A soft singing voice drifted through the wilderness.

You Mingxu stared at the tent ceiling, listening to this lonely, solitary sound. This time, Gu Tiancheng was humming an English song, his pronunciation clear and distinct. One had to admit that such a deep male voice in the dead of night was inherently moving. It made one’s heart settle into tranquility.

As the song ended, he finally fell silent. All surrounding sounds seemed to sink into the darkness with it.

A thought suddenly occurred to You Mingxu: After dawn, perhaps she could have a proper conversation with him, ask him about his likes and dislikes, his hopes and worries. Perhaps this man she’d met on her journey was someone worth looking forward to knowing.

You Mingxu didn’t know exactly when she had started to doze off. She had been roughing it outdoors for three days before this, both exhausted and weary. Today she knew she had to stay alert until dawn. But after all the earlier commotion, she was truly at her limit. She swore she had only closed her eyes for a moment, on that night with Gu Tiancheng’s song echoing around her.

The tent flap was suddenly thrown open, light streaming in. You Mingxu raised her hand to shield her eyes, seeing Gu Tiancheng’s tense face as his large hand gripped her shoulder. “Get up quickly! Something’s happened!”

You Mingxu’s heart sank as she sprang up from the ground. “What’s wrong?”

Gu Tiancheng’s expression was incredulous: “I just went to the woods to relieve myself, and when I woke up, both girls were gone!”

You Mingxu’s face changed dramatically as she ran out of the tent with him. Ming-Tao had also been startled awake, crawling out of his tent: “What’s going on? Don’t tell me there’s more trouble?”

Ignoring him, You Mingxu dashed to the cabin door, finding it ajar. Everything inside was in place with no signs of struggle. The girls’ shoes and jackets were gone.

You Mingxu froze, blurting out: “Could they have left on their own?” As soon as she said it, she knew it was impossible. Zou Furong had been so frightened; even if the two had needed to leave the cabin, they would have notified the others.

She looked up to see Gu Tiancheng’s equally puzzled and grave face. You Mingxu’s heart skipped a beat as she turned to look at Ming Tao, who was yawning and slowly following them. His hair was disheveled, his clothes rumpled, face showed confusion and impatience until he saw the empty cabin and froze.

Gu Tiancheng’s expression suddenly changed as he muttered, “The car!” All three turned to look at the vehicle parked nearby, its shape indistinct in the darkness. Gu Tiancheng pulled out his flashlight and shined it over—they saw the trunk lid standing wide open.

They ran over to find it empty.

“What the hell!” Ming-Tao shouted, “What kind of ghost is this guy? How did he escape after we tied him up like that? Gu Tiancheng, where are your car keys? Did you let him out?”

Gu Tiancheng snapped, “Why would I do that?!” He pulled the keys from his pocket, displaying them in his palm.

“He has a master key,” You Mingxu said. “We locked the car earlier, but either he managed to break free from the ropes, crawled to the front seat from the trunk, and found a way to open the door. It’s not impossible.”

Gu Tiancheng turned and started walking: “I’m going to look for them. I promised to keep them safe; I was careless. You two stay here and wait for me to return.”

“Wait,” You Mingxu called out.

Ming Tao added, “No way! If you leave, what if that killer comes back? How can You Mingxu and I handle him? If he goes berserk, how can we defend ourselves?”

“Then what should we do!” Gu Tiancheng whirled around and roared, his face dark with anger, “Should we just sit here while those two girls might be suffering? If he is the serial killer, we’re talking about two lives!”

“We’ll go together!” You Mingxu said, “Three people can watch each other’s backs and avoid being isolated.”

Gu Tiancheng didn’t object. Everyone fell silent for a moment, though the atmosphere remained invisibly tense.

Ming-Tao lowered his head, his bangs hiding his eyes, but his lips curved into a smile as he spoke slowly: “Sorry, but I’m not going. Earlier, all five of us couldn’t handle this serial killer. I’m done playing—staying alive comes first. I’m leaving now, not staying in this haunted place anymore. Do whatever you want, it’s got nothing to do with me.” He turned toward his bicycle parked outside the tent, grabbing his backpack from inside.

You Mingxu and Gu Tiancheng exchanged glances. Gu Tiancheng cursed under his breath: “Coward. Let’s go.”

But You Mingxu stood still, watching Ming Tao’s retreating figure. Gu Tiancheng noticed and turned to look at her.

You Mingxu said, “Actually, we’re not certain that Song Lan and Zou Furong were taken by that person. It could be him. He’s been suspicious since he got into your car. And now he wants to leave alone.”

Gu Tiancheng’s eyebrows shot up, and after a moment of silence, he had to admit: “You’re right. We can’t let him just walk away.”

Ming-Tao had just mounted his bicycle, about to pedal hard toward the highway, when he pushed down on the pedal but didn’t move. A firm force pressed against his back, and his mood turned awful as he turned to curse. But Gu Tiancheng had already yanked him off the bike.

“What are you doing? What are you doing?” Ming-Tao struggled desperately, but Gu Tiancheng and You Mingxu didn’t waste words. Despite his resistance, they forced him to the ground and tied him up securely.

Ming-Tao was nearly hysterical: “Are you crazy? Why are you tying me up?” Suddenly trembling, he shouted, “You… it’s you two, you’re the serial killers? A criminal couple?”

You Mingxu cursed under her breath: “Idiot.” Gu Tiancheng pulled him up from the ground, saying, “Don’t struggle, just stay put. As soon as those two girls return safely, we’ll untie you.”

You Mingxu looked up at Gu Tiancheng. His expression was resolute and cold as if he had already committed himself to the rescue mission without hesitation. You Mingxu suddenly felt a mix of confusion and irritation, and acting on impulse, she grabbed his arm.

He turned to look at her: “What is it?”

She let go: “Nothing. We… need to be careful.”

He nodded. Perhaps due to their current situation, his heart wasn’t calm either. His eyes gazed deeply at her, and unexpectedly, he reached out and pressed her head toward him. Then his face touched hers, a light brush before he pulled away.

You Mingxu remained motionless, allowing his approach and his departure.

“I told you, don’t be afraid,” Gu Tiancheng said. “No matter what happens to the others, whether we can save them or not, I will get you to safety.”

You Mingxu said, “Alright. I trust you.”

He smiled faintly, still the image of a handsome, tall, silent, and restrained man.