Chapter 457

Stellan and Selah, drenched in sweat, ran down the stairs. "Why haven't you reached the bottom yet?" Selah gasped.

Stellan shook his head, bewildered. Looking down, he saw Freya and Francis sitting on the stairs, fear etched on their faces. He instinctively pulled Selah to a stop.

Selah followed his gaze and froze, meeting Freya and Francis's terrified eyes. The shock caused her to stumble and fall. "Are you real?" she 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 said, letting out a bitter laugh. Exhausted, she sat down.

Stellan fell silent, lost in thought. No matter how far they ran, they always returned to the same spot. This couldn't 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 attempt to escape ended with them back where they started. 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 said, 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. The room might have been the safest place."

The others were silent, processing this possibility.

Before anyone could speak, the hallway lights flickered and went out, plunging the building into darkness. Stellan quickly switched on his phone's flashlight.

"What now? We can't just sit here and wait to die," Selah said urgently. They had to find a way out.

"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 or thick smoke," Francis remarked, his mind sharpening. His time abroad had taught him composure under pressure.

Freya pulled out the talisman Odalys had given her, clutching it tightly. "I don't know…" she said uncertainly.

They heard the unmistakable sound of high heels echoing closer. The clicking grew louder, reverberating like a warning. They held their breath, inching closer together. A figure emerged from the darkness, charging toward them.

Selah saw a woman in a red dress lunging at her and screamed. The others stared in wide-eyed horror, nearly losing consciousness, when suddenly, a loud "bang!" echoed, followed by the lights flickering back on, blinding them.

Chapter 157

Freya blinked, adjusting to the light. She saw Odalys, in pajamas, smiling. "Odalys! You finally arrived! I knew you'd come!" Freya exclaimed, tears welling up. She rushed to Odalys and hugged her.

Odalys, slightly surprised, flicked 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 protested, then froze, remembering something. She turned, but the red-dressed woman was gone.

"What woman? That was an illusion. You were drugged and fell into a hallucinatory state. Everything you saw was a figment of your imagination," Odalys explained calmly.

They heard footsteps again—this time, the heavy steps of police officers descending the stairs. The first officer was Lee, his face grave.

"Good thing you called," Lee said, nodding to Odalys. "We caught some suspicious people near the hotel. They were paid to bribe hotel staff and place you four in that room. They released sleeping gas, making you believe there was a fire, and led you toward the stairwell."

Lee motioned toward the stairwell door, opening it to reveal a van in the shadows, its windows sealed and license plate removed. Inside, a makeshift operating table and surgical tools were visible.

"This is an operating table," Selah said, trembling.

Lee nodded grimly. "This van is used to kidnap people, remove their organs, and cremate their bodies. The ashes are scattered, making it impossible to find them."

The weight of Lee's words hit Francis hard. He imagined what could have happened to him.

"I can't even imagine," he whispered, his voice thick with fear. "That would have been me."

"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 matched his organs for her fiancé."

The mention of "Simpson" made Odalys's heart skip a beat. Was it coincidence? Everything pointed to something bigger.

"But their hands were clean. They were paid to do the job. The trail has gone cold."

Lee's expression turned serious. "Francis is in serious danger. If they failed tonight, they'll try again. Escaping becomes nearly impossible once you're targeted."

Odalys narrowed her eyes. "Can I see his file?" she asked. Lee handed her his phone.

Chapter 437

Odalys glanced at the file, her brow furrowing. "So, Francis's ex-girlfriend and this Simpson guy haven't met much?" she mused.