The driver: ???
The boy moved too fast.
So fast that before the driver could even react, he had already jumped into the sewer!
"What just happened?"
"A boy jumped in! I saw him!"
"Does he have a death wish? There's a monster in there!"
Everyone chattered and took out their phones to film the sewer entrance. Only the mother who had lost her daughter stood nearby, bawling.
As soon as Chen Nian entered the dark, damp sewer, he heard the girl's screams coming from deep inside.
The monster was fast. It seemed to be dragging the girl deeper inside to eat her. There was no time to waste.
"Word Spirit, Void-Escaping Spirit Snake."
Obscure, incomprehensible syllables burst from Chen Nian's mouth.
Chen Nian stepped onto the invisible spirit snake and rode it in swift pursuit. After going roughly two hundred meters in, he finally spotted the monster!
A huge, pitch-black octopus!
"Go."
The Void-Escaping Spirit Snake shot through the air. In two passes, it smashed through the octopus's tentacles!
The girl caught in its grip fell as well.
The octopus tried to flee in pain, but Chen Nian would never let it escape. He directed the Void-Escaping Spirit Snake to attack again.
Before long, dozens of bloody holes riddled the giant octopus's body, killing it on the spot.
That was taken care of.
Only then did Chen Nian hurry over to the girl.
"Waaah, waaaah~~~~"
The girl was still bawling.
Not only had she been terribly frightened, but the fall had hurt her too. Her pretty little dress was covered in sewage, and her soft, fair little face was smeared with filthy, foul-smelling water.
What child could take that?
"It's all right, it's all right. Be good. I'll take you back to your mommy."
"Waaaah~~~~"
Chen Nian didn't know the first thing about comforting little girls.
He could only hold her in his arms, soothing her as he slowly carried her back.
"Listen to me. It's all right now. We'll be out in a moment."
Chen Nian checked the time. He probably wouldn't make it to pick up Qin Yu, and he did feel a little bad about letting her down.
But she didn't dare frighten the girl again either. After being comforted with care along the way, the girl finally stopped crying.
"Thank you..."
She sniffled, looking utterly aggrieved.
"Good girl."
Soon, they approached the sewer entrance.
Chen Nian knew without even thinking that a crowd must have gathered above.
Besides ordinary citizens, there might also be law enforcement officers and a crowd of reporters. The moment he showed his face, he would definitely make the news.
Absolutely not!
Appearing on television would inevitably increase his risk of exposure...
Once Chen Nian's identity was exposed, he would undoubtedly become the focus of the entire world. Not only would countless girls pursue him like crazy, but every nation would see him as a greater threat than nuclear weapons.
"This is as far as I'll take you. Go on, run that way."
"Okay..."
The girl ran toward the exit.
Chen Nian prepared to leave through the other end. As long as he didn't attract attention, that would do.
"Move aside! Everyone, move aside!"
Uniformed law enforcement officers arrived at the scene and set up a cordon to keep the crowd back.
Quite a few reporters who had heard the news had gathered nearby as well.
"According to witnesses, a little girl was dragged into the sewer by a monster a short while ago. A boy suspected of being a transcendent has gone down to rescue her. The outcome remains unknown."
"Our reporter will continue to cover further developments. Please stay tuned!"
Suddenly, a law enforcement officer shouted.
"Look! The child's back!"
"What?!"
"Quick, get her out!"
Soon, the officers brought the little girl back aboveground.
Though filthy from head to toe, she seemed unhurt.
"Xiaoke! Xiaoke!"
"Mommy!"
Mother and daughter embraced in tears, leaving quite a few people at the scene choked up.
The reporters all captured the moment as well.
"It is now 9:20. The little girl has been brought back safely and is unharmed. But where has the Good Samaritan gone?"
The surrounding crowd wondered the same thing.
"Yeah, where's that young man? Why don't we see him?"
"Why hasn't he come out after all this time? He did a good deed. He deserves some praise!"
"If it weren't for him, this mother and daughter might never have seen each other again..."
Faced with everyone's questions, the little girl told them the truth, saying that the boy had already left.
"Sweetheart, why don't you go to the hospital with the nice doctor for a checkup first?"
"No, I want to thank him too! Mommy said I should always have a grateful heart!" the little girl insisted.
That left everyone stumped. They couldn't find the young man at all, so where could they go to thank him?
Just then, the driver rushed out.
"I know! I know!"
"That young man was riding in my car! He was going to Linhai City University to register!"
The reporters' eyes lit up at the news.
If they could go straight to Linhai City University, find the boy, and get a firsthand report, it would definitely make tomorrow's trending searches. It would be a hit!
"Ma'am, how about we go to Linhai City University with you? You can thank him, and we'd like to interview him too."
"Yes, yes..."
Surrounded by reporters, the mother and son were ushered into a car and rushed toward Linhai City University.
Qin Yu hadn't managed to meet Chen Nian.
At first, she stood alone beside Linhai University's entrance with her heavy suitcase, without attracting much attention.
She was wearing a mask too.
But her bearing and figure were simply too outstanding!
A jasmine-white spaghetti-strap maxi dress accentuated her graceful figure and slender calves. Her creamy skin was fair and flawless, and her beautiful long, wavy hair fell freely down her back.
How could a beauty like her walk down the street without people trying to chat her up?
The reason Qin Yu had wanted Chen Nian to pick her up was precisely to avoid being approached and causing trouble.
She hadn't expected Chen Nian to fail to arrive on time at all.
"Hey, beautiful, are you here to register too? How about I carry your suitcase?"
"No, thank you."
Qin Yu could only handle wave after wave of people trying to chat her up, until someone finally recognized her.
"She-she's Qin Yu!"
"That newly debuted singer, Qin Yu? Holy shit... No wonder she has such presence!"
"I never thought she'd come to our Linhai University too! Hahahaha!"
"Quick, quick! Let's get a picture!"
"Tsk, tsk. With looks like that, she blows everyone else away even with a mask on!"
The crowd grew larger and larger. Qin Yu felt like a monkey under a spotlight, able to do nothing but stand there and let people take pictures.
She took out her phone, found Chen Nian's number, and angrily called him.
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later..."
Hmph, what a jerk! He didn't keep his word!
Ever since accepting Chen Nian's epic equipment last time, Qin Yu had felt a little guilty, so she had even prepared a gift especially for this visit!
The gift was an expensive watch, a custom edition bearing her own signature that her fans couldn't get their hands on even if they fought over it.
It was right there in her suitcase.
Yet Chen Nian hadn't even shown up!
"Fine. We really are a couple in name only..."
In the end, campus security dispersed the crowd and escorted Qin Yu onto campus.