C17 Save Someone

The courtyard gate was in a state of disrepair. Despite being shut, numerous gaps in the door panels allowed glimpses inside, where a black Toyota sedan stood out against the backdrop of the neglected, seemingly uninhabited yard. The sight made Zhou Pu proceed with even greater caution.

Peering through the narrow gaps offered little due to the angle, so Zhou Pu walked along the perimeter wall. He noticed the red mark on his wrist, which consistently pointed in one direction as he moved—towards the innermost house. Convinced that the person he was seeking was inside, his heart raced with anticipation. Finding a spot easy to scale, he climbed the wall and stealthily peered over. A long-faced young man was on the phone outside the house, while a large, hefty man inside was engrossed in eating noodles from a basin. Beyond that, his line of sight was limited. Zhou Pu could hear voices from within, suggesting more people were present. They spoke in a dialect, and being too far away, he couldn't make out their conversation. At that moment, Zhou Pu found himself longing for his former Metapower, which allowed him to hear people's thoughts without speaking.

As he pondered the whereabouts of the individual linked to him by fate, two men emerged from the house. The hefty man and a tattooed youth were lugging a large, heavy-looking black bag. They proceeded to dig a hole in the courtyard, and as they drew nearer, their conversation became audible.

"Damn, what bad luck. She died before we even started demanding money. Such a waste, I was looking forward to having some fun."

"Maybe you tied her too tight, strangled her. There wasn't any air in the bag, was there?"

"If I hadn't tied her up well, she could've escaped. It's her own fault for being so fragile."

"In the end, she was bound to die. Might as well be sooner than later."

"You've got the brains of a pig. If she's dead, how can we make the call to her family? How will they believe us?"

"I recorded her voice when we first captured her. We can use that for now. Just don't set the ransom too high."

Hearing their dialogue sent a chill down Zhou Pu's spine. This was a case of kidnapping and extortion, and now there was a death involved.

With the victim dead, the mission was a failure. Zhou Pu had arrived too late and was filled with regret.

As waves of sharp pain shot through his wrist, a flicker of hope surged within him. Perhaps she wasn't dead yet. Maybe there was still a breath in her, still a chance. But if she were to be buried, that would be the end of it all.

"Call the police, quickly!" he thought. But he knew that help was too far away; by the time the police arrived at this remote location, it would be too late. The men had already started throwing the bag into the pit and were shoveling dirt over it with practiced ease, as if this wasn't their first time doing such a deed.

He couldn't wait any longer. Zhou Pu yelled out, "Stop!"

His sudden cry echoed through the night, startling the criminals. The fattest one, gripped by fear, stumbled and fell.

A middle-aged man, on high alert, drew his gun and aimed it in Zhou Pu's direction, while the tattooed man stood by with his shovel, watching intently.

"Get down here, or I'll shoot!"

Zhou Pu hadn't anticipated that they would be armed. Instinctively, he thought to flee. He was perched atop the wall, ready to shrink down and escape over the other side.

With a burst of adrenaline, he climbed up and leaped over. Staring down the barrel of the gun, his heart pounded. He had seen what he wasn't supposed to, and the man could end his life at any moment. Desperate, he blurted out, "Wait, she's not dead, she's still alive. I can save her!"

He pointed to the bag, now partially covered in earth.

"Really? Are you a doctor?" The middle-aged man eyed the young man skeptically, his finger tight on the trigger.

"Yes," Zhou Pu replied, keeping his gaze fixed on the gun. He needed to keep the man calm.

"Big brother, what if he calls the cops? He saw everything..."

"Shut up!" The middle-aged man cut off the tattooed man's doubts, flashing a gold-toothed grin. "Young man, doctor, then come and save her!" he commanded, turning to his henchmen, "Get her out of there!"

Zhou Pu's tension eased slightly; it seemed he had cleared the first hurdle. He wasn't sure if she could still be saved, but he hurried forward. As he reached for the bag, a loud bang rang out. His thigh spasmed as excruciating pain ripped through him. He looked up to see the middle-aged man, gun smoking in his hand, as his own thigh gushed blood.

"Go check if there's anyone else outside," the middle-aged man commanded. Once he confirmed the coast was clear, he holstered his gun and looked down at Zhou Pu. "Sorry about that. I had to be cautious in case you tried something. You claim you can save her, so go ahead. If she lives, you both live. If not, and you've lied to me, you'll pay the price."

"I... I can... save... her," Zhou Pu managed to say, his forehead slick with sweat. He was pinching his thighs to slow the bleeding, biting down on his pain to stay conscious. He realized just how ruthless these criminals were; they would never let him go. Was this where he was going to die?

The black bag was dragged to Zhou Pu's feet. The thugs seemed less guarded now, seeing him incapacitated with a broken leg. They casually smoked, watching him, ready for a spectacle. If he could save her, great; if not, at least they'd be entertained.

With hands shaking and stained with blood, Zhou Pu unzipped the bag, revealing a pair of long legs. Even in trousers, the elegant contours were evident. Then came a slender waist, a full chest, and a mouth sealed with black tape. Her arms and wrists were bruised from the ropes that bound her. Her eyes were closed, her long lashes resting on tear-streaked eyeliner. Zhou Pu was taken aback, momentarily forgetting his own pain. He hadn't expected to see such a familiar face here, in these circumstances. It was Lin Yun'er.

Her complexion was as pale as paper, devoid of any color. He checked for her breath, but there was none; her face was cold. The Lin family's proud and haughty daughter was now in such a wretched, pitiful state. Zhou Pu's heart twisted with an inexplicable sorrow. He couldn't believe that just a few days ago, they had been arguing fiercely, and now here she was, lifeless on the cold ground. Grief-stricken, he caressed her face, wishing he could yell at her to wake up and fight with him, to wake up and scold him.

"Is it completely dead?" The chilling tone was like a whisper from the devil. Hearing this, Zhou Pu's eyes reddened as the middle-aged man drew a handgun and aimed it at him.

"She's still alive, she's not dead, she's not dead," Zhou Pu repeated over and over, as if he had lost his mind. Meanwhile, he stealthily took out his phone from his pocket.

"Haha, damn, a lunatic—I almost fell for it." The man scoffed and pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang out, kicking up dirt as the bullet hit the ground, but Zhou Pu and the other figure vanished without a trace. The searchers found no sign of escape, and a creeping fear began to take hold. Had they witnessed a ghost? Accustomed to life and death, with several lives on their hands, they had never encountered such a bizarre event: a madman and a body disappearing right under their noses. The more they pondered, the more unsettling it felt, prompting them to hastily pack up and flee into the night.

In the confined space, a tender green sprout swayed gently. The phone lay discarded on the ground. Zhou Pu was squatting, administering artificial respiration. The icy chill from his hands fueled his growing desperation. After five relentless minutes of chest compressions, there was still no breath. The soreness in his arms and legs sapped his strength, but the faint red rope on his wrist spurred him on. As long as the red rope remained intact, Yun'er was not dead. Yet, if things continued this way, it wouldn't be long before the red rope would snap.

This was the first time Zhou Pu had brought someone to the Secret Garden, uncertain if living people were allowed or if the system had already marked her as deceased. Clinging to a sliver of hope, he had seized Lin Yun'er and pressed the button to enter the Secret Garden at the last critical moment.

Now, he dared not venture outside. The ruthless criminals might still be lurking. Calling the police would be too late to save her. Trying to save her seemed futile, and his blood had already stained the soil red. He doubted he could last much longer. As the system had warned, failure meant death for both of them. Perhaps dying alongside his wife wouldn't be the worst outcome. Zhou Pu cradled the lifeless girl in his arms and gazed quietly at the phone, expecting the system's imminent declaration of his failed mission.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck him. Wait, the system hadn't declared the mission a failure yet. There was still a chance. The red rope hadn't broken. There was still a chance. He couldn't give up; there had to be a way, there must be a way. But what could it be? At this point, even a hospital might not be able to save her. Maybe only a deity could intervene. A deity? The system—the system might be able to help him.

With great effort, Zhou Pu grabbed his phone. His bloodied fingers failed to unlock it with the fingerprint sensor, and it took several wipes before he finally managed to log in. He frantically searched through the ring system. Secret Garden planting mission, bush lily, seven-colored gourd, Aetherleaf. Although unsure if it was a panacea, Zhou Pu was out of time for doubts. He pressed the Aetherleaf button. A blinding light flashed, and a wooden box appeared on the previously empty shelf. Zhou Pu struggled to move over and opened it to find three golden, diamond-shaped seeds. Were these the seeds of the Aetherleaf? There was no time to ponder; he took out a seed and placed it into Lin Yun'er's mouth.

As his own strength waned, he grabbed a seed and swallowed it, just before losing consciousness.