Chapter 577 Turning Point (2)
Chapter 577 Turning Point (2)
Ran Xueyi looked up ahead, where the group was already several steps ahead of her, unaware of the danger lurking behind them. She wanted to shout a warning, but she hesitated, not because she wanted to be saved, but because she needed to tell them that their enemies had already anticipated their route and would soon surround them.
Yet she knew that any attempt to alert them would likely provoke the man behind her to act ruthlessly. If she made a move to signal her friends, the man wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
She could only trust that Evgenia and Alina would notice something sooner so that it wouldn't end up in the worst outcome.
"Slowly back away."
The man continued to order her around, completely disregarding her worries. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Ran Xueyi followed his instructions, retracing her steps and keeping the gun pressed on her head close so she knew where the man was.
The distance between her and her group grew increasingly far. The falling snow created a white veil that soon covered her and the man's tracks from being found.
"Turn to your right and don't do anything stupid."
Ran Xueyi obeyed his command, moving as he directed. The man shifted to her left, keeping the gun steady, now aimed at her temple.
Glancing at him, Ran Xueyi could finally see the person's identity.
It turned out to be the man who had first tried to open the manhole but couldn't.
Now thinking about it, he was also the one who was behind her during their walk inside the tunnel. But back then, Ran Xueyi thought he was only doing it because he was keeping an eye out if an enemy chased after them. Did he volunteer to be on the lookout in the back because he had been planning to abduct her?
"Why are you doing this? Your boss won't like it when he hears you just betrayed him. I heard he does horrible things to traitors." Ran Xueyi knew she shouldn't be saying this to the person holding a gun. But she needed information.
And the more agitated a person is, the more they will slip.
As expected, the man leveled his gaze at her and scoffed. "If you're talking about Evgenia, he's not my boss."
"He's not?" Ran Xueyi's face flashed with surprise. "Then why are you working for him?"
"For money, obviously," the man said with pride. "Walk."
Ran Xueyi followed his order again, only for the walking part.
"So, who is your boss?" A blunt and direct question she shouldn't have asked. But Ran Xueyi shrugged when the man narrowed his eyes at her. "Come on, you're the one who has a gun pointed at my head. Besides, didn't you say there are some of your comrades nearby? Where would I run to even if I got my chance to escape?"
The man didn't respond to her initially, and Ran Xueyi felt her heart almost constrict in her chest as anxiety filled her. She honestly didn't want to keep testing him, but dying without knowing who was doing this to her would definitely make her regret not doing it.
Ran Xueyi observed as the man contemplated her question.
Just as she was about to think he wouldn't answer, the man blurted, "We don't know who hired us. But one thing is for sure, they're not someone ordinary. And they're adamant on what they want."
"And what do they want?" Ran Xueyi felt her breath quicken.
"You."
For some reason, Ran Xueyi expected this. But when she finally heard it coming from his mouth, it still filled her with dread.
Just how many people wanted her dead? Was she born with the power to attract chaos and trouble wherever she went?
Who could be the people who wanted her? The Cao family? Cao Yujin? Her father? Someone who hated her?
What she couldn't understand was she was just a celebrity. What could these people want from her?
Thousands of questions swirled in her mind, each one more unsettling than the last. But as they collided and merged in a chaotic storm of fear and confusion, not a single one offered a clear answer. The uncertainty gnawed at her, leaving her grasping for something, anything, that could make sense of the situation.
But no matter how hard she tried, the answers remained elusive, hiding just out of reach, like shadows slipping through her fingers.
"Stop asking questions," the man prompted her to hurry. "Let's go."
Ran Xueyi pushed her feet to move forward. "Last question. Just answer this one. Why do they want me?"
The man regarded her carefully from top to bottom. He sneered. "Who knows? What do you think you can give to them?"
Ran Xueyi didn't ask him questions anymore, as they got further away from their initial position. From just this, she gathered enough information.
According to his words, Evgenia wasn't his boss. But someone else is. They were hired instead of employed. Thus, Ran Xueyi guessed the man dragging her into an unknown place was a mercenary. His comrades must be the same, hired by the same person and also mercenaries.
Another thing is the gun was real.
But the most important detail that Ran Xueyi found out was that although the man said his comrades were nearby, their position didn't necessarily mean they could get to where they were in a flash.
Now, all Ran Xueyi needed was a miracle to happen.
"Stop."
Ran Xueyi turned to the man. He wasn't looking at her. His attention was drawn in the other direction.
"What is it?" Ran Xueyi feigned curiosity as she prepared herself to run.
In the direction where the man was looking at was a black wolf. Its eyes gleamed with feral intensity. Its furry head was lowered when it abruptly looked up with its nostrils flared up.
A low growl rumbled in its throat, and saliva dripped from its mouth, landing with a soft hiss on the ground below.
The air between them thickened with a sense of impending danger, as if the beast was ready to pounce at any moment.