Chapter 179

Rafael's voice boomed. "Who's out there! Get out here! What the hell do you think you're doing, scheming against me? Do you think I won't destroy you? Get rid of all these damn things right now, or else…"

His threatening words echoed ominously.

Francis stood frozen, watching Rafael's furious, bloodshot face with a mix of confusion and surprise. He quickly stretched his arm out, trying to calm the tense situation.

"Wait, does he… not see us?" Francis swallowed nervously.

Before he could process the situation, Rafael suddenly opened his mouth and lunged at his hand, biting ferociously.

"Shit!" Francis pulled his hand back in time, his heart racing, barely escaping the snake-like bite.

Rafael glared at him with a venomous expression, his face contorted with rage. He was about to speak when Stellan stormed forward and slammed the window shut with a resounding bang.

Rafael's nose collided with the window frame, and he let out a muffled grunt of pain, blood beginning to ooze from his nostrils.

"These damn women, trying to set me up… Damn it, my wound is reopening!" Rafael panicked. The wound on his face had split open again, and blood flowed freely. If this continued, he might end up seriously injured. What kind of weapon could cause such a deep, relentless injury?

He was beginning to doubt everything. Was this whole variety show a setup? The stars here seemed more like ghosts than real people, capable of things ordinary folks couldn't even fathom.

"Why are you guys going after him?" Francis asked, rubbing his hand. He was relieved that Rafael hadn't actually bitten him, though his fingers felt weird, as if touched by something foul.

Stellan, initially hesitant to answer, decided to speak. "When we left this morning, he was in the girls' room. Just now, Freya walked in, and he tried to take advantage of the situation. She resisted, and he pushed her, causing her to hit her head on the doorframe. He panicked and tried to escape through the window. I think he injured himself, but he's trying to blame us," Stellan explained, his voice low. "Luckily, the whole thing was caught on camera. We had no contact with him while we were out." He added, trying to minimize the girls' involvement. He didn't want them implicated.

Francis frowned, puzzled. "But I thought he had his eyes on Sophia. Why the sudden switch to one of the girls from Group B?" He knew Rafael well enough to be sure this wasn't like him. The guy had been ogling over Sophia, even sneaking into her room late at night to steal her personal items; he was kind of a creep.

"I don't know," Stellan replied thoughtfully, but he didn't press the issue further.

As they walked back to their quarters, the sound of Odalys's voice reached their ears. "Rafael managed to get into our room and avoided being caught before we returned! He clearly came prepared. We've had no contact with him, and he was clearly trying to target us. I suspect someone has been guiding him," Odalys said, her tone cold and calculating.

Freya suddenly shot up from her seat. "So, you were deliberately trying to provoke Rafael, to trigger his greed and desperation, so that he would slip up and reveal his true intentions?"

Odalys nodded. "Exactly. The goal was to throw him into a state of confusion." Freya, holding a cloth to her forehead where the cut had been bandaged, winced. She had been scared earlier, but now, she was starting to feel calmer. When Odalys and Freya had lured him in and tricked him, it was all part of the plan. First, they lured him in, then delivered a blow to throw him off balance. When he was panicked and confused, that's when he showed his true colors, Freya explained in a hushed voice.

Odalys calmly sipped a glass of water. "Like a glass of water—when it shows its true nature. He would never have targeted us unless someone had pushed him into doing so." She added after some thought.

So, she had deliberately struck him. The wounded man, already filled with rage, was further enraged when he was kicked out of the room. His anger reached its peak, and when Stellan dragged him back, he realized he couldn’t even step out of the house. His injuries kept bleeding, and no matter how hard he tried to remain composed, his rationality had shattered.

But Odalys didn't just want to protect Freya—she wanted to throw Rafael off balance, make him reveal his true intentions, and unearth the real reason he was here, as well as the shadowy figures behind him. This man had severed the tendons of villagers, imprisoning them in their homes without killing them. It was clear that this village held something he desperately wanted—besides the giant python, what else could it be that his masters were after? And the fact that the old tailor had connections to the Stewart family meant that Percival's father's death might very well have something to do with this man, too.

A ruthless glint flashed in Odalys' amber eyes as she thought of it. She had never imagined that a simple variety show would lead her to cross paths with these dangerous people. It seemed that her connection to the Stewart family ran deeper than she had thought.

"Then, it's clear. Someone must have been deliberately guiding him. The villagers hardly ever leave their homes, and they don't know us. So, the only suspects left are the people from our production team."

"The crew operates as a tight-knit group; they wouldn't target the artists," someone said.

"And you four are always together, so it must be someone from Group A," Francis's voice came from outside, interrupting the thought process. He and Stellan had just returned, soaked to the bone from the rain, though they didn't seem to mind.

"Finnian and I have been sticking together," Francis continued. "He hasn't left my side, so that leaves Atlas and Sophia."

A heavy silence fell. Everyone was still, processing the possibilities. Francis's theory felt like a punch to the gut, but no one was quite ready to dismiss it.

[What happened to Freya? Is she hurt?] [Odalys predicted this! She said there would be trouble with a man, and look—it's happening now!] [Who just jumped out of the window? Someone needs to track this guy down!]

Freya's fans were in an uproar, and Stellan's supporters echoed their outrage. After all, if Rafael could hurt Freya this time, who's to say he wouldn't target someone else next? But Odalys' fans, ever the rational ones, kept their focus on her. They weren't distracted by the chaos; they were keenly aware of who was truly in control.

[Why did the screen flicker a few times? I couldn't see it clearly, but that scoundrel came over injured, trying to cause trouble, and Odalys kicked him out—after that, we couldn't see anything!] [I really want to see how Group B handles this!] [I'm curious about what Odalys said to Francis just now. Why did he go out in the rain, only to come back with Stellan?] [The show better release the full footage! What's going on!] [Why was the screen glitching?]

Fans were furious, demanding answers, speculating on every detail of the broadcast. The key moments seemed to be missing, and the interruptions only fueled the viewers' curiosity. Everyone was on edge, waiting for the truth to be revealed.

Odalys sat in silence, her gaze locked on something outside the window. She took a deep breath, then spoke, breaking the silence. "Let's wait until the rain stops," she said softly.

Everyone paused, holding their breath. Freya and Selali, still on edge, didn't dare stray too far from her.

"You two should rest. I'll go check on dinner and see what we can eat," Odalys murmured.

Selali and Freya started to get up to help, but Stellan immediately stopped them. "You've been through enough. Rest here. I'll help out," Stellan said, his tone firm. He turned to leave, then paused. A sudden thought crossed his mind, and he glanced back at Francis.