A Test of Trust

　　At that moment, Yang felt like he'd met his savior.

　　He truly was his savior!

　　It wasn't the "ghost," but Dr. Tang who found him first. 

　　What incredible luck!

　　He immediately shouted to Tang, "Dr. Tang! Help me, it's Yang!" 

　　As he spoke, he brushed the dirt off his face, so Tang, holding the flashlight, could see his face clearly.

　　"It is you, Yang..." Tang immediately opened his backpack, took out the rope inside, and lowered it. "Yang, grab the rope, I'll pull you up!"

　　The rope dangled down. 

　　As Yang reached for it, a fairy tale story popped into his mind.

　　"Rapunzel," by the Brothers Grimm.

　　This fairy tale tells the story of an evil witch who imprisons a princess with 70-foot-long hair in a tall tower.

　　A prince, smitten with the princess, climbs the tower using her hair to meet her. 

　　When the witch discovers this, she cuts off the princess's hair, throws it down, and lets the prince climb up. 

　　But instead of his beloved, it's the evil witch who appears at the window. 

　　In the end, she blinds the prince.

　　Although the story ends with the usual happily ever after of a Grimm fairytale, when Yang was a child, he found it terrifying.

　　Now... the rope Tang had lowered was just like the princess's hair in "Rapunzel." 

　　Who knew what would happen if he climbed up? 

　　Was this person really Tang?

　　He hesitated. 

　　What if he climbed up, and this "Tang" revealed his true nature, then...

　　Haunted by the shadow of that fairy tale, Yang couldn't bring himself to grab the rope.

　　"What's wrong, Yang?" Tang asked from the top of the pit. "Why aren't you grabbing the rope?"

　　Grab it... or not?

　　Yang couldn't gamble! It was a matter of life and death!

　　"You... are you really Dr. Tang?"

　　He watched Tang's expression closely as he asked. 

　　Even a hint of panic would confirm his suspicions. 

　　But Tang looked completely bewildered. "What are you talking about, Yang? Of course I am... Do you think I'm a 'ghost' in disguise?"

　　Was there a way to prove he was the real Dr. Tang?

　　The answer was no.

　　Last time, Li had told him that the fake Yuan had still answered many questions that only Yuan and Li knew.

　　Don't believe it! Absolutely don't believe it!

　　But Yang's situation was completely different from the prince in the fairy tale. 

　　The prince could choose not to climb up, but Yang couldn't. 

　　If this person was really Dr. Tang, and he stayed here... wouldn't that be giving up his chance of survival?

　　Was there a way... to climb up while making sure the Tang in front of him wasn't a "ghost"?

　　Yang's mind raced, but Tang couldn't wait any longer. 

　　"Yang! Grab the rope, I really am Tang. Remember? When you first moved into the apartment, the first time I went to your house..."

　　"Don't say that! I don't believe you when you say those things!" Yang was even more suspicious, thinking that this Tang wasn't the real one. "You, you must be the 'ghost'! The real Dr. Tang is dead!"

　　"What are you talking about!" Tang seemed quite urgent. "If you don't grab the rope, what if the 'ghost' comes over..."

　　"How about this!" Yang suddenly thought of a solution. "Dr. Tang, I remember... there's a big, protruding rock nearby. Do you see it?"

　　Tang shone his flashlight to the side and nodded. "Yes, there is."

　　"Dr. Tang must have studied leverage. Tie the rope to your hands, wrap it around that rock, throw the other end down, and I'll grab it. Then you jump down into this pit, and I'll be able to climb up! If you do that, I'll believe you're not a 'ghost', and then I'll pull you back up!"

　　Actually, Yang was testing him.

　　He knew Tang's character well.

　　He was a complete goody-two-shoes, always willing to make sacrifices to help others. 

　　Yang had always considered the phrase "a doctor's heart is like a parent's heart" to be extremely insincere, but Tang lived up to it.

　　If it really was a "ghost," it wouldn't agree, would it? 

　　But if it did agree, then he could escape.

　　Tying the rope around Tang's hands was a precaution. 

　　Even if it was a "ghost," in that moment when they met in the air, it wouldn't be able to touch him.

　　Of course, if it really was a "ghost," there were many ways it could do it. 

　　But Yang was doing his best to minimize the risk. 

　　After all, he couldn't stay here forever. 

　　Even if he was lucky enough for the "ghost" to never find him, if he didn't return to the apartment within 48 hours after midnight, the consequences would be unthinkable!

　　Tang seemed bewildered, as if he didn't understand why he had to go through all that trouble.

　　"Yang, if I really was a 'ghost', couldn't I just jump down and kill you? Why would I need to trick you into coming up?"

　　"You can't say that. Who knows if the apartment gave the 'ghost' some limitations, like it can't enter underground or something?" Yang continued, earnestly. "Dr. Tang... I lost my temper earlier, please forgive me. I don't mean to doubt you, but you know the situation. If you do this, I can believe you, and you'll have a companion on your way back to the apartment. Don't worry, I'll definitely pull you up!"

　　Tang seemed hesitant, but Yang understood that whether he was human or "ghost," he would hesitate. 

　　Yang's biggest concern was that Tang was afraid he wouldn't pull him up. 

　　Although theoretically, Yang had no reason not to pull him up, it was normal for Tang to worry about that.

　　Yang was about to speak again, to make a few solemn oaths, when Tang spoke.