Felicia jumped without hesitation. Adam, startled, slammed on the brakes, but the car, traveling too fast, skidded another two hundred meters before stopping. She landed in the grass beside the road, her mind momentarily blank. Her only thought was to check on Stephan. Despite attempting to protect herself during the fall, she sustained serious injuries; cuts covered her face, hands, and waist. Getting up was agonizing; each step left a trail of blood, yet she pressed on toward the accident.
Reaching the scene, she saw Stephan helping an unconscious Johanna into another car, likely heading to the hospital. Felicia slowed, then stopped. The accident site was already being cleared; orderly and efficient, it almost looked untouched save for the wrecked car and scattered debris. She pressed a hand to her back, recoiling at the blood. Jumping from the car, she’d struck a rock, inflicting a deep, bone-deep gash. Unable to stand, she collapsed. Before losing consciousness, she saw Maurice, also bloodied and limping, his face grim. A near-laugh escaped her; she wanted to curse him, but her eyelids grew heavy, and she blacked out.
Maurice, too, felt the venom's effects, his pain mirroring Felicia's. His eyes rolled back, and he slumped beside her. The four Glovers family subordinates, stunned and numb, immediately summoned help and prepared a stretcher.
Felicia awoke in a hospital bed, hearing faint breathing nearby. Maurice, bandaged like a mummy, lay unconscious. "Serves him right!" she thought. She pushed herself up, tore off her bandages, and applied her specially made Panax pseudo-ginseng to her wounds. Maurice's fate was of no concern to her. Checking her phone, she was relieved to find only a few hours had passed; her deadline was still two hours away. The bounty for Baldy remained: five billion. She had the patience to wait.
Meanwhile, Baldy was having a terrible time. His mission failed; his target rescued. His second attempt exposed his position, forcing a desperate escape. This escape led him to Calvin, the useless man who'd grabbed his leg, begging for servitude. Baldy killed him instantly. If not for Calvin, the mission would have been a clean success. He'd covered his tracks and fled Khogend, believing himself safe, only to discover the five-billion bounty posted by the very person he'd nearly killed. Five billion! If he'd had that money earlier, he wouldn't have attempted the assassination. But it was too late.