The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 264 Drowning
Xi He suddenly burst into laughter, which sounded particularly jarring inside the culvert.

He kept smiling, a smile that sent chills down everyone's spine.

“Zhong Kui, right? You really aren’t Zhong Xiaoyu. Interesting, you share a body, yet you keep your secrets from each other. You thought you were deceiving her, but actually…” Xi He’s eyes seemed to flash with ice, “She never told you what kind of person I am.”

What love? I don't care. The truth? I don't care! No answer means anything to me. I just want you all to be with me.” As he spoke, he grinned, revealing an expression like a wolf about to hunt.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Kui's usually resolute gaze faltered for the first time: "Qi Dong County is just bait."

“You’ve finally realized that his life or death doesn’t matter at all. As long as you’re here, I’ve won this game.” Xi He’s breathing quickened, his face full of anticipation. “It’s all over. You’ll never leave me again.”

The faint sound of water hitting the inner wall could be heard from the culvert entrance.

"Flood season!" Qi Fei immediately realized. "Get out of the culvert right now!" he shouted.

However, Xi He leaned back forcefully, and Qi Fei, dragged by the handcuffs, fell to the ground with him.

Qi Fei was held tightly by Xi He, and the two began to wrestle on the ground.

The others tried to step forward to help, but Qi Fei panicked and shouted, "Don't worry about me, you guys get out of here!"

The water rose faster than anyone could have imagined, reaching their knees in an instant. Qi Fei and Xi He were bobbing in the water, constantly choking on it.

The others, struggling against the force of the current, tried to grab the two men but always failed.

Xi He frantically dragged Qi Fei down into the culvert. Qi Fei knew he was stalling for time; if they didn't leave soon, everyone would drown in the culvert.

The current grew increasingly rapid, and Feng Yongfu's body was swept up by the undercurrent and quickly disappeared into the dark depths of the culvert.

At first, Qi Fei was able to struggle to stick his head out for a breath, but Xi He went mad and wanted to die with him. Soon, he sank into the water. With the swift current and Xi He's dragging, he knew he couldn't hold on for long and would be swept into the depths of the culvert along with Xi He, just like Feng Yongfu's corpse.

The strenuous exercise caused oxygen to be consumed more quickly, and soon Qi Fei couldn't hold his breath and started choking on water.

Drowning is more painful and prolonged than imagined. He couldn't stop the water from rushing into his mouth and nose, and death, accompanied by excruciating pain, ravaged all his organs.

In a daze, he saw his mother Xi Ziyun's face, smiling lovingly as she reached out a hand to him. It turns out that the fleeting images of a person before death are real.

He broke free of the handcuffed hand from Xi He's embrace and tried his best to grab Xi Ziyun's hand. The moment he touched it, he realized that it was Zhong Kui who had dived into the water to save him.

He knew that if Zhong Kui grabbed him, he would only die with her, so he forcefully pushed her hand away.

However, his struggle with Xi He nearly exhausted him, and his hand was firmly held by Zhong Kui.

At the same time, another figure appeared beside him—Wu Shanqiu. Only she knew where Qi Fei usually kept the key to his handcuffs.

She quickly pulled the keys out of Qi Fei's inner jacket pocket.

Jiang Tianyi had already swum to the banks of the Xi River and tried his best to control the Xi River when Wu Shanqiu tried to unlock the handcuffs.

Even for a well-trained police officer, unlocking handcuffs underwater in the darkness is an incredibly difficult task. Wu Shanqiu fumbled around for a while but still couldn't find the keyhole.

Left with no other option, I surfaced to take a deep breath of oxygen before diving back down.

Everyone had reached their limit, but no one gave up. It was as if they had all made up their minds that if they couldn't save Qi Fei, they would all die here together.

Finally, amidst the roar of the water, a thrilling, crisp sound rang out. Qi Fei felt a sudden lightness in his left hand, and in his confused state, he saw Xi He, dressed in white, drifting towards the dark abyss.

This was the last thing he remembered.

"Xiaohe, Xiaofei, where are you?" His mother's voice came, so warm, just like the sunlight shining on Qifei at this moment.

A strange fragrance filled the air. He opened his eyes and saw a vast sea of ​​flowers all around him, their colors echoing the orange and red hues of the setting sun, merging with the rose-colored clouds on the horizon.

Xi Ziyun suddenly hugged him from behind, and he could feel the warmth rising and falling from his mother's chest.

It was an unparalleled sense of security, with my mother's arms encircling me.

"Xiaofei, thank you for believing in your mother," Xi Ziyun whispered in his ear.

Qi Fei was already in tears: "I missed you."

As darkness fell, the warmth of the evening breeze faded, and the wind grew stronger and stronger, whipping the sea of ​​flowers into giant waves.

"Qi Fei, Mom is mine, and she will always be mine." Xi He appeared before him, accompanied by a cold warning. Xi Ziyun, who was holding Qi Fei, disappeared into the evening breeze like smoke.

Qi Fei tried to shout to stop him, but no sound came out. He plummeted downwards and crashed into a patch of bright, cold ground.

He struggled to open his eyes and saw the medicine dripping from the IV tube.

"You're awake?" Zhong Kui's voice came, and then that doll-like face appeared in his sight, so unreal.

"Uh..." Qi Fei tried to speak, but his head was throbbing with pain. "Where are Shan Qiu and Dr. Jiang? Is everyone alright?"

"Don't worry, they all escaped. The most useless one is you, you drowned and passed out."

Just as Zhong Kui finished speaking, Wu Shanqiu's voice came from not far away: "Don't listen to what Xiao Kui is saying now. She held you the whole time while we were waiting for the ambulance and never let go."

An embrace, a sea of ​​flowers... Qi Fei recalled the scene from his dream and suddenly understood that the warm embrace came from Zhong Kui.

"How long have I been unconscious...?"

"Not much, just two days. Don't worry, the doctor said it should be fine," Zhong Kui said.

"Uh, what about Xi He?" Qi Fei recalled the white figure that had drifted away. "Have you found him?"

Wu Shanqiu shook her head: "After the tide receded, the search and rescue team found Feng Yongfu's body, which had been swept out of the culvert, but they couldn't find Xi He. They couldn't find him alive or dead. It's infuriating."

“Does Xi He want to die? I’m not sure,” Zhong Kui said from the side. “That culvert is complicated and may not have just one exit.”

"Are you going to visit Qidong County?" Zhong Kui suddenly asked.

"How is he...?" Qi Fei asked weakly.

“Over the past ten days, Xi He has caused quite a bit of trouble in Qidong County. It seems he really hates him,” Zhong Kui said.

At the door of the intensive care unit, Lu Man stood guard, looking haggard. When she saw Qi Fei arrive in a wheelchair, she forced herself to stand up and said, "President Qi has been waiting for you."