57: The weight of trust

Upon reaching the rooftop, Chen Xi took two items out of that magical backpack.

One was a red slingshot that looked like a child's toy.

The other was a roll of so-called "Fishing Line" that was so thin it was almost invisible.

"Use this to shoot the rope to the other side."

His voice wasn't loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

The entire scene fell silent.

Everyone looked at him as if he were a madman.

[Holy crap? Is the streamer crazy? Using Fishing Line to pull people across a cliff? What kind of god-tier operation is this?]

[What the hell did I just hear? Fishing Line? I'm not deaf, am I?]

[The physics engine is going to crash on the spot, right? Forget pulling a person—it would snap just pulling a chicken!]

[I bet the line will definitely snap! It won't even last a second!]

After a brief silence, a veteran who had followed Xie Jinyuan for many years couldn't help but speak up.

His voice was hoarse and filled with disbelief.

"Mr. Chen... this thing... it's thinner than a strand of hair."

"Forget pulling people, it'll snap if the wind blows!"

"Did you... did you injure your brain?"

These words voiced the thoughts of everyone present.

Shangguan Zhibiao's face was also filled with worry.

He didn't doubt Chen Xi's ability, but he was worried whether Chen Xi had truly lost his mind due to his previous severe injuries.

He was about to say something.

But Chen Xi had already crouched down.

He didn't explain.

Not a single word.

He just used his hands to examine that ridiculous red slingshot with extreme focus.

Checking the tension of the rubber band.

Checking the stability of the grip.

Then, he pinched that "Fishing Line" which was as thin as nothing; the other end was connected to a bundle of rope that looked equally slender.

His gaze was exceptionally calm.

Like an ice-covered, bottomless ancient well.

Chen Xi still ignored the surrounding discussions.

He stood up, holding a small pebble in his hand.

He placed the pebble into the pouch of the slingshot.

Then, he closed his eyes.

Feeling the wind.

Feeling the flow of every speck of dust in the air.

Five seconds later, he opened his eyes.

Then, he drew the slingshot.

The seemingly fragile rubber band was slowly pulled back, tensed into a perfect full moon.

An invisible, heart-palpitating aura emanated from him.

All the voices of doubt vanished.

Shangguan Zhibiao's mouth hung open, wanting to say something, but he couldn't make a sound.

Xie Jinyuan clenched his fists, his palms drenched in sweat.

Everyone's gaze focused on that solitary figure with the fully drawn slingshot.

At this moment, time seemed to stand still.

The Nano-filament was already fixed.

It was like a strand of spider silk spanning the abyss, trembling slightly in the night wind.

As the wind blew past, the thin filament emitted a faint, nearly inaudible hum.

Like the whisper of the Grim Reaper.

No one dared to move.

A daring Soldier walked to the edge of the cliff and glanced down.

With just one look, his face instantly turned pale, and he silently backed away.

Below the cliff was endless darkness, like the open maw of a giant beast.

Everyone stared at that line.

That line which was barely thicker than a strand of hair.

Go across using this thing?

You've got to be kidding.

This felt even more absurd than charging through a hail of Japanese bullets.

No one spoke.

The air was terrifyingly quiet, leaving only the sound of the wind and the heavy breathing of the Soldiers.

Despair once again shrouded the cliffside.

Just then, a hoarse voice rang out.

"Let him go first."

Everyone turned around.

A weathered veteran was laboriously pushing a young Soldier lying on a makeshift stretcher.

The young Soldier's abdomen was wrapped in thick bandages, already soaked through with blood, and he was unconscious.

The veteran walked to the cliff's edge and set the stretcher down.

His movements were very slow, and his hands were shaking.

"My name is Wang Dashan."

The veteran looked at Chen Xi and said word by word.

"This is my boy, Wang Tieniu."

He pointed at his son on the stretcher, his eyes red.

"He's the most severely injured. If he doesn't leave now, he won't make it."

The surroundings were silent.

Everyone looked at the father and son.

Wang Dashan turned his head and took a deep look at the thin line trembling in the wind, his eyes filled with fear and reluctance.

But he quickly turned back and stared intently at Chen Xi.

The fear and reluctance in his eyes transformed into a desperate resolve to risk everything.

"I don't trust this line."

Wang Dashan's voice was shaking, but every word was incredibly clear.

"But I trust you."

He reached out his slightly trembling hands, covered in calluses and scars, and pushed the stretcher toward Chen Xi.

"I'm leaving him to you."

These words were like three mountains, crashing down upon Chen Xi's heart.

They also weighed heavily on the hearts of the hundreds of millions of viewers in the livestream room.

Chen Xi didn't speak.

He silently stepped forward and crouched down.

His hands were very steady.

He took out that bottle of green "mosquito repellent spray" from his backpack and unscrewed the cap.

*Sssst—*

A white mist sprayed onto Wang Tieniu's mangled wound.

The blood that had been continuously seeping out miraculously stopped.

Wang Tieniu's face, which had been contorted in severe pain, also slowly relaxed.

Chen Xi put away the spray.

He took out a pulley and a safety carabiner and began to skillfully secure Wang Tieniu to them.

Every one of his movements was precise and efficient, without a single wasted motion.

He didn't make any promises to Wang Dashan.

His actions were his most solemn answer.

[He took him... He really took him over...]

[This isn't just taking over a wounded Soldier; this is taking over a father's entire hope!]

[Old Wang's hands are shaking, and my heart is shaking too...]

[The streamer's hands are so steady. I don't know why, but seeing his hands, I suddenly feel at ease.]

Year 2026, Great Wall Command Center.

Elder Long and all the experts stood up, staring intently at the screen.

No one spoke.

In the entire command center, you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone knew that this first attempt would determine the ultimate fate of these four hundred-plus lives.

Chen Xi finished securing Wang Tieniu.

He stood up and gave Wang Dashan a solemn nod.

Then, he walked behind the stretcher and gripped the push bars with both hands.

He took a deep breath.

And pushed hard!

The pulley carried Wang Tieniu as he suddenly shot out from the cliff, sliding rapidly toward the darkness of the opposite bank.

At that moment, the entire battlefield seemed to stand still.

Everyone's eyes followed that small figure quickly receding into the night.

Wang Dashan knelt on the ground, hands clasped in prayer, his lips moving silently as muddy tears rolled down from his wrinkled eyes.

In the livestream room.

The bullet chat exploded after a second of stagnation.

But this time, there were no doubts or amazement.

There were only overwhelming, humble prayers.

[Please, you must succeed!]

[Please don't let anything happen! Please don't let anything happen!]

[This line doesn't carry the weight of one person; it carries the hope of two worlds!]

[Old Wang, your son will be fine! We're all watching him!]

[Heaven protect them! Ancestors protect them!]

The pulley made a "whirring" sound on the steel cable.

That sound was like a death knell from the Grim Reaper, yet also like a sonata of hope.

Every second felt as long as a century.

Finally.

In the darkness of the opposite bank, a blurry silhouette appeared.

It's Tieniu!

He made it!

The Soldiers waiting on the other side caught the stretcher firmly.

A green signal flare, representing safety, shot into the sky!

Success!

On this side of the cliff, there was first an eerie silence.

The next second.

"Ooooohhhhhh!!!!!!"

Earth-shaking cheers, like a volcanic eruption, instantly pierced the night sky!

Countless Soldiers threw down their weapons and hugged those beside them tightly, crying and laughing at the same time!

They jumped and shouted like a group of children who had been given a new lease on life!

The despair and fear that had been suppressed for too long were completely released at this moment!

Wang Dashan looked at that green light and could no longer hold himself up.

This man of iron slumped onto the cold ground, covering his face with his hands and wailing loudly.

Crying like a helpless child.

Chen Xi didn't look back.

He didn't look at the ocean of celebration behind him.

He just turned around and walked toward the next Soldier waiting to cross the abyss.

There wasn't a trace of joy on his face.

Only a cold calm.

He spoke into the communicator in a deep voice.

"Next."