Chapter 228
Chenyang hadn’t been able to spot the person calling for help right away because a box truck was blocking his view.
But when he circled around the truck to the other side, he discovered a far more horrifying scene.
The box truck was tilted to the left, leaning at an angle so steep it was on the verge of completely flipping over.
The only reason it hadn’t was that the front half of a van to its right had driven up onto its body, and the immense weight was holding the truck in place.
From this perilous sight, it wasn’t hard to guess what had happened.
The van had probably swerved sharply to the left to avoid hitting a car in front of it during an accident.
At the same time, the box truck must have charged forward. The van’s momentum was so great that it slammed into the box truck, knocking it onto its side. Unable to brake in time, the van’s front end drove right up onto the truck’s cargo container. The two vehicles were now wedged together in a precarious triangular formation.
The angle at which the two vehicles were tilted was incredibly precarious.
In this position, nothing could be moved carelessly.
Even a simple push from a person, let alone the force of gravity, could cause both vehicles to topple over in an instant.
The box truck itself wasn’t too severely damaged. Its cab was empty; the driver had likely already escaped.
The van, however, was a gruesome sight.
Its front was almost completely crushed, and the windshield had shattered into a million pieces on the ground.
A man’s upper body was hanging out of the driver’s side window, in the narrow gap right next to the box truck.
His face, nose, and mouth were all covered in blood.
His eyes were bulging, wide open.
Peeking through a crack in the twisted door, Chenyang could see that the man’s lower body was crushed inside the wrecked cockpit.
Not a sound came from his open mouth, and his dilated pupils held no trace of life.
Every detail declared that he had already left this world.
This was the first time Chenyang had ever seen a dead stranger up close.
He wasn’t exactly scared, but an overwhelming sense of unreality froze him in place.
"Help... help me!"
The faint cry for help, sounding again, snapped him out of his daze.
The voice came from the suspended space between the van and the box truck.
Chenyang composed himself and cautiously approached.
Only then did he see that a large motorcycle was also wedged into this suspended area.
The bike, however, was mangled almost beyond recognition.
The handlebars were twisted and broken, and its body was so damaged that its original color and shape were indiscernible. He could only make out two wheels that had been completely detached from the frame.
Behind the front wheel, a man was curled up, trembling.
He looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, well-dressed and handsome.
Chenyang studied him for a moment, assessing his situation.
The man looked vaguely familiar to Chenyang, but after a moment’s thought, he couldn’t place where he’d seen him before.
As for the man’s predicament, it wasn’t too bad, all things considered.
He was in the suspended gap where the van and box truck intersected. Though the space wasn’t large, the small triangular pocket it formed had protected him from serious injury.
From the looks of it, only his right foot was pinned under the motorcycle’s frame. The reason he couldn’t get out was that the bike’s wheel was jammed in front of him, blocking his path.
Chenyang glanced around and asked, "Can you feel your right foot?"
"Yes! It’s pinned, but not completely crushed!"
"Alright, I’ll help you free your foot first. Then, we can move the motorcycle aside together, and you’ll be able to get out."
"Okay, okay! Quick... please, help me! This is fucking terrifying! I’m constantly worried this damn van is going to fall and crush me."
The man urged Chenyang to hurry, his voice filled with lingering fear.
But just as Chenyang leaned in, about to lift the motorcycle’s frame, an even fainter cry for help came from his front right, near the junction of the van’s rear and the motorcycle’s back wheel.
"It... it hurts... Help... help me."
Chenyang peered over and was startled to find another person curled up in an even smaller corner.
It was a woman.
She was wearing a beautiful, delicate skirt.
It was just covered in dirt and splotches of blood.
The woman’s face was a terrible sight—pale and weak.
Her arm was pinned in a crevice by the van’s rear hatch, while her right leg was bent at an awkward angle against the side of the motorcycle’s back wheel.
From her position, it looked as if her limbs were completely broken, and she was so weak she was on the verge of breathing her last.
Chenyang quickly said to the man, "Hang on a second. There’s someone severely injured over there."
"Forget her! She’s going to die anyway! You should save me first! Besides, I feel like the van behind me is about to collapse!"