After being captured and taken back, Serina endured another round of severe torture, but she still refused to give in. The repeated failures and moments of despair did not crush her. Instead, they made her heart even stronger. She knew that she had to seize the next opportunity - even if it meant taking greater risks.
Eventually, the opportunity presented itself again. This time, a surveillance device in the park suddenly malfunctioned, causing a brief period of chaos. Serina keenly sensed that this might be the only moment for her to escape. She remembered a hidden passage on the park map, disguised herself as a worker assigned to make repairs, and moved quietly under the cover of night.
With the help of the night, Serina climbed over the park wall. Her steps were as light as a cat's as she avoided the lights of the patrol teams time and time again. Although her body was extremely weak due to the long - term torture, she still managed to hold on with her tenacious will. When her feet finally touched the soil outside the park, she took a deep breath of the fresh air of freedom. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she knew that her battle was far from over.
After successfully escaping, Serina immediately tried to contact John, the police liaison. She found a secluded small village and dialed the deeply - engraved number in a dilapidated public phone booth. However, no matter how many times she dialed, all she got was a busy tone and silence.
"Why is this happening?" Serina murmured, and anxiety flooded her heart. She knew that time was running out. The people in the park would soon discover her escape, and Jake would definitely hunt her down with all his might.
At this time, an ordinary local resident in the village quietly approached her. He was a middle - aged man, simply dressed, but his eyes showed a kind of reassuring calmness.
"You're Serina, right?" he asked in a low voice, with a hint of eagerness.
Serina immediately became vigilant and took a step back. "Who are you?"
"Don't be afraid." The man took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to her. There was a sentence written in simple code on it: "The white dove under the moonlight never gets lost."
Seeing this sentence, Serina's eyes widened - it was the secret signal she and John had agreed upon! She clutched the piece of paper and asked tentatively, "Are you...?"
The man nodded. "I'm an undercover agent sent by John. I've been lurking in this area, specifically waiting for you to show up. He recently exposed his whereabouts and can't contact you directly anymore, so he sent me to pick you up."
Even though the man's words and the secret signal seemed flawless, a trace of doubt still crept into Serina's heart. She quietly observed the man. Every move he made seemed cautious and reliable. However, her past experiences made it impossible for her to trust anyone easily.
"If you're from John, why didn't you contact me earlier?" Serina asked, with a hint of coldness in her tone.
"It was to protect you," the man replied in a deep voice. "Your every move in the park was under surveillance. We couldn't take risks. Only when you successfully escaped could we ensure your safety."
This explanation sounded perfect. Serina's vigilance relaxed a little, but she still remained on guard.
The man then said, "Now we have to leave here as soon as possible. I know a safe place where we can hide from the pursuit for a while."
Under the guidance of the man, Serina followed him through the village and came to a secluded mountain forest. It was desolate and uninhabited, surrounded by thick trees, truly a place that was hard to be discovered.
"We can rest here for one night and move to the border tomorrow," the man said calmly, with a tone of concern.
Serina nodded, but she remained vigilant inside. She quietly observed her surroundings, trying to find any clues to confirm the man's identity. However, everything here was too perfect, which made her feel uneasy.
In the middle of the night, the man took out some dry food and water from his bag and handed them to Serina. "Eat something. You need strength."
Serina took them but didn't start eating immediately. Instead, she pretended to tidy up her backpack and put the food aside. She didn't miss the coldness that flashed in the man's eyes.
Just in the dead of night, Serina deliberately made a slight noise, pretending to turn over in her sleep. She opened her eyes slightly and saw that the man's figure looked extremely cold in the moonlight. He was holding a walkie - talkie and speaking in a low voice.
"...She has taken the bait. Wait for my signal. Yes, no problem. She has no suspicion at all."
Serina's heart sank suddenly, and a chill spread all over her body. At this moment, she finally realized that she had fallen into Jake's trap again. This fake undercover agent had been a trap set by them from the very beginning!
She held her breath and forced herself to calm down. Although the anger and fear inside her were almost about to burst out, she knew that exposing herself now would only completely cut off her hope of escape.