Return of the Crowned Heiress novel Chapter 356

Felicia's slow, unhurried steps echoed faintly along the deserted road. The farther she walked, the darker the path became. Several streetlights along the stretch had long since gone out, leaving the area shrouded in eerie shadows. The silence was deafening, broken only by the soft shuffle of her shoes against the pavement.

In the dark, the assassins knew their moment had arrived.

"Now!" the leader ordered in a hushed tone.

Seventeen shadowy figures moved like a wave, swift and silent as they closed in on Felicia from all directions. She'd have seen nothing but the blur of black-clad figures barreling toward her if she turned around.

Within seconds, they were upon her.

One assassin lunged, his blade flashing in the dim light as it aimed directly for her throat. The steel glinted menacingly as it drew closer, inch by inch.

But just as the knife was about to meet its target, it froze in mid-air.

The assassin hesitated, glancing at his wrist. A thin silver needle now protruded from his skin, its shaft still vibrating faintly as though it had only just embedded itself.

The assassin sneered, mocking, "Go to hell!"

Just then, his body stiffened. Blood began trickling from his wrist, dripping down the blade in his hand. His sneer faltered as confusion overtook him.

The assassin stared at the silver needle. To his horror, its gleaming surface was rapidly turning black.

"Poison!" he gasped, his voice hoarse.

"Not just poison," Felicia murmured, her tone almost playful. "It's a deadly poison."

With a single finger, she pushed the blade away from her face. The assassin's eyes widened in shock as blood suddenly gushed from his nose, ears, and mouth. In mere moments, he collapsed backward, lifeless.

The remaining 16 assassins froze, stunned by the sudden and silent death of their comrade. But their shock lasted only a moment. They were professionals, after all. Death was part of the job.

"Stay sharp! Finish this quickly!" barked the leader, his voice sharp and commanding.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out two small spheres and flung them toward the advancing assassins. The assassins barely spared the spheres a glance. To them, it was a desperate last-ditch effort from a cornered target.

In the past, they'd seen someone throw a bottle of water at them in a similar situation.

Unbothered, they pressed forward, even smirking at Felicia's futile attempt to resist.

But the moment the spheres hit the ground, they cracked open, releasing a fine, almost invisible powder into the air.

Carried by the breeze, the powder enveloped the assassins and clung to their faces and hands, even wafting into their mouths and noses. Within seconds, the assassins' blades darkened.

The other assassins turned to one another, horrified. In the glassy, bloodied eyes of their comrades, they saw their own gruesome reflection.

No one screamed.

One by one, their bodies crumpled to the ground, lifeless.