"Eleven twenty." Edward Baldwin blurted out.

"That's right, you've already thrown seven pebbles. Now it's time to throw the eighth one."

After saying this, Samuel Carter picked up a small pebble and tossed it outside.

Edward Baldwin's tear-filled eyes widened, his little face full of surprise: How did he know I was throwing pebbles?

"Every ten minutes you throw a pebble to keep track of time and send out a distress signal." Samuel Carter glanced at his watch and continued, "You're off by three minutes. It's not perfectly accurate, but for your age, that's already quite impressive."

Suddenly, Samuel Carter became extremely interested in this boy—after all, the other party was only five and a half years old.

"I..." Edward Baldwin paused, fear showing in his eyes as he said, "If I go home late, my dad will beat me to death."

That sentence again. Samuel Carter narrowed his eyes. He couldn't imagine a father scaring his son like this, to the point that even after being kidnapped by a stranger, the boy's biggest worry was getting beaten for coming home late.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Samuel Carter's face once again showed a cold murderous intent. He wanted to see if this child would be afraid.

"If you kill me, does that mean I'll be dead?" Edward Baldwin asked, his big eyes wide open.

"Yes, you'll be dead!" Samuel Carter replied fiercely, his face twisted.

"I'm not afraid!"

The crisp, decisive child's voice reached Samuel Carter's ears, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"My eldest brother, second brother, third brother, and fourth brother are all dead. If you become a soldier, you have to be ready to die. I'll be a soldier in the future too, so I'm not afraid of dying." Edward Baldwin pouted, blinking his bright eyes as he said, "Do you have an eldest brother, second brother, third brother, and fourth brother? If you did, you wouldn't be afraid of dying either."

Edward Baldwin's little face, still streaked with tears, was full of innocence but also seriousness. The focus with which he discussed such matters even made Samuel Carter feel inferior. At five and a half, he himself had been timid and very afraid of death.

"Your eldest brother? Second brother? And third brother? Fourth brother?"

"That's right," Edward Baldwin wrinkled his little nose and said proudly, "My eldest brother is called James Baldwin, second brother is John Baldwin, third brother is Charles Baldwin, and fourth brother is Frank Baldwin. They all loved me so much, even bought me Transformers. But now they're all dead, and no one buys me Transformers anymore."

At this, Edward Baldwin pouted high, his two chubby little hands twisted together, looking very unhappy.

But when Samuel Carter heard these names, he was first stunned, then gave a bitter smile. He finally understood why an entire reorganized division plus the black berets were relentlessly after him—turns out, the child he had grabbed was...

"You can go." Samuel Carter let out a heavy sigh and waved at Edward Baldwin.

Hearing this, Edward Baldwin's eyes lit up, and without another word, he turned and ran. But after two steps, he stopped, and timidly said to Samuel Carter, "Uncle, the place I brought you to—no one can find it. When all those PLA soldiers leave, you should go to the hospital."

Samuel Carter gave a bitter smile and nodded.

"But do you know how to get to the hospital?" Edward Baldwin asked.

Before Samuel Carter could answer, Edward Baldwin started thinking and gesturing, "Go down the mountain, turn left, then left again, then left again, then right, then right again, turn a corner and go right, go right, hop over, go right, go right, go right—got it?"

Samuel Carter couldn't help but laugh and waved his hand vigorously.

"Uncle, are you hungry?" Edward Baldwin fished out half a Wangwang Snow Cake from his pocket and handed it to Edward Baldwin, his eyes fixed longingly on the snack as he said, "You have to eat something when you're sick."

Holding the half piece of Wangwang Snow Cake, Samuel Carter was stunned once again—this child had given him so many surprises.

"Remember the way to the hospital. I'm going home now, or else my dad really will beat me to death." Edward Baldwin reluctantly tore his gaze from the Wangwang Snow Cake, smacked his lips, and turned to run outside.

"Hey, Edward Baldwin," Samuel Carter called out to Edward Baldwin, nodding affirmatively, "Today your dad definitely won't hit you."

Edward Baldwin blinked his eyes, shook his head hard, and dashed off, disappearing without a trace.

Only Samuel Carter was left in the cave. He took out his flask and took a deep swig, shaking his head helplessly.

But soon, a smile appeared on his face, and he muttered to himself: Edward Baldwin? Good kid, hehehe...

Chapter 0005 Hide and Seek

Time ticked by, and the two-hour deadline from the headquarters was getting closer and closer, but they still hadn't found Edward Baldwin at Xiake Ridge.

The higher-ups were furious. Henry Grant was under immense pressure, and George Baldwin was gradually losing hope.

His wife's calls came again and again. George Baldwin didn't know whether to answer or not. He didn't want his wife to know about this; he hoped he could bring his son home safe and sound, as if nothing had happened.

The phone rang once more. Staring at the familiar number, George Baldwin took a deep breath, forced a smile, and finally answered his wife's call. He needed to use a lie to reassure her, no matter how long it would last—every moment counted.

"Xiuying," George Baldwin gripped the phone, trying to steady his trembling voice, and said in his usual tone, "I'm out eating with our son. We'll be home a little late."