Another minute passed, then two. The bronze bell echoed faintly, sometimes near, sometimes far. Telica tried moving her hands and feet. Her fingers responded smoothly, and she felt none of the uncontrollable restraint she had experienced before. She blinked in surprise.

Scarlet, standing nearby, watched nervously, ready to knock Felicia unconscious if she showed any signs of losing control. But it seemed unnecessary. Felicia and Scarlet exchanged glances, their eyes filled with mutual confusion. Imogen, however, remained completely in the dark. She glanced between the two, puzzled, until she could hold back no longer, adding, “What’s going on? Why did you tie—”

Felicia tested her wrist movement and calmly reassured Imogen, “It’s nothing.” Then, she turned to Scarlet. “I don’t feel anything strange. Try un tying me.”

Scarlet, who had been reluctant to tie her up in the first place, quickly untied the ropes. The sight of Felicia bound had made her uneasy. “Could it be that you’re free from the control? Or maybe the robed figure got killed in the bombing, and the venomous creature is no longer working?” Scarlet speculated, a hint of optimism in her voice.

Felicia considered the possibility, but something didn’t add up. If the robed figure and the venomous creature had been neutralized, why was the sound of the bronze bell still lingering in her ears? Something was off. She must have missed something, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. There was no time to dwell on it. Their top priority was to reach the robed figure’s location. Once they found the culprit, everything would come to light.

“Let’s move!” Felicia said decisively, grabbing the rope and continuing forward. Scarlet followed closely, scanning the surroundings. “There won’t be any more explosions, right?” she asked cautiously. If there were, the next bombing could very well be right on them.

Felicia glanced toward the distant helicopter and said firmly, “There won’t be.” This round of bombings had been ordered by Stephan. It was a psychological tactic to break the enemy’s defenses. If it managed to take them out entirely, that would be all the better. But even if the targets narrowly escaped, the bombings would drive them into a corner with nowhere to run. The fact that the explosions had stopped for several minutes meant Stephan had likely pinpointed their position. He wouldn’t risk another bombing now.

Felicia quickened her pace, moving forward with calm determination. Scarlet nodded and said nothing more.

Imogen, on the other hand, was growing increasingly frustrated. She could barely contain herself and blurted out, “Felicia, you still haven’t explained what happened earlier! What control?” Her voice rose in agitation, but before Felicia could answer, Imogen froze. Her eyes widened with shock, disbelief etched on her face. “You… are you telling me you’ve also been targeted? You’ve been infected with a venomous creature too?”

Though it was phrased as a question, her tone was full of certainty. Imogen’s voice trembled with anger and panic as she continued, “Why didn’t you tell me about this before? It’s so dangerous! Was it Johanna? Did she do this to you? I swear, I’ll kill her with my own hand!”