Chapter 423
Exhausted, Josiah stumbled as he stepped out of the narrow wooden hut, nearly tripping over the threshold.
“Mr. Evans” A bodyguard swiftly reached out to steady Josiah, eyes scanning his pallid, grim face with concern. “Are you all right?
“Tm fine.” Josiah shook his head, then suddenly turned to the bodyguards flanking him. “Why are you all standing here? Go find him”
“Mr. Evans, we have to protect you” one bodyguard unl
“Do I need it?” Josiah asked angrily, his gaze filled with sarcasm, ‘Get out there and find Conner?
“Mr. Evans The bodyguards were hesitant
“Go now,” Josiah instructed.
“Yes, sir.” The bodyguards exchanged glances but ultimately obeyed Josiah’s orders, swiftly scattering in all directions.
After shouting himself boarse, Josiah felt a sharp pain throbbing in his temples. He raised a hand to rub his temple, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings.
The mountain had no streetlights, and the recent rain had left the paths muddy and treacherous. The longer they delayed, the worse things would
One more
more person searching meant one more ray of hope, Josiah gripped his flashlight tightly and plunged into the search himself.
The sounds of voices faded into the distance, and only the steady beam of his flashlight illuminated the path ahead. Josiah glanced at his phone from time to time, afraid of missing any incoming calls or messages.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Josiah’s feet gave way! He thought. ‘Damn it! By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late. His center of gravity plummeted, and his entire body plunged downward in free fill.
“Ethan help. Josiah’s pupils shrank as he shouted.
However, the descent was too rapid. Josiah’s cry was swallowed by the abyss along with him.
“Ugh” As his body tumbled down, scraping against jagged rocks, Josiah gritted his teeth and let out a muilled groan. His flashlight had long been lost. He was now engulfed in an endless void.
A sliver of fear coiled in the depths of Josiah’s heart. He wondered, ‘Is this it for me!”
“Ah,” Josiah screamed. Before terror could fully take hold, a searing pain ripped through his thigh.
Josiah’s body jerked to a sudden halt. The pain was excruciating, enough to make him momentarily shut his eyes, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He reached down, pressing a hand to his left thigh.
Josiah realized his pants were torn. His palm came away slick with something warm and ket–blood. The sharp, metallic scent of it filled his
nostrili
“His“Josiah sucked in a breath, rubbing his hand against his clothes to rid himself of the sticky dampness. He then reached into his pocket, looking for his phone. He needed to check his wound and contact Ethan to save him.
However, Josiah’s phone was nowhere to be found. “Tik.” With a frown, he clicked his tongue in frustration. He thought, ‘It must have been thing away when I fell Perhaps it’s nearby?”
All that remained in Josiah’s pocket was a lighter. He pulled it out and struck the flint. A flickering flame sprang to life, casting faint illumination over his surroundings
Intually, Josial thought he had fallen off a cliff, but no cliff was this shallow. The place looked imore like a cive.
Josuh raised the lighter higher, its dim glow barely penetrating the darkness ahead. There was
is no end in sight. He wondered, “What kind of place is
Just as Josiah a hand had withdrawn, he moved back again. That dark shadow earlier resembled a person. Josiah directed its glow toward the murky ulourite after flicking the lighter off, then reigniting 1.
Jou thought, It seems to be a person. In this deep mountain, could it be… Conner? His throat tightened. A wave of emotion surged through hum as he struggled to his fort. “Aght li burtat”
As pain flared up from the wound on his left leg, a sharp, blinding agony shot through Josiah, making him see stars.
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Josiah forced himself to endure it, shoving the pain aside as he rushed toward the shadowy figure on the ground. Dropping to one knee, he reached nut and flipped the person over
Conner’s eyes were tightly shut. He was still wearing a hospital gowns under his coat.
“Comper,” Josialt called, his voice hoarse with urgency. As the realization hit him, a surge of emotion welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill over. “Thank Godf He had found Conner. That meant Joyce could still be saved.
“Commer” Josial blinked, forring hack his tears. He reached out to help
to help Conner up and patted his face. “Wake up. Can you hear me, Conner?”
However, Conner seyes remained shut. There was no response. It wasn’t looking good. Conner had been given sedatives, and then he had fallen.
Josjali thought, Tin injured, there’s no guarantee that Comer is faring any better, I could stay here and wait for Ethan to bring reinforcements, but what about Conner? Can he afford to wait? No. I can’t sit idly!
Some on, get up” Josiah made up his mind. He took a deep breath, put Conner’s arm around his
s shoulder, and helped him to his feet. He
Josiah struck the lighter and continued to survey his surroundings. The tunnel stretched endlessly ahead, an eerie wind rushing toward them. He had his suspicions–this must be some kind of underground passage. And if there was wind, there had to be an exit.
With Conner in
in tow, turning laack was impossible. Their only option was to move forward.
Before setting off, Josiah shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto the ground where he had fallen carlier. If Ethan and his men arrived and w they would know he had been there.
Josiali then hoistedd Conner onto his back, “Ugh” Josiah winced, a mudled groan escaping his lips as his knee nearly buckled beneath him. He barely managed to steady himself.
Conner might have been a j
a grown man, but it normally wouldn’t have been a problem for Josi
for Josiah to carry him. However, that was under normal
A deep gash split open the fles
flesh of Josiah’s left leg now. Every step sent a sharp pang of pain through his body.
Josiah gritted his teeth, slowly regulating his breathing until he finally steadied himself. Then, he took a step, then another, slowly moving forward.
As Josiah walked, he talked to Conner, hoping to wake him. “Conner, you’ve got guts, you Joyce your bone marrow
u know that Tania tied you up here to stop you from giving
“And even in your state, you were still thinking of escaping, of going back to save Joyce, weren’t your Right…” Josiah trailed off before adding abrupdy, “I forgot to say thank you”
ghter. Still, he kept chattering away. However, Conner remained
Even though Conner saving Joyce had nothing to do with Josiali, Joyce was his daughter. unresponsive_
“Hey!” Panic erept into Josiah’s voice. “Conner, show some resp
some response. Say something. Where are you hurt? You finally managed to escape—you can’t ollaper now. Joyer is waiting for you to save her life. You have to hold on, Connert
”
The wind howled around them, picking up force. And then, in the distance–faint but unmistakable–a sliver of light began to pierce through the darkness. Josialı speculated it to be the exit. “Conner, hold on. Please, you have to.
Il Conner didn’t make it, not only would joyer’s surgery be doomed, Sienna probably wouldn’t be able to handle it either.
A cold blue light flickered ahead, Josiali’s heart fraped—hope flaring in his eyes. He quickened his pace, his left leg so numb that he could no longer
Suddenly, everything opened up They were out. The sky was starting to lighten, no longer pitch black. Josiah looked up and could fantly see beams of light shining froan the mountains. Those were his men.
Jual slated Conner’s weight on his back and grined his teeth, pushing forward
“Ugh, Commer groaned
“Commer” Josiali’s steps faltered. He turned his head sharply. “Conner Are you awake! How do you feel! Are you hurt?”
Jonialis gaze froze. A black–and–white–landed snake coded tightly around Commer’s leg-
It was a riper, a venomous unabr. Joslali went rigid, every hair on lais boly standing on end. In the blink of an eye, his arm shot out, moving with
had only taught at that manner must not be harmed. He had to get back to the hospital safe and sound, back to Sorina. He dor save joyce, to undergo ilie surgery as scheduled.
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