In the wilderness, a low hum echoed.
You Mingxu stared at the tent ceiling, listening to this lonely, solitary sound. This time, Gu Tiancheng was humming an English song, and his enunciation was clear. It had to be said that such a deep male voice in the dead of night was inherently moving. It made one's heart settle along with it.
As the song ended, he finally fell silent. All the surrounding sounds seemed to sink into the darkness along with it.
A thought suddenly popped into You Mingxu's mind: After daybreak, maybe she really could have a good chat with him, ask him what he liked, what he disliked. What he hoped for, what troubled him. Perhaps this man she had encountered on the journey was truly someone to look forward to.
You Mingxu didn't know when she had started dozing off. In fact, before this, she had been roughing it for three days, both exhausted and weary. Today, she knew she had to stay tense and hold out until dawn. But after the earlier half-night of turmoil, she was indeed at the end of her rope. She swore she had only dozed for a short while, in that dim, dusky light with Gu Tiancheng's song echoing around.
The tent flap was suddenly thrown open, and light poured in. You Mingxu raised her hand to shield her eyes, and before her was Gu Tiancheng's tense face. His large hand gripped her shoulder: "Get up quickly! Something's happened!"
Her heart sank, and she sprang up from the ground: "What's going on?"
Gu Tiancheng's expression was incredulous: "I just went into the woods to relieve myself, and when I woke up, I found both girls are gone!"
You Mingxu's face changed abruptly, and she ran out of the tent with him. Mingtao was also startled awake, crawling out of his tent: "What's wrong? Don't tell me something weird has happened again?"
The two ignored him. You Mingxu dashed to the cabin door in one swift move, only to see it slightly ajar. Everything inside was in place, with no signs of a struggle. The two girls' shoes and jackets were missing.
You Mingxu paused, blurting out: "Did they go out on their own?" As soon as she said it, she felt it was impossible. Zou Furong was already terrified out of her wits; even if the two had some reason to leave the cabin, they would definitely have informed the others.
She looked up and saw Gu Tiancheng's equally puzzled and grave face. You Mingxu's heart skipped a beat, and she turned to look at Mingtao, who was yawning and slowly catching up. His hair was messy, his clothes disheveled, and he wore a blank, impatient expression until he saw the empty cabin and froze.
Gu Tiancheng's face suddenly changed, and he muttered, "The car!" All three turned to look at the same time. The car parked not far away was shadowy and quiet in the darkness, unclear. Gu Tiancheng pulled out a flashlight and shone it directly. The three clearly saw the trunk lid wide open.
They ran over and indeed saw it was empty inside.
"Holy... crap!" Mingtao yelled, "What the hell is this guy? Tied up like that and still managed to escape? Gu Tiancheng, where are the car keys? Your car keys? How did he get out? Did you let him out?"
Gu Tiancheng snapped sharply, "Why would I let him out?!" He pulled the car keys from his pocket and held them out on his palm.
"He has a master key," You Mingxu said. "We locked the car earlier, or he managed to break free from the ropes, climbed from the trunk to the front seat, and found a way to open the door. It's not impossible."Gu Tiancheng turned and walked away. "I'm going to find them. I promised to keep them safe—this is my negligence. You two stay here and don't move. Wait for me to return."
"Wait a moment," You Mingxu called out.
Mingtao also said, "No! If you leave, what if that killer comes back? How can the two of us, You Mingxu and I, be a match for him? If he goes berserk, how can we possibly hold him off?"
"What do you suggest then!" Gu Tiancheng spun around and roared, his face already dark and stormy. "Should we just sit here? Who knows what those two girls might be suffering? If he really is a serial killer, that's two lives at stake!"
"Let's go together!" You Mingxu said. "Three people can watch out for each other and avoid being left alone."
Gu Tiancheng didn't object. For a moment, everyone fell silent, but the atmosphere remained tense and anxious.
Mingtao lowered his head, his bangs once again covering his eyes, but the corners of his mouth curled into a smile as he slowly said, "Sorry, I'm not going. Just now, all five of us couldn't subdue this serial killer. I'm not playing anymore—staying alive is what matters. I'm leaving now. I won't stay in this godforsaken place any longer. Do whatever you want; it has nothing to do with me." With that, he turned and walked toward his bicycle parked outside the tent, picking up his backpack from inside.
You Mingxu and Gu Tiancheng exchanged a glance. Gu Tiancheng muttered under his breath, "Coward. Let's go."
But You Mingxu stood still, watching Mingtao's retreating figure. Gu Tiancheng noticed and turned to look at her.
You Mingxu said, "Actually, we're not certain that Song Lan and Zou Furong were taken by that person. It could be him. He's been suspicious ever since he got into your car. And now he wants to leave alone."
Gu Tiancheng's eyebrows shot up sharply. After a moment of silence, he had to admit, "You're right. We can't let him leave like this."
Just as Mingtao stepped onto his bicycle, ready to pedal with all his might toward the highway, he pushed down on the pedal, but his body didn't move. A firm force pulled at his back, and his mood soured instantly. He turned his head, about to curse, but Gu Tiancheng had already yanked him off the bike.
"What are you doing? What are you doing?" Mingtao struggled desperately, but Gu Tiancheng and You Mingxu wasted no words. Ignoring his resistance, they forced him to the ground and tied him up tightly with a rope.
Mingtao was on the verge of breaking down. "You're insane! Why are you tying me up?" Suddenly, a shudder ran through him, and he shouted, "You... it's the two of you! You're the serial killers? A Bonnie and Clyde duo?"
You Mingxu muttered, "Idiot." Gu Tiancheng, meanwhile, lifted him from the ground and said, "Stop struggling. Stay put here. As long as those two girls return safely, we'll let you go."
You Mingxu looked up at Gu Tiancheng. His expression was resolute and cold, as if he had already committed to the rescue mission without hesitation. A flicker of confusion mixed with irritation rose in You Mingxu's heart, and on impulse, she grabbed his arm.
He turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"
She released his arm. "It's nothing. We... need to be careful."
He nodded. Perhaps, given their current predicament, his own heart was also unsettled. His eyes gazed deeply into hers, and then, unexpectedly, he reached out, pressed the back of her head, and drew her toward him. His face brushed lightly against hers before he pulled away.
You Mingxu remained motionless, allowing him to draw near and then to leave."I've told you, don't be afraid," Gu Tiancheng said. "No matter what happens to the others, whether we can save them or not, I will definitely bring you to safety."
You Mingxu said: "Alright. I believe you."
He gave a faint smile. He still appeared as that handsome, tall, silent, and restrained man.
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