I had a vague memory of doing something really stupid during the second year of middle school.
I remember standing at the foot of my bed and falling backwards with my back straightened. That feeling of freefall was truly addictive, and made me want to try it again. And so I did.
With the bed as my makeshift trampoline, I jumped into the air and landed spread-eagled on back onto the bed. Then…*crack* the bed broke.
Di Qi Ju:…
That was the exact sensation I was experiencing as I crashed through the dense canopy and onto the floor.
It seems like my wish ability saved me once more. The fall which would have killed most people only left me slightly dirtied.
Darkness filled my vision at this moment as a giant, blanket-like object covered my body and face.
It was Mo Chuan.
That’s right…as we fell, he grabbed hold of me and tried to lessen the impact of the fall.
However, the end result was as shown…
It was probably his last futile attempt at trying to save me. I didn’t mind it at all. Or should I say, it made me happy knowing that someone cared that much for me.
Di Qi Ju: Mo Chuan.
Mo Chuan:…..
Di Qi Ju: Mo Chuan?
Mo Chuan:……
There was no response. All I heard was the pained breathing emanating from the top of my head.
Di Qi Ju: …Mo Chuan!
I reached out with my hands and touched his chest. That mangled sensation…his insides are done for…
Even a seasonal wolf’s sturdy body couldn’t survive the impact of a 200 meter fall. That relief I felt from survived the fall was now gone without a trace.
Di Qi Ju: Mo Chuan! Can you hear me?!
I immediately crawled out from under his body and placed him in a recovery position. [1]
Slowly but surely, his breathing became softer and softer as blood began dripping out of the corners of his mouth.
Di Qi Ju: Hey…
Di Qi Ju: …Mo Chuan?
No response…even his breathing had stopped.
I got goosebumps as a chill descended upon my body. My brain was a complete mess as I sat there silently, my ragged breathing echoing slowly through air. That soft, trembling sound as my breath trailed off…it was like the sad lamentations of a life lost.
He’s…
…dead…
……
“Mo Chuan: —–Ju!”
“Mo Chuan: Don’t just give up!”
Di Qi Ju:…
Di Qi Ju:……
Di Qi Ju: You motherf*cking bastard—-why did you have to motherf*cking die on me!!
The surrounding leaves rustled as my mournful curse echoed in the ravine. I never realized that I had it in me to swear this hard. As the filthy swear words echoed in my ears, I was gradually brought back to my senses.
With a decisive look on my face, I closed my eyelids and adopted the 十 pose as the familiar darkness filled my world once more.
Di Qi Ju: Westrealm…
Di Qi Ju: I beseech thee, oh Westrealm, God of this world…
My vision was filled with the dense ocean of stars once more. God had answered my prayers.
Di Qi Ju: Please save the life of my friend in front of me, please heal him of all the pain and injury on his body…
The shimmering stars showed no signs of change, but I was sure of its acknowledgement.
Di Qi Ju: I am willing to pay…
…how many points should I use?
In my heart, how much was Mo Chuan worth?
While he didn’t unconditionally care for me like Miss Poppy; While he didn’t even try to talk to me most of the time…
He was the one who quietly supported me from the beginning.
He was willing to trust me; to befriend me.
Even if he hadn’t done anything for me, the importance he placed on me was clear for all to see.
All these…were enough.
It was a just mere three days. Yet in that brief exchange, I had felt warmth, of which I have never experienced from a stranger in the past 16 years of my life.
The budding warmth of a friendship. How much was this worth to me?
Di Qi Ju: I am willing…
Di Qi Ju: …to give up 10,000 wish points; so please save his life; please cure all his injuries and pain.
Di Qi Ju: Westrealm…I’m begging you.
Di Qi Ju: Oh, God…
A minute later, the ocean of stars quietly retreated; the same as always.
Just like the intangible gods above, you could never grasp the true will behind the these stars.
I opened my eyes and placed my arms on Mo Chuan’s chest once more.
Di Qi Ju:…..
It’s back! That burly and dependable chest no longer felt mangled!
His breath? Still kind of uneven but at least it seemed like the pain was gone.
Is he saved?
Di Qi Ju: Mo Chuan, Mo Chuan…
Mo Chuan:…
Mo Chuan: Ah…
Di Qi Ju: Mo Chuan! How are you feeling??
Mo Chuan:……
A tiny crack appeared in his otherwise firmly shut eyelids; it seemed like he didn’t even have the energy to open his eyes.
Mo Chuan:…I can’t…feel my body.
Di Qi Ju: Can’t feel your body?
Mo Chuan: I…can’t move…no energy…
His soft quivering voice was a huge contrast to his fierce countenance when he fought those adventurers a few minutes ago.
What’s going on?
Don’t tell me…the price of healing his injuries…was his body’s energy?
Sounds about right…I should’ve factored this in when I made that wish.
Mo Chuan: “Cannabis tranquilizer”…?
Di Qi Ju: Err…maybe, I’m not too sure.
He seemed to have misunderstood it as the effects of the poison. If my wish was fulfilled, that poison on his legs should’ve been gone by now.
Either way, as long as he’s fine, half the battle is won.
As for the remaining half…how do we get out of here?
There’s no way back up to that bridge without sprouting a pair of wings. Furthermore, Mo Chuan’s condition probably wouldn’t allow for such strenuous movement. If he’s merely exhausted from the lack of energy, the best choice now would be to find some food and water for him.
Di Qi Ju: Mo Chuan, wait here for a moment. I’ll go have a look around and see if there’s anything we can use.
Mo Chuan: …you’re…fine?
Di Qi Ju: Oh…me? I was luckier than you. Besides, didn’t you break my fall as we fell?
Di Qi Ju: I’m fine. Just wait a moment, I’ll be right back.
Mo Chuan:…sure.
A short distance away, the first thing I found was the remains of our water bottles and a puddle of water beside it. Near them, were our food pouches; their contents scattered about as well. Among the rations were various bugs and worms crawling about.
This…shouldn’t be edible anymore…
*Bang*
Di Qi Ju: —–!!
The loud sound of something crashing onto the floor exploded nearby, as if a grenade had been tossed into the ravine. Its echoes reverberating in the valley for several moments before finally dissipating.
What happened?! I rushed off towards Mo Chuan without even stopping to ponder the situation.
Di Qi Ju: Mo Chuan! What happened?
Mo Chuan was lying there, as good as ever, the only noteworthy thing was his half-opened eyes staring towards a certain direction.
Mo Chuan: Over…there…
Di Qi Ju: I’ll go have a look!
A few steps away, I made a discovery. It was a corpse that gave off the impression of a squashed housefly. It was that adventurer who tumbled over the bridge by accident while fighting Mo Chuan…what a gruesome death…
After a round of searching through the human patty, I finally found his water bottle and some rations.
This should be enough to last Mo Chuan for a while…
As I continued in the direction of that explosive sound, I made another discovery ten steps away behind a tree.
Di Qi Ju: …the supply chests.
What’s it doing here?
I looked at the sky above me, but the dense canopy of the woodlands ignored my question.
The impact of the fall had split the supply chest open. Beside the shattered wood chips were a bunch of scattered metals and cloth materials. Seems like these were headed for a construction site.
With these materials alone, I could probably pitch a tent similar to the ones we had back at base camp. Even the sleeping bags were here, along with the materials to start a fire.
If only rations were included as well…pity.
Did our companions regain control of the situation above? Perhaps they dropped this chest in hopes that we weren’t dead, and could use these materials to survive until help arrived.
Hopefully that’s it…that’s all I can think of right now.
Without this faint bit of optimism supporting us, I don’t think we could survive until the rescue team saved us. I grabbed the majority of the usable supplies and headed back to Mo Chuan.
Mo Chuan:……
After drinking the water and having a small meal, he looked significantly better and was able to sit up.
Di Qi Ju: Mo Chuan, I’ve found some materials to pitch a tent. We can set up camp here and await our rescue.
Mo Chuan: We can’t do that, we need to leave, now.
Di Qi Ju: Huh?
Di Qi Ju: If we leave now, the rescue team won’t be able to find us. Furthermore, how are we going to climb up this tall ravine?
Mo Chuan: Either way, we can’t stay here.
Mo Chuan pointed in front of us. I turned around and saw—
That path was definitely not natural. It’s as if a bloated life form had squeezed its way through the trees ahead and left those marks behind.
Mo Chuan: There are traces of a large beast here. We need to leave.
Di Qi Ju:……
