In the wilderness, a low, chant-like song echoed.
You Mingxu looked at the tent ceiling, listening to the lonely, solitary voice. This time, Gu Tiancheng was humming an English song, with clear lyrics. She had to admit, having such a deep voice in the wee hours of the night was quite enchanting itself, able to soothe the listener's heart.
Once the song ended, silence settled. All sounds seem to sink into the darkness.
A thought suddenly sprang up in You Mingxu's mind: maybe she could have a good conversation with him after daybreak, ask him what he likes and dislikes, what he looks forward to and worries about. Perhaps, this man she met on the road is worth hoping for.
You Mingxu doesn't remember when she started dozing off. Before this, she had already spent three days and nights in the open, tired and weary. She knew she had to be on edge until dawn today. However, she was truly exhausted after being messed around with for half the night. She tried to reassure herself that she was only snoozing for a bit within the faint darkness intertwined with Gu Tiancheng's singing.
The tent door was suddenly flung open, light pouring in. You Mingxu raised her hand to shield her eyes, before her stood Gu Tiancheng's tense face. His large hand grabbed her shoulder instantly, "Get up now! Something's happened!"
You Mingxu's heart sank, she sprung up from the ground, "What's wrong?"
Gu Tiancheng stood there in disbelief on his face, "I just went to take a leak in the woods, when I came back, the two girls were gone!"
You Mingxu's face changed instantly, running out of the tent with him, Ming Tao was awaken too and crawled out of the tent, "What's going on? Don't tell me more problems have emerged?"
Ignoring him, You Mingxu dashed to the door of the hut and found it slightly ajar, with everything inside still in place, showing no signs of a fight. The shoes and jackets of the two girls were gone.
Stopping in her tracks, You Mingxu blurted, "Maybe they left on their own?" but realised how implausible that was. Zou Fuyu was already scared out of her wits, even if they wanted to leave for some reason, they would absolutely not do so without letting anyone know.
She looked up towards Gu Tiancheng, his expression resonating with a mix of confusion and seriousness. A chill ran down You Mingxu's spine. She turned to look at Ming Tao, who was yawning and trudging behind. His hair in disarray, clothes untidy and a look of confusion and impatience on his face. He only froze when he saw the empty hut.
Gu Tiancheng's face changed suddenly, muttering under his breath, "The car!" All three of them turned around simultaneously, the car, parked not too far away, was barely visible in the darkness. Gu Tiancheng took out his flashlight, aiming it at the car, and they clearly saw that the trunk was wide open.
They rushed over to find it completely empty.
"What the…!" Ming Tao yelled, "What the hell is this? Even though that dude was tied up, he somehow managed to escape? Gu Tiancheng, where are your car keys, your car keys? How did he get out, did you let him out?"
Gu Tiancheng vehemently retorted, "Why would I let him out?!" He took out his car keys from his pocket and spread them out in his hand.
"He has a skeleton key." You Mingxu spoke, "We locked the car earlier, or he could have somehow untied himself, crawled front from the trunk and had managed to unlock the car door. It's doable."
Gu Tiancheng turned around and started marching, "I'm going to find them. I promised to ensure their safety, I was negligent. You two stay here and don't move, wait for me to come back."
"Wait a minute." You Mingxu shouted.
Ming Tao also chimed in, "No way! If the serial killer comes back after you leave, how can You Mingxu and I fight him off? If he goes mad, how could we possibly resist?"
"Then what should we do!" Gu Tiancheng swung around and yelled, his face darkening, "Are we just going to sit here, not knowing the fate of those two girls? If he genuinely is the serial killer, we are talking about two lives here!"
"We go together!" You Mingxu suggested, "Three of us provide support for each other, and we will be less vulnerable if we are together."
Gu Tiancheng didn't object, and for a moment everyone fell silent, though the tension was still palpable.
Ming Tao lowered his head, his fringe obscuring his eyes, but he let out a slight smirk in the corner of his mouth, saying slowly, "Sorry, I'm not coming. Just now, even five of us couldn't restrain the serial killer. I'm not playing anymore, preserving life is important. I'm leaving now, can't stand being in this godforsaken place anymore. As for you guys, do whatever you want, has nothing to do with me." As he finished his sentence, he turned around to his bicycle parked near the tents and picked up his backpack from the inside.
You Mingxu and Gu Tiancheng glanced at each other. "Coward. Let's go." Gu Tiancheng harshly murmured.
However, You Mingxu stood still, gazing at Ming Tao's retreating figure. Noticing this, Gu Tiancheng turned to look at her.
You Mingxu spoke, "Actually, we aren't sure if Song Lan and Zou Fuyu were taken by the man. Ming Tao is also a possibility. He has been dubious ever since he got on your car. And now, he wants to leave by himself."
Gu Tiancheng's eyebrows shot up, after a moment of silence, he reluctantly admitted, "You're right. We can't let him leave like that."
Just as Ming Tao stepped onto his bike, about to speed off onto the road, he felt a firm force from behind. His mood plummeted, he swiveled around, ready to curse, but Gu Tiancheng had already instantly pulled him off his bike.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ming Tao resisted fiercely, while Gu Tiancheng and You Mingxu didn't utter a single unnecessary word. They pushed Ming Tao forcefully on the ground and tied him up securely, despite his struggles.
Ming Tao was on the verge of breaking down, "What are you doing? Why are you tying me up?" Suddenly a thought crossed his mind and he cried out, "It's you two...you two are the serial killers? A team of thieves?"
You Mingxu muttered under her breath, "Idiot." Gu Tiancheng, on the other hand, picked him up off the ground, "Stop struggling, just stay here quietly. As long as the girls come back safely, we'll let you go."
You Mingxu glanced up at Gu Tiancheng, all she saw was an ardent and crisp expression, as if he'd already made up his mind about rescuing the girls, with no plans of backing out. Out of nowhere, she felt a twinge of confused restlessness and impulsively grabbed his arm.
He turned to look at her, "What's wrong?"
She let go, "Nothing. We...need to be careful."
He nodded, maybe because the circumstances had forced him to feel uneasy too, his gaze deepened, he unexpectedly reached out to gentely place his hand on the back of her head, pulling her close. Then, his face touched hers gently before backing off.
You Mingxu remained still, letting him come close, allowing him to leave.
"Like I said, don't be afraid." Gu Tiancheng said, "Regardless of what happens with the others or whether we can save them. I'll make sure to get you to a safe place."
You Mingxu replied, "Okay. I trust you."
He smiled faintly. He was still his usual handsome, tall, silent, and oppressed self.