Chapter 287 Discovered
Lydia quickly shoved Meryl outside. Moments later, a heavy blow struck Meryl’s skull, and she was knocked out cold. Groggy and disoriented, she vaguely remembered being placed on a motorcycle, which then sped off, bringing her to this place. Now, her hands and feet were bound by ropes, and no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t break free.
Suddenly, Meryl felt a cold blade press against her neck, its chilling touch seeping into her skin, making her shiver involuntarily. A deep, menacing voice said, “Save your strength. You’re not going to get out of those ropes.”
The man’s face was half-hidden in shadow, making him look like a specter of the night.
Meryl blinked. “Who are you? Why have you tied me up?”
In the surrounding darkness, only the moon provided light, casting a slanted beam across the room. The moonlight made the man’s face hard to discern, but Meryl could see his sinister smile and the wild, almost frenzied glint in his eyes.
“You shouldn’t be asking who I am. You should be more concerned about how much longer you have to live.” As he spoke, Meryl followed his gaze and saw a timer ticking ominously in the corner.
“What… Is that a bomb?”
Her spirits plummeted.
The man grinned wickedly, saying, “Merry Christmas, beautiful. You’ve got less than ten minutes before this place goes up in flames. I’ll be on my way now. After all, a death match is best shared with your lover, don’t you think? Hope you enjoy this little gift.”
With that, he withdrew the knife from her neck and walked away without hesitation. Now, Meryl was left alone in the empty, abandoned building. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, and every sound was amplified. The ticking of the timer was a constant, haunting reminder of how little time she had left.
She thought, “No! I can’t give up. I have to escape.”
Hearing the man’s footsteps fade, Meryl quickly lay down and used all her strength to roll towards the edge of the building. She shouted desperately, “Help! Somebody, please help me!” Meryl was on the edge of a high-rise building, and she screamed until her throat was raw, hoping someone would notice her plight. The risk of falling was immense, but she had no other choice.
Meryl thought Chandler was nearby. Otherwise, the man wouldn’t have mentioned “death match” and "lover" like that. She needed Chandler to hear her and come to her rescue. But just then, the man returned, having heard the commotion. His eyes held a mix of annoyance and pity as he looked at Meryl. Without a second thought, he stuffed a cloth gag into her mouth.
“Save your breath, darling. It’s better to die quietly, don’t you think?” Ensuring she could make no more sounds, he turned and left again, leaving her alone with the ticking clock.
Inside the car, Lydia was stunned for a few seconds. She thought, “Did I just hear Meryl? It sounded like her voice was coming from nearby.” Her gaze locked onto a high-rise building. In the darkness, she spotted what looked like a white cloth fluttering out. The evening breeze made it particularly noticeable. Lydia recognized it instantly. It was Meryl’s scarf from today.
After a brief hesitation, Lydia got out of the car and moved cautiously toward the building. It didn’t take long for her to hear the unmistakable sound of a ticking timer. She thought, “So there really is a bomb!” A knowing smile crept onto Lydia’s face. She thought, “I might not even need to lift a finger. As long as Meryl is stuck here without anyone coming to her rescue, she’ll be blown to pieces soon enough.”
With this thought, Lydia took out her radio and said, “Dalton, I just saw Chandler rescue Meryl! You need to come back quickly; the place is about to blow! We need to get out of here fast!”
“Who’s there?”
At that moment, the man who had abducted Meryl was coming down from the upper floors. Hearing the voice, he tensed and tightened his grip on his gun. The sharp reprimand almost made Lydia jump out of her skin. She recognized that voice–it was the same man who had taken Meryl! Panic surged through Lydia, and she felt every hair on her body stand on end. She crouched in a corner, doing her best to stay hidden, carefully concealing herself to avoid detection. To her dismay, the voice on the radio crackled with Dalton’s response. “Got it, I’m on my way back now.”
Lydia’s heart sank. She had been discovered by the kidnapper!