Chapter Seventy: Crisis

At that moment, in the venue of the charity gala, the crowd broke into thunderous applause as they watched Fang Nian, alone and clinging to the chandelier, braving the seventy-degree cold wind. In everyone’s eyes, although Fang Nian had sacrificed himself for the team, his sacrifice was worthy—worthy of everyone’s respect.

Xiao Xuefeng rolled his eyes as he looked at Fang Nian, who was about to withdraw from the game ahead of time, then laughed and said, “Isn’t that guy just a handyman? If he wants to quit, he might as well admit defeat directly. Who would’ve expected him to think of such a dramatic way out? He’s really a crafty one.”

Xu Fan nodded in agreement. “Indeed. There’s no need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Looks like I’ll have to adjust my plans.”

“Plans? Are you scheming something big again?” Xiao Xuefeng teased. “The Xia family is on the rise lately. Don’t go head-to-head with them. Our Xiao family doesn’t want to lose you as an ally.”

A sly, confident smile appeared at the corner of Xu Fan’s lips. “You’ll know soon enough. Our Xu family plans to monopolize the hunting industry in District 16. How could we let someone like him get in the way? In our eyes, the Xia family is nothing more than duckweed on the water. Just wait—you’ll soon witness history unfold.”

Seeing the greed in Xu Fan’s eyes, Xiao Xuefeng couldn’t help but feel a chill and secretly reminded himself to stay wary of this man.

Just then, a spectator suddenly shouted, “Look! He’s still alive!”

Everyone looked and saw Fang Nian, who had been frozen like an ice sculpture, suddenly move his hand. His body began to twist rhythmically, and as he moved, the thin layer of ice on him started to crack and fall away.

Duan Lenghan narrowed his eyes, staring at Fang Nian and the encroaching circle of cold, as if he suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is.”

At this point, Fang Nian truly was in a miserable state from the cold. If he hadn’t previously raised his physical level to E, he would likely have frozen to death. Yet, thanks to his strong constitution, he managed to cling to a sliver of energy.

Fang Nian opened his eyes, gazing at the icy boundary drawing ever closer, and began to sway his body.

Five, four, three, two, one…

In his heart, Fang Nian counted down. Just as the cold circle was about to envelop him, he lunged forward, released the rope, and dashed toward the still-open tunnel.

But his escape was anything but smooth. In fact, it ended almost as soon as it began. His legs, numbed from the prolonged cold, could barely move—though the distance was less than ten meters, it felt like a hundred-meter sprint, nearly impossible to cross.

Cries of surprise rose from the audience.

“Huh? He’s down, but why hasn’t the tunnel door closed? Is it a bug?”

“Are you blind? Isn’t it obvious? He waited until now so that the freezing cold would freeze the chandelier’s mechanism. Then he’d have a chance to escape.”

“Oh, I see! No wonder he waited so long. He’s truly farsighted.”

Now understanding Fang Nian’s intention, many people stood up, cheering him on as he struggled towards the tunnel entrance, clinging to consciousness. Some even started shouting his name.

“Come on, boy! For his spirit, I’ll donate ten thousand Hope Coins,” shouted one older woman.

“Me too! Twenty thousand Hope Coins, just to encourage him. He’s amazing—keep going! I want to see your next performance.”

“Yes, I’ll donate twenty thousand as well.”

“I’ll give thirty thousand!”

Spurred by Fang Nian’s efforts, a wave of donations surged through the venue. Yet for Fang Nian, every step was a struggle. The ring of cold was closing in from behind, and he was still a distance from the tunnel entrance.

He didn’t know if, after the chandelier’s mechanism was disabled by the cold, the tunnel door would suddenly close. He had to get inside as quickly as possible.

But the temperature had already plunged to a terrifying minus eighty degrees. Each breath was a torment; the air felt like knives in his throat, pain threatening to rob him of consciousness. Even moving was a luxury now.

Gazing at the three meters still to go, Fang Nian felt the urge to give up, but his willpower held him together.

“No—I have to think of something. In times like this, I should… return to the origin. Yes, how could I have forgotten?”

Suddenly, Fang Nian began reciting an ancient incantation—the very Clear Mind Mantra he’d obtained in his first system quest. He knew that what was truly exhausted wasn’t his body, but his mind.

If his mind collapsed, not even the gods could save him. He had to steady his consciousness to withstand the cold.

Sure enough, after quietly reciting the Clear Mind Mantra, his mind regained some clarity, and his body became more agile.

Now, the ring of cold was almost upon him. Knowing this was his last chance, Fang Nian let out a roar, mustered all his strength, and charged forward.

This time, he made it. In just a few breaths, Fang Nian burst into the tunnel. Behind him, the chandelier mechanism shattered into icy fragments under the extreme cold.

Moments later, the tunnel entrance closed, cutting off the freezing air. Only then did Fang Nian breathe a sigh of relief and collapse on the tunnel floor, utterly spent. There was no denying it—this truly was a brush with death.

As Fang Nian finally escaped danger, the charity gala erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. Donations soared to a new peak.

Duan Lenghan nodded in satisfaction, pleased with his own judgment. The Xia family’s camp broke out in jubilant celebration, as if proclaiming to the world: this is our son-in-law.

In stark contrast, the atmosphere in the Xiao and Xu family camps was grim. Xu Fan managed to keep a smile despite his dark expression, revealing his skill at concealing emotions. Xiao Xuefeng, however, lost his temper. Seeing members of his camp cheering for Fang Nian, he flew into a rage, flinging a glass of red wine and cursing his employees.

Being an employee of the Xiao family, it seemed, was truly an ill-fated lot.

Now shielded from the cold, Fang Nian rested and gradually recovered some strength. But faced with a tunnel stretching into darkness, he had no way forward. All he could do was knock on the metal walls.

“I hope… someone can hear me.”