The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 1525

Zeke's face was etched with profound guilt.

"I had no idea they'd go into a frenzy the moment they smelled blood."

Miller, ever the pragmatist, slapped a heavy hand on the guide's shoulder. "It's fine. It's not your fault. You couldn't have known."

"Yeah, these things are drawn to raw meat, and we're practically reeking of fresh blood right now."

Silas chimed in to defuse the tension.

Zeke was their only guide through this hellish terrain; alienating him now would be a fatal mistake.

But did he truly not know?

Zeke had spent his entire life making a living off The Aila Highlands. He had crossed this territory countless times. Was it really possible he had never noticed a single anomaly in this stream before?

Silas couldn't help but feel a twinge of suspicion.

Watching Miller treat the guide with absolute, unquestioning trust made Silas wonder if he was just being paranoid.

The rest of the team didn't blame Zeke either. He hadn't been bleeding during his past treks, so naturally, he had rested by the water without incident.

This time, it was just their own rotten luck!

The group retreated from the bank and set up a temporary camp to rest for two hours.

Claire was so thoroughly exhausted that she instantly passed out, leaning heavily against Dane's chest.

Dane wrapped an arm around her, closing his eyes to feign sleep, but in reality, he was more hyper-aware than anyone else in the camp.

The moment a leaf rustled, his predatory gaze snapped open.

Silas quietly offered him a cigarette.

Dane declined with a subtle shake of his head.

He rarely ever smoked.

Nicotine held zero appeal for him.

"We've had terrible luck so far. Running into massive beasts right out of the gate."

"I just hope the rest of the route is smoother."

Silas wasn't worried about himself; his priority was the safety of his four infected men and Claire's group.

"Do you really think this is just bad luck, or was it premeditated?" Dane didn't speak the words aloud, opting instead to type them on his phone and tilt the screen toward Silas.

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