“Li Yu! Li Yu! Respond if you can hear me!”
Xiao Cheng picked up the radio and called urgently.
“Copy! Captain Xiao, what’s happening?”
Li Yu’s voice came through the radio.
“Someone downstairs is climbing the building with his bare hands to rescue someone. Get ready on your end—we may need to coordinate from inside and out at any moment!”
Xiao Cheng spoke quickly.
“What?!”
Li Yu’s voice shot up an octave.
“Climbing the building with his bare hands? Captain Xiao, you’re not joking, are you? It’s thirty meters high!”
“I’m not joking! He’s already halfway up!”
“Get ready now. Be prepared to help him at any moment!”
Xiao Cheng repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“This… this…”
Li Yu was completely stunned.
He looked up at the rooftop towering into the clouds, then at the figure swaying precariously. His scalp prickled.
Thirty meters up, without any safety equipment, climbing with bare hands?
That was practically a death wish!
“How… how is that possible?”
Li Yu swallowed hard, still unable to believe it.
“Stop talking and get ready!”
Xiao Cheng urged him.
“Yes!”
Li Yu snapped back to his senses and hurriedly agreed.
Though he was full of questions and shock, this wasn’t the time to dwell on them.
Saving the person came first!
……
Sweat slid down Chu Jiang’s cheek and dripped onto the cold metal pipe.
The muscles in his arms were taut, coiling like dragons. Each time he climbed higher, he unleashed an astonishing burst of strength.
The wind roared in his ears, slicing across his skin like a blade.
But he paid it no heed.
His gaze remained fixed on the rooftop.
A young life was waiting there for him to save her.
Closer!
Closer!
Chu Jiang clenched his teeth and summoned every ounce of strength as he climbed.
At last, his hand reached the edge of the rooftop!
Just then, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
【Ding!】
【Target information detected!】
【Name: Wang Shiqi.】
【Sex: Female.】
【Age: 20.】
【Identity: Student at Dongshan University of Finance and Economics.】
【Recent experience: Long-term campus bullying; excessive psychological pressure has led to suicidal thoughts…】
Down below, the crowd erupted in astonished cries.
“My God! He really climbed up there! Is he even human?”
“That’s incredible! He’s more agile than Spider-Man!”
“That guy’s definitely trained. Those muscles, that explosive strength—good Lord!”
“A hero! Now that’s a real hero!”
Praise and exclamations rose from the crowd, one after another. Everyone was stunned by Chu Jiang’s feat.
Xiao Cheng, too, let out a long breath. At last, the tension that had gripped him began to ease.
The shouts from the crowd below pierced Wang Shiqi’s sensitive nerves.
She suddenly snapped back to herself and looked down.
A figure was hanging from the edge of the rooftop.
Had he come to save her?
Confusion flickered in Wang Shiqi’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by despair.
No!
She didn’t want to be saved!
She’d had enough!
There was nothing left in this world worth holding on to!
“Don’t come any closer!”
Wang Shiqi screamed, her voice full of fear and determination.
Her body began to tilt backward.
Chu Jiang looked up and saw a face filled with despair.
Her once-clear, bright eyes were now dull and lifeless, like a stagnant pool, without the slightest ripple.
Her body was leaning farther and farther back. The next second, she would plunge into the bottomless abyss.
“No!”
Chu Jiang’s heart sank. Summoning every bit of strength he had, he seized Wang Shiqi by the arm!
“Ah!”
Wang Shiqi cried out. Her falling body jerked to a halt.
She felt an enormous force pull her upward.
But she had already made up her mind. How could she give up so easily?
“Let go of me!”
Wang Shiqi struggled desperately, trying to break free of Chu Jiang’s grasp.
“Let go! Let me die! I don’t want to live anymore!”
Chu Jiang clamped his arm around hers, holding on so tightly that no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t escape.
“I won’t!”
Chu Jiang’s voice was firm and powerful.
“I’m not letting go! You can’t die!”
Their bodies hung in midair, swaying in the gale like two kites.
Below, the crowd held its breath.
“If they fall… it’ll be over!”
“Miss, please don’t let go! Think of your family, think of your future!”
“That young man’s having such a hard time. If he loses his grip, he’ll fall too!”
“Come on! Hold on!”
Someone shouted, and everyone joined in.
“Come on! Come on! Come on!”
“Holy crap, if this were a movie, it’d be absolutely epic!”
“This is a real hero, unlike those people who just run their mouths!”
“What’s wrong with that girl? Whatever’s bothering her, why try to kill herself?”
“Easy for you to say from up there. Have you ever experienced her despair?”
“Whatever happens, I hope they both make it out safely!”
“……”
“Let go of me! Please, let go…”
Wang Shiqi’s voice had begun to break into sobs, desperate and helpless.
Her strength was fading little by little, but her gaze remained resolute.
It was the weariness of life, the longing for death.
Chu Jiang felt his heart pierced.
He couldn’t understand why a young girl in the bloom of her youth would be so determined to end her life.
But he knew he couldn’t let go!
Not ever!
“Listen to me!”
Chu Jiang took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calmer.
“You’re still young. You have a bright future ahead of you. You can’t just give up like this!”
“My future?”
Wang Shiqi gave a bitter laugh.
“My future is already gone…”
“No!”
Chu Jiang shouted.
“Your future is only just beginning! There are so many things you haven’t done and so many people you haven’t met. How can you give up like this?”
“Let go…”
Wang Shiqi’s struggles grew weaker and weaker.
Her eyes began to lose focus.
“I won’t!”
Chu Jiang gritted his teeth.
“I told you, I’m not letting go! I’ll get you back up, no matter what!”
His arm had begun to tremble, but he still held Wang Shiqi’s arm tightly, refusing to loosen his grip even a little.
………
At the same time, over at the fire station, Xiao Cheng came out of his brief shock and immediately shouted,
“Li Yu! Get a team together!”
“Yes!”
Li Yu recovered from his shock too and quickly called the others over.
“Hang on, young man! We’re coming!”
They rushed to the rooftop’s edge and, working together, hauled Chu Jiang and Wang Shiqi up…