Chapter 143 Finding Ethan
Dappled sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting broken patches of light on the damp forest floor.
In the northern outskirts of Emerald City, deep within a secluded valley far from the city's bustle, Ethan paced anxiously outside a natural cave half-concealed by towering trees and jagged rocks.
He wore a blue corduroy jacket, which was deliberately chosen for its ability to leave traces in the wilderness, but his face no longer showed the excitement from their three-person strategy meeting. Instead, tension had taken its place.
"Why aren't they here yet?" he muttered under his breath, nervously rubbing his small hands that had turned red from the cold.
According to Jasper's precise calculations, Charles should have already followed their carefully crafted yet deliberately subtle clues and be close to finding this location.
From inside the cave, Percy White, the bodyguard Wallace had assigned him, poked his head out. Wearing a dark windbreaker and built like a fortress, his face showed a mixture of helplessness and wariness. "Mr. Johnson, stop wandering around out there and get back inside! If any wild animals or patrol rangers happen by, our whole plan is ruined."
"Don't worry, Percy, it's fine!" Ethan waved with some impatience. "Jasper said we need to leave some traces! Daddy's so capable—he'll definitely be able to follow them here!"
Following Jasper's plan, he'd had Percy help him disable the home surveillance system, symbolically tied his hands with pre-prepared rope, and brought him to this location on the edge of the Windsor family's private ecological preserve.
The area was rarely visited, with only occasional personnel conducting environmental monitoring.
Their plan was flawless: Ethan would be "held captive" here while Charles, after experiencing agonizing searching and clue-chasing, would overcome numerous obstacles and ultimately discover the cave through the extremely subtle yet detectable traces Ethan had left behind.
When Charles burst in to rescue Ethan, Percy would create a small "accident" from his hiding spot.
This way, Daddy would sustain minor injuries, making the rescue appear both arduous and requiring great sacrifice, triggering Mommy's intense concern while perfectly demonstrating Daddy's fearless heroism in saving Ethan. Naturally, Mommy would feel grateful and moved.
The crisis was perfectly resolved, and their parents' relationship would definitely improve!
What a perfect plan!
However, reality had a way of deviating from even the best-laid schemes.
Percy's brow suddenly furrowed. "Mr. Johnson, something feels off. A huge flock of birds just took flight from the eastern woods, and it's gotten eerily quiet. It doesn't feel like someone's coming, but feels more like..."
His experience in wilderness survival was ingrained in his bones; this unusual silence often signaled danger.
Before he could finish speaking, a long, piercing, penetrating howl suddenly echoed from deep within the dense forest on the valley's eastern side!
Immediately followed by a second, then a third... The sounds grew more frequent and closer! It was a primitive call filled with wildness and predatory hunger!
Ethan's face instantly turned ghostly pale!
He froze in place, his blood seeming to turn to ice in an instant!
Those sounds were wolves!
Percy's expression changed dramatically as he bolted from the cave in one swift movement. "Not good! Wolf pack! Get inside!" He scooped up the paralyzed Ethan and practically threw him into the depths of the cave, simultaneously drawing a razor-sharp military knife from behind his back!
The howling rose and fell in waves, this time crystal clear, as if right before them! He could even hear the scratching sounds of claws rapidly scraping the ground and the low, bone-chilling snarls emanating from the beasts' throats!
Ethan curled up on the cold, hard ground at the very back of the cave, his body trembling violently beyond his control as fear engulfed him like an icy tide.
He bit his lip hard, tears welling in his eyes, but stubbornly didn't dare cry out loud.
Wolves! Real wolves! So many of them! They would eat people! He regretted everything!
Why had he devised this damned plan! Why had he come to this godforsaken wilderness! Where were Mommy and Daddy now? Jasper's plan had never included wolves!
He was doomed! He was going to be eaten by wolves!
Percy pressed himself against the cave wall just inside the entrance, cautiously observing the outside. Through gaps in the sparse underbrush, he spotted at least five or six pairs of glowing green eyes flickering in the dark forest!
Those eyes held primitive coldness, greed, and ferocity, all locked directly onto the cave entrance where they were hiding!
"Damn!" Percy cursed under his breath, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He wasn't carrying a gun, only the knife. He might manage against two or three wolves, but facing an entire hungry pack with the cave's entrance unable to be completely sealed off, the situation was extremely dangerous!
He pulled out his phone to find barely any signal, making calls impossible. He could only send a basic GPS coordinate text, but deep in these mountains, when rescue might arrive was completely unknown!
A tentative roar rang out as a massive wolf with gray-black fur stepped from the shadows first. The alpha lowered its body, baring gleaming white fangs as it approached the cave entrance step by step!
The other wolves followed suit, forming a semicircle as they closed in! They had caught the scent of humans, particularly the fear emanating from Ethan, which only stimulated their hunting instincts further!
Meanwhile, less than two miles away on the rugged mountain road, an SUV was pushing forward at maximum speed over rough terrain, its wheels crushing rocks and potholes with thunderous noise.
In the passenger seat, Charles's face was grim and tense, his eyes bloodshot. He had just discovered faint but fresh blue fabric fibers on an old pine tree trunk along the edge of a thorn thicket—fibers that matched Ethan's jacket.
Ethan had to be nearby!
Nathan gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes glued to the road ahead and the GPS device in his hand. "Mr. Windsor! We've received a distress signal from the Windsor family! It might be from Mr. Ethan Johnson! Distance to target is approximately... less than two miles! But there's no road ahead, we'll have to go on foot!"
"Stop the car!" Nathan slammed on the brakes.
Almost simultaneously, Charles's phone emitted an urgent beeping alarm, which was a sound only specific emergency contacts could trigger! An encrypted map location flashed on the screen, with coordinates matching exactly with the GPS text Percy had just sent!
He had always known that from their first meeting, Ethan had installed tracking on his phone!
Once they were close enough, it would automatically alert him!
He had installed counter-surveillance equipment—whenever he was near Ethan, he would receive an alert too!
Ethan was nearby!