Unexpected

After a night's rest, Audrey was in excellent spirits. She even enthusiastically danced a bit of ballet in the early morning. The soft morning sunlight filtered through the sparse trees, casting light on Hepburn as she danced, making her look like a forest sprite—charming and delicate.

"How beautiful!" Watching the elf-like Audrey Hepburn, Alex (from now on, consistently Alex; Zhang Xuan will only appear at certain moments) was entranced, intoxicated, forgetting his earlier vigilance. His eyes held only Audrey Hepburn.

Alex's gaze was too intense. Ella, standing nearby, felt an inexplicable flicker of envy. As someone who had been through it herself, how could Ella not see Alex's love for Audrey? Though Alex was ten years older than Audrey, Ella felt that as long as Audrey was willing, she, as her mother, would not oppose it. In this chaotic era of war, for Audrey to meet a man who loved her and had the ability to protect her was a stroke of luck.

The dance finished. Audrey skipped over to Zhang Xuan's side, her delicate face full of youthful smiles. She wrapped both arms around Alex's arm and said smugly, "Brother, how was Audrey's dancing?"

"Good, very good. Brother was completely captivated!" Gently rubbing Audrey's head with his right hand, Alex said with a smile, "I'd say there's no one in all of America who dances better than you!"

Audrey giggled, growing even more pleased.

Seeing Audrey's smug expression, Alex couldn't resist pinching her little nose, then quickly dodged away, saying in a serious tone, "It's time. We should get going!"

Watching her brother run off, Audrey stomped her foot hard. She turned to look at her mother, as if about to tattle on her awful brother.

Before Audrey could speak, Ella walked away with a strange smile on her face, muttering softly as she went, "I didn't see anything."

"You're both bullying me!" Audrey gave a light huff and took off after Zhang Xuan. She wanted revenge herself—revenge for her nose, which might have been pinched flat!

Not long after the three left, a belated German Army squad found the cave where they had spent the night.

"The fire was put out not long ago. They can't have gone far!" A German private reached out to test the temperature of the fire pit, which was covered with a thin layer of soil, then looked up at the sergeant beside him.

The sergeant barked an order: "After them!"

To be fair, German military discipline was generally quite high. Before long, the squad found traces of the three's departure and followed the trail.

Unfortunately, at this point, Alex still had no idea their whereabouts had been exposed.

"Brother, when I get to America, can I really become a big star? A big star like Vivien Leigh?" Audrey lay on Alex's back, her little legs swinging idly. She straightened up and mimicked Vivien Leigh's tone, reciting a classic line from Gone with the Wind: "After all, tomorrow is another day."

"Audrey..." Alex had barely called her name when Audrey interrupted him willfully, "Rhett, you should call me Scarlett!"

Rhett and Scarlett were the names of the male and female leads in Gone with the Wind. Scarlett was played by Vivien Leigh. Audrey was getting carried away with her role-playing.

Alex shook his head with a wry smile. He had never actually seen Gone with the Wind; he only knew the basic plot. As for the lines, forget it. Asking him to play along with Audrey's acting was really pushing it.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you want to be Rhett?" Audrey's little head poked around Alex's neck to the front, her bright eyes fixed intently on him.

Feeling the warm breath near his ear, Alex inexplicably grew nervous. Words slipped out of his mouth as if possessed: "Rhett abandoned Scarlett in the end. Alex will never leave Audrey."

An eleven-year-old girl was no longer a child. Audrey vaguely understood the hazy emotions between men and women. Hearing Alex's blatant confession, she froze completely. Her face flushed, and her breathing quickened.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Alex realized he had said the wrong thing. What if he scared Audrey? Fortunately, Alex had some quick wit. He immediately added another sentence: "Brother and sister—family. Never apart."

Alex didn't notice that after hearing his words, Audrey's expression immediately dimmed. The words "brother and sister" echoed endlessly in her mind.

Ella stood to the side, taking in both their expressions. She just smiled faintly, saying nothing. Young people's affairs—let them handle it themselves.

After a moment of silence, Audrey perked up again. She tugged at Alex, insisting he act with her. To be fair, Audrey was a born actress. She played her part convincingly. As for Alex, even with effort, he would at best be a third-rate actor.

Bickering and playing all the way, the three moved slowly. After walking for only an hour, Audrey was already complaining of hunger. They had set off without breakfast, and after walking this long, not just Audrey but Alex himself was hungry.

Alex carefully set Audrey down from his back. He opened a pouch at his waist and pulled out some leftover food from the night before: "We've been walking a long time and we're all tired. Let's rest here and have something to eat!"

Just then, Alex's heart stirred. He turned to look behind him, his brow furrowing slightly with a hint of coldness: "You two eat first. I'm going to check over there!"

Alex's unusual behavior didn't escape Ella and Audrey's notice. They had no mind for eating now. They looked at Alex nervously: "Alex, what's wrong?"

Alex scanned the surroundings with a serious expression, shaking his head slightly as he said quietly, "Something feels off. Everyone be careful." As he spoke, he picked Audrey up again, put away the food, and pulled Ella behind a large boulder.

His past life had made Alex extremely alert—almost instinctive. At the slightest sign of trouble, he would Teleport away. But not now. He had two other people with him!

Teleportation could carry others, but it required exponentially more Psionic Power, drastically reduced the distance, and put considerable strain on the soul. Alex's Teleportation hadn't recovered to its past-life level yet. Carrying two people, he could Teleport at most three times before his soul couldn't take it and he'd need to rest—at least a full day to recover.

Before long, a small squad of German soldiers rushed past. They hadn't gone far before turning back.

"The trail ends here. They should be nearby!" Hearing this, the squad immediately spread out, searching the area carefully.

Alex couldn't understand the rapid-fire German, but from their movements, he knew he was in trouble.

Watching the Germans close in, Alex turned to Ella and Audrey beside him and whispered, "No matter what happens, don't make a sound. Not a single sound, no matter what!"

Ella and Audrey nodded, their faces tense as they looked at Alex.

With one arm holding Audrey and the other around Ella's waist, Alex endured the sharp pain before Teleportation. His eyes fixed on a lush, leafy tree two hundred meters away—his target.

Two hundred meters was the maximum distance for Teleporting with two people.

In an instant, the three vanished from behind the boulder and reappeared on the trunk of the large tree.

The moment they landed on the branch, Alex felt the world spin. He could barely stand—a sign of immense pressure on his soul. Fortunately, Ella caught him in time, keeping him from falling straight down.

After resting for ten minutes, the German soldiers below showed no sign of leaving. They meticulously and rigorously searched every inch of the ground, not even sparing narrow crevices in the rocks.

Watching the meticulous Germans, Alex knew their current spot wasn't safe. Given enough time, they would be found. To get away from this dangerous place quickly, Alex had to take a risk and use Teleportation again.

But this time, something went wrong. During the Teleportation, his soul suffered tremendous pressure. Alex couldn't bear it and passed out. The moment he lost consciousness, the Teleportation failed, and they fell out of the void mid-transit.