The host sighed helplessly, silently praying for the guests.
With a director like this, who even needed enemies anymore?
"Sir, it doesn’t seem like there are many people in the village. We’re young and there are quite a few of us—we’ll help you search for her."
"Thank you... Thank you so much."
The villagers looked genuinely grateful. There were only around twenty of them in total, and despite searching everywhere for hours, they still had not found the little girl.
That left only one place to search.
the forest.
It was enormous, and even a small increase in manpower could improve their chances.
As for the guests—who had not even been asked for their opinions before being dragged into this situation—they honestly had little room to object.
A human life was at stake.
and the victim was only a child.
No one present was heartless enough to refuse.
The first to leave were Arthur, Leo, and Oscar, and then right after was Camila, who held onto Vivienne.
The cameramen naturally followed them with heavy cameras hanging from their shoulders.
The guests had miniature body cameras attached to their clothing as well.
It will not be easy going forward. The rain fell all day yesterday, but luckily it stopped a few hours ago.
"Are you alright Vivienne?"
Camila Hall looked anxiously at Vivienne, whose face was as white as paper.
She definitely looked like a ghost.
If you are unwell, then you may go back and rest. We are here-we will help find her.
Camila honestly felt bad for Vivienne.
From the moment she met the young lady, the mother-of-two was very impressed by her gentle manners and soft demeanour.
The Rumors Were All Wrong About Vivienne
She was a beautiful kind person who got into your heart at first glance.
Camila Hall gazed at the girl who was still not stopping, her feet surprisingly steady considering her state.
"I’m fine. I’m okay. One more person is better than nothing."
However, Vivienne was far from okay.
Her head felt as though it were on the verge of splitting apart, while exhaustion dragged heavily through every inch of her body.
The group walked for a long time before finally entering the forest.
"Watch your step," one of the young villagers warned. He was broad-shouldered and looked familiar with the mountain trails. "Be careful not to slip. The ground often collapses after heavy rain."
Another man added anxiously, "The forest is huge. searching all of it will take forever."
"What if we split up?" someone suggested. "We could cover more ground that way."
"Wait, I remember there’s a cabin nearby. Let’s check there first. Maybe the child hid inside to escape the rain. If she’s not there, then we’ll split up and search separately."
"My daughter... my daughter, where are you? rosa! Rosa, can you hear me?!"
The father had joined the search party personally, shouting his daughter’s name over and over throughout the journey, yet receiving nothing in return except silence.
Everyone agreed with the suggestion.
Vivienne gritted her teeth and forced herself forward.
Her breathing grew harsher with every step, each breath catching painfully in her throat.
This can’t continue much longer.
Vivienne Blackwood knew she had to do something.
Then she remembered the power she had acquired in her third world.
Honestly... she did not want to remember those memories at all.
Vivienne closed her eyes briefly in despair.
fine.
If they failed to find the child in the cabin, then she would try using her abilities.
According to the system, her powers would be much weaker here, but she should still be able to determine at a glance whether the girl was somewhere inside the forest.
The problem was the price.
Using that power would force her into a coma for an unknown period of time.
She could not risk collapsing now and becoming a burden to the search team.
[god... the father’s voice is breaking my heart. Losing your child must be unbearable. I hope they find her.]
[yeah. He’s obviously exhausted and on the verge of collapsing, but he’s still pushing himself and shouting nonstop. He’s practically losing his voice.]
[speaking of exhaustion... has anyone been watching Vivienne’s camera feed? You can hear her heavy breathing constantly. I think she’s genuinely about to collapse. With how pale she looks, I don’t think she’s faking it anymore. I hope nothing happens to her.]
[tch. that scheming woman better not slow down the search party. They already don’t have enough people as it is.]
[Look! They arrived—they reached the cabin.]
[wait... the cabin has lights on?]
Within minutes, the group arrived at the old wooden cabin and noticed the faint glow of candlelight spilling through the windows.
"There’s someone inside... maybe it’s Rosa."
The moment the father heard those words, he lifted his head and saw the illuminated cabin.
In an instant, it felt as though life had returned to his body.
Strength flooded him anew.
"Rosa! Rosa! Rosa, are you in there?! Daddy’s here to take you home!"
The man charged toward the cabin recklessly, stumbling and falling several times along the muddy path.
Everyone hurried after him.
The father was already weak from exhaustion, so Vivienne—who happened to be beside him—instinctively supported him from one side.
From the other side, Leo Thompson stepped in silently to help, easing the burden on Vivienne.
but the moment they reached the cabin and pushed open the door—
The three of them froze.
No one moved for a very long time.
Leo’s eyes darkened instantly, a terrifying coldness settling inside them as he stared at the scene before him.
as for the father...
He collapsed violently onto the floor.
This time, no one helped him up.
"What happened? " Why aren’t you going inside?" Arthur approached the people blocking the doorway with their rigid bodies.
but before he could finish speaking—
Vivienne suddenly lunged forward with shocking speed.
A loud crash echoed from inside the cabin, followed immediately by the scream of a man begging desperately for help.
"aaaaah! let go of me! help! Somebody help me!"
Arthur rushed forward in alarm, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw Vivienne twisting a man’s arm with brutal force.
Then his mouth slowly fell open.
Vivienne moved with terrifying precision.
In one swift motion, she spun gracefully while still gripping the man’s arm, forcing it into an angle no human limb should ever reach.
A sickening crack rang out.
The man’s arm bent backward and jerked upward unnaturally, making it obvious that it had both fractured and dislocated.
But the horrifying part was—
Vivienne did not stop.
"Vivienne, stop—!"
Arthur finally snapped out of his shock and tried to intervene, but Leo blocked him with one hand and silently gestured toward the center of the room.
Arthur turned his head.
and froze.
At the center of the cabin stood a crude stone table surrounded by candles, strange symbols, and scattered skulls.
There was blood everywhere.
So much blood.
a dark crimson color stained the room so heavily that even beneath the dim night sky, it remained horrifyingly vivid.
The candlelight flickered weakly across the scene.
and there—
lying motionless atop the table—
was the body of a little girl.