Chapter 86

The sound of Hank Cooper's gritted teeth snapped Lucy White back to reality.

"That old man's attire and accent—he's definitely a blood mage from the southern isles," she whispered, keeping her voice low.

The knowledge of metaphysics she had learned from her father in her past life came rushing back. Though she had rarely dealt with such matters since entering the entertainment industry, those memories had never faded.

"A blood mage?" Hank and Victor Stone exchanged uneasy glances. "No wonder they're using live hosts for their brood."

Blood mages from the southern isles were divided into two factions—one followed strict moral codes, while the other reveled in wickedness. The one before them clearly belonged to the latter.

"How powerful is he?" Hank asked nervously.

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "His aura reeks of death. He’s taken many lives."

"Should we still try to rescue them?"

"Originally, we could've used sedatives, but with him here, it’s complicated." Lucy frowned. Since her rebirth, she had been busy with show recordings and had little time for cultivation. Worse, she lacked proper tools.

Then, an idea struck her. "Find me some animal bones. I’ll set up a formation."

"Got it!" The three of them immediately split up.

Thanks to her familiarity with the forest, Lucy soon returned with an armful of bones. With a cinnabar brush, she traced intricate sigils onto them.

When Ethan Smith returned, he dragged behind him a staggering number of bones.

"That fast?" Lucy arched a brow in surprise.

"Got lucky," Ethan replied with a light smile.

By the time Hank and Victor returned, panting, Lucy had already finished inscribing all the sigils.

"Rest up. I’ll go set the formation." With a compass in hand, she moved stealthily, burying the bones in seven strategic locations. The patrolling kidnappers remained oblivious.

"The formation needs seven hours to activate. We’ll move tonight," Lucy said upon her return.

"But the leader plans to take people tonight. What if they notice we’re missing?" Victor worried.

Lucy smirked. "Who said we’re running? Why not 'walk right into the trap'?"

"You mean..." Hank's eyes lit up.

"Pretend to be captured, then strike from within." Lucy nodded. "The rescue team will arrive by tonight at the latest. Perfect timing."

She had already calculated that the rescuers would arrive just after the kidnappers. It was a risk, but she was confident she could protect everyone.

"Alright!" Hank and Victor exchanged a glance and decided to trust her.

On their way back, the four pretended to be foraging for food.

"That leader looks Chinese, but I’ve never seen him on Black Horizon’s wanted list," Hank muttered.

Victor added, "For someone so young to rise to leadership—he’s no ordinary man."

A thought flickered in Lucy’s mind. "How many leaders does Black Horizon have?"

"By region. The former Asian leader was Chinese, but rumors say he’s recently dead," Victor explained. "The new leader is likely related by blood."

"What was the old leader’s name?" Lucy pressed.

"They all use codenames. No one knows their real identities."

Lucy nodded thoughtfully, though her mind was in turmoil. She knew that young leader—not just knew him, but had once saved his life.

One winter during high school, she had found a bloodied teenager curled up in an alley on her way home from school. The figure from that memory overlapped with the one she had just seen outside the cabin.

Ian Stone. So it’s you.