Chapter 123


    Sunny’s menacing look and attitude vanished when he was interrupted by Serena’s voice. It was


    reced by his usual wide and warm smile.


    Leah heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran to Serena. She urged, “Let’s go for dinner.” Serena


    walked out the door groggily, seemingly unaware of Sunny’s odd behavior earlier.


    Around eight o’clock in the evening, the dinner feast came to an end. The nightfall in the mountainous


    areas was earlier than in the city. Furthermore, the locals led a simple life and were early sleepers. As


    a result, they went to bed soon after dinner.


    It started to thunder in the middle of the night. Because the cement walls did not provide


    soundproofing, Leah and the other visitors could clearly hear the howling wind outside. In addition, it


    was the summer monsoon season when heavy downpours and thunderstorms were expected. The


    constant rain trickling and deep rumble of thunder disrupted their sleep.


    Unable to fall asleep, Leah flipped over on the bed to face Serena. Upon noticing that the former was


    also wide awake, she asked, “Are you having difficulty sleeping too?”


    Another loud thunder rumble sounded as Leah nodded her head. She held on to the nket sheets


    and whispered, “I’m feeling a little worried.”


    Serena stared at the ceiling and said in despair, “You may be feeling jittery abouting to an


    unfamiliar ce. Hurry and get some sleep. We’ll be visiting the school early in the morning tomorrow


    right?”


    Leah acknowledged, “You are right.” With that, the duo forced themselves to get some rest.


    After some time, a nging sound echoed from outside, followed by a knock on their door.


    “Are you there, Ms. White?” The vige chief asked anxiously.


    Leah and Serena were still awake, so they jumped out of bed, put on their coats, and walked out of the


    room. They noticed that a crowd had gathered at the hall. Sunny and the other volunteer teachers were


    also present, in addition to the vige chief. Everyone had a solemn expression on their face. They


    approached Leah and Serena when they noticed their arrival.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    “What happened?” Leah asked quizzically.


    The vige chief asked, “Apart from the seven teachers, did anyone else from the citye to the


    vige?”


    Leah turned to face Sunny, who shook his head hurriedly. “We have already told the vige chief that


    no one else joined us on this trip. However, he insisted on asking both of you as well.”


    Leah nodded her head and asked the vige chief, “No one else came along. Did something happen?”


    The vige chief frowned and his expression darkened. “Someone reported seeing a person at the foot


    of the mountain. However, due to the intensity of the downpour, the person seems to be trapped.


    Based on the person’s attire, he seems to be from the city. We thought that he may be your friend.


    Since you have said that no one else came to the vige, who could he be?”


    The other locals had a grim expression as well. They were terrified of climbing the mountains in the


    current weather as the heavy downpour and thunderstorms would cause the path to be muddy.


    However, they could not turn a blindeye to the person trapped at the foot of the mountain. Moreover,


    the person seemed to be an unfamiliar guest from the city.


    “Let’s take a look,” someone suggested.


    “But… the weather…” another said hesitantly.


    Leah’s heart raced as she remembered the uneasiness that had gued her all night. In fact, she


    considered the possibility that Ian had secretly visited her. She bit her lip and interrupted the ongoing


    heated discussion, “I’ll take a look. All of you can stay here.”


    “I disagree,” Sunny objected. “It’s very dark right now, and the heavy rain has made the ground slick


    and muddy. Who will save you if there is an ident?”


    The vige chief nodded his head in agreement. “Why don’t we search for the person tomorrow?”


    “There’s no time to wait. Don’t worry, I’ll be extra careful. Nothing serious will happen,” Leah shook her


    head and said with conviction.


    Serena hurriedly offered, “I’ll apany you then. It’s better to have someone with you.”


    Sunny clenched his jaws and muttered unwillingly, “I’ll join you then. I promised Ian to take care of you.”


    The vige chief sighed and said, “I’ll send two of my young men to follow along. Even though the


    weather is not ideal, it’s not as scary as it seems. It’s better to have someone familiar with the location


    to guide you.”


    The crowd dispersed so that the necessary preparations could be made. Fortunately, Leah had


    nned ahead of time and packed raincoats for the trip. She distributed them and brought a waterproof


    torchlight with her.


    Soon, the group started to make their way down the mountain. The journey was more arduous than


    what they had expected. As they cautiously trudged through the mud, everyone clutched the torchlight


    tightly and helped each other on. The rain continued to fall mercilessly on them, obscuring their vision


    and making each step more difficult.


    The torchlight was the only source of light in the mountains. However, inplete darkness, the dim


    light was weak and practically useless. Everyone remained silent, with only light breathing audible.


    Just then the viger shouted, “Look, there seems to be someone there!”


    Everyone directed their torchlight at the viger’s direction to get a better view of the situation. They


    noticed a tall figure trapped in the mud, but he appeared to be motionless.


    “Hey, are you all right?” The viger called out but there was no response.


    Leah and the others approached the figure to get a better look at the stranger. Leah felt an odd sense


    of familiarity as she approached the man. When they arrived, they shone their torchlight at the nearby


    surroundings.


    “Are you conscious?” Leah asked. Given her gentle voice and the loud pouring rain, it was hard for one


    to hear her clearly. However, the moment she ended her sentence, the still figure suddenly moved.


    Boom! An earth-shattering p of thunder rumbled in the sky. It was followed by a sudden strike of


    lightning that lit up the dark surroundings.


    The man slowly raised his head, his dark hollow eyes fixed on Leah. The mesmerizing eyes held the


    woman captive, causing her to lose her senses. She held her breath and unintentionally released the


    torchlight.


    Leah felt as if she were in a dream. The man she had least expected to see was trapped in the mud in


    a disheveled state.