Chapter 266 Without Hesitation
The car plunged into the river.
After the crash, the whole bridge went dead silent. Pedestrians and vehicles just froze.
Then someone yelled, "Someone fell into the river! Help!"
Chaos erupted as people rushed to the broken part of the bridge.
Some whipped out their phones to call the cops, others ran to the edge to watch, and a few just stood there, covering their mouths in shock.
James's eyes were glued to the scene—the panicked driver, the crying woman, and the confused little girl.
James slammed on the brakes, threw open the car door, and bolted out.
Reese and Juan were stunned. By the time they snapped out of it, they saw James stripping off his jacket, pants, and shoes.
"Damn it, what are you doing?" Reese cursed. "Get us out of here."
She was an official, and being seen at the scene without doing anything could cause a scandal.
"I'm going to save them," James shouted, then dashed to the edge of the bridge.
"Idiot," Reese fumed. "Falling into the river is a death sentence. What are you trying to save?"
"Does he think he's Superman? He might not save anyone and just drag us down with him." She pulled out her phone to call Addison, ready to complain about James, a mere driver.
"It's fine. If he wants to show off, let him. We'll go to Peach Blossom Villa No. 1 ourselves and have The Smith Family fire him." Juan climbed into the driver's seat, hit the gas, and drove the Audi away.
James ignored them and sprinted to the edge of the bridge.
Even though the old bridge wasn't that high, the river was deep and the current was strong. People on the shore wanted to jump in to help but hesitated.
In no time, hundreds of people gathered on the bridge and the shore, but no one jumped in.
Only a few small fishing boats in the distance slowly approached the scene.
James didn't think twice and jumped straight off the bridge.
He plunged into the river.
The crowd on the bridge and the shore, seeing someone jump in to save lives, felt a bit relieved and started cheering for James. "He's a real hero. The water is deep, be careful! Stop just talking, go find some life rings or ropes to help!"
Amidst the chaos on the shore, James had already dived to the bottom of the river, swimming swiftly to the submerged Mercedes.
The car must have been going fast; the front end was almost buried in the riverbed, with the passenger side wedged between some rocks.
At over twenty feet deep, the water pressure was intense and the water was freezing. James's breathing quickened, but he calmed himself using the Shadowless Heart Sutra.
To James's surprise, despite the high fall and the frontal impact, the windshield and windows hadn't shattered.
There were only dozens of cracks.
He quickly realized it was bulletproof glass.
He pressed against the window and scanned inside. There were three people: a driver, a woman in a long dress, and a four-year-old girl.
The driver was slumped over the steering wheel, bleeding from the forehead, his condition unknown. The woman in the long dress was shielding the little girl, holding an oxygen mask.
But she hadn't had time to put it on the girl.
Water was seeping into the car, and the situation was critical.
James initially wanted to save the little girl first, but she was on the other side of the car, strapped into a safety seat, and he would have to go through the woman in the long dress to get to her.
Reluctantly, James used a knife to break the window, then he opened the door, put the oxygen mask on the little girl, and then pulled the woman out.
James didn't dare to linger. He could stay underwater longer thanks to the Shadowless Heart Sutra, but the unconscious woman couldn't last long in the water.
James pulled the woman in the long dress with all his might, kicking towards the surface. Along the way, his body was scraped by several sharp objects, causing him pain, but he didn't care.
Seconds later, there was a loud splash as they broke the surface, breathing in the fresh air.
James took a deep breath and was about to swim to the shore with the woman when a fishing boat approached.
Several people pulled them aboard.
"Good job!" The crowd on the bridge and shore cheered when they saw James and the woman were safe, clapping and shouting in joy.
James didn't rest. He asked someone to take care of the woman and then dove back into the water.
A minute later, James surfaced again, this time with the driver in his grasp.
James had wanted to save the little girl, but the water had rushed in, flipping the safety seat and trapping her between the front and back seats.
He didn't have time to clear the obstruction, so he brought the driver up first.
The crowd cheered again.
The people on the fishing boat pulled James and the driver aboard, offering James a blanket to warm up.
They all knew how cold the water was.
"No need," James said, wiping his face and getting ready to dive in for the third time when he saw the woman in the long dress turning pale, her body trembling, and her temperature dropping.
The medical personnel on the boat couldn't revive her.
James moved over to diagnose her and quickly realized the problem.
The woman had a congenital heart condition, and the shock of falling into the river had triggered an attack. She had also swallowed water on the way up.
The situation was critical.
"Move aside!" James pushed the medical personnel away. Without silver needles and no time for conventional methods, he used the Life Gem, sending a burst of white light into her.
The woman's body jolted, and her pale face gained a touch of color.
The next second, she sat up and spat out a mouthful of river water.
"She's awake!" The crowd cheered again.
"Sir, don't move, you're injured." A medical worker ran over with alcohol and medicine. "Let me treat you."
James looked down and saw many cuts on his body, some from glass, some from debris in the water, all bleeding profusely.
James didn't want to use the Life Gem on himself. He took the alcohol and antiseptic, applied them, and temporarily stopped the bleeding.
"Mya Butler!" At that moment, the woman in the long dress screamed, frantically searching for her daughter.
She knocked several medical workers to the ground.
She ran from the bow to the stern, not finding Mya, then rushed back to the deck. "Mya is still in the water!"
Her eyes were filled with despair as she pointed to the river, trying to jump in.
The medical workers hurried to restrain her.
"Let me go! I need to save my daughter!" The woman in the long dress cried bitterly.
Some kind-hearted people shouted, "Don't jump! The water is deep, and you'll easily die. The young man worked so hard to save you two. If you jump, his efforts will be in vain."
The woman struggled desperately but couldn't break free, crying out Mya's name and glancing at James.
Her face was filled with despair, tears streaming down, with a hint of pleading.
James twisted his neck and struggled to stand up.
The movement caused his wounds to reopen, and blood began to flow again.
A medical worker grabbed James. "Young man, you can't go back in the water."
A fisherman nearby also tried to dissuade him. "Young man, you've saved two people. You've done enough."
A man on the shore shouted, "You're already a hero, a hundred times better than us. Please, don't go back in the water."
A woman suggested apprehensively, "You need to consider your own safety and think about your family."
Having jumped into the water to save lives twice, with wounds all over his body, James was already seen as a hero by the crowd.
The woman in the long dress cried as she looked at James, her initial hope turning into understanding. "Don't go back in. You've done enough."
She covered her mouth and sobbed. "Thank you."
She wished James had saved her daughter instead of her.
"Don't cry." James took a step forward and wiped the tears from her face. "I'm going to save your daughter now. I'll bring her back alive."
"No, you can't go." The woman in the long dress grabbed James. "It's really enough. I'm very grateful."
Even if she was selfish, she couldn't let James risk his life.
James held her hand. "Wait for me to come back!"
James dove back into the river.
Without hesitation!
With bated breath, everyone craned their necks and stared at the water.
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