Chapter 101 A Trap

Chapter 101 A Trap

Nicholas's team had professionals who helped remove the snake's head.

"Good thing you didn't damage the gallbladder, or he'd be a goner."

I forced down my fear, making myself watch everything unfold without looking away.

Even having lived two lives, my experience was too shallow. The Rosewood family had turned me into a frog at the bottom of a well.

I'd naively thought the dangers up here were limited. When I was barely an adult, I'd managed to bring Jason back—so why couldn't I do it now?

But looking at this scene, it seemed that wasn't quite how it worked. I had to pay the price for acting so impulsively.

Nicholas wouldn't always show up at just the right moment.

Nicholas patted my shoulder. I jumped, instinctively pulling back.

"Scared now?"

I glared at him.

Nicholas couldn't help but smile, leaning close to my ear and lowering his voice. "If there's a next time, I'm locking you up."

I ignored him, though my heart inexplicably filled with a trace of sweetness.

One of the more sociable team members went over to chat.

"Are you guys an adventure team? Or part of that missing expedition?"

The leader of the other group exchanged glances with his people before answering.

"Thanks for your help. We're a mercenary rescue team hired by the Rosewood family. We found that expedition deep in the mountains. On our way out, we ran into the government rescue team and handed everyone over to them. Besides the Rosewood job, we took other contracts too, which is why we're still up here."

Jason had already been rescued?

I instinctively clenched my fists. I didn't know whether to feel upset or relieved.

Did this mean I'd spend my whole life living under Jason's misunderstanding? Even if the Rosewood family got punished, no one would think they'd actually been wrong before.

So what was the point of any of this?

Nicholas saw right through me. He spoke up. "How many of them are still alive?"

I perked up, nervously waiting for their answer.

The leader's expression was grave. "Everyone's badly injured and unconscious. Don't know how many will make it."

My eyes lit up.

If I got back fast enough, I could see Jason before the Rosewood family did.

Both groups exchanged what information they had. Since we'd accomplished our goal and were heading back, we split some of our supplies with them.

The mercenaries, wanting to show their gratitude, took out rare medicinal herbs and other things only found on this mountain to trade.

On the way back, I felt a small flutter of excitement.

Just when I thought this would all end smoothly—

A beast's low growl echoed in everyone's ears.

I swallowed hard, instinctively moving closer to Nicholas. He didn't resist. Instead, he laced his fingers through mine. "Stay close."

In the misty forest, countless pairs of eyes glowed green.

"Mr. Harrington, looks like we've run into a wolf pack."

Someone reported quietly.

Everyone pulled out their weapons, on full alert.

Nicholas stayed calm. "Untie the ropes. Everyone for themselves. If anything happens to anyone, I'll honor my promise."

"Understood."

Everyone responded in unison.

I didn't know what promise they were talking about. It probably required significant sacrifice.

But everyone surrounded Nicholas and me, forming an airtight protective circle.

A high-pitched howl rang out. All the wolves charged at us.

I couldn't make out their fur, only vague outlines. Nicholas tracked their movements, and when his team opened a gap, he shouted at me, "Go!"

I didn't think twice. I just ran after him mindlessly.

The survival instinct overpowered fear.

Some wolves noticed us trying to escape and gave chase, only to be quickly taken down by other team members.

Wolves were highly unified creatures. Casualties only multiplied their rage.

I didn't dare look back. But the sounds of tearing and screaming behind us never stopped.

I don't know how long we ran before we escaped the foggy forest.

Sunlight slanted down. I looked up, panting hard, my heart sinking.

"It's already evening?"

Nicholas's face was grim too. "Yeah. It'll be dark soon. We need to get down the mountain fast."

Out of danger, my body gave out. My legs went weak. Even speaking felt like a luxury.

Nicholas fed me glucose. After resting a bit, I recovered enough to follow him down the mountain.

Darkness fell quickly—much faster than we'd expected.

The dense forest blocked most of our visibility. To avoid disturbing other animals, we didn't dare use flashlights. We had to feel our way in the dark.

I don't know how long we'd been walking when Nicholas suddenly stopped.

Not knowing why, I slowly moved toward him.

"Don't come closer!"

Nicholas barked. But it was too late.

My weight added to his, and the dead branches under Nicholas's feet couldn't hold anymore.

"Ah!"

We both fell heavily into a deep pit.

Nicholas immediately came over to check on me. "You okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

I shook my head, but I clearly smelled blood.

Tears spilled uncontrollably. "Nicholas, you—you're hurt?"

"It's all my fault. I didn't listen to you. I—"

I babbled incoherently, trying to explain. But my nerves were too shot. I couldn't get out a complete sentence.

Nicholas was breathing hard but still tried to comfort me. "I'm fine. Just scraped the skin a bit. Don't panic."

Locals knew there were wild animals in the mountains. They'd secretly snuck into the edge areas outside the development zone and set up hunting traps.

Nicholas had sensed something was wrong the moment he stepped there. He didn't dare move. His mind was racing when I'd already followed, and our combined weight triggered the trap.

But because the leaves were piled thick enough, I wasn't hurt.

Nicholas, however, had tried to grab the edge of the trap to slow our fall by a few seconds—and got pierced by dead branches in the process.

I turned on my flashlight, using the weakest setting to check his wound. It was deep.

Part of the blood had already clotted. It looked horrifying.

The tears I'd barely stopped came flooding back. But I didn't dare cry out loud. I covered my mouth and whimpered softly.

Nicholas treated his own wound while saying, "Check if there are any animal traps or anything down here. Be careful not to hurt yourself."

I immediately checked under the leaves. After confirming there was nothing, I let out a long breath.

When I looked up and saw the pit was about thirty feet deep, my spirits sank again.

Never mind that Nicholas was injured now—even at full strength, it would be hard to escape.

"Nicholas, am I useless?"

I couldn't help blaming myself.

Nicholas leaned against the pit wall to rest. "Now's not the time to think about that. Get your strength back first. Someone will come rescue us tomorrow."

His tone was so certain, carrying a reassuring power.

I stopped overthinking and closed my eyes to rest.

Suddenly I remembered his earlier question. My eyes flew open. "Nicholas, do you still want to know why my attitude toward you changed?"