Chapter 457
They turned around and saw Stellan and Selah, drenched in sweat, running down the stairs from above.
Why haven’t you reached the bottom yet? Selah gasped.
Stellan shook his head, a look of bewilderment on his face.
When he looked down, he noticed Freya and Francis sitting on
“What’s going on!” Selah asked, confused
on the stairs, fear written a
all over their faces. Stellan Instinctively pulled Selah to a stop.
મની
She followed Stellan’s gaze and frore when her eyes met Freya’s and Francis’s. The shock made her stumble, and she collapsed onto the ground.
you real or not? Selah whispered, her voice shaky,
Freya shrugged helplessly. “We’ve been waiting here for so long. How did
you
two come up from below?”
“We don’t know. We’ve been running down, but it feels like we can’t reach the end. One moment we’re running down, and the next, we’re back here. Looks like we’re stuck in some sort of trap” Selah let out a bitter laugh and sat down, too tired to continue running.
Stellan fell silent, lost in thought,
No matter how far they ran down, they always seemed to return to the same place. This couldn’t just be coincidence.
“Seems like it’s really the Devil’s Triangle, like you said. Francis added, his voice heavy with realization.
The situation was unexplainable–every time they tried to escape, they found themselves back at the same spot. It was as though they were trapped in an endless loop.
“Could that staff member have intentionally misled us? We knocked him out and escaped, but maybe we walked right into their trap!” Freya successed her voice filled with unease
“Maybe staying put was the safest option” Francis mused. “We panicked and ran, but maybe that was what they wanted us to do. The room could have been the safest place.”
The others were silent as they processed this possibility
Before anyone could speak further, the lights in the hallway flickered a few times, then suddenly went out. The building was plunged into darkness.
Stellan quickly pulled out his phone and switched on the flashlight.
“What now? We can’t just sit here and wait to die,” Selah said, her voice laced with urgency.
They had to find a way out Waiting around wasn’t an option.
“How strange. Why is it just the four of us running around the hallways? And even though there’s a fire, there’s no sign of fire trucks. No thick smoke anywhere,” Francis remarked, his mind beginning to sharpen with rational thoughts.
Having spent a lot of time abroad, he had learned to remain composed under pressure.
Freya quickly pulled out the talisman Odalys had given her, clutching it tightly in her hand.
“I don’t know…” she said, her voice uncertain.
Just then, they heard the unmistakable sound of high heels echoing through the hallway. The clicking of the heels grew louder with each step, reverberating like a warning in their chests.
They held their breath, inching closer together, unable to speak. The sound of the heels approached, and then, a figure emerged from the darkness, charging toward them.
Selah saw a woman in a red dress lunging at her, and the screamed in terror.
The others sured in wide–eyed horror, nearly losing consciousness in the panic, when suddenly, there was a loud “bang?” The sound echoed in the hallway, followed by the harsh flicker of lights as they suddenly tumed back on, blinding them.
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Chapter 157
Freya blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the light. When her eyes cleared, she saw Odalys, standing to the side in her pajamas, smiling at them.
“Odalys! You finally arrived! I knew you’d come!” Freya exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears.
She rushed toward Odalys and threw herself into her at
arms.
Odalys, slightly taken aback, lightly flicked her finger on Freya’s forehead. “If I didn’t come soon, would you let yourself be defeated by this tiny Devil’s Triangle?”
“That wasn’t a tiny Devil’s Triangle! Wait… wasn’t there a woman in a red dress just now?” Freya began to protest, but then her face froze as she remembered something.
She turned quickly, but saw nothing but the four of them in the hallway. The red–dressed woman was gone.
“What woman? That was just an illusion. You were drugged, and you fell into a hallucinatory state. Everything you saw was a figment of your imagination,” Odalys explained with calm precision.
As she spoke, they heard the sound of footsteps again.
This time, it wasn’t high heels, but the heavy, deliberate steps of police officers descending the stairs.
The first officer in line was none other than Lee, his face grave as he approached them.
“Good thing you called the police, Lee said, nodding to Odalys. “We caught a few suspicious people near the hotel. According to their testimony, they were paid a large sum to bribe hotel staff and have you four placed in that particular room.
“They released a sleeping gas, which slowly made you all fall into a delusional state, making you believe there was a fire. They deliberately caused noise to mislead you into thinking the hotel was burning down, and led you out of the room toward the stairwell. And here you are”
Lee motioned toward the stairwell door, walking toward it and opening it. Outside, a van sat in the shadows, its windows sealed shut, and the license plate had been removed
Lee opened the van’s door, revealing a makeshift operating table inside, complete with surgical tools,
This is an operating table,” Selah remarked, her voice trembling as she walked closer.
Lee nodded grimly. “This van was specially modified. Aside from the operating table, it also contains a cremation chamber”
He pointed to the table. “What we’ve discovered is that this van is used to kidnap people, usually when they’re alone. They trap the victim, remove their organs quickly, and then dispose of their bodies by cremation. The ashes are then scattered into rivers or elsewhere, making it impossible for the body to ever be found”
The weight of Lee’s words sank in, and Francis’s face turned ashen.
He couldn’t bear to imagine what could have happened to him tonight. If he had been captured, they would have harvested his organs, and his body would have been cremated on the spot
“I can’t even imagine,” he whispered, his voice thick with fear. “That would’ve been me, if I had been caught.”
“That’s right,” Lee continued. “They were after Francis. His organs were targeted by a black–market organ trade group. His manager and ex- girlfriend had even matched his organs for her fiance.”
The mention of the name “Simpson” made Odalys’s heart skip a beat.
Was it just a coincidence!
But how many coincidences could there be in a situation like this? Everything pointed to something much bigger at play.
“But their hands were clean. These people, hired to act tonight, were just paid a lot of money to do the job. They have no idea who’s behind it. The trail has gone cold”
Lee’s expression turned serious as he looked at Francis. “Francis is in serious danger. If they failed tonight, they’ll likely try again. Once you’re targeted by these people, escaping becomes nearly impossible.”
Odalys’s eyes narrowed as she processed the information. “Can I see his file?” she asked Lee.
Lee didn’t hesitate. He handed her his phone.
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Chapter 437
Odalys glanced at it, her brow furrowing as she examined the information. “So, Francis’s ex–girlfriend and this Simpson guy haven’t met much?” she mused aloud
