The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress

Chapter 1076: Chapter 1076 Dave’s Abduction

Moments later, they cut off the seatbelt holding Dave firm in his seat, then they dragged him out. Dave was unconscious, his body limp as he was hauled away like a sack of potatoes.

That was when Luke stirred. Pain shot through him as he forced his eyes open just in time to see Dave being carried off. He tried to speak, but no sound came out. Before he could fight through the dizziness and pain, his vision blurred again.

Through the haze, he finally understood what had happened.

The vehicle that had rammed them was an armored car lying in ambush by the roadside. It had been hidden cleverly behind the trees, its jet-black paint blending perfectly into the darkness. That was why the two SUVs ahead of them hadn’t noticed anything unusual when they passed.

Only when Luke and Dave’s SUV came into range did the armored vehicle suddenly switch on its headlights, blinding both the driver and the passenger. In that split second of disorientation, the driver had no chance to evade. The armored car slammed into their right side, forcing their SUV off the road and flipping it over completely.

"Wait..." Luke rasped, but his voice was so weak it was barely more than a mosquito’s buzz.

Through his hazy vision, he saw the tactical boots of the people who had rammed them walking away, heading back toward their armored vehicle. The chassis was so high he couldn’t even make out the full shape of the car before it started and drove off.

’Fuck...’ He thought as he had no energy to verbally curse right now.

He tried to assess his body for injuries. Despite how battered and mangled the SUV looked, he seemed to have escaped with relatively minor injuries, mostly a deep bruise along the right side of his body. Nothing felt broken. Still, the impact had left him badly disoriented. The two soldiers in the front seats hadn’t even regained consciousness yet.

In truth, the reason Luke had escaped with relatively minor injuries was because of the unseen protection surrounding him, his male lead halo. An impact like that could have easily killed someone in his position, yet he had survived with little more than bruises and disorientation. It was only natural that the two soldiers in the front seats remained unconscious after taking the full force of the crash.

Dave’s injuries, though alarming at first glance, were not as severe as they appeared because he, too, is a male lead like Luke, so he managed to get away with only minor injuries; if it were others, their head would bashed in by the car’s window and died from the impact. So, Dave, as a male lead, although bleeding from his head, and the concussion had rendered him unconscious, but he would recover.

Luke, however, had no way of knowing this. All he knew was that Dave had been dragged away, and the uncertainty over his condition gnawed at him.

Luke’s thoughts immediately went to Dave. The last thing he had seen was Dave being dragged away like a sack of cargo. Panic stirred in his chest. He forced himself to move, wanting to at least crawl out and check whether the armored car had a license plate. And if it didn’t, then at least memorize its features, the direction it had taken, anything that could help him track it down and rescue Dave.

He just hoped, desperately, that whoever those people were... wouldn’t harm him.

Fortunately, the first two SUVs soon realized the last vehicle was no longer behind them. They couldn’t even see its headlights anymore, and a bad feeling immediately settled in their chests. Something had clearly gone wrong.

So, they turned back, and what they found made their hearts leap into their throats.

An overturned SUV lay at the side of the road, twisted and mangled beyond recognition. Panic surged through them as they rushed forward and tried to pry open the doors. Luke’s side had completely caved in, so they hurried to the other side. At first, they didn’t notice anything unusual because that side of the vehicle faced the forest. Only when they came around did they realize the door was already open.

A chill ran down their spines. Silent prayers began forming in their minds.

They ducked down to look inside, and their fears were confirmed. Dave was gone. Luke and the two soldiers were still inside, unconscious.

They immediately checked for pulses. When they felt steady heartbeats and the warmth of living bodies, they let out shaky breaths of relief.

But the relief lasted only a second.

Fear gripped them once more.

Their Young Minister was missing.

They hadn’t seen any vehicles pass on their side of the road, so the only conclusion was that the attackers had escaped in the opposite direction.

Realizing this, the first SUV immediately set off to follow the fresh tire tracks, hoping to catch up to whoever had abducted Dave.

Meanwhile, the second vehicle stayed behind. They carefully transferred Luke, the two unconscious soldiers, and their injured captain into it, then sped toward the nearest hospital so the captain’s wounds could be treated and everyone could be checked over.

They rushed to the nearest hospital, a small facility only thirty minutes away. It was an emergency. They had no way of knowing whether Luke, the captain, or the others had suffered internal injuries, so this was the fastest option. If everyone turned out to be stable, they planned to transfer them later to Zhane’s hospital for better care and accommodation.

By the time Dave’s men arrived to check on them, Luke had already slipped back into unconsciousness, falling into a deep, exhausted sleep.

More than an hour later, the soldiers who had brought them in had already left, and only one soldier was left to look after Luke. Suddenly, Luke jolted awake. The memory of Dave being taken hit him all at once. He tried to sit up abruptly, but the movement pulled at his bruised and battered muscles, sending pain shooting through his body.

"Argh..." Luke winced, bracing a hand against his side as he waited for the pain to ebb.

"Mr. Greyson, you’re awake..." one of the soldiers said as he hurried to Luke’s side. By now, he was the only one left to watch over him.

The captain and the two other soldiers had already been transferred to the general ward after their checkups, leaving Luke alone in a private room, this is the best room the small hospital could offer. Given his status, they hadn’t even considered placing him in the ward with the others, wanting to ensure his rest wouldn’t be disturbed.

"Where are the others?" Luke asked, shifting carefully in his bed.

"Mr. Greyson, they’ve gone to assist in the search for Young Minister Dave."

The moment the soldier mentioned Dave’s name, his expression hardened. Guilt weighed heavily on him. Failing to protect Dave felt like a personal failure in their duty. They should have prioritized his safety. They should have surrounded the Young Minister’s vehicle to prevent exactly this kind of ambush and abduction.

But after shaking off their pursuers and knowing Dave’s skills were even better than theirs, they had let their guard down. They had believed he would come out on top. Instead, things had ended like this.

The regret gnawed at them, a bitter reminder that they should have been far more cautious.

"Any news?" Luke asked, straightening slightly as he looked at the soldier. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he added, "How long was I out?"

"Mr. Greyson, you’ve been unconscious for about an hour since we brought you here," the soldier replied. "As for any news about the Young Minister’s whereabouts... negative."

His voice dropped at the end. The weight of the failure was evident. Whoever had taken Dave had come prepared, leaving behind no clear trail. Their escape had been clean and deliberate.

Reinforcements from Dave’s camp had already been called in, along with their best hackers, to check surveillance feeds and intercept any transmissions around the ambush site. So far, the search had expanded to a hundred-mile radius and was still widening.

But up until now, there had been no news about Dave. That was why every available hand had joined the search, leaving only one soldier behind to look after Luke and ensure his safety. His status was special, so they couldn’t risk anyone abducting or harming him as well.

Hearing this, frustration surged through Luke. Without thinking, he pushed himself up despite the aches due to the bruises coursing through his body. He propped himself on the bed, scanning around for his phone.

The soldier, noticing Luke moving, hurried over, a flicker of nervousness in his eyes, ready to assist. Seeing Luke reach toward something, he quickly realized what was happening: the nurse had already given Luke’s phone to him after the checkup, just in case an important call came through.