No longer the iron-blooded tough man he once was, George Baldwin sat limply on the ground, constantly wiping his eyes as he gazed toward Xiake Ridge. At this moment, he was nothing more than an ordinary, utterly unremarkable father.

At eleven o'clock, the hostage rescue mission still had not been completed, because this criminal was simply too cunning. Not only was he cunning, but he also possessed infuriating counter-surveillance skills, leaving absolutely no trace— not even a single footprint could be found.

Phone calls came in one after another, all personally made by top-level superiors. This incident had even alarmed the four headquarters, which issued a strict order: Edward Baldwin must be safely rescued within two hours!

The name of the six-year-old child, Edward Baldwin, appeared before leaders at every level, tugging at everyone's heartstrings. They were willing to pay any price to save this child.

All four sons had died heroically; the country could not bear it, the people could not bear it, and no one could bear to let these parents lose their last child.

As long as this child could return to his mother's arms, fall soundly asleep in her embrace, and make his father laugh out loud once more, even if it cost blood, it would be worth it.

This was what the country owed them, what the people owed them, and even more so, what the military owed them...

Chapter 0004 Edward Baldwin

On the eastern side of Xiake Ridge, the sheer cliff was as if carved by a blade, forming a near ninety-degree angle. Below the cliff was a hundred-meter drop, naturally formed, smooth as could be, without even a single protruding rock.

Near the top of the cliff, there was a small black hole, about a meter square, like an eagle's nest built into the rock face.

A small stone fell from the black hole, silently dropping down the hundred-meter cliff, shattering to pieces at the bottom.

After about ten minutes, another small stone fell from the hole. After that, every ten minutes, a stone would fall from inside, making a crisp sound as it broke upon landing.

Inside the black hole, a boy of about seven or eight curled up in the corner by the entrance, his wide, frightened eyes fixed on the adult man diagonally across from him.

The adult man lay there weakly, his right hand clutching his blood-soaked waist. His face was turned toward the darkness, as if afraid the sunlight streaming in from the entrance would sting his eyes.

"Uncle, when will you let me go home?" The boy's eyes were full of pleading. "If I don't go home soon, my dad will beat me to death."

The boy wasn't really afraid of the wounded man; what he feared was that if he didn't go home soon, his father would give him a severe beating.

"Heh heh..." The injured man seemed to find this very amusing and slowly turned his face.

The moment the light from the three-foot-wide entrance shone on the man's face, even the sharply chiseled rock walls paled in comparison.

The man's cheekbones were so pronounced, his entire face composed of hard, steel-like lines, exuding a kind of determination that ordinary people could never possess. Along with it came an intense masculine aura that seemed to fill every oxygen molecule in the air, making even the slightly damp cave feel dry.

"Little guy, how old are you?" the man asked.

The boy glanced at the man's sharp gaze, quickly lowered his head, and began counting on his fingers one by one.

After about a minute, the boy finally replied in a timid voice, "Five and a half."

"Oh? Five and a half?" A strange look flashed in the man's eyes. He nodded and continued, "What's your name?"

"Edward Baldwin." The boy cautiously lifted his head, quickly glanced at the man's face, and pleaded carefully, "Uncle, it's almost 12 o'clock. Can you let me go home? If I don't go home soon, my dad really will beat me to death."

As he said this, the boy pouted and sniffled, tears welling up in his eyes. But he didn't dare cry out loud, forcing himself to hold his breath and keep it in.

"Edward Baldwin, good name, heh heh." The man smiled, then suddenly his expression turned stern, a murderous glint in his eyes as he said coldly, "How do you know it's almost twelve o'clock?"

The temperature in the cave immediately dropped, as cold as the depths of winter. Only five and a half years old, Edward Baldwin shivered violently, shrinking back as far as he could, as if the solid rock behind him could offer some sense of security.

"Speak! If you don't, I'll kill you!" The man raised his hand and pulled out a sharp dagger, pressing it against Edward Baldwin's neck.

Edward Baldwin's eyes widened, as if petrified, filled with terror.

Seeing the boy so frightened, the man seemed quite pleased and put away the knife with a smile. But Edward Baldwin's next words left him dumbfounded.

"Un-uncle... if you kill me... and I can't go home, my dad w-w-will beat me to death!"

Edward Baldwin hugged his knees tightly with his small hands, curling into a ball, biting his lip, tears running down to his mouth but not daring to wipe them away, only quickly licking them with his tongue.

"You're not afraid I'll kill you with a single stab?" the man asked curiously.

Edward Baldwin shook his head vigorously, then nodded hard, then shook his head again, and nodded again.

"My name is Samuel Carter, but people always like to call me Victor Carter." The man grinned at Edward Baldwin, holding up a finger. "Tell me, what time is it now?"