The forces Belinda belonged to were clearly under the Eye of Judgment, and this time they had even used the port of Iyas as a transit point, transporting a large quantity of contraband materials in preparation to launch some sort of plan against the Defiled Bird faction.
Unfortunately, thanks to Leilin's interference, the plan had barely begun before it received a fatal blow!
Because of Leilin's tip-off, the arrangements at the port of Iyas were completely exposed. Every organization and undercover operative was uprooted, and only Belinda managed to escape under Leilin's protection.
For the Eye of Judgment's forces, this was an unbearable humiliation! The enormous losses in materials and intelligence were also something they could not accept.
As a result, Belinda's superior Belcrack immediately led a large army to the scene, and together with Belinda and the others, they stormed the port of Iyas in one fell swoop.
With Belcrack's rank-five powerhouse strength, the rank-four Governor of Iyas had no way to resist.
In theory, everything should have gone smoothly. On the continent of Hell, the Governor of Iyas had no support to speak of.
But unfortunately, plans are merely plans, and variables are most likely to arise—especially since Leilin had long since set his sights on Belcrack. Everything the opponent had done before this was essentially a tragedy waiting to happen.
In the end, through Leilin's deliberate arrangement, not only did the Governor of Iyas and several other high-ranking members of the Defiled Bird manage to escape safely, but Belcrack himself—a rank-five Sacrificer—was even used by Leilin as an offering to the Defiled Bird, temporarily resolving the trouble on his own person. As for Belcrack, even his true spirit had been annihilated.
A rank-five powerhouse, even in the Inferno World, was exceedingly rare—especially a Sacrificer. Within Belinda's faction, such a figure was mid-to-upper management, fully responsible for this entire region. The loss of such a person was an absolute catastrophe for Belinda and the others!
Although Belinda did her best to salvage the situation, the conflict was inevitable once they had reorganized their forces and returned to a safe haven.
No—perhaps "conflict" was not the right word. It was nothing more than a scheme!
The moment Belinda stepped forward, she became a scapegoat and sacrificial lamb in the eyes of the other Morning Star powerhouses.
"Why? How did things end up like this?"
Belinda leaned half-reclined against a corner of the wall, her arms wrapped around her shoulders as though doing so could bring her a shred of warmth. In truth, with her physical constitution, only the absolute zero at the critical threshold could bring her any sensation of cold.
But deep inside, she still instinctively did so.
She was currently in a cold, damp dungeon. The walls were covered with reinforcement runes, the door was a frigid iron grille, and not far away stood several sea-race observers with icy gazes.
The fluctuations of a Morning Star-level Field radiated openly from their bodies—these were unmistakably the same sea-race members who had fought alongside Belinda just before.
But now, they had long since turned their weapons around, going so far as to place Belinda under house arrest.
And the charge? Ridiculously, it was "colluding with the enemy"!!! Belinda truly wanted to laugh. The decision to deploy forces to the port of Iyas had been a collective one made by all the higher-ups, yet somehow it had been twisted into the claim that Belcrack had done it all because of her instigation.
Even her calm efforts to rally morale after the allied forces' leader had been captured had been described as proof of her seizing power.
And the only possible explanation for why she would do such a thing—other than collusion with the enemy—was there any?
Furthermore, compared to the Evil Eye race and the sea-race members who had long been followers of the Eye of Judgment, she, a descendant of the White Devil, stood out like a sore thumb. Wasn't she the perfect target?
It had to be said—whenever there was suspicion of a traitor, it was always someone from the outside who took the first shot.
"Belinda, are you feeling any better?" At that moment, another voice came from beside her, causing Belinda to lift her head slightly.
By the dim light, she made out the figure of another of her kind. Upon seeing him, a bitter smile crept onto Belinda's lips. "Nick? You've been thrown in here too?"
The shadow puppet controlled by Intelligent Agent No. 1 gazed at Belinda with an expression of "concern."
When the sea-race members had suddenly turned on them, Belinda had been almost like a puppet herself, offering no resistance whatsoever.
As for Nick—who was actually nothing more than a shadow puppet with the strength of Agent One—he naturally dared not fight back either, and had been locked up together with her.
Fortunately, perhaps fearing that overly aggressive measures would provoke resistance and cause unnecessary casualties, they had merely been placed under house arrest rather than having their true spirits sealed. They had even been thrown into the same cell.
【Target is currently in an emotional low point and a period of mental confusion. Appropriate psychological comfort can increase their favorability!】
At that moment, inside the shadow puppet, an analysis prompt surfaced directly. But without Leilin's orders, Nick's assigned task was to maintain his identity without exposure. Emotional gestures like this were precisely what intelligent agents found most difficult to execute. And so Nick simply stood there, blank-faced, as though he too had been struck by the blow.