Chapter 326 There Must Be a Mastermind
Just then, a man in black appeared before Milan. "Master, how does Gwyneth know that those Archer assassins we sent are connected to the Guest family?"
Milan narrowed his eyes. "She's probably just making wild guesses."
He suspected that Gwyneth was only saying this to get Thaddeus to cure the poisoned person. After all, everyone knew that the black market goods came from the Guest family, right?
But if Gwyneth were asked to provide solid evidence proving that the Archer assassins were sent by the Guest family, she definitely wouldn't be able to produce it!
The man in black looked worried. "Those Archer assassins seem to have been captured. Will they... will they give you up?"
Milan shook his head. "I poisoned them. They won't have time to tell the truth."
At the same time.
Punishment Hall.
The three Archer assassins were locked in separate rooms.
Rather than rooms, they were more like prison cells.
Each of them was barely alive, hanging on by a thread.
According to the rules, people like this had to be tortured to force them to reveal who was behind it all.
Ollie was also being interrogated.
He was tied to a torture rack.
Looking at this dark, damp Punishment Hall filled with the smell of blood, his eyes showed deep despair.
Actually, before becoming a guard for Echo Team, Ollie had worked shifts at Punishment Hall too.
He just never expected that he used to be the one carrying out punishments, but now he was the one being punished.
Just one wrong decision.
He really regretted it. He shouldn't have targeted Isabella.
If he hadn't been so stubborn, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
"Never thought I'd see the day, Ollie, when you'd end up here, and in this way." Standing before him was a burly man, an executioner.
The Powell family's guards came in many types, and executioners were the lowest rank, because they spent every day in this sunless basement with the people being interrogated—not exactly a good job.
That's why Ollie had used his abilities to join Echo Team.
And became Echo Team's deputy captain.
But now, he'd been stripped of his position, brought back to Punishment Hall, and as a traitor no less.
Ollie looked up and said urgently, "Kimball Church, I'm not a traitor, you have to believe me—"
Before he could finish, Kimball's whip struck directly across Ollie's bare chest.
Instantly, the skin on his chest split open, flesh turning outward.
Ollie gritted his teeth.
Kimball lifted his whip and sneered, "Everyone who comes here says that, especially traitors like you."
As Kimball spoke, he took a swig of liquor and struck Ollie with another lash.
These executioners generally didn't waste words. If they hit hard enough, people would say everything they should and shouldn't say.
Kimball whipped Ollie ten times straight, showing no mercy.
"After all, what I hate most are traitors! Ollie, we work for the Powell family, eat well, drink well, our parents' old age is secure, we don't worry about money—isn't that good? Plus Ms. Powell valued you so much, made you deputy captain of Echo Team. Why would you betray the Powell family?"
"I hate ungrateful people like you the most!"
Kimball couldn't help adding another lash.
After this ordeal, Ollie's strength was much weaker.
He looked at Kimball, his voice weak. "Kimball, I'm really not the mastermind. I was used, manipulated by outsiders. And I never wanted to hurt Ms. Powell, but they didn't listen to me and shot arrows at Ms. Powell too. This is all a conspiracy..."
"If you're not the mastermind, then tell me who's behind this!" Kimball said fiercely.
Ollie shook his head. "I don't know, I really don't know... The person who sold me the poison covered himself completely. I never saw his face or knew who he was, but this was all definitely his plan. He wanted to harm Ms. Powell."
"Those three Archer assassins were also introduced to me by him." Ollie said with difficulty. "Those three Archer assassins must have someone behind them. They must have received orders to assassinate Ms. Powell."
Kimball put down his tools, took a swig of liquor, and gave Ollie a cold look. "I'll barely believe what you're saying. If those three Archer assassins do have someone behind them, I'll definitely get it out of them and report it!"
Kimball had someone watch Ollie, then went to the other rooms.
The rooms where the Archer assassins were held.
But the result was that all three Archer assassins said the same thing: Ollie was the mastermind.
They also said that Ollie was resentful about being stripped of his position and held a grudge against Gwyneth, so he had them assassinate Gwyneth.
Ollie never expected they would lie so blatantly. His orders to them were clearly to assassinate Isabella!
"They're lying!" Ollie shouted, his eyes bloodshot. "How could I resent Ms. Powell over something like this? I'm loyal to the Powell family! Kimball, believe me, those three Archer assassins definitely have someone behind them. That person is the one who had them assassinate Ms. Powell!"
Kimball's lips curved into a mocking smile. "Ollie, you better not lie. No matter what your position was before, now that you're here, I won't go easy on you."
Just as Kimball finished speaking, someone burst through the door, looking panicked.
"Something's wrong! Those three Archer assassins are coughing up black blood—they're dead!"
"What!"
Kimball's expression changed.
He dropped his tools and rushed to check on the Archer assassins.
Sure enough.
All three were coughing up black blood, their faces blackened, no longer breathing.
Kimball could tell at a glance. "Damn it, they were poisoned."
Someone had poisoned these three Archer assassins beforehand, and now they'd died from the poison.
"What do we do now?" someone asked.
Kimball frowned. "Looks like there really is someone behind this!"
Now he had to believe what Ollie said, because the mastermind's intention to silence them was too obvious.
Kimball didn't dare delay and immediately reported this to Gwyneth.
——
Gwyneth received Kimball's message just as she brought Thaddeus to the hospital.
Thaddeus was led directly to Isabella's hospital room.
He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Isabella lying unconscious on the bed. "She's the one who was poisoned? What's her status?"
Gwyneth replied coldly, "Her status is none of your concern. You just need to cure her poison."
Thaddeus's expression darkened, but he said nothing.
He stepped forward to examine the wound and Isabella's complexion, then said, "So it really is poison made from Viperleaf."
"Hurry up and cure her!" Efren urged from the side.