A Map

"Stretch out your hand. I'll take your pulse." Ariana obediently stretched out her right arm towards her direction and closed her eyes to reduce the dizzy feeling. Feeling the cold fingertips against her fair skin, Ariana subconsciously retracted her arm slightly.

Since she was always on high alert around strangers, her body was not used to a stranger's touch. Even though Qian Ling saved her earlier, it didn't mean that Ariana's body was fine with her touches. She apologized for the sudden retraction, "I'm sorry.."

"It's alright. You're too tensed. How about this? Let me rearrange the pillows to put you in a slightly more comfortable posture? This way, you could relax for a little bit, and I can get a better diagnosis conclusion." Qian Ling's voice revealed no signs of irritation. Instead, it sounded very soothing to ones ear.

With her eyes still shut, she nodded in response. For some reason, she wasn't suspicious of Qian Ling's identity and had slowly started to accept her. She found Qian Ling very mother-like and couldn't find any reasons to go against her words.

Hearing the sounds of the wrinkles on the pillows getting smoothed out by her palms, Ariana curved her lips upwards. Following Qian Ling's guidance, she found a more comfortable position to sit and lean back against while her pulse was being taken.

Holding out her arm once more, she relaxed and let Qian Ling do what she needed to do. Though her eyes were closed, her five senses were working fine. Feeling the cold fingertips pinning lightly into her wrist area, an odd sensation spread chills to her spine.

"Don't move," Qian Ling warned as she concentrated on taking her pulse.

"Oh.." Ariana obediently followed her words and stayed in the same position. Even though she had a bad itch on the tip of her nose, she didn't budge one bit.

Finally, Qian Ling lifted her fingers from Ariana's wrist, "You're pregnant. It's still very early, so you don't feel anything just yet. I've suspected that since earlier when I grabbed onto your forcibly. I couldn't confirm it, but that's why I've been quite gentle with you."

"Wh..at? I'm pregnant?" She looked down at her flat as a wall-like stomach. Her warm palms felt numb at the moment and carefully covered her lower abdomen. Staying quiet for a few minutes, she looked up again to ask if she really had a child inside of her.

Before she muttered another word, Qian Ling had smiled, "This is the only time where I would repeat myself twice. Yes, there is a tiny living person inside of you even though he or she is not fully developed yet. Amazing isn't it?"

"But I didn't feel anything." She said as her thumbs gently caressed the surface of her belly over the layers of clothes.

"Like I said, it's still early. If you want your child to come greet you in a little less than nine months, then you need to listen to me and get out of here as soon as possible. Your current condition is not suited to live in such musty environments. Also, the food here isn't nutritious enough for you. So, hurry and go."

Watching Qian Ling walk towards the closet, Ariana stayed in bed and didn't dare make any large movements. She didn't know how she was feeling at the moment. Having a child is a very fortunate event and it naturally made her feel joy. At the same time, she can't just leave this place when she has already gotten this far.

As if her thoughts were written across her face, Qian Ling held a rolled up map in her hand and put it in Ariana's hands. "Don't worry about me. I know you must have your reasons to stay here, but you might end up having more loss than win. You must know when it is time to retreat for further progress. I've already given you the biggest hint. Shi family."

She patted Ariana's hands and continued, "As a gift for your pregnancy, here's a map that I personally made. It's for the underground tunnel. I don't want you to think that you are leaving me behind when you could have saved me. If you want to save me, then you must stay alive and be well with your allies. Understand?"

"Why are you giving me this?" She wrinkled the map in her hands with her tight grip.

"Because you are one stubborn pregnant lady. How could I win against you when you are two people? You can say that I have a soft spot. Anyways, your starting point is great. Just that this is more complicated than escaping."

Picking up the half filled container with those pills that she had taken earlier, she revealed a helpless smile. "Even without the tracking device and barcode on me, I won't have many days left to live. You asked me earlier about these pills. Let me answer you now. These are pills used to slow down the poison in my body."

"I've been under their control because I must keep myself alive. They're the ones who created the pill to make sure I remain obedient under their supervision. I've tried countless times to figure out what the pill was made of. Maybe I just never had any luck; I never found the formula for it. I don't know what poison it is and I couldn't come up with an antidote."

"If I escape with you, they will find you and your allies. Even if I leave this place successfully, the poison would eventually kill me. The only thing that I could do is stay and help whoever I can with escaping from this hellhole until I die. As for you, you still have the opportunity to leave."

Ariana was taken aback by her sudden confrontation and confession. There is definitely more to her story and this whole project, but it didn't seem like Qian Ling figured everything out yet. Pitying her experience, Ariana finally made the decision to leave for now.

"I'll definitely come back for you. My allies and I will cure the poison too! I'm going to take one of these pills to my friends so that they can find out what poison it is."

Qian Ling let out a relieved smile, "I'll be waiting."