"Bang."

A sudden blast shook the entire ground. After that sound, there was absolute silence.

Not only was the residential building quiet, but the people downstairs were also silent.

Although the homemade bomb wasn't particularly powerful, this house was an abandoned dilapidated building that couldn't withstand much stress. With the explosion, it instantly collapsed in half.

The explosion ended, the earth stopped shaking. Shen Wanci steadied herself, looking at the ruined apartment building in front of her. She tried her best to hold her breath, but she still felt dizzy: "Bo Jingzhou..."

The police swiftly controlled Jisi Yuan, holding a megaphone towards the residential building and shouting, "Is anyone in there?"

Shen Wanci dashed straight toward the residential building.

Qin He Yi grabbed her hand: "Wan Ci, don't act rashly first. We don't know the specifics yet, and we also don't know if there are any other unexploded bombs in the building. You..."

"But Jingzhou is still inside..." Shen Wanci threw away Qin Heyi's hand. "He's still in there, he definitely needs me right now, I have to find him."

Qin Heyi frowned: "That also has to wait until the police have finished checking for danger before going."

"I've been waiting for a long time. I didn't come before because I was afraid of holding him back and ruining his plans," Shen Wanci gave him a smile that was worse than crying, "Now that things are over, it doesn't matter if we go through with it or not. It won't make any difference..."

She hesitated, not voicing the words. "I'll go take a look, He Yi. Last time I was too late, and he was taken away right under my nose. You didn't see, he's covered in scars now. So this time I can't be late. He's been exposed, Ji Siyuan won't let him go."

Looking into Shen Wanci's eyes, Qin Heyi slowly released his hand. He couldn't describe her gaze with words at this moment—worried, frightened, sorrowful, painful, but also firm in a way that made him unable to refuse.

Qin Heyi's hand relaxed halfway, then he grabbed her again, biting his lip: "I'm going with you."

"No..." Shen Wanci's "use" hadn't even left her mouth before Qin Heyi pulled her directly towards the residential building. The police were all busy and didn't notice them, and by the time they did, the two had already reached the front of the building.

Qin Heyi pointed to the most severely damaged area. Though he felt reluctant, he still said, "The explosion originated from that room with the light on. Bo Jingzhou must have been buried there."

Shen Wanci looked at the exposed, twisted steel bars and the broken concrete slabs, her eyes reddened, her breath quickening. Even though she clenched her hand tightly by her side, she couldn't stop it from trembling: "I..."

Her throat was stuck, her voice trembling. She managed to say a single word before the rest got caught in her chest.

It wasn't until long ago that she finally found her voice again, "Bo Jingzhou, I'm here to find you. Give me a sign, let me know where you are, okay?"

His voice trembled with a hint of choked emotion.

Shen Wanci waited for a long time, but there was no response at all. The last shred of support in her heart was instantly drained. She slumped and covered her face dejectedly.

The clamor of voices, the mournful howl of the wind, all drifted in every direction under the cover of night. Only Shen Wanci's side was silent, as if placed in a vacuum where no sound or movement could penetrate.

Qin Heyi looked at her with a worried face: "Wan Ci..."

Shen Wanci: “En.”

She really wanted to say she was fine, but when she opened her mouth, not a word came out. Her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making even breathing difficult.

She bent down and began to move the scattered stones, her movements mechanical but very quick.

Shen Wanci had never done hard labor. Her palms were delicate, and the cement blocks were large and heavy, some even with steel bars attached. After moving just a few, her palms were blistered with blood.

Qin Heyi couldn't stand it anymore, he grabbed her hand: "You can't move like this. It won't budge. Many of the stones are connected with steel bars, there's no way to move them. The fire department is on its way, they have professional tools and professionals, they will be faster than you using brute force."

"Mm." She wriggled out of Qin Heyi's grasp and continued moving the concrete blocks she could.

Qin Heyi saw the dark red blood above, but Shen Wanci didn't seem to feel any pain. She continued to mechanically move the stones back and forth. He bit his cheek hard and reached for the woman's slender arm again: "Wanci..."

Shen Wanci was pulled by him, unable to continue moving bricks. She lowered her head: "So I have to stand here and wait?"

When she lifted her head again, her face was covered in tears, but her voice remained steady: “He’s down there. He may be injured, unconscious, or unable to speak. Every minute that passes is consuming his life, and I'm here, Helit. There's nothing I can do but wait. I can't lose him again.”

She spoke very softly, but Qin Heyi still heard her. At this moment, he didn't know what he felt in his heart, "I just want to say, I can help you move. Can you not be so eager to stab my heart with a knife? At least let me finish speaking."

He bent over with all his might, hauling bricks: “I was already a little shaky from driving so fast just now. Now you’ve made me furious and drained my energy. If you want me to do hard labor, just say it. Don’t cry in front of me.”

There was something he didn't say, a time bomb that could have ripped him apart. Even if they unearthed it, Thin Jingzhou would be nothing more than a corpse in the center of the blast.

"Thank you."

"Words are easy, when we get Bo Jingzhou out, you have to treat me to a meal."

"Okay, Jingzhou and I will treat you."

Qin Heyi: "Shut up, even if I carry bricks all day it won't shut you up. It's not tiring at all. If Bo Jingzhou invited me, I would have to eat his lavish meals for three days and three nights, I wouldn't let him go bankrupt! That's the least he can do to repay my hard work today."

"Good."

Human resources are limited after all, and those concrete blocks are all connected with steel bars. They also have to worry about secondary collapses. Until the fire truck arrives, they have only moved a small pile.

The firefighters arrived and, with their professional cutting tools, got to work quickly. Shen Wanci stepped aside, and Gu Chenye was there too, smoking a cigarette. Seeing her lost and distraught appearance, he surprisingly soothed her: "Ji Siyuan won't let Jingzhou die. Since he chose this place as a transit point on his escape route, he must have made preparations beforehand. Perhaps he dug tunnels or something. Don't worry."

Shen Wanci looked at the ruins in front of her: "He has many wounds on him."

"Gu Chenye didn't unbutton his clothes to check for injuries again. How could he know if there were any on him?"

"Last time it was being beaten, forcefully hypnotized. If he is taken away by Ji Siyuan again this time, and the two of them tear each other apart, what will he suffer?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the group of excavators: "Slow down, slow down, there's someone over there, but he seems to have no vital signs."

(Editor in charge:the handmaid's tale a novel)