Chapter 103: The Escape and Chase
Zane didn’t waste a second after breaking free. He turned and fled straight into the forest.
The moment he escaped, he disappeared into the forest, putting as much distance between himself and the people behind him as he possibly could. His breathing was already growing heavier, but he refused to slow down.
He knew Rylan too well.
Once he fell completely into his brother’s hands, there would be no escaping again. Rylan would take him back, and Zane would be forced to live under his brother’s watch. He couldn’t accept that. He couldn’t bear the thought of being controlled by Rylan after everything that had happened.
So he kept running.
The forest became denser around him as he ventured deeper inside. Branches brushed against his arms and caught against his clothes, but Zane paid them no attention. He didn’t even bother looking back.
He didn’t need to.
He could hear them.
The guards were still chasing after him, their footsteps and movements echoing through the forest. Somewhere among them was Rylan.
And then came another voice.
"Zane, stop running! There’s nowhere for you to escape!"
Anaria.
Zane laughed as he continued running.
"Get lost!" he shouted back.
He pushed himself forward, determined not to let them catch him. The farther he went, the better. As long as he could escape Rylan, he would figure out what to do afterward.
What Zane didn’t know was that he was running straight toward a polluted zone.
One of his own followers had secretly set it up within the forest. The area looked no different from the surrounding woods, making it impossible for someone who didn’t know about it to recognize the danger.
And Zane had no idea that he was approaching it.
Behind him, Rylan continued the chase.
He had already transformed into his wolf form, with Anaria riding securely on his back. Kenai has transformed into his bear form and the guards had transformed as well, their wolf forms moving quickly through the trees as they followed.
Anaria held onto Rylan as he ran.
Then the System chimed.
[Warning. A polluted zone has been detected ahead.]
Anaria’s expression immediately changed.
[Be careful. This polluted zone is similar to the polluted settlement you encountered previously. You and your mates are the only ones immune. The others must avoid coming into contact with it.]
Anaria’s eyes widened.
"Stop!"
Her sudden shout startled Rylan.
The wolf immediately slowed, while some of the guards behind them also came to a halt.
Anaria quickly looked ahead.
"There is something ahead. I can sense it. It’s the same as the polluted settlement."
Rylan turned his head toward her, clearly confused.
The System chimed again.
[What are you going to do?]
Anaria frowned.
"Think of something. Isn’t there any capsule or serum you can give them?"
She glanced toward the guards.
Before the System could answer, one of the guards looked around the forest.
"It’s safe. It’s just a forest."
Anaria turned toward him and gave him a stern look.
"Then you can continue if you want to become corrupted."
The guard immediately went quiet.
Anaria then looked at Rylan. He was still staring at her, obviously trying to understand what was happening.
Rylan finally stopped completely.
Anaria carefully climbed down from his back. The moment her feet touched the ground, Rylan transformed back into his beastman form.
"What is wrong?" he asked.
Anaria hesitated before answering.
"I’ve treated a lot of people. I know when something isn’t right."
Rylan studied her face, but he didn’t press her.
One of the guards, however, looked toward the direction Zane had escaped.
"What are we going to do? Zane is already getting away, and it won’t be good if we lose him."
Anaria looked down.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she murmured, almost to herself, "I should have told everyone about this before shouting like a mad woman."
The System chimed again.
[Solution found.]
Anaria’s head lifted immediately.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Really?"
[Anti-corruption capsules are available.]
𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Her smile grew.
"How much?"
[2,000 Spirit Fangs.]
Anaria’s expression froze.
"Two thousand?"
Before she could complain, the System chimed again.
[However, this System pities your poor state.]
Anaria blinked.
[It is on the house.]
Her eyes immediately brightened.
Before she could even shed her tears of joy, several strange-looking capsules appeared in her hands.
The System went silent.
Anaria stared at them for a moment before a smirk slowly appeared on her face.
"I love this strange affection you give me."
She quickly placed the capsules inside her bag.
When she looked up again, everyone was staring at her.
Anaria cleared her throat and looked around at the people watching her.
"I’ve thought of something."
She reached into her bag and brought out the capsules the System had given her.
The guards stared at them.
The strange little things looked almost like peas, and none of them seemed particularly convinced that they should put them anywhere near their mouths.
Anaria held them out.
"Take this."
Nobody moved immediately.
Their suspicious expressions only made Anaria’s patience wear thin.
"Take it! Zane is already running away!"
The guards exchanged glances.
Rylan looked at the capsules, then back at Anaria.
He clearly didn’t understand where they had come from or what they were supposed to do. Still, there was no suspicion in his eyes.
He trusted her.
Rylan looked toward the guards.
"Take them."
With his order, they reluctantly accepted the capsules.
Their faces remained bitter as they swallowed the strange-looking peas, but they did as they were told.
Anaria watched them carefully before finally relaxing.
She turned toward Rylan with a small smile.
Even though he still didn’t understand what she had done, he had trusted her without hesitation.
Rylan caught her looking at him.
"What?"
Anaria shook her head.
"Nothing."
She looked toward the forest where Zane had disappeared.
"We should continue."
Rylan followed her gaze.
Zane was already getting farther away.
There was no more time to waste.
Rylan nodded.
"Then we continue the chase."
The guards immediately prepared themselves.
One after another, they transformed back into their wolf forms.
Kenai did the same, his wolf form joining the others as they prepared to move.
Rylan transformed as well.
Anaria climbed onto his back again, settling herself securely against him.
The moment she was ready, Rylan took off.
The others followed.
They rushed through the forest once more, continuing after Zane.
Ahead of them, Zane was still running without looking back.
He had no idea what had happened behind him.
He didn’t know that Anaria had sensed the polluted zone.
He didn’t know that the others had been given something to protect them from it.
All he knew was that Rylan was still after him.
Zane gritted his teeth and pushed himself harder.
He couldn’t let his brother catch him.
Not now.
He had already come this far.
Behind him, the sound of pursuit slowly returned.
Zane could hear them moving through the forest, but he refused to stop.
"Why won’t they just give up?" he muttered.
He ran deeper into the trees, completely unaware that the polluted zone was already ahead of him.
Rylan’s wolf form moved swiftly through the forest with Anaria on his back. Kenai and the other wolves followed close behind.
Anaria kept her eyes ahead.
She knew the danger waiting for them.
But now they had the capsules.
They could continue.
Rylan increased his speed, and Anaria held onto him as they moved through the trees.
The distance between them and Zane began to close.