Chapter 13

The fear of death was like a sharp knife, constantly stabbing at Xia Tianqi's already nearly shattered nerves.

He didn't know how long he had been rolling down, but Xia Tianqi felt as if all his bones were broken, the pain almost making him lose consciousness.

Although he didn't want to admit it and was unwilling to accept it, the fact was that he was truly finished.

He would die here today.

The cold, chilling air kept seeping into his body from the ground, and the footsteps echoing in the endless darkness were becoming increasingly clear above his head.

He had already started to uncontrollably imagine how he would die in a miserable way.

Perhaps his neck would be strangled, or his brain would be smashed, or maybe he would be skinned alive...

In short, he was doomed to die.

It wasn't that Xia Tianqi didn't want to get up and continue running, but his body simply wouldn't obey him. He couldn't even move his fingers slightly, so he could only lie there and wait to die.

Xia Tianqi had a thousand regrets. He didn't want his life to end like this, especially at such a vibrant age.

He had so many goals that he hadn't achieved: he hadn't lived in a villa, driven a luxury car, or made his parents live a good life.

Of course, the most important thing was that he was still a virgin!

If he were ugly or a fool, dying here might be acceptable, and he might not feel so regretful.

But the key was that his looks were genuinely good, his height and figure were also quite excellent, and he was very talented...

But none of that mattered; he still couldn't escape the fate of being killed by the demon.

The demon's footsteps were getting closer, and Xia Tianqi's mind began to uncontrollably recall the past.

There were his mother's doting, his father's expectations, and his grandfather's endless nagging.

He remembered hearing that when a person was about to die, the most cherished people or things in their life would float through their mind.

"Am I going to die...?"

Just as Xia Tianqi felt disheartened, thinking he was about to lose his head and say goodbye to the world, a sudden flash of light appeared above him, and then a somewhat blinding white light entered his vision.

Without a doubt, someone had turned on the light at the stairs.

Xia Tianqi was momentarily blinded by the sudden light, and as he struggled to regain his vision, a tall, long-haired woman appeared at the top of the stairs like a ghost.

She stood in front of him, shielding him from the demon above.

At the same time, Xia Tianqi's vision had fully recovered, and he began to examine the mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared.

The woman was wearing a black dress that was slightly above the knee, and her long, slender legs were particularly sexy. Her chestnut-brown wavy hair lazily rested on her back, adding a different kind of allure to her.

Even though he could only see her back, it was enough to make one's imagination run wild.

Fortunately, Xia Tianqi was usually just a bit silly and not the kind of guy who would be paralyzed by a beautiful woman, so he wasn't particularly interested in admiring her figure.

What he was concerned about, or rather, what he cared about, was the woman's identity and her purpose for being there.

It was obvious that she had turned on the light.

Xia Tianqi thought she was probably from the company, and her purpose for being there was likely similar to the middle-aged man's. He certainly wouldn't be so narcissistic as to think she had come specifically to save him.

In a short moment, Xia Tianqi had a rough idea. However, he didn't ask who the woman was, as it was already clear. Since she had appeared at this moment and stood between him and the demon, she was clearly going to face the demon.

So asking would just make him look foolish.

"No wonder even Xu Tianhua was killed, it turns out it's a demon of this level."

Just as Xia Tianqi was feeling uneasy, he heard the woman's beautiful voice, which sounded like wind chimes, light and pleasant.

What truly surprised, or rather, shocked Xia Tianqi was the woman's calmness in the face of the demon. It seemed that the demon was no different from an ant to her, and she could crush it with just a flick of her finger.

Just as Xia Tianqi was constantly speculating in his mind, the woman suddenly turned and looked at him.

It was a very sweet and lovely face, completely different from the alluring back view. Xia Tianqi even thought the dress didn't suit her. Or rather, black didn't suit her.

"You're quite lucky to have made it this far."

Hearing the woman's words, Xia Tianqi didn't say anything, just nodded blankly.

Seeing that Xia Tianqi didn't say anything, the woman then withdrew her gaze and reminded him:

"Find a place to hide first, I'll find you later..."

The woman wanted to say more, but something happened, and she said with a cold laugh:

"Thinking of escaping now is too late!"

Because the woman was blocking Xia Tianqi's view of the stairs, he didn't know what had happened upstairs, but from her words, it was clear that the demon had escaped.

The woman then turned into a black blur and disappeared almost instantly, leaving the previously empty stairs in silence again.

Xia Tianqi opened his eyes wide, hardly believing he was safe.

"My fate... is really too damn lucky!"

Xia Tianqi couldn't help but sigh, but thinking of the middle-aged man's situation, he still didn't fully trust the woman. So, it was best to leave as soon as possible.

After a brief respite, Xia Tianqi tried moving his body and found that he had recovered somewhat. He should be able to make it downstairs without much trouble.

Struggling to get up, Xia Tianqi found that many parts of his body were bruised, and his ankle was twisted, making it feel like he was being pricked by needles as he walked.

Sweating profusely, he made his way to the first floor and clenched his teeth as he approached the window, intending to use a lighter to set the curtains on fire and burn down the entire bookstore.

But he soon realized how ridiculous his idea was. The curtains could be lit, but they quickly went out, and there was no way to burn down the entire building like in the movies.

"My head is really full of water!"

He slapped his forehead hard, gave up on the idea, and limped to the door, using a key to open it.

Just as he was about to push the door open, the woman's voice came from behind him:

"Wait for me outside."

Xia Tianqi was surprised by the woman's sudden appearance and stammered:

"K, known, known."

Although she had asked him to wait, the woman's speed was not slow at all, and she walked out of the bookstore almost at the same time as Xia Tianqi.

Seeing Xia Tianqi limping, the woman stopped and asked:

"What, are you hurt?"

The woman's concern surprised Xia Tianqi, and he nodded, still stammering:

"Y, yes, but it's fine."

The woman didn't say anything more, just pointed to a car with flashing lights nearby and said:

"Follow me later."

Then, she ignored Xia Tianqi and walked to her car.

Staring at the tall, alluring woman's back, Xia Tianqi felt a bit intimidated.

"Ah!"

Xia Tianqi sighed helplessly, shook his head, and limped toward the car. After all, no matter what, the woman was his savior.

Moreover, he might learn something from her.