From the depths of the pit, the sshing of water and the pping of fish created a cacophony of sounds, oddly lively amid the chaos.


    As the dust began to settle, darkness descended rapidly with the setting sun, cloaking the area in shadows. Calista had thought about approaching the edge of the pit to see the plight of those below, but the encroaching night obscured her view, making it impossible to see clearly.


    The urgency to rid herself of the virus consuming her body grew; she was half- blind and uncertain of how much longer she could endure the affliction.


    Touching her shoulder, she winced; the explosion had hurled debris at her, and she suspected a severe bruise was forming.


    Quintus, snapping back to reality, dodged the hazards and sprinted toward Calista, admiration shining in his eyes. "Ms. Calista you''re truly incredible!" he eximed, his gaze filled with reverence. From that moment, he decided she would be his idol.


    Seated and slightly amused, Calista could only make out a blurry figure approaching her when suddenly Quintus shouted, "Watch out!"


    His voice cracked with fear, causing Calista''s muscles to tense as she instinctively rolled to the side. But it was toote-a bullet had already pierced her shoulder, sending waves of pain radiating across her back.


    As she was struck, a barrage of gunfire erupted, targeting the assant who had ambushed her.


    It turned out Kurt hadnded on a rtively shallow bank when he fell into the pit. Unlike others who might have suffered serious injuries, he emerged unscathed. Seizing a moment when attention was diverted, he used a subordinate''s back as a stepping stone to vault upwards, reaching a height of three meters thanks to his exceptional night vision and precise aim.


    Even as he dodged return fire, he managed a shot at Calista, who, fortunately, was still necessary to him alive-otherwise, she might not have survived.


    Quintus narrowed his eyes and fired several shots at Kurt. Seizing this opportunity, Calista made her escape while clutching her wound.


    Kurt tensed his muscles, confronting the Fairchild family''s men while pursuing Calista without hesitation.


    He cursed the swiftly falling night; it seemed as if the sky had darkened all at once, engulfing everything in pitch-ck darkness. Yet, despite his injury, Kurt managed to evade the bullets and escape from the fishing yard.


    "Chase after them!" Quintus shouted, filled with regret. Seeing that Kurt''s forces were nearly annihted, and those who had escaped capture were few, he had momentarily lowered his guard.


    Little did he know, Kurt possessed the agility of a wild animal. When he leapt from the pit, he moved with the speed of lightning, hisrge form melting into the shadows as others fired blindly in the opposite direction.


    "D*mn it! We have to catch him. We can''t let him harm Ms. Calista!"


    Meanwhile, on another front, Kiefer engaged in a relentless guerri warfare


    against Kallum and his team in the mountainous terrain.


    "Mr. Kallum, we''ve located him!" Flynn announced, holding a sophisticated device, his voice tinged with excitement.


    Kallum''s face remained stern. "Silence!" he hissed, giving Gunner a knowing nce.


    Gunner, understanding the unspoken order, led a well-equipped team to encircle from another direction.


    Kallum then silently issued two additionalmands, and the entire team sprang into action.


    The darkness of the night posed a significant challenge to their pursuit, but it hindered Kiefer just as much. Now, the hunt was a game of strategic superiority.


    Before making his move, Kallum inexplicably looked up at the sky, prompted by Ryder''s low inquiry, "What''s wrong?"


    Instead of answering directly, Kallum simply frowned deeper into the darkness, his thoughts no longer preupied with ming Calista for running about. "It''s nightfall. Callie won''t be able to see."


    In the meantime, Calista collided harshly with a wall, the impact causing her to stagger. Only then did she realize she had inadvertently walked into a dead end.


    ??? to


    In the enveloping darkness, her only option was to move toward any source of light, though her vision was obscured by the ckness around her. The distant sound gunfire kept her on edge, forging her to grit her teeth and push forward again.


    Blood trickled down Calista''s arm, her thoughts clouding as she swiftly wrapped anotheryer of clothing around the wound, adding a silver needle to stem the bleeding.


    This was her third needle; although the bleeding had lessened, it hadn''t stoppedpletely. She continued to wrap herself,yer byyer, pressing on even as blood slowly seeped through.


    Her impaired vision made it


    impossible to seek help in crowded ces. Hindered by her blindness, she could only run toward the flickering lights. Fortunately for her, Kurt was also wounded, and with Quintus in pursuit, he couldn''t immediately catch up to her, providing her with a brief respite.


    "Look, it seems like that person got injured..."


    The sound of a conversation reached her ears. Due to the sparse lighting in the area, Calista could only glimpse shadowy figures passing by, unable to make out their faces clearly.


    Nevertheless, she knew she had to leave immediately.


    "It seems like you''re hurt, do you need my help?" a sweet feminine voice suddenly called out.


    Startled, Calista recoiled, crying out, "Back off!"


    The loss of blood made her head feel increasingly heavy, and her blurred vision coupled with her inability to see clearly enveloped her in a murderous aura, making her increasingly agitated.


    The girl was clearly terrified by Calista''s harsh response. Had Calista not been close by, she might have burst into tears on the spot.