"Where exactly is it?"

Emily Shaw kept her head down, scanning the grass.

Ah!

Suddenly, not far behind them in the woods, a miserable scream from Clark Bolton rang out.

The two of them jerked their heads up, looking in the direction of the sound.

"Where is the person?

Why is there only one?

Where are the other two?"

A man's voice drifted over faintly.

"They must be nearby, haven't gone far, search!"

A rough voice replied.

"Someone's looking for us!

? Clark Bolton, how is Clark Bolton!

?"

Emily Shaw's pretty face turned pale. Although she knew martial arts, she had never actually fought before. Now, faced with real danger, she immediately panicked.

"They're really here!

Quick, this way!"

Beside her, Brian Bolton grabbed her and dashed off in a certain direction.

Emily Shaw hadn't even processed what was happening before she was running wildly after Brian Bolton.

After running for a while, when she finally came to her senses, she had already hidden inside a tree hollow beneath a slope.

The crack in the tree hollow was narrow, the inside damp and stuffy, with many black ants busily carrying things up and down along the edge.

"Stay here, don't make a sound, don't come out!

No matter who calls you, don't come out, even if it's senior brother Ethan Brooks, don't respond!

I'm going to check the situation!"

Brian Bolton tossed out these words and turned to run.

Before coming out, he had already anticipated that they might run into danger.

These days, he had been learning Guanxu Gong from senior sister David Green, practicing together in the mornings, and had gained some understanding of martial arts experts.

So on the way here, he had been secretly observing possible hiding spots.

Brian Bolton knew very well that simply hiding in the tree hollow was just as dangerous—they would be found sooner or later.

The only way was to get help.

He could have just run away, but why had he just been promoted?

Because Helen Shaw wanted him to look after Emily Shaw.

Because of the loyalty he had shown.

So if something happened to Emily Shaw and he was fine, Helen Shaw would never let him off.

Therefore, this time, to be prepared, he had already arranged with someone in advance.

Jogging along, Brian Bolton quickly reached a slightly higher spot, stood on a rock, and took a cylindrical bamboo tube from his bundle.

Then he quickly pulled out a flint, struck it hard to make sparks, and lit a fuse on the side of the bamboo tube.

Sss.

The fuse burned rapidly, and just as it was about to reach the top of the tube, Brian Bolton raised the bamboo tube and aimed it at the sky.

Inside the tube, with a "biu," a yellow flame shot up, sending a bright streak into the sky between the treetops, where it exploded.

Boom.

A loud firework sound, accompanied by flower-like yellow sparks, quickly spread above the sea of trees.

Several hundred meters away, two figures who had been waiting immediately straightened up, looking toward the direction where the firework had exploded.

"Something really happened!

Let's go!"

Without another word, one of them grabbed a knife and they both rushed toward the fireworks.

Inside the tree hollow.

Emily Shaw curled up, trembling slightly.

She had never experienced anything like this before. That scream from Clark Bolton still made her whole body feel cold.

The boom of the firework from outside brought a glimmer of hope to Emily Shaw's heart.

"It's father's signal firework!"

Her expression calmed a little, and she continued to stay quiet.

"Father and the others will definitely come to save me!"

Emily Shaw hugged herself tightly, constantly peeking out through the crack in the tree hollow.

Before long, hurried footsteps sounded from outside.

"It's a signal tube, move quickly, people from Qinghe Palace are coming!"

A rough male voice urged.

"I'll search this way!"

"Spread out. In fifty breaths, whether you find them or not, leave on your own and meet at the usual place!"

"Understood!"

Several people responded together, their voices carrying a distinct northern accent.

Emily Shaw didn't dare make a sound, waiting until the footsteps quickly faded and disappeared completely.

Only then did she dare to breathe a little easier.

After waiting another dozen or so breaths, a voice, deliberately lowered, suddenly drifted over from outside.

"Little Ying, where are you?

Come out, the bad guys are gone!"

The voice was very familiar—it was senior brother Ethan Brooks's voice.

Emily Shaw listened carefully, confirming it really was senior brother Ethan Brooks, and her heart instantly relaxed.

She was about to rush out of the hollow when she suddenly remembered Brian Bolton's warning.

"Stay here, don't make a sound, don't come out!

No matter who calls you, don't come out, even if it's senior brother Ethan Brooks, don't respond!"

Emily Shaw hesitated, torn between senior brother Ethan Brooks and Brian Bolton.

Very quickly, compared to the unfamiliar Brian Bolton, the gentle and handsome senior brother Ethan Brooks was much more trustworthy.

Without further hesitation, she dashed out of the tree hollow, running toward the direction of Ethan Brooks's voice.

"I'm here, Brother Wuyou!"

She called out as she ran.

Chapter 9 (Xie Chen Resigns as Alliance Leader)

In the dense forest, Emily Shaw threw herself into Ethan Brooks's arms.

"Brother Wuyou!

Why did you only just get here!

? So many people came just now, they seemed to be after us, Clark Bolton ran into them, I don't know how he is now?"