As the masked man was about to reach the opposite bank, Meng Jingwei also stepped onto the wooden bridge.
Before she had taken a few steps, the masked man slipped, his body faltering, and he fell directly onto the wooden bridge, half of his body plunging into the water.
He clutched the wooden bridge tightly with both arms, his umbrella and cane already swept away by the surging water.
"Help, save me. Save me…"
He looked towards Meng Jingwei with a desperate gaze, awaiting her rescue.
This perilous situation, coupled with the swift current, meant that if help didn't come soon, the man might be swept away entirely.
Without a second thought, Meng Jingwei rushed forward and reached out to pull the masked man.
Whoosh—
The sound of the water was immense, the fierce current nearly making the masked man lose his grip on the bridge, the situation dire.
She took three quick steps to reach him, then leaned down to pull him, "Grab hold of me, climb up quickly."
Meng Jingwei had no idea where this waterway led, but no matter where it went, she had to save him now.
The masked man extended his hand and grasped Meng Jingwei's tightly. As she pulled with all her might, he slowly began to climb up.
After a considerable struggle, he finally managed to pull himself out of the water and stagger to his feet.
"Phew, that was close. Thank you, thank you."
The man, hunched over, stood before Meng Jingwei and bowed slightly, offering his 'sincere' gratitude.
"You're welcome, let's go… Ah!"
Meng Jingwei waved her hand, motioning for the masked man standing before her to walk towards the bridgehead. But in the next instant, the masked man shoved her directly into the river.
Everything happened so suddenly, yet it felt as though it had all been anticipated.
Meng Jingwei cried out in surprise, but at the critical moment, she reached out and firmly grabbed the masked man.
With a whoosh, they both plunged into the surging river, swept far away by the swift current.
It all happened so fast that they had no time to cry for help; they were already tens of meters away.
In the river, Meng Jingwei held onto the masked man tightly, refusing to let go. No matter how he struggled, she did not loosen her grip!
Damn it.
She had miscalculated after all.
Meng Jingwei knew all too well that the masked man had exploited her kindness, feigning a fall into the water to trap her. After she saved him and he lowered his guard, he had pulled her in.
But no matter what, if she were to die, she would never let the masked man have an easy time of it.
In the turbulent river, the masked man desperately tried to shake off Meng Jingwei, attempting to kick her. However, the fierce current dispersed all his strength, rendering him powerless.
They were carried downstream together. All along the way, Meng Jingwei searched for an opportunity to save herself.
But the raging water had swept away everything from the banks where the streams converged, leaving nothing for her to use for self-rescue.
Not only could she not save herself, but even surviving now was questionable.
"Ugh…"
A sudden surge of current struck, and Meng Jingwei was pulled underwater, swallowing a mouthful of water as murky as mud.
"Cough cough…"
She strained to lift her head and coughed a few times, alleviating her discomfort.
The masked man beside her was not faring any better, also being swept underwater periodically and swallowing water.
As Meng Jingwei watched the masked man, her gaze flickered and she spotted a thick wooden pole being swept towards them.
Her heart leaped. She immediately released the masked man's hand, fearing that if she hesitated for another moment, the thick wooden pole would strike her heavily, knocking her unconscious.
But it had to be said, this was also an opportunity for self-rescue.
Seeing the thick wooden pole approaching, Meng Jingwei mustered all her strength and swam to the side.
Though it appeared effortless, in the raging water, it took nearly all her might.
In the next second, the thick wooden pole swept past. Meng Jingwei couldn't dodge it completely and was still hit on the arm by the pole, sustaining a wound.
However, under these circumstances, she didn't notice the injury. Instead, with lightning speed, she lunged towards the thick wooden pole and grabbed onto it tightly.
As for the masked man, he was struck on the head by the wooden pole and disappeared underwater.
Everything happened so quickly, as if in an instant.
Meng Jingwei had no time to feel sorry for the masked man, but then, she discovered something tightly gripping her ankle.
It was the masked man!
Meng Jingwei wanted to kick the scoundrel, but all her strength was dispersed by the water, rendering her powerless. Furthermore, the water resistance was immense.
What seemed like a simple action was incredibly difficult to execute.
The masked man finally surfaced from underwater and, seizing the opportunity, clung to the thick log in front of him.
They both held onto the log, leaving less than a meter of space between them.
"Who exactly are you?"
The thick log offered significant buoyancy, so Meng Jingwei didn't have to worry about being swept underwater. She turned her head to look at the masked man and asked hysterically.
Her hysteria was not due to extreme anger, but because her voice was too quiet for him to hear.
The river roared and churned, the sound deafening.
The masked man glanced at her but paid her no mind.
Seeing that he wouldn't speak, Meng Jingwei also remained silent. By staying quiet, she could conserve her strength.
As they drifted further downstream, the river widened. Meng Jingwei had no idea what lay ahead, but she was certain of one thing: if they couldn't reach the shore soon, they might be swept into a lake.
Perhaps even… the sea!
Liangchuan County had a large lake, but hundreds of miles away, there was also an ocean.
They had fallen into the water heading east, but the winding river had taken them in God knows what direction. Meng Jingwei had lost her sense of direction.
"Do you want to cooperate?"
Suddenly, the silent masked man spoke.
Perhaps he too sensed the impending danger.
"Why should I trust you?" Meng Jingwei had no faith in the masked man.
But she understood even more clearly that cooperation was necessary now. She had to seize even the slimmest chance of survival.
As for the outcome, it would simply be up to fate.
"If you don't trust me, we'll both die!"
He said loudly.
Meng Jingwei wanted to retort, "If we're going to die, we'll die together. At least I'll have someone to take down with me."
But she knew that any further delay would only increase the danger.
They had drifted for who knew how long, and their strength was severely depleted. If they lost their last reserves of energy, death would be the only certainty.
"What do I need to do?"
Meng Jingwei asked.
The masked man held onto the log with one hand and felt around inside his clothes, finally pulling out a rope.
It was a hemp rope, as thick as a little finger, but very long.
Because he had been hunched over, the rope was hidden in his front waist, making it impossible to see.
He slowly swam closer to Meng Jingwei and said to her, "Tie the rope around your waist."
Meng Jingwei hesitated and said, "You first!"
She no longer trusted the masked man and remained on guard.
The masked man said nothing, freeing one hand to loop one end around his waist. After securing it halfway, he looked at Meng Jingwei, signaling for her to help.
Meng Jingwei also freed a hand, took the other end of the rope, and together they tied the rope around her waist.
Then, he helped Meng Jingwei tie the other end around her waist.
Although this arrangement meant one person could hold onto something to save the other, Meng Jingwei still did not trust the masked man.
They both looked ahead. Coincidentally, there was a tree growing diagonally by the riverbank, with a section of its trunk submerged in the water.