No Matter How Long Time Passes, I Still Love You Chapter 152: Ten Seconds

With Alexander on his back, Chen Nan ran out of breath after running nonstop for ten minutes. Seeing him pant heavily, Ariana noticed that there was indeed someone behind them and that person was getting closer.

She took a few steps forward and saw the exit not too far from where they were resting. After staring at the two men, one unconscious and the other panting with great difficulty, she decided to make a sacrifice.

Seeing Alexander's deteriorating condition, she knew that he needed emergency care. Even if she trusts Chen Nan's stamina and ability to run, she knew that he wouldn't be able to escape in time with a full-grown man on his back. If Alexander was conscious, then there might be a chance, but his full weight is slouched on Chen Nan's body.

She thought to herself, 'Two out of three people escaping is better than one.' When she took a peek at the exit earlier, she realized that the exit had a similar design to the first secret path that led her to the b.l.o.o.d.y room.

Crossing her fingers, she hoped that luck was on her side for once.

She saw the rock around the corner of the route and a small crack that seemed to fit the rock's shape. If she was correct about this, then once the rock is stuffed into the crack, the exit should close right away.

"Are you alright?" She whispered and rubbed Chen Nan's chest.

He nodded and said, "Is the exit far?"

A tiny smile curved on her face, "No. It's around this corner. Listen, there is someone behind us. I'm going to count to ten, and we both run. We can't look back because if we do, we might get caught. Okay?"

Taking a few seconds, she observed his sharp features and smiled, "We need to go." Following her words, Chen Nan waited for her to count down. She counted rather quickly and once the number ten was released from her mouth, he rushed towards the exit like the world was going to end if he didn't.

He didn't notice that in the middle of running, she had slowed down and picked up the rock from the side. Once she was certain that they had gotten out safely, she stuffed the rock into the crack and watched the exit close.

She could finally settle her heart as she knew that they were able to escape. The second she picked up that rock, she felt a chilling breeze coming towards her direction. Once the exit closed, an old man appeared in front of her and grabbed her by the neck. It was only a difference by seconds like she had calculated.

Before she could even retaliate or protect herself, his hand already held onto her neck and slowly increased its power.

The man's breath stunk from a b.l.o.o.d.y stench. His body was skinny to the point that the outfit he worse looked like it was on a skeleton. His eyes were sharp and dark as if he had no soul. The color of his outfit ranged from red to brown.

At the moment, she figured out that this man must have been the same person from Chen Nan's description. The old man whispered and mumbled lowly as if he was chanting a spell, "I don't want to die."

His voice gradually became louder as his eyes widened. The grip around her neck also tightened. She could feel his enormous strength trying to lift her up. If he were to continue his actions, her neck would definitely snap and she would join the b.l.o.o.d.y tub in no time.

While gritting her teeth and holding her breath, she bent her leg and swung it between the old man's legs; his crotch was her target. Since he was distracted, she managed to attack him a few times.

"Oooarghhhh" His grip loosened, and she took this opportunity to run back to Alexander's room; hoping to close the route and trap the man inside. Unfortunately, in the middle of running, she realized that Alexander's fingerprint was the key to opening and closing this route.

She cursed inwardly and decided to run out of Alexander's room once she gets out of this route. Her legs were burning from running so fast that she almost forgot to breathe. She felt a sharp pain on her lower right abdomen because she was running too quickly and not getting enough oxygen into her body.

It was painful, but even if she had to limp, she would limp her way out of this mess. Finally, she reached Alexander's room and pulled his door open to exit. That was when she realized that outside of his room was another complicated intersection hallway.

She thought that she only needed to choose between three routes, but no, she was wrong. At the end of the three paths, there were three separate routes for her to choose again. Her eyes wandered quickly to see if she could use anything as a guide for an escape before the old man catches up.

Her chin lifted up and her lips parted, "So..it's like this."

While she was running away from the old man, Chen Nan was outside of the exit; attempting to pry open the closed door with one of his tools. It was useless because this door was operated by a system.

"Ariana! You said ten seconds! Why didn't you run? Why?!" He banged against the cold surface with tears streaming down his face. When he realized that the exit was closing, he tried to stop it. But no matter how hard he tried to lift the door; it didn't work.

As he lost control of his emotions, Alexander let out a small groan. His pained voice cleared up Chen Nan's confused mind. No matter how much he wanted to rush back to get her, he understood why she had done what she did.

He lowered his gaze to wipe away his tears and sweat. Under the dim light from the area, his ring reflected the light to his eyes. His fingers gripped the ring tightly and he whispered, "I'll definitely be back for you. Wait for me."

His heart ached, but there was no time for self-blame. He quickly picked up Alexander on his back and took advantage of the time to get him out of here. Luckily, after fifteen minutes later, he managed to get out of the misty area.

Recalling their plan, Chen Nan walked behind a marked tree with a red ribbon on it. Between the branches was a camouflage bag. Inside, he retrieved his cellphone and dialed for a.s.sistance. Chen Mu and Lin Que received his urgent call and went to pick him up.

He filled them in on important details while they were driving to him. They soon arrived to his location.

When he made sure that Alexander was in good hands, Chen Nan rushed to go back for Ariana only to be stopped by his friends.

"Let go." Chen Nan struggled to get out of their grip.

"No. What can you do if you go back there? Ariana sacrificed herself and risked her life to exchange for both of you. If you go back now, where will you go to find her? Do you know about her whereabouts? Are you familiar with the routes?" Chen Mu argued logically.

Lin Que also said, "We know that you want to save her, but the person who could definitely help you is in the backseat of the car. If you want to help her, you need to remain calm and wait for him to wake up. From what you told us over the phone, he should be more familiar than anyone with the shortcuts to that place."

Chen Nan slowly stopped his struggles. Chen Mu continued persuading him, "Since you said that this Alex guy knows Ariana and she saved you two, he will help. If he doesn't, then we come back for her. G.o.d forbid, but if something does happen to her, at least you could avenge her. If you go now and something happens, n.o.body could do anything for any of you."

He frowned and didn't fight them anymore. He obediently walked to the car with his friends on either side of him as his head continued turning back at the tunnel entrances. During their ride to the hospital, Chen Nan made sure Alexander was breathing fine and kept repeating, "You must make it. Ariana's life is in your hands."

Chen Nan was like a broken doll that repeats the same lyrics to a song over and over again. Alexander was his ray of hope in saving Ariana. Seeing him like this made Lin Que speed up his car. Chen Mu also called the hospital to have them prepare everything they needed to perform surgery on Alexander.