THE moment the car smashed through the guardrail, the front airbags deployed with explosive force. The sudden impact of the airbags was immediately followed by the sensation of free-falling, plummeting at a terrifying speed.

　　Su Manhua’s chin throbbed from the airbag’s hit, and it felt like all the air in her lungs had been squeezed out. The rapid descent made her stomach churn, and fear gripped her heart, but she could only bite her lips hard to endure the pain.

　　“Stay alert!” Ding Yi shouted at her, similarly restrained by the airbag. The real challenge was yet to come; they might very well meet their end here.

　　Stay alert? Go along with you! If she wasn’t feeling so awful and afraid that opening her mouth would result in losing her recently eaten dinner, she would have screamed at him.

　　Just as Su Manhua thought she couldn’t hold on any longer, the car landed with a splash in the raging river, sending a massive wave of water into the air. Within seconds, the car was completely submerged.

　　The impact disoriented Su Manhua, leaving her dazed and struggling to regain her senses. It wasn’t until Ding Yi punctured the airbag that she snapped out of her stupor.

　　Before she could express her frustration, Ding Yi grabbed her shoulder forcefully.

　　“Listen, the car is sinking. We need to get out. You have to stay focused and follow my lead. Can you do that?” he quickly asked.

　　Su Manhua shook off her daze and nodded. She vowed to punch him in the face once they were safe. But for now, she had no choice but to rely on him.

　　Ding Yi swiftly retrieved an emergency rope from beside his seat. He quickly tied one end around Su Manhua’s waist and the other around his own. Then, he grabbed the window-breaking axe and began smashing it against the car window with all his strength.

　　The outside water pressure was immense. Despite Ding Yi’s strength, it took over ten strikes to break through the window.

　　Fortunately, Ding Yi’s quick reaction and fast actions allowed him to break the window soon after the car submerged. Had the car sunk any deeper, they might have been doomed to a watery grave.

　　“Take a deep breath now!” Ding Yi instructed, securing the window-breaking axe to his waist.

　　Su Manhua obediently did as she was told.

　　Water rapidly filled the car. Ding Yi swam out through the broken window and then reached back to pull Su Manhua out.

　　With his help, Su Manhua easily swam out of the car.

　　She thought escaping the car meant they were safe, but once outside, she realized the dire situation they were in.

　　The swift current forced them to surface for air. The water was so turbulent that it was impossible to stay in one place. As soon as they surfaced, the strong current swept them away.

　　Unprepared for the ferocity of the current, Su Manhua lost control, flailing and grabbing at the water in a panic. She therefore swallowed several mouthfuls of river water, which made her breathing difficult.

　　“Ah…no…help!” she said in panic, her words breaking.

　　For knowing she could swim, Ding Yi hadn’t been paying close attention to her. Distracted for just a moment, he saw her nearly go under.

　　He grabbed the rope and pulled Su Manhua towards him. Clinging to him like a lifeline, she held onto Ding Yi’s arm tightly.

　　After a violent cough, she choked on several mouthfuls of water. She had never imagined she’d go through something like this in her entire life!

　　“Don’t panic! Try your best to relax your body. Think about how you float in a swimming pool,” Ding Yi instructed.

　　“I-I can’t,” she whimpered, the terror of nearly drowning still gripping her heart.

　　Twilight had not yet fully set in, allowing Ding Yi to observe their surroundings and gauge the environment of the gorge.

　　“Look, the gorge is flanked by cliffs on both sides. The current is too strong for us to reach the shore right now. We need to conserve our energy and wait for a chance to get to the bank. Struggling against the current is futile,” he calmly analyzed the current situation.

　　Su Manhua’s body remained tense. She knew this wasted energy, but the recent near-drowning experience had left her shaken.

　　“I’ll try my best,” she summoned up the courage and said.

　　“You weren’t supposed to go through this, I’m sorry,” Ding Yi said, feeling guilty. If it weren’t for him, Su Manhua would probably never have faced such danger in her life.

　　“It’s not your fault,” she replied, recognizing his attempt to distract her and help her relax. “But honestly, if the steering wheel was malfunctioning, why didn’t you stop the car?”

　　“The brakes failed,” he replied.

　　Su Manhua was speechless. How likely was it for both the steering wheel and brakes to fail simultaneously? If she survived this, she would definitely buy a lottery ticket.

　　“I could have used the handbrake to stop the car, but there was a fully loaded trailer right behind us. With the steering wheel malfunctioning, stopping in the middle of the road would have had disastrous consequences,” he continued.

　　Though she had acclimated to the water temperature and was no longer cold, imagining the potential aftermath of such a scenario made Su Manhua shudder. The trailer would have crushed them into pulp.

　　She tightened her grip on Ding Yi's arm, realizing that it was his careful thinking that had saved her life. Unconsciously, she began to rely on him more.

　　Using the current, Ding Yi swam forward, pulling Su Manhua along with him.

　　“What are you doing?” she asked.

　　Without answering, Ding Yi swam quickly toward a dark object floating on the river. Only when they got closer did Su Manhua see that it was a piece of driftwood.

　　“Given the topography of this gorge, it’s impossible to reach the shore anytime soon. We need to conserve our energy,” he explained. The sheer rock walls on either side of the river stretched endlessly forward, creating a narrow, confined waterway.

　　“Do you still have your phone?” Su Manhua asked, knowing hers had been lost in the chaos.

　　She desperately hoped for a reassuring answer. In this situation, seeking help was better than waiting helplessly. Who knew if they might end up facing a waterfall?

　　“The phone was with me when we left the car, but I don’t know when I lost it,” Ding Yi replied.

　　Clinging to the driftwood made Su Manhua feel slightly more at ease, but hearing Ding Yi’s answer weighed heavily on her heart. Strangely enough, she still believed that Ding Yi would get them out of this danger.

　　Noticing her silence, Ding Yi tried to comfort her, “There’s always a way out. We’ll find a chance to get to shore.”

　　Su Manhua perked up and nodded at him. This was not the time for anyone to lose hope.

　　They drifted along with the driftwood for an unknown amount of time. As the night grew darker, the moon rose, slowly illuminating their surroundings. The water, however, did not slow down; instead, it seemed to rush even faster.

　　By the moonlight, Ding Yi spotted a patch of forest on the distant shore. The terrain wasn’t high, and their chances of making it ashore seemed promising.

　　Su Manhua saw it too and felt a surge of hope, but then she heard a distant, roaring sound of rushing water. A bad feeling crept over her.

　　“What’s that noise?” she asked in horror.

　　“It’s better if you don’t know.” replied Ding Yi. He’s expression grew more serious. That patch of forest might be their last chance.

　　Su Manhua’s arms were so sore and numb from clinging to the driftwood that her hands slipped, causing her to sink into the water. Ding Yi let go of the driftwood and dove in after her, pulling her up and supporting her on his shoulder.

　　“Hold on, I’ll get you to shore soon.”

　　Su Manhua knew it was a waterfall. She realized she would only drag him down. If they kept going like this, neither of them would survive.

　　“Let go of me. Don’t worry about me,” she said.

　　Ding Yi didn’t respond. Instead, he took the emergency window breaker axe from his back and handed it to her, saying, “Hold this for me.”

　　He pulled Su Manhua behind him, untied the rope around his waist, and tied it around both of them. Then he secured the axe to the other end of the rope and handed it back to her.

　　In the tumultuous waters, executing these actions was incredibly difficult, but Ding Yi completed each step methodically, as if he had practiced it countless times.

　　Clinging to his back, Su Manhua watched him struggle to get them closer to the shore. Tears welled up and spilled over, falling in streams onto his shoulders.

　　However, Ding Yi seemed oblivious.

　　With the waterfall now less than a hundred meters away, Ding Yi took the axe.

　　“Don’t cry. We won’t know if we can live or die until we’ve fought for it!” he said firmly.

　　With that, he hurled the axe towards the gnarled tree trunk on the shore. The axe struck the tree firmly.

　　It hit! Su Manhua couldn’t believe it. The rope held them.

　　Ding Yi tightened the rope, pulling them a few meters closer to the shore, but the axe’s grip on the tree trunk couldn't bear their combined weight for long. It soon came loose, and they were swept away by the rushing water again.

　　As he stabilized himself, Ding Yi quickly retrieved the rope and the axe. Su Manhua tensed up, helping him pull in the rope from behind.

　　They were now less than thirty meters from the waterfall.

　　Ding Yi kept pulling in the rope rapidly, his hands moving like lightning.

　　Twenty meters!

　　Ten meters!

　　Finally, Su Manhua saw Ding Yi retrieve the axe and throw it again. The deafening roar of the waterfall pounded in their ears.

　　At that moment, the current pushed them over the edge of the waterfall!

　　As they hung in the air, the tension that had kept Su Manhua together snapped. Her body felt weightless, as if she were soaring into the clouds.