Chapter 98 Heavy Rain
Rainwater slammed into the mountainside, quickly converging in low-lying areas into turbid, turbid yellow torrents. The water surged, carrying broken wood and rubble with it as it thundered downward. The sound was as dull as thunder, mingled with the harshness of a blunt instrument striking, and it was terrifying to the ears.
When Chu Yan heard the noise, his face instantly darkened - it was a mudslide.
He didn't dare hesitate for a moment. He gripped Chu Yu's wrist tightly, practically dragging him along, desperately evacuating in the direction the system had urgently mapped out. The mountain path had become incredibly muddy and slippery from the torrential rain, making every step incredibly difficult as gravel tumbled down. The two men stumbled, their bodies smeared with mud, their eyes blurred by the rain, and they were in the most miserable state.
After finally crawling and rolling to a small platform with a relatively stable rock structure, Chu Yan was about to take a breath and turned to look at Chu Yu, only to find that his face was as pale as paper, his lips were even a little blue, and his breathing became rapid and weak.
"What's wrong with you?" Chu Yan's heart tightened, and he frowned and asked anxiously, his voice a little distorted in the heavy rain.
Chu Yu shook his head with difficulty, trying to force himself: "No...it's okay..."
Chu Yan didn't believe it at all and reached out to pull him over. Chu Yu's raincoat was ripped open on the back, and the clothes underneath were also torn. A hideous wound stretched from below the shoulder blade to the side of the waist. The flesh was turned outward, and blood continued to seep out, staining the surrounding clothes and rainwater a light red. It was obvious that he had been scratched by a broken branch in his panicked escape.
"You call it nothing?" Chu Yan frowned, but now was not the time to blame. The small platform they were on offered no shelter from the rain, and the icy rain kept washing over the wound, easily leading to infection and hypothermia.
Chu Yan directed the system to scan the nearest shelter from the rain.
[Northeast, about 80 meters up, there's a shallow cavern that can be used as a temporary shelter.] The system responded quickly and projected the route map into Chu Yan's consciousness.
Time was running out. Chu Yan took one look at Chu Yu's increasingly frail appearance, squatted down, and without explanation, carried Chu Yu on his back. Chu Yu subconsciously wanted to struggle, but Chu Yan whispered to him, "Don't move."
Chu Yan steadied his balance, carrying Chu Yu on his back, and following the system's instructions, he climbed up step by step, arduously. The soil beneath his feet kept loosening and sliding, the rain blurred his vision, and with a person on his back, every step was fraught with danger. [Unlock Physical Suppression] Chu Yan thought about it and decided to let the system unlock some of his physical abilities. [Unlocked.]
Chu Yu slumped drowsily against Chu Yan's back. Blood loss, cold, and pain continued to erode his consciousness, but he knew he couldn't faint now. To stay awake, he began to speak intermittently, his voice weak, more like an unconscious mumbling, mixed with the sound of the pattering rain.
"I'm sorry, Ayan..."
"I regret it so much...really..."
"I was too timid... too cowardly... I shouldn't have let you go..." "If I had been... a little braver..."
"I've thought about you every day this year..."
He spoke incoherently of regret and longing, as if he wanted to pour out all the emotions he had suppressed for a year. Chu Yan tensed up and paid attention to the road under his feet, occasionally uttering a short "hmm" from his throat in response.
Finally, the dark cave entrance appeared in front of them, and Chu Yan carried Chu Yu inside.
The cave wasn't deep, but it was enough to shield against the wind and rain, providing a relatively dry refuge. Just as Chu Yan carefully lowered Chu Yu from his back, Chu Yu suddenly grabbed Chu Yan's arm, raised his pale face, his eyes distracted yet filled with a final hope, and spoke in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible:
"Ayan...will you never forgive me?"
Chu Yan was concentrating on checking his wound and subconsciously said "hmm".
However, it was this vague "hmm" that seemed to drain away Chu Yu's last bit of strength and hope. The light in his eyes dimmed completely, and the hand holding Chu Yan slipped away powerlessly. His head tilted and he fell into a coma.
"Chu Yu!" Chu Yan's heart sank. He immediately checked his pulse and breathing. He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he was just unconscious.
He didn't dare delay and quickly opened the first aid kit he always carried with him. Using the faint sunlight filtering through the hole, he expertly cut away the clothing surrounding Chu Yu's wound and carefully cleaned it with clean drinking water and disinfectant. Mud and sand mixed with blood washed down, revealing the hideous, twitching flesh beneath. Chu Yan's face remained calm, his movements remarkably steady as he applied the medicine and bandaged the wound, each step meticulously executed to the best of his ability.
The torrential downpour outside the cave showed no sign of abating, with the strong wind occasionally sweeping raindrops into the cave entrance. Chu Yan looked at the two people's clothes, which were already soaked and cold and stuck to their skin. He then touched Chu Yu's cold arms and forehead, knowing that this could not continue. Hypothermia was equally fatal.
He reached out and began to remove all of Chu Yu's soaked clothing, then used the clean gauze and towels in the first aid kit to wipe off as much of the water as possible. After doing all this, he quickly took off his own equally soaked clothes, then hugged the unconscious Chu Yu tightly in his arms and activated the system's protection function.
The wait for rescue was long and agonizing. Outside the cave, there was a seemingly endless downpour and the faint roar of the mountain. Inside the cave, there were the mingled breaths of the two people and the icy air.
[You unlocked the suppression, and your departure from this world has been brought forward.] The system's cold voice came.
[Yes, I will complete the task before I leave.] Chu Yan was also very clear-headed. He had violated the rules this time and would probably have to submit a self-criticism to the main system when he returned.
After an unknown amount of time, Chu Yu slowly awoke, enveloped in waves of dull pain and warmth. The moment he regained consciousness, the first thing he felt was a burning pain in his back. Then he realized he was naked, held tightly in the arms of the equally naked Chu Yan. Their skin pressed against each other, they could clearly feel the rise and fall of each other's chests and heartbeats.
Chu Yu's body stiffened instantly and he moved extremely unnaturally.
"Don't move." Chu Yan's calm voice came from above his head. He seemed to have been awake all the time. "You've lost a lot of blood. You need to keep warm. The rain has eased a little. The rescue team should be here soon."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yu immediately fell silent, not daring to move. He leaned against Chu Yan's chest, and together they watched in silence as the rain outside the cave gradually subsided and the mountain forest, washed with a particularly fresh freshness by the rain. However, his question before he fainted, and Chu Yan's "hmm" that seemed to represent a negative answer, gradually became clearer to him. He no longer had the courage to ask for the answer.
I don’t know how long it took, but I finally heard the faint roar of a helicopter in the distance, and it was getting closer and closer.
Chu Yan and Chu Yu looked at each other, "Here!" Chu Yan picked up the small flashlight in his bag and flashed it regularly at the cave entrance.
Soon, the helicopter's searchlight locked onto their position.
After being rescued onto the helicopter, due to Chu Yu's injuries and his special identity, the rescuers immediately listed him as a priority, and the helicopter rushed directly to the nearest hospital.
Chu Yan looked at Chu Yu who was surrounded by doctors and nurses. After confirming that he was temporarily out of danger, he silently looked away.
When the helicopter landed on the rooftop helipad of the hospital, the medical staff quickly placed Chu Yu on a stretcher and wheeled him to the emergency room. Amidst the chaos, Chu Yan stood there, watching the stretcher disappear at the end of the corridor before turning and leaving.
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