"Don't worry, we'll be safe. You'll be my wife from now on, and I'll treat you well."
The man continued speaking, his eyes growing more infatuated.
At this moment, Wang Yue crept to the rooftop.
The instant he peeked through the door, he swung the steel pipe in his hand, only to hit air. There was nothing.
Wang Yue breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously moved towards the wall, where there was a blind spot. He worried that the fugitive might be lying in ambush for him there.
Wang Yue felt his scalp tingle, his heart pounding. The thought of facing a murderer made him, who had never even killed a chicken in his past life, want to retreat.
"Nothing."
After checking the blind spot, Wang Yue found no one.
He then thought for a moment and directly climbed to a vantage point on the rooftop, from where he could survey the entire area.
After a quick scan, Wang Yue saw no one.
"Could the system's intel be wrong?"
Wang Yue quickly dismissed the thought.
There must be some detail he had missed.
With this in mind, Wang Yue scanned the rooftop again.
"Wait, why is the stone on the water tank covered?"
Wang Yue's heart skipped a beat, a guess forming in his mind.
The large stone by the water tank was usually just placed aside, and no one ever moved it. Now, it was moved to almost cover the opening, leaving only a small gap.
"The fugitive is probably hiding in there."
Wang Yue thought about it and came up with a brilliant plan. All he needed to do was to step forward, completely cover the opening with the stone, and then call the police. He could just stand on the stone, and the fugitive wouldn't be able to get out.
"It seems the system is benevolent. This situation is a godsend."
Wang Yue grinned.
But just then, the system's voice spoke.
"Host, please note that this fugitive is holding a hostage. If cornered, the hostage's life will be in danger."
"?"
Wang Yue, who had been feeling happy, became despondent upon hearing the system's words.
So, not only did he have to deal with the fugitive, but he also had to rescue a hostage?
Wang Yue wasn't a saint, but if his actions led to the hostage's death, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life.
"My best bet now is to wait and see. The fugitive is hiding in there and will eventually come out. I'll just give him a good whack then."
Wang Yue had his plan in mind.
So he climbed down from the vantage point and tiptoed towards the water tank.
Wang Yue intended to hide by the opening of the water tank and give the fugitive a blow to the head the moment he poked his head out.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
But as Wang Yue approached the water tank, a problem arose.
The tile there had cracked due to age and disrepair!
"Crack!"
Wang Yue's foot almost sank into the crack. The sound was loud, and the fugitive inside the water tank must have heard it.
"What now?"
Wang Yue froze, his mind racing for a solution.
Inside the water tank at this moment.
The man's pupils contracted, and he picked up the large cleaver placed beside him, listening intently to the sounds outside.
"Mmph, mmph..."
Hearing the noise, the woman began to squirm frantically. Unfortunately, her mouth was gagged, and the sounds she made were not loud.
"If you move again, I'll kill you."
The man looked at the woman with a cold expression, completely devoid of his earlier infatuation.
The woman, terrified, quieted down.
"Mom, did you collect the quilt? I can't find mine?"
"You didn't tell me earlier, making me run for nothing. And this broken tile is cracked."
"Okay, okay, don't rush me, I'll be back for dinner."
The man relaxed slightly upon hearing the voice outside.
This voice sounded like a young man, probably on the phone.
However, the man didn't completely let down his guard until the voice outside faded away. Then, he put down the large cleaver.
"I can't stay in this hellhole anymore. I'll move tonight."
The man muttered to himself.
The sliver of hope that had just risen in the woman's heart was extinguished, her eyes turning ashen.
She couldn't imagine what awaited her, and every minute she spent felt like torture.
Wang Yue returned to the stairwell, his back already drenched in cold sweat.
"I wonder if I managed to fool the fugitive."
Wang Yue knew he couldn't go back to the water tank again. If he made any more noise, his efforts might be in vain.
He looked around at his surroundings and changed his mind.
There were many杂物 (miscellaneous items) piled up here. If he hid among them, combined with the darkness of the night, it would be easy to ambush.
Checking the time, it was already 7 PM, but the sky outside was still bright.
In summer, it usually gets dark late, typically not completely until eight or nine o'clock.
"If I were the fugitive, I would definitely wait until it was dead quiet before going out to forage or escape."
Wang Yue thought and decided to go back and have dinner first, so as not to worry his parents.
He hid the steel pipe among the杂物 (miscellaneous items) to prevent anyone from finding and taking it if they came up.
Back home, his parents had already returned.
Pan Huiying was stir-frying, and Wang Jianguo had turned on the TV to watch "Journey to the West."
"My boy is back."
Wang Jianguo smiled upon seeing Wang Yue and said, "Come quickly and keep your old dad company watching Journey to the West."
"Oh, is this the part where they fight the White Bone Demon three times?"
Wang Yue sat down and glanced at the screen.
"Yes, yes, it's at a crucial moment."
...
After watching some TV with his father, Wang Jianguo, and having dinner, Wang Yue told them, "Mom and Dad, I'm going to a classmate's house to catch up on lessons later, so I'll be back a bit late."
"Is it a male classmate or a female classmate? I'm telling you, Wang Yue, you're in your third year of high school now. No early dating, just focus on getting into a good university."
Pan Huiying said with a stern face.
"Of course, it's a male classmate. Don't worry, Mom, I'm focused on my studies right now and have no interest in romance."
Wang Yue quickly replied.
In his heart, he thought, "I wonder who it is that expects me to bring a girlfriend home when I go to college, otherwise I'm not allowed to enter the house."
At 8:30 PM, the sky had completely darkened. Wang Yue went out right on time.
He then quietly returned to the rooftop to check the water tank. Seeing that it was still the same, he felt relieved and went back to the stairwell.
The stairwell was very dark, and there were no lights on the rooftop. To avoid exposing himself, Wang Yue didn't even use his phone.
After some thought, Wang Yue turned off his phone as well, to avoid any mishaps at a critical moment.
In the darkness, Wang Yue could only hear his own breathing and the occasional noise from downstairs.
He waited like this for two hours, feeling like he had fed the mosquitoes on the rooftop enough.
"Screeeech..."
Just then, Wang Yue heard the sound of stone rubbing.
"They're coming!"
Wang Yue's heart began to pound again. He gripped the steel pipe, his eyes sharp.