Chapter 114 Chapter 114: Before Death, Let Me Hold You One Last Time
Chapter 114: Before Death, Let Me Hold You One Last Time
Several men eyed them menacingly, and Chi Xiaocheng couldn't help but feel a surge of tension. Without her darker self, she couldn't even beat a chicken.
Meanwhile, Su Tao's mind raced, trying to figure out who had sent these people. Their physiques were sturdy, and they seemed disciplined, definitely not acting on a sudden whim to kidnap her. Remembering the scene just now, a chill ran through Su Tao's heart, and she tightened her grip on Chi Xiaocheng's hand.
Had Ye Liang sent them? Or Lin Fangya? In any case, no matter who it was, their target was Xiaocheng!
"Run!"
She didn't know how many people there were, but if they could just get back to the car, they could escape this attack! Su Tao pulled Chi Xiaocheng's small hand and immediately ran towards the stairs leading to the first floor. The men also moved at the same time.
Su Tao didn't even need to shout for help; Chi Xiaocheng's earlier scream had already sent the tourists into a panic. The news spread quickly, and the mall's security guards converged.
Su Tao ran fast, but Chi Xiaocheng was a little slow to keep up, stumbling several times, almost falling. Seeing this, Su Tao simply scooped Chi Xiaocheng into a princess carry. A reassuring voice came from beside her ear, "Hold tight, don't fall."
Her warning ability was still blaring, but Chi Xiaocheng's panicked heart gradually settled down. The menacing men began to surround them, but there were many tourists present, and among them were some righteous individuals who, together with the security guards, helped take them down.
Su Tao hurried to the sports car. She tossed Chi Xiaocheng into the passenger seat and immediately started the engine without delay.
"Xiaocheng, fasten your seatbelt!"
However, once inside the car, Chi Xiaocheng's warning ability screamed even more intensely, especially towards a certain direction, giving her a feeling that if they went there, they wouldn't be able to come back. So she quickly said, "Tao Tao, don't... don't go towards home. Over there... I felt something was off as we drove by earlier!"
Yes, she understood now. Her warning ability wasn't triggered because of her darkened self. It was because someone had been watching her all along!
"Then we'll go the opposite direction. Also, call Dongfang Yang and Si Chen!" Su Tao had already started driving, her face grim but her composure unwavering.
While Chi Xiaocheng was making the calls, Su Tao already saw three more cars recklessly charging behind them, chasing her. This was a bustling downtown area! A slight misstep could cost lives!
As they spoke, a little girl stood at the edge of the road at a corner, about to bend down to pick up a toy bear that had fallen to the ground. Su Tao stomped on the brakes and sharply turned the steering wheel. With a jolt, they narrowly avoided the little girl.
Chi Xiaocheng steadied herself and quickly said, "Si Chen's phone isn't getting through. Dongfang Yang said he's sending people over. Also, the police told us to go to Binjiang Bridge; there are fewer people there, and a substation is rapidly deploying officers."
"Good!"
With another turn of the steering wheel and a drift, Su Tao swiftly changed her route. The three cars pursuing them clearly hadn't expected Su Tao, a novice driver, to handle the car so well in such a dangerous situation. Instead of driving in a straight line, she was even drifting! Keep in mind that visibility was low at night, and the road was covered in snow, making it very slippery!
In one of the black cars, a middle-aged man in a suit grinned savagely. "Even experienced drivers wouldn't dare to do that. Youngster, I advise you not to be so naive!" He stomped on the accelerator and howled to the heavens, "Brothers, hold on tight!"
What followed was an ultimate drift, even more impressive than Su Tao's sports car! In an instant, the expressions of the other men in the car shifted from admiration to composure, then to panic, followed by curses.
With a loud crash, their car skidded and slammed into a lamppost. The front of the car immediately burst into flames, followed by an explosion. Fire shot into the sky! Chi Xiaocheng watched the exploding car in the rearview mirror, swallowing with a pounding heart.
For half a month, her emotion points had barely increased, and she had spent a good amount earlier to protect herself. Now, she only had 300 emotion points! In such a situation, she couldn't help at all.
Su Tao seemed to notice Chi Xiaocheng's unease. She pulled one hand off the wheel to gently pat Chi Xiaocheng's head, comforting her, "Don't worry, I'm here."
The slender figure suddenly seemed to grow tall and strong. Chi Xiaocheng's gaze lingered on that resolute, beautiful profile, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
Just then, as their car passed the intersection, an Audi suddenly darted out from their left rear, appearing to want to ram them from the side to stop them. But it hadn't anticipated Su Tao's speed. Its sudden rush caused it to collide with another car behind them instead.
Then came another dazzling explosion. Like fireworks blooming, the reflected flames illuminated Su Tao's beautiful face. Her dark gray hair was disheveled by the slightly open car window, but there was no panic on her face.
No, perhaps there was panic. Chi Xiaocheng looked down and saw that the hand gripping the steering wheel, as well as her feet on the accelerator and brake, were trembling. The harsh environment, the gloomy night, the people trying to kidnap her were like dark hands appearing from nowhere. But to manage Chi Xiaocheng's emotions, to give her courage, and to keep her from being overly scared or worried, Su Tao was struggling to suppress her own natural unease.
After a turn, they finally drove from the normal road onto the overpass. Beyond this overpass lay Binjiang Bridge. At the same time, Su Tao breathed a sigh of relief. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying her best to stop her body from trembling too much. She also looked at Chi Xiaocheng and offered a smile, "See? I told you everything would be fine. Their cars can't catch up to us, and there's not much traffic on the overpass."
"Mm, Tao Tao, you're amazing." Chi Xiaocheng nodded vigorously.
"Xiaocheng, look over there, across the river." Su Tao guided the conversation, not wanting her to dwell too much on the dangerous night.
Chi Xiaocheng followed Su Tao's gaze and looked out the left window. Across the Binjiang River, tall buildings stood in dense clusters, their lights twinkling, a sea of red reflected on the not-yet-frozen river surface. Ripples spread out, and fine snow seemed to be falling. Such a scene was as beautiful as a painting, as ethereal as a dream.
But even more beautiful than this scene was the person sitting in the driver's seat within her sight. Su Tao looked out the window, her gaze clear and resolute. Her dark gray hair was casually tied into a low ponytail, with a few strands clinging to her slightly damp forehead. That clean, pretty profile made Chi Xiaocheng's somewhat settled heart pound uncontrollably again.
It wasn't fear or tension. This feeling was more like a stir of affection. Being comforted by her, protected by her, treated gently by her – Chi Xiaocheng had never so clearly felt such a profound fondness for Su Tao. In the past, she had half-hypnotized herself into believing she should pursue and seize a perfect girl like Su Tao, so as not to end up like she did in her previous life. But now, Chi Xiaocheng distinctly perceived that she was truly drawn to this gentle yet strong Su Tao.
A ray of moonlight shone through the window onto Chi Xiaocheng's face. At the same time, Su Tao turned and smiled, asking, "How about it, beautiful, isn't it?"
Sweetness welled up in Chi Xiaocheng's heart, and she beamed, "It's beautiful."
You're talking about the scenery.
I'm talking about you.
Chi Xiaocheng placed a hand over her heart, feeling its violent pounding. She couldn't help but recall something someone had said. Her ear tips began to flush faintly. She gathered her courage, looked up at Su Tao, and said, "Tao Tao, can you be my..."
Before she could finish, another sound shattered the night, echoing in their ears.
"Bang!"
A bullet barely grazed the sports car's window, leaving a trail of cracks, the sound deafening.
"A gun?!"
Her confession interrupted, both Chi Xiaocheng and Su Tao's eyes widened. They quickly looked into the rearview mirror, only to find that the black cars they had originally shaken off were now joined by two more. By the faint streetlight, they could see two men leaning halfway out of the car windows, aiming something, its dark muzzle still smoking.
"Damn it!" Su Tao cursed under her breath, gripping the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles white with tension. She stomped on the accelerator and shouted, "Xiaocheng, hold on tight!"
With a roar, the sports car's engine echoed across the overpass as it rapidly descended, about to enter the bridge. But to Su Tao's surprise, the police had directed them here, and after so much time, the defenses should have been completed by now. Why was there no one to meet them?
Just then, Chi Xiaocheng's phone rang again. She quickly answered, and heard Dongfang Yang's relieved voice, "Finally got through! Where are you now? Whatever you do, don't go onto Binjiang Bridge!"
Chi Xiaocheng cried out anxiously, "What do you mean? Didn't the police say it was set up over there?"
Dongfang Yang calmly and quickly explained the situation to Chi Xiaocheng. "For the past half an hour, both your and Su Tao's phones have been busy, completely unreachable. The police's call with you was mysteriously cut off halfway."
"Originally, Binjiang Bridge was clear to pass, but for some reason, just five minutes ago, the bridge deck began to collapse. The middle of the bridge is now broken, and cars simply cannot pass!"
Chi Xiaocheng's pupils contracted at the news, and a chill spread through her entire body. "Tao Tao, can we still change course?"
Su Tao's face was ashen, but she still gritted her teeth and persisted, "I'm afraid not. Now there's only one straight path. What we should pray for is that our tires don't get shot out."
The good news was that Dongfang Yang might lack a sense of security, as the car windows were bulletproof glass. But if this continued, the two of them would likely just fall off the bridge. If the river surface were frozen, a height of several tens of meters would be enough to kill them both. If the river surface weren't frozen, in the sub-zero winter temperatures, how would they swim to shore from the river?
Gunshots echoed again from behind, the constant clattering against the rear hood unending. Dongfang Yang roared into the phone, "You two, try your best, try to hold on! My helicopter is already on its way!"
Life hung by a thread!
Chi Xiaocheng knew that the world of female-lead novels was dangerous. She had always lived cautiously, even with her hacker abilities, she never actively sought trouble. But now, she finally understood.
"Is the Will of the World trying to eliminate me, then?" Chi Xiaocheng asked the system in her mind.
The voice in her head was also low. [Yes, host. This incident was likely initiated by Ye Liang or Lin Fangya targeting you and Su Tao. Originally, it would have been at most a simple kidnapping or threat, but the Will of the World pushed this developing plot forward.]
And so, it turned into a Hollywood-style car chase. Cars inexplicably bursting out of the darkness to intercept them, illegal firearms far beyond what should appear at this point in the plot, and even a decades-old bridge collapsing with a crash. This was meant to drive her to a dead end!
At this moment, both sides of Binjiang Bridge were jammed due to accidents, leaving only one straight path forward. With pursuers and guns behind them, the sports car had no choice but to drive onto Binjiang Bridge. The Kyushu Binjiang Bridge was nearly 3 kilometers long. For a high-speed sports car, three kilometers was only a short moment.
"System, three single draws." She could only place her hope on these last three single draws.
[Drawing in progress...]
[Host received Nutritious Chocolate * 2]
[Host received Substitute Straw Doll * 1 (When the host suffers a fatal injury, the straw doll will die in place of the host, preserving a sliver of life for the host and putting them into a state of suspended animation. The duration of suspended animation is random.)]
The rewards were drawn, but there was no joy on Chi Xiaocheng's face. The pursuers behind them seemed to realize that the two of them had nowhere left to run, and the gunshots gradually ceased. Now, only the sound of the car driving remained in Chi Xiaocheng's ears.
She leaned back in the passenger seat, looked at Su Tao, and asked in her mind, "System, can this Substitute Straw Doll be bound to Su Tao?" She had a sliver of hope for survival, but what about Su Tao? If she could have drawn two of these things, and given one to Su Tao, Chi Xiaocheng might have been happy.
However, the system's answer was as she expected. [Apologies, host. However, Su Tao is the female lead of this world. Her protagonist's aura is very strong. The Will of the World is using this incident to target the host. Su Tao should survive due to some unexpected circumstance.]
"But she'll get hurt," Chi Xiaocheng murmured in her mind, her clear eyes suddenly clouded with confusion.
Just then, the car window suddenly opened. Su Tao had opened it herself. The high-speed wind whipped Su Tao's hair, her lips were pale, but she still managed a strained smile, "Xiaocheng, sorry, it's a bit cold with the window open, but I'm a little nervous, and the wind helps calm me down."
The sound of the wind was louder than her voice. Chi Xiaocheng could only barely make out what she was saying.
Su Tao looked straight ahead, let out a breath, and spoke with deep apology, "I'm really sorry. I originally planned a surprise for you tonight, but I never expected something like this to happen on my first time driving. I've had some conflicts with Lin Fangya these past few days, so this incident is probably her targeting me."
"She wants to get rid of me for Ye Liang's sake."
"And you got dragged into it, even potentially facing life-threatening danger, I..." Su Tao released one hand from the steering wheel and firmly patted her own cheek. "Can't say such disheartening things! There's still a way out!"
Unwavering conviction was displayed in that moment. Su Tao leaned closer to Chi Xiaocheng, her voice overriding the wind's howl, "Xiaocheng, listen carefully. According to the map, the broken section ahead is the only raised arch on Binjiang Bridge!"
"I'm going to floor the accelerator and try to fly to the other side of the bridge!"
"If... if it fails and we can't make it across, you..." She looked at the somewhat desperate Chi Xiaocheng, and the words on the tip of her tongue abruptly stopped. Her hands no longer trembled, and her body seemed to have lost its fear-induced reaction. For some reason, as soon as she thought of protecting the person in front of her, Su Tao felt boundless strength.
Her smile gradually softened. "If I fail, if the sports car can't fly across, and we fall into the river together, then come into my arms."
"At the very end, let me hold you."
And I will hold you tightly. That way, at the moment of impact, I'll be underneath protecting you, and you'll definitely be alright.
Snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Su Tao pressed the accelerator.
The roar of the sports car grew even louder.
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