C16 Find Someone

For several days, they had been locked in a cold war, neither willing to budge an inch. Whenever they crossed paths, they acted as if the other were invisible. Lin Yun'er was convinced that Zhou Pu had lost his mind, believing that any job would be better than waiting on others. Zhou Pu, on the other hand, wasn't particularly keen on being a waiter. He was the type to take any job that came his way, a stopgap until something better turned up. This job, menial as it was, represented his self-sufficiency and a sliver of dignity. Without it, he feared his core principles might just crumble away.

One evening, while Zhou Pu was working his part-time gig at the hotel, his phone began to ring and vibrate, an unexpected occurrence since he had few friends. He found a secluded corner to check his phone and was surprised to see that it wasn't a call, but rather an alert from the red rope interface, flashing a dire warning: "The red rope of marriage is on the brink of breaking! The red rope must not break!"

The red rope... He had heard of it before. A sudden recollection hit him – the system had gifted him a red rope a few days back, but it had vanished before he could use it. He had dismissed it as a system glitch or a trick, but now this alarming message had appeared. Zhou Pu was baffled. What did the breaking of the red rope have to do with him? He was too busy serving dishes to worry about it.

He hit the mute button, intending to ignore it, but after a few steps, a sharp pain shot through his upper arm, as if pricked by something. Rolling up his sleeve, he spotted a faint red line around his wrist, resembling the mark left by a tight elastic band, barely noticeable unless you looked closely. Could this be the fabled red rope of marriage? Zhou Pu's anxiety grew. It seemed the system hadn't fooled him after all; the red rope was real, though he was at a loss as to when it had been tied.

He recalled the system mentioning that the red rope was meant to lead to marriage, and Zhou Pu had even entertained the hope of a romantic encounter. He remembered it was supposed to last a month, yet here it was, seemingly expiring after just a few days. The shelf life was disappointingly short.

Lost in his thoughts, the faint red rope began to twitch, as if it was trying to slip away from his wrist. It took a while before it settled down.

Confused, Zhou Pu hurriedly pulled out his phone to check the message once more.

A flurry of information had already popped up within the system interface. The text remained red, starkly contrasting with the previously black font, exuding an eerie vibe. The array of oddities made Zhou Pu take the situation seriously.

"A red rope stretches between two people, connecting them at both ends. Their fates intertwined, they follow each other across a thousand miles. Only death can part them."

Could there be another person, like me, tied to a red rope? Would that person be my destined partner? Is this some sort of arranged marriage? But I'm already married; is this suggesting an affair? Zhou Pu mulled over these thoughts briefly before the gravity of the situation hit him. Death? The red rope was mentioned as close to breaking, and now they're saying only death can separate the two connected by it. Could it mean my death is imminent? Or perhaps hers?

The red rope's presence reinforced Zhou Pu's trust in the system. He grasped the severity of the issue; the system was warning him that either he or she was on the brink of death.

Whoever it was, he didn't want any mishaps to occur. How could he prevent death? Zhou Pu eagerly read on.

[Hidden Mission: She cannot die. — Find and revive your fated partner. It's sweltering, pitch-black, I can't see, I can't move, I'm struggling to breathe, feeling faint and dizzy, overwhelmed by the acrid scent of gasoline. Who will rescue me?]

[Reminder: Do not disclose the existence of the system to anyone, directly or indirectly. Decline the mission, and the red rope will automatically unravel. Failure to complete the mission will result in both connected parties perishing together.]

Zhou Pu's heart skipped a beat. This was a deadly conundrum: refuse the mission and one would die; accept it and both could perish. Yet, envisioning the dire and helpless predicament of the trapped woman, he found himself unable to decide.

...

In the taxi, Zhou Pu sat in the front passenger seat, pressing the driver to go faster. The driver, cigarette dangling from his lips, lectured him like a mentor about obeying traffic laws. Reluctantly, Zhou Pu handed over a hundred yuan, and the driver finally picked up the pace. That was two days' worth of his wages. As the numbers on the meter soared, Zhou Pu winced, but he couldn't afford to dwell on it. He covertly glanced at the red rope on his wrist, which he had stumbled upon by chance. He noticed that the imprint of the rope shifted direction as he moved. If his hunch was right, the rope was connected to the other end, potentially leading him to her.

"We're about to leave the city limits. Where exactly are you headed?" The driver gave the young man a curious glance. Since boarding the vehicle, he hadn't specified a destination, merely directing him towards a more secluded area. Was this guy planning a robbery? If it weren't for the safety barrier in the car, the driver might have refused the fare.

"Take the road on the right. I'm not a bad guy; I'm just looking for someone. You'll get your money," the passenger assured.

"Looking for someone? Who might that be?"

"My wife," Zhou Pu replied dismissively. He couldn't afford to divulge too much to a stranger. He hadn't even dared to involve the police. How could he explain without revealing the existence of the system? If he did, he might cease to exist himself.

"Your wife ran off, huh? Sigh, women... they need to be treated right. It's tough finding a good wife these days. Once you've got her, you've got to hold on tight. I'll lend you a hand. I'll put in a good word for you, and all will be well," the driver offered with the air of someone who's been through it all.

"Thanks," Zhou Pu said, choosing not to elaborate. After expressing his gratitude, he fell silent.

Clutching the small bag in his arms, Zhou Pu felt the weight of the brick and wine bottle inside. He couldn't predict what dangers lay ahead, and without a proper weapon, his anxiety was palpable. He had always been a well-behaved kid, never one to get into fights. If he encountered trouble, he doubted whether his makeshift arsenal would be enough to get him out unharmed. Several times he considered abandoning the mission, questioning whether it was worth risking his life. But each time, his conscience wouldn't let him, and he found himself committed to this foreboding task.

Another half hour passed, and the car ventured deeper into the mountains, leaving behind any semblance of a paved road. The vehicle jostled violently on the uneven terrain. Darkness enveloped the area, devoid of any human presence—nothing but desolate hills and valleys. The driver's suspicious gaze intensified until he finally refused to go any further.

With no other option, Zhou Pu paid the fare, his heart heavy with the sense of wasted effort. Holding the bag close, he continued on foot along the pitch-black mountain path, uncertain of the distance remaining. He couldn't shake the feeling that he might get lost in the desolate wilderness.

He clung to the hope that she was still alive, that he would make it to her in time. Yet, as he journeyed, his confidence wavered. A persistent voice in his head taunted him, "Give up. Even if you get there, you won't be of any help. You'll just be throwing your life away." The only thing that bolstered his resolve was the faintly trembling red mark on his wrist, a sign that she was still out there. They had never met, but fate had intertwined their paths, and he couldn't stand the thought of giving up without even trying.

He refrained from using his phone during the trek. Despite sparing its use, the battery had dwindled to a mere 20%. He decided to conserve it for an emergency. Thankfully, the moon shone brightly overhead, providing enough light to navigate the path ahead.

After another thirty minutes of walking, he finally glimpsed a light. It emanated from a small courtyard, enclosed by several single-story houses. The light seemed to sneak out from one of the small rooms.

The red rope pointed directly toward that house, prompting Zhou Pu to proceed with caution. He didn't advance recklessly; instead, he crouched low and stealthily made his way closer.