Abandoned at the Edge, I Leapt into a New Life

During summer break, I worked part-time at a bungee-jumping site, where my best friend deliberately hid behind me and cut my safety line. I scrambled out of the way, but my boyfriend hugged my sobbing best friend and accused me instead. "All I did was comfort Vivi a little when she got scared while bungee jumping. Did you really have to damage your own rope and frame her deliberately?" I stayed away from them to protect myself instead of trying to explain. Then a typhoon suddenly struck, leaving the bungee platform swaying dangerously. My boyfriend was in charge, yet he gave the only spare safety rope to Vivian, who had already retreated to safety. “You’re the safety officer, and you’re certified in high-angle rope rescue. A little wind can’t hurt you. "Vivi isn't trained for this. She's a visitor who's afraid of heights. I have to get her out first." When I said nothing, he snorted and locked the bungee platform's gate. "Are you really going to act jealous at a time like this? Fine. Stay here and cool your head in the wind!" He even evacuated the other staff members before leaving with my best friend, supposedly so I could reflect properly. What he didn't know was that my safety rope was already damaged and could not withstand such powerful winds. He had no idea that as soon as he left, the system’s cold notification echoed in my mind. [The target has abandoned you for the ninth time. Would you like to leave this world?] I watched his figure gradually disappear and calmly nodded. "Yes." Chapter 1 "Lucas, the winds are at Force 10, and Suzy is still trapped on the bungee platform! "How could you lock the door at a time like this?" Deputy Team Leader Tom Cook noticed something was wrong and quickly grabbed Lucas. Lucas Hunt shook him off and calmly straightened Vivian Watson’s disheveled hair. "Tom, don’t you understand protocol? I’m in charge here. When I order an evacuation, everyone has to leave!" He gave a cold laugh, his face full of disdain. "Suzy is certified in high-angle rope rescue and is a trained safety officer. She can climb down by herself with her eyes closed. "I locked the door to keep the typhoon from blowing in and damaging the equipment. She knows how to unlock it herself." Vivian nestled into Lucas’ arms and let her eyes well up with tears. "Lucas, why don’t you go rescue Suzy? I’ll be fine here on my own." Lucas touched Vivian’s hair sympathetically, and his voice instantly softened. "Vivi, if you stay here any longer, you’ll have an asthma attack. "Forget that crazy woman. She’s only pretending to be helpless up there, trying to force me to give in with this pity act. "Once she realizes that no one is going to pay attention to her, she’ll climb down on her own." After saying that, he walked past Tom and left with Vivian without looking back. I stood on the platform and listened to his footsteps fade away. Then I calmly closed my eyes. [The host’s vital signs are rapidly declining. Irreversible damage has occurred to the physical body.] [The system detachment procedure has officially begun.] [Due to the world’s restrictions, the soul will be forcibly retained for seventy-two hours.] [Countdown: 72 hours] I opened my eyes again, and my soul followed Lucas. He returned to the emergency shelter halfway up the mountain and carefully helped Vivian into the medical vehicle. "Doctor, give her oxygen! She’s afraid of heights and has asthma. She was also frightened just now!" The doctor examined her and looked completely speechless. "Mr. Hunt, Miss Watson’s vital signs are perfectly normal. Medical resources are stretched thin right now, so I don’t recommend wasting them." Lucas frowned and forcibly took the oxygen mask before securing it over Vivian’s face. "What do you know? An asthma attack can be fatal. "Vivi is tough and doesn’t want to be a burden, but she’s our guest. We’re responsible for her safety." Tom rushed in with a radio. "Lucas! Suzy’s radio has gone completely dead! I just checked through the binoculars. There’s no one on the bungee platform! "We have to organize a search-and-rescue team and search the bottom of the ravine immediately!" Lucas’ hand paused as he peeled an apple for Vivian, but his expression quickly returned to normal. "Tom, Suzy is my girlfriend. I know her. She’s won the city rock-climbing championship three times. Do you really think she would fall from the platform? "She probably saw how strong the wind was and hid inside the fully enclosed equipment room!" Tom finally lost his temper. "That equipment room doesn’t even have a window! You locked the outside door, so she’ll suffocate even if she did hide in there!" Tom anxiously tried to connect to my radio, but the only response was the crackling static of a lost signal. He immediately frowned and headed outside. "Team medic, come with me. I suspect Suzy is in serious trouble. We have to rescue her." Lucas grabbed Tom by the collar. "If you dare waste rescue resources playing along with a jealous woman, don’t blame me when I discipline you after we return!" He snatched the radio from Tom’s hand and pressed the call button. "Suzy, are you really disregarding the entire team’s discipline over that ridiculous jealousy of yours? "I locked the door to keep out the dangerous winds. I was protecting you! You don’t need to pretend that you’re dying just to get my attention." Chapter 2 In the past, whenever Lucas got angry, I would apologize immediately, whether I was at fault or not. This time, however, the only response he received was silence. Lucas froze for a moment, then laughed. "Suzy, have you gotten addicted to pretending to be dead? Fine. I’ll give you what you want! Nobody is allowed to open the door for her until the typhoon passes!" Then he ended the radio call without another word. No matter how much Tom tried to reason with him, Lucas stopped caring whether I lived or died. Two hours later, Eli Caldwell from the equipment team stumbled inside. "Captain Hunt! Something’s happened! The gravity sensor on Bungee Platform Two just sent back its final reading!" "The safety line... It snapped! The load reading dropped to zero instantly. That’s the typical signal for a person falling!" Tom’s eyes immediately reddened. "Lucas! Look at this! The line snapped! Suzy fell, and you killed her!" Lucas carefully helped Vivian drink some water before looking up and letting out a mocking laugh. "Eli, Suzy must have damaged the line herself with scissors. Of course the load reading would drop to zero." Eli anxiously slapped his thigh. "No, Captain Hunt! The waveform from a cut line is completely different from one that snaps under tension! This data clearly shows..." "Enough!" Lucas impatiently cut him off and slammed his cup onto the table. "The typhoon has caused serious damage. Don’t you all have your own work to do? What did Suzy give you to make all of you play along with her ridiculous jealousy drama?" Eli still refused to give up. "Monitoring the equipment is my responsibility. If something goes wrong, I have to inspect it. Besides, after working with Suzy..." His eyes swept over Vivian, who was pretending to be weak. "Suzy isn’t the kind of person who gets jealous and causes a scene." Lucas’ brows drew tightly together. The teammates around them agreed. "Besides, Suzy was covering someone else’s shift today. She’s already worked three days in a row, so she must be exhausted. Captain, we should go check on her, just in case." A flicker of hesitation crossed Lucas’ eyes. He was about to give the order when Vivian suddenly spoke in a timid voice. "Lucas, perhaps we should still go check on her. Suzy is a rock-climbing champion, so even if she did fall, she might have found a ledge to hold on to along the way. But what if she didn’t?" Lucas’ expression changed. "Suzy is in excellent shape. This is nothing she can’t handle. For all we know, she’s hiding in a cave at the bottom of the ravine, waiting to laugh at me." Vivian coughed twice at just the right moment, then squeezed a few tears from the corners of her eyes. "Lucas, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on trying bungee jumping, Suzy wouldn’t have gotten jealous. "She must have been angry that I took up your time, so she deliberately damaged the safety line to frighten us. "Don’t blame her. Send someone to look for her quickly. What if she’s really hurt..." The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded. In the end, she even clutched her chest and began dry-heaving. Lucas immediately panicked. He hurried to pat her back, and the concern in his eyes was something I had never seen before. Even as a soul, I could still feel the ache in my chest. "Vivi, don’t blame yourself. How could this be your fault? Suzy was the one who went too far! "She simply couldn’t stand seeing me care about you, so she resorted to this despicable stunt just to get attention!" Tom could not listen any longer. He tore off his staff ID and hurled it at Lucas’ feet. "Lucas, you’re a monster! Suzy has been with you for five years, yet you don’t even care whether she lives or dies! If you won’t go, I’ll go myself!" Tom turned toward the entrance and shouted. "Search-and-rescue team! Grab your equipment and follow me to the bottom of the ravine!" Several team members who had been barely holding themselves back immediately responded. They grabbed ropes and searchlights and rushed toward the exit. Lucas crossed the room in a few strides and blocked the vehicle entrance. "Let’s see who dares to go! I’m the highest-ranking person in charge here! "The typhoon has just passed, and the mountain is highly prone to landslides. Are you really going to risk your lives for a woman who’s throwing a tantrum?" Tom gritted his teeth, the veins standing out on his forehead. "Stop hiding behind regulations, Lucas! There’s a human life at the bottom of that ravine!" Lucas gave a cold laugh and waved his phone in the air. "Anyone who steps outside this camp today will be fired immediately! "This month’s bonus and your entire year’s performance bonus will be forfeited! "That’s not all. I’ll record your violations in your personnel files and make sure you can never work in this industry again!" The team members stopped in their tracks. They were all working to support their families. No one could afford to bear consequences like that. Tom trembled with rage, but there was nothing he could do. Lucas looked satisfied with the result. He returned to Vivian’s side and began fussing over her. "Vivi, you were dry-heaving just now. Is your stomach upset?" "Doctor! Arrange an ambulance immediately. I’m taking Vivi to a private hospital in town for a full examination!" The doctor froze. "Mr. Hunt, given the current road conditions, the ambulance should be reserved for Miss Shaw, who may be injured..." Chapter 3 "Shut up!" Lucas cut him off sharply. "Suzy is as strong as an ox. Nothing could have happened to her! Vivi’s health is far more delicate than hers! "Arrange the vehicle immediately! If Vivi’s condition gets worse because of you, you’ll answer to me!" The ambulance sped away from the camp with its siren blaring. I followed along, filled with scorn. The moment the ambulance entered town, Lucas’ phone rang. "Am I speaking to Mr. Lucas Hunt? This is the city police department. "We received a report from a local resident. A woman’s body was found at the bottom of Ravenfall Gorge. "The deceased was wearing the uniform of an employee at your bungee-jumping facility. "Please come to the city forensic center immediately to assist with identifying the body." The air instantly froze. Vivian let out a terrified scream. Lucas quickly pulled her into his arms and began comforting her. After a moment, he let out a mocking laugh. "Officer, Suzy Shaw fooled you. She’s a trained professional with advanced high-angle rope-rescue certification. If anyone could survive a fall like that, it would be her. "She must have bribed a local resident to make a false report just to frighten me." The police officer on the other end lost his temper. "Mr. Hunt, watch your attitude! The victim fell from a height of nearly a hundred meters. She suffered multiple comminuted fractures and severe head trauma. She has no vital signs! "This is not a joke! Come here immediately!" The officer hung up as soon as he finished speaking. Lucas stared at the phone screen as it gradually went dark and curled his lip in disdain. "She’s certainly gotten bold. She’s even resorted to making a false police report, which is against the law, just to force me to go back." A flicker passed through Vivian’s eyes as she looked at him timidly. "Lucas... The police sounded so certain. What if Suzy really..." "Really what?" Lucas reached out to smooth the stray hairs at her temple and cut her off. "I know her better than anyone. What crazy thing wouldn’t she do to get what she wants? She deliberately bribed a local resident to make a false police report just so she could watch me panic. I’m not falling for it." As he spoke, he snorted and looked toward the driver. "Don’t go to the private hospital. Take us straight to the city forensic center. I want to see how she plans to keep this act going!" The ambulance made a U-turn at the traffic light and sped toward the forensic center. Throughout the drive, Lucas kept manipulating Vivian. "Vivi, you’re too kind. That’s why she keeps bullying you. She deliberately cut the safety line on the bungee platform so she could frame you. "Once we reach the police station, I’ll expose her scheme to her face. I’ll make her kneel before you and beg for forgiveness!" Vivian leaned against Lucas’ shoulder and nodded obediently. "Lucas, as long as Suzy is all right, I’m fine. I don’t feel wronged." My soul sat on the roof of the ambulance as I watched the shameless couple’s performance with cold detachment. Lucas’ logic was always perfectly consistent. In his world, I would always be the unreasonable villain. And Vivian would always be the pure, innocent angel. The ambulance soon arrived at the forensic center. Lucas held Vivian’s hand and strode into the lobby. The officer on duty saw them and immediately came over. "Are you Lucas Hunt?" "I am." Lucas kept his hands in his pockets and lifted his chin, wearing a superior expression. "Where’s Suzy Shaw? Tell her to stop pretending and come out. She may be my girlfriend, but wasting police resources like this is unacceptable. If you need to detain her, then detain her. I won’t protect her." The officer’s brows knitted into a deep frown. "Mr. Hunt, I’ll repeat myself. The victim has been confirmed dead. Please come with me to the morgue to identify her." Lucas curled his lip disdainfully. "Fine. Let’s go. I want to see how long this jealous woman can keep pretending to be dead!" He pulled Vivian along and followed the officer. Chapter 4 Inside the morgue, forensic examiner Ethan Quinn’s expression darkened the moment he saw Lucas grinning. "The victim suffered catastrophic injuries. Her face is no longer recognizable. "However, we found an employee ID in her pocket, and her identity has been confirmed as Suzy Shaw. Please prepare yourselves. The scene may be disturbing." Instead of showing any fear, Lucas laughed loudly. "You’re Dr. Quinn, right? How much did Suzy pay you to take part in this elaborate act?" Ethan froze and stared at him as if he were insane. "What nonsense are you talking about? This is a forensic center!" Lucas ignored him. He walked straight to the autopsy table and pointed at the white sheet covering my body. "Suzy, do you think you can fool me with a prop and some fake blood? Do you know what this is called? Fraud!" Vivian glanced at my body and put on a frightened expression. "Lucas, it’s so cold in here. How could Suzy stay in a place like this..." "She’d sleep in a garbage dump just to make me angry. A morgue is nothing compared to that." Lucas patted the back of Vivian’s hand, his expression growing even more contemptuous. "Suzy, if you get up right now and apologize to Vivi and me, I might consider forgiving you. "Otherwise, we’re breaking up right now, and you don’t need to come back to work tomorrow!" But only deathly silence answered him. Lucas could no longer maintain his composure. He slipped his hands into his pockets and looked down at my body with open condescension. "Suzy, I’m going to count down from three." "Three!" "Two!" His voice grew increasingly certain. He seemed to believe that once he called out the final number, I would crawl out from beneath the sheet like I had countless times before, my eyes reddened as I gave in to him. But this time, he had miscalculated. "One!" When the final number fell from his lips, I still did not move beneath the sheet. Lucas finally seemed to realize that something was wrong. His expression changed several times. Just then, Vivian covered her nose at exactly the right moment. "Lucas, this body doesn’t look like Suzy. "Suzy wasn’t this thin..." Lucas nodded in sudden understanding and began looking around. "Suzy, don’t think you can fool me by bringing out some random body! "I know you’re here. Come out before you embarrass yourself any further!" When I still didn’t respond, he lost his temper. "Fine. You won’t believe it until you see it for yourself, will you? Then I’ll pull off this sheet and see how you and this so-called Dr. Quinn plan to fool me with someone else’s body!" As he spoke, he yanked the sheet away. The moment his eyes met mine, he froze completely. "No... That’s impossible..." It took him a long while to react. Then he stumbled backward several steps. "This is definitely fake! It’s fake!" He suddenly went berserk and screamed at Ethan. "Where did you get such a realistic silicone mannequin?!" "Where’s Suzy Shaw? Where is she hiding?!" Ethan’s expression turned cold as he slapped the DNA report down in front of him. "Open your eyes and see whose name is written on it!"