Chapter 288 - 125: One-Life Clear (Part 2)

Chapter 288: Chapter 125: One-Life Clear (Part 2)

What he needed to do now wasn’t to keep waiting, but to run.

Not to escape, of course. He was betting he could run far enough to reach that motorcycle.

But another gust of wind rushed up from behind. He gritted his teeth and threw himself to the ground, barely dodging the attack. The woman lost her target again. Hidden in the reeds, Zhang Shutong gasped for breath.

He pressed a hand to his chest and felt something hard. Zhang Shutong frowned and reached into his jacket’s inner pocket. A deeply indented metal card appeared in his hand. He froze for a second. It was Gu Qiuyan’s membership card.

The metal card gleamed silver in the moonlight, and an idea instantly sparked in his mind. Zhang Shutong looked back at the lake. A blurry reflection of the moon shimmered on the water’s surface near the shore. He held his breath, adjusted his angle, and then flicked the card—

The metal card skipped across the water, spinning and reflecting the cold moonlight.

Having done this, he rolled over and disappeared back into the reeds. Immediately, there was another whooshing sound, but this time it was heading for the card. The woman stepped into the lake. Zhang Shutong let out a sigh of relief, knowing his gamble had paid off. But he didn’t relax. Instead, he scrambled to his feet and ran desperately for the road.

’Motorcycle, motorcycle, motorcycle!’

It was the only thought in his mind.

Zhang Shutong finally reached the motorcycle. The sound of rushing wind behind him grew stronger; he knew the woman was on his tail again. Zhang Shutong heaved the motorcycle upright and swung a leg over it. He twisted the throttle, and in the next instant, the woman’s figure arrived.

In the end, he had bought himself a sliver of time.

Two shadows sped through the snowy night. The motorcycle shot straight ahead, with the woman in hot pursuit. She moved swiftly across the snow, the SQUELCHING collapse of its surface like the beat of a death drum. His rearview mirror was shattered, so he couldn’t see her. He could only judge her position by the sounds behind him. Zhang Shutong flipped up his helmet’s visor. The wind roared in his ears, but it allowed him to hear the woman’s footsteps clearly.

’Her footsteps are getting closer again!’

’What kind of monster is this?!’

Stopping this monster was far more difficult than he’d imagined. Zhang Shutong had already used every trick he had. He knew Lu Qinglian was probably watching their progress on a security camera. Turning around to meet up with her would be the perfect solution, but he couldn’t!

He wanted to twist the throttle until it broke, but even then, he was only barely putting any distance between them. He still had to be constantly on guard against her catching up. How could he possibly find the time to turn around?

All he could do now was run for his life!

And up ahead!

Was the entrance to Ring Mountain Road!

Zhang Shutong knew what was waiting for him. If he rode up that mountain road, the woman would follow. In less than ten minutes, he’d be at the villa’s entrance. The bodyguards inside would come out to investigate, a chaotic fight would break out, and the result would be exactly the same as before. Nothing would change.

He felt as if all the blood in his body was rushing to his head. A bold idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.

A moment ago, he’d been clinging to the faint hope that he could turn around and lead her somewhere else. But even if he succeeded, the woman would still catch him. It would only buy him a little more time.

He also knew he couldn’t get this lucky every time. There wouldn’t always be reeds to hide in, nor would there always be a card to help him escape. He had steeled himself for this the moment he rode out here. If all he did was run, it was just a slow death.

So he extinguished that faint hope himself. He stopped looking back, stopped listening to the wind at his ears. Zhang Shutong pulled his visor down again. The motorcycle’s engine roared at full power, the throttle wide open.

In reality, there was no roar. This was just a farm vehicle. All he could hear was the PUTT-PUTT-PUTT of the engine. He wished he were on a racing bike, because Zhang Shutong remembered there was a large pit up ahead. His breathing tightened involuntarily as he began a countdown in his mind.

Ten.

Zhang Shutong focused intently on the road ahead.

Nine.

A shadow finally appeared at the edge of his headlight’s beam.

Eight.

The shadow came into full view.

Then seven, six, five, four... In the space of a few counts, the bike flew forward, and the pit was right in front of him.

Three.

Zhang Shutong released the throttle.

Two.

He gunned it again.

One.

He leaned back, shifted gears, and quickly cut the gas. The moment the front shock compressed and rebounded, he used the momentum to lift the front wheel.

The motorcycle flew over the pit.

It landed with a THUD, wobbled for a second, then shot straight ahead again.

Two seconds later, Zhang Shutong heard a dull thud.

The woman had fallen into the pit.

But he knew the pit wasn’t very deep; it wouldn’t hold her for long. Sure enough, just like Lu Qinglian that day, the woman leaped out of the pit. But his plan only needed to delay her for a few more seconds.

He finally reached the entrance to Ring Mountain Road.

Zhang Shutong slammed on the brakes. The bike drifted to a sharp stop at the entrance. He glanced back at the woman. She was at least ten meters away, but it would only take her a few seconds to close the distance.

Then he tightened his helmet and looked up at the snow piled on the mountain ridge. In fact, his arrival had already caused some of it to trickle down.

’I’m not sure if this is suicide,’ Zhang Shutong thought.

’Actually, it probably is.’

He had been too optimistic about what would happen next.

Because there was never any possibility of riding to the villa for help.

The snow on the mountain road was thicker than on the main road. The motorcycle would lose traction going uphill. In less than a minute, the woman would catch up to him and kill him on the spot.

His escape ended here.

’This place might very well be my tombstone.’

But Zhang Shutong had no way to retreat.

"My mom did say we had good chemistry."

Zhang Shutong muttered.

Then he clamped his mouth shut. The muscle memory of the launch start was still with him. He replicated the move he’d used to jump the ferry that afternoon: he squeezed the brake, stomped on the clutch. The small farm vehicle had never been abused like this. It let out a pained whine, but because of this, its engine noise grew incredibly loud, even echoing through the mountain pass.

’That should be enough.’

Zhang Shutong saw the loosening layer of snow. He also saw the woman, now just a step away.

Everything in his vision was shaking. The ground beneath him began to tremble. It was as if the world itself heaved a helpless sigh, which then turned into a low rumble.

But the monster had no hearing; she wouldn’t notice a thing. So Zhang Shutong released the brake and charged onto the mountain road. The motorcycle was quickly bogged down in the snow.

The snowpack began to collapse on a massive scale. It came down like an avalanche, devouring everything on the mountain road.

In the final moment before his consciousness faded, Zhang Shutong was swallowed by the surging white.

...

The surging white swallowed everything.

The night wind poured into the entrance of the mountain road, leaving only a mournful howl.

Just ten minutes ago, this place had been a scene of chaos: a roaring machine, a speeding woman, the trembling ground... Now, it was utterly silent.

Everything lay buried beneath the white snow.

When Lu Qinglian arrived at the mountain entrance, this was the scene that greeted her.

She watched it all with a detached air until a faint sound came from the snow not far away.

A small snake slithered slowly to her feet.

The snake flicked its tongue, seeming to point toward a certain spot in the snow.

Lu Qinglian crouched down and dug an unmoving woman out of the snow.

The woman was covered in slush, seemingly frozen stiff.

Lu Qinglian glanced at the woman, then paid her no further mind.

She stepped past the woman and began digging through the snow with her bare hands, not even frowning. Soon, a helmet emerged from the snow.

Lu Qinglian looked at Zhang Shutong, her eyes showing no surprise, only the stillness of an ancient well.

She simply lifted his visor and held her fingers under his nose.

His breathing had stopped.

"Zhang Shutong," she murmured to herself. "Is this how you end?"

Lu Qinglian lowered her gaze.

"But if you die just like this, it will be very troublesome."

And so, she let out a soft sigh, a sigh that seemed the most helpless one of her life.

A ripple finally disturbed the stillness in her eyes. Lu Qinglian knelt beside Zhang Shutong, tucked her long hair behind her ear, and slowly leaned down.