Chu Zhaoyang intently searched, faintly catching sight of another shadow, and immediately gave chase.
Before he knew it, he had pursued to the backside of the ancient castle.
He dashed down, but a rumbling sound reached his ears.
In his line of sight, a helicopter was parked not far away, its rotor blades spinning as it took off from the ground.
Gu Nian was inside!
Chu Zhaoyang's eyes reddened, and he sprinted forward. At this moment, he had only one thought: to catch up, to catch up with Gu Nian, to catch up with that helicopter. He was determined to get on it, to stay with Gu Nian!
But how could his legs be faster than a helicopter?
Just as he was about to catch up, the helicopter slowly ascended, blowing up a large swath of grass that swept toward Chu Zhaoyang like a gust of wind.
The grass, carried by the helicopter, still had bits of mud on it. The tips of the grass seemed like sharp blades in the gust, slashing across Chu Zhaoyang's cheek and leaving shallow scars. However, Chu Zhaoyang paid no attention, his mind solely focused on catching up.
He leaped, grabbing onto the helicopter's undercarriage with all his might.
His fingers barely clung to the bar, unable to grasp it completely.
Chu Zhaoyang gritted his teeth and exerted force, his feet already leaving the ground.
At that moment, a man inside the helicopter leaned out and whipped Chu Zhaoyang directly.
The whip struck Chu Zhaoyang's fingers firmly.
Already struggling to hold onto the bar, Chu Zhaoyang's fingers bore a deep purple mark from the whip, where the skin had split open to reveal bone.
Chu Zhaoyang gritted his teeth, refusing to let go, but relying on just his fingers was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Pak!"
Another whip came down, and Chu Zhaoyang's fingers finally gave way. He had only been holding on with four fingers.
After two strikes, his fingers went numb for a moment, the pain so intense he lost all sensation and couldn't even hold onto the bar anymore.
With his hand slipping, Chu Zhaoyang fell from the helicopter and rolled down the slope.
Chu Zhaoyang endured the pain, not knowing how many rocks he collided with along the way, tearing his clothes. He refused to let himself faint.
Gu Nian was still waiting for him to rescue her!
Chu Zhaoyang saw another large stone not far below and grabbed onto it with all his strength to stop himself from rolling farther down.
Ignoring the pain in his hands and all over his body, Chu Zhaoyang pulled out his phone from his pocket.
His injured fingers, with torn flesh and fabric, throbbed painfully.
But Chu Zhaoyang seemed oblivious to the pain, his eyes bloodshot, as if possessed by madness.
He dialed a number and called Fu Yinxiu: "Are there any members of 'Thorns' in Country Y?"
Then he called Lan Shan Manor and said the same thing.
Finally, he called the Clan: "Bring all the people who came to Country Y this time!"
Gu Nian's eyelashes trembled. Her mind was gradually clearing, but she couldn't open her eyes.
She kept them shut, looking as though trapped in a nightmare, her brows tightly knit into a "川" character.
It seemed like she was held by a nightmare. Despite being awake, she couldn't open her eyes.
Gu Nian bit her tongue and, with a great effort, finally managed to open her eyes.
But what she saw was an unfamiliar environment.
The ceiling was higher than that of the old mansion by about a meter, adorned with a delicate and intricate crystal chandelier.
Frowning, Gu Nian sat up.
The back of her neck throbbed with a needle-like pain, as if she had just received an injection.
She reached back to touch the painful spot and felt a small scab, a tiny round dot that was only noticeable upon careful touch.
Gu Nian realized she had been injected with something unknown. She could move, but with limited strength.
She moved her legs and got out of bed, careful not to make any noise for fear of alerting whoever was nearby.
Waking up in this strange place, Gu Nian had already figured out her situation.
She had been kidnapped again by someone unknown.
She distinctly remembered being with Chu Zhaoyang, admiring the scenery from the broken wall.
Chu Zhaoyang had suggested they move around a bit to avoid the cold after sitting for too long.
Just as Chu Zhaoyang went down to fetch her, in just a split second, she felt a sharp pain in her neck, like a needle prick.
Reacting unusually fast, she immediately blacked out and fell backward.
At the time, she was semi-conscious and could still feel someone catching her and carrying her on their shoulders.
After that, she didn't know what happened next.
When she woke up again, she was in this place.
Gu Nian couldn't help but think of the wedding when she received that congratulatory card with the letter "R" signed at the bottom.
It felt like a thorn in her heart.
Even though she and Chu Zhaoyang had never mentioned it again, it didn't mean they had forgotten about it.
It remained in their hearts, unspoken.
Now, being suddenly kidnapped, Gu Nian instinctively linked it to the Organization R.
If it was the Organization R...
She couldn't help but shudder. She didn't know what kind of torture awaited her.
More importantly, why did they capture her?
Were they trying to lure Chu Zhaoyang over?
But Chu Zhaoyang was right there with her at the time.
Gu Nian couldn't quite understand.
She stood in front of the bedroom door, cautiously turning the handle without making a sound.
Sure enough, the door was locked and couldn't be pushed open.
Gu Nian carefully turned the handle back and let go.
She turned to look at the window directly opposite the door, surprised to find it had no curtains.