Chapter 126 - Smell of Agarwood and roses

The car rumbled through the basement's winding, whirling pathway, its tires screeching slightly against the cold, smooth concrete. Shao's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel as he carefully maneuvered the vehicle, eyes darting between the road ahead and the rearview mirror. Every turn felt like a gamble, every shadow a lurking threat.

Muchen sat stiffly in the passenger seat, his fingers curled tightly around the fabric of his pants. His breath was still uneven, his heartbeat a rapid thrum in his chest. The tension in the car was suffocating, the weight of what they had just escaped pressing down on them like a storm cloud waiting to burst.

Then, up ahead—something in the way.

A car was parked awkwardly, its front tilted slightly to the side, as if whoever had driven it last had barely made it this far before abandoning hope. The sight alone was enough to raise alarm bells, but what made Muchen's stomach turn was what lay inside.