When Xu Yin left the room, Xiao Hei walked over and wagged its tail vigorously.
It had been a long time since it had seen its owner, and now it was whining incessantly.
Xu Yin crouched down, petted the dog’s head, and gave it a little kiss on its head.
The owner seemed to be in a good mood, and Xiao Hei, curious and excited, tilted its head and barked, “Woof!”
Xu Yin smiled and said, “I’ll go for a run first.”
After saying that, he gave Xiao Hei some dog food and water, then put on his running shoes and left.
Heye Street was quite long, with a stretch that passed by a watercourse.
The watercourse area was lively every evening, with many elderly people taking a walk and enjoying their leisure time. However, Heye Street was only a passageway over the watercourse, so not many people strolled there.
It was already 8:30, and there were almost no people or cars on the road.
Xu Yin spent more than ten minutes running on Heye Street and continued forward.
018 popped up a speech bubble with an odd tone: “I wonder what random task will appear…”
Xu Yin smiled.
018’s attitude change stemmed from something Xu Yin discovered during the filming.
To put it simply, Xu Yin used to guess, based on 018’s hints, that random tasks wouldn’t be too difficult to trigger as long as he didn’t stay in one place all day.
So, before filming, he was quite relaxed every day. In any case, he would go out for the basic tasks, and in fact, he did get random tasks every day during his evening jog.
But when he began filming, Xu Yin realized the problem.
In the first week, he had been shuttling between the film set and the hotel, triggering random tasks only twice, and they were too far away to reach in time. Xu Yin thought it was normal and that it was because the hotel and the film set were considered in the same place.
He had been moving within this area, recognized by the world as “having no contact with the outside,” which didn’t meet the stable conditions for generating random tasks.
He realized he had been quite foolish, as if staying between his home and Shijin Street earlier wasn’t the same thing.
On the day when Wen Congyan came, he took him out for a meal. When they returned, he triggered the Nanye task. This further misled him, making him believe his judgment was correct.
However, later on, he had the opportunity to visit several places in a single day, and he couldn’t trigger random tasks at all. He conducted several experiments and then discovered…
There was no such thing as triggering random tasks just by going out. The only condition for triggering random tasks 100% near was running by the roadside!
In any other situation, the probability of triggering random tasks was very low, and when he did trigger them, 99% of the time, they were a couple of kilometers away.
The time with Nanye task was just a coincidence.
After Xu Yin discovered this, he was very puzzled: “Little 018, you didn’t tell me I had to run to trigger these tasks.”
Not having the energy to complete tasks was one thing and not being able to trigger nearby tasks was another. Understanding the rules was essential.
But at that moment, 018 maintained a mysterious silence.
Xu Yin: “?”
…018 was silent because he didn’t know either!!!
But how could he admit it? After all, he had created an image of himself as someone who understood the world of missions and seemed to have everything under control. How could he admit that he had the same misunderstanding as Xu Yin in the beginning?
He didn’t expect things to be this tricky!
And according to what Xu Yin had already tried – even walking by the roadside wouldn’t work, you really had to run. This was probably the absurd “metaphysical” nature of the random tasks’ inherent attributes!
018 used to think the mission world’s structure was very mysterious and intelligent, but now he just found it incredibly stupid!
He was so embarrassed!
Seeing 018’s strange behavior, Xu Yin probably guessed something and showed an “Oh” expression.
018, feeling ashamed, said: “I… I need to report these issues. It’s completely unreasonable.”
Xu Yin replied gently: “Sure, go ahead. Don’t worry too much.”
018: Aahh! He’s so frustrated, he’s going to file a complaint!
As for the result of 018’s complaint, Xu Yin didn’t know. During this time, 018 seemed very busy and was often offline.
Regarding Xu Yin, when he went to Qin Yue’s place, he had already informed his agent in advance.
Qin Yue was easygoing, saying, “Just don’t go to Shijin Street again, and also…”
He glanced at Xu Yin, “Try not to create any big news one day.”
Xu Yin could only smile.
Qin Yue asked, “Why does your smile seem so apologetic?”
Well… because he couldn’t really guarantee that.
However, Xu Yin contemplated that, as long as he had enough points for the time being, to avoid adding unnecessary workload to his agent, he might consider skipping a special random task if he encountered one.
…
At this moment, Xu Yin adjusted his breathing.
His body had completely adapted to this intense exercise, and he found himself relaxing in the chilly night air. He even started to enjoy this kind of life a bit.
Hmm… tonight, he hoped for a task like rescuing a small animal, something simple that didn’t require interaction with others. Once it was done, he could run all the way to the end of this road.
Xu Yin raised the corner of his lips.
Just then, a bubble from 018 popped up: “Random task available.”
Xu Yin opened the task panel and was momentarily surprised.
Task panel: [Run another fifty meters forward to rescue a drunken fool who accidentally fell into the river. Reward: 30 points.]
Xu Yin looked ahead.
Fifty meters away, on a stretch of the road crossing the watercourse, there was a young girl lying on the railing, and faint cries for help could be heard from below.
—
Ye Rongrong was a small content creator who frequently posted videos about daily life and food on a certain platform. While she was just a small content creator, she had gained some followers.
Occasionally, when she was in the mood, she would go live on her phone.
Tonight, she set out from her home, planning to go through Heye Road to visit a popular late-night snack shop in C City that had recently made it to the food rankings. Along the way, she started a live stream to chat with her fans.
When she reached the stretch of road crossing the watercourse, she was talking about the recommended dishes at that restaurant.
“The items are pretty standard, like what you’d find at any late-night snack shop, but it’s said that this place has an exceptional taste. They even make their own seasoning powder…” She walked and spoke, slightly out of breath, as the evening breeze from the left carried every sound into her ears. “It seems some people even buy their seasoning powder to take home… Hey, what’s that sound?”
She glanced around.
On her phone, the live chat was still filled with messages like “I’m so hungry” and “Why are you doing this late-night food exploration” and “I’ve already ordered takeout.”
When Ye Rongrong’s face appeared on the screen, her scream rang out, and the viewers in the live chat room realized that something was wrong.
[What’s happening?]
[What’s wrong with Rongrong?]
[Has something happened?]
Following the sound, Ye Rongrong suddenly leaned over the railing by the side of the road, and her phone screen inadvertently pointed down at the pitch-black river below.
Under the illumination of the streetlights by the watercourse, the dark river water glistened with ripples, and there was a noticeable disturbance in one corner of the river – upon closer inspection, it was a person struggling!
In the live chat room:
[???]
[Is that a person?]
[Damn, what’s going on?]
[There’s someone there!]
Once Ye Rongrong understood the situation, her face turned pale. “Someone’s drowning! Someone’s drowning! What do I do? I can’t swim! There’s no one around, but I can’t swim!”
As a young girl encountering such an unexpected situation late at night, her mind went blank, and she was overwhelmed by panic.
She stammered for a few seconds, then suddenly clenched her teeth and turned around.
The viewers in the live chat room realized what Ye Rongrong was planning to do and began flooding the chat with messages.
[Is Rongrong going to rescue the person?]
[Don’t go in if you can’t swim! It’s too dangerous!]
[Shout and see if there’s anyone around, don’t jump into the water if you can’t swim, it’s too risky!]
[Call for help!]
Ye Rongrong was also panicking. Who could have anticipated encountering such a situation while doing a live stream? But her mind went blank, and she had no attention to spare for the live chat. She simply couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Even if she couldn’t swim, her sense of ethics didn’t allow her to do nothing.
However, just as she turned around, a young man ran towards her from the opposite direction and left her with the words, “I’ll go down, don’t move.” He then rushed down the steps leading to the watercourse below.
Ye Rongrong was momentarily stunned, and when she snapped out of it, her eyes were teary.
This was great! Someone had come! Otherwise, as a non-swimmer, she didn’t know if she would be saving the person or endangering herself. Ye Rongrong sniffled and quickly followed.
She didn’t want to get in the way, but she had to stay close. If there was any way she could help, she was ready to assist!
The two of them hurried down towards the water, and at the same time, the live chat room had turned into chaos, with the live stream image in disarray.
Ye Rongrong had completely forgotten she was still live streaming, but amid the running, viewers occasionally caught glimpses of the screen as her arm moved.
From the visuals and the sound they heard earlier, it wasn’t difficult for viewers to guess that someone had gone to rescue the person who had fallen into the water.
[Thank goodness someone came!]
[Rongrong, don’t go in if you can’t swim, seriously, don’t jump into the water!]
[This is great, so great!]
[I’m so worried…]
Soon, Ye Rongrong arrived at the riverbank. She didn’t know when, but she had been so frightened that tears had welled up in her eyes.
She watched as the young man took off his shirt. Subconsciously, she shouted, “Please be safe!”
The young man turned his head slightly and nodded.
Ye Rongrong’s hand was at her side, and the phone screen naturally tilted upwards in the direction she was looking. At a very unique angle, the young man’s face appeared on the screen.
In the live chat room, a line of messages floated by: [Wait… Is that Xu Yin?]
The next moment, Xu Yin turned around and jumped into the water.
—
It was already December, and at that moment when he entered the water, Xu Yin truly admired his own courage.
He even felt like he couldn’t breathe.
The river was icy to the bone, and Xu Yin hadn’t expected to trigger a task like this. Just a moment ago, he was hoping for a mission that involved rescuing a small animal. But at this moment, he could only pray that he wouldn’t cramp up or become too numb to resurface.
The person in the water was still some distance from the riverbank, and it didn’t seem like they had fallen from the Street above. Not only was the railing on Heye Street quite high, but falling from such a height, especially while intoxicated, would likely have led to losing consciousness.
However, if they had fallen from the side of the watercourse where Xu Yin had entered the water, they shouldn’t have drifted so far away. Xu Yin hadn’t encountered a situation like this before, so he wasn’t sure if this was common, but he deduced that the person must have been heavily intoxicated, which led to them struggling and moving farther from the riverbank after falling into the water.
Xu Yin swam over with great difficulty, and the person noticed him, immediately dog-paddling toward Xu Yin. When Xu Yin got closer, the person clung to him in a bear-hug and exclaimed in panic, “Save me! Save me!”
The man was middle-aged, quite overweight, and very heavy. As soon as he clung to Xu Yin, Xu Yin felt like he was sinking. He furrowed his brows and said, “Don’t hold on to me like this. Release your grip, and I’ll swim you to the shore.”
The man, in his panic, pleaded, “No, don’t let go, don’t leave me!”
Xu Yin took a deep breath, not having the extra energy to argue. He forcefully separated the man underwater, clamping onto his arm and waist, making it impossible for him to struggle. Then he swam with him to the shore.
The distance was short, but it felt as if time had been stretched, making this section of the swim resonate in Xu Yin’s ears like a constant hum.
As Ye Rongrong anxiously waited on the shore, she remembered to end the live stream and called an ambulance for help. She had only just thought about calling for help, but when she saw that Xu Yin had already brought the man to safety, she decided not to make the call.
When Xu Yin swam closer, she reached out to help pull both of them onto the shore. She and Xu Yin combined their efforts to get the intoxicated man to safety. Then Xu Yin climbed onto the shore himself, panting heavily, with his hands on the ground.
He was exhausted, and his physical stamina was slightly lacking. Plus, it was so cold.
“Are you both okay?” Ye Rongrong asked, her eyes filled with tears, as she quickly pulled out some tissues – not that they would be of much use, but it was better than doing nothing.
“Thank you,” Xu Yin said as he caught his breath and took the tissues. He wiped his face and coughed slightly. Then he noticed that Ye Rongrong was crying, and he paused for a moment before comforting her with a gentle tone. “It’s all right. Don’t be scared.”
Ye Rongrong blinked, and another tear fell. However, now that she could clearly see Xu Yin’s face and hear his gentle voice, her ears turned red.
The commotion had also attracted the attention of some residents in the vicinity. Lights turned on in houses along the watercourse, and some people opened their windows to see what was happening, shouting various things.
Two pedestrians happened to pass by, shocked, and shouted, “Are you both okay? Should we call an ambulance?”
Ye Rongrong waved her hand and said, “I’ve already called!”
Xu Yin bent over, picked up his clothes and phone, and looked at his drenched appearance, furrowing his brow.
The intoxicated man had been lying on the ground for a while, regained consciousness and tried to get up but couldn’t due to his wobbly legs. He crawled toward Xu Yin and shivered as he said, “Thank you, my savior. Thank you for saving me. I’ve had too much to drink. I’m so sorry. I just wanted to take a leak… It’s just that I haven’t had the chance to go… What if something happened to me? Sob, sob.”
Xu Yin rubbed his forehead, noticing that more and more people were gathering around. Suddenly, he felt like he had let Qin Yue down.
018 interjected: “So, you see, there’s no such thing as a random task you can’t give up on.”
Having spent some time with Xu Yin, 018 knew he was clear on this. Other hosts might have different personalities, but in Xu Yin’s case, once he actually got a random task nearby, there was no way he would give up on it. The animals or people in random tasks often faced certain difficulties or dangers.
If the distance was too great, there was no way to act. In general, after a few seconds, the task would automatically disappear. That meant that those in danger had already resolved the issue on their own or had received external help. But if the distance was close, there was no way to ignore it.
Before Xu Yin had enough points to truly do whatever he wanted, he had to complete random tasks. And once a random task was presented, there was no way to give up on it. Therefore, he could only inconvenience Qin Yue.
018 suggested: “I think giving him more red envelopes for the Lunar New Year might solve the problem.”
Xu Yin sighed, acknowledging that 018 was right. At this point, there were people who had run down to check on them, and more and more onlookers were gathering. The sound of the ambulance was getting closer.
Ye Rongrong suggested to Xu Yin, “You should come to the hospital with us, just in case.”
The intoxicated man, still unclear about what was happening, mumbled, “Yes, come with us. My savior, I’ll give you a banner… Sob, sob.”
“…No need,” Xu Yin reluctantly declined. He felt it was better to leave the scene as soon as possible.
However, Ye Rongrong was about to say something more when a figure suddenly approached from the front.
With his back turned, Xu Yin didn’t see him. He was just thinking of putting on his clothes, which were still wet, when a warm coat suddenly covered him from behind.
Startled, he turned around and in that instant, the familiar voice echoed in his ear, “Wear mine.”
Wen Congyan’s assistant rushed over, breathing heavily, and nodded to Xu Yin. “Mr. Xu, let me handle this.”
Wen Congyan embraced Xu Yin’s shoulder, turned him around, and whispered, “Come with me.”
Ye Rongrong didn’t recognize Xu Yin, but she knew Wen Congyan. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth, “You’re…”
