HCB Chapter 348 He is in prison
Chapter 348 He is in prison
Charles paced back and forth in the spacious room, his footsteps were particularly clear in the quiet air, and every step seemed to increase his inner anxiety. He looked up from time to time, his eyes fixed on the clock on the opposite wall, the second hand ticked mercilessly, and every beat seemed to remind him of the passage of time.
"Why haven't you come back yet?" He kept repeating this question in his mind, frowning, unable to control himself.
Since his son left quietly yesterday, there has been no news from him. Normally, he should still be sleeping soundly in his warm bed this morning, but apparently that was not the case. The room was empty. Not only was his son gone, but the men who usually followed him were also missing one by one. His mood gradually changed from anxiety to fear.
At first, Charles' intuition told him that his son might have met with something unforeseen and been kidnapped by the enemy. But then he thought about it again. This was the most closed forest territory, surrounded by many obstacles and defenses, and the enemy could not easily invade. Charles thought of the patrolling soldiers. They were always vigilant and would not let the robbers run rampant under their noses.
At this point, Charles thought of the most likely reason, that his son might have gotten into trouble again and was arrested. He had not been caught before because he ran away quickly, but this time he probably didn't run away and was arrested.
A trace of uneasiness flashed through Charles' mind, and with this thought, he immediately ordered people to prepare the carriage. He quickly changed his clothes. Although the wind outside was biting cold, the anxiety in his heart completely overshadowed his perception of the cold. The carriage stopped in the courtyard, and he quickly got on the seat and took shelter in the slowly moving carriage, eager to get news of his son as soon as possible.
The carriage sped along, the sound of horse hooves on the snow accompanied his hurried thoughts, as if every vibration was urging him to find his son. Finally, the carriage arrived at the patrol headquarters, Charles jumped off the car, and walked towards the gate without hesitation, his heart full of expectation and trepidation.
"He's not here with us."
The centurion on duty today responded with a serious expression and without any emotion.
"How is that possible? You mean to say that my son disappeared into thin air?"
There was disbelief in Charles' voice, anger and uneasiness surged from the bottom of his heart, embarrassment and unwillingness intertwined on his face.
"Does he need to be watched by his parents like a child when he goes out? And you are his father, but you don't even know his whereabouts. How could I pay special attention to him?"
The centurion responded coldly, a look of disapproval in his eyes.
Charles froze in place for a moment, anger and helplessness intertwined, making him speechless for a while. The centurion's words made his heart surge, but facing such accusations, he could only feel powerless.
"Besides, don't say you don't know what he did."
The Centurion continued mercilessly.
"If you can't educate him well, don't let him out. Maybe he has been caught by patrol teams from other outposts. You might as well go there and take a look."
Charles walked out of the stronghold, feeling confused and anxious. He knew that there were more than a dozen patrol strongholds in the entire Johannesburg, and he would have to work until the evening to find them one by one.
"Selling newspapers! The new governor's son was arrested for rioting!"
Just then, a boy turned the corner of the road and came toward him, holding a bundle of papers under his elbow. Charles had heard that these papers were what the locals called newspapers, which recorded recent events. However, Charles' attention was not on the news. He was now echoing in his mind the words the boy had just mentioned, "the son of the new governor."
Charles hurriedly called the boy and asked anxiously:
"Wait a minute! Is it the son of the new governor you mentioned that was arrested? Can you tell me more about it?"
The boy stopped, held out his hand to Charles and said:
"You can get more news by buying a newspaper. Two silver coins for one newspaper."
Charles took out two silver coins without hesitation and handed them to the boy. The boy took the silver coins and quickly handed him a newspaper. Charles took the newspaper and unfolded it impatiently, his eyes quickly scanning the paper.
The newspaper clearly stated in black letters:
"Master Charles, the son of the new governor, has been a bad person since he came to this place. One night this week, after entering the tavern, he and his men were about to commit a crime against an underage girl. Fortunately, a lumberjack stepped in in time and knocked him down, and his men were also caught by the residents on the scene. In this incident, except for the mastermind and the accomplices, no other residents were injured. Currently, the mastermind has been imprisoned in the dungeon in the castle, and the other accomplices have been sent to the lumberyard outside the city to work for a month."
Upon learning that his son was imprisoned in the castle dungeon, Charles' heart was torn apart. His face turned pale in an instant, and his heart was filled with anxiety and fear. He knew that the dungeon was a place where noble lords imprisoned prisoners or people they disliked, and the torture inside was even more horrifying. Although he had never set foot in such a place in person, countless rumors had already left a deep impression on him.
"Hurry! Hurry!"
Charles shouted to the coachman quickly, his voice full of unmistakable anxiety. The coachman immediately increased the speed, and the horses galloped through the streets, raising a cloud of dust. Charles held the handrail of the carriage tightly, and kept thinking about his son's face in his mind, as if reminding him how urgent time was.
As the carriage drove towards the castle, Charles' thoughts became more and more confused. He imagined the tortures his son was going through in the dungeon, and his heart was broken. He couldn't stand such thoughts, and his heartbeat became faster and faster, as if every second was a race against time. He knew that he had to find a way to rescue his son as soon as possible and not let him suffer in such a place.
The outline of the castle gradually appeared in the field of vision. The towering walls looked particularly eerie under the setting sun. Charles was filled with anxiety, but he knew that he could not retreat. He had to face it all, even if there was an unknown darkness ahead. He took a deep breath and silently said in his heart:
"I must rescue my son!"
Charles' carriage slowly stopped in front of the towering stone wall of the castle. The sound of the wheels rubbing against the ground was particularly clear in the silent air. Charles tightly grasped the handrail of the carriage, took a deep breath, then stepped off the carriage and rushed towards the city gate.
At this moment, a guard in leather armor walked out of the castle gate. He glanced at Charles sharply and pointed at a wooden sign not far away. Charles looked in the direction the guard pointed and saw that the sign was particularly eye-catching in the afterglow of the setting sun. It was written in bold font:
"Castle tour, one copper coin."
Upon seeing this, Charles quickly slapped his purse into the guard's hand, completely ignoring the guard's change, and hurried into the castle.
Fortunately, there were guides to the rooms in the castle. After walking through corridors, Charles finally came to the entrance of the dungeon. The air in the dungeon was damp and cold, and a musty smell hit his nose. Charles' heartbeat accelerated, and he clenched his fists, ready to face any possible danger.
When he stepped into the corridor of the dungeon, a low wailing sound came from the darkness, and the sound pierced Charles' heart like a sharp knife. He rushed to the source of the sound without hesitation, and his footsteps echoed in the empty corridor.
Finally, he came to the torture room. Next to the dim candlelight, a figure was busy, his head covered by a black linen hood, holding a strangely shaped knife-like tool in his hand, scraping his son's thigh. His son was lying on the platform in the middle, screaming in pain.
Charles' eyes were filled with anger and pain, and he shouted without hesitation:
"stop!!!"