Chapter 653: What Are You Doing in a Hellhole Like This?

Chapter 653: Chapter 653: What Are You Doing in a Hellhole Like This?

Orion Osborne turned back to look at her and said in a low voice, "Your identity has been exposed. I’m going to get reinforcements, so you need to be careful. No matter what anyone asks you, don’t say a word. And ignore that little apprentice of yours. Wait for me to come back."

With that, he turned and gave her a quick hug, then left without a backward glance.

Claire Sinclair watched his retreating back, a sense of panic rising in her heart. She shouted after him, "Then when will you be back?"

With his back still to her, Orion Osborne said, "Remember my words. Don’t talk to strangers."

Claire Sinclair: "..."

’This guy... He said such strange things and then just left. What am I supposed to do all by myself?’

Just as she was pondering this, the door was suddenly kicked open, making her jump in fright.

Four or five masked men holding weapons poured in from outside. Their intentions were clearly hostile.

Claire Sinclair swallowed hard, forcing herself to appear calm. "Who are you people?"

The men remained silent. Two of them stepped forward. One removed the mask from her face, then they each grabbed one of her arms and dragged her out.

"Hey! Who the hell are you? Why are you taking me!"

"Say something!"

"Hey..."

Afraid of hurting her baby, Claire Sinclair didn’t dare struggle too violently and did her best to cooperate by walking with them.

They were heading toward The Inferno.

Flanking them were two rows of gloomy, damp prison cells. A nauseating stench hung in the air—a mix of rotting flesh and blood.

Claire Sinclair covered her nose, her eyes furtively scanning the cells on either side. They were all empty, but she could faintly hear screams coming from the far end of the corridor.

The farther forward they went, the louder the sounds grew. It sounded like someone was being tortured.

Closer and closer...

"AHHH—" The piercing scream felt like it could shatter her eardrums.

Claire Sinclair couldn’t resist a glance and saw something so sickening that she stumbled forward a few steps, then suddenly dropped to the ground and retched violently, vomiting up nearly everything she had eaten that day.

Seeing this, her escorts waited until she was finished before hauling her to her feet and forcing her to keep walking.

The screams behind her abruptly stopped. Perhaps the person was dead. In any case, there was only silence.

Claire Sinclair didn’t dare to dwell on the image, muttering to herself over and over, "It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay..."

Her mind descended into chaos. She wished she could just pass out, but instead, she felt more lucid than ever.

Suddenly, she heard someone shout a name: "Claire Sinclair!"

Claire Sinclair’s heart seized. She looked toward the sound and saw a man with a filth-caked face approaching the front of a nearby cell. He gripped the iron bars with both hands, staring at her in disbelief.

"What are you doing in a godforsaken place like this?" Henry Hartwell demanded, his voice hoarse with anger.

Claire Sinclair was shocked, terrified, and overjoyed all at once, and her words came out in a jumble. "Y-You’re okay! That’s wonderful! I... I was grabbed while I was at the supermarket. Teacher Hartwell, it’s so good to see you’re okay!"

Henry Hartwell’s brow furrowed. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "Don’t be afraid. Young Master Quincy will definitely come for you. Don’t be afraid."

Claire Sinclair nodded, suddenly feeling a sting in her nose. She had finally run into someone she knew, but to be reunited in a place like this... she had no idea what the future held.

She couldn’t control her fear—not for herself, but for Teacher Hartwell, and for the baby in her womb.

Seeing that she was on the verge of tears, Henry Hartwell added, "I’m waiting for Young Master Quincy to rescue you, and me along with you. No matter what happens, you can’t give up, understand?"