“Spit up and search, stay alert. If anything happens, send a signal immediately!”
<b>Luckily</b><b>, </b>Stephan brought enough subordinates along, and Felicia had previously sketched out diagrams of the venomous creature they were looking for. With their forces spread out, their chances of finding it would be higher.
Soon, the entire ind was it up with beams from their shlights
Felicia wandered for so long that she started to feel dizzy. She found <b>a </brge rock, <b>leaned </b>against it, and opened a bottle of mineral water. Just as she was about to take <b>a </b>sip, a faint rustling sound came from the trees behind her
The footsteps were cautious <b>at </b>first, creeping closer. But then, someone identally stepped on a dry branch, resulting in a loud cracking sound.
The soundraised Felicia to turn around instantly. “Who’s there?”
There was no response
Stephan nced toward the trees, his pupils narrowing slightly as it he had seen something. Without a second of hesitation, he sprinted forward in pursuit. As he dashed off, he issued a sharpmand to his men, “Protect my wife”
His men barely had time to react before he disappeared into the forest.
Felicia immediately took charge. “You four, go after him. The rest of you, stay here.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Athermand, four men took off in the direction Stephan had gone while the remaining team stayed behind. Their eyes remained <b>sharp </b>and watchful, scanning the darkness for any <b>threats</b>.
<b>Felicia </b>couldn’t shake the eerie sensation that had lingered <b>since </b>they first set foot on the ind. It was as if unseen eyes were constantly watching them. She suspected that some hidden figures were lurking in the shadows, silently observing their every move.
She quickly <b>sent </b>out a message to the rest of the search tears, instructing them to pair up, stay alert, and prioritize their own satery.
Theirmunicators crackled back with affirmative responses. Everything seemed normal
However, two hours passed, and Stephan had yet to return.
At first, <b>Felicia </b>forced herself to wait, but as the hours dragged on with no sign of him, her patience wore out just as she was about to follow the faint <b>traces </b>Stephan had left behind, a thick, white fog <b>suddenly </b>rose across the ind.
It was <b>just </b>like the storm earlier<b>, </b>appearing without warning–unnatural <b>and </b>unsettling
Felicia took a deep breath and immediately felt that they were in trouble.
The log contained poison!
She held her breath <b>and </b>grabbed hermunicator, urgently ordering everyone to cover their noses and retreat!
However, it was toote.
<b>One </b>by one, the men around her copsed to the ground, their bodies dropping with dull thuds
Felicia’s vision blurred. The world spun violently around her, and no matter how hard she fought it, her eyelids grew impossibly heavy like they were weighted. <b>She </b>was so.. tired<b>.. </b>
Just before she lost consciousnesspletely, one regret shed through her mind–she had prepared for everything, except for a poison mask!
What a stupid way to fall
Right before her eyes shut, she caught a glimpse of a pair of small, white leather shoes stepping into view.
The person wearing them had slender ankles, and their footsteps were slow and deliberate as they approached her.
<b>Who </b><b>was </b>it?
Was it someone from the ind?
So, there really was someone living here?
Felicia had so many questions but no strength left to ask them. She passed outpletely