“Sorry!”
Stunned, he looked at me in disbelief.
I didn’t have time to care about how he felt. I rushed to the guard and said, “Can I go out now?”
The guard glanced at the pass and then nodded reluctantly. “Okay.”
Without waiting for the guards to step aside, I squeezed past them and rushed out the palace gates as fast as I could.
Crystal’s POV
After leaving the imperial palace, I went to the place where the group of merchants should have been stayed.
I searched the underground parking lot of the most expensive hotel in the imperial capital thrice, but couldn’t spot the vehicle I’d seen in the surveillance video.
I took my phone out and opened the maps app. I retraced the route of the caravan and searched the road inch by inch.
Finally, in a forest near the suburb, I stumbled upon the remains of the car and saw the bloodstains that covered the ground. The surrounding area had been cordoned off, and soldiers were cleaning up the scene.
I stopped a soldier and asked him about the situation.
At first, he was stunned. “Are you a family member? The dead bodies are not here anymore. They have been taken to the hospital morgue.”
My head was buzzing and I couldn’t draw in a full breath. I stared at the dried blood on and around the car. It was not difficult to piece together what had occurred here.
My kids…
I shuddered, unable to finish that thought. The soldier quickly steadied me and gave me the details.
“The caravan was robbed by gangsters, who are hard-core criminals and possess guns. They have always been ruthless and merciless. They would murder people without hesitation to keep their mouths shut. Very few people have survived this incident. The dead bodies have been sent to the morgue, where their family members can claim them.”
“Were there children in the car?” I grabbed the soldier’s arm with bloodshot eyes, very close to losing my mind.
The soldier stammered, “I… I didn’t come across the corpse of any child while I was cleaning up the scene, but I don’t know if anyone else had found a child before I arrived here. Maybe you can go to the hospital and check there.”
I released the soldier, my body sagging with relief. If he hadn’t seen a body, there was still hope.
Fighting through the soldiers’ obstruction, I broke through the cordon, intending to search the area myself.
The forest was huge. I went steadily deeper with my flashlight. A little while later, I spotted candy wrappers tied around several branches and bushes, as if they were used to mark the route.
I took off one candy wrapper and studied it carefully. This candy was a specialty of my border pack, and my kids loved it.
Now I was certain that they had been here.
I kept searching the forest and didn’t make my way to the hospital morgue to check the corpses until dawn broke.
Although the soldier claimed that he hadn’t seen any children’s bodies, I had to confirm for myself.
While I was searching the forest, I kept calling my kids on their smart watches, but my call didn’t go through.
The day was getting brighter and rain had started to fall as the day broke. Because of the chill in the air, my phone’s screen was now covered with a thin layer of mist. I couldn’t recall how many times I’d called the kids, and I was getting desperate.
Finally, I reached the hospital with a heavy heart. I could hear crying coming from the direction of the morgue while I was still a long distance away. My heart sank and my palms were slick with nervous sweat.
A group of family members was blocking the door of the morgue. I managed to squeeze in between them.
Only two dim lights illuminated the dingy morgue, and a musty smell hung in the air. Beds covered with white cloths were directly in front of me.
One by one, I began lifting the covers with quivering hands. The ones closer to the door were probably newly dead. Most of them had succumbed to their injuries, while the bodies deeper into the room belonged to those who had died at the scene of the incident. The majority of these people had been shot to death.
I checked every corpse carefully, finally making sure that my kids weren’t among them.
A wave of relief flowed through me as I knelt on the ground and exhaled gratefully.
This meant my kids were still alive, but I didn’t know where they were now.
I took my phone out to call them again. Just as my spirit sunk, I was connected to Arron’s smart watch.
However, the voice on the other end belonged to an unknown adult she-wolf.
Crystal’s POV
I was taken aback for a moment. After confirming that I hadn’t called the wrong number, I asked, “Hello, how did you get this watch? Do you know where its owner is?”
My gut instantly twisted with unease. Arron never took his smart watch off when he was outside. Something horrible must have happened to him. My heart clenched painfully. I wished I could take my child’s place and endure all his suffering.
“Who are you? How are you related to the owner of this watch?” The she-wolf questioned me warily.
A smart watch was not as convenient as a smart phone. They could surely make and take calls, but unlike phones, they didn’t have such a function as contact list to save numbers. That was also why I made sure both my kids had memorized my number in case they needed to call me.
“I’m the boy’s mother,” I blurted out. I then told her about Arron’s appearance and distinguishing characteristics, the brand of smart watch he had, and the small red mole behind his ear that only those close to him knew about.
“A tiny mole is also present on the first knuckle of his little finger. You can go and confirm it.”
“If you’re his mother, why did he get lost?” the she-wolf asked in a sharp voice. She was worried that I was a kidnapper, so she asked dubiously.
I hastily explained, “I’ve come from the border pack of the country. It was not feasible to bring my kids here because I was working. But they followed me secretly. Their teacher called me later to tell me that they were missing.”
The she-wolf fell silent for a few moments, and then I heard a rustling sound. She might have gone to confirm what I said.
I held my breath and waited, my ears peeled for any sound from Arron. But unfortunately, I heard nothing except the soft sound of footsteps.
“Your kid was injured. He is unconscious in the hospital.” After verifying all my information, the she-wolf finally believed me and immediately gave me the hospital address.
“Thank you. I’ll be there soon.” I expressed my gratitude and hung up. A second later, it struck me that although the she-wolf’s voice was unknown, her phraseology sounded very familiar to me. But for the longest time, I couldn’t recall who used to talk like that.
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