Chapter 96
Boom!
A flare exploded in the night sky, its brilliant light illuminating the entire jungle. Hank Cooper and Victor Stone exchanged a glance before swiftly subduing the brawling men.
Lucy White flicked her fingers, sending three divination coins arcing gracefully through the air.
"Release!"
At her command, the bound men gradually regained clarity in their eyes. They stared blankly at the ropes around them, with no memory of what had just happened.
"What… happened to me?"
"Who tied me up?"
Only the white-haired elder continued to thrash wildly, snarling like a beast.
"What’s wrong with him?" Hank frowned.
Lucy pocketed the coins. "The backlash of a blood hex. There’s no saving him."
Hank sighed regretfully. The old man had been a valuable lead—if only they could have taken him in for questioning…
"This isn’t the time for regrets," Lucy suddenly cut in. "The leader got away."
Hank snapped back to attention and rushed into the central hut with Victor. Sure enough, it was empty.
By the time the special forces arrived, Hank was pacing impatiently.
"Commander! Do we need a tracking talisman?" He turned to Lucy, struck by inspiration.
Lucy raised a brow. "I’ll need something that carries his scent."
Hank immediately grabbed one of the captives and soon returned with a cup and two jackets.
"Hmm?" Lucy lightly touched the fabric, her brow furrowing. "These two items carry different traces."
The captive insisted, "They both belonged to the leader!"
"Maybe someone else handled them," Hank dismissed.
Lucy said nothing more and quickly drew three tracking talismans.
"Light them and follow the flame."
When the commander took the talismans, his lips twitched. This thing can actually track a fugitive? Yeah, right.
But seeing the solemn expressions on Hank and Victor’s faces, he swallowed his skepticism.
The teams split up. The moment the talisman ignited, the commander’s eyes widened—
The flame hovered in midair, drifting forward as if guided by an unseen force.
"What the hell…" one of the men muttered under his breath.
An hour later, at the coastline.
Bang!
A bullet whizzed through the air—only to veer off course unnervingly as it neared the helicopter.
Victor raised his binoculars, his pupils contracting. "It’s the blood mage! He’s casting a spell!"
The two helicopters grew smaller in the distance before vanishing into the night.
"Damn it!" Hank slammed his fist into the sand.
The commander stared at the ashes of the talisman in his hand, his expression unreadable. For the first time, he realized there truly were forces in this world that defied scientific explanation.
"Fall back," he said grimly. "At least we recovered the hostages."
Lucy stood atop a jagged rock, the sea breeze lifting her hair. Gazing at the horizon where the helicopters had disappeared, she frowned in thought.
Those two scents on the jackets…
Was it really just a coincidence?