Chapter 223

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have imagined how shocking the scene was. The timing was impeccable—their arrival was perfectly synchronized, and the ambulance appeared just in time. Had it not been for Odalys, even if they had called for help, the ambulance would have taken longer to arrive. By then, the person would have bled out and died.

"She really is like a prophet, calmly arranging everything in advance," Francis said, his gaze full of complexity.

Freya stood watching the vehicle, her eyes following the ambulance as it drove away. "Right! It must be the talisman. Didn't Odalys give Stellan a talisman? Could the golden light we saw earlier have come from it? The second explosion happened, yet Stellan didn't seem hurt." Freya was practically bursting with excitement. She desperately wanted to meet Odalys.

"Probably," Francis said, a trace of regret in his voice. "I wish I had asked her for one too. To survive such a crash and explosion—imagine how powerful that talisman must be. If he had one, maybe he wouldn't have to worry about someone targeting his organs."

"Wait—Odalys hung up," Selah snapped back to reality, noticing the call had been disconnected.

The three exchanged glances and, turning around, realized a crowd of reporters had gathered behind them. It seemed they had all arrived at just the right time.

"Should we go back, or head to the hospital?" Francis asked, holding the keys to Stellan's RV. He was responsible for driving them back to the city.

"Let's go to the hospital. I want to see what happens next. Besides, my family's fine," Freya said quickly.

Selah nodded. "I've canceled my contract. I don't need to report back to the company. It just depends if you have time."

"I can't go back to my place either, afraid that woman might show up. Let's go to the hospital then," Francis said.

The group put on masks, looking rather disheveled, and climbed into the car. They drove off, following the ambulance toward the hospital.

In the mountains, on the road, a black Porsche Cayenne sped along. Odalys, lost in thought, stared at her iPad. When Percival handed her a glass of water, she murmured, "Thank you." After taking a sip, she looked up and noticed they were heading back. Surprised, she met Percival's eyes and asked, "How did you know I was—"

She had been so absorbed in her work that she had forgotten to speak to him. Percival watched her glance back and forth between her iPad and the phone call. After she seemed to finish, she finally took a breath. Her fair skin was flushed with tension, but her clear, confident eyes were steady. He felt a strange sensation flash across his chest, but before he could grasp it, it vanished.

"You're not the type to leave things unfinished. Since you booked a special line to send the crew away, and you didn't get on the plane, I wanted to return to the village," Percival said, his voice low.

Odalys raised an eyebrow, her gaze more inquisitive. "Before I left, I gave Itari a little lesson. Now he's in a state of panic. After I'm gone, he'll definitely be lost," she said calmly. "With his injuries, he can't go out for help. And because he's afraid of becomingwell, you know, he won't dare contact anyone outside. If we go back now, we should be able to find something," she added softly.

Callum and Orson leaned forward, eager to catch every word. Odalys didn't hide anything. "I used someother methods on him. He's injured in several places, and it's left him bedridden. I'm sure he'll question what I said. That rebellious mindset will lead him to try contacting others, despite my warnings. Just in time, I gave him a kick, and now he's in unbearable pain," she explained in a low voice.

Percival's brow furrowed, and after a long pause, he asked cautiously, "Your medicineit targets a man's private parts, making him think that if he doesn't listen, he'll really end up castrated?"

"Exactly," Odalys said with a smile.

Percival's fingers tightened imperceptibly; his Adam's apple moved as he considered her words, his eyes holding an unreadable expression. Odalys leaned back, then suddenly had an idea. She instinctively grabbed Percival's wrist, spreading his palm open and placing her fingers on his pulse.

Percival froze. His fingertips moved slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed a few times. "How is it?" Percival's voice was husky as he asked, watching her fingers press against his wrist.

Odalys looked at him curiously, then leaned in closer, reaching out to touch his forehead. She pushed aside his shirt collar and examined his neck.

"Odalys," Percival's voice deepened. He stiffened. The faint fragrance of her body filled his senses, and he tried to pull his head away. Her hair brushed against his cheek.

"Don't move," Odalys said seriously. She placed her hand firmly on his shoulder. Kneeling on the car seat, her body nearly pressed against his. Percival's shirt was pulled open, and her delicate fingers traced over his body, moving back and forth before stopping. "Something's strange"

Orson, who had been sitting in the front passenger seat, watched the scene unfold. His eyes lit up with excitement. Every place her fingers touched seemed to be a pressure point, and she was casually yet precisely locating them.

"What's wrong?" Percival's body stiffened, his breath growing ragged. Odalys pressed her finger gently against his chest. "The poison in your body, which had been suppressed, seems to be stirring. Normally, with the medicine I gave, it would have been controlled, waiting for the right moment to be expelled. But now it's waking up." She squeezed his wrist again and felt for his pulse once more. "The further we go into the mountain village, the more agitated the poison seems to get," she murmured, her eyes narrowing as she tried to piece something together. "I think I know what's going on," she said coldly.

She withdrew her fingers from his wrist, casually straightening his shirt and fastening the buttons. Percival's eyes, now clouded with different emotions, lingered on her flushed face before he looked away. Slowly, he closed his eyes, forcing down the turmoil within him.

"What's happening?" Orson nearly shouted, too excited to contain himself.