Inside the car, Lam rubbed his shoulders, which hurt from the impact, shook his head to steady himself, and shouted to the driver, "Stop, stop! I'll call the police if you don't stop!" He slapped the front seat vigorously with his hands.

The driver ignored him and continued to accelerate, weaving through traffic and causing other vehicles to swerve and stop abruptly, accompanied by a chorus of curses and honking horns.

After a while, Lam noticed two cars following closely, maintaining a distance to the left and right, preventing any chance of escape by jumping out the window. Anxiety gripped him. He didn't know why he had been kidnapped, but he knew he had to escape and call the police.

Observing his surroundings, Lam realized they were still in the urban area. The best chance to escape would be to force the car to stop and then make a run for it. He noticed they were approaching an old residential area, providing a potential opportunity to escape.

Lam wiped his sweat away, unbuttoned his waistband with trembling hands, and told himself to stay calm. As they neared the alleyway of the residential area, he looped his belt around the driver's neck, pulling back with all his strength and securing it against the seat.

The driver, caught off guard, struggled to free himself, causing the car to lose control and crash into a wall. Fortunately, the belt held, preventing the driver from breaking free.

Seeing the car stop, Lam hurriedly opened the door and ran into the residential area, weaving through alleys. Exhausted, he finally found a dark, secluded spot to hide, gasping for breath and drenched in sweat.

After catching his breath, Lam cautiously picked up his phone to call Grand Wei for help, planning to contact the embassy and the police. Just as he entered the number, he heard footsteps approaching. Startled, he quickly turned off his phone and held his breath to avoid detection.

The footsteps grew louder, and Lam heard a voice say, "The oracle instructed us to capture him if possible, but kill him if necessary. Search the area; he can't have gone far." They spoke in Chinese, and then there was a rustling sound.

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Lam prayed they wouldn't find him and tried to squeeze further into his hiding spot. After a thorough search, the leader of the group signaled for silence and announced loudly, "No one here. Let's move to another location," but he remained still, waiting quietly.

After a tense wait, the leader finally signaled the group to leave. Lam, initially relieved, realized the absence of footsteps might be a trick and continued to stay hidden.

Suddenly, Lam's phone rang, shattering the silence. He had accidentally pressed the call button earlier, and Grand Wei was calling back. Knowing he was in trouble, Lam quickly answered and ran into a nearby corridor, whispering urgently, "Grand, I'm being chased! Contact the embassy and call the police. My phone is dying, so I have to hang up."

"Lam, what's happening? Okay, I'll call the embassy immediately," Wei responded, hearing the faint sounds of gunfire in the background. He quickly called the police and rushed to the Chinese embassy in Longland.

The phone's ringtone had given away Lam's location. The leader ordered the group to pursue him, shouting, "Stop, or we'll shoot!" Lam ignored them, prompting the leader to fire a warning shot that sparked off the wall.

Instinctively, Lam curled up, then dashed into the corridor, knocking over debris to slow his pursuers. He ran towards the roof, hoping for an escape route. Reaching the top, he saw the nearest building was three or four meters away across a street. He had to jump.

Gritting his teeth, Lam backed up and sprinted forward, barely making the jump. He landed hard, rolling a few times before coming to a stop. Exhausted, he hid behind an attic and caught his breath.

From the opposite roof, the pursuers fired a few shots, but the leader realized they were ineffective. He ordered two men to jump across while directing others to run downstairs. One of the men slipped and fell, while the other failed to make the jump, their shouts echoing as they fell.

Lam, too exhausted to run, noticed his ankle was twisted. He hoped the commotion would attract nearby residents and the police. Despite the pain, he forced himself to stand and limp towards the corridor, using a wooden stick as a makeshift crutch.

He found an unlocked storage room in a remote corner, climbed in, and blocked the door with the stick. He pressed his ear to the door, listening for any sounds outside, hoping to evade capture.

Time passed in the darkness, and Lam's mind began to drift when suddenly his phone rang again. His heart sank as footsteps approached, heading straight for the storage room.

Despairing, Lam braced himself for a final stand, planning to fight when the door opened. But then he heard a familiar voice shout, "Lam, is that you? Are you in there?" It was Grand Wei!

Lam weakly replied, "It's me, Wei. I'm in here," before everything went black, and he fainted.