CHAPTER 438: CHAPTER 438: CAN A GHOST RUN OUT OF BREATH?

Fred walked over to the bodyguard whose hand had been cut off. He crouched down to inspect the wound on his wrist, then looked at the other bodyguards and said coldly, "Take him away."

Two bodyguards immediately moved closer to drag the man.

However, before they could take him away, Fred walked to the doorway of the room where Chantelle was hiding. He peeked inside but didn’t enter.

He signaled for the bodyguards to check whether the man was still alive.

After checking, one of them said, "He’s dead. There’s a mark on his neck, like he was strangled by a thin thread."

Fred’s heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to stay calm as he looked into the room. "Ms. Chantelle, what a rare guest. Since you’re already here, why don’t you come out?"

This kind of advanced technology wasn’t common in Kastovia, but Fred knew Chantelle had access to it.

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt something tighten around his neck. His body lifted off the ground, just like the man before him.

Chantelle was sweating as she gripped the thread in the room, trying to pull him higher.

My stamina would be better if I hadn’t taken so much medicine, she thought.

"Get some flour. Sprinkle it in the room," Fred choked out and struggled to pull at the thin thread around his neck.

Although the bodyguards were terrified of ghosts, they were even more afraid of Fred’s cruelty. They rushed to find flour immediately.

Sensing something was wrong, Chantelle quickly tied the thin thread to the iron fence and prepared to escape.

"Block... the room... the door..." Fred struggled to speak as he felt the thread move. He realized Chantelle was trying to get away and immediately ordered his men to block the door.

What a jerk! Chantelle swung her hand and flung white powder all over Fred’s face.

Fred screamed in pain. His face burned as if it were on fire, and within a few seconds, the pain spread through his entire body.

"Chantelle Bently! I’ll kill you! You’re just like your mother, vicious and brutal!" Fred shouted. He fumbled at the thin thread around his neck and loosened it enough to gasp for air and speak.

But his hands were burning with pain. He felt that if he used too much force, his hands might be cut off like the bodyguard’s.

Chantelle’s eyes widened at his words. So that’s another reason he hates me.

"Mr. Larbacher, the flour is here!" a bodyguard called as he returned carrying a large bag.

Two other bodyguards tried to help by grabbing the soles of Fred’s feet and holding him up as they desperately worked to rescue him.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and smoke filled the room. Once the smoke cleared, Fred had been rescued. They had sprinkled flour all over the room, but Chantelle was nowhere to be seen.

Chantelle slipped away during the smoke explosion. Fred stared at one spot, then lifted a tile and peered into an underground passage.

The passage looked newly dug. The inside was still damp.

She was not worried about Fred catching her in the tunnel. The device in the woman’s ear had been recording, and she had contacted Jacob to live broadcast what was happening.

She had also told Jacob to call the police anonymously and send them the exact location.

So, the police should be arriving at Rose Castle gate now.

Chantelle had estimated it correctly. Fred thought about crawling into the underground passage, but he had to be careful since he’d dug it secretly without Joseph’s knowledge.

Before he could tell everyone to clear the room, a bodyguard rushed in, panting in panic. "Mr. Larbacher, the police are here."

Fred’s heart pounded. He ordered the bodyguards to move the women to another location.

The bodyguard kept talking. "The police have surrounded the castle."

"Everyone, get out quickly and lock the basement!" Fred commanded. He decided to pull all his men out of the basement.

The women wanted to scream for help, but the ruthless bodyguards threatened them to keep silent.

The woman who had been saved by Chantelle whispered to the air, "Are you still here?"

The girl next to her looked startled. "Wh... Who are you talking to?" she asked.

The woman gestured for her to shut her mouth and asked again into the air, "Are you still here?"

Chantelle was running through the passage when she heard the woman’s voice. Panting, she replied, "I... I’m still here. Have the police arrived?"

"How do you know the police are coming? They said the police surrounded the castle, but they locked us in the basement. I don’t know if the police can find us here." The woman’s voice trembled. She was convinced Chantelle was a ghost.

B... But can a ghost run out of breath?

"Can we call for help? Maybe the police can hear us from outside," the girl asked carefully, noticing everyone staring at her.

Some of the women thought she was losing her mind, while others hoped that she might be right.

"Don’t call for help. The police will find you soon." Chantelle reached the end of the passage. She didn’t dare push the floor tiles above her head, afraid Fred’s men might be standing right on top of her.

"Okay, I understand. We won’t call for help," the woman said. She turned to the other women and told them, "You all saw what happened just now. The person talking to me saved us. She told us to stay here and wait for the police."

Some of the women believed her. Some didn’t. But no one argued. They all agreed that calling for help too soon might attract the bodyguards instead of the police.

If that happened, they might be assaulted.

Chantelle sent messages to Jacob from the passage. The signal here was better than before. She described her rough location and the path she had taken, hoping Jacob could pinpoint her current location.

When Chantelle was dealing with Fred and his men, Jacob had already managed to get the map of the castle.

So after a short moment, he replied, "You’re right beneath Joseph’s room right now."

I’m underneath Joseph’s room? Chantelle was stunned. Why would Fred build a secret passage leading to Joseph’s room? Did Joseph know about it?

He shouldn’t know. If he did, Fred would have already sent someone down here to chase me.

She had already walked through the passage alone for quite a while.

"Check his room for me right now."