Chapter 20 Earthquake Escape
I started making demands to Xie Yi Heng.
He became overjoyed instead.
I said I hated the wheelchair.
He unlocked the chain on my ankle.
But he sealed the third floor, so I could only move on this level.
It was enough.
Xie Yi Heng's impression of me stayed from five years ago.
Gentle and harmless, thin and weak.
He was certain I wanted to leave but was powerless in this situation.
But from years of outdoor activities, my arms had muscles.
After he went out again.
I went to the storage room I had scouted.
There was a window I could pry open.
The wall had enough footholds for a climber.
I climbed halfway smoothly.
The ground suddenly rumbled.
Then came a shake.
I saw in horror a crack appear in the wall.
It was an earthquake!
A long-absent mechanical voice sounded in my mind.
[Host, please follow my directions to escape the danger zone.]
I had no time to be shocked.
I could only do as it said.
I didn't know how long I ran when I heard sirens.
They were heading toward the villa.
After stopping them, I learned the villa had collapsed.
Gu Chao Nan and Xie Yi Heng didn't evacuate in time to save me.
Both were buried under the rubble, their fates unknown.
I followed the rescuers to the scene numbly.
Someone gestured anxiously at me.
I couldn't hear a word.
[Host, calm down. They're still alive!]
I snapped back.
Yes, there was the System. It could surely save Gu Chao Nan!
It seemed to know what I thought.
[Saving someone comes at a cost. You have two choices.]
[One, save Xie Yi Heng, the mission succeeds, and you live.]
[Two, save Gu Chao Nan, the mission fails, you die, and your traces will be erased.]
[Sorry, Host, we prioritize the mission target's interests.]
I hesitated not at all.
"I want to save Gu Chao Nan."
It paused for a second.
[Do you know why I chose to bind you? Because your will to survive was strong. You weren't willing to die like that.]
[But now you're giving up your life for an irrelevant minor character?]
[Wen Yu, are you crazy!]
I actually heard emotional fluctuations in its mechanical voice.
I smiled faintly.
"What do you know?"