Chapter 136

A 100,000-volt Pikachu, strictly speaking, is Xu Qingjia.

On the weekend, he brought his own Guo Guo out to relax; this place is where he often comes, it's the suburbs, so even on a day off, there aren't many visitors by the lake, let alone someone who would stay like that for half a day.

So, when the incident occurred, only he noticed it first—

The calm water surface suddenly made a thud.

"Help! Help—uh~ help!"

The female students' panicked cries for help reached Xu Qingjia's ears; he stared into the distance, several people were floating and sinking in the water, struggling desperately, creating large ripples.

But they didn't realize that the more panicked their struggle, the easier it was to drown.

Xu Qingjia furrowed his brow; the situation before him was critical, leaving no time for him to react, so he immediately took off his coat and jumped into the lake.

Already approaching November, winter had arrived; the lake water was icy and bone-chilling, and the moment he jumped in, he felt his hands and feet were no longer his own.

The male student's complexion instantly lost its color, turning deathly pale like paper.

When rescuing the first female student, he still had plenty of strength, so it wasn't difficult; he grabbed her waist from behind and brought her to shore, then the second, then the third. After being in the water for half a day, his stamina began to wane.

There was still one more.

Xu Qingjia shook his head, his body icy and movements stiff like an ice sculpture; he struggled to swim to the last female student's side, trying to hold her waist, but he slipped.

The female student struggled too fiercely, feeling the sensation of near-death in the water, so upon contact she wrapped herself around him like an octopus; in that instant, Xu Qingjia knew it was over.

He was entangled.

The female student clung to his body like dodder, wrapping tightly.

What rescuers fear most is being entangled by the one they're saving; originally able to swim, now his whole body was bound, let alone reaching out—he couldn't even breathe.

The female student finally relaxed her grip, breathing fresh air above the water; the price was Xu Qingjia being suppressed underwater. Even so, he didn't notice anything wrong, or rather had no time to realize, and he struggled toward the shore.

Several meters from shore, Xu Qingjia was utterly exhausted, having no strength left; meanwhile the female student, no longer panicked, knew how to swim and began actively heading for shore.

Xu Qingjia opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word; his lungs filled with dirty water turned his face pallor, and weakly he grabbed the female student's skirt: "Save… save…" me.

He didn't even have time to say the next word when a foot kicked hard into his stomach; a stream of bubbles rose to the surface—the breath he'd been holding, which she trampled away.

She continued stepping on his body, suddenly feeling solid ground beneath her feet, step by step, she finally survived!

She herself climbed ashore, moving her body, still resentful in her heart: "This person is utterly useless, only saved halfway, I swam myself to exhaustion."

Ling Yue saw that face, barely pretty, yet extremely spiteful; countless gray lines wove across her brow, each one a karmic tie of her own making.

Unlike the other three, she ought to have died in this drowning accident; it was Xu Qingjia who exchanged his life for hers.

She felt no gratitude at all.

As for the rescuer she had stepped on, she would only make excuses for herself, thinking a weak woman like her could never save him, so from start to finish she took no remedial action.

All four female students survived unharmed; the only one who died was Xu Qingjia, who had rescued them.

Several meters from shore, he was stepped down into the dark depths; icy, bone-chilling water surged from all directions into his mouth and nose until his lungs ceased breathing and his heart stopped completely.

At the brink of death, his eyes remained wide open, as if he couldn't believe he had just died like that.

When the family heard the news and rushed over, the young man's corpse had already been fished out; everyone gazed at him in grief, his parents kneeling beside him, feeling their child's icy, stiff body.

"My son! My Jia Jia!"

His mother knelt beside the child, sobbing uncontrollably, refusing to believe: "This is fake, this is fake, you must be lying to me; my son was on the provincial swimming team, he's strong, how could he possibly drown?"

"I don't believe my Qingjia is dead; he swims so well, he has strength, he's very strong, he wouldn't just leave me like this!"

As she spoke, she pressed on the youth's chest, pleading: "Spit it out! Spit it out, Jia Jia, wake up for Mom quickly! Wake up!"

No matter how bystanders tried to persuade them, the parents refused to accept it; suddenly they heard a cry.

The black-faced parrot Guo Guo kept pecking at the female student's head, hurting her so much she couldn't help gasping, instantly revealing her position.

Everyone looked in disbelief at the direction of her toes; after the benefactor who saved her had passed away, she actually prepared no words and was about to run away?

So cold-blooded it chills the heart.

The female student clearly sensed something was wrong, lowered her head, dared not look at him again, and even furtively drew her legs together.

Xu Qingjia's parents seemed to realize something; they suddenly lifted his thin, water-soaked clothes, revealing bruised purple footprints on his pale chest and abdomen.

These were caused by blows that ruptured capillaries beneath the skin, pooling blood underneath; those footprints on the young man's pallid body made the sight ever more shocking.

One can imagine how severe the blows he suffered before death were.

Seeing the traces, the female student widened her eyes in fear, not daring to look at his face or his eyes; her abnormal behavior immediately drew everyone's attention.

Only the parrot Guo Guo understood the truth; it had seen its owner jump into the water to save people, just a few meters shy, just that short distance—he could have reached shore, he could have lived!

The parrot blinked, and teardrops pattered down—just a little bit more.

Finally, after comparison, the crowd confronted the last female student; she covered her face, revealing only a pair of angry eyes: "Why are you all staring at me?"

"What does it have to do with me? Did I use him to save? Did I tell him to save? Isn't it just that his fate was bad, causing him to drown?"

"What's good about swimming? I think you're all talking nonsense; if he couldn't save, he should have just left—what heroics is he showing off for?"

She spat out harsh words, covered her head, and after saying that she ran off in disgrace, still muttering: "What kind of person is this, and that broken bird—he's dead, so what's it to me?"

The parents, eyes red and swollen from crying, pointed at her trembling, nearly unable to catch their breath, they fainted.

The remaining female students rushed forward: "Uncle, Auntie, please don't get agitated, please don't get agitated."

How could they not be agitated? Their son gave his life, yet they saved a white-eyed wolf! And this white-eyed wolf is very likely the culprit who caused their son's death.

Xu's mother had her breath caught in her chest, unable to vent; she knelt on the ground wailing for her son: "Qingjia! Jia Jia!"

Xu's father trembled as he slowly stroked his son's unseeing eyes; even though he hated so much his eyes turned red, he could do nothing.

Without evidence, relying only on the footprints on his body, what could they prove?

A hemp rope always breaks at its weakest point; misfortune seeks only the ill-fated.

Ling Yue's face turned deathly pale as she withdrew her gaze, somewhat mentally disordered; before her, the lively boy and the cold, dripping corpse on the ground overlapped, and she closed her sore, gritty eyes.

This wasn't the most difficult time for Ling Yue to inspect, but it was the occasion that drained her spirit the most; she took a deep breath: "Xu Qingjia."

"If you could hear my advice, leave here right now, immediately, at once!"

Her face was grim; even in the live stream, the viewers who had been laughing and joking noticed her odd behavior.

Xu Qingjia stared at her in shock, but given what had happened before, he was fairly accepting of Ling Yue suddenly calling out his name.

He tried to ask Ling Yue: "Host, what exactly happened? Why are you saying this all of a sudden?"

Ling Yue looked at him, a cold, inorganic glint flashing in her eyes; in an instant, it made his body tense.

Xu Qingjia clenched his jaw, and only when Ling Yue looked away did he finally relax, suddenly hearing her voice: "Because I saw that you will lose your life here."

As soon as she said that, not only Xu Qingjia himself, but even the live‑stream viewers were terrified.

【What, what? The handsome guy is going to die?】

【Ahhh, I'm the host's die‑hard fan, I've never missed an episode, handsome guy, run fast, run far away!】

【What the heck? Am I not watching a pet‑consultation live stream but a metaphysics one? You'll die? Host, you're not here to scam money, are you?】

【I swear with both hands and feet, I must absolutely trust the host!】

Xu Qingjia stared at the noisy bullet chat, blinked in surprise, then quickly realized—mainly because this was his first time watching a live stream, he didn't quite trust Ling Yue.

Xu Qingjia chuckled: "Probably not, host, you're talking——" need solid evidence.

Before he could finish, Ling Yue cut him off: "This concerns your future, your parents, your life, and the second half of the life of the fruit‑fruit you like."

She glanced at the clock; there were still five minutes.

Ling Yue continued: "If you don't leave right away, you won't be able to leave at all."

Xu Qingjia: "……"

How did this turn into a threat?

He still didn't believe it.

The live‑stream viewers were almost dying of anger; most of them had been following Ling Yue all along, amazed yet firmly believing in the strange skills she occasionally showed, just like now——

【Ahhh, handsome guy, you're going to make me angry! Host, if you tell him to run, he should run fast!】

【No, no, the host's expression is so grave; something big must be happening. Even if you don't believe it, couldn't you bring a few more friends?】

【Run, run, run, run!】

The screen was full of warnings, making Xu Qingjia frown; recalling Ling Yue's earlier words, even if it was alarmist, it unconsciously made him hesitate.

He didn't have that rebellious streak of 'if you tell me not to do something, I'll do it anyway'; after all, they were college students, adults—what should and shouldn't be done, one ought to know in one's heart.

At that moment, Ling Yue called out, "Guoguo."

The impatient mystic phoenix parrot Guoguo's little eyes flicked up and lit up.

It pecked repeatedly at its owner's head: "Go home! Go home! Go home!"

Xu Qingjia felt dazed from the pecks, covered his head, and lost his earlier composure: "Go, go, go, oh my little ancestor, we're heading home right away!"

He had originally wanted to leave, but the little parrot urged him outside; five minutes later he came back again, panting, his breathing uneven.

Xu Qingjia looked at Ling Yue before the screen and said somewhat sheepishly, "I forgot to bring Guoguo's birdseed can; it only eats from this can, so it should be fine, right?"

Ling Yue gazed at his fair forehead, then after ten or so seconds she spoke: "Don't worry, it's fine."

Just then he heard a splashing sound, turned his head, and Xu Qingjia's eyes widened: "Someone fell in the water!"

He was about to strip off his clothes right away, but Ling Yue pursed her lips: "Look carefully—does anyone actually need you to save them?"

Xu Qingjia calmed down again.

Indeed, no one did.

On one side of the embankment, two rescued victims were already lying ashore; in the water, the older man was rescuing a third person, bringing her bit by bit to shore.

Xu Qingjia walked over; the older man seemed exhausted, and after rescuing the third person he lay down on the shore, while the scattered crowd of onlookers grew restless.

Xu Qingjia couldn't hear, but Ling Yue could hear everything clearly.

It should have been four drowning girls; the onlookers urged him to save the fourth, but the older man waved his hands: "Oh dear, oh dear, I can't—I've no strength left."

He pointed at the young man speaking and said, "You're young, you've got strength and a sense of responsibility—quickly jump in and save someone!"

"I'll give you the honor of righteous bravery—what are you staring at? Come on… hurry up and go!"

The man fell silent instantly.

In the deep winter, the lake water was icy cold; although he could swim, he didn't even bother to check how desperately the girl was struggling or how far from shore she was—only someone with a brain addled would jump in to rescue her.

The lake's center.

The girl struggled harder and swam farther toward the lake's center, watching helplessly as the other three were rescued, leaving only herself; he remained motionless. That barely pretty face was full of vicious hatred.

Why won't you save me? Why won't you save me!!

She had already prepared how to cling onto someone to be saved, but she couldn't know that not everyone is Xu Qingjia, nor that she would always have such luck.

Xu Qingjia came down, then heard the crowd's chatter, learned that another person still hadn't been rescued, and immediately prepared to strip and jump in, but the older man stopped him: "What are you going down there for? To throw your life away?"

Xu Qingjia blinked, then heard his voice, pointing at the lake surface: "Open your eyes wide and have a good look—there's no one left, what's there to save? Better just call the police."

The live‑stream viewers were about to die of fright, trembling and huddling together; some recalled Ling Yue's earlier words and blurted out——

【If Xu Qingjia hadn't left just then, wouldn't the rescuer have been him?】

【The host is being too cruel, after all—that's a living human life! Why not let Xu Qingjia go?】

【Holy crap, whose relic just bounced onto my face!】

【Whether to save or not—shouldn't we respect personal wishes? Besides, didn't you hear the host's prefix? This matter concerns the consulter's future and whole family, so what she means is……】

【That rescuing older man lacks the strength, only able to save three; Xu Qingjia is so young he'd surely manage the fourth—but what if something happened to him mid‑rescue?】

【Holy shit holy shit holy shit, the more you think about it, the more terrifying it gets!】

Even Xu Qingjia was stunned; if it were him, he's a bit hot‑headed, surely wouldn't overthink, saving someone would be right—but if something happened……

He fell silent.

The next moment, the bystanders had already dialed the police and began asking the three other girls about the last missing drowning victim; the three exchanged glances, seeming rather pleased.

The bystanders were instantly terrified; the three of them seemed to realize they'd done something wrong, cleared their throats, and said, "She… is the female leader of our school's gangsters, a…… scumbag!"

She bullied classmates at school, took nude photos, locked them in the bathroom, fought, did everything!

Those around listened in shock; although everyone says the dead are paramount, this person still makes people feel contempt and shame—it's just too disgusting.

The three politely thanked the uncle who saved the person; the parents arrived quickly, and finally, the parents of the drowned girl came late, impatiently saying: "What's the matter? I'm still waiting to play mahjong."

That comment was extremely hurtful; those around couldn't help but gasp, while you were on the phone, you didn't even listen properly.

After explaining the circumstances, the girl's parents plopped down on the ground, started throwing a tantrum: "Heavens, my daughter drowned! Who is the owner of this lake? Pay up! You must compensate me!"

That frantic appearance scared many people into backing away; Xu Qingjia was no exception.

Their worldviews were completely overturned; they never expected there to be such a person.

At this point, Ling Yue had wearily shifted her gaze, her eyes falling on the calm lake surface; she told Xu Qingjia: "Help me out, point the phone at the center of the lake."

Um, okay!

Ling Yue pursed her lips slightly; in the calm, waveless center of the lake, an illusory ghostly shadow gradually surfaced, revealing a face that looked familiar to her—— ， ，.