Chapter 100 Entering the Mountain

Chapter 100 Entering the Mountain

The rescue team was just about to head out again when they heard me.

Everyone turned to look at me. They wore matching uniforms, and their eyes held a mix of confusion and dismissal.

The team leader had a warm, patient voice. "It's dangerous up there. You must have family in that expedition, right? Please trust that we'll bring them back. Just wait in town for news."

I begged repeatedly, promising I wouldn't slow them down. I even offered to sign a liability waiver—if I died, I wouldn't hold them responsible for anything.

But they still refused. The reason was simple—I had no training. No matter what, I'd be dead weight.

To comfort me, they even praised my bravery and fearlessness. But that's not what I needed to hear.

I walked back toward my lodging feeling lost, my mind racing through other options.

"If I offered all my money, could I find some locals to guide me?"

I was so lost in thought I didn't notice someone had stepped into my path. I walked straight into them and let out a short yelp.

One hand flew to my head as I apologized, looking up to see who it was.

"Ni... Nicholas!" My eyes went wide, staring at him in shock and disbelief.

A thousand thoughts flashed through my mind. How was he here? Did he come to confirm whether Jason was still alive? Or...

The morning sun shone from behind him, casting half his face in shadow. I couldn't read his expression.

Just like yesterday in the car—I couldn't see what he was thinking, couldn't figure out what was going on in his head.

Nicholas pulled me over to the side of the road, his tone serious. "This is what you meant by 'no plans' for the weekend?"

I knew I was in the wrong. I felt too guilty to look at him.

Nicholas was way too sharp. He called me out directly. "You said you'd take revenge on the Rosewood family yourself. I promised not to interfere. But that's not an excuse for you to sneak out here and go into the mountains alone, Catherine. Do you even know what you're doing?"

Right now, he'd lost his usual calm, collected demeanor. He looked flustered, like a worried father lecturing a runaway kid.

I don't know why, but something deep inside me couldn't help being moved.

Before I could explain, the tears came first. My eyes filled as I looked up at Nicholas's stern face. "I want to find Jason."

Meeting my gaze, Nicholas's attitude softened immediately. He seemed to sigh helplessly. "I'll take you. Just don't act alone anymore, okay?"

I agreed.

Nicholas had brought his own rescue team—one with even better specs than the local one. It included professors who specialized in plants and animals, medical experts, and top-tier equipment and supplies.

I felt both amazed and a little ashamed of my own recklessness. I didn't know anything—I'd been ready to go on this adventure alone, armed with nothing but the desire to prove I hadn't failed Jason.

Was Jason really worth all this?

Nicholas didn't give me time to overthink it. At eleven that morning, our group entered the mountains following the travel agency's route map.

At first, the scenery was nothing special—just regular mountain forest.

But as we went deeper, even though the weather forecast said sunny, we were constantly surrounded by thin mist. The air was incredibly humid with weirdly high oxygen levels.

Everyone had ropes tied around their hands, afraid that if someone fell behind they'd never be found again.

It was too quiet. My anxiety kept growing.

"Nicholas."

I called out softly.

"Yeah."

Nicholas responded, tugging on the short section of rope that connected us.

I took a deep breath and started explaining why I had to make this trip. Right now, I didn't care if other people heard my story. I just needed to talk to ease my fear and anxiety.

Nicholas was a good listener. He responded now and then. Some of the more outgoing people in our group even sympathized with me.

Little by little, my unease settled. Nicholas's intelligence was never fake. He got straight to the point. "So you want to save Jason this time to tell him the truth about what happened before?"

"Yeah. Pretty stupid, right?"

My voice was bitter.

"Have you considered that maybe Jason doesn't care about the truth? Maybe he just genuinely likes Sabrina?"

My heart clenched violently. My whole body shook.

This was the truth I'd been afraid to face. Nicholas had just exposed it without mercy.

His voice came again. "After this, you won't owe him anymore. Stop putting pressure on yourself."

I pressed my lips together and didn't respond. I wouldn't owe him anymore?

Actually, in my past life, I hadn't owed the Rosewood family anything either. I just couldn't accept it. Why did Sabrina get to steal my credit so easily?

I wanted to shove the truth in Jason's face and force him to deal with it.

While my thoughts were all tangled up, Nicholas suddenly spoke. "Catherine, I want to know why you suddenly started giving me the cold shoulder."

Caught completely off guard by his question, I lost my footing and tripped over a dead branch.

The second before I fell, Nicholas steadied me.

"Is it that hard to answer?"

His voice was as light as a breeze.

I bit my lip hard, not knowing what to say. Was I supposed to just tell him I thought he was one of the people who killed my parents? That I couldn't accept kindness or affection from my enemy? That's why I ran and hid?

But... how could I even begin to say that?

"Nicholas, I actually—"

Just as I was stammering, a shrill scream suddenly rang out from the forest. If you listened carefully, you could faintly hear someone yelling for help.

Nicholas made a split-second decision. "Everyone stop. Figure out the direction."

Someone in the team immediately responded. "Mr. Harrington, southeast."

The people clearing the path adjusted direction right away. Everyone was on high alert, nerves strung tight.

We rushed toward the southeast. After leaving a certain area, the fog cleared and sunlight filtered back through the leaves onto everyone.

"Look, they're down the slope."

Following where the person pointed, we saw a group of people huddled together looking absolutely wrecked.

Less than six feet away from them, something had been chopped into segments but seemed to still be alive, still thrashing around.

I looked more closely. All the color drained from my face.

It was a python. Its head was clamped onto someone's calf, and though its body had been hacked apart, it was still twitching.

The scene was horrifying and gruesome. Even having lived two lives, I'd never seen anything like it.

Nicholas glanced at me and said coldly, "Still want to come here alone?"

I caught his sarcasm but had no rebuttal. If I'd run into this by myself, there'd be only one outcome—death.

My face pale, I tried to stay composed. "Let's get down there and help them."