American homeless people, surviving in the city

Chapter 155 Halloween Offensive

Halloween?

Upon hearing Sylvia's words, Lynch was slightly taken aback.

As a Dongda student at heart, he really didn't know much about Halloween and was completely insensitive to the date. He only knew that on this holiday, children would dress up as ghosts and monsters and go door to door asking for candy.

However, after hearing Sylvia's words, he could vaguely recall that he had indeed seen shops on the street starting to hang Halloween-themed decorations these past few days.

However, he still didn't quite understand why Sylvia had suddenly brought this up.

"...Halloween, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered that Halloween is a special day."

Sylvia hugged her knees with one hand, staring blankly at the leaping flames in the fire, her eyes slightly narrowed, her tone tinged with nostalgia: "This isn't a sad holiday... It's said that ghosts return to the human world on this day to visit their loved ones."

"So, I was just suddenly thinking..."

"What if Mom comes home and doesn't see me? —."

Her voice grew softer and softer until finally, her whispers were drowned out by the patter of rain.

Lin Qi could sense that she must have been reminded of something sad. He didn't say anything, but simply moved closer to her and silently stayed by her side.

Neither of them spoke again, and time passed silently, second by second.

Lin Qi wanted to wait until Sylvia calmed down a bit before continuing to talk to her, encouraging each other to get through this difficult time.

But to his surprise, after a brief silence, when he looked at Sylvia again, he saw her sitting there with her knees drawn up, her head nodding, looking as if she was about to fall asleep.

"...Hey! Is it really okay to just fall asleep like this? Wake up!"

Lin Qi quickly moved closer to her, shaking her body while calling out softly.

But he soon realized something was wrong; Sylvia didn't respond to his calls at all!

She wasn't just falling asleep! She seemed to be losing consciousness!

Lin Qi's heart immediately became anxious, but apart from being able to simply confirm that Sylvia's vital signs were still relatively stable, there was nothing he could do!

He had already done everything he could. Sylvia's ability to get to where she is now is not only due to her own unwavering will, but also inseparable from the emergency measures taken by Lynch.

However, if her injuries worsen, emergency treatment won't suffice. Emergency care is only a temporary measure; further treatment requires medication, doctors, and specialized medical equipment.

Lynch anxiously cupped Sylvia's face in his hands, calling her name and shaking her even harder.

At Lynch's call, Sylvia seemed to show signs of waking up. Her eyes were still glazed, but she began to speak in a very soft voice.

Lin Qi had to tilt his ear to hear her words: "Mom..."

After stammering for a while, her voice grew weaker and weaker. In the moments before she lost consciousness completely, Lynch heard her last words: "...Mr. Lynch...if we can get out of here...I will...I won't let you...continue to wander the streets..."

After saying that, Sylvia's head tilted to the side, and she completely lost consciousness.

Lin Qi quickly checked her breathing and pulse. She did have vital signs, but they had become extremely weak, as if she might disappear completely at any moment!

—How could this happen! We could have escaped so soon! Hang in there, Sylvia!!

Lin Qi shouted in his heart, but he could do nothing. He didn't even dare to shout loudly, because it might attract the attention of the cultists.

He slumped to the ground in vain, staring blankly at the flickering fire, feeling as if he had completely lost all his strength.

At that moment, he realized something again.

He needs power, he still needs power, and he needs even more power. He needs not only his own power, but also social power, and political and financial support.

Even just to live the stable and peaceful life he wanted in America, he needed far more power than he had originally thought!

Without power, one can only be manipulated by cultists, abandoned by irresponsible police, and forced to watch helplessly as one's friends suffer unbearable pain.

Unfortunately, everything is temporarily out of reach, like a mirage.

To make matters worse, the sound of rain outside the cave stopped quietly at that moment.

But the rain had barely stopped when Lin Qi suddenly heard dragging footsteps coming from the woods not far away! The footsteps were slow and heavy, clearly indicating that someone was dragging their feet, stepping through the muddy forest.

Along with the footsteps, Lin Qi could also hear some English with a regional accent coming from the forest. The tone of that accent was exactly the same as that of the Indian cultist he had encountered before!

It seems the cultists came looking for us first!

Lynch's heart clenched suddenly. He used the last of his strength to stand up, gripped his hunting knife, and stood unsteadily in front of Sylvia.

Even if there is nowhere left to retreat, even if all ammunition and food are exhausted, he will use everything he can to fight to the death!

"Click, snap..."

Several more crisp sounds of crunching branches came from beneath their feet, and the footsteps grew closer.

But what followed was a faint rumbling sound, which first appeared in Lin Qi's ears and then grew louder and louder at an extremely fast speed.

What's going on? Thunder, is it going to rain again?

But he quickly realized that it was not thunder, but a rhythmic sound, clearly made by a man-made object, with a mechanical quality!

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Lin Qi—

That's the sound of a helicopter rotor!

Almost at the same time that thought flashed through my mind, a blinding light suddenly shone outside the cave, instantly illuminating a large area of ​​forest outside the cave, as if it were daytime.

That was the beam of a searchlight!

As the roar of the helicopter grew louder and the searchlights illuminated the forest, the lingering footsteps and dialect conversations in the woods immediately ceased, then turned into a flurry of activity.

However, this sudden turn of events was not over yet. Almost simultaneously, another series of hurried footsteps rang out clearly in the woods.

Immediately afterwards, several sharp gunshots rang out in the woods, followed by a series of horrific screams from those speaking in dialects.

What happened?

Lin Qi was momentarily confused, but then he realized something and a surge of joy welled up inside him.

He staggered out of the cave, leaned against the cave wall, and looked up at the sky.

The helicopter hovered in the sky in front of him. A rope ladder was thrown down from the helicopter, and then several fully armed security personnel rappelled down with practiced ease.

At the same time, under the illumination of the searchlight, a figure emerged from the open helicopter door, a figure that surprised Lin Qi but was also within his expectations.

That's Lucas, the YouTuber who focuses on filming the streets of Seattle!

He was currently carrying a camera, peeking out of the helicopter cabin, enthusiastically filming everything while shouting to Lynch, "Lynch! Hang in there! We're coming!"

The sound of helicopter rotors mingled with the occasional gunshots, shattering the deathly silence of the valley.

Lin Qi watched all this with a sense of relief. He didn't feel much ecstasy, but rather a sense of liberation at seeing everything come to an end at this moment.

...Is this night, which has been as long as a nightmare, finally coming to an end?

...Finally, are we saved? Me and Sylvia...

As this last thought flashed through his mind, Lin Qi's legs gave way, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, completely losing consciousness.