"Bang!" John slammed the table, shouting angrily, "I never believed in these supernatural things! Evangeline is human, and I don't believe she can easily find us. Even if she comes here, she can't approach us on her own. Just stop being cowards!"

Everyone looked at Jeffrey, hesitating but remaining silent. They hoped Evangeline wouldn't come, trembling at the mere mention of her name.

John said, "Send another team. She's not going to hide from me! She's just an ordinary Clusian, and I won't let her scare me with that supernatural nonsense! I took down every Clusian in the previous competitions, and she'll share the same fate. No one challenges Atharial!"

No one stopped him. They feared Evangeline and hoped John would subdue her.

John immediately sent another team; two hours later, they disappeared. He couldn't believe it, so he sent another team with video calls enabled, hoping to understand what happened. Unfortunately, their equipment went black during the flight, and they too disappeared. John fell back into his chair, pale-faced. "How could this be possible? Could Evangeline be nonhuman? No, no way! Find out why the communicators went black and the signals were cut off. Also, send people into the forest from different entrances. I'm not letting her go!"

The others wanted to persuade John to give up, but his furious expression silenced them. They didn't dare irritate him. However, no matter how many people John sent, they disappeared without a trace.

After three days of torture by Evangeline, Jeffrey died. His body was covered in blood; his beating heart was visible. The gruesome sight made even Marian and Riley break into a cold sweat. It was summer, yet they felt as if they were in an ice cellar.

The large white tiger was the only one seemingly happy. He had been challenged by humans in the underground fight club and enjoyed nothing more than tearing people apart. However, since being tamed by Evangeline, he'd refrained. Seeing Jeffrey's corpse, he felt happy and excited. He thought, 'The woman who beat me is not as easy as I thought. As long as I follow her, I will surely become a fierce beast second only to her. Then I will be king of the forest!'

Feeling happy, the white tiger ran to Evangeline and lay at her feet, nudging her hand onto his head, urging her to pet him. Unexpectedly, Evangeline slapped his forehead. "Stop playing," she said. "Dig a hole and bury him; don't pollute the environment."

The white tiger flinched. The force of the slap suggested she might consider him a close friend. He happily dug the hole. Once finished, Evangeline instructed Marian and Riley to throw Jeffrey in, and the tiger to bury him. Then they extinguished the fire and moved on.

Soon, they encountered five people tied up by Evangeline—the five who escaped with Jeffrey. Poisoned and unconscious, they'd been bound by Evangeline. They'd awakened hours ago, but Jeffrey's screams had terrified them into silence. Tied up, they'd soiled themselves.

As Evangeline, Marian, and Riley approached, a foul odor hit them. Feeling nauseous, Evangeline told the tiger to keep his distance.

The men begged, "Please spare me, Evangeline. I fought you only because Jeffrey threatened me. I swear I won't oppose you again. I'll do anything you want and never disobey you. Just let me go!"

Similar pleas followed from the others, all claiming they'd acted under duress.

They had been starving for three days and were weak, yet the sight of Evangeline spurred them to beg for mercy. Jeffrey's screams, which had lasted three days, had been a constant reminder of his suffering, even for someone as tough as Jeffrey. They couldn't imagine their own fate had they been in his place.

Evangeline looked at them indifferently. "Only one of you will survive. You'll fight each other; it saves me effort."

She gestured to Riley and Marian to untie them, then, sensing they might struggle unarmed, kindly tossed them a sword.

Hearing Evangeline's words, the five former teammates attacked each other without hesitation.

An hour later, the scene was a bloody mess. The sole survivor, missing half his face and a hand, was ecstatic to be alive.

"I won. Can I leave now?" he asked Evangeline excitedly, his voice trembling.

Evangeline nodded. "Sure. It's early; you can catch up with your teammates. You won't be alone."

The man recoiled, shocked. "You you said you'd let the winner go. Are you breaking your word?" He dared not openly express his rage.

Evangeline laughed. "Yes, I said I'd kill the surviving human. But you're not human to me, so killing you isn't breaking my promise." She looked at Marian and Riley. "Do you agree?"

Marian and Riley nodded eagerly. "Absolutely! That makes perfect sense!"

Evangeline smiled faintly at the man. "See? Most agree with me, proving me right. Are you going to do it yourself, or do you want me to help? I'm always helpful in my own way. I won't say no if you want me to help."