Escape Filming Location - Chapter 18 - A Narrow Escape

“Head over there. I’ll lower you down,” Hawkeye pointed toward a gap on the right.

The gap led to the right fork in the path.

This would separate the two of them, leaving the Black Body to decide whom to pursue. Neither of them knew what it would choose.

Qian Cangyi could feel Hawkeye’s pace slowing down. The burst of speed they’d relied on earlier couldn’t last forever.

“I understand,” Qian Cangyi replied, taking a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself.

Hawkeye reached the gap, pulling ahead slightly before bending down to lower Qian Cangyi.

Qian Cangyi descended a bit, then lightly leapt down, landing in the thick grass below.

Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the right fork, glancing back at Hawkeye as he ran.

Several flashes of red lightning illuminated the sky.

Behind Hawkeye, the Black Body was dangerously close, reaching out to grab him. Hawkeye narrowly sidestepped, evading its grasp.

Even then, Hawkeye maintained a consistent distance from the Black Body.

Qian Cangyi understood-Hawkeye was “drawing aggro.”

If the Black Body chose its target based on proximity, Qian Cangyi, slower than Hawkeye, would become its priority once they split up.

Hawkeye’s evasive maneuvers ensured that the Black Body remained focused on him, keeping Qian Cangyi safer for the moment.

Clenching his fists, Qian Cangyi pushed his aching legs forward.

The pain in his muscles grew sharper, his legs feeling like wooden planks.

Under the suffocating darkness of Yuxi Village, Qian Cangyi relied on the occasional lightning flashes to navigate, all the while fearing the Black Body might suddenly appear behind him.

Hunger and exhaustion gnawed at him, tempting him to collapse and rest.

But one thing kept him moving-his sheer will to survive.

“Faster…”

Qian Cangyi steadied himself against a nearby tree, panting heavily.

He felt as though every ounce of strength had been drained from his body. Each step was a monumental effort.

Every flash of lightning sent a shiver down his spine, as he dreaded the possibility of the Black Body blocking his path ahead.

Finally, the wooden sign marking the entrance to Yuxi Village came into view, and he let out a sigh of relief.

About 100 meters ahead, a pitch-black bus stood silently on the road.

“That’s…” Qian Cangyi’s eyes lit up, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face.

If he’d had any lingering doubts about surviving, they vanished the moment he saw the bus.

Propping himself up against the wooden sign, Qian Cangyi staggered toward the bus.

Though he tried to run, his pace was barely faster than walking. His body swayed, threatening to collapse at any moment.

The distance between him and the bus began to close.

100 meters.

90 meters.

…

With every meter he gained, Qian Cangyi felt his chances of survival increase.

“Almost there.”

When he was about 20 meters away, he stretched his arms forward eagerly.

Another flash of lightning lit up the village entrance.

A chilling presence crept up behind him. Turning his head, Qian Cangyi saw the terrifying Black Body standing by the wooden sign.

Its red eyes and crescent-shaped grin were like the face of a demon risen from hell.

“Why is it behind me?”

Panic surged through Qian Cangyi as he realized something was wrong.

If he had outrun Hawkeye, then Hawkeye should have appeared first. If he was slower, the Black Body should have been ahead of him.

But now, the Black Body was behind him.

This could only mean one thing: Hawkeye had been caught by the Black Body and was likely dead, somewhere in Yuxi Village.

And Qian Cangyi would be next.

The Black Body began moving toward him, its pace slow but still far faster than Qian Cangyi’s exhausted shuffle.

Swallowing hard, Qian Cangyi’s heart pounded wildly.

Even though his body was on the verge of collapse, he managed to summon the last remnants of his strength.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Ignoring the stabbing pain in his feet, he forced himself to run.

The only thought in his mind was to reach the bus before the Black Body caught him.

The Black Body seemed to sense his desperation, picking up speed as it chased him.

10 meters.

The gap between Qian Cangyi and the Black Body had shrunk to half.

The problem was, the Black Body was accelerating, while Qian Cangyi was slowing down.

The distance between them continued to close.

The wind brushed past his ears, mingling with the sound of his ragged breathing. He knew the Black Body was right behind him, but he didn’t dare look back.

5 meters.

Qian Cangyi mentally calculated the distance. At his current pace, it would take him nearly three seconds to cover those last five meters.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his right ankle.

The Black Body had lunged forward, extinguishing the last flicker of hope in Qian Cangyi’s heart.

He fell to the ground, water splashing around him as his strength drained away from his right leg.

The bus door was just ahead-two meters away. But those two meters now felt like an insurmountable chasm.

Propping himself up on his elbows, Qian Cangyi tried to lift his body, but the energy he’d gathered was immediately sapped away.

“Why?”

“Why does it always come down to this?”

“I’m not ready to die!”

He stared at the bus door, his eyes bloodshot.

In that moment, all his suppressed emotions erupted, tears mixing with the rain streaming down his face.

Gritting his teeth, his gaze hardened as he reached forward, digging his fingers into the mud to drag himself closer.

Each movement covered only a few centimeters, but it reignited the flame of hope.

Mud filled the gaps between his fingernails, and his elbows and knees burned with pain, yet he kept moving.

“If I can crawl these last two meters, I’ll make it out alive!”

“I don’t need grand ideals or dreams.”

“I just don’t want to die!”

“I just want to live!”

Even as his elbows bled and his fingers were caked with dirt, Qian Cangyi pressed on.

He firmly believed that living didn’t require a reason.

But the Black Body had sensed his determination. It wouldn’t let its prey escape.

The Black Body began climbing over him.

Qian Cangyi tried to drag himself forward again, but his hands had lost their strength, unable to pull his body any further.

Now, he was just one meter away from the bus door. But that single meter felt like an unbridgeable gap.

Slamming his fists into the ground, water splashed around him.

“Why? Why couldn’t you be just a little closer?”

“If you’d been closer, I’d already be on the bus!”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”

His anguished roar echoed as he stared at the bus, his eyes filled with desperation. Stretching his right hand forward as far as he could, he clawed at the air.

Humans have limits.

The burst of energy he’d summoned earlier had drained his last reserves. The only thing keeping him conscious now was his sheer unwillingness to give up.

Tears streamed down his face as he closed his eyes, memories flashing through his mind like a slideshow.

Joy? Pain?

Qian Cangyi didn’t care. He was simply savoring the feeling of being alive, cherishing these final moments.

Suddenly, a warm hand grasped his outstretched right hand.

Qian Cangyi’s eyes snapped open, filled with shock.

Through the swirling black mist, a strong right hand emerged, gripping his tightly.

Hawkeye’s face appeared from the darkness, calm and unshaken.

“Congratulations-you made it!”

With that, Hawkeye pulled hard, dragging Qian Cangyi into the black mist.