He Xin grew increasingly fearful. Rats swarmed not far from her, and Liu Yuning wasn't faring much better.
"Dad, we can't hold on much longer, hurry up!"
"Almost there!" I quickened my pace considerably. However, halfway up, I noticed the iron plates becoming fewer. Still, there were some spots I could jump onto. I did my best to steady myself. Fortunately, I was quite thin, which made jumping more agile. With strong willpower and some stamina, this kind of leaping wasn't that difficult.
When I reached about 70 meters, I was starting to feel tired and breathless. Seeing me like this, Liu Yuning unexpectedly called out, "I'll come up and help you!"
"No! It's too dan..." Before I could finish, she had already jumped. With even more practiced skill, she sprang from one horizontal bar to another. I hadn't realized how agile she was until she moved. She was a criminal investigator, unlike me, a forensic doctor by chance. Liu Yuning soon leaped to my side. I managed a wry smile. "What about He Xin?"
"That kid won't die that easily! She's got all sorts of high-tech gear. She was just saying that to push your potential!"
"Uh, so I was fooled by her too..."
"Keep climbing!"
The two of us continued our ascent. Perhaps it was having someone by my side, but I found myself jumping faster. The final ten-plus meters were the most challenging, due to a continuously rotating signal emitter. We had to time our jumps perfectly. Miss the window during its rotation, and we'd fall.
Falling from this height would undoubtedly result in a gruesome mess. Even someone with no knowledge of forensic science would understand that.
Liu Yuning and I exchanged glances, a silent resolve quickly forming between us. In that moment, our environment spoke volumes.
I saw a fire in Liu Yuning's eyes, a burning hope. She even leaped faster than I did, grabbing an iron plate, then flipping over with incredible speed, catching a plate above. With a somersault, she was up. I stared, stunned. Had this seemingly simple girl been hiding her true strength all along?
Her ability to play the underdog was astounding!
I hadn't even figured out how to get up yet, and she reached the top in less than a minute. Just as I was about to move, He Xin's anxious voice drifted up from below, "Mom, Dad, help!"
We looked down. He Xin was desperately clinging to the edge of the iron tower. Countless rats swarmed beneath her, their mouths agape, squeaking incessantly. Their bloodthirsty jaws snapped open and shut, as if He Xin would be torn to shreds the moment she fell. My heart clenched. How much longer could she hold on?
"Stay right there! I'm going to send a signal!" Liu Yuning shouted.
There was nothing else we could do. Thankfully, Liu Yuning had come up. Alone, my chances of continuing the climb would have been slim. I could only focus on He Xin. Liu Yuning busied herself at the top. I watched as the rats began to pile up, stepping on each other to gain height. He Xin was reaching her limit. The flashlight beams seemed to have little effect. I was at a loss. He Xin cried out repeatedly. Suddenly, an idea struck me. I pulled out the cassia seed and chili oil spray and hurled it down.
He Xin didn't catch my spray. She stared at the ground in shock and cried, "It's over!"
I covered my eyes, unable to watch. But as the chili oil bottle hit the ground, it shattered. The cassia seed and chili oil sprayed out, filling the surrounding space. Instantly, the rats screeched in agony, their bodies rapidly decaying on the ground. This cleared a large space beneath He Xin. Exhausted, she lost her grip and slid down. She grabbed her flashlight and shone it around. As the mist dispersed, no rats dared approach for the time being.
I breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that our He family coroner's spray was indeed useful in a critical moment. With the danger averted, I looked up towards Liu Yuning. "Are you done? I'm dying of anxiety here!"
Though I was perched on an iron plate, maintaining temporary balance, this agonizing wait was unbearable. Liu Yuning finally spoke, "Done. The signal emitter up here still works. I've sent a distress signal nationwide. I don't know what the outcome will be, but someone should come to help. We just need to hold on until reinforcements arrive!"
"Alright!" I slid down a bit, then helped He Xin climb up. The three of us sat on an iron plate about fifty meters up, watching the rats scurry below. While I didn't know where Xiao Yuan De and Xia Hou had gone, they were likely fine. We waited all night, filled with worry. For some reason, no support arrived. I couldn't help but turn to Liu Yuning beside me and ask, "Are you sure you sent the signal?"
"Of course. Do you doubt my capabilities?"
"Uh, that's not what I meant!"
Before I could elaborate, an invincible iron-hook hand grabbed my ear. "Then what exactly do you mean?"
"Don't do that! He Xin is right here! I was just worried you might have made a mistake sending the signal. You're not very good at that stuff!"
"Hmph, how could I be so foolish? Don't let my occasional demeanor fool you; I can handle simple tasks perfectly!"
"Fine, then let go of my ear!"
"Hmph. If you doubt me again, I'll twist your head off next time!"
Enduring the pain, I looked towards He Xin. She wore an expression of feigned innocence, urging us to continue while she gazed at the distant night sky.
I checked the time. It was almost 5 AM. If support didn't arrive soon, daylight would break...
Initially, it was only my worry. But as no activity was seen, Liu Yuning and He Xin also began to feel uneasy.
"What do we do? Don't tell me the signal..." He Xin, realizing she shouldn't voice such thoughts, quickly amended, "Perhaps they were delayed on the way? Otherwise, we could..."