Chapter 965: The Only Casualty

By: Sanyin Yinyu

Chen Ling had seen geckos shed their tails, but he had never witnessed someone endure the pain of being impaled by rebar and still manage to crawl forward. Even with his Blood Robe, he found it hard to imagine.

The distance wasn't long, perhaps only a handspan, but the excruciating pain of rebar tearing through lungs and flesh was something no ordinary person could endure. Chen Ling wondered what was supporting the man: was it the recently acquired Witchcraft Dao, or perhaps the power of a father, deeply hidden within his heart?

He watched as the man clutched the mask and frantically poured the blood gushing from his wrist onto its inner surface.

The faint purple glow that had just merged with his body also mixed with the blood, gradually seeping into the mask.

Any first-tier divine path was weak and fragile, and the Witchcraft Dao was no exception. Chen Ling didn't know what path the man had taken or what skills he possessed, but unless it was the Blood Robe or Iron Robe from the War God Dao, no other skill could enable the man to heal his wounds, then move the debris and boulders to rescue Shen Nan.

Chen Ling watched as the man poured all his blood into the mask, even injecting a wisp of his soul. The aura of the Witchcraft Dao that had just permeated him almost completely vanished, transferring from his body to the Nuo mask.

"His soul and divine path have both been transferred... Is this his divine skill?" Chen Ling murmured, gazing at the Nuo mask, which was gradually emanating a mysterious glow.

After completing this, the man's life force had almost entirely dissipated. He lay pale on the ground, his gaze seemingly piercing through the gaps between stones and debris to see the dying Shen Nan below.

Trembling, he pushed the Nuo mask he held into the gap, and his heavy eyelids slowly closed.

"Live."

His chapped lips parted slightly, but no sound emerged. The Nuo mask, released by his weakening grip, naturally fell downward.

The Nuo mask struck a slanted wall, then fell to the other side, hitting a suspended rebar. It spun half a turn in the air before colliding with the edge of a rock.

The mask's trajectory was unpredictable, yet it seemed favored by "God." After several collisions, it remarkably returned to a position directly above Shen Nan, lightly settling on his pale face.

The man's fresh blood flowed down the inside of the mask and onto Shen Nan's cheek. The aura of the Play God Dao within Shen Nan's body also seemed to be transferred by the Witchcraft Dao's skill, slowly being absorbed into the mask.

"Play" and "Witchcraft" intertwined within the mask, and an indescribable aura began to spread around Shen Nan's body!

"Save me... someone save me...""I'm trapped... my leg hurts so much!!""Mom!! Mom!! Where are you? Don't leave me alone!!""Am I going to die...? I'm only twenty... I should have been braver and confessed to her last night... I don't want to die!!""God, please, save my child... I'll pay any price if only she can live...""Heaven bless us, Heaven bless us... please let our family be safe, we can surely hold out until the rescue team arrives..."

Countless prayers, like waves, continuously echoed in Shen Nan's ears.

Some voices were loud, as if whispered right into his ear, while others were faint, as if from far away. Beneath the mask, Shen Nan's eyelashes fluttered continuously, as if he were caught in a chaotic nightmare.

The aura emanating from the Nuo mask transformed Shen Nan as if he were another person. His breathing gradually stabilized, his shattered body slowly repaired itself, and even the tumor growing inside him steadily dissolved.

At the same time, an unseen force seemed to begin spreading in all directions, responding to those prayers, whether loud or soft.

He lay quietly amidst the ruins, like a sleeping "God."

The large red opera robe stood spectrally in the void, looking down at everything. Although Chen Ling couldn't discern what was happening, he could feel that a mysterious transformation had occurred in Shen Nan.

Time flowed faster around Chen Ling.

After an unknown period, a rescue team hurried from afar.

"Quick!! Spread out and search!" The middle-aged man leading the team, his eyes bloodshot as if he hadn't slept for days, barked the command in a hoarse voice.

"Captain, it's been over 72 hours since the earthquake. The golden rescue window has passed... now, I'm afraid..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!! We need to see them alive or see their bodies! Forget 72 hours, even if it's been 7 days! We cannot abandon all hope!! All of you, dig!"

The rescue team quickly dispersed, beginning to clear and excavate the debris. After so many days of arduous work, their faces were etched with exhaustion.

They had started rescue efforts immediately after the disaster struck. Within 24 hours, many survivors were pulled out, and they witnessed moving miracles of survival. However, as time passed, fewer survivors were found, and more bodies emerged. After 72 hours, their morale had gradually become numb, even desperate.

In the somber atmosphere, everyone stubbornly continued to dig downwards. Suddenly, someone shouted:

"There's still a survivor down here!!"

A glimmer of hope appeared in everyone's eyes!

There were still survivors; their persistence and hard work had not been in vain!

Immediately after, another voice rang out:

"Me too, over here!!"

"And here! A family of three, all still breathing!!"

"I have an injured person here... My God, his ribs are protruding from his chest, how is he still alive?!"

"Alive! The family here is also alive!! Quick, give us a hand!!"

Excited voices rang out one after another. The rescue team members felt as if they were dreaming; so far, they hadn't found a single corpse. Everyone, no matter how severely injured, was still alive!

"A miracle..." The rescue captain's body trembled uncontrollably at the sight. "This is a miracle..."

"Over here... I've found a body."

A voice shattered the collective joy.

With the efforts of several people, a body was slowly moved out of the rubble. It was a middle-aged man with graying temples, a rebar fragment impaled in his body, and much of his internal organs and flesh torn open. Even the rescue workers, who had witnessed countless gruesome scenes, were moved by the horrific sight.

All his blood had drained, and his pale skin was even covered in lividity. Yet, despite this, a faint smile remained fixed on his lips... as if he had fulfilled a wish, finding peace and completion.

"He..." Several rescue workers stared at the scene, speechless.

"There's a child below! Wearing a mask! He..."

"What about him? Is he still alive???"

"He... he's completely unharmed?"