The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 898

"Callahan! Your arm!"

Leilani's heart dropped into her stomach the second she saw the dark stain spreading across his sleeve.

"It's just a scratch. I'm fine," Callahan muttered, not even flinching.

Moving with practiced efficiency, he used his good hand to rip a strip of fabric from the hem of his shirt and tied a tight tourniquet above the wound just in case.

He let out a cold scoff, his eyes narrowing into lethal slits as he stared down the seemingly empty tunnel.

"Looks like our host couldn't wait to hand out the party favors..."

This place was a hundred times deadlier than they had anticipated.

Ignoring his protests, Leilani immediately stepped forward. Using her flashlight, she carefully inspected the laceration. When she confirmed it was just a standard cut and the needle hadn't been laced with anything immediately toxic, the knot in her chest finally loosened.

It was a small miracle the dart hadn't been poisoned.

But that didn't offer much comfort.

The relentless barrage of traps sent a very clear message: whoever built this place wasn't just a master of psychological warfare. They were a ruthless, brilliant engineer of death.

Callahan wasn't used to being toyed with. The sheer audacity of it only sharpened his focus.

He glared into the abyss ahead, acutely aware that there were likely hundreds of hidden cameras and lethal surprises waiting in the dark.

Ignoring the stinging in his arm, he took a slow breath. His gaze hardened into absolute steel.

Shaun was the team's demolitions and infiltration expert. Popping a lock was second nature to him.

"On it."

Shaun dropped to a knee, pulling a set of highly specialized steel tools from his kit, and began meticulously working the complex electronic mechanism.

Minutes dragged by. The only sound was the harsh breathing of the team.

Finally, a soft *click* echoed from the cylinder, followed by the low hum of a motorized track.

With a loud hiss of depressurizing air, the heavy door slid open.

Instantly, a noxious wave hit them. It was a suffocating blast of industrial bleach violently mixed with the unmistakable, stomach-churning stench of rotting flesh.