Chapter Forty-Three: The Escape

“Oh!” Vivienne exclaimed in surprise. “I never realized, Chen Hao, you’re actually quite strong!”
“This really isn’t the time for that sort of talk,” Chen Hao replied helplessly.
Vivienne burst into laughter again, her giggles ringing through the air.
Chen Hao was utterly baffled. How could she still find something to laugh about at a moment like this? Was the girl simply oblivious? “What are you laughing at?” he asked.
“Don’t you think it’s funny?” Vivienne said. “The last time we met, we were running for our lives, and now, here we are again, fleeing. Only this time, we seem to have switched roles: last time, you were being chased and I carried you as we escaped; this time, I’m the one being chased, and you’re carrying me. Isn’t that a strange coincidence?”
“Coincidence, my foot!” Chen Hao shouted inwardly, though he still played along with Vivienne’s words. “Yeah, I suppose it is pretty coincidental. But right now, you’d better stop talking and hold on tight. I’m about to speed up—these guys are relentless! They’re so determined to catch you, they’ve even abandoned their horses!”
“Good riddance!” Vivienne replied, sounding somewhat annoyed. “Those people have no regard for life. The horses they captured suffered terribly. They never cared for them, never fed them, never worried if they were exhausted. They’d ride them nonstop until they collapsed from exhaustion, then swap in a fresh horse. While I was their prisoner, I don’t even know how many horses died from being ridden to death. These people, with no respect for life, are truly detestable!”
Chen Hao suddenly remembered Vivienne was an elf. And regardless of which culture the elves of this virtual reality game were modeled after, all legends and myths portrayed elves as lovers of nature and life. No wonder Vivienne had no complaints about her own captivity, yet was deeply troubled by their callous treatment of animals.
But, thinking about it, it seemed humanity wasn’t much better at respecting life. Humans hunted endangered animals, not for basic needs, but to make clothes and ornaments. For Vivienne, that would surely be unforgivable. Yet perhaps, in this world—a game—human settings weren’t as complete or realistic. Vivienne might simply not know.
Chen Hao quickly reasoned it out. Most creators of virtual works—games, novels, comics—tend to beautify humanity somewhat. Maybe, in this world, humans really did have no history of disregarding life.
From his two visits to the game world, Chen Hao observed that the world’s timeline seemed to be set in an era of cold weapons. In such a setting, there was little reason for poaching rare animals.
Humanity, at that time, was busy waging wars against each other, fighting for land and resources.
Despite these thoughts racing through his mind, Chen Hao’s legs never slowed. In the game world, he hardly felt fatigue and was running at his full speed, hoping to shake off the strange pursuers chasing Vivienne.
But no matter how fast he ran, he couldn’t lose them. After leaving the ravine, the plain stretched endlessly ahead—no trees, no hills, no sand dunes, not even any cover.
No matter which direction he ran, the pursuers adjusted their course instantly. And even though Chen Hao was fast, carrying Vivienne—even if she was light—was nothing like sprinting unencumbered.
With both arms wrapped tightly around Vivienne, he sacrificed some control over his balance. If not for his solid martial arts training, anyone else would have stumbled and fallen long ago.
The main reason they hadn’t been caught yet was the initial gap created when the pursuers climbed the ravine cliffs. But their speed was impressive, likely because they weren’t human—their movement outpaced any ordinary person.
If Chen Hao was alone, he was confident he could quickly leave them behind, letting them eat his dust. But now… In just ten minutes, the gap between them had closed considerably.
At this rate, within half an hour, they’d be overtaken. Perhaps even sooner, because Chen Hao estimated that if the pursuers got just a little closer, their thrown weapons would be within range. Then, he’d not only have to keep running, but also dodge attacks.
With their numbers, they could easily block his path with thrown weapons, forcing him to stop.
Chen Hao wasn’t confident he could protect Vivienne and defeat so many enemies; he wasn’t a god—he had no weapons. How could he possibly fight them off?
He was anxious, and Vivienne, despite her usual carefree nature, now wore a worried expression. If it were any other time, she could have carried Chen Hao into the sky and flown away. But today, after being imprisoned for so long and barely eating, she was starving and weak.
On top of that, the energy spent escaping and evading pursuit had drained her further. Now, not only could she not carry Chen Hao, she’d have trouble escaping by flight herself.
Chen Hao noticed this, which was why he never asked Vivienne to carry him away. Besides, he was a man, and this was a hero-saves-beauty moment. It would be shameful to depend on a girl who was barely grown, maybe just coming of age, in such a crisis.
His mind raced with anxiety; even now, he hadn’t thought of a good solution—they couldn’t just keep running until they were caught.
What if he sent Vivienne ahead and stayed behind to delay the pursuers? He quickly dismissed the idea. Their main target was Vivienne; they might ignore him entirely and keep chasing her.
Even if he managed to hold off some, he’d probably be overwhelmed in seconds, barely making a difference. He probably wouldn’t die in the game—even if he did, he’d just respawn or log out.
But what about Vivienne? Without him, she’d surely be captured sooner or later. And if that happened, it would probably be far worse than being locked in a wooden cage.

Apart from desperately wanting to shake off their pursuers, Chen Hao was eager to learn what had happened since he left the game world last time. Why was Vivienne captured, where were they now, and how far was it to the Elven Forest?
There were so many questions, and Chen Hao’s mind spun with urgency. If he couldn’t escape the pursuers, none of these mysteries would ever be solved.
But what could he possibly do now to escape them? Unless a group of powerful allies happened to pass by and rescue them, there was no hope.
The more Chen Hao thought, the more aggrieved he felt. He had crossed into the game, hadn’t he? He remembered all those web novels and films where the protagonist always had a halo, powerful passive skills, and buffs. Born with destiny! Handsome and charming! Surrounded by beauties and followers!
But him? Both times he entered the game, he ended up being chased, and never once understood what was going on. The only consolation was the company of Vivienne, the adorable elven girl. Ah… what a hard fate!
After running a while longer, the pursuers drew even closer. Chen Hao realized he couldn’t go on like this—he needed to do something brave. Ahead, though the plain continued, there were several large rocks scattered along the road. Chen Hao headed toward them and said to Vivienne, “In a moment, I’ll put you behind one of these rocks. As soon as you’re down, try to fly away from here. I’ll stay behind to hold them off.”
“What?!” Vivienne was startled. “Are you joking? How could you possibly stop them alone? You’d be gone the instant you stayed!”
Chen Hao looked at Vivienne helplessly. “Unless you have any other ideas, now’s the time to say them.”
“Um…” Vivienne lowered her head in frustration. “I… I don’t have any other way. But I can’t agree to you throwing yourself into danger. You got into this trouble for my sake—I can’t just abandon you!”
She really was loyal, Chen Hao thought. But he continued, “No time for argument. Actually, I’m different from you—even if I die, I can come back. The details are complicated, but trust me: I’ll manage alone, and once I revive, I’ll try to reach your home in the Elven Forest. If you escape, hurry home and stay there; I bet those people won’t dare act so recklessly in your land.”
With that, Chen Hao prepared to set Vivienne behind a rock. But as he moved behind it, the sight before him took him completely by surprise.
“What the hell? What’s going on…”