The guards burst in all panicked-like, "Duke! Just got news that Leonard's lady is nowhere to be found. He's got his whole crew out there searching for her."

Ian was just chilling with his eyes closed when he heard this. He jumped up from the couch, "Wait, what? Leonard's lady is gone?"

The guard nodded, "Yes, it came from a secret source, so it's gotta be legit."

A smirk spread across Ian's face.

This was his golden ticket. With Leonard's lady going missing, it was his time to shine.

He narrowed his eyes, grinning, "Get someone to bust into Leonard's place immediately and snatch those two people for me."

"Got it, I'll handle it."

...

Freya blew that Shadowfang Jade Whistle and freaked out all the snakes, which was pretty surprising.

Right now, she's chilling on the couch in the villa, feet up, trying to figure out where Steve might have hidden.

She just combed through the whole place and didn't find anything unusual except for some old stuff in one room.

Looked like Steve had really run away.

Freya didn't plan to stick around any longer.

She had been gone all night, her phone was dead, and she had no clue if Bradley had returned.

So, she packed up her loot and left.

Once she slipped into that secret passage, she had to rely on her memory to find her way back.

That passage was pitch dark, contrasting with the daylight outside and she couldn't see anything in there.

Luckily, she stumbled upon a flashlight in the villa, which came in handy at this moment.

As she walked through that passage, it felt like she was walking forever, and still no end in sight.

Something was off!

Just last night, she followed this same route and ended up at Steve's spot.

But now, she was facing an endless expanse.

She squinted, shining the flashlight around, only to find several forked paths in the darkness.

She must've goofed up and taken the wrong turn before.

Once again, that hissing sound filled the air.

She casually glanced around and found snakes everywhere.

She quickly whipped out the Shadowfang Jade Whistle and blew it, sending the snakes to panic and slithering away.

Before, Freya was very curious about where that Shadowfang Jade Whistle came from. Well, it seemed like the wolves really respected the whistle sound, which was how she became friends with Snowy and his wolf crew.

Never thought that whistle could also scare off a bunch of snakes.

The jade whistle was a gift from his big brother.

But who was this big brother, anyway?

Freya stared at that jade whistle for such a long time that her eyes shrunk.

In the dim light, she actually spotted some faint word etched on it.

Leo'.

What's that supposed to mean?

Freya twisted her face.

However, she had no time to dwell on it. She was stuck in this secret passage now, and she had to find a way out right away.

Otherwise, if she disappeared for too long, Bradley would surely be worried!

She had no clue how long she'd been walking. Her legs like were numb, and worst of all, she hadn't eaten anything in a whole day and night that she felt so hungry.

What the heck is this place? She had been walking forever, and still no exit in sight.

She was very exhausted.

She plopped down on the ground, not feeling up for another step.

Peered into the dark ahead, she suddenly felt so desperate.

If she couldn't find a way out soon, she would either keel over from exhaustion or starve to death.

That sneaky Steve was way too clever.

Freya tried to escape, but he still managed to gift her this mess.

Sitting there on the ground, feeling totally drained, she had no energy left.

Ever since she got into these woods, her phone had lost signal and now it was turned off.

Having all that power was pointless now. She was stuck here with no exit, and it was just a dead end in the end.

She tossed her precious items on her shoulder to the ground.

When she was about to die, what good were these treasures anyway?

All she wanted right now was to be with Bradley, to see him stroll in and take her away from this place.

Then, out of nowhere, she heard faint noises all around.

She saw a bunch of snakes crawling out from the darkness.

It was good to have these snakes with her, otherwise, she'd be too lonely here by herself.

She eyed the colorful snakes and swallowed hard.

Could she just nab one, skin it, roast it, and eat it?

But then she immediately brushed off the idea.

There was no firewood around here, she couldn't just eat them raw.

Besides, with all these snakes piled up in the passage, if she tried to grab one, they would probably end up biting her to death.

Freya sighed weakly.

She was not afraid to die, but she was not ready to die either.

With the man she loved still in this world, she couldn't bear to see him sad, and she certainly didn't want to be separated from him.

Sitting on the ground for who knows how long, suddenly, she spotted a bunch of snakes heading in a certain direction.

Suddenly she had a wild thought.

Perhaps following these snakes could lead her to an exit.

Getting to her feet, she depended on the flashlight to show her the way, placing all her hopes on this group of snakes.

After wandering a bit, she realized that this passage was not just one single path.

There were loads of paths splitting off, like four or five of them.

All of a sudden, she admired Steve a bit.

After all those years of planning and hiring so many people, they ended up uncovering this secret tunnel.

This project was way tougher than digging an underwater tunnel in the city.

Freya followed the group of snakes, feeling her energy drain away bit by bit.

Just when she had lost all hope, a tiny light up ahead began to shine brighter.

She finally found the exit!

Freya was so excited, tears welled up in her eyes.

She looked down at the snakes by her feet, thinking she might actually give them a kiss if they weren't poisonous.

The exit was in another mountain.

As Freya emerged from the secret chamber, she felt like she had narrowly escaped death.

She gazed at the mountains ahead, spread her arms wide and took a deep breath.

Another evening had arrived.

Seemed like she had been stuck in the secret room for nearly a day.

She didn't know if Bradley could track her down or what the situation was now.

Freya didn't dare to stay any longer, she swiftly headed down the mountain.

Bradley was really losing it.

His men combed through the whole city but found nothing.

Except for the Duke's Palace, he went through nearly every spot.

He was ready to barge into the Duke's Palace by nightfall if she wasn't found.

Just then, a messenger hurriedly came to report, "Mr. Leonard, Brian and Brody had been taken away."

Bradley's expression turned frighteningly grim.

Clenching his fists, his dark eyes void of emotion, he exuded an unmistakable aura of death.

"Send someone to infiltrate the Duke's Palace and right away."

"Yes, Sir."

The Shadow wasted no time getting the squad in motion.

Since Freya vanished, Bradley lost it. Everyone from the Sigelac was alerted, except those taken by Patrick.

If they couldn't find Freya, Shadow feared it would cause major problems.

And, sure enough, those fears became reality.

After rescuing his two sons, Ian planned to take advantage of the situation and destroy Leonard.

So, he wasted no time and sent out a large number of guards to invade the villa.

Patrick and Xavier rushed back with their men to join the fight against Ian's forces.

As the two leaders of the Sigelac, their combat skills were naturally excellent.