Tong Xiaosong forcefully pushed away the skeleton in front of him, as if pushing away a tightly twisted steel frame. He had no strength left; his lungs felt like they were about to explode.
The drawback of insufficient physical strength was now glaringly evident. The distance between him and the worker in front of him was growing larger and larger.
Tonight, he might be left behind here, and he felt sorry for his sister.
He thought he would cry, but he didn’t.
Apart from guilt, there was no discomfort and breakdown as in the past.
The skeletal figures in front of him and the falling soil from above seemed to no longer bring him fear. Besides the guilt towards his sister, there was an unparalleled calmness.
He saw that in the front, Wu Mabo had already climbed up the well wall with the black cat on his shoulder. At this moment, a joy and hope that he had never experienced before welled up in his heart.
At the moment when he was about to succumb, and his roommate escaped to safety, Tong Xiaosong felt an unprecedented sense of pride and accomplishment, even more excited than when he himself escaped.
He had always thought of himself as a useless person.
But now, he felt that the decision he made just now to pull and push others forward was the most correct decision he had made since birth.
They were more worthy of living than he was. They would create more brilliance and value than he could.
A brilliant smile appeared on Tong Xiaosong’s face, a radiant expression that even he wasn’t aware of, with eyes filled with hopeful light.
Wen Dong and Ke Lin helped the worker up the well wall, then turned to look at Tong Xiaosong.
Tong Xiaosong was almost submerged by layers of skeletal figures, and through the gaps, Wen Dong and Ke Lin could still see his expression.
This sight instantly brought tears to the eyes of Wen Dong and Ke Lin. They attempted to violently push away the skeletal figures, but they clung to them like a sticky swamp, pulling and dragging them, trying to pull them back into the midst.
Tong Xiaosong shouted loudly, “Don’t worry about me! Run! I’m fine! You guys run! If you get out, I’ll get out too!”
Wen Dong, usually rational and refined, shouted with a heartbreaking intensity, “Tong Xiaosong! Get the hell out of there! What hero are you trying to be, you weakling!”
At that moment, Wu Mabo returned, jumping down from the well wall. After landing, he picked up Ke Lin and said, “Go up quickly! I’m the strongest; I’ll cover the rear! Tong Xiaosong is entrusted to me and Dong zi!”
Ke Lin, with red eyes, bit his teeth and glared at Tong Xiaosong, who was gradually being blocked and submerged by the skeletal figures. At this moment, he recalled how powerful the force pushing him forward was.
It was the explosion of life’s last potential when preparing to sacrifice oneself.
Tears flowed down his face, and he shouted loudly, “Tong Xiaosong! If you don’t come out, I’ll commit suicide to find you! I still have parents at home; don’t force me to be unfilial!”
After shouting, he knew that leaving behind nothing but chaos was meaningless. Choking on his sobs, he climbed upward.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Qe Zjy rjlv ab Qfc Gbcu, “Qjla obg wf tfgf. Qtfc Kbcu Wljbrbcu mbwfr bea, rfcv tlw eq, jcv atfc sbe ub eq. P mjc vfolclafis mjamt eq ogbw yftlcv!”
Qlat atja, Qe Zjyb iecufv abkjgv atf rxfifaji oluegfr.
Olxf rbwfbcf ktb mjgfv cbatlcu obg tlr ilof kjcvfglcu lc atf rkjwqs wemx, tf kjr jiwbra yflcu vgjuufv lckjgv ys atf rxfifaji oluegfr, rlcxlcu ugjvejiis, wjxlcu la lcmgfjrlcuis vloolmeia obg tlw ab rjnf tlwrfio.
He extended his arm and shouted loudly, “Tong Xiaosong! Grab my hand! Tong Xiaosong!”
Tong Xiaosong couldn’t see Wu Mabo’s hand; his line of sight was completely blocked. Passing through the skeletal figures, he desperately waved his hands, urging, “Go! Just go! Don’t worry about me, go quickly!”
And then, a cracking sound.
Some of the skeletal figures suddenly shattered.
Tong Xiaosong’s hand touched a warm, large hand; it was Wu Mabo’s arm extended to the maximum.
Wu Mabo grabbed Tong Xiaosong and forcefully pulled him forward. Tong Xiaosong, without any hindrance, immediately came to his side.
Another cracking sound, and behind Wu Mabo, the skeletal figures shattered, revealing Wen Dong’s astonished face.
***
They managed to escape to the wellhead smoothly. More soil was falling from above. In the chaos, Wu Mabo glanced back and exclaimed, “Look at the wall!”
The three turned their heads simultaneously to the wall. They saw a black shadow on the wall, pulling out several black lines beneath its feet, entangling the skeletal figures.
Two supernatural forces were in a showdown, and the black shadow was clearly outnumbered.
The skeletal figures gradually rekindled, more of them gathered at the wall, seemingly attempting to tear apart the black shadow.
Wen Dong, alarmed, said, “Forget what it is, let’s hurry and leave!”
Wu Mabo regained his senses. Together with Wen Dong, they lifted Tong Xiaosong and said, “You go up first! Quickly!”
At this moment, any delay could be fatal. Tong Xiaosong cast a final glance at the black shadow on the wall, an inexplicable worry arising in his heart.
But with Wu Mabo and Wen Dong behind him, escaping was the top priority.
He exerted all his strength and climbed upward at the fastest speed.
Wen Dong and Wu Mabo followed closely behind.
Just as Tong Xiaosong was about to climb out, a shadow flashed across the well wall. It seemed that the shadow, which had been helping them against the skeletal figures, also broke free.
At the bottom, Wu Mabo exclaimed, “Hurry! The skeletal figures are climbing up!”
Tong Xiaosong was startled by this shout, and before he could react, four hands reached into the well, pulling him up with a swift motion.
Pulling him up were Ke Lin and the worker. After coming out, he collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
The two of them then pulled up Wen Dong, followed by Wu Mabo.
At the moment they all made it out, there was a rumble.
The well collapsed, and in an instant, it disappeared.
On the land covered with overgrown grass, there was no trace of the well as if it had never existed.
***
Saved…
This was the thought in everyone’s mind as they lay on the ground, momentarily speechless, only the rough gasps of those who had just escaped.
The silence was finally broken by a cat’s meow.
The black cat gently mewed and approached Wu Mabo, rubbing its head against him.
Wu Mabo hugged the black cat and laughed, “Haha, saved three people, worth it, really worth it. By the way… where’s Gu Xuan, that asshole?”
Gu Xuan emerged from the darkness, sneering darkly, “It has begun again, it will start again. In the future, you’ll come to beg me…”
After uttering these cryptic words, Gu Xuan, in a cheerful mood, turned and walked away.
Wu Mabo rolled his eyes and said weakly, “Fuck, why do I feel like he cursed us?”
Ke Lin added, “I won’t hide it from you; I also have that feeling.”
The worker with a mournful face asked, “What does your classmate mean?”
Wen Dong sighed, “He’s sick; don’t mind him. Anyway, let’s go back and pray to the gods to dispel bad luck. We’re leaving.”
Tong Xiaosong watched Gu Xuan’s disappearing figure and increasingly felt that this wasn’t the same Gu Xuan who helped him with farm work. In fact, thinking back, he didn’t even think the one who gave him the copper basin was the same person as the one who just left.
Wen Dong said, “Let’s climb over the school wall and find a place to eat something hot. I’ll treat. If we don’t eat something hot, I won’t feel like I’ve come back to life. By the way… how did you find us? What about that black cat?”
Tong Xiaosong snapped out of his thoughts, no longer indulging in wild ideas. He patted his pants and stood up, checking the places where his clothes were torn.
Wu Mabo lifted the black cat and stood up, smiling wryly, “We have to start from the night you guys went missing…”
The group walked and talked, reaching the school wall. The story was then recounted.
Wen Dong frowned, “Gu Xuan, fuck… why does it feel like this isn’t over yet?”
Wu Mabo, in despair, “Just spare me, please.”
The group stood by the wall, and Ke Lin climbed over first. Wu Mabo crouched down, “Come on, Tong Xiaosong, step on me to get over.”
Tong Xiaosong replied, “I… can climb over by myself, just a bit slower.”
Wu Mabo insisted, “Don’t be polite! This is a life-and-death bond. Just based on the push you gave us earlier, letting us go first, as long as you need it, I’m ready at any time.”
Tong Xiaosong blushed and felt a bit awkward, “It’s not that great. I’m just slow…”
Wen Dong sighed, supporting Tong Xiaosong. He insisted and had Tong Xiaosong step on his back. The two of them helped Tong Xiaosong get over the wall.
Then Wu Mabo and Wen Dong quickly climbed over the wall.
The three below looked up at Tong Xiaosong sitting on the wall. Wu Mabo said, “Jump down; we’ll catch you.”
As the wind blew, Tong Xiaosong looked down at the three below, feeling a sudden sense of gratitude. When he almost died before, he didn’t cry, but now his eyes turned red.
He bit his lip, not wanting to cry at this moment. He sniffed and, mustering his courage, shouted down, “I can get down by myself! It’s okay!”
Saying that, he followed the example of the three others and leaped down.
At the moment of landing, the inertia of his body made him lose balance and stumble forward.
The other three hurriedly reached out to support him, and after a slight wobble, Tong Xiaosong steadied himself.
Wu Mab exaggerated, “You almost scared me to death. Turns out, you do have some skills.”
Tong Xiaosong looked at his arms in surprise. When he felt like he was about to fall, he sensed someone supporting him.
But… there was clearly no one there.
For some reason, the image of the previous dark figure flashed through his mind.
Looking around, there was very little light here.
Even if the dark figure existed, hidden in the darkness, probably nothing could be seen.
Zhi xian is such a chad, fighting against those skeletal figures all by himself 🤧
What good kids :’) I’m so glad they’re all alright.