Chapter 217 - 216: Peach Said She Saw Charlie

Chapter 217: Chapter 216: Peach Said She Saw Charlie

"15..."

The eerie voice continued its countdown, mechanical and inexplicably terrifying.

Suddenly, Peach, as if she’d gone mad, stared toward the end of the hallway and fearfully called out, "Charlie..."

She broke free from Claire Lawson’s grasp and ran wildly toward the end of the hall.

Felix Foster froze for a moment, then chased after her almost without thinking.

"Asher..." Driven by a powerful survival instinct, everyone ran toward the end of the hallway, as if there would be an exit there.

Asher glanced back at me, trying to grab my wrist, but the crowd surged forward and we were separated.

The moment we were separated, the power in the windowless corridor suddenly went out, plunging us into absolute darkness.

At the same time, the mechanical voice began its final countdown. "10... 9..."

I stood frozen in place, my feet seemingly glued to the floor. "Asher..."

I frantically called Asher’s name, but my voice was lost amidst the panicked people scrambling past me.

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed my wrist in the bottomless darkness.

Then, I was pulled into a quiet space.

I leaned against the wall, terrified, my breath coming in short gasps. "Asher?"

The fingers holding my wrist tightened, and I could clearly feel his anger. "Are you an idiot?"

He whispered, pulling me protectively into his arms.

My body went rigid in an instant. It was Julian Fletcher...

"Ju—"

I had just started to call out when he clamped a hand over my mouth.

Julian Fletcher held me from behind, whispering into my ear. "Don’t scream... Listen to me. There’s something wrong with Erin Whittaker, and there’s something wrong with Sebastian Lancaster, too. Anyone around you could be a problem... I’m the only one who won’t hurt you."

’He wanted me to know that everyone was acting, everyone was lying, putting on a show.’

’He was the only sane one.’

’He wouldn’t hurt me.’

"Mmph—" I bit his hand, and he finally let go. "You could be the killer, too..."

I whispered viciously.

There were no lights. I didn’t know where I was, but the countdown was still going.

Terrified, I wanted to find Asher. "Asher..."

In that moment, with death closing in, my mind was consumed by a single thought: I had to find Asher.

The thought stunned even me.

Julian Fletcher was clearly angry now, too. He jealously trapped me with his arms, holding me protectively as he whispered, "This is a ventilation room. I already checked—this entire floor has no windows. It relies on vents like this for air. This is the only safe place to hide. If you go out there now... you will die."

"5... 4... 3..."

The countdown neared its end. From the hallway came the sounds of people stumbling, crying, and pounding on the walls.

"1... Carbon monoxide now being released."

The sound of gas being released filled the air, along with the screams of many people.

I struggled desperately, trying to push Julian Fletcher away. "Let me go! Asher is still out there!"

Felix Foster, Asher, and Peach... they were all still out there.

"There are lots of vents in this building, he won’t die..." Julian Fletcher held me tightly, his voice hoarse. "Cecilia Caldwell, what will it take for you to believe me? I’m the only one... who genuinely has your best interests at heart. They’re all using you, all acting. Sebastian Lancaster won’t die. He’s the mastermind of this game."

His voice was raspy. The moment gas began to seep into our hiding spot, Julian Fletcher held me tight, shielding me with his body and leaving the only vent for me. He gave me the fresh air...

He gave me his life.

Even with the vent in here, I still felt dizzy and nauseous. Out there... it must be a living Hell.

"Asher..." I struggled, trying to get out, but my legs gave way and I collapsed.

"Cece... He’s the mastermind, don’t trust him."

"Erin Whittaker works for Victor Quinn. I’m sorry..." he said, holding me and murmuring his apology.

’He actually knew Erin Whittaker worked for Victor Quinn.’

’It seems his foolish behavior lately was all an act to make Erin Whittaker and Victor Quinn trust him.’

’When did he start realizing something was wrong?’

’Was it after I died?’

’So his suicide attempts, his self-harm, and even his completely different personality and behavior—was it all a disguise to fool everyone, to make Victor Quinn and Erin Whittaker believe he’d been brainwashed and hypnotized?’

’Then what is Julian Fletcher’s goal?’

"After your... incident, I’ve been investigating... I knew what happened to you was related to Erin Whittaker, but as I dug deeper, I found it wasn’t just about the serial killer case. It involved many other things, and even our Fletcher family is caught up in it." Julian Fletcher’s arms around me slowly tightened. "Cece... please, just trust me this once, okay?"

My head was growing heavy. Carbon monoxide may be colorless and odorless, but it was making my legs weak and my body limp.

"Don’t trust Sebastian Lancaster. Don’t trust anyone but me, Cece... I will get you out of here. I won’t make the same mistake twice." Julian Fletcher’s words grew more and more distant.

Finally, I passed out. ’My stamina really isn’t good enough.’

CLICK... CLACK...

I don’t know how much time had passed, but the lights in the hallway all came on.

I furrowed my brow and slowly opened my eyes, taking in the dim, narrow space.

We’d hidden in here and safely survived this ordeal.

’But what comes next probably won’t be so simple.’

"That’s the sound of the ventilation system starting up. It’s cycling the air. It should be fine now." Outside, I heard Felix Foster’s voice.

Pushing myself up, I sat and looked around. Julian Fletcher was gone.

In a daze, I remembered Julian Fletcher telling me to trust him before I passed out.

’It probably wasn’t my imagination...’

’But in this situation, who can I trust?’

’Anyone could be the mastermind and the executioner.’

’It might not even be just one person.’

"It’s clear." Felix Foster led everyone back into the hallway. A few scattered bodies lay on the floor, clearly people who hadn’t managed to escape in time.

I cursed the maniacs under my breath and pushed myself off the wall, walking out of the ventilation room.

"Asher..." I called out his name, my head throbbing.

Felix Foster was holding a lighter, which he must have picked up from that pile of weapons earlier.

The lighter’s flame burned steadily, proving the air was circulating normally again.

"This way down." Felix Foster directed, having everyone go down the emergency exit stairs in an orderly fashion.

"Asher... Where’s Asher?" I couldn’t see any sign of him.

Felix Foster looked surprised to see me. "You weren’t with Asher? You were by yourself?"

Felix Foster glanced at the vent where I had been hiding.

I shook my head instinctively. "No... I was... by myself."

Felix Foster started to panic too, turning to look at the breathless corpses in the hallway. "I thought Asher was with you. After all, he would never leave you behind."

My fingers tingled. I stumbled over and joined Felix Foster in checking the bodies on the floor.

"Asher..."

’He’ll be okay.’

"Charlie... Charlie, I see Charlie, hehehe..." Peach’s voice echoed down the hallway.

At the exit, Claire Lawson, who was holding onto Peach, watched us nervously.