After a few shots, those scaling the rock face—regardless of strength or fame—became lifeless corpses at its base. Caught off guard, even those who understood their peril had nowhere to escape. Their blood stained the ground, vividly illuminating the intricate patterns. Only a little remained.

But just as completion seemed imminent, it abruptly ceased. Pete ordered two more shots into the depths, yet the final pattern remained incomplete. “Alas…” he sighed, a hint of disappointment, yet it seemed calculated.

He turned to Kayla, offering a soft smile. “Kayla,” he asked slowly, “do you love me?”

Kayla froze. The question felt premature; they weren’t even a couple. Yet, she admitted deep feelings for Pete, and the Carrell family’s influence was alluring. Securing him was advantageous. She nodded vigorously, her gaze tender and shy. “Pete, you know the answer. My heart is yours. Of course, I love you…”

“Great. Since you love me, you’re willing to do anything for me, right?” He stepped closer, his breath near her ear, his posture intimate and enticing.

Kayla’s face flushed. She wanted to comply, but her gaze fell upon the gruesome scene below and the incomplete mechanism. A chill shot through her. Fear and dread consumed her, chilling her to the bone. All her admiration shattered.

Pete's gentle face was replaced by malice. His tender gaze now burned with the cruelty of a venomous snake. It clicked. He’d patiently answered the climbers' questions; the dead were the best keepers of secrets. He'd done the same with her, and she'd believed he trusted her, sharing his legendary secret. She was wrong.

To Pete, she was no different from the others—already dead in his mind, brought along for this precise moment.

“Pete…” Kayla trembled.

Pete, hand on her shoulder, smiled gently. “Kayla, you’re shaking. Are you… afraid of me?” His smile was chilling.