...
Time seemed to stretch endlessly, and in my haze of consciousness, I faintly heard my best friend's voice, distant as if separated by vast mountains and rivers, drifting from the other end of the phone.
The words were unclear, indistinct, but how could I forget her voice? It had long been etched into the very depths of my heart.
I summoned all my strength, forcing my eyelids to crack open a tiny slit. My hands, however, felt limp and powerless, unable to press the button on the oxygen can.
With no other option, I grasped the can tightly, knocking it a few times against the wooden panel to dislodge the face mask, then positioned the button near my teeth. With the last ounce of strength, I bit down.
This was all that remained of the oxygen in the bottle. I opened my mouth wide, sucking in deep, desperate breaths, struggling to keep myself from slipping into unconsciousness again.
"Kill her..." With great effort, I forced those words out from my parched throat.
"You're awake?!" Xu Ze's voice rang with astonishment.
"Kill her... while I still have consciousness... I'll tell you the password..." I gasped, my breath ragged.
"Don't kill me! I'll give you the password!" My best friend screamed in terror, her voice trembling. "You won't have to take any risks, you'll still get the money! This is the smartest choice, isn't it?!" She continued frantically, her tone unraveling with panic. "And... And... I don't know if she's told you, but there's a loophole in my company—one we can use to make money!"
At this point, in her desperation for survival, she was rambling incoherently, clinging to any potential lifeline.
"I'll keep sharing this loophole, pulling in more people to make money! Then, just like I did with her, I'll get rid of them, and all the money will be ours! I'll give you half, no—whatever percentage you want! The money will be clean, with no risks! You can go back to your country and become a millionaire!"
"This is what I've planned, you can check my phone, see the chat history with my husband, we've planned it all out!"
"You won't have to do the killing, I'll handle that! I have experience now! All you need to do is wait for your share of the money!"
On the other end of the line, there was a profound silence. No sound, no movement. It felt as though we were at an impasse. My best friend and I held our breath, anxiously awaiting Xu Ze's decision.