Chapter 225 - 224: Erin Whittaker Deliberately Lured Us Back

Chapter 225: Chapter 224: Erin Whittaker Deliberately Lured Us Back

Madeline Quinn: "Can Cece still change back? She’s a little scary like this."

Asher: "She’s fine no matter how she is."

Madeline Quinn: "But don’t you think she’s a bit scary? She’s too calm. I still prefer the old Cece."

Asher: "She’s fine no matter how she is."

Madeline Quinn: "But she seems so cold this way."

Asher: "No... this is already very good. At least you’re still alive. She has feelings now. At least... she understands friendship."

Asher’s voice was hoarse, yet tinged with excitement, as if my understanding of friendship was something that truly moved him.

I slowly opened my eyes, realizing I had fallen asleep against the wall at some point.

Madeline Quinn was still praying nonstop, talking with Asher to distract herself.

"Can she really not change back? The day she fully regains her memories... how terrifying will that be?" Madeline Quinn’s voice trembled slightly.

She was afraid.

Afraid I’d turn on everyone.

"You said the old Cecilia Caldwell had no emotions. If she completely turns back into her old self, what will we do? She’ll definitely not want us anymore..." Madeline was afraid I would abandon my friends, and Asher too. "It really seems like she doesn’t understand what love is..."

Asher lowered his eyes, a hint of disappointment showing, but he still spoke. "All I want is for her to be alive."

Alive and well.

"Your brain must be eighty percent intelligence and twenty percent Cece... What a love-struck fool," Madeline Quinn grumbled helplessly.

"No..." Asher denied her words very seriously. "It can be one hundred percent Cece."

"..." Madeline Quinn felt like she was being forced to watch their public display of affection and disgustedly tossed aside the pebble in her hand. She stared at the sealed wall. "Why aren’t they out yet? Isn’t Lucas Grant a genius?"

"Someone’s holding them back," Asher said with certainty.

’The killer... must be among their group.’

’Someone doesn’t want them to get out, so they’re deliberately dragging things out.’

’That’s why even with two geniuses inside, they might not be able to get out safely anytime soon.’

"Have you figured out who it is?" I asked Asher.

Asher turned, his eyes instantly brightening, and lunged over to hug me.

Uncharacteristically... I didn’t find his clinginess annoying and just let him hold me.

"I can’t be sure yet," Asher said, his voice muffled.

"They’re coming." I heard a noise from the other room.

Madeline Quinn scrambled up in excitement and started pounding on the wall, trying to alert the people inside.

"It’s no use. It’s soundproofed," I said, telling Madeline not to waste her energy.

It was a miracle we could hear even a faint sound coming through.

’Now, they can only rely on themselves.’

"CLICK..." The door opened.

But it wasn’t everyone who walked out.

It was Lucas Grant, Claire Lawson, an injured Howard Finch, and a few others—about seven or eight people in total.

"Where’s Felix Foster?" I asked warily.

"Where’s Zeke Shaw?" Madeline Quinn asked, her eyes turning red.

Lucas Grant frowned. "Peach shouted Charlie’s name and ran off in another direction. A stone door moved, and we were separated."

Felix Foster went after Peach, and Zeke Shaw, worried something would happen to them, followed.

I didn’t say anything, just glanced at the injured people. ’Looks like a few died. These are all that’s left.’

Howard Finch stared at Asher warily and started shouting. "He’s a madman! That’s the madman! He’s the killer! He’s the one who set all this up to make our lives a living hell, to scare us to death!"

The others, still shaken, noticed Asher as well. They all clutched their weapons, eyeing him cautiously, ready to attack.

"Calm down," Lucas Grant said, annoyed. "If he were the mastermind, you’d all be dead by now. He was the one inside helping us kill those things so you could get out alive."

But Howard Finch wouldn’t listen. "It’s him! He’s just putting on an act! It’s him!"

Asher watched Howard Finch with cold eyes, murder flashing in their depths.

I stood up, tightening my grip on the dagger in my hand.

Asher instinctively reached out and grabbed me.

I frowned. "He’s noisy. Kill him."

Howard Finch glanced at me and started riling up the others. "I knew that madman couldn’t leave her behind! He made his move on the seventeenth floor... Let’s tie her up! I bet he won’t refuse to let us out then."

With that, he ordered the people around him to grab me.

Asher stared at Howard Finch, the murderous intent in his eyes now irrepressible.

His grip on my hand slowly loosened.

I stared at Howard Finch, shoved aside someone blocking my way, and slowly walked toward him.

Howard Finch started to panic. His injured leg was still bleeding, and he backed away in fear. "What are you doing? What are you all standing around for? Grab her!"

"It’s true, we are the game masters. If you want to get out alive, it depends on who’s obedient," I said with a smile, looking at the others, deciding to give them a taste of their own medicine. "As long as you listen, I can get you out. But if you keep following him... death will be your only reward."

The others glanced at each other and all took a step back.

They were all scared.

Howard Finch glared at me furiously. "Silvia Lynch! What are you pretending for... Don’t listen to her! She won’t lead us out! Every single one of us is a target for that madman to kill. She’s just saying that on purpose!"

"You talk too much." I kicked Howard Finch in the stomach, knocking him down, then raised my foot and stomped hard on his injured leg. "Killing you now... would be letting you off too easy."

"CLICK..." The moving door opened again. Peach, seemingly unconscious, was carried out by Felix Foster.

Zeke Shaw followed close behind.

Claire Lawson hurried forward worriedly to check on Peach. "How is she?"

Felix Foster shook his head. "She got a bit of a shock, but she’s fine."

Claire Lawson’s eyes reddened. "Thank you, thank you."

Felix Foster didn’t say anything, just handed Peach over to Claire Lawson.

Madeline Quinn looked nervously at Zeke Shaw. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Zeke Shaw looked surprised. "You guys got out even earlier than us? I was about to go back and look for you."

Madeline Quinn pointed awkwardly at me and Asher. "We ran into Asher."

Zeke Shaw nodded. "No wonder."

"AH!" Just as the stone wall was about to close, I dragged Howard Finch over and kicked him inside.

"Silvia Lynch! I’ll kill you! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Everyone watched in astonishment as I kicked him inside in one smooth motion, as the door sealed shut, as Howard Finch cried out in despair.

"Does someone like that deserve to get out with us?" I asked coldly.

Lucas Grant averted his gaze. "I didn’t see anything. What just happened...?"

Zeke Shaw scratched his head. "Huh?"

"Everything inside has been killed. If he’s smart enough, he should remember how we just got out, right?" Lucas Grant asked in a low voice.

Claire Lawson shook her head blankly. "I... I don’t remember either."

I scoffed. ’If he can’t get out, then he deserves it.’

"The stairs are moving! Get downstairs, quick!" Suddenly, the emergency stairwell started to shake.

The staircase was about to collapse.

"Hurry!" In the chaos, I grabbed Asher’s wrist and pulled him downstairs.

I only breathed a sigh of relief once we reached a safe area.

"Is everyone down?" Zeke Shaw asked.

"Erin Whittaker and Julian Fletcher... they didn’t make it out!" Finally, someone noticed that Erin Whittaker and Julian Fletcher were missing.

I frowned, looking up toward the seventeenth floor.

The stairs were about to collapse any second.

"I’ll go save them." Zeke Shaw tried to go upstairs to rescue them but was held back by Madeline Quinn.

Her eyes were red as she shook her head.

’At a time like this... are his identity and duty as a police officer still important?’

Zeke Shaw just shook his head at Madeline Quinn.

This was his mission.

This was also the reason he couldn’t agree to date and marry Madeline Quinn.

It seemed he could face danger at any moment.

And when danger struck... everyone else could run, but he alone, weighed down by responsibility and duty, had to run toward it.

"Useless," I cursed, referring to Julian Fletcher, then followed Zeke Shaw upstairs.

Asher wanted to follow, but I shook my head at him. "This time, it’s your turn to rest. Find the exit on the fifteenth floor and wait for me to come down."

"Wait... something’s wrong with that Erin Whittaker. We were all together on the way down, but it was Erin who deliberately provoked Peach, making her run off in a different direction," Claire Lawson suddenly remembered, looking at me and Zeke Shaw in a panic. "Don’t go... Erin is deliberately luring you back!"