"And we're heading back down just like that?" Clark caught up to Brian. "We're going to stop looking?"

"She won't be up in the mountains."

Brian knew Joanne; thunder was the thing she feared the most. If she was done with the crime scene and then noticed the changes in the weather, she would definitely choose to get off the mountains.

But based on the estimated timeline of events, there was no way she could have made it down before the typhoon hit.

She must have encountered the typhoon halfway downhill. After that, she might have gotten lost. Or perhaps... she had gotten into an accident.

What he knew for sure was that they were more likely to find her if they followed the path downhill.

"Clark," Brian ordered, "contact Captain Lynn and have him gather his men and focus the search on the vicinity of this area." Joanne did not seem to him like the type of woman who would easily get disoriented. Even if she did get lost, she would not wander too far off course.

His gut told him that Joanne was somewhere in this area, just that the path she had taken was not the right path downhill.

"Roger that!"

While Clark got in touch with Captain Lynn to relay Brian's orders, Brian kept walking downhill.

Not far into his journey, the raindrops became heavier and compact. The sky was darkening by the second. Beams of light from high-performance flashlights swept back and forth in the area while voices echoed through the mountains in the form of Joanne's name. However, the voices were like fists punching a ball of cotton: they never received a single response.

The furrow in Brian brows deepened. His knuckles had gone white with each joint popping out noticeably due to his overly forceful grip on the flashlight. All these signs betrayed his anxiety and nerves even if he had kept his face expressionless.

This was Clark's first time seeing this version of Brian.

Any one of Brian's opponents would say that Brian was forged from steel, someone without any weaknesses.

But the truth was that he did have a weakness: Joanne.

In fact, this one weakness of his was his legitimate Archilles' heel. Brian would change into another person the moment it was ruffled.

Perhaps he had been right to avoid and keep things hidden from Joanne all these years.

The sky grew several shades darker. At that point, Brian felt as if the insides of his heart had been gnawed away, leaving an empty void which was filled with nothing but fear and anxiety.

He did not hesitate to use both of his hands to lift and push aside anything that looked capable of sheltering a human being, hoping every time that he would find Joanne hiding in one of them. But every time, he was met with disappointment. Blood was now dripping from his hand courtesy of a deep gash right in the center of his palm caused by a thorny vine that he had grabbed.

He ignored the wound, focusing on the color of the sky instead. "Clark, you take the other path downhill," he said. Splitting up would slightly increase the likelihood of finding Joanne.

"No. It's nearly dark now," Clark said. "I have to stick with you. I can't let you go alone. What if you run into danger?"

Just then, Brian caught a glimpse of a white briefcase.

It was the same briefcase that Joanne would bring every time she was out on a crime scene! She had probably left it here since she was trying to rush downhill.

Even from a young age, Brian had encountered far too many successes. Success did bring him great joy in the beginning. But eventually, that joy had gone dull. Right now, success to him was like a habit. It no longer had the ability to stir any kind of emotion in his heart.

But this briefcase was like a light at the end of a tunnel, one that shone through the darkness of the mountains.

He could feel every single beat of his heart clearly as well as an explosion of joy right in the center of his chest. This feeling triumphed over any of those he had experienced in his previous successes.

Brian stood before an intersection which branched into two paths. "Clark," Brian said, pointing at the downhill path. "You take that path."

He, on the other hand, would take the path leading deeper into the mountains.

Clark was in a dilemma. On one hand, he had to keep Brian safe, while on the other, he had to abide by Brian's orders. After a moment of hesitation, Clark decided to obey Brian's order. They split up to search for Joanne.

Brian would be capable of tackling any challenges that he might encounter along the path. On the other hand, failing to find Joanne might really cause him to lose his shit.

The rain was pelting once again. The deeper into the mountains he went, the dimmer the ambient light became. As the wind blew, the rustling of tree leaves sounded at spasmodic intervals. Dark shadows of leaves darted everywhere in the surroundings, dancing and swaying. The ambience was becoming creepier by the second.

Brian acted as if he barely noticed the creepiness of his surroundings. Picking up his pace, he trekked deeper into the mountains. The flashlight in his hand swung from side to side, and from place to place, hoping to find something.

He must find Joanne no matter what. Otherwise, he feared that he himself would not be able to walk away from this mountain.

A bolt of lightining lit up the edge of the sky. Sounds of rumbling thunder followed suit.

Joanne must be scared out of her wits in this kind of weather. He would not allow himself to leave her alone for any longer.

Just when Brian was about to call out her name again, something came into his vision. It was a white camellia bracelet.

The bracelet consisted of a white flower that was attached on top of a green strap. The flower, now dirtied and muddied, was now tangled in some vines which rested along a steep slope.

While making his way up into the mountains, Hannah had mentioned that Joanne had one of these bracelets!

But how did it end up on a slope?

Brian glanced down at his feet instinctively and saw clear marks on the ground. A small patch on the slope appeared flat, as though something had rolled over it. Some of the vines on the slope seemed to be in an awkward configuration, as if they had been dragged and tugged by something. Also, a small patch of weeds appeared to have been uprooted from the ground, revealing the dark red soil beneath it.

Brian did not spend any more time to ponder his options. He slid himself down the slope.

A rather wide path lay at the bottom of the slope. He spent a moment in perusal, taking in the path. Never had his breathing been this labored before. He could feel a tightness in his chest, as if something was tugging at his heart, causing mild pain.

He hoped he could find Joanne here. But at the same time, he feared finding her here too.

He knew just how great her injuries would be and just how much pain she must be in right now if she had really fallen down from such great height.

Brian shone the flashlight towards his left. There, he saw a small hole hidden beneath the slope. Due to the heavy rain, the hole was now filled with water, forming a tiny pool. Joanne was curled up inside the pool. Her shirt was stained with mud and her pants had rips in several spots. Blood could be clearly seen through those rips.

There she was, curled up unmovingly, lying there as if she was dead. Her hair, now completely drenched, stuck to her neck and cheeks. Not a single hint of red could be detected on her usual red plump lips and her face was as pale as a sheet.

"Joanne!"

Brian felt as if someone had stabbed a knife straight through his heart. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he rushed over to pick her up. Her entire body was freezing. Heck, he might as well be pulling her out of a freezer at this point.

"Joanne."

Brian pulled her tight against him. Placing a hand against her cheek, he called out her name repeatedly, though none of his calls were answered.

Without ado, Brian took off Joanne's soggy clothes; modesty be damned, for right now, he really could not care less about anything other than Joanne's well-being. After that, he put his jacket on her. Her body was still freeezing cold, so much so that her slender fingers were completely stiff.

He held her hands tightly and tried to warm her up with his own body heat. It did not work. Once again, he hugged her body tightly to his own as if he was trying to embed her body in his embrace.

"I'm sorry," Brian said, pushing the wet hair away from Joanne's cheeks. "Joanne, I'm so sorry."

"..." In his arms, Joanne lay still without any reaction. If it were not for the fact that she was still breathing, her current appearance would be no different from that of a corpse's.

Brian recalled how she used to look like before this mess. Whenever she was pissed, she would act like an aggressive little monster who was constantly on the offensive. During normal times, she always seemed to be walking around with a full energy tank; she was like a little deer, always charging ahead with an inexhaustible energy source. When they were inside the "Resident Evil", she even had the pluck to take his hand and say confidently to him,"I'll get you out of here."

Just then, the search party consisted of Captain Lynn and several of his subordinates had found this place as well. When they saw Brian there, and that he was holding someone in his arms, the knots in their hearts finally eased. Captain Lynn ran towards Brian. "Mr. Lambert, how's Mrs. Lambert?"

"Call the ambulance," Brian said as he positioned Joanne on his back. His face had now regained its usual calmness. "Find someone who's familiar with these roads and take me downhill."

Almost immediately after Brian gave the order, someone stepped forward and followed him. "I know a shortcut," said the person. "Forty-five minutes. That's the quickest we can be off the mountain."

Brian's face looked cold and aloof. "Hurry up," he said.

Captain Lynn notified the entire search party that Joanne had been found and asked everyone to get off the mountain. Clark quickly rejoined Brian. Even from afar, Clark could make out the shape of Joanne slumped on Brian's back. Brian moved with hurried steps; the soldier, the one who was showing him the way, had to jog just to keep up with him and was panting heavily as a result. On the other hand, Brian's face was devoid of emotion except for the deep frown between his brows.

Clark knew precisely what that frown meant: Brian was worried sick. Brian had always been the type of person who could keep a straight face under any circumstances.

Clark walked over and offered to carry Joanne for Brian. "Let me take over," he said. "You rest a bit."

"No need," Brian said. If he was panting due to physical exertion, his voice showed no signs of it. "When is the ambulance arriving?" he asked.

"It's already waiting for us at the foot of the mountain," Clark said hurriedly.

Brian made no further comments. All he did was quicken his strides. Clark had always prided himself as a person with above-average fitness. But right now, even without having to bear the weight of an extra person, Clark found himself having trouble keeping up with Brian's pace. "Damn," he thought. "This has to be some kind of trick."

Then again, Clark figured it all made sense; as if Brian would let anyone else other than himself touch Joanne.

Despite the claim that it would take them a minimum of forty-five minutes to get off the mountain, Brian had made it down in just thirty minutes. The doctors took Joanne the moment they arrived. Clark had wanted to ask Brian to change into a new set of clothes and then get a bit of rest; however, Brian outright ignored him and followed the doctor into the ambulance.

The engines of the white-colored ambulance came to live. The ambulance drove towards the hospital with its sirens blaring.

While the doctors were busy examining Joanne's vitals, she just lay there on the bed unmovingly. She was still unconscious.

Brian held her hand.

Her body had always been on the skinnier side. The man-sized military jacket hung loosely on her frame, making her seem even smaller than she already was. The sleeves were so long that they extended far beyond her fingers.

Brian rolled up a few inches of the jacket's sleeves. As soon as the sleeves were up, he noticed the shallow and deep cuts on her palms.

"She probably tried to grab hold of something when she took that tumble down the slope. That must be how she got these cuts," he thought. The wounds were no longer bleeding, but the skin on her hands were puffy and wrinkly after being exposed to rainwater for so long. Not only that, but her entire palm seemed pale and fragile.

Once again, it was as if an invisible hand had reached into Brian's chest and squeezed the life out of his heart. A miniscule ache formed in his heart. From there, the pain followed the direction of his blood flow and spread through his entire body.

The pain was by no means fatal. Even so, it sufficed to bring him great torment.

If he had not acted unreasonably and gotten into a fight with Joanne, she would not have sulked and come to this small town. She would not have ended up getting hurt so badly.

"Mr. Lambert," the doctor spoke in a soft voice, reminding the man who, in that moment, seemed rather guilt-ridden. "We need to deal with the wounds on your wife's hands."

Brian glanced at the tray that the doctor was carrying. "I'll do it," he said.

The doctor had some doubts at first. But after seeing the practiced and meticulous way in which Brian had disinfected the patient's wounds, she decided to leave him to deal with the patient's wound. The way she saw it, Brian's medical skills were not inferior to a medical professional at all.

Also, she could tell that this man loved his wife very much.

"Your wife must be a happy woman," the doctor remarked.

Brian's hand movements stilled, and he gave Joanne a glance.

I'm afraid Joanne had never experienced true happiness throughout the entire six months of our marriage..." he thought.

Otherwise, she would not be lying here, covered in wounds from head to toe.