CHAPTER 328: CHAPTER 237: A NIGHT UNDERGROUND

Although the cellphone was the most basic button phone with only three contacts, the call log contained a total of ten calls, one of which had a Japanese area code.

If the mastermind behind their kidnapping is indeed Japanese, then it could be confirmed that this incident was targeting the old master all along.

In that case, the matter involved might not be something as simple as personal affairs; it could very well be related to national interests, especially considering the old master’s influential position.

So if they could escape from these people’s clutches, the mastermind’s plans would be thwarted. The most important thing was to establish contact with the people in Beijing – that meant they must leave this place as soon as possible tomorrow to find a signal and make a call.

Each lost in their thoughts, the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive for a moment. Wan Chu’er said, "Mr. Yan, do you think the people who kidnapped us could also be Japanese? That’s why they didn’t talk much along the way, fearing they’d reveal their identities."

Yan Hui recalled the time he was nearly strangled and said with lingering fear, "Not all of these people are Japanese; I’ve heard them speak." He then admonished Wan Chu’er, "If we encounter them again, you must be very careful. These people don’t blink an eye at murder; they’re cruel and ruthless."

"Now we are still useful to them. If we’re not, both of us will be in danger."

Wan Chu’er laughed, "Now that we’ve escaped their control, it won’t be so easy for them to kill us even if they wanted to."

Yan Hui sighed inwardly, then said, "Let’s sleep. In a few more hours, we’ll have to run with all our might. We should rest while we can; it’s most important."

With that, he placed the bag on the step, indicating Wan Chu’er to lean on it and rest.

It was better than leaning directly against the cold stone steps.

Wan Chu’er smiled, "Mr. Yan, you should rest against the bag. I’m not that fragile."

She had come to realize that Yan Hui really wasn’t in top physical shape. It was more important for him to rest; she could just sit and nod off casually.

Yan Hui, always the gentleman, wouldn’t agree to that, and as a man, he couldn’t bring himself to let Wan Chu’er take care of him. After some back-and-forth, they took out the bundle of rope, placed it by their heads, emptied out the bag to cushion their middle backs, and reclined against it together.

That way, they were leaning tightly back to back.

Wan Chu’er chuckled and couldn’t help but say, "Mr. Yan, now we’re practically sharing a bed."

Yan Hui, charmed by the playful voice behind him, thought to himself that this girl sure was carefree even at a time like this, still joking around. But for a moment, it lifted his spirits too — his experience being tied up with Wan Chu’er wasn’t so bad after all.

"Get some sleep," said Yan Hui gently.

Wan Chu’er set the phone alarm to vibrate and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Throughout the past two days, as they were in the kidnappers’ hands, she hardly dared to sleep too deeply. Now that they were temporarily safe and with Yan Hui by her side, she finally allowed herself to relax and sleep well, to replenish her energy for the fight against the kidnappers tomorrow.

Wan Chu’er slept soundly, but when she awoke, she was startled. It didn’t feel like she had only slept for three or four hours. She quickly reached for the phone, but couldn’t find it.

Instead, she heard Yan Hui’s voice, "You’re awake? I turned off the phone alarm."

Wan Chu’er turned her head and saw Yan Hui, who had sat up at some unknown time, holding a small knife and writing and drawing on the ground with the light of a flashlight.

She sat up, "Mr. Yan, what time is it now?"

Yan Hui replied, "It’s eleven o’clock in the morning."

"Ah?"

Yan Hui said, "They must have gone now, they’re no longer here. Wake up, let’s have something to eat, and then we can leave this place."

Wan Chu’er agreed and quickly got up to stretch her limbs. They ate the bread and ham sausage with the mineral water, and finished off with a piece of chocolate to replenish their energy.

Wan Chu’er climbed to the top of the stairs, pressed her ear against it to listen, but heard no sound. Only then did she go back down and walked behind the altar to trigger the mechanism.

Before activating the mechanism, her gaze swept over the five jars. Without a second thought, she went straight up and kicked the jars off the altar, then proceeded to trigger the mechanism.

Such evil things were too disgusting!

Yan Hui watched her actions, shook his head with a wry smile, and said nothing.

After about ten seconds, the stairs rotated again, revealing the hole above.

They both clenched their hearts and waited. When they didn’t detect any movement, Wan Chu’er made a hand gesture indicating she would go up first; if it was safe, Mr. Yan would follow.

Yan Hui knew he was not as agile as Wan Chu’er, so he did not argue. He simply unfolded the Military Shovel and handed it to Wan Chu’er as a defensive weapon.

Wan Chu’er cautiously climbed up and saw that the kidnappers were indeed gone. The weeds inside the cave were all messed up, revealing the anxiety and panic of the three men when they found them missing. She felt a bit better, and shouted down, "Mr. Yan, come up."

After the two left the cave, to avoid bumping into those people, they did not follow the kidnappers’ footprints. Instead, they ran in the opposite direction.

They climbed up and down the mountain, running with trepidation for more than an hour. When they saw no sign of the kidnappers, they began to relax a bit. However, their pace did not slow down, continuing to move forward.

They kept heading east for over two hours before turning south, unanimously deducing that Beijing was in the southern direction.

"This damned place still has no signal!" Wan Chu’er pocketed her phone with disappointment for the nth time.

While climbing to the top of a hill, they encountered a dangerous scene. From a distance, they spotted three kidnappers on another hillside.

"Not good, Chuchu, turn around!" Yan Hui exclaimed in shock.

At the same time, the kidnappers also spotted them. After shouting a couple of times, their movement speed visibly increased.

Wan Chu’er inwardly complained about the unfortunate coincidence. She estimated the distance between them; if they stood still, it would take the kidnappers at least half an hour to reach them, and if they ran ahead, the kidnappers would catch up in an hour.

The two ran haphazardly for a few minutes, then Yan Hui yelled, "This won’t work, we... should split up. As long as one person escapes... they can inform the Patriarch..."

Yan Hui, wearing a pair of leather shoes, was not as nimble as Wan Chu’er to begin with. If they split up and the kidnappers pursued separately, he was sure to fall into their hands again.

And since their target was Wan Chu’er, if they caught Yan Hui, he was very likely to become their outlet for abuse, with an unimaginable fate.

So after a brief thought, Wan Chu’er disagreed, "No, we must stick together."

"Listen to me, Chuchu, you run east, and I’ll run north," Yan Hui tried to persuade Wan Chu’er, but sadly she wouldn’t listen and just stuck close by his side.

As Yan Hui felt helpless, he was also touched. He stopped arguing and picked up the pace with all his strength.