Kevin was driving, and the four of them raced toward Saint House Drive. Wendy kept redialing her phone, but no one answered. "Hope nothing's happened!" Every survivor lost meant one less buffer against Death, making it easier for Death to come after them. So whether out of duty or self-interest, Wendy and her companions prayed wholeheartedly for Femi Foster's safety. As for Jack Young, he was still thinking about that plastic bag. He couldn't shake the feeling he'd missed something.
At the same time, inside a luxurious villa on Saint House Drive, Femi Foster was chilling by her private pool, reading a book—the very same bespectacled young woman who'd slammed the table at the police station. She was a novelist, and a pretty imaginative one at that. She refused to write the same old boring stuff, so she was always chasing inspiration and new thrills.
Today's events had given her a jolt like no other, and Wendy's talk about "Death" had her hooked. So she ditched anything that might disturb her—like her phone—and focused on the intel she'd gathered.
"Look at all these ways to die, it's like 'Fate Wants You Dead'! A powerful man saving lives, an invisible Death taking them—it's enough to give you goosebumps!" Ideas flooded her mind, putting Femi Foster in a great mood, fired up and feeling hot all over. Staring at the sparkling blue pool, she suddenly wanted to jump in for a swim.
Why not? Who cares about a swimsuit? Femi Foster stripped down in no time. Whoosh—wind blew, leaves rustled—a bit chilly, and goosebumps popped up everywhere. November's really not swimming season, but writers are rebels by nature. If you want to do it, just do it!
With a splash, Femi Foster jumped right into the water. One minute, two minutes, after a while, she popped her head out, coughing and slicking her long blonde hair back, then let out a scream: "So cold! I'm freezing up here!" After that shout, she paddled around the pool a few times, finally dragging herself out, breathless, and sat by the edge.
Looking down at her reflection in the water, Femi Foster sighed, "Damn, I've got a nice body. Wonder if there are any paparazzi lurking nearby. If there are, today’s their lucky day."
Just as Femi Foster was admiring herself, something flickered in the water’s reflection—a shadow, or maybe a black curtain, darkening the world beneath the surface. It felt like some massive black thing was looming right behind her head.
"Who’s there?" Femi Foster spun around, spooked, but saw nothing. She glanced left and right, then squinted back at the water. Years of writing had left her nearsighted—without her glasses, she had to squint to see clearly.
Just as she peered into the water, a gust of wind blew across the back of her neck. This wasn’t any ordinary breeze—it was icy, weird, like the breath of some cold, giant thing right behind her. Instantly, every hair on Femi Foster’s body stood on end. She whipped around and screamed, "Who the hell is it?!"
Behind her was only the villa’s grand hall—nothing else. A gust of wind blew through, making the windows rattle. "Damn windows, always trying to freak me out." Femi Foster got up and shut the window, smacking her forehead in frustration. "Guess investigating those weird cases is making me jumpy. Death? Come on, that’s nonsense. I’m young and gorgeous, why would Death come after me?"
After a little self-pep talk, Femi Foster, still a bit annoyed, paced a few steps and glanced at the blue pool. She decided to swim a couple more laps—exhaustion would stop her overthinking. Splash, the beauty dove into the water. Sinking to the bottom, Femi Foster suddenly stared up at the surface.
One minute, two minutes—nothing unusual on the surface. Femi Foster finally shook her head and let out a couple of bubbles. Guess she really was just being paranoid. She flipped in the water and swam along the pool floor, letting the deep water clear her mind.
While Femi Foster was swimming underwater, the wind kept blowing above. On the villa’s roof, a layer of blue PolyShield Insulation Sheet started to peel up in the breeze. Normally, it should be fixed to the roof, but the single novelist was lazy about life, so she’d just weighed it down with random stuff. As the wind blew, the sheet kept curling, and those makeshift weights slid out of place.
Finally, with a loud flap, the PolyShield Insulation Sheet shook off all its burdens and took flight. The blue polyethylene sheet, about ten square meters, drifted down from the roof and landed gently over the pool. Thin but tough, the sheet matched the water’s color and covered a huge area—anyone in the pool would have a hard time spotting it from below.
Under the PolyShield Insulation Sheet, Femi Foster was swimming slowly. Her lungs were nearly out of air, so she paddled upward, heading for the surface. Three, two, one—time for the beauty to surface—except, she didn’t! Just as she was about to gulp fresh air, she realized she was trapped under a layer of plastic! One simple sheet, and she was totally cut off from oxygen!
"No!" Femi Foster screamed, but all she did was swallow a mouthful of water. She struggled! She clawed! But her panicked moves only tangled the tough sheet tighter around her.
Suddenly, her left leg cramped—damn, the cold water made her muscles seize up! Off-balance, she thrashed around, the sheet wrapping her like a shroud. Starved for air, her limbs useless, Femi Foster felt death closing in. Staring desperately at the sky, she remembered what Wendy said—Death had come.
"If only I’d been a little more careful..."
Filled with endless regret, Femi Foster lost consciousness. Her beautiful body drifted with the waves, but there was no sign of life.
Just then, Kevin’s car screeched to a stop at the back gate of Femi Foster’s villa. The door flew open and Jack Young sprang out. Not waiting for the other three—who were way slower—Jack Young stomped the ground and leapt into the air. He pushed off the wall twice and flipped onto the top. Scanning the yard through the thick leaves, Jack Young spotted Femi Foster in the center of the pool.
With a burst, Jack Young shot forward, heading straight for the pool. Every second counted—he was at the edge in a flash. He grabbed the PolyShield Insulation Sheet, yanked and shook it, and Femi Foster flew out of the water like a stir-fry ingredient tossed in a wok. Catching her in both arms, Jack Young flung her onto a poolside lounge chair, then grabbed the sheet at her chest and ripped it apart.
Unlike the sound of tearing cloth, the PolyShield Insulation Sheet made a soft 'zzz' as it stretched. Jack Young frowned, added more force, and finally with a 'pop' it split open, revealing Femi Foster’s chest, belly, and face inside.
At that moment, Kevin and the others arrived—who knows how they got in. Seeing Femi Foster lifeless, Kevin didn’t even care about the view, his eyes wide as he blurted, "Is she dead?"
"She’s dead." Jack Young barely touched her and knew there was no heartbeat or breath left. She’d been gone for a while—CPR or mouth-to-mouth probably wouldn’t help. "But," Jack Young’s eyes suddenly lit up, "she’s not beyond saving!"
He sensed a faint trace of vitality inside her, like a dying flame with a single ember left in the ashes. But even a spark is better than nothing—where there’s a spark, there’s hope. Jack Young’s job now was to toss that ember back into the firewood.
Jack Young pressed both palms to Femi Foster’s chest. A buzz rippled through her body. That’s right—Jack Young was using the Titan Spirit Method’s life extraction technique! But he wasn’t stealing her life energy—he was gathering the scattered vitality, like collecting embers into a single flame.
Next came the moment to reignite!
Jack Young suddenly slapped Femi Foster’s chest. If Dr. Thomas Tang were here, he’d sense Jack Young sending that gathered energy straight into her heart—like tossing a spark into a furnace. Thump-thump, thump-thump, slowly, her heart began to beat, blood started to flow, and life resumed. As Femi Foster’s heart revived, Jack Young kept patting her body, guiding the fresh energy where it needed to go.
Femi Foster’s body warmed up.
"Cough, cough—!" Suddenly, she opened her eyes, sat up, and spat out some water. Gasping for breath, her chest heaved, and Kevin blushed and turned away. Femi Foster’s eyes were still a little dazed. "Did I die?"
"Yep, you died, and then you got saved." Wendy tossed a towel over her, covering her up. "Now, do you need any more proof?"