The situation was so dire I felt like even if I had five legs I couldn't have reached the children in time. I could only stand by the roadside and shout, "Get out of there!"

The people around me finally noticed the kids in the middle of the road when they heard my cry, all drawing sharp breaths.

But it was too late anyway. The children remained motionless, staring at the dump truck with vacant eyes.

There were no supermen or kungfu heroes to save the day - such miracles rarely happen in real life.

A wave of despair washed over me as I wished desperately for a miracle that would make the car swerve suddenly.

Just then, without any warning, the wires above my head began crackling loudly.

Looking up, I saw sparks flying from the overhead power lines with a hissing sound. A closer inspection revealed one utility pole had collapsed, yanking down all the wires in a cacophony of snapping cables.

Less than half a second later, the pole crashed to the ground just short of the children, splashing mud that instantly drenched them into three little muddles.

The dump truck's driver slammed on his brakes as he saw the falling pole. The vehicle skidded forward five meters before colliding with the fallen pole, its front wheels sliding and shoving it right up to the children's feet where it finally stopped.

The headlights were nearly touching the tip of the first child's nose when the truck finally halted.

For a moment everything seemed frozen in time. People's breaths, murmurs and gasps disappeared entirely. Even the two pigeons perched on the opposite rooftop stood motionless like clay statues watching the scene below.

Only the sparking cable dangling before me proved the world was still turning.

After what felt like ten long seconds, a child's crying shattered the silence.

A woman suddenly sprinted from the sidewalk, completely ignoring her children's mud-covered state as she scooped each one up and carried them to safety.

Meanwhile, the dump truck driver got out of his cab. But this middle-aged man didn't even check if he'd hit anyone - only whether his vehicle was damaged.

This enraged everyone nearby, creating an instant cacophony of accusations, curses and sobbing.

Chinese people love crowds, but I've always been socially awkward in these situations. As long as the kids were alive, that was all that mattered to me. Whether he got beaten up or had to pay damages didn't matter at all.

I pushed through the commotion toward deeper streets. Passing by the three children, I knelt down and told one of the bigger girls, "Don't play with mud in the middle of roads anymore - it's dangerous."

I wasn't expecting any response from the two-year-old who'd just gone through such a terrifying experience.

Yet to my surprise, she looked up at me with wide eyes and said, "Thank you for saving us, big brother. I saw how you knocked over that pole to stop the truck."

My pupils dilated in shock as I stared at her. What nonsense - I hadn't done anything!

I'd just wished silently for the car to turn away.

Could it be...

Looking down at my hands made me feel utterly disbelieving.

Noticing no one had heard the child's words, I ruffled her hair and said, "It must have been a misunderstanding, little sister. Just promise me you'll stay off the road from now on."

She nodded and stopped crying.

Standing up, I continued examining my trembling hands while walking deeper into the alley.

The crowd's noise gradually faded as I turned a corner toward what seemed like a decent small hotel.

"Any single rooms?" I asked the counter boy.

He answered in northern Shaanxi accent: "Yes! Eighty yuan per day, includes hot water and internet."

Satisfied with the price, I asked him, "Can you show me the room?"

"Of course," he smiled, taking out keys to lead me up to a sunny second-floor room.

It had a clean bed, TV, bathroom and no unpleasant odors. I said, "I'll take it." Then hesitated, "But... I don't have my ID card."

"That's fine," the boy replied cheerfully. "If you can remember your ID number that works too."

After providing Nie Chuan's ID which would never be verified anyway, I paid 200 yuan deposit and received the key.

As I was closing the door he returned with a smile clearly meaning to recommend something else.

"Hey," he said, "you look like a movie star in those designer clothes. Since you're here specifically for... opportunities? The hairdressers at nearby salons are too old for me to introduce. Here's my card - call this number and you'll get student services around five or six hundred per night."

Despite the awkwardness of his enthusiastic offer, I couldn't refuse politely and thanked him.

Closing the door behind me, I looked at the business card with ** Student Services** printed on it.

Student girls doing such work wasn't exactly surprising these days. I sighed and tossed the card aside before sitting down to think.

Wearing designer clothes here was definitely inappropriate - especially since I'd be working construction tomorrow where cheap clothes were necessary.

Without delay, I opened the door again and walked along the street until spotting a sports wear store with decent quality for around 100 yuan per set.

Sure enough, I bought a blue tracksuit set for 100 yuan and rushed back to my hotel room.

Removing the designer suit revealed something falling from my pocket - that black horseshoe crab.

Almost forgetting about it entirely until now, I checked if it was dead after so long without water.

Cutting open half a bottle of mineral water and tossing it in made its mouth edges move slightly - still alive!

To my relief, I noticed all the white spots on its body had vanished completely when examining the bottle.

Frowning at this revelation, I muttered to myself: "If one illusion removes a spot each time... that means this creature has already created seven illusions and yet I never realized!"

Could it be...

I suddenly recalled something important and rushed downstairs in my tracksuit toward where the pole had fallen.

When I saw electricians repairing the damage there, I felt an uneasy smile.

I'd thought the falling pole might have been a hallucination - that once the illusion passed the pole would return to normal. But clearly not.

Feeling frustrated, I turned back only to realize my stomach was growling with hunger. Fortunately there were many noodle shops nearby where 10 yuan could fill me up nicely.

Sliding into a Lanzhou Hand-pulled Noodle restaurant, I idly played on my phone while planning how to sell the designer suit for some quick cash - at least getting several thousand yuan was possible if someone recognized its value.

Just then, a girl in a light blue dress walked slowly through the door.

My eyes widened immediately as her long hair flowed with each step and her large expressive eyes held an innocent charm with just the right touch of playful mischief in that perfectly shaped face. I quickly looked away out of politeness after three seconds...

But those three seconds were enough to see she was looking at me too.

Though not blushing, I still felt uneasy about our brief eye contact. I kept glancing at my phone then back at her - a typical male habit when trying to appear nonchalant.

To my surprise, she sat right across from me at the opposite table, making direct eye contact again within less than a second before quickly averting hers.

Somehow "Student Girl Services" flashed through my mind and my face turned red instantly. Fortunately she seemed accustomed to being stared at since her gaze didn't linger long enough for her to notice my embarrassment.

With her sitting in front of me, I couldn't concentrate on the phone anymore, constantly glancing over as if drawn by an invisible force.

"She must have a boyfriend," I thought to myself. "And she's probably waiting here for him now - either a bookish type or maybe a trendy guy with a buzzcut."

Sure enough, after ten minutes her eyes kept checking the phone like someone was supposed to call any minute.

Losing interest immediately since it would be rude to continue staring at someone who already had company, I prepared to leave.

Though the thought of approaching her never crossed my mind even if she were single, I still felt a strange sense of disappointment common to all men in such situations.

But as I was about to give up entirely, an old man with thick glasses and a stocky build that reminded me of Zhiwei suddenly sat beside her. His leering behavior and familiar touching gestures made it clear why she looked so distressed - this wasn't her boyfriend at all but some kind of customer instead.

Though he didn't wear designer clothes or jewelry, his body language alone confirmed my suspicions about the "Student Services" card still echoing in my mind.

Horrified by how he was treating her, I paid for half my noodles and stood up abruptly.

She looked over at me as I got up. Our eyes met briefly but she clearly showed her reluctant discomfort mixed with innocence that made my heart twist.

Even though I couldn't change the entire situation, I felt compelled to stop this particular instance of suffering regardless of consequences.

Checking my wallet still had 300 yuan left from hotel deposit and buying new clothes - far short of what he would probably have paid but enough for now.

Returning to their table in the noodle shop, I slapped down 300 yuan before the old man could react and grabbed her wrist saying, "I don't care how much you charge him. This woman comes with me at three hundred!"

I walked quickly away so he couldn't follow us through several alleys until reaching a secluded spot.

Looking back at her, she was silently crying now.

As always when seeing girls cry I felt completely lost for words and stammered, "N-nothing bad will happen. I won't hurt you."

Wiping tears with her sleeve, she asked, "What hotel are you staying at?"

I released her hand immediately, saying, "I-I wasn't thinking about that at all! You don't need to come to my hotel. I just didn't want you dealing with him..."

Seeing the continuous flow of tears down her cheeks, I added, "I know you have your own reasons for doing this work. I'm broke and can't help much, but my sense of justice won't let me stand by while someone treats you like that."

She wiped her eyes again and said, "Okay then."

Then she turned away walking backward with the words, "But be careful - he's not a regular customer you think. If you're staying nearby, leave immediately before something bad happens."

Watching her retreating figure I had nothing to say.

Though she'd left willingly to escape that man, my purpose of helping was accomplished enough for now.

Any potential threats or retaliation from others didn't matter - I already knew death wasn't as scary after having died once before.

Feeling a bit foolish about forgetting to pay for my noodles, I returned to the shop only to be pushed out by an anxious owner who said, "Don't come back here! Get lost before Tongs boss's men find you!"

He shoved me out the door while explaining the woman was Tongs' mistress and that giving her 300 yuan like it was charity would definitely invite trouble.

Slightly angry at being called a fool in this suburban Beijing area, I placed my six yuan on the table saying, "Here's your money. If they come looking for me tell them I'm room 204 at Jiajia Hotel."

He continued pushing me out while warning about the dangers of interfering with someone else's private affairs.

After walking away and giving him a wave, I returned to my hotel room feeling regretful about revealing my address when it seemed Tongs might indeed be some kind of local thug boss.

Though Beijing had always been known for its organized crime networks, I didn't expect such lowlife elements in the suburbs either.

Lying on ** with the TV playing mindless programming, I began eating Japanese fermented fish I'd brought from Japan to feed my horseshoe crab before showering and preparing to sleep.

Despite daytime street noise, it was relatively quiet by 10pm. Watching TV until falling asleep without even turning it off, I suddenly woke at 3:50am to loud knocks on the door.

My survival instincts remained sharp from years of tomb exploration - waking instantly within a second as always happened during dangerous situations in ruins and ancient tombs.

I thought for a moment and realized no one else could possibly be involved except Mr. Tong.

After a quick search through the room, I surprisingly found a steel rod used to prop open the door.

Holding the rod in my hand without saying a word, I pushed the door open.

The person standing outside made me gasp in shock - it was that blue-clad girl. Her eyes widened in alarm at seeing me, and when she noticed the steel rod in my grip, her face paled even more.

I quickly concealed the metal bar, stammering, "You..."

She seemed to regain composure, wiping tears from her cheeks before saying, "So this is where you live. Come inside, please... that old man - Mr. Tong has been chasing me, threatening to kill me! Will you let me hide here for a while?"