Chapter 37 Surveillance: "Found you."
Jiang Xiliu was awakened by hunger.
The day before she was kidnapped, she had no appetite because she hadn't been able to complete her task. She only drank two sips of soup before returning to her room.
By that calculation, she has gone a day and a half without eating.
Looking at the starry sky, Jiang Xiliu even had the mind to comment: "The ecological environment here is great. I haven't seen so many stars in a long time."
"Awake?" The starlight was suddenly blocked by a face even more dazzling than itself.
Jiang Xiliu was stunned for a few seconds. Her muddled mind finally cleared up, and she remembered what had happened before she fainted.
She turned her head to make sure she was still on the safe stone platform.
Thank goodness she didn't fall headfirst down the slope when she fainted.
If she really did fall down, it would be a case of "trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead," to the point that she would be so angry she'd come back to life even as a ghost.
She felt weak all over, and her muscles ached with every movement. Jiang Xiliu simply lay there without moving, and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm hungry."
"Do you want some fruit?" Jin Zhao's voice was right next to her. They had no water, and their clothes and hands weren't very clean, so they could only wipe the fruit down briefly. Jin Zhao wasn't sure if Jiang Xiliu would find it disgusting, so he added, "It's very sweet."
"Eat." Jiang Xiliu said without hesitation. Although she lived a refined and particular life, that was only when she had the means. Now that she was starving, she had no room to be picky.
At this time, she was still easy to take care of.
Jin Zhao was worried that she would choke if she ate while lying down, so he carefully pulled her arm and made her lean against the stone wall.
The green fruit has a slightly astringent taste when you bite into it, but it tastes sweeter and juicier.
Jiang Xiliu looked at Jin Zhao, who seemed completely unharmed, and asked, "Where did you get this fruit?"
There were only rocks and withered trees all around, and not a single place where fruit could be seen.
Jin Zhao leaned against her, his shoulder lightly touching hers. His chest felt like it was being pressed down, and his breathing was painful. Occasionally, he would feel a wave of dizziness from lack of oxygen.
He answered softly, "It was brought by a bird."
Are you kidding me?
Jiang Xiliu rolled her eyes, just about to use this opportunity to argue with Jin Zhao and finish the previous task, when she heard the system in her mind speak.
[System 0777: It's true.]
[System 0777 speaks for her: That despicable Jin Zhao, why can't he share some luck with our young lady?]
"Hmph." Jiang Xiliu gave the system a cold look. "Who did I faint because of? And you still have the nerve to show your face in front of me?"
[System 0777: According to data scan, the reason you fainted was due to low blood sugar.]
[System 0777 explained: The main program's punishment will not affect your physical body in reality. Sigh... Miss, you really can't be so impulsive next time. We need to learn to achieve our goals tactfully.]
Jiang Xiliu ignored it, finished the last bite of fruit, tilted her head, leaned on Jin Zhao's shoulder, and closed her eyes to rest: "How long has it been dark?"
Jin Zhao looked up at the light that kept flickering in the mountains: "This is the second night already."
Jiang Xiliu had been unconscious for more than 24 hours. During this time, Jin Zhao would reach out and check her breathing every five minutes on average, only daring to breathe a sigh of relief after confirming that she was still alive.
He was also in pain, his whole body ached. After a quick check-up, it was highly likely that he had a fracture. He dared not move around and could only sit around Jiang Xiliu, waiting for her to wake up.
Fortunately, she woke up.
Jin Zhao also closed his eyes; he was utterly exhausted.
Time flies!
Jiang Xiliu wished she could faint again, ideally waking up five days later.
—After all, when she fainted, she couldn't feel pain or hunger, which was better than when she was awake.
She was just about to ask Jin Zhao to give her a hand so she could get dizzy and make her dream come true.
A familiar voice suddenly came from above.
"Hello."
Jiang Xiliu had listened for so many years, and recognized the owner of the voice just by a single syllable: Assistant Liao.
Jin Zhao's body tensed instantly. He silently put his arm around her shoulder, bent his long legs slightly, and glanced warily at the sloping stone wall above.
Then Liao's voice came through again, as if he were on the phone: "Yes, I'm in Liucheng. Miss asked me to do something for you."
Who's on the other side? Is it her father? So are they in Liucheng now?
Jiang Xiliu unconsciously wanted to sit up straight so she could hear more clearly.
"Hmm? President Jiang is also coming to Liuzhou? Did he tell you what he's coming here for?"
If it wasn't Jiang Fuhuai, but rather someone close to him, then Jiang Xiliu couldn't be sure whether the person on the other end of the phone was friend or foe.
"Hmm, hmm. Is that so?" Assistant Liao held a cigarette in his hand. Because Jiang Xiliu disliked the smell of smoke, he rarely smoked. He would only take a couple of puffs to relieve his stress when he was under immense pressure. "Help me find out, and let me know if you have any results."
After hanging up the phone, he stood on the cliff and looked into the distance.
"Jiang Xiliu."
Jiang Xiliu subconsciously turned her head to look at her. Jin Zhao pursed his lips and looked down at her. Clearly, it wasn't him who had called her just now, but—
Where have you been hiding?
"I'm hiding right under your feet!" Jiang Xiliu extended a middle finger and waved it upwards.
Want to find her? Dream on!
"Brother!" Suddenly, a second man's voice rang out.
It sounded like they were running, because their footsteps were so heavy that they accidentally kicked over a few small stones that rolled down, startling Jiang Xiliu so much that she quickly pulled her hands back, hugged her knees, and held her breath.
"What's wrong?" Assistant Liao frowned unconsciously as he saw his clumsy behavior. "Can't you be a little more composed?"
Liao paused, panting: "I spotted those two people in the surveillance footage."
Jiang Xiliu and Jin Zhao exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of seriousness in each other's eyes.
There are surveillance cameras in this desolate wilderness!?
Liao Zhu took a step forward and said sarcastically, "Really? I thought you'd have to wait for the police to come to find it."
“…Brother, there are nearly two hundred surveillance cameras on this mountain.” Liao Ting also felt aggrieved. “I checked them one by one from the foot of the mountain, and I only found them at the very last few.”
Liao Zhu turned his head to look at him, his tone indifferent: "Then why don't you climb down from the top of the mountain?"
Even a fool could tell they escaped downhill from the mountaintop, but Liao Ting insisted on taking the long way around and searching from the bottom of the mountain upwards.
Liao paused, then pushed up his newly fitted glasses: "I... I was just worried they might run away. If they happen to run to the foot of the mountain, I'll spot them immediately."
Liao Zhu clapped twice for him expressionlessly, and calmly asked, "Stop talking nonsense, where was their last trace?"
Liao Ting pointed to the spot where they were standing: "Right here, where we are standing now."
Liao Zhu turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it down from the cliff.
The light nearly shone on their feet, but luckily they reacted quickly and pulled away in time.
Staring at the shimmering light so close to her, Jiang Xiliu felt her heart was about to jump out of her chest. She gripped Jin Zhao's hand tightly; only in this way could she suppress the unease in her heart.
A few seconds later, Assistant Liao turned off the flashlight and walked back: "Pull up the surveillance footage, I want to take a look."
Liao Ting stretched out his arm, making a gesture to stop him.
Of all the people in the group, only Liao Ting gleaned a glimpse of the truth from his brother's displeased attitude the day before yesterday.
His brother wasn't afraid that Jiang Xiliu would escape; he was afraid that something might happen to Jiang Xiliu in this desolate mountain.
Liao Ting recalled the young lady's radiant face and swift movements from the day before yesterday, and had to admit that she was very charming.
"Brother, there's nothing interesting on the surveillance footage." He swallowed hard and pointed to the spot. "Anyway, they both fell from here. Maybe they couldn't think straight, or maybe they were too optimistic."
Liao Zhu stood there without moving, only glancing down at the hand blocking his way: "What do you mean?"
"It's nothing." Liao Ting withdrew his hand and chuckled awkwardly. "I just thought it would be better to have the brothers check from below to see if there are any corpses around here."
Falling from such a height, one would likely be severely injured, if not killed.
In addition, a whole day has already been wasted. Under this scorching sun, they will either bleed to death or be carried off by wild animals. In short, there is no way to survive.
Liao Zhu, or Liao Junqi.
His face was grim, and he looked somewhat blurry in the dim starlight: "Watch your mouth."
"Even if I die, she won't die."
Liao Junqi shoved Liao Ting, who was blocking his way, aside.
Jiang Xiliu and Jin Zhao only heard "pull up the surveillance footage," and then they were quite far away, so they could only vaguely hear a few words: "can't think straight," "corpse," "dead"...
"We can't stay here any longer." Jiang Xiliu took a few deep breaths of the fresh mountain air, trying to clear her head. "Should we leave tonight or tomorrow morning?"
It's very unsafe to go down the mountain from here at night, but I'm afraid I won't make it in time if I leave tomorrow morning.
Jin Zhao covered his mouth and coughed twice, then paused for a moment before saying, "I can't leave."
"What's wrong?" Jiang Xiliu only realized after hearing his question that he had barely moved since she woke up. "Is your leg broken?"
[System 0777: Jin Zhao's current condition is indeed unsuitable for movement. According to the scan, he has multiple rib fractures and his liver has been concussed. His condition is not good. If he continues to follow you in your escape, there is a risk that movement could cause his membranes to rupture suddenly, leading to massive bleeding and shock.]
It's fair to say that Jin Zhao's ability to smile at the young lady now is entirely due to his own stubbornness.
"I just don't want to leave." Jin Zhao didn't say anything. "If you're going to leave, leave at night. Take it slow. If you can't see clearly, turn on your lighter. I won't follow you."
Jiang Xiliu stood up and looked down at the man huddled in the corner against the stone wall: "I'm leaving, and I won't be coming back."
"Okay." Jin Zhao stuffed the remaining fruit from his pocket into her hands, then looked at her dirty, blood-stained socks. "I'll take off your shoes for you. It should be easier for you to walk in them."
When the two were in the factory, Jin Zhao offered to take off his shoes and let her wear them.
Although she knew he was very clean, Jiang Xiliu didn't want to touch these smelly men's things, so she refused on the spot.
Later, when she jumped out of the window and kicked the knife, Jiang Xiliu regretted it a little. Her foot was cut, and although it wasn't very deep, it hurt all the way. If she had agreed to change her shoes earlier, she wouldn't have been stabbed.
Now, if one slips down, it could be fatal. After thinking about it, Jiang Xiliu changed into the new clothes.
Jiang Xiliu tightened her shoelaces, looked at the few fruits in her hand, picked out a reddish one, and handed it to Jin Zhao.
Jin Zhao smiled slightly, reached out his hand, but instead of taking the fruit, he slowly pushed her hand back. After pushing it back, he didn't let go, but just gently held her hand: "It would be a waste to leave it to me. You can take it and eat it on the way."
Jiang Xiliu stopped arguing with him and felt that what he said made some sense.
After all, she wouldn't have any birds bringing her fruit even if she starved to death, but Jin Zhao... probably will have birds bringing her fresh fruit tomorrow.
After all, he is a chosen one.
"Jin Zhao, I'm leaving." These were her last words to Jin Zhao.
It was ordinary and uneventful, not much different from any other farewell.
Jin Zhao nodded, his gaze following her as she moved into the distance until she could no longer be seen.
Jiang Xiliu was extra careful the whole way, always keeping an eye on whether there were any surveillance cameras around her. She avoided any suspicious places, but a female supporting character is a female supporting character.
She had just found a secluded cave big enough for an adult to sleep in for a while when she heard a "beep" sound.
Jiang Xiliu, who was already a light sleeper, instantly sat up, wide awake.
The girl on the screen in front of Liao Junqi suddenly moved closer. Her eyes still held the drowsiness of someone who had just woken up, but when she looked directly at the camera, they were inexplicably sharp.
Jiang Xiliu: "I've found you."
The next second, the screen went black, and Liao Junqi chuckled softly: "Found you."
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Author's note: Assistant Liao is finally going to have a role, so he finally has a name!
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