Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



"Already?" Roseanne exclaimed in surprise.

Owen Reynolds hummed softly, reaching back into his backpack to pull out a thermos, "Caught in the rain, huh? Clothes all soaked. Here, have some hot tea to warm you up."

He was carrying a thermos flask with him.

The water, at a cozy fifty degrees, brought immediate warmth as soon as it hit the tongue, spreading heat throughout the upper body after swallowing.

Roseanne couldn't hide her amazement, "Professor, you actually brought along hot tea!"

Owen Reynolds didn't respond, his gaze inadvertently meeting Corley's inquisitive look.

"Mr. Reynolds is quite the prepared one, isn't he?"

Owen's tone remained flat, "I prefer to be prepared before setting out. Had Roseanne's injury been more severe and we were without the necessary supplies, the situation could have been dire."

Corley felt a silent jab at his own unpreparedness.

Roseanne, trying to change the subject, asked, "Professor, do you know the way back?"

Owen Reynolds replied, "With the sky this dark and after the rain, even though I made a point of noting our direction, finding our way back exactly could be challenging. We'll need to take it step by step."

Corley raised an eyebrow, "How confident are you in finding our way?"

Owen estimated, "About eighty percent."

Roseanne's spirits lifted, "Professor, you're too modest. Then let's try following your lead. We might bump into some of the base staff along the way." "Sounds good," both agreed to the plan.

However...

Owen asked, "Don't you want to rest a bit?"

Roseanne shook her head, "No rest for me. Better to get out as soon as possible."

For the rest of the journey, Corley carried her, while Owen was in charge of lighting the way with a flashlight.

The three walked side by side, though the atmosphere had grown noticeably less friendly than before.

Silence spread, each man lost in his own thoughts.

Normally, Roseanne would find such situations unbearably awkward, but perhaps because of the rain she had walked through earlier, she felt too drowsy to care. Just as she was about to drift off, Owen suddenly spoke up-

"Mr. Sullivan, want to switch?"noveldrama

Corley sidestepped Owen's offer, stating flatly, "No need. She's light."

Owen glanced at him, noticing Roseanne was nearly asleep, and decided not to press further, dropping the subject.

After what felt like an eternity, a faint light appeared in the darkness.

Though it was just a glimmer, Roseanne, now slightly awake, caught it, "There's light ahead! Let's head in that direction!"

Corley immediately followed her directive, and about ten minutes later, the trio found the exit of this temperature-controlled area. Owen looked up at the sign above, "This is the right exit."

Roseanne breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally, we can get out of here!"

Corley, caught up in her enthusiasm, couldn't help but smile.

The exit had reinforced glass doors and a

berprint scanner, which had

been open when Owen first entered,

him easy access,

Now, however, the doors were shut.

He approached cautiously, hesitant to tamper with the lock but noticed an emergency intercom system next to it.

It was likely for contacting the outside in case of an emergency.

After a moment's hesitation, Corley, still carrying Roseanne, stepped forward and pressed the call button without a second thought.

"You" Owen started, but it was too late to stop him.

et

Corley was unbothered, "Not sure what you were hesitating for. Isn't that yellow bell icon obviously for emergencies to contact the outside?"

With that, he pressed the button a few more times.

lov

Owen frowned, but Corley just thought him too indecisive, lacking urgency.

However, after waiting for two minutes, there was no response from the other end.