah’s eyes had already started to blur. There were wounds on her hands, on her legs, and on her back. She was soaking in the water, the blood spreading around her.

Archer reached out to grab her, carefully protecting her in his embrace, "Yes, you got them."

Hannah’s consciousness had already begun to blur.

Before Doctor Lane died, he had injected her with many kinds of drugs, what consequences these mixed drugs would create in a human body, no one knew.

Even if Doctor Lane were still alive, he might not know either.

He simply used Hannah as a huge reaction vessel; the final outcome wasn’t important to him, the process was.

The process of watching others in pain.

Hannah had passed out.

Archer carried her out of the underground laboratory.

After the torrential rain, in the light drizzle, Brielle welcomed the first rays of sunlight of the day.

Seventeen had dealt with several guards who had heard the news.

His body was stained with fresh blood, places on his clothes that were torn clearly revealed wounds, his wet hair stuck to his forehead, and his eyes remained fierce and sharp.

His gaze fell on Hannah.

Archer explained, "She just passed out."

Seventeen breathed a sigh of relief.

Just now in the basement, for those two boat tickets, Hannah nearly got pulled into the center of the explosion by Doctor Lane. Although she avoided it at the last moment, she was severely injured.

"I will take her away," Archer said, delicately holding the girl in his arms. "Today."

The time on the boat tickets was for today.

...

Archer had returned to Brielle alone a week earlier.

His first stop was the refugee area, but the location of the original stone house had turned into an empty plot of land, with successive groups of residents having changed.

No one knew the name Hannah.

So, he came east instead and learned about the circus from the boss with whom Hannah had often traded. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Without hesitation, he directly participated in the new staff interview for the circus.

The process that followed was spent constantly seeking information.

Although Archer received the news much later than Seventeen, it was Archer who found Hannah first.

Because Archer never hesitated for a minute, in his heart, Hannah was always the most important.

Seventeen finally understood where the difference between him and Archer lay.

They both cared for Hannah, but perhaps the only one who cared heedlessly was Archer.

In that instant, he made his decision.

He didn’t speak, only mentioned one thing, "Two years ago, when you left, Hannah was very sad."

On many nights, he just sat by the door, listening to the crying from within the room.

It was very soft, as if she had muffled herself in the blankets, isolating herself in a world all her own.

Archer’s hand, holding Hannah’s, tightened slightly; he lowered his gaze, eyes falling on Hannah’s pale face.