Chapter 1 Do Not Move

In Horington, the scorching heat in June could fray one's nerves. After Sophie Tanner's class had ended, she waited until most of her classmates had left before she finally headed home on her bicycle. She took a remote alley because it would save her over twenty minutes of travel despite being isolated. However, while she was still in the alley, her keen sense of smell picked up an intense stench of blood. Her brows furrowed, a vague sense of foreboding welling up within her. She was tempted to change the course of her bicycle, but taking a different route would add an extra twenty minutes to her journey. Sophie grew somewhat impatient deep down, for she certainly didn't want to encounter any gory scenes on her way home. In the end, she chose to stick to her course since she knew her time was precious and didn't want to waste twenty minutes. Sure enough, five minutes later, she saw a man covered in blood lying in a corner of the alley where few people ventured. Sophie continued pedaling her bicycle forward instead of being kind-hearted and checking on the bloodied man. After all, she had no idea if the man was a villain. The man lying on the ground seemingly heard Sophie's bicycle cycling past. He forcefully propped himself up and weakly called out to her for help. “Save...me. Five...million...” Sophie paid him no mind but continued on her way. The man behind her added, “Once you leave... this street, you... will be... targeted.” After saying that, the man suddenly coughed violently, blood trickling out the corner of his mouth. His words successfully rooted Sophie in place. At present, she was doing quite well on her own and didn't want to encounter any more trouble. Sophie parked her bicycle by the roadside, turned back, and walked toward the man. The man, barely clinging to life, was in no condition to cause her any trouble. She crouched down and looked at the man covered in blood. “Is that so? Thanks for the heads-up.” Sophie merely wanted to thank him, planning to take a different route home later. She had no intention of further involving herself in matters that didn't concern her. After she had finished speaking, she stood up to leave. However, before she could even take a step, she was held immobile by the man's hand. Glancing back, she saw that the man had grabbed her foot, obviously refusing to let her leave. “Save me,” he pleaded. Suddenly, Sophie's attractive eyes blazed with anger. “I don't want to invite trouble.” The man lifted his gaze to look at Sophie, who towered over him on her feet. Although he was completely drained of energy, his hand still clamped on her ankle tightly. He knew that the girl standing before him was his hope. His men hadn't come to rescue him yet, so he had to leave that place and get to a safe location. Sophie cast a glance at the man lying on the ground. Had it been anyone else, she would never have bothered to play savior. However, despite the blood all over the man before her, his looks surprisingly aligned with her aesthetics. Upon noticing the slight flicker in her eyes, Tristan Lombard knew he had been saved. Following that realization, he relaxed his grip and promptly passed out. Looking at the distinguished man who had already collapsed to the ground, Sophie couldn't help cursing, “D*mn it! How am I supposed to move you?” In the end, she heaved the man up to his feet. It took a Herculean effort to hoist him onto the back seat of her bicycle. Then, with great difficulty, she took him away via an ever more isolated route. Sophie didn't dare to take him directly to the hospital. She had just taken a moment to study the man and observed that numerous wounds on him were all aimed at vital areas, making it clear that those hunting him down were well-trained individuals. It was likely that they were still searching for him, so the hospital was potentially unsafe. Judging by the amount of blood he was losing, he wouldn't live to see the morning sun if his wounds weren't tended to properly. Ah, never mind! I'll just go the extra mile and help him to the end! After much deliberation, Sophie decided to bring him back to her place. With practiced ease, she retrieved the first-aid kit on the shelf. She hoisted the man onto the couch in her house. Luckily, it was black, so it wouldn't be noticeable even if it got stained by blood. Sophie opened the first-aid kit, taking out the iodine and hemostatic bandages. At that moment, she couldn't get her hands on anesthesia. Anyway, he has already passed out and should be able to endure any further pain. Donning medical gloves, Sophie cut away his blood-stained shirt with scissors. The wound was perilously close to his heart, and a slight misstep could lead to severe internal bleeding. It was also incredibly deep, with the flesh visibly gaping. Despite being a staunch man, even Tristan jolted awake from the pain the moment his wound was touched. He glared at Sophie at the side. “What are you doing?” Sophie hadn't expected Tristan to wake up at that moment. However, considering the amount of blood he had lost, he would have been as good as dead if he still couldn't regain consciousness. “If you don't want to die, don't move.” Sophie couldn't be bothered to engage in conversation with him, not in the mood to waste her breath with him. She planned to continue tending to his wound. “Ahh...” The contact with his wound elicited a pained grunt from Tristan. However, that was the only sound he made. Throughout the rest of the process, he didn't utter a single sound of discomfort. He managed to stay conscious until Sophie had finished treating his wounds before passing out. “That's commendable willpower.” If it were anyone else, they would have been screaming in pain long ago, with so many injuries on their body. She took the man's phone out of his pocket, composed a text message, and sent it to a contact whose name caught her eye. She left him at an intersection, kindly tossing him a piece of shirt. Then, she walked away without giving him another glance. Upon receiving the text message from Tristan, Felix Northley immediately rushed to the location Sophie sent. At the sight of Tristan on the ground, he was stunned. Who's the person who is sick of living? Do they not know who the man on the ground is? It's Tristan Lombard, the most esteemed son of the Lombard family in Jipsdale! By then, Tristan had already awakened and saw Felix approaching. “Who's sick of living, Mr. Tristan?” Who could be so audacious? In Jipsdale, no one dares to offend him! Tristan cast a glance at the incessantly chattering Felix. “Mr. Tristan, who did this to you?” From the moment Felix learned of Tristan's disappearance, he had been genuinely scared to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat. If Tristan died, countless people in Jipsdale would have to join him in death. With the man in such a state at that moment, he was downright curious about just who the culprit was. “The culprit employed mercenaries this time, eager to take my life. Find out who saved me today.”