Free Web NovelChapter 372: Help me find her
When Hua Jing opened her eyes, she was swallowed by darkness so complete that for a moment she wondered if she had gone blind.
The air around her was heavy and damp, carrying the thick, murky scent of wet soil and decaying leaves.
Her head throbbed dully, and before she could fully gather her thoughts, she realized that something rough was pressed tightly over her eyes.
A blindfold.
Her hands were bound behind her back, wrists already sore from friction, and before she could test the restraints, a strong hand gripped her upper arm and jerked her forward without warning.
She stumbled, her shoes sinking slightly into soft ground. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
With each step she heard faint splashing beneath her feet, as though the earth had recently absorbed rain. Water dripped intermittently from above, tapping against leaves and occasionally brushing her shoulders.
The sound of trees swaying in the wind confirmed what her instincts were already telling her—they were no longer anywhere near the city. This was a forest, or at least somewhere thick with trees and uneven land.
"Walk faster," a man’s voice barked harshly beside her. "Don’t think we have the whole night."
Hua Jing forced herself to remain calm. Panic would not help her. She drew in a slow breath despite the lingering chemical scent that still seemed trapped in her memory.
Her mind pushed itself into clarity, retracing what had happened step by step. She remembered entering the restroom at the hotel, intending to freshen up before returning to the gala.
A few minutes later, the door had opened. At first, she had assumed it was another guest. But instead of one person, several men entered at once.
Before she could react properly, one of them moved swiftly toward her with a cloth in his hand. She understood immediately what they were trying to do and fought back with everything she had.
She had managed to strike one of them hard enough to hear him curse, and she had twisted free for a second, but they were too many.
Eventually, someone forced the handkerchief over her nose and mouth. The sharp, suffocating smell flooded her senses. Her limbs weakened despite her resistance, and her vision blurred until everything went dark.
Now, as she was dragged forward through what felt like endless woodland, fear began creeping into her chest in a way she had not allowed before.
She had remained composed during the abduction, even during the car ride when she had faded in and out of consciousness. But this place felt isolated—far removed from the reach of the city.
The ground was uneven and muddy, and the air carried the deep quiet of somewhere untouched.
Even if Fu Jing Rong searched the entire city, how would he think to look somewhere like this?
They walked for what felt like hours. Time lost meaning when one could not see. The only measure she had was the rhythm of her own breathing and the growing ache in her legs.
Eventually, the man beside her slowed. Another pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and forced her downward. She landed roughly onto what felt like a wooden surface—perhaps a crate or a low bench. Immediately, someone crouched near her legs and tightened a rope around her ankles.
The fibers bit into her skin as they secured the knot with practiced efficiency. Her hands were already tied tightly behind her back, leaving her completely restrained.
Then, without warning, the blindfold was ripped away.
Light, though faint and filtered through trees, stabbed into her eyes. She blinked repeatedly, struggling to adjust.
The scene before her gradually came into focus. They were indeed deep inside a forest clearing. Tall trees surrounded them on all sides, their branches forming a loose canopy overhead. The ground was damp and scattered with leaves.
A black sedan was parked several meters away, partially concealed by shadow.
And directly in front of her, seated calmly on a folding chair as if this were a planned meeting rather than a crime, was a man she knew.
Her blood ran cold.
"You!"
...
Across the city, chaos unfolded in a far more controlled but equally desperate manner.
Fu Jing Rong stood in the operations room of his private security division, surrounded by screens displaying fragmented surveillance footage. Deng Li directed men rapidly, issuing instructions, cross-checking timestamps, and coordinating with contacts across multiple departments. Though they had managed to piece together the sequence of events—the restroom entry, the disabled cameras, the suspicious sedan leaving the service entrance—the trail had grown frustratingly thin.
They knew she had been taken.
They did not know where.
Every passing minute tightened something around Fu Jing Rong’s chest. His expression remained composed, but those who knew him well understood that his silence was more dangerous than shouting. After exhausting immediate leads within the hotel’s radius, he made a decision and headed straight for the traffic police headquarters.
Despite the late hour, the head of the traffic department was already waiting when Fu Jing Rong arrived. The man looked tense, adjusting his uniform as he stepped forward to greet him.
"When I received your call, I came back immediately," the officer said. "How can we assist?"
Fu Jing Rong wasted no time. He handed over the security footage extracted earlier. "My wife has been kidnapped," he said evenly, though the weight behind his voice was unmistakable. "She was put into this sedan. I need it tracked."
The officer nodded without hesitation. Over the years, Fu Jing Rong’s company had provided significant funding to public safety initiatives—equipment upgrades, traffic monitoring systems, community programs. That support had built trust. Tonight, it also ensured full cooperation. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
The footage was quickly uploaded into the department’s traffic tracking system. Multiple city cameras were cross-referenced. Within minutes, they began tracing the sedan’s route. On the screens, the black car appeared at various intersections, its license plate partially obscured but identifiable enough through enhancement software.
"It’s heading west," an officer reported.
The route soon became clear. The sedan moved efficiently through secondary roads, avoiding heavy-traffic highways. It was not random driving—it was deliberate navigation.
Then the map expanded.
The car crossed the boundary of the city.
The atmosphere in the room shifted.
"It’s leaving our jurisdiction,"
