"How tragic."
Huai Shi sighed softly. Looking down at the teenage girl about to break free, he suddenly asked, "How about we perish together?"
Liz remained unmoved, staring at him indifferently.
But Huai Shi released her, embracing her one last time before she broke free.
"Just kidding."
He smiled. "Sorry about that. If you can't forgive me, come find me... Next time, we'll fight fair and square. I won't run."
He spoke with such earnestness, as if a future still awaited him, bidding her farewell.
He took a step back.
Humming an indistinct tune, he plummeted straight into Hell.
"I am looking for freedom..."
Seeking freedom.
A hurricane surged up from behind him, bringing both freedom and death, concluding this turbulent performance.
As he fell, the delayed pain and dizziness finally washed over him.
Thick blood spewed from the gash in his chest, merging with the wind, diffusing into crimson strands.
In the distant sky, the truck finally returned.
Propelled by tail flames like a rocket, it sped toward Huai Shi, breaching the airship's barrage in a desperate attempt to catch him.
But then, it began to shake violently.
Flames flared from it.
The side of the truck suddenly caved in—it had been hit. Its trajectory veered sharply.
Raymond's truck shot past Huai Shi, failing to catch him.
They crossed paths!
Huai Shi could even hear Raymond's frustrated roar.
The passenger door flew open. A figure leaped out recklessly, tethered by a safety line, hurling themselves at Huai Shi and crashing into him.
Huai Shi tumbled through the air, plummeting toward the Abyss.
The descent abruptly stopped.
"Teacher—"
Amidst the hurricane, someone shouted, their grip firm on his wrist.
Huai Shi looked up to see the familiar grey, and the little pink pig graffitied on the edge of a helmet.
It was Yuan Yuan.
Huai Shi breathed a sigh of relief, managing a feeble smile.
Safe at last...
But then, through her helmet's visor, Huai Shi saw the teenage girl's eyes.
They were pitch-black, staring at him quietly.
She asked softly, "What was that you said earlier... about that woman's baby?"
Huai Shi, suspended in midair, stiffened.
He felt an engulfing, deathly dread.
.
.
"So it was a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding... That's such a relief."
Ten minutes later, in the emergency treatment room in the truck's rear compartment, Yuan Yuan smiled while tending to Huai Shi's wounds, scraping away torn flesh. "Teacher," she said, "no need to say anything. I understand. You're so upright; how could you possibly do such shameless things?"
Huai Shi lay on the operating table, dumbstruck, watching Yuan Yuan wave the scalpel over his chest. He wanted to speak but hesitated, then wanted to speak again but still held back.
Girl, my liver's actually fine; you don't need to cut it...
Ah, forget it. Yuan Yuan is so cute. It's just a liver, not a kidney. Let her get some practice.
Meanwhile, Lin Nineteen shivered beside them, sensing something sinister beneath Yuan Yuan's smile, not daring to utter a word.
If I were a woman... would I have been killed already?
The thought inexplicably crossed his mind.
"You should be more careful in the future, Teacher," Yuan Yuan said casually, her head lowered as she stitched. "Such rumors can deeply hurt a girl. Even if you were in a hurry, that was going too far."
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right," Huai Shi nodded frantically, almost wishing he could get up and kowtow to Yuan Yuan, just to move past this topic and never mention it again.
Especially since his student's scalpel kept playfully hovering near his neck.
This is a bit... much to bear...