Chapter 286 Already left?

Chapter 286 Already left?

Sophie reacted incredibly fast. Her heart skipped a beat, and without time to think, one hand gripped the livestream equipment tightly while her other hand shot out quickly, grabbing Melinda's wrist—Melinda being the closest to her.

Dylan wasn't so lucky though.

He was still some distance from Sophie.

Dylan was directly yanked out of the boat by that strange force. With a splash, he fell into the water too, the spray soaking the hem of Melinda's dress.

At this moment, Charles and Dylan were on opposite sides of Isabella's boat, one on the left, one on the right, each about eighteen feet from the vessel.

In other words, Isabella could only choose to save one person first.

The wind on the lake grew stronger, making the boat rock slightly, and the dark shadows at the bottom of the lake seemed to be stirring again.

"Who should I save?"

A whisper swept past Isabella's ear, as if someone were really speaking right beside her.

Isabella ignored the lingering whisper in her ear—that voice was soft and cold, like someone breathing against her earlobe, carrying the damp chill of lake water.

Instead, she quickly bent down, picked up two oars from the cabin, and with a flick of her wrists, threw them precisely to either side, landing them right by Charles's and Dylan's hands.

The oars hit the water surface, splashing up two modest sprays, bobbing up and down on the lake.

"The oars float—grab onto them first!"

Isabella's voice cut through the wind on the lake, carrying an undeniable force as she shouted loudly.

When Charles and Dylan had been dragged into the water by that invisible hand, their chests had filled with panic.

The icy lake water choked their throats painfully, and their limbs felt frozen.

Hearing Isabella's words now was like grasping a thread of hope, and they instantly calmed down.

Especially Charles—he'd already fallen into the lake once before, so he had some confidence in how to handle it.

The moment Isabella threw the oar, he held his breath and struggled with all his might, moving his arms and legs, swimming toward the side of the boat, the splashing water soaking his hair.

Dylan, on the other hand, had swallowed several mouthfuls of water and his lungs felt terrible. Hearing Isabella's words, he flailed wildly in the water, paddling with both hands and feet, and finally managed to grab the oar floating on the surface, his knuckles turning white from the effort.

Melinda and Sophie also rushed to the side of the boat, leaning halfway out, reaching out their hands, desperately trying to grab the oar Dylan was holding, afraid he might lose his grip and be dragged back under.

Just then, undercurrents suddenly surged beneath the calm lake surface. The dark shadows in the water began moving rapidly again—dense and numerous, like countless black ribbons, quickly gathering beneath Charles and Dylan, churning and surging in the water, as if something terrifying was about to break through the surface, sending chills down everyone's spines.

"There are shadows!"

Melinda was the first to spot the disturbance underwater. Her face turned pale as she screamed, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

Isabella reacted instantly, without any hesitation, quickly pulling two tarot cards from her bag.

The tarot cards gleamed with a faint luster, their surfaces covered in complex and mysterious patterns.

With a flick of her wrist, using just the right amount of force, the tarot cards shot toward the water like unsheathed throwing knives, carrying a sharp whistling sound.

The moment the tarot cards touched the dark shadows underwater, those shadows let out a silent wail as if they'd met their nemesis, instantly dissipating without a trace.

The lake surface briefly returned to calm. But once the tarot cards lost their power and slowly sank into the water, those scattered shadows gathered again like a tide, even more turbulent than before.

They seemed to form into a pair of giant black hands again, gripping Charles's and Dylan's ankles tightly, pulling them farther and deeper.

Watching this scene, Isabella sighed helplessly. The warmth in her eyes gradually faded, her gaze becoming as cold as winter ice. She said coldly,

"If you don't want me to beat you until your souls scatter, keep pulling.

This time, I won't show mercy."

With that, Isabella slowly raised her hand and pulled two gleaming silver magic knives from her bag.

The blades were thin and sharp, reflecting blinding light in the evening sunset, with intricate runes carved on the handles.

Anyone who knew Isabella's abilities knew that once these magic knives were drawn, they would definitely hurt people, souls, and ghosts—without mercy.

Those dark shadows seemed genuinely wary of Isabella's words and the two cold-gleaming magic knives.

They just gathered beneath Charles and Dylan, constantly circling and churning, but didn't dare pull them even an inch further.

Charles seized this opportunity and swam to the boat's edge with all his strength, reaching out to grip the side tightly.

The muscles in his arms bulged from the effort. Gritting his teeth, he pushed hard and finally hauled himself onto the boat.

Dylan also grabbed the oar Sophie handed over. Sophie had tremendous strength—gripping one end of the oar, she yanked it backward forcefully while reaching out to grab Dylan's arm, pulling him up in one motion.

Charles and Dylan lay in the cabin, gasping for breath, their chests heaving violently, completely soaked.

Water dripped from their hair, leaving them in a sorry state.

The lake breeze blew past, bringing a chill that made them shiver involuntarily.

"Cousin, what's going on? Are there really vengeful spirits of drowned people under the water?"

After a long while, Dylan finally recovered. He lifted his head to look at Isabella, his voice still carrying traces of fear, even his teeth chattering slightly.

Isabella didn't answer his question. Instead, she raised her head to look at the gradually darkening sky.

The sunset had fallen behind the mountains, leaving only a faint afterglow. The sky's color changed from orange-red to deep purple as night slowly descended.

She raised her wrist to check the time and said,

"It's almost 6 o'clock. Let's head back."

"What about 6 o'clock?"

Charles coughed twice, spitting out the lake water remaining in his mouth. He struggled up from the cabin, saying indignantly,

"Cousin, you have to avenge us!

There are vengeful spirits of drowned people under the water. Aren't your abilities the most powerful?

It just made me swallow so much lake water, I thought my lungs would burst. I can't just leave like this—I'm not willing!"

Isabella glanced at Charles's indignant face and said flatly,

"They're not here anymore. They've already left."

"Left?"

Dylan froze for a moment, then quickly stood up from the cabin and turned to look at the lake behind them.

Sure enough, beneath the clear lake water, those bone-chilling dark shadows had now completely vanished without a trace.