“Does it really make a difference?” Belicia sighed, rolling her eyes at Maurice’s irritating voice. Since he couldn’t see her reaction, she mocked him. “If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. Otherwise, hang up.”

On the other end, Maurice let out a faint sigh. He lowered his voice, speaking with uncharacteristic bitterness. “You really do hate me.”

Before Belicia could respond, he quickly shifted his tone, reverting to his usual playful persona. With a drawl, he added, “No big deal. I just wanted to hear your voice and have a little chat. You know, build some rapport.”

Belicia chuckled dryly. “Rapport? Do we even have anything to build on? Mr. Glovers, if you’re so free, maybe find something better to do.” She hung up, unwilling to entertain his nonsense.

Scarlet, who had been scanning the terrain, turned to Belicia. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t quite explain it, but my eye has been twitching nonstop. I’ve got this sense of dread,” Scarlet said, her expression serious. “It’s just a really bad feeling.” Instinct was unreliable, but sometimes hard to ignore.

Scarlet stopped walking and turned to Belicia with a firm look. “Boss, I think you and Ms. Russell should stay in the car. Let me go ahead and check the situation. If it’s safe, you can come up afterward.”

Belicia patted Scarlet’s shoulder but continued walking. “We’ve come this far. There’s no turning back now. Besides, if you’re worried about me, don’t you think I’d be worried about myself?” Imogen nodded in agreement. She wasn’t about to stay behind.

Scarlet sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing. At that moment, another deafening explosion echoed through the air. The ground trembled as all three looked up. Yet another mushroom cloud, identical to the previous ones, loomed from the same location.

Felicia quickened her pace. The repeated explosions meant something serious. Her worry wasn’t just about what lay ahead; the venomous creature within her remained a constant threat, and the sound of the bronze bell that controlled her mind lingered in her memory. She had no idea when it might ring again or what she might do under its influence. This only strengthened her resolve to press forward; only by capturing the robed figure and eliminating the source of her torment could she free herself.

Unbeknownst to Felicia, at the location of the explosions, two vehicles were frantically fleeing. During the second blast, one narrowly avoided being blown apart. In the first car sat Johanna, who had issued threats earlier. In the second, the robed figure, fully covered, sat beside a pale-faced Pete, who was being tossed around by the bumpy ride.

“Damn it! They really dare to pull this off!” The robed figure’s voice seethed with fury. The bronze bell in his hand swung violently, leaving afterimages in the air. The sound from the bell stirred the venomous creatures within, waking them from their dormant state.

Pete asked, “What are you planning to do?”

“What will I do? I’ve had enough!” The robed figure’s voice was vicious. “I’m going to make that girl from the Fuller family come to me willingly, and ensure that child feels the full agony of the venomous creature eating away at him! They’ll have no choice but to stop bombing this mountain!”

As he spoke, the eerie chime of the bronze bell carried far and wide on the wind.