They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 312: Which River Exactly?

Chapter 312: Which River Exactly?

“Yeah… I’m fine,” she said quickly, trying to gather her thoughts. “I just suddenly remembered something important. We need to find a way to the rivers. I now know how to get to them. But…” Her voice trailed off as she stared at the sky, trying to piece it all together.

“There are two rivers that lead to Truns,” she finally said. “That’s the problem.”

Ekene frowned, clearly impressed but puzzled. “Wait… how did you suddenly know how to get to the rivers?”

Nnenna gave him a small, knowing smile. “Let’s just say… the knowledge is within.”

Ekene looked at her like she had started speaking in riddles

“Anyway,” Nnenna began, “there are two rivers on the far side of the kingdom that lead to Trunns, Dunk River and Torrent River. But I have no idea which one we’re supposed to meet at. I’m starting to think nobody even realized this would be a problem. They didn’t seem to plan for it.”

Ekene frowned slightly, deep in thought. “What were Ruth’s exact words again?” he asked.

Nnenna recalled them clearly. “She said, ‘If the wind forgets the shape of the falcon in Marka, remember that rivers can carry what wheels cannot. You’ll understand what I mean if things go wrong.'”

Ekene paused, the words replaying in his mind like a riddle. He mulled it over for a few long moments before a spark lit his eyes.

“Wait, do you know if any of those rivers are near the Marka airport, train station, or bus station?” he asked suddenly.

Ding!

‘There is one beside the bus station,’ the Love System replied inside Nnenna’s mind.

She blinked and repeated it aloud. “There’s one beside the bus station.”

Ekene nodded with certainty. “Then that has to be the one. If things were to go wrong, Ruth would’ve chosen the most obvious and accessible route. A river beside the bus station? No one would predict we would choose to escape right under their noses. That fits.”

Nnenna did not respond immediately, but she felt a surge of relief. At least now, they had a direction.

Just as they were thinking about the river situation, a ringtone suddenly echoed between them. Both Nnenna and Ekene froze and looked at each other, wide eyed.

Nnenna “…”

Ekene “…”

They had their phones this entire time.

A wave of mutual embarrassment swept over them. How had they forgotten something so obvious? Quickly, they checked the screen and relaxed slightly when they saw the caller ID.

They picked up immediately.

“Guys… are you all safe?” Abuchi’s voice came through, hesitant, uncharacteristically uncertain.

For a second, neither of them answered. Then Ekene finally said, “Yes, we’re okay. We can hear you.”

“We are good too.” John and Karen replied.

“Great,” Abuchi sighed, clearly relieved.

Then he continued, “John, Ekene, remember that day we were playing basketball and I made that dunked shot?”

Ekene blinked. “Uhm… yes?” he replied first, confused. What did basketball have to do with anything right now?

John’s voice came through too after a short pause. “Yeah… I remember. But why are we talking about that now?”

“Good. That’s good. I suddenly had the memory,” Abuchi said cryptically, then added more seriously, “Switch off your phones.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Anyway, you all know what to do next,” he said and abruptly ended the call.

Ekene and Nnenna stared at the screen, baffled.

“What just happened?” Ekene muttered.

Nnenna raised an eyebrow. “I think… he just gave us a coded message?”

The rest of the group immediately switched off their phones without hesitation.

Silence followed as they all reflected on the cryptic call. Abuchi had not said much, but the implications were clear, there was meaning hidden behind his words.

They thought back to what they already knew: there were two rivers that led to Trunns, Dunk and Torrent. Could the “dunked shot” story have been a code pointing to the Dunk River? It was the obvious conclusion at first glance. But that was the problem.

The chance that phone lines in Marka were being monitored was almost certain. So why would Abuchi say something so seemingly straightforward if enemy ears were listening? That alone raised suspicion.

At John’s side, he stood quietly on the edge of the road, processing the strange call. Abuchi was many things, but careless was not one of them. There was no way he would intentionally feed their enemies a clear clue. Which could only mean one thing: it was misdirection.

He took a deep breath and made up his mind. “Torrent it is,” he muttered, adjusting his grip on his backpack. If it turned out to be the wrong one… well, then he would think of something else. Or he wouldn’t. Either way, he would rather die moving forward than be paralyzed by doubt.

Meanwhile, on Karen’s end, she kept walking at a steady pace, brows slightly furrowed as she turned the conversation over in her mind. Abuchi’s odd mention of basketball had stuck with her too, but her gut told her it wasn’t about the “Dunk River” at all.

She remembered Ruth’s letter..”…rivers can carry what wheels cannot.”

Wheels.

That had to mean something. Karen glanced toward a cluster of bus terminals nearby. Buses, of course, wheels. And one of the rivers, the Torrent River, flowed right next to the bus station.

Her eyes narrowed. That was it. It had to be.

Ruth had left them enough clues. Now it was just up to them to read between the lines.

At Nnenna and Ekene’s side, they had already deduced that it was the Torrent River before Abuchi’s call came through. So when he mentioned the “dunked shot,” it only confused them for a moment. Then they exchanged a quick glance and shook it off.

They trusted their instincts. If they were wrong, then so be it, but something about the puzzle Ruth left behind, the cryptic phrasing and the wheels, aligned too well with what they had uncovered.