The icy, sharp touch of the knife point clearly came from her neck.

Vanessa Sterling held her breath, not daring to move.

Her limbs were immobile, unable to say a word.

Feeling the knife point pressing hard against her neck, just as she closed her eyes and swallowed nervously in fear, she suddenly heard a rustling deep breath.

It was as if some animal was quickly scurrying through the underbrush.

Immediately after, she heard a man’s muffled grunt, and the sharp object against her neck vanished instantly.

Before Vanessa could react to what happened, she saw the fat man raise his gun targeting somewhere behind her.

Vanessa faced away from that direction, unable to see who had arrived behind her.

Just as she struggled to get up, she saw a shadow dart past her, and before the fat man could fire, a person rushed over and knocked the fat man to the ground, then swiftly pinned down the hand holding the gun...

Vanessa only saw a back in a black tracksuit, faintly familiar...

The bald man, seeing his companion at a disadvantage, quickly picked up the knife that had been knocked to the ground earlier, tightly gripped it, and stabbed towards the back of the man in black...

"Mm-mm!" Vanessa made anxious sounds, trying to warn the man in black about the danger behind him.

The man in black, hearing the sounds, turned his head and quickly dodged to the side.

As the man turned, Vanessa saw his face clearly.

Pupils contracted, not out of fear, but disbelief.

As if in a dream, at the crucial moment, appearing before her was Miles Sterling...

Miles and the two were in a scuffle, both vying for the only handgun.

However, faced with both opponents, Miles truly had difficulty managing; as he dodged the bald man’s knife, the gun was back in the fat man’s hands.

Miles simply grabbed the fat man’s foot, and both rolled down the slope behind them.

In the process, Miles reached for a tree trunk, stabilizing himself first.

Meanwhile, the fat man continued to roll downwards.

Miles nimbly climbed back, quickly subdued the knife-wielding man, snatched the knife from his hand, and swiftly cut Vanessa’s bindings on her limbs. Once freed, Vanessa pulled off the tape from her mouth herself.

Before she could ask anything, Miles grabbed her and quickly ran to the other side.

Vanessa had only worn hotel slippers when she came out, now long gone.

Her feet seemed to have been pierced by something, but she didn’t dare stop because of the pain.

Under the moonlight, the two ran frantically through the mountainous forest.

However, Vanessa, who usually lacked exercise, coupled with her physical discomfort, was truly overwhelmed and felt on the verge of fainting.

Miles noticed Vanessa’s stamina was reaching its limit, so he found a sheltered hollow and paused temporarily.

Vanessa sat on the ground, panting heavily as she looked at Miles, curious why he appeared but not opening her mouth to ask.

Miles didn’t explain anything either, observing the shallow blood mark on Vanessa’s neck, he lifted her head to carefully examine the wound.

Fortunately, the cut wasn’t deep, just a surface wound, and the blood had already clotted.

"Is there anywhere else you’re hurt?"

Not waiting for Vanessa to answer, Miles checked her arms and legs, then saw the bloodstain on her white nightgown, frowning and asking urgently, "Where are you hurt?"

Vanessa, slightly embarrassed, avoided his gaze, answering softly, "It’s not an injury."

Seeing her embarrassed appearance, Miles belatedly realized, recalling the bag of sanitary pads that fell at the elevator door when she was kidnapped...

Knowing she usually suffered from period cramps, now being poorly dressed in such a cold mountain, her stomach must be uncomfortable.

Her arms also bore several scratches from grass leaves, and there were bruises from the rope bindings.

Miles sighed, grabbing her foot to inspect; a thorn from a bush was still stuck in the sole.

He reached to pull it out for her, but she immediately retracted her foot as soon as he touched it.

Miles glanced up at her, holding her ankle firmly so she couldn’t evade, saying, "Bear with it, or it’ll hurt with every step you take."

While speaking, he quickly pulled out the thorn while Vanessa wasn’t paying attention.

Vanessa tightly pressed her lips, not making a sound despite the pain.

Besides, compared to pains suffered before, this was trivial.

Miles examined her foot; both soles bore numerous scrapes and scratches, unlikely able to continue running downhill.

Yet this place wasn’t a long-term hiding spot.

Miles took off his jacket without seeking Vanessa’s consent, wrapping it around her directly.

"Get up, I’ll carry you."

Vanessa hesitated briefly, watching as Miles already squatted down in front of her, his broad back offered before her. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

She hesitated again, reluctant to approach.

Miles turned his head, seeing her unmoved, frowned and spoke coldly, "Those two have guns, if they catch up, we’re both dead."

Vanessa glanced at him, finally sitting up slowly and lying on his back.

Though Vanessa appeared to have gained some weight recently, her stature was still small, not heavy at all, and Miles didn’t find it burdensome to carry her.

But the area was a wilderness with no roads, Miles tread cautiously with each step.

Perhaps the mountain was too cold, Vanessa’s hands and feet were icy, only feeling noticeable warmth close to Miles’ back.

Though Miles had always been the embodiment of a demon in her heart, when he charged out at a crucial moment, an odd and unfamiliar emotion spread within Vanessa.

She couldn’t discern the feeling, nor was she willing to ponder much.

The pain from her stomach left her no mind to care much more.

"Bro, there are signs of someone trampling the grass here, they must have been here."

"Search separately! Once found, deal with them immediately! Don’t let them alert police and expose our location!"

From somewhere not far away, Miles overheard this exchange.

Seeing two shadows emerge nearby, he quickly hid behind the weeds.

After setting Vanessa down, he noticed she was pale and weak.

"Bro, there’s a footprint here too! They must be this way!"

Miles heard footsteps approaching, the risk of running off with Vanessa too great, potential danger for both.

In desperation, Miles whispered to Vanessa, "Stay here quietly; I reported to the police when I came up the mountain, officers will arrive soon; wait for them to find you."

Vanessa parted her dry lips, seemingly wanting to say something, but Miles already stood up and ran away quickly.

"Bro, here! Quick, chase!"

"Chase, my ass, shoot!"