With tears welling in his eyes, Caleb’s gaze suddenly sharpened. He glared at Sienna Kensington, his eyes like those of a vicious viper baring its fangs.

’This malicious girl is only nine, yet she’s so cruel.’ He hated that he was still too small, with no strength to resist after being captured.

Sienna Kensington had been in a great mood watching Caleb cry in pain. "Hahaha, you kids here are so pathetic, crying over a little cut. You have no backbone at all!" The words had barely left her mouth when she noticed Caleb’s eyes. He was glaring at her with such ferocity that her expression immediately soured.

"You dare glare at me? You little bastard, how dare you glare at me?"

Sienna Kensington’s smug little face instantly darkened. A ferocious, bloodthirsty expression appeared on the nine-year-old’s face. The bright, innocent light that should have been in her eyes was replaced by a chilling coldness as she stared at Caleb.

The tip of the knife in Sienna’s hand moved from Caleb’s left cheek to his right. The sensation went from icy cold to the searing pain of skin tearing and flesh being gouged out, forcing whimpers from Caleb. But with a cloth gag stuffed in his mouth, he couldn’t make any loud noises.

"Scared now? Tsk, tsk. Such a frail little body. I wonder how much meat you’d get if I sliced it all off, piece by piece? Oh, Mindy, there are a lot of refugees outside, aren’t there? They probably haven’t eaten meat in days, have they?"

Mindy Quincy glanced at the tightly bound boy. A flicker of pity crossed her eyes, but she still answered, "Yes, Miss. But... I don’t think they’ll eat this meat."

Sienna let out a laugh that sounded deceptively childlike. "Don’t worry. They’re all idiots. They won’t notice."

She squatted beside Caleb, her small hand gripping the dagger, her gaze suddenly fixed. With a swift, precise, and ruthless motion, she carved a gash into Caleb’s forehead deep enough to reveal bone.

Caleb had just registered the pain when blood from the wound trickled into his eyes, turning his vision crimson.

With her angelic face, Sienna was like a demon, carving symmetrical crosses on Caleb’s cheeks. Satisfied with her masterpiece, her gaze shifted to Caleb’s bare torso.

Beside them, Mindy Quincy couldn’t watch the cruel scene any longer and turned her head away. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The pain in his face had just begun to numb when a greater agony erupted from his shoulder. Glancing down, he saw that a small piece of flesh had been sliced off his shoulder with the dagger.

Sienna held the piece of flesh from Caleb’s shoulder in her palm, studying it as if it were a work of art.

"Such tender meat... what kind of animal should I tell the refugees it came from? Suckling pig? The texture in your mouth should be about the same, right?"

At that moment, Caleb felt nothing but pain and fear. He was terrified of being flayed to death by this monster who was about his age, but her words made his stomach churn even more violently.

Overwhelming terror washed over Caleb, leaving him cold and trembling uncontrollably.

’Aunt Jade and Uncle Bloom must be looking for me. Will they be mad I didn’t listen and stay in my room? Will they think I was just being naughty and got lost? Will they... abandon me?’

’I’ve been locked in here for almost a day. Why haven’t they come for me? I’m so scared... Am I really going to die? If I die, will I get to see Mom and Dad again?’

By the time Flora Bloom and her team reached the gate of the Naval Base on Navy Avenue, night had fallen. In the pitch-black darkness, the stars in the sky mirrored the glistening waves of the sea.

From a distance, she could see several people standing at the gate, among them her parents and a few unfamiliar soldiers.

But as the vehicle drew near and stopped at the gate, Flora saw her parents rush toward her, their faces etched with anxiety.

Flora’s brow furrowed slightly. "Dad, Mom, what are you doing here?"

Caleb Bloom saw Flora emerge from behind the convoy and looked her over from head to toe.

"Flora, are you all okay? Are you hurt?"

Hugh Warren approached with a squad of soldiers. He looked at Flora and said, "Leader Bloom, it’s been a long journey for you. I’ll be taking these two trucks of food now." With a glance and a nod toward Caleb Bloom, he turned to the convoy and ordered his soldiers to drive the trucks through the gate.

Once the main convoy was out of sight, Flora turned to her parents and asked urgently, "Dad, Mom, what’s wrong? Why did you both come out here?"

"Caleb’s been missing for a day."

Caleb Bloom’s words made Flora’s brow crease.

Missing? The word made her heart skip a beat.

"Did you leave the lighthouse at all?"

Hearing Flora’s question, Caleb Bloom’s expression soured. "I went out once. Captain Evan came looking for me. He said Milton Adler only sent you on this mission to get you killed. I went to confront him about it. Who knew... sigh... who knew this would happen after I left for just a little while."

"Oh? Captain Lawson? You mean Evan?"

Caleb Bloom nodded. "That’s right."

Caleb Bloom sighed, blaming himself. The camp was huge and bustling with people from various military sectors and the newly formed refugee area. Milton Adler had already dispatched teams to search the entire camp, turning it upside down, but they hadn’t found him.

The Naval Base was situated right where the land met the sea.

The sea... if something had really happened to Caleb, they might never even find his body.

The thought made Caleb Bloom even more anxious.

"Dad, don’t blame yourself. Just tell me exactly what happened. Mom, were you in the room the whole time?"

Jade was completely at a loss. Overcome with anxiety, she had no idea what to do.

"After we finished lunch, Evan came looking for your father. After they left, I took Caleb back to our room. A little later, I went to the restroom, and when I came back, Caleb was gone."

Flora listened, her mind racing as she pieced things together.

"Let’s head back first. We can talk on the way. The Naval Base is chaotic with people right now, but aside from Navy Avenue, all other entrances are heavily guarded. The entire perimeter is reinforced with electric fences. Any entry or exit would be recorded. Since Milton Adler has already had his men search, they must have questioned the perimeter guards. So I think Caleb is still somewhere inside the base."

Neal Wallace and Ethan Monroe had gone ahead with the convoy to report to Milton Adler. On the walk back to the lighthouse with her parents, Flora searched the surrounding area again, but there was still no sign of Caleb.

"Dad, why would Evan come to you about my mission?"

Caleb Bloom frowned, puzzled. "Maybe because he’s one of Old Lynch’s subordinates."

’Something about this isn’t right,’ Flora thought, mulling it over. ’Even if Evan knew Milton Adler’s intentions weren’t good, what good would sending my father to reason with him do? If they argued, it would just cause a conflict, and my father could easily get caught in the crossfire.’

The thought made Flora’s frown deepen. ’But what reason would Evan have to frame my father? Or to lure him away to kidnap Caleb? That makes even less sense!’

The three of them hurried toward the lighthouse. Just as they were approaching, they saw Holly stepping out of the building.

"Holly?"

Flora watched as Holly hesitated, glancing around furtively in the dark. After making sure no one was watching, she snuck away down a small path.

"Dad, have Evan and his group been staying in the lighthouse since they got back? What about those three Koreans?"

Caleb Bloom thought for a moment before replying. "Yes. I heard from Hugh Warren that only three people from Evan’s team made it back this time: him, Holly, and that Sienna Kensington girl. They’re all staying on the fifth floor of the lighthouse."