A wave of indescribable joy surged in his heart. Lu Chu didn’t mind the mud on the hunting dog and vigorously rubbed the Golden Retriever’s head, tentatively calling out, “Radish?”
The hunting dog barked three times in response, exactly as it used to when Lu Chu called it, without any deviation.
This was his Radish.
Even though he didn’t know how it had come back to life and appeared in front of him again, Lu Chu was certain that this was his Radish.
Lu Chu crouched down and hugged Radish tightly. The dog whimpered softly, as if feeling aggrieved, and rubbed against Lu Chu’s arm.
The others watched Lu Chu holding what seemed to be a stray dog, moved but confused. Seven tilted his head and said, “It might have slipped through a loophole in the ‘rules’ and was considered a different creature, so it survived and ended up here.”
Animals are less restricted and controlled by the rules than humans.
Hearing Seven’s explanation, Lu Chu became even more certain that this Golden Retriever was indeed Radish.
At that moment, Sun Haoran sneered, “I think it’s just a coincidence. It just looks like…”
Before he could finish, Seven turned and kicked him hard in the stomach, causing him to clutch his abdomen in pain.
A nearby shopkeeper was startled by the scene. Song Gui waved at the old man and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, sir. We’re just playing around. We’re all trained, tough as nails.”
Sun Haoran, unwilling as he was, forced a smile, “Yeah, just playing around.”
The old man laughed, “Youth is wonderful!”
Lu Chu, holding Radish, wasn’t affected by Sun Haoran. Feelings don’t lie.
The dog’s subtle movements, its whimpering when being affectionate, the feel of its fur and body shape, and their familiar interactions all convinced Lu Chu that Radish was back.
At this moment, the shop owner, who was fanning himself, brought out a bucket of warm water and said to Lu Chu, “This dog is close to you, and you seem to like it. If you want to take it with you, you can wash it here. We couldn’t get near it; it barked non-stop and was very alert. It wouldn’t eat food from strangers either. It’s a good dog!”
Lu Chu saw the bucket of water and thanked the owner politely.
The owner, being generous, waved it off, “It’s just a bucket of water, nothing much.”
After thanking him several times, Lu Chu rolled up his sleeves and used a plastic scoop to wash Radish. After the wash, Radish stood in the sunlight and shook itself vigorously, sending sparkling water droplets everywhere.
The owner handed Lu Chu a towel and smiled, “You two are meant to be.”
“Thank you, I will take good care of him,” Lu Chu said with a gentle smile.
After helping to clean up, Lu Chu waved goodbye to the shop owner.
Yuan Kejie looked at Radish, sensing a special bond between the dog and Lu Chu. Recalling the owner’s kindness, she sighed, “Such a good person!”
Lu Chu patted Radish’s head, and Radish nuzzled against his palm.
A moment later, Lu Chu looked at Seven, “I want to go home and check.”
“Okay,” Seven held his hand, “we’ll go now.”
Yuan Kejie, surprised, asked, “Home?”
“Yes, I want to see if my parents are still alive,” Lu Chu said.
The others understood immediately.
Song Gui said, “Sure, let’s go. Where is ‘Lu Chu’s’ home?”
Lu Chu scratched Radish’s fur and pointed in a direction, “This way, follow me.”
Half an hour later, they arrived at “Lu Chu’s” home. A young girl opened the door when they knocked.
Seeing so many people, the girl was startled. Yuan Kejie quickly stepped forward, smiling warmly, “Don’t be afraid, we’re looking for relatives. Do you know of a family with the surname ‘Lu’ living here?”
“‘Lu’?” The girl thought for a moment and shook her head, “I haven’t heard of that surname.”
Yuan Kejie was speechless.
Lu Chu asked, “There’s no family with the surname ‘Lu’ around here?”
The girl frowned, thought hard, and shook her head again, “I really haven’t heard of it. You might want to check at the town’s police station.”
“Thank you,” Lu Chu said, and they left.
Radish quietly followed Lu Chu.
Lu Chu had a suspicion in his heart.
At the police station, the officers initially refused to provide information, but when they heard they were looking for the ‘Lu’ family, they checked and confirmed that there was no such family in the town.
None.
Hearing the expected news, Lu Chu didn’t know whether to feel disappointed. Thinking it through, it made sense; since his arrival meant the local “Lu Chu” no longer existed, there was no reason for “Lu Chu’s” parents to exist either.
What was surprising was that there wasn’t a single family with the surname ‘Lu’ in the town.
But that wasn’t their concern. Lu Chu looked towards the town’s main hospital.
With an absolute familiarity with the route, Lu Chu led the group towards the hospital. The journey was smooth, but getting into the delivery room where he was born was a challenge.
Song Gui rubbed his chin and looked at Yuan Kejie’s belly.
Yuan Kejie shuddered, “What are you planning?”
Half an hour later, Yuan Kejie, with a fake pregnant belly, was sweating profusely and clutching her stomach, shouting, “Pain! Ah! It hurts!”
Song Gui, looking anxious, supported her, “Doctor! Doctor! My wife’s about to give birth, her water broke!”
The doctors and nurses quickly brought out a stretcher, placed Yuan Kejie on it, and rushed her to the elevator. The rest of the group followed, but not everyone could fit in the elevator, so the others took the stairs.
Even Radish ran up the stairs amid the chaos.
Yuan Kejie’s acting was top-notch; she kept screaming and refused to let anyone touch her belly, making the scene very realistic.
As Yuan Kejie was wheeled into the delivery room, Lu Chu saw the room number his mother had mentioned. He slipped in behind them while the doctors were distracted by Yuan Kejie’s screams.
The moment Lu Chu stepped inside, the delivery room filled with a dazzling white light.
Everything around him stopped.
The anxious doctors and nurses, the swaying leaves outside, even the dust particles in the air were all frozen, defying the laws of physics.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
Exhausted from her performance, Yuan Kejie’s heart beat rhythmically.
As expected, Lu Chu and the other players were not affected by the freeze.
The others entered the delivery room and saw a two-meter-tall oval of pure white light, radiating a gentle warmth in front of Lu Chu.
This light might be their way out.
With excitement barely contained, Lu Chu reached out and touched the light—it was warm and soft.
The comfortable sensation made him instinctively push half his body into the light.
At that moment, Yuan Kejie screamed, “Qi Li!”
Lu Chu turned to see Seven’s hand suddenly veined and bleeding.
The white light seemed alive, moving forward on its own, almost enveloping Lu Chu. At the same time, Seven’s skin began to crack, and his chest seemed to be pierced by an invisible weapon, blood pouring out and staining his clothes. Everyone could see that Seven’s life was rapidly slipping away.
Lu Chu rushed to Seven, holding his trembling body, and they both sat down on the ground.
Lu Chu’s voice was hoarse, eyes moist, “Seven… what’s happening…”
Radish whimpered beside them.
Seven’s breathing grew weak, his face pale, barely able to move, but he spoke normally, “Enter the light and leave here.”
Lu Chu shook his head, desperately trying to stop the bleeding, but it was futile.
“Is it because of me?” Lu Chu’s voice trembled, “If I step through the light, will you die because you saved me?”
Sun Haoran, looking at the light with deep desire, glanced at Lu Chu and chuckled, “The ‘rules’ are about balance. Saving one means another must fall. So, you live, and he… doesn’t.”
Lu Chu threw a scalpel at Sun Haoran, “Get lost.”
Despite being wounded, Sun Haoran remained calm, walking towards the light, “If you want to live, go through the light. Who knows if it has a time limit.”
With that, he disappeared.
The others focused on Seven’s condition, ignoring Sun Haoran.
Lu Chu held the bleeding Seven, refusing to give up on saving him.
“Is he really beyond saving?” Song Gui asked.
Lu Chu, in a daze, murmured, “How could that be…”
Yes, how could it be. Seven had always been strong, silently supporting him. In Lu Chu’s heart, Seven was invincible.
Now, someone was telling him Seven was dying, because of him.
Lu Chu’s eyes grew wetter, for the first time showing confusion and helplessness.
Holding Seven, looking at his pale face, Lu Chu’s voice choked, “They say you’re beyond saving… but Seven, you’re invincible, right?”
Tears welled up in Lu Chu’s eyes but he held them back, clutching Seven’s sleeve and pressing on his wounds, “You’re invincible, tell them you’re invincible, right?”
Despite the excruciating pain, Seven remained calm, sweat dripping from his forehead. He gently wiped Lu Chu’s tears with a thumb, his eyes full of affection, “Yes, I am invincible.”
Lu Chu couldn’t hold back anymore, tears streaming down his face.
No one is invincible.
His Seven wasn’t either.
Seven’s weakness and vulnerability were named “Lu Chu.”
