Chapter 55: Turning Point in Life

The man burst into mad laughter and rushed at Kong Zhe, clearly intent on disrupting his leap. The little dog was caught off guard and, enraged, leaped up in an attempt to tackle the man. But it was too late. The man dodged the dog's pounce and charged forward. Judging from the direction he ran, it was obvious he intended to pull Kong Zhe down from midair once he jumped.

Su Meiqin’s expression turned cold. It wasn’t just the summoner’s bond that made her body instinctively move to protect Kong Zhe; even from her own heart, she would never let anyone harm him. With a cold snort, she pushed off the ground like a bolt of lightning. In an instant, she was upon the man, her right hand trembling as a spear appeared in her grip.

In a flash, all the onlookers saw was a streak of white light. The next moment, Su Meiqin had pierced the man straight through the chest. Holding her spear at an angle, she swept a cold gaze over the crowd, the corpse still hanging from the spear’s tip.

At that moment, Su Meiqin was like a Valkyrie descended to earth, radiating a fierce aura that none dared meet. Several in the crowd who had harbored ill intent shrank under her icy glare, shivering as if plunged into an ice-cold pit, too terrified to entertain any further thoughts.

...

Creak.

Across the gap, Kong Zhe had landed smoothly on the other side. Patting Xiaolei’s hand, he called out, “Alright, silly girl, come on over. I’ll watch over you!... As for the little dog, just go downstairs and wait for me.”

Su Meiqin flicked the blood from her spear, spun it in a flourish, then put it away before offering Kong Zhe a slight smile. “No need to trouble yourself.” With that, she scooped up the little dog, glanced up at him, and without hesitation, leapt straight off the rooftop.

“Ah! Don’t!” Xiaolei screamed in fright. The crowd on the other side gasped in alarm, unable to comprehend why the woman would suddenly choose to end her life.

Kong Zhe walked to the edge of the broken bridge and looked down. He wasn’t particularly worried; Su Meiqin wasn’t stupid—she must have a plan to dare such a leap.

The little dog’s eyes threatened to pop out of its head as it wailed miserably in midair, the pitiful cries echoing for miles, as if to say, “If you want to die, don’t drag this dog down with you!”

Compared to the little dog, Su Meiqin appeared much more at ease. She even flipped herself over in free fall, facing the sky, her gaze fixed on Kong Zhe as he looked down at her. Snowflakes drifted around her, the fierce wind whipping her hair and clothes. Su Meiqin paid them no mind, reaching out a hand as if to grasp the shrinking figure above her.

In just half a day, her life had been turned upside down—not only her circumstances, but her heart and mind as well. She was suddenly struck by a premonition: perhaps meeting this man would be the greatest turning point of her life.

As she and the little dog plummeted, Su Meiqin smiled up at the figure above, her lips moving soundlessly, forming a few syllables.

When she was less than three meters from the ground, a ripple in space appeared, and she and the dog vanished instantly. The next moment, they reappeared on a vacant lot by the street.

Setting the little dog down, Su Meiqin left it with a final, “Goodbye, little one!” Then, with a few nimble leaps, she dodged two attacking magical beasts and disappeared into a nearby alley.

The little dog collapsed in terror, managing only a couple of whimpers to express its discontent.

---

“Blink, huh…” Kong Zhe murmured, then gave a wry smile. “As expected of Su Meiqin—comprehending such a divine skill at only level four. That’s a talent worth envying.”

Shaking his head, Kong Zhe prepared to leave. But just as he turned, cries and pleas erupted behind him.

“Sir, please save us!”
“Don’t go! If you leave, we’re doomed!”
“Sir, as long as you take me with you, I’ll give you everything I have…”

Now they were truly panicking. The fifth floor was blocked by magical beasts, and their food would last only a few more days—the only hope of survival lay in following Kong Zhe.

Kong Zhe looked at them coldly. Had they so quickly forgotten their earlier attempts to harm him?

“If you want me to save you, fine.” The crowd’s eyes lit up, but his next words dashed their hopes. “Same rule as before: jump over. I guarantee I’ll take whoever makes it to safety.” He pointed to his feet, his tone indifferent.

Complaints broke out at once.

“This—how is that possible?”
“You might as well let us die instead.”
“Exactly! We’re not Awakened, how could we possibly make the jump?”

Kong Zhe shook his head. This was just a basic test. If they didn’t even dare to attempt it, how would they survive in an even more dangerous post-apocalyptic world? Even if he saved them today, how much longer could they last? Some things, it seemed, would never change, no matter how many times they happened.

With a sigh, Kong Zhe turned to go.

“I’ll jump!” A familiar female voice stopped him. He turned, surprised.

From the crowd stepped a woman in a red dress—Hong Ling, who had always kept apart from the others. The cold wind made her shiver in her thin clothes, but she paid it no mind. Standing at the edge of the broken bridge, she looked Kong Zhe straight in the eye. “Sir, if I make the jump, will you keep your promise?”

Kong Zhe narrowed his eyes, studying her. She had removed her high heels for running shoes and torn her cumbersome skirt for easier movement. Unlike the others, she carried no food or belongings, having lightened herself as much as possible.

Clearly, she had been prepared from the start. She must have known there would be a leap like this at the end, and so she had quietly made preparations until her chance came.

“Of course. If you make it across, I promise to take you somewhere safe,” Kong Zhe replied calmly.

Hong Ling nodded, then took several steps back to the edge of the runway. Gazing at the stretch before her, she drew a deep breath.

God, if you can hear me, please grant me this one small request—let me land safely.

She closed her eyes and prayed silently.

Hong Ling had never believed in gods before. She always thought herself clever, the reigning starlet, a goddess in the eyes of countless men. With her beauty and cunning, she could easily rise to the top, playing the men who coveted her body without ever letting them take advantage.

She had always believed her fate was in her own hands. Even when the apocalypse began, though she was anxious, she wasn’t truly afraid, because she saw a man who could kill the terrifying beasts.

Hong Ling was confident. She believed no man could refuse to protect her—just as none of those bosses or directors could ever refuse her. This time, the price might be higher; she might have to give up the virginity she had preserved for years.

But she didn’t care. She had never looked down on women who sold their bodies. To her, a woman’s body was simply part of her capital. In the past, she hadn’t needed to use it—her looks and skills were enough to get her everything she wanted. Now, circumstances were dire enough that her body was the price. It didn’t matter. If using her body could secure comfort in the apocalypse, she’d gladly offer it.

Many might call her unprincipled, shameless. She would only sneer at that. She never thought of herself as a good woman, but at least she was better than those who pretended to be pure while doing shameful things in secret.

A woman trading her body for the protection of a powerful man—this, to her, was simply the way of the world. Nothing to hide.

This belief was deeply rooted in her, never questioned, almost a personal truth.

But not long ago, for the first time, she began to doubt it.

Just hours before, at her first sight of Kong Zhe, scattered images flashed through her mind.

She saw herself depending on Zhang Qiang, only to be abused and beaten by him. She saw herself, murderous, charging at a little girl with a cruel grin. She saw herself disheveled, utterly wretched. She saw herself abandoned by the young man who should have been her savior. She saw herself—here, on this very rooftop, in the snow—being brutally killed by the crowd…

At that moment, Hong Ling was shaken to her core. She had never imagined her life could end so miserably. Yet a voice inside warned her that if she continued as before, that final scene would become her fate.

She didn’t know what these visions were. If they were glimpses of the future, some details were subtly different: the young man arrived too early, she hadn’t yet offered herself to Zhang Qiang, a formidable woman with a spear had appeared, and Zhang Qiang and Zhang Hao seemed weaker than in the visions.

So she couldn’t understand what she’d seen.

At first, she was lost—haunted by the image of herself being tortured to death by a jeering crowd. Grief, rage, hatred, regret, fear, panic—all these emotions surged within her, leaving her feeling like a leaf in a storm, a tiny boat in a tidal wave, tossed and torn with no power to resist.

The bloody, all-too-real visions shattered the values she had clung to for so many years.