Chapter 16: Falling into a trap.

Uri immediately stuffed all the artifacts into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, dragging Clement outside. But Clement jerked his hand back, pushing Uri to the door.

"You and Finn go now; they are besieging the area. They dare not do anything to me, don't worry about me; protect yourself!"

"Your father is right; let him stay here. They dare not harm him. We need to get out of here; I feel many people are coming." Finn said, then took Uri's hand and ran fast into the dense forest.

Moments later, a group of about twenty men approached and surrounded him when Clement had gone a short distance from the log house. A scar-faced man led the group, who wore red leaf badges on their lapels.

"Hello, Clement." Richard crossed his arms and stood in front of Clement.

 "Oh, hello Richard, what are you doing here?" Clement paused, calmly looking at Richard and the group of people surrounding him.

Richard sneered, "So what are you here for?"

"I go for a walk," Clement replied. "Is it illegal to go for a walk?"

"I don't have time to play cat and mouse with you." Richard stepped closer; he growled:

"Clement, I admire you very much. You always succeed in distracting my staff so that you see your son. If your stupid son doesn't show his identity card to the national museum today, we won't know when we'll find out where he's hiding."

Clement was startled to hear Richard say, Uri was too careless. But perhaps Uri was curious to see that ancient book, so he decided to go to the museum. Clement doesn't blame Uri because his son is just a teenager. Before the Red Leaf organization discovered and chased him, he was still an innocent child, just learning, playing, and living happily with his family.

"What do you want?" Clement was annoyed by Richard's attitude.

Richard paced back and forth in front of Clement. "We have evidence that your son and daughter colluded to rob national treasures from the museum."

"What nonsense are you talking about, Richard?" Clement shouted angrily. "My daughter did nothing, don't blame her."

"We have full CCTV footage of your son and daughter entering the museum together. They went to the special gallery, then the power in the museum went out, and your son disappeared along with so many national treasures of immense value." Richard said.

"You're so bad; you've trapped even children." Clement was so angry that his face turned red. "It turns out that because you couldn't catch my son, you made the robbery yourself to blame it on my children."

"If we don't, we won't be able to locate your son, and we won't be able to force him to confess, you understand?" Richard laughed. "All the evidence is in our hands. If your son doesn't bring the artifact to see me, your daughter will have to take full charge."

"Dammit!" Clement shouted; he wanted to punch the man's scarred face. "Where's my daughter?"

"We have taken your daughter to a safe place." Richard laughed with great pleasure; he was the one in charge of this game. "We'll release your daughter when that boy arrives."

Clement clenched his teeth and glared at Richard. "You arrest people illegally. I will sue you."

"Your daughter is a suspect in the robbery of antiquities. We keep her completely legal; you can sue if you like." Clement's angry expression amused Richard.

"I hope you will contact that boy and bring him to us." Richard continued. "If your daughter were guilty, you would have known the sentence. I advise you to think of her. After all, that boy is not your son; he is a vampire, our enemy."

"Shut!" An angry Clement leaped forward and punched Richard in the face. "He is my son; he is no one's enemy. You are rotten people; your organization should be disbanded."

Richard backed away but couldn't avoid Clement's punch. He had accidentally forgotten that Clement was originally a member of the Red Leaves organization, meaning his fighting strength was very good.

"Clement, don't think we can't do anything about that guy." Richard roared; he rushed forward and punched Clement. "If he doesn't come, prepare to see your daughter in jail. Would you have the heart to harm your daughter for a boy who is not your son?"

Clement leaned over to dodge Richard's punch and kicked him in the leg.

"You are the bad guys. I know your intentions when you want to arrest my son. You are people without humanity; you hide in the name of the Red Leaf organization to do things that are crueler than animals."

Richart stayed away; he didn't want to continue fighting with an angry person like Clement. Because he was in a fit of rage, his blows were powerful and precise.

"Everything we do is for the benefit of humanity," Richard roared. "That guy is just a vampire, our enemy. If you continue to protect him, don't blame me for being cruel."

"Aren't you cruel enough?" Clement pointed at Richard and the crowd surrounding him. "Three thousand years have passed, and the hatred is over. But you always use hatred to do evil things. Are you still human? Or have you turned into demons?"

Richard angrily drew his gun and pointed it at Clement. "I don't want to argue with you. Tell your son that his sister will plead guilty for him if he doesn't come to see me."

Clement is not afraid of guns. He knew Richard wouldn't dare open fire on him - an innocent human being.

...

Uri and Finn hid in the dense foliage in a tall tree in the distance, listening intently to Clement and Richard's conversation.

Uri's face was pale; he clenched his fists, and his eyes had turned blood red.

"They want to catch me." He spoke through his teeth. "If I don't go there, they'll put my sister in jail. I was so stupid. I forgot that they were lurking everywhere; I hurt my sister."

Finn quickly grabbed Uri's arm, looking at him in panic. "What do you want to do? I don't agree to let you go there. If you surrender to them, you have only one way to die."

"Do you know the sentence for stealing national treasures? My sister will have to go to prison, live a miserable life among criminals, and lose all her future." Uri was so angry that his hand trembled.

"I believe your father will have a solution." Finn tries to reassure Uri.

"Did you see my father beat that man?" Uri turned to look at Finn; his eyes were red. "He only hit people when he lost his temper and couldn't find a solution. He didn't want both my sister in danger and me. Because for him, I am his biological son. Therefore, I cannot let my sister suffer injustice."

Finn is worried. "You want to go there? Do you know that's going to die?"

Uri opens his backpack, takes the ancient golden book, takes off the book's last page, and gives it to Finn.

"Please keep this map; it is a living hope for many people. I live or die doesn't matter. The important thing is that you save everyone so that they don't live in the mountain cave anymore."

"You… you decided to go there?" Finn reached out his trembling hands and took the map from Uri's hand.

"It's my family; I have to save my sister," Uri nodded. "I hope you and everyone else will find the key to the portal to get out of here, to a more livable place."

Finn silently looked at Uri's determined face. With what was going on, he knew he couldn't stop Uri.

Uri put the ancient book in his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and jumped to the ground. He looked up at Finn standing on top of the tree, raised his hand for the last time, and then walked briskly toward the Red Leaves group of people surrounding Clement.