Ray glanced at Esther, curiosity lighting up his expression. “Chris, is this your wife?”
Chris nodded. “Yes, she’s my wife-Esther.”
Ray stepped forward with a smile. “Hello, I’m Ray.”
Esther nodded politely. “Hello.”
Chris spoke calmly, “Sai Hunter has escaped. Let’s go. As for Blood’s body, I’ll leave it to you to handle.”
Ray nodded back. “Understood. I’ll take care of Blood’s body.”
Hearing this, Chris turned to Esther. “Darling, I’ll carry you down the mountain.”
“That’s… not very appropriate,” Esther murmured, her cheeks flushing red. She hesitated, embarrassed by the presence of others.
“Help! Someone, please help!”
A desperate cry echoed from the base of the mountain.
Esther’s expression changed instantly. “Oh no! Lindsay is still down there!”
“What? Lindsay’s still below?” Chris’s face darkened with shock.
He knew Sai Hunter had just fled down the mountain. Could it be…?
Realizing the danger, Chris didn’t waste another moment. He swung Esther onto his back and charged down the mountain at full speed.
When they reached the base, they found Sai Hunter holding Lindsay hostage.
Chris shouted, “Sai Hunter, let Lindsay go!”
Sai Hunter sneered coldly. “Chris, if you want me to release her, it’s simple-kill yourself. Then I’ll let her go.”
Chris’s face turned grim. Kill himself? That was unthinkable.
Seeing Chris hesitate, Sai Hunter’s voice rose in anger. “If you won’t kill yourself, then I’ll kill her!”
As he spoke, Sai Hunter tightened his grip around Lindsay’s neck. Her face turned red as she gasped for air, her pleading eyes locking onto Chris.
Chris’s expression grew darker. The idea of killing himself was impossible-but if Lindsay died because of him, he would never forgive himself.
“Lindsay! Lindsay!”
“Darling, you have to save Lindsay!” Esther cried out in desperation, her voice trembling with urgency.
Chris clenched his jaw. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
He slowly picked up the Dragon Slayer sword.
Sai Hunter laughed triumphantly. “Hahaha! Chris, oh Chris, look at you now. No matter how strong you are, in the end, you’ll still die at my feet!”
“Don’t do it, darling!” Esther screamed, her voice breaking.
Lindsay, too, shook her head, unwilling to let Chris sacrifice himself for her.
“What are you waiting for, Chris? Just kill yourself already!” Sai Hunter roared hysterically.
Bang!
A sudden gunshot broke the tension.
Sai Hunter froze, his expression shifting to one of utter disbelief. A small, bloody hole appeared in the center of his forehead. Blood trickled down as his body collapsed to the ground.
Even in death, Sai Hunter’s eyes remained wide open, filled with shock. It was a death he never anticipated.
Behind Chris, Ray stood holding a firearm. He glanced at Sai Hunter’s lifeless body with disdain. “You talk too much. If you’re going to kill someone, just do it-why waste time?”
Unbeknownst to Chris, Ray had quietly approached from behind as the standoff unfolded. When Sai Hunter erupted in rage, Ray seized the moment, drawing his weapon and ending the fight with a single shot.
As the Southern Battle District’s War King, Ray always carried a firearm. Sai Hunter had never expected his life to end so abruptly, with a single bullet from Ray.
“Lindsay, are you okay?” Esther rushed over, her voice filled with concern.
Lindsay nodded, still shaken. “I’m fine,” she whispered.
“Let’s not waste time here. We need to leave,” Chris said firmly, gathering the group and leading them away.
News of Sai Hunter and Blood’s deaths quickly reached the Hunter family.
The Hunter family was thrown into chaos.
Sai Hunter wasn’t just anyone-he was the young master of the Hunter family and their heir. His death was an unimaginable blow, one that the family could not accept.
Jordan Hunter, the family patriarch, arrived at Maple Hills with a large contingent of followers.
When Jordan saw the bodies of Sai Hunter and Blood, his rage exploded.
“Find out who did this! I want to know who dared to kill my grandson!”
With his command, the entire Hunter family launched an intense investigation.
The next day, Chris slowly woke up, his mind still hazy.
Turning his head, he saw Esther lying beside him.
A smile spread across his face as he looked at her.
As Chris moved to get up, Esther stirred and opened her eyes.
“You’re awake?” she asked softly.
Chris nodded, grinning. “Yes.”
Esther hesitated. “Darling… I want to know-what happened during the time you were gone?”
Chris had been missing for so long that Esther had been deeply worried. Now that she had found him, she didn’t want to leave his side.
Chris chuckled and began recounting his experiences.
Of course, he skimmed over certain details-like his encounter with Ellis in Peace Village.
It wasn’t that Chris didn’t want to share everything, but he feared Esther’s jealousy would be stirred if she heard too much.
When Esther heard about the hardships Chris endured, her eyes reddened with tears.
She hadn’t realized that after falling off the cliff, Chris had gone through so many trials-even training on the world’s tallest peak, Mount Everest. She could only imagine how grueling that must have been.
Before finding Chris, Esther had harbored some resentment. She had blamed him for not coming to find her sooner.
But now, hearing all he had endured, she understood-Chris had stayed away to protect her from danger.
“Darling, I’m so useless. I couldn’t do anything to help you,” Esther said, her voice filled with guilt.
Chris pulled her into his arms, smiling. “Darling, just having you by my side is the greatest help I could ask for.”
Esther nodded, nestling into his embrace. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, as if afraid he might leave again.
At that moment, the television suddenly aired a breaking news report.
“This just in: Sai Hunter, the son of the Hunter family and heir to the Salt Merchant dynasty, was killed yesterday…”