Chapter 213-1

Just then, a woman in a crimson dress appeared before Danielle. Her chestnut waves cascaded down her back, and she radiated a captivating, almost sinister beauty.

"Danielle, we finally meet," the woman said, her red eyes gleaming with malice. "What a pity about your little experiment subjects. You will join them soon enough."

Danielle clutched her head, staring at the woman in front of her. The mask-wearers had been her doing—this woman’s, that is. Her blood-red eyes were filled with a hunger for destruction.

With a swift movement, Danielle charged toward her, aiming to strike her face with a punch. The woman, however, gracefully dodged, a cruel smile curving her lips. "I must admit, Danielle, I’m impressed. You’re still so quick despite the poison clouding your mind."

Danielle, her mind a blur but her senses sharp, analyzed the woman in front of her. She didn’t recognize her, but the woman seemed to know her all too well. Her fighting skills were formidable, but Danielle cared little for that now. The woman’s minions had hurt Xavier, and she was going to make her pay for it.

The red-dressed woman launched a sidekick aimed at Danielle’s head. Danielle sneered, easily evading the strike with a tilt of her head. In one swift motion, she reached out, grabbing the woman’s leg and yanking it sharply. The woman wobbled, almost losing her balance. But with a quick spin, she aimed her other foot at Danielle’s chest.

Before the kick could land, Danielle reacted instantly, kicking the woman square in the chest. With an explosive push, the red-dressed woman was sent flying fifty feet away.

Danielle was ready to charge again, but just as she moved, the woman called out, "Danielle, you don’t care about Matthew’s life?"

Danielle’s heart skipped a beat. There, hanging in the air, was Matthew—bloodied and tethered to an explosive device.

A sickly, sweet taste surged in Danielle’s mouth as the poison in her system flared up again. She coughed violently, blood spilling from her lips.

"Danielle..." Vivian’s voice cracked, a mix of desperation and grief. Xavier, unconscious and soaked in blood, lay motionless nearby. Matthew was on the brink of death, and Danielle herself was on the edge of losing control to the poison.

Barely holding herself together, Danielle felt her vision swimming. Her body trembled. She quickly grabbed a silver needle from her pocket and pressed it into an acupoint, trying to stop the poison from overtaking her.

The woman in red laughed cruelly. "I didn’t think you’d last this long. Looks like you know exactly what kind of poison you’re dealing with, don’t you?"

She took a step forward, her smile widening. "Do you know how much time you have left? This poison is incurable. Every bone in your body will feel like it’s shattered, your senses will fade, and in the end, you’ll become a killing machine—until you die."

She leaned in closer, her voice laced with sadistic pleasure. "It’s not just you, Danielle. The Darling family will each meet a unique death, but you, my dear, will be the most painful."

Howard’s heart sank. He had only just found Danielle again, and now she was poisoned. He swore to himself he would find a cure, no matter the cost.

David and his group, still a distance away, could already smell the heavy stench of blood. An overwhelming sense of dread gripped their hearts.

"This smell of blood... something’s gone wrong ahead. Stay sharp," Nathan warned, his voice tinged with urgency.

David, with his instincts on high alert, nodded. "Let’s move!" He broke into a sprint, with the others following closely behind.

Danielle, struggling against the poison’s grip, pressed the silver needle deeper into her skin, trying to hold on.

The woman in red’s words echoed in her mind. It was clear she held a personal grudge against the entire Darling family—and knew far too much about the poison. That meant she was likely connected to the people behind it all... and she was probably a key player in their dark scheme.

"What do you want?" Danielle demanded.

The woman in red smiled wickedly, clearly enjoying the sight of Danielle’s pain. "Perhaps you should stab yourself a few times. If I’m in a good mood, maybe I’ll let Matthew go."

Vivian, panicking, rushed to Danielle’s side. "Danielle, no, you can’t do that."