Forced into a romantic relationship

As the terrain continued to drop, Han Zhou could feel the water beneath his feet becoming increasingly turbulent and deeper, already reaching above his waist.

He stopped and began searching for any ground that had not yet been completely submerged.

The terraced fields ahead showed signs of further collapse, and he could not get any closer. Otherwise, even if he was not swept away by the flood, he was very likely to be hit by rocks that rolled down from who knows where.

He tried to activate "There Will Be an Echo" all the way, but without exception, he failed.

He underestimated the difficulty of triggering this state once again. He thought that with his concern for Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's safety and his eagerness to be by her side, such a fervent "thought" should meet the triggering condition of "there must be a response". However, the result greatly disappointed him.

But why?
The current situation is clearly no different from the situation when the time travel was triggered. If there is any difference, it is that the future Wang Lengqiu was in his eyes at the time with an uncertain fate, while the current young Wang Lengqiu is most likely still alive.

So is the problem here?
He didn't treat Xiao Wang Leng Qiu as a "dead person," subconsciously believing that there was still time and opportunity to salvage everything, so his inner tension and urgency were not enough.
Han Zhou didn't have time to think further.

Although it was indeed disappointing that "There Will Be an Echo" failed at the crucial moment, and could even be said to have completely disrupted his plan to escape with Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu ahead of time, fortunately, he had anticipated the worst-case scenario and prepared two other plans in advance:

First, find land that has not been completely submerged, climb to a high place, try to find a road to Xiao Wang Lengqiu's house, and then race against the flood—of course, it is impossible to win by running, but at least you can get to Xiao Wang Lengqiu's side as soon as possible.

Second, and even faster than running on foot, is to grab a plank you just picked up on the road and jump into the floodwaters for a reckless "floating on the water".

Admittedly, both plans are crude and quite dangerous, but they are the only two solutions Han Zhou can think of at the moment.

If he wanted to buy time, he had to ignore some of the risks; otherwise, he could have simply found a boat or waited for rescue there.

He could wait, of course, but Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu couldn't.

He had just used the "Unlockable Person Detector" to confirm Xiao Wang Lengqiu's location and knew that she was at home. But that was all he knew. If Xiao Wang Lengqiu was swept away by the flood, he probably wouldn't even have a chance to catch up with her. So he had to act as quickly as possible.

Option two can now be ruled out. There is water everywhere, and there is no solid ground nearby. Compared to jumping into the flood, climbing to a high place where there is a risk of another landslide is obviously more dangerous. Therefore, Han Zhou is left with only the option of jumping into the flood.

This is also quite dangerous. After all, a flood is different from a rushing river. There may be anything in the water: boulders, wood, metal tools, and even various obstacles hidden underwater. If he collides with any of these objects, he may lose consciousness or even die on the spot.

Han Zhou was well aware of the danger of what he was about to do, and understood that this time was different from the past; a slight mistake could cost him his life. He didn't intend to be reckless, but instead deliberately bought "insurance"—

【Status Extractor (Basic): A one-time use item. After use, it randomly extracts a unique status from the current situation to replace any currently retained random status. This status cannot be fixed in any form and will disappear after seven natural days. (Note: If the impact of this status caused a significant deviation after it disappeared, the status bar will automatically make certain necessary corrections. If you need to adjust or abandon this correction, you will need to consume sufficient points.)】

This item appeared in the monthly shop a few months ago, priced at a whopping 111 points, and could only be purchased once every three months. Back then, Han Zhou was still living a life where he had to be careful with his points, so he naturally wouldn't spend them on such a low-value "blind box" item. But now he had no choice but to take a gamble.

It's funny, really. He was just righteously declaring to himself that he hated gambling, but in the end, he still gambled.

Fortunately, his luck with the gamble was pretty good, or perhaps the status bar did indeed always provide suitable items and statuses based on his current situation. Although the names sounded a bit strange, the randomly generated statuses were actually quite useful.

【I'm Not Afraid of Death (Temporary): You've done countless crazy things—riding on multiple boats, throwing yourself into fire, jumping off cliffs, sinking to the bottom of lakes—and now you dare to challenge a flash flood. It seems you really are fearless. Once activated, you'll gain the protagonist's aura, your perception of danger will be sharper, your physical abilities will be greatly enhanced when facing certain death, your sanity will be slightly improved, and your luck will be somewhat boosted. If you shout "Don't underestimate our bond!", the effect will be further enhanced. This state can be activated and deactivated at any time. (Note: This state cannot be fixed in any way; it will automatically disappear after seven natural days without needing modification.)】

Good news! This status is quite powerful. At least this is the first time Han Zhou has seen the description "huge improvement". Even if it is limited by the "low-level" label of the status extractor, it is probably enough to turn him into a "superman". As for the improvement in luck, it makes him feel more at ease.

The bad news is that once this state is triggered, it means that he is in a life-or-death crisis, and even if he becomes "Superman", he cannot guarantee that he can survive the life-or-death crisis time and time again.

Simply put, his situation is still very dangerous if he wants to jump into the flood to play "water rafting", but at least he has more ability to face danger.

Han Zhou rubbed his face vigorously, took out a few Power Pills from his inventory, and put them in his mouth.

What is the status bar trying to tell me? Why is "having multiple relationships at once" included in the category of being reckless? Also, when did I ever throw myself into a fire?
He walked forward, lost in thought, trying to lessen his fear of the flood—it would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid of one of the world's most devastating natural disasters, but there was no time to hesitate. Taking a deep breath, he gritted his teeth, grabbed the plank, and stepped into the increasingly turbulent water.

The terrifying impact struck instantly. Almost the moment he was swept into the flood, Han Zhou's left leg slammed into something, and a sharp pain shot through him. "I don't care if I die!" he cried out immediately.

He had only just faced the flood when he was already facing a life-or-death crisis.

It's not too late to turn back now, but since Han Zhou has come, there's no way he can back down. The intense pain in his legs made him groan, and he immediately swallowed the strength pill he had put in his mouth beforehand to relieve the pain. Then he hugged the wooden plank tightly, pushed off with all his might, and entered a deeper area of ​​the water.

This also means that he has absolutely no way back.

The next second, a wave crashed over him and slammed him into the water.

The rafting trip has begun.

Han Zhou thought he had overestimated the natural disaster, but he had underestimated it. In a town with such complex terrain, the power of the flash flood would only be amplified infinitely. Even with his greatly improved physical fitness, he was able to nimbly avoid various obstacles along the way, and soon he still had a lot of injuries on his body.

The force of the flood was far more terrifying than imagined. Coupled with his leg injury from the start, Han Zhou had difficulty controlling his body effectively. There were simply too many dangers underwater. If he hadn't been exceptionally sensitive to danger at that moment, he would have almost been impaled by a tree branch underwater.

The torrential rain and floodwaters seemed to be an invisible hand constantly pressing him down and pushing him forward, trying every means to kill him.

For a moment, Han Zhou regretted it, regretting that he shouldn't have been so reckless in launching such a dangerous operation. But then he realized that if even he was having such a hard time being swept into the flash flood, then Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's chances of survival would be even slimmer.

So he no longer regretted it; there was no use in regretting it now, there was no going back.

As he was thinking this, another wave crashed down and shoved him into the water.

"Cough cough cough! This is the last time. You must never do anything so dangerous again..."

Han Zhou surfaced, vigorously wiped his face, and spat out the muddy water he had just swallowed. Ignoring the dirt on his hands, he kept stuffing strength pills into his mouth to alleviate the pain and replenish his rapidly depleted energy.

The water level had slowed down compared to before, and we thought we could finally get through a relatively calm period. However, at that moment, the thought of "I don't care about my life!" suddenly triggered an unprecedented sense of crisis.

Han Zhou's pupils contracted. Not far ahead, he saw an exceptionally thick tree trunk lying across the water. Although it couldn't stop the raging flood, it was more than enough to stop him.

Given the current speed of the flood, if it were to hit a tree trunk, he would definitely suffer a serious injury, not to mention that there are so many sharp branches on the trunk.

Han Zhou's adrenaline surged, but he tried his best to remain calm. There was no time to avoid the tree, and diving underwater to get through was impossible. Therefore, the only way was to jump over it before hitting it.

There was nowhere to gain leverage in the water, so he could only try to find a way out from the tree. He could either kick off the trunk to jump, but that risked fracturing his leg bones, or grab a branch to pull himself out of the water and try to climb up the trunk, but that also risked being impaled by the branch. Han Zhou decided to use both methods together: first grab a branch for cushioning, then immediately step onto the trunk to jump. With his current physical condition, he was fully capable of doing this.

Although there are still considerable risks involved.

As the tree trunk loomed larger in his vision, Han Zhou's heart pounded, but he felt increasingly calm. With the tree drawing ever closer, he took a deep breath and suddenly shouted, "Don't underestimate our bond!" He then gripped the branch directly in front of him tightly, ignoring the stinging pain in his palms and cheeks, and kicked off the tree trunk, leaping into the air with a thud.

"Oh!"

Even though the impact had been reduced considerably, Han Zhou still felt a tingling sensation in his legs the moment he stepped onto the tree trunk, especially his already injured left leg, which felt as if a cut had been made in his calf.

Fortunately, the jump was quite successful. As he soared into the air, he thought he might have jumped two meters high, maybe even three. But before he could even catch his breath, Han Zhou witnessed a scene that made his scalp tingle—

He never imagined that after one fallen tree, another would fall.

The two trees were about two or three meters apart, and Han Zhou was currently in mid-air. If nothing unexpected happened, he would crash into the second tree the moment he fell into the water, with no way to avoid it.

Damn!

Is today really that unlucky...?

Han Zhou's heart sank. Although "I'm not afraid of dying" gave him extraordinary physical abilities, it did not mean that he could ignore the laws of physics and continue to jump in the air.

Even with the added encouragement of "I don't care about my life," his good luck seemed to have run out in the face of a life-or-death crisis.

It's absolutely impossible to avoid.

While suspended in mid-air, he could do nothing but wait to die.

That's right.

Waiting to die.

After a long time, this word, which had almost been completely forgotten, once again barged into Han Zhou's heart with an almost overbearing attitude.

But perhaps it's because he's grown up, or perhaps it's because he's matured, but when he thinks of this word now, he doesn't feel scared at all.

He just felt very unwilling.

I am extremely unwilling to accept this.

He still has many things left to do, such as not having given Yixia a proper confession yet. Whether it's setting off fireworks or giving her roses, it's the kind of confession that's as corny as it gets, but Yixia will definitely love.
For example, I haven't even had a chance to see Gu Zheng's dance at this year's New Year's Eve gala. I've never even once taken the initiative to hold her hand, hug her, or even mustered the courage to kiss her, to record her blushing and flustered expression. I haven't been honest with her, haven't discussed things with her properly, and haven't apologized to her properly... even though I clearly promised that I would never lie to her;

He hasn't found a way to cure Senior Sister and Sister Yin, hasn't figured out his relationship with Xiao Xiao, and hasn't helped Teacher Ouyang build a foldable, land, and air amphibious wheelchair.

I didn't get to watch the snow with everyone, celebrate Christmas together, go swimming together, or travel together... I didn't even get to spend my first New Year with someone by my side.

and also……

He hasn't properly apologized to senior Wang Lengqiu yet.

The wind whistled past my ears, and felt exceptionally cool against my skin.

If he could do it all over again, Han Zhou would definitely not choose to jump that high.

"To be able to recall so many girls' faces in an instant, and to have so many inexplicable wishes, I really am greedy..."

He chuckled inwardly. If there was any benefit to death, it was probably that it gave people the opportunity to face their inner selves honestly and then confront what they truly wanted.

But all he wanted was one thing, not a single one less. Was he going to suffer retribution for that?
He didn't accept it.

It's unacceptable, at least for now.

Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu are still waiting for him at home.

Just as Fairy Zixia was waiting for Supreme Treasure riding on a colorful cloud, this child might be waiting for an omnipotent stick figure.

Even if it really is retribution, he should wait until he gets the other person to a safe place first.

The image of Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's face, which resembled but was not quite the same as the future, flashed through his mind. Remembering his boast of being "omnipotent," Han Zhou's face suddenly felt hot, followed by a surge of fighting spirit.

The all-powerful stick figure shouldn't have fallen here.

He wanted to live, to live to see the current Wang Lengqiu, to see the future Wang Lengqiu, to see Guzheng and Yixia, and to live to see everyone.

Pulling my thoughts back, the wind around me grew louder, and time, which had seemed to have stopped, resumed its flow.

The thick tree trunk, lying across the murky yellow torrent, drew ever closer. Han Zhou, enduring the pain, used the wooden plank in his hand as a shield, hiding his body behind it as much as possible, and shouted with bloodshot eyes:
"Don't underestimate our bond!"

"Oh!"

The next second, everything went black before his eyes, and he fell into a coma.

He didn't know if it was a hallucination, but in his last moments before losing consciousness, he seemed to see Xiao Wang Leng Qiu, who tilted her head and gave him a strange look.

Is there...some kind of bond between us?

(End of this chapter)