Just as Zhao Yujian was forcing the two girls to make a choice between one or the other, Li Yundong took a deep breath and sprinted toward the wall of the teaching building.

Since the two girls were standing at the back of the building and Zhao Yujian was a meter or two away from the edge of the rooftop, Zhao Yujian couldn't see Li Yundong's movements at all.

With every stride Li Yundong took, the students below the building faintly perceived a strange illusion, as if the very ground was subtly shaking under the force of his steps.

Li Yundong felt a surge of boiling, fervent energy rush upward with each impact of his thigh against the ground. This power enabled him to complete his sprint in the shortest possible time. Then, using the momentum, he ran vertically up the wall for over three meters, took a step with each foot, launched himself upward with a sudden leap, and grasped the windowsill of the second floor with both hands.

The teachers and students watching tensely below the building all broke out in a cold sweat, and the arriving school administrators were utterly panicked. They knew that if such a terrible incident occurred on their campus, none of them would escape blame.

What chilled them most was the realization that if either of the two girls on the roof jumped, their careers—their very lives—would be over.

"Who is that boy climbing up?" A teacher exclaimed in shock upon seeing Li Yundong’s agile ascent.

"What is he trying to do?"

"It looks like he's trying to save them," two teachers whispered to each other.

"Nonsense! Tell him to come down immediately!" Principal Ke stomped his foot and roared, "Does he think he’s some kind of savior?"

"Shhh! Principal Ke, keep your voice down! If the lunatic hears you, it will be disastrous! That student is already on the third floor; it's too late to call him down now!"

"Yes, let's just pray, heavens above!"

As they spoke, Li Yundong rapidly climbed another level. He used both hands and feet, moving with the agility of a leopard, leaving the onlookers below stunned into silence.

With every floor Li Yundong vaulted upward, some of the female students let out soft gasps of surprise.

Chris and John watched him with wide eyes. Chris murmured, "My God, does he think he’s Superman?"

John, watching Li Yundong anxiously, replied, "No, he clearly thinks he’s Spider-Man."

Just as Li Yundong was rapidly approaching the roof, the situation on the rooftop suddenly shifted.

Zhao Yujian's words caused the two girls, who already harbored hidden resentments, to quickly move slightly apart, eyeing each other with suspicion and hostility.

Zhao Yujian, acting as the director of this terrible scene, couldn't help but laugh maniacally. Now that Li Yundong no longer exerted any pressure or threat, the intoxicating pleasure of controlling others' lives flooded back into him.

Zhao Yujian shouted in a frenzy, "Weren't you two the best of friends? Hurry up and choose—who dies and who lives?"

Zhou Qin subtly frowned, biting her lip. She reached out a hand toward Ding Nan, who immediately shrieked hysterically, "Don't come near me!"

Zhou Qin said softly, "Ding Nan, you are a smart person. You must know that if I die, you won't live either—it will mean both of us die together. If I live, I will ensure your family is well taken care of; they will live lives you couldn't have imagined before..."

Ding Nan trembled, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Zhou Qin. Ding Nan herself was a beautiful girl, with a delicate oval face, a slender figure, skin as white as jade, and soft, exquisite features. Seeing her cry now even elicited a flicker of pity from the frenzied Zhao Yujian.

But Zhou Qin’s expression remained unchanged; she simply stared intently at Ding Nan.

Ding Nan’s mind was in chaos. She didn't know how to choose. No matter how assertive or sharp-tongued she usually was, it couldn't change the fact that she was not yet twenty years old.

She wanted to grit her teeth and drag Zhou Qin down with her, but Zhou Qin's words pierced her like cold steel. Yet, she didn't want to die. Thus, besides weeping, Ding Nan had no other viable option.

Zhao Yujian grew impatient waiting. He hissed, "How long are you going to dawdle!"

Zhou Qin’s heart tightened, and she couldn't help but step forward.

Ding Nan immediately let out a sharp scream, "Don't come closer!" As she spoke, she stepped back, her heel catching the edge of the rooftop. Her ankle twisted, and her body lurched!

In that instant, Ding Nan felt the world violently invert and tilt. Zhou Qin’s figure receded from her bit by bit. In the moment she fell, the girl’s eyes showed regret and sorrow.

But it was too late.

Ding Nan’s heart seemed to stop beating. Her body was suddenly engulfed by a terrifying sensation of weightlessness, washing over her like a tide!

"I’m dying, am I going to die?" Ding Nan’s pupils contracted sharply. A thought of absolute despair flashed through her mind as the colorful world instantly turned ashen gray.

But just as she began to fall, Ding Nan suddenly felt an incredibly strong arm wrap around her.

When Li Yundong reached the fourth floor, he suddenly saw a dark shape fall past him. Without a second thought, he lunged out, catching the shape in his arms.

His body spun once in the air to adjust his balance, and he landed squarely on both feet with a thud, striking the ground like a meteorite crash.

The people below let out a collective gasp.

Chris and John both widened their eyes: "Jesus Christ, is he alright?"

Ding Nan had assumed she was doomed, but unexpectedly, someone caught her mid-air. And this person had jumped from a height of over four stories while holding her, yet he was unharmed!

Ding Nan stared blankly up at the young man before her, his eyebrows thick and dark, his nose bridge prominent, his lips firmly pressed together, and his eyebrows angled sharply like two swords slashing toward his temples.

Wasn't this Li Yundong, whom she had once humiliated?

Why was he saving her?

In her confused state, Ding Nan completely overlooked the most crucial question: How could he save her?

Most of the people present also largely ignored this point; they were all simply stunned and filled with awe by the bravery and decisiveness Li Yundong showed in that split second of aerial rescue.

The ashen world in Ding Nan's eyes slowly began to regain its color. She looked at Li Yundong dazedly, and a wave of shame suddenly washed over her. She threw her arms around Li Yundong's bicep and burst into loud sobs.

Li Yundong, focused and resolute in the moment of saving her, was left somewhat helpless by the crying girl once the rescue was complete.

Just as he was about to offer words of comfort, he heard another collective cry of alarm from the surrounding crowd.

Li Yundong looked up to see Zhao Yujian standing at the very edge of the rooftop, holding a gun to Zhou Qin.

Zhao Yujian looked at the girl who remained calm even under the threat of a gun, a woman of breathtaking beauty and graceful stature. He thought to himself: She must be a peerless beauty like Bao Si of ancient times? What a pity that I am not even King You of Zhou, who lost his kingdom over a single smile from her. In her eyes, I must seem like nothing more than a clown.

Zhao Yujian said with a bitter laugh, "You are truly venomous, forcing your best friend to her death..."

Zhou Qin tilted her head slightly, perhaps still clinging to a shred of kindness, unable to face the grim reality. A hint of desolation crossed her eyes: "I have no friends, and she was not my friend."

Zhou Qin’s single sentence choked Zhao Yujian, leaving him breathless. He gasped a few times, preparing to speak, when suddenly a loud shout echoed from the direction of the stairwell entrance to the roof: "Zhao Yujian, calm down!"

Zhao Yujian turned and saw Principal Ke and the other school administrators watching him nervously.

The administrators who had reached the roof now realized with horror and shock that the girl in front of Zhao Yujian was Zhou Qin!

They knew a little, or perhaps a great deal, about this girl's background and connections!

If this girl died on school grounds, what terrifying repercussions awaited them?

The thought made the administrators, whose legs felt weak, struggle to take a step forward, pleading in voices that were almost supplications: "Zhao Yujian, calm down! We can discuss this reasonably!"

Seeing them approach, Zhao Yujian immediately pointed the gun at them, shouting fearfully, "Stop! Don't come any closer!"

Zhou Qin saw Zhao Yujian’s muzzle shift away from her, and she was so close. A profoundly daring thought suddenly sparked in her mind!

Zhou Qin lunged forward suddenly, grabbing Zhao Yujian's gun-holding hand. The two immediately became entangled.

The school officials at the rooftop entrance quickly rushed forward. As Zhao Yujian saw them close in, his body tensed, his finger tightened on the trigger, and BANG! a gunshot rang out. A teacher cried out and collapsed onto the ground. The surrounding teachers flinched simultaneously and then lay prone, daring not to move again.

Zhou Qin, drawing on some unknown source of courage and strength, sneered at Zhao Yujian, "You're out of bullets!"

Zhao Yujian stared fixedly at Zhou Qin, his expression extremely complicated. He couldn't tell if he admired her courage to fight back in this life-or-death situation or if he was stunned by her composure.

Zhao Yujian suddenly grinned, saying, "Then let's die together..."

Saying this, he grabbed Zhou Qin and leaped outward with a powerful thrust!

The teachers on the roof watched the two figures disappear over the edge. They were instantly filled with despair. In that moment, it felt as if all their life dreams and pursuits had shattered into fragments—houses, cars, children, wives—it was all over.

The instant Li Yundong saw the two figures falling from the roof, his pupils contracted sharply. He violently broke free from Ding Nan’s embrace and sprinted toward one of the falling figures, catching one of them with both hands.

The sun was directly overhead in the sky, and the blinding glare made it impossible for Li Yundong, looking up, to discern the identities of the two falling figures. He acted purely on instinct, catching one of them.

When Li Yundong had landed with Ding Nan earlier, it was because he had adjusted his center of gravity, allowing his strong, thick leg bones and muscles to absorb the impact force generated by the combined weight and gravitational acceleration of both bodies.

But how thick are one's thighs compared to how thick one's arms are?

This immense shockwave slammed into Li Yundong. Even with his Golden Core-reforged body, he couldn't withstand it completely. With a sharp crack, both his arms instantly dislocated, but fortunately, he fell to the ground, using the momentum to dissipate some of the force.

As Li Yundong hit the ground, a dull thud sounded nearby—the terrible noise of flesh striking hard concrete. The splatter of blood caused a tidal wave of gasps from the onlookers.

Only then did people realize that in front of Li Yundong was a girl with long black hair, and the one who had slammed onto the ground, convulsing and foaming blood from her mouth, was... Zhao Yujian.

=================================================== Classmates, your flower support is too weak~ We've dropped off the weekly chart again, this won't do. From now on, my burst chapters will be determined by the weekend ranking order: 10th place gets one burst chapter next week, 9th gets two, 8th gets three. If you don't make the chart, no bursts! You work hard, and I work hard. Fair, right?