Chapter 672 - 671: Rescued (Part 2)

The shrill screams of Mrs. Tang and Ye Xilan were impossible to ignore.

Su Li, who had been drifting in and out of consciousness, was jolted awake by the shrill cries. Her mind cleared slightly.

In her daze, she thought she heard Wu Sheng’s voice.

It was the voice she had yearned to hear, even in her dreams.

Su Li strained to keep her eyes open and listen, terrified that this was all just a dream.

The commotion outside didn’t subside, making it seem as if Wu Sheng had truly come to rescue her.

Su Li’s eyes stung and burned, but no tears came.

She was probably too dehydrated to even cry.

’If only I could cry,’ she thought. ’Tears are water, after all...’

Lost in a daze, Su Li kept her eyes wide and her ears pricked. She couldn’t muster the strength to sit up, but she did manage to pinch herself.

The pain proved this was no dream.

"Wu Sheng, I’m here! Wu Sheng..."

Su Li swallowed, her throat parched. Mustering all her energy, she forced out a shout, managing to make a sound.

When the wooden hatch above her was thrown open, the first thing Su Li saw was Wu Sheng’s face peering down.

"Wu Sheng," Su Li cried out. In the next instant, her vision blurred.

’Wu Sheng, Wu Sheng, you’re finally here.’

After calling his name, she couldn’t stop a weak smile from spreading across her lips.

Wu Sheng saw Su Li the moment the hatch opened. The sight of her lying on the dim, cold floor felt like a knife twisting in his heart.

"Su Li."

He called her name softly, then leaped down and swept her into his embrace.

Her entire body was ice-cold and stiff, devoid of its usual soft warmth.

If her eyes hadn’t been open, if she hadn’t been breathing, if she hadn’t called out to him, Wu Sheng would have thought he was too late.

With trembling hands, Wu Sheng clutched Su Li tightly, only confirming she was still alive when he heard the faint sound of her breath.

"Su Li, Su Li... I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I’m late..."

"I’m so sorry..."

A heart-wrenching pain shot through Wu Sheng. Holding Su Li, who he had thought was lost forever, his entire body trembled.

"I’m sorry, too. I couldn’t escape... I made you all worry..."

"I missed you so much... Wu Sheng..."

Su Li murmured, her voice almost gone from hoarseness.

But Wu Sheng heard every word.

"You scared me to death. You scared me to death..."

Wu Sheng hugged Su Li so tightly it was as if he were trying to merge her into his very being.

Su Li managed to lift her arm and touch Wu Sheng’s face, stroking it gently a couple of times to soothe him.

"It’s okay. Don’t be scared, Wu Sheng. I’m alive. I’m still alive..."

’I’m alive. I’m not dead. I made it through.’

Wu Sheng grasped Su Li’s cold, stiff hand. He loosened his embrace slightly and pressed a hard kiss to her forehead.

He pulled off the gloves that were stuck to her hands and thrust her ice-cold fingers inside his shirt, pressing them against his chest.

The cold from her hands almost made Wu Sheng shudder. Without a word, he removed her other glove and did the same with her other hand.

Then he began to gently chafe her arms. "You’re frozen solid, aren’t you?"

Su Li’s face was filthy, streaked with black and grey. Her clothes were stained with dried, dark-red blood, some of which had smeared onto her face as well.

She looked like a fish out of water. Her lips were dry, chapped, and bleeding. Her face was deathly pale, tinged with blue and an unhealthy flush.

Su Li gave a slight nod.

Above them, Tang Mo watched Su Li and Wu Sheng, his knees giving way as he sank to the floor. It was a long moment before he could catch his breath.

’He found Mom... Mom is still alive...’

Tang Mo squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, the voices of the people around him returned, and the colors of the world flooded back into view.

He glanced at Captain Zhang, who was watching him with concern, and offered a weak smile. He then smiled at the ladder in the captain’s hands.

"Uncle Zhang, I want to go down."

Tang Mo spoke, his voice raspy and strained.

"Alright, alright. Go on down," Captain Zhang said, lowering the ladder.

Tang Mo got to his feet, stomping to get the feeling back into his trembling legs, and was the first one down.

He had almost jumped down after Wu Sheng a moment ago, but Wa Wa Lian had been quick enough to grab him.

"You can’t jump! It’s too high, you’ll break a leg," Wa Wa Lian said, startled by Tang Mo’s sudden movement.

The boss could jump because he was the boss, but Wa Wa Lian wasn’t about to let Tang Mo do the same.

Of course, he could have jumped too, but he decided against it to give his boss some space.

Once the ladder was in place, Tang Mo was the first one to descend.

"Mom," he whispered, kneeling in front of Su Li.

"Little Mo." Seeing Tang Mo, Su Li tried to smile, but only managed a twitch of her lips. She tried to pull her hand free to touch him, but Wu Sheng held it fast.

"Don’t move." Wu Sheng glanced at Tang Mo. "Little Point, you help. Massage your mom’s legs. She’s frozen stiff."

A sharp, tearing pain lanced through Wu Sheng’s heart as he spoke those last words.

His worst nightmare had finally come true.

That in this freezing weather, Su Li had truly been left to freeze, frozen so badly she was nearly rigid.

Even without her saying a word, he knew her entire body must be numb.

Tang Mo immediately started chafing Su Li’s legs.

As Wu Sheng chafed her hands, a little feeling returned, and Su Li couldn’t stop herself from speaking.

"Wu Sheng, I’m thirsty..."

Wu Sheng froze completely.

Tang Mo froze as well.

Su Li didn’t notice their reaction. Seeing Tang Mo looking at her, she spoke again.

"Little Mo, I’m hungry..."

Seeing the two people she trusted most in the world, Su Li voiced her most basic needs without a second thought.

She was exhausted and desperate to sleep, and her whole body ached, but the thirst and hunger were even worse.

Wu Sheng and Tang Mo remained frozen in place, their hearts simultaneously breaking all over again.

A glance around the empty room was all it took to imagine what Su Li had endured.

No food, no water, suffering in the cold, tormented in this tiny room...

Wu Sheng’s eyes burned, and he fought back the urge to cry.

He jerked his head up, swallowing back his tears. But as he did, his gaze fell upon the small window and the scraped-away section of the wall above it.

In the bright light pouring in from outside, he could even see faint specks of blood.

Wu Sheng could perfectly imagine Su Li desperately scraping at that wall, trying to escape.

The pain in Wu Sheng’s heart was so intense he nearly forgot to breathe. He had to fight with all his might to choke back the sobs threatening to tear from his throat.

Wu Sheng managed to hold back, but Tang Mo could not.

Large teardrops streamed down his face, his heartache inexpressible. He grabbed one of the policemen who had just climbed down the ladder and burst into tears.

"Sir, my mom is hungry! My mom is thirsty! I need water! I need food...!"

He sobbed and shouted, his face a mess of tears.

"Mom, Mom... I’m sorry..."

’I’m sorry, Mom, for not finding you sooner. I’m sorry I let you go hungry and cold.’

Tang Mo wailed, his cries echoing in the small space.

It was the first time Tang Mo had ever cried with such complete abandon.

The number of times he had cried like this could be counted on one hand; he hadn’t even cried this hard as a small child.

He hadn’t cried when Su Li went missing and they couldn’t find her. He hadn’t cried when they finally found her. But now...

Now, hearing his mother say she was hungry and thirsty, he broke down completely.

Tang Mo’s heartbroken sobs made everyone’s chest tighten with sorrow, and even Wu Sheng almost lost his battle against his own tears.