The student didn''t even pause to apologize. Instead, they brushed past Patrick and hurried into the office, blurting out, "Professor, there''s been an ident. Someone''s fallen into theke."


    Patrick was about to step out the door but froze mid-step at those words. A chill of unease settled in his chest.


    The professor on duty immediately looked rmed and rose from his chair. "What happened? Is it one of the students from the exchange program?"


    "Yes," the student confirmed with a nod.


    The professor''s face turned grim. "Do we know how they are? Have they been pulled out?"


    The campus''s artificialke was pretty big. It wasn''t particrly deep, but for someone who couldn''t swim, it could be dangerous.


    Whether it was a local student or one from the exchange program, any incident like this was a big deal for the school. And with it being an international student... the professor felt his breath catch.


    "We''ve already sent a team to rescue them," the student said quickly.


    At the mention of "rescue," Patrick''s step faltered slightly.


    The professor rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit shaky. "Let''s go, quickly."


    They dashed out of the office, so focused on the situation that they didn''t even notice Patrick standing there.


    Patrick clenched his fists, hesitating only a moment before deciding to follow them. He prayed silently that the person in the water wasn''t Mira.


    Minutester, Patrick arrived at the edge of the artificialke, jogging to keep up. By then, thekeside had calmed down, and the crowd that had gathered was starting to disperse. It was hard to believe anything had just happened.


    Patrick caught the arm of thest student leaving, asking in his best French what had gone down.


    "... They''ve been taken to the


    hospital. It was a female student et


    from China, but I don''t know her


    condition," the student replied before moving on.


    Patrick stood there, his mind echoing with one thought: unknown condition.


    A female student from China-who else could it be but Mira, the one who had vanished?


    With urgency pushing his feet, Patrick broke into a sprint towards the campus exit.


    As he ran, he called ze and Denny, bringing them up to speed on the situation.


    Out on the street, Patrick anxiously


    tried to g down a taxi. Whether it was in bad luck or drivers


    rovelet


    steering clear of a foreigner, no one stopped.


    Just as he was about to lose hope, a ck sedan pulled up beside him.


    The window rolled down, rolled down, revealing


    La


    8ce and a polite voice asking, "Where are your ga


    "Where are you headed? I


    can give you a lift." Content Belongs to


    Patrick recognized the driver as the one who had picked them up from the airport. Without a second thought, he jumped in.


    He quickly gave the driver the hospital address he''d learned.


    "What happened? Who''s in the hospital?" the driver''s voice sharpened with


    concern.


    Patrick didn''t hold back,ying out the situation.


    No sooner had he finished speaking than the car shot forward, elerating like a missile.


    It wasn''t a sports car, but it moved with astonishing speed.


    Patrick gripped the handle, his face pale, heart pounding as if it might burst out of his chest.