Can You Swim

"Thank you, Old Man!"

Qi Xiao jumped from the 'Pavilion in the Center of the Lake' onto the Old Man's boat.

"This, this is another Pavilion in the Center of the Lake?"

"I've been rowing this boat all my life, but I've never seen a second Pavilion in the Center of the Lake."

"Young man, am I about to leave, and are you here to take me?"

"Oh, Old Man, you're still strong and healthy. Don't think too much."

"This pavilion..." Qi Xiao glanced at the pavilion behind him, "It was built last night!"

The Old Man was incredulous but didn't ask further.

"Young man, are you from out of town? Your clothes are quite unusual."

"Ah yes, I just returned from out of town. These are the latest fashion trends there."

The Black Wind Monster was still swimming in the water, its paws pulling at the boat.

Qi Xiao bent down and lifted it out of the water.

The Black Wind Monster shook violently, splashing water everywhere.

After drying itself, it moved close to Qi Xiao, licking his trouser leg.

"Young man, this dog is exceptional. I see its tongue is black, a rare quintessential black dog."

"This dog can ward off evil. I used to raise one myself..."

Qi Xiao interrupted the Old Man's reminiscence:

"Old Man, you like this dog? I'll give it to you! But help me get to that Pavilion in the Center of the Lake!"

Qi Xiao pointed to the real pavilion.

"Absolutely not. This dog has a spirit, it recognizes only one master for life. It seems quite fond of you."

Damn, this Old Man is really stubborn.

Qi Xiao picked up the Black Wind Monster and threw it back into the 'Pavilion in the Center of the Lake':

"Stay put! If you come down again, I won't take you!"

The Black Wind Monster appeared to understand Qi Xiao's words, stood at the carriage door, whimpering but didn't jump down this time.

Qi Xiao turned to the Old Man and said:

"Then I won't give it to you. Old Man, please hurry and take me there."

Glancing at the time, it was 8:07, and he should be able to open the treasure chest before anyone else discovers this place!

After all, only he knew there was a treasure chest here.

"Alright, alright, I'll take you there."

The Old Man, having rowed a boat all his life, was quick and efficient, and the boat sailed towards the Pavilion in the Center of the Lake.

Qi Xiao looked at the Black Wind Monster, afraid it would jump down again, so he voice-controlled the closing of the doors.

"When I was younger, I used to row this boat every day to take my grandson to the private school on the other side. What a nostalgic memory."

"Old Man, what about your grandson?"

"He was drafted into the war. He died last year, and even the body wasn't recovered."

Qi Xiao fell silent for a long time.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Life brings both separation and death, quite normal. I've come to terms with it, but I regret not being able to see my grandson one last time."

"Young man, you look a bit like my grandson."

"When I first saw you, I thought my grandson had come to take me, haha."

The Old Man laughed to conceal the tears in the corners of his eyes.

Ancient attire and speech, war, conscription.

Is this a slice of life from some ancient time, or perhaps a scene from some film or series I haven't seen?

Whether it was one or the other, Qi Xiao could feel the strong emotions emanating from the Old Man.

"We're here."

The boat docked at the Pavilion in the Center of the Lake, and Qi Xiao jumped onto it.

Qi Xiao picked up a palm-sized wooden box from the ground.

No wonder it wasn't seen, the treasure chest was so small.

He thought it would be a large chest.

Qi Xiao opened the box and found six train coins and a black seed inside.

After confirming, he closed the lid and put it in his pocket.

"Old Man, please take me back to the original Pavilion in the Center of the Lake."

At that moment, a gunshot rang out from the shore.

Bang!

A bullet grazed Qi Xiao's left arm.

Qi Xiao, in pain, covered his arm and took shelter behind a pillar of the pavilion.

A gun!

Modern weaponry, someone else is here!

Damn, how did they get here so quickly!

The Old Man's chest was bleeding heavily. He let go of the oars, and with a loud thud, his body fell straight back into the lake.

The surface of the lake gradually turned red.

That bullet had grazed Qi Xiao's arm and struck the Old Man's body.

Qi Xiao's eyes widened in anger, the old man was dead.

"Judging by your attire, you're also a train conductor, aren't you?"

"Don't want to die? Then leave the item behind and jump into the lake yourself."

A man's voice came from the shore.

"I'll count to three."

"Three!"

What should I do? This pillar won't hide me for long.

"Two!"

Bang!

Another threatening shot landed near Qi Xiao.

At this point, he couldn't just hand over the item, because even if he did, he would die!

I have a gun too, but he's got me pinned down!

Gunfights are the worst when pinned down first.

Because it means losing the initiative.

Qi Xiao was pinned down by the man on the shore, making him passive.

He was in the open, while the enemy was hidden.

No, I need to take the initiative!

Qi Xiao silently prepared, all the while speaking:

"Can you swim?"

"What for? Don't change the subject."

Then the man saw a hand reaching out from behind the pillar, holding a wooden box.

The treasure chest!

That's it, that box is the treasure chest!

But in just a second, the hand pulled back, not giving him a chance to shoot.

"Can you swim?"

"What do you want?!"

The next moment, Qi Xiao threw the box forcefully into the river.

Plop, the box hit the water.

"I bet you're going to be mad, you bastard!"

Seeing the man distracted by the box, Qi Xiao quickly rolled out from behind the pillar, and his revolver fired rapidly, bang bang bang!

The man hearing the gunshots instinctively crouched to avoid them.

Still, a bullet grazed his scalp, leaving a shallow groove on his head.

Now it was Qi Xiao pinning the other man down!

"I asked you, can you swim?"

"F*** you, I was swimming when you were still drinking milk!"

Qi Xiao quietly moved to another position.

His revolver had two bullets left; he aimed one at the man's exposed foot.

Unfortunately, it didn't hit, but it scared the man into pulling his foot back.

"Keep talking, I'll let you swim back in the amniotic fluid!"

Qi Xiao shouted loudly to scare him while secretly reloading his revolver.

The box Qi Xiao had thrown was, of course, an empty one.

The train coins and the seed had already been taken out and put in his pocket.

But now there was a problem, a stalemate!

The key issue was that I was in the center of the lake, and the only way back to the train was by boat.

I can't leave without killing him!

Moreover, other conductors hearing the gunfire were likely on their way.

The longer I wait, the more disadvantageous it is for me!

At that moment, a huge rumbling sound suddenly came from mid-air.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The unexpected rumbling attracted the attention of everyone present.

Pedestrians passing by also stopped to look at the incomprehensible scene.

A pink train emerged from the void.

One, two, three... twelve?

Twelve carriages?!

Impossible, the highest level in this area is only level two, where did this level twelve train come from?

People from other areas? No way, how could they upgrade so quickly?

The train looked like a giant pink worm with black spots, resting on the surface of Green Lake.

The carriage doors slowly opened, and a woman in a red halter cheongsam with short hair stood at the door.

Kong You's right eye emitted a blue light, looking at the Pavilion in the Center of the Lake.

[Footprint comparison complete, match: 98%]

"Finally found you."