Rebecca had no idea how she managed to reach the shore.The deep water pushed her down, but buoyancy brought her back up. In the water, with no place to stand, Rebecca thought she would be submerged in the icy lake. The cool water surrounding her from all sides felt like a fine, intricate web. It slowly tightened around her, as if capturing its prey, and then pulled her under the water. Rebecca's situation was already dire. Yet, a warm, powerful hand clung to her ankle, pulling her deeper into the water. Driven by her survival instinct, Rebecca attempted to break free from the grip of the hand holding her and swim toward the surface. However, the more she struggled to ascend, the tighter the grip on her ankle became. Just as she thought she could use a wave to push the person below her underwater, a powerful force yanked her back into the deep water. Rebecca was so close to taking a breath. It was akin to almost reaching a piece of driftwood in the water when someone sta
Both the Johnson and Winston families sent a substantial number of people to aid in the search.Given the Winston family's strong hold on Riverwood, they had the required resources to bring in the personnel necessary for the search. Tillfort Peaks was, in fact, an investment project of the Winston family. Despite Benjamin's attempts to keep it confidential, little did he know that it had caught the eye of several people in Riverwood right from the start. However, when the project eventually went south, it slowly faded from public view. At first, numerous folks thought it would be a lucrative business, but it never progressed beyond the initial planning phase, and they ended up completely deserting the construction site. As for Daniel, even though he had known about the project from the beginning, he hadn't initially placed much importance on it.The concept of constructing a mountain retreat at an altitude of over a thousand meters made sense, but the mountain roads were unde
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Rebecca felt disoriented and lost. She felt as if she were being jostled by the water, experiencing a rough and turbulent ride that made her reluctant to open her eyes.Time had lost meaning during this ordeal, but eventually, the disorienting motion finally came to a halt. She could finally catch her breath, curling up in a corner where she was no longer at the water's mercy. However, there was a presence beside her, guiding her to a more comfortable position and offering sips of water. Gradually, she stopped resisting and, driven by her primal instinct to survive, sipped the provided water. Weariness overtook her, and she drifted into a deep slumber. As Rebecca’s consciousness gradually returned, she awoke to a mesmerizing scene.The morning sun painted the sky in shades of crimson, casting its vibrant hues across the sprawling horizon. Rebecca was captivated by the view, though she had seen many sunrises, never had she witnessed one i
When Rebecca returned to the cave, David, who was lying on the ground was slowly regaining consciousness.He was burning up all over, and every slight movement seemed like torture. Hearing the commotion at the cave entrance, David slowly shifted his gaze, tightening his grip on the knife in his hand. When he saw who it was, he closed his eyes and unknowingly breathed a sigh of relief. "You fled, and now you've got the nerve to return? Is it because you couldn't find your way, or do you have a screw loose in your head?" David leaned against the rock wall, squinting at Rebecca. Rebecca paid no attention to him. She then walked over to spread the coat she had used as a blanket all night. After that, she placed the chestnuts and persimmons she had gathered on top. There were also two wild fruits she had spotted on the way back. The birds had pecked clean the other fruit on the trees, leaving only these two for her to pluck. "Where did you fetch water last night? I'll go get
Upon hearing this, Albert and Nate exchanged glances.They didn't outright reject Daniel, but given his identity and his past actions, they still held some bias against him. However, when it came to searching for Rebecca, having more information meant more certainty. Thus, they had no reason to decline Daniel’s offer. So, Albert stepped forward and spoke politely, "What information do you want to share?" Coincidentally, Nate had identified a location as well. If this location aligned with what Daniel was going to disclose, it would verify the truthfulness of the henchmen they had captured. This, in turn, would increase the likelihood of locating them. Daniel didn't hide anything and gradually disclosed a location. As his words settled in, the Johnsons collectively raised their gazes at Daniel. As expected, it was indeed the exact location, confirming that David's henchmen had been truthful. If David was still alive and had Rebecca in his custody, they would inevitably re
"I was complimenting your personality, what's the matter?"Rebecca gave a disdainful glance at the pale-faced David. She wasn't intimidated in the least. She had dared to scold him even when she was kidnapped, and she didn't hesitate to drag him into trouble. Now, did she really need to be afraid of him who could barely sit up due to his illness? A surge of anger rushed through David, and it looked as though he was attempting to sit up. But as soon as he managed to sit upright, his whole body seemed to collapse, and his face turned even paler due to the pain. This condition didn't seem like a result of fever, but more like ... Rebecca began to sense that something was amiss, particularly when she caught a faint whiff of blood in the air after David had shifted slightly. Her expression turned serious as she leaned closer. However, before her fingers could reach David, she was met with a slap on her hand. "Stay away from me." David's tone was weak yet determined. Rebec
David sneered dismissively. "If you intended to harm me, why did you wait until now? In fact, you didn't need to return today; leaving me here would have sufficed."With no food or water, even basic human necessities couldn't be guaranteed. Hence, he had no way to fend for himself besides waiting for death. If Rebecca truly wished for his demise, there was no need for her to go to such extremes. Upon noticing his misunderstanding, Rebecca pulled out a faint smile. "You're overthinking it. I never intended for you to die. Giving you another stab is just a way to repay you for the harm you've caused me in these past two days. Considering the extent to which you strangled me, it seems fair. Doesn't it, Mr. Winston?" Rebecca touched her neck and wore an innocent smile. The dagger in her hand did add some credibility to her words. The cave suddenly fell silent, with only the faint crackling of the firewood burning. David raised his eyelids to look at Rebecca, and his eyes sud
Once the thought started to appear, it took root and continued to grow stronger.The fire in the cave flickered. Yet, it was slowly dimming as no one added wood to it.Droopy-eyed, David weakly tossed some firewood into it.The fire dimmed slightly from the branch he threw in. After hearing a soft sound, the fire suddenly built up ferociously and lit the whole cave up.At this point, David suddenly stood up with great struggle despite the pain in his whole body.When he got up, everything before him went black. He lost his strength and was falling flat on the ground.Luckily, he realized he hadn't recovered fully in that split second. He used the stone wall to support his body to get up.He pursed his lips and relaxed for a while. Finally, he forcefully stood up.He turned his gaze up. He saw the cold night before him and staggered toward the outside.He had been to the place to retrieve water. It was about a few hundred meters from where he was. The woman should have been bac