Chapter 167

"Alright!"

The two little fellows retraced their steps. However, the darkness and dense mountain greenery made it impossible to find their way down. The area was restricted; tourists were not allowed. The mountain was vast and also a wild bird sanctuary. They were completely lost.

Suddenly, a large bird flapped its wings, emitting a loud, ear-piercing cackle. The sound was terrifying! It resembled the Witch of the Black Mountain appearing unexpectedly in the dark.

"Argh!"

"Davian, a ghost!" Irvin cried, burying his face in Davian's arm. Davian was also frightened, but as the older brother, he forced himself to be brave.

"Don't be scared, Irvin. I'll protect you."

Irvin, too terrified to open his eyes, sobbed, "Davian, when can we go home?"

Davian looked around. "Don't worry! It's dark, and we can't find our way back. Let's find a safe place for now. When the sun rises tomorrow, we can find our way home."

"Okay!"

Holding hands tightly, they cautiously felt their way through the darkness.

"Look! There's a hole here!"

"Let's go inside!"

"Okay!"

They found what appeared to be a cave—an abandoned, dry underground drainage channel. It offered relative safety.

After entering…

It was pitch-black.

"I'm so hungry, Davian!" Irvin said, his stomach rumbling incessantly. They hadn't eaten since the afternoon.

"Bear with it! We should have packed food in our backpacks."

Chapter 167

"I wish I could eat cakes, chocolates, Mom's dumplings… and finger-licking drumsticks!" Irvin drooled.

Davian sighed. "Stop talking! The more you talk, the hungrier you'll get. Let's rest. We won't feel hungry once we're asleep."

"I can't sleep, Davian!"

"You have to. Otherwise, you won't have the energy to walk tomorrow. We'll go home at dawn!"

Exhausted, hungry, and sleepy, the two boys huddled together for warmth. The underground drainage channel was relatively warm.

At the foot of the mountain, Bruce and Joanna were frantic.

"Send more helicopters! If necessary, we'll flip the mountain over!"

"Yes, sir!"

Hundreds of Everett family members and search and rescue personnel were deployed.

Joanna was distraught. "I want to join the search!"

Bruce stopped her. "Joanna, you should stay and wait. What if they come home? Someone needs to be here, right?"

"No! I'm going to find my kids! Bruce, if anything happens to them, I'll never forgive you!"

Bruce frowned, equally distraught. It was inconceivable that the children would be missing from the Everett mansion! Kidnapping was also impossible; the mansion had numerous bodyguards, servants, and three electromechanical doors.

"Calm down, Joanna. Let's figure out how they went missing. Even if they were kidnapped, it's impossible to enter the mansion unnoticed!"

Joanna was overwhelmed. She could only think of finding her children.

"The surveillance cameras are down. Otherwise, we'd know which way they went."

Suddenly, Joanna had an idea. "Could Davian and Irvin have snuck out?"

Davian's computer skills made hacking the mansion's power system possible. Bruce considered this. It was possible! He'd hacked into the Everett Group's network twice.

Chapter 167

"No matter what, we have to find them quickly! Davian! Irvin!"

Helicopters circled overhead. Search teams and dogs scoured Mount Lance.

Unfortunately, the abandoned drainage channel was well soundproofed. The boys couldn't hear the calls.

Irvin, half-asleep, thought he heard his mother. "Davian, I think I heard Mommy calling us!"

Davian, exhausted, said, "Go back to sleep. You're dreaming. It's too late for her to be here."

Irvin agreed, realizing he'd been missing his mother.

They fell back asleep.

Six or seven hours passed. The search team had searched all night.

"Mr. Everett, I doubt the children are still on the mountain. With this much commotion, we'd have found them by now. Let's search the foot of the mountain."

Early morning, the search was called off. They hadn't found them on the mountain. Joanna and Bruce hadn't slept. Joanna was exhausted; Bruce looked worried.

"Where are you, my children? Where did you go?"

Bruce hugged Joanna. "Don't worry, Joanna. We'll find them…"

Joanna blamed herself. "I hate myself! Why did I let you take them?" "Give me back my children, Bruce!"

Bruce felt guilty. "As long as they're in Greyport, I'll bring them back, no matter the cost!"

Soon, news of a two-million-dollar reward for information was broadcast, indirectly acknowledging Davian and Irvin as Everett family members.

Speculation ran rampant: kidnapping, aliens, etc.

At noon, the boys woke up, unaware of the city-wide search.

"Davian, the sun's up!"

"Alright! Let's go!"

Emerging from the drainage channel, they saw the sun high in the sky. Davian pointed to a path.

Irvin, weak and starving, said, "Davian, I'm so hungry and thirsty!"

Davian felt the same. "Look, there's a stream. We can get water."

"Okay!"

They walked to the stream. The water looked clear, but Irvin hesitated. "Davian, is this safe? It's not filtered; it's dirty!"

"It's okay. We're dying of thirst." Davian started to filter the water with his clothes, but Irvin, too thirsty and dizzy, fell into the stream.

"Argh!"

"Davian!"

Davian was terrified. The current was strong. Irvin was being swept away. "Save me,"