Chapter 3029 The Efforts of Two Couples

She stepped into the Abyss.

Although the description might be a bit dramatic, Madam Three-Eyed's elegant strides genuinely gave off the distinct feeling of maggots writhing in her wake.

The Pocket Watch was still ticking, and she still acted as if no one else was there.

Even the gaze she swept over Fu Qian was completely empty, barely lingering at all.

Just like at the beginning, her goal was extremely clear.

This was clearly good news. It proved that to Madam Three-Eyed, some ripples had finally appeared down here, drawing her further in.

But that was as far as it went. Even though Fu Qian cooperatively kept quiet to avoid disturbing her, Madam Three-Eyed soon began wandering like a headless fly upon reaching the lowest level of the Hidden Map.

Her footsteps never stopped, but her path forward remained unclear.

She wandered through the gloomy Underground oblivious to everyone else, changing direction right before walking into a wall.

In that moment, Madam Three-Eyed's pathing could only be described as that of a robot vacuum.

It almost created the illusion that she, too, had heard the Mad Cat Gunner's call and wanted to join the search party.

Interesting. At first glance, it might just look like she was taking the initiative without making any actual breakthroughs.

But for Fu Qian, this shift in behavior was already more than satisfactory.

Never underestimate the bonds between lovers. Even if it was only a fake effort, wasn't it because someone had provided fake hope?

It could be said that the core of this cat-rescue operation rested on two pairs of lovers.

It was hard to believe that Madam Three-Eyed had simply gotten impatient waiting above and finally decided to come down to try her luck.

Fu Qian leaned toward the idea that the other couple had achieved some subtle results, giving her a slight assist.

Yes, that young couple had only been gone for a short while, but it seemed they had already made a contribution.

"Ah—"

Their contributions weren't even over yet. A cry of pain rang out the very next moment, and if his ears didn't deceive him, it came from the Long-Haired Man.

...

By the time Fu Qian and the other two rushed over, the Long-Haired Man's face was already twisted in agony.

The accident had indeed befallen him. A single glance revealed a deep gash right across his right shoulder blade. As for his girlfriend, despite her terrified expression, she hadn't abandoned him. She was frantically trying to stop the bleeding, but due to the awkward angle, her efforts were yielding little result.

"What happened?"

Given the situation, Fu Qian, as the commander of the operation, naturally had a duty to express his concern.

"Something... ran past behind me just now."

He might have had some courage, but in the end, he was only flesh and blood.

The wound had clearly dealt a massive shock to the Long-Haired Man, making him look like he might pass out at any moment.

As for the sneak attack he had just suffered, he didn't seem to have caught many details.

"Your cat! I saw it—"

This was where the benefit of forcing them to pair up showed. Pressing her bloodstained hands tightly against her boyfriend's wound, the Long-Haired Woman snapped her head around, her voice hoarse.

"It really is here. I was right... I knew it was here all along..."

She was somewhat emotional, but through her repeated ramblings, it became fairly obvious what had just happened—

Old Man Henry really was down here. It seemed a casual remark proved prophetic, and he had pulled off another stunt of coming and going like a ghost. This little task force trying to find him must have startled him, prompting him to lash out and scratch someone in a stress response.

So Madam Three-Eyed had finally ventured further down precisely because she sensed this disturbance?

Everything seemed to line up.

The mortal flesh-and-blood duo had actually made a contribution with astonishing efficiency.

"Then where did it go now?"

Unfortunately, even after they had rendered such a great service, their leader's sympathy was still lacking. At that moment, the Mad Cat Gunner was clearly much more concerned about his cat.

"I don't know. It looked like it went back up. Don't you have someone guarding up there?"

Although the Long-Haired Woman's answer was vague, it matched the details yet again—it seemed no one was blocking the door right now.

"Unfortunately, she already came down."

Fu Qian glanced back, and though he didn't see Madam Three-Eyed following them, he kept a cold face as he spoke.

...

Was it really that unfortunate? In that moment, even the Long-Haired Man's pained groans paused briefly.

Though he didn't dare shoot a look of absolute suspicion at a deranged gunner, his sheer speechlessness already conveyed a swirl of complicated emotions.

"Then the cat... escaped again?"

In the end, his girlfriend spoke for the both of them, struggling to believe this fateful reality.

"Looks like it."

Fu Qian glanced at her, looking like he was in a terribly foul mood.

"Help stop the bleeding."

However, he didn't take his anger out on them. Facing the blood-spattered young couple, he gave Yuan Shan a signal.

Hmm...

The situation was becoming increasingly abstract, but facing Professor Fu's instructions, Yuan Shan didn't raise any objections. She stepped forward, perfectly playing the role of a coerced hostage.

"You're doing it wrong."

Not only that, but she even showed a bit of a rebellious spirit. Faced with the gruesome wound, Yuan Shan made no move to help directly. She simply corrected the Long-Haired Woman's mistakes, instructing her on how to perform first aid.

Although this counted as following orders, and the bleeding was indeed stopped very quickly, she still gave off an air of defiance.

"Thank you, so are we..."

The Long-Haired Man, having calmed down both physically and emotionally, seemed to have regained his clarity of mind. He thanked Fu Qian directly, hesitating as if he had more to say.

"We have to keep searching, but it looks like we need to head back up."

Fu Qian clearly understood his implication. He shook his head, signaling for him not to overthink it—this tiny bit of merit wasn't enough to buy their freedom.

"Understood."

Perhaps he hadn't expected it to be that easy to begin with. While the Long-Haired Man couldn't hide his disappointment, he hadn't completely lost his drive. He struggled as he tried to stand back up.

"Do you understand?"

The Mad Cat Gunner seemed quite pleased with his tact. However, he wasn't finished. The next moment, he turned to the Long-Haired Woman, his gaze suddenly turning ice-cold.

"I under—"

She was clearly under immense psychological pressure and hurriedly nodded, signaling her absolute cooperation. Unfortunately, before she could even raise her head, her wrist was grabbed in an iron grip.

"No, you don't understand... Not only do you not understand, but you don't even believe what I say."

Slowly lifting her hand, keeping it far away from the jacket pocket on that side, Fu Qian remained expressionless.

"Did you really think that as a cat lover, I wouldn't know what a cat scratch looks like?"

Staring at her face, which had instantly lost all color, Fu Qian maintained his persona while reaching backhandedly into that pocket, pulling out a delicate Thin Blade.

It was somewhat miniature, but it was more than enough to leave a wound like that on a back.

I...

The Long-Haired Woman's face completely fell. She opened her mouth without making a sound, subconsciously looking toward her boyfriend.

"It was actually you..."

He didn't disappoint. In that moment, he actually spoke up, albeit with a face full of absolute disbelief.