Henry Clark only had time to unlock the shackle on William Thompson's left foot; the iron chain was still hanging from William Thompson's right foot.

Osprey was panting heavily, forcefully yanking William Thompson downward.

"Escape?! I want you dead!"

Even at this moment, the river bandit still tried his best to appear fierce, intending to scare the young man in front of him.

He wanted to drag William Thompson into the water and drown him.

He wanted to avenge Old Six!

Suddenly, William Thompson let go, his body dropping, then quickly grabbed onto a protruding boulder to stop his fall.

Just as Osprey felt the force slacken, William Thompson's right leg swung in a circle, wrapping the iron chain around Osprey's neck.

Osprey's neck tightened, and he instinctively let go.

In an instant, William Thompson acted, grabbing the iron chain and looping it around Osprey's neck again, then snapping the shackle that Henry Clark had opened onto the chain with a "click," tightening it around Osprey's neck.

The iron chain was less than a meter long, wrapped twice, with one end attached to William Thompson's right foot and the other end locked. It was as if Osprey's neck was tied right next to William Thompson's right foot.

Osprey tried to break free, but found he couldn't get his head out of the chain at all.

William Thompson climbed upward again, and Osprey immediately couldn't breathe, grabbing at William Thompson's foot, trying to pull him down.

William Thompson kicked Osprey's face hard, desperately clinging to the boulder and climbing up.

Osprey cried out in pain, his hand loosening, the iron chain tightening, tighter and tighter, his face turning redder and redder.

William Thompson was trying to strangle Osprey with the chain. Osprey had no choice but to try to push himself up, stretching his neck, but William Thompson kept kicking him down. The shackle rubbed against William Thompson's ankle, tearing the skin and flesh, soon becoming a bloody mess.

William Thompson was in excruciating pain, gritting his teeth and holding on for dear life...

In the end, he couldn't hold on any longer, his body dropping, but he still clung tightly to the boulder.

The force on Osprey's neck suddenly eased. He tried to reach out and grab William Thompson, but the suffocation left him powerless, and he fell into the river.

The river was rapid and powerful, constantly pulling at Osprey's body.

William Thompson fought against the force of the river, his strong willpower squeezing out more strength to climb upward.

Osprey was suffocating more and more, while blood streamed from William Thompson's ankle.

The river's power was endless, but all William Thompson had was his will. The two forces struggled, pulling the iron chain around Osprey's neck tighter and tighter.

Osprey was much stronger than William Thompson, but he didn't have the willpower to fight against these two forces. In the end, his eyes rolled back, and he died in the Yangtze River he called his "bathtub"...

……

Walking back along the shore took far more time and effort than drifting downstream with the current.

William Thompson almost felt he couldn't make it back. He chewed on leaves he didn't even know were poisonous or not, walking from afternoon to dusk, from dusk to night, from night to deep into the night...

Countless times, he wanted to just collapse on the ground and never get up again.

But there was always a voice in his mind, forcing him to keep moving forward.

"You are the champion, you are the champion..."

Finally, William Thompson saw a bonfire by the river.

He staggered over, and the night guard standing there with his hand on his sword stared at him in disbelief, forgetting to speak.

William Thompson took a few more steps forward and saw a small figure sitting by the river.

"...I wonder if Brother William can ascend to heaven."

Actually, William Thompson was quite annoyed by the term "Brother William." He thought it was silly, and also pretentious.

He wasn't even familiar with this little girl.

But after everything he'd been through today, after the long journey back, hearing someone talking about him, he still managed a weak smile, temporarily allowing the nickname, and with the last of his strength, responded feebly.

"Your Brother William just fell from the sky."

—Fell from an airplane.

After saying this, William Thompson's spirit gave out, and he collapsed.

……

It felt like he had been dreaming for a long time. When he opened his eyes again, the first thing William Thompson saw was Emily Scott staring at him with concern.

"Grandfather, Brother William is awake."

William Thompson propped himself up and saw Andrew Scott sitting nearby.

His ankle, where the shackle had been pulled up, had already been treated and bandaged.

"Was it Mr. Scott who treated my wound?"

Andrew Scott nodded and said, "An old man like me has to have some skills to be brought here."

"Thank you..."

Before he could finish, the flap of the small tent was lifted, and David Green walked in.

David Green didn't speak right away, just stared at William Thompson for a long time, as if still doubting that he could have made it back alive.

It was William Thompson who spoke first: "Could you get me something to eat? If there are any eggs left, please bring a few more, and also..."

Before he finished, David Green had already handed over a bag.

William Thompson opened it to find it was full of eggs, and there were two cucumbers.

"Cooked," David Green said.

"You know me. Thanks."

William Thompson wasn't exactly satisfied with this food combination, but out here he could only make do. He took an egg and started peeling it.

He was very good at this, peeling the egg cleanly and beautifully. It made him look calm and meticulous.

After eating one, he noticed Emily Scott eyeing it hungrily, so William Thompson peeled another and handed it to her.

"Will Brother William have enough to eat?"

"It's enough. You eat too."