Raised From The Wild-Chapter 367: Hostaged!

Before she could utter the word "bomb," her bag exploded. The mini bomb sent a sharp shock wave through the air, and Grace felt an excruciating pain all over her body. She was lying on the floor covered in blood, and she became a mangled flesh. She could not hear a thing other than the ringing in her ears.

Grace felt that her life was ebbing away, and through her blurring vision, she saw Sophie running toward her.

"Sophie... help me. I don’t want .. to ..die." She spoke with difficulty. She did not know if Sophie heard her or if she reached her side because she stopped breathing. She died with her eyes wide open, gazing in the direction where Sohpie was.

The people near Grace were in shock. Disoriented, they blinked through the mist, trying to regain their bearings. Their breathing was rapid and shallow, adrenaline surging through their veins as the reality of the situation began to set in. They never imagined that such an incident could happen in a high-end hotel where the defense minister of one of the most powerful countries was in attendance. Who would have thought someone was bold enough to sneak in a bomb? And how could they do that without being caught?

The banquet hall was still filled with the stunned silence of the guests, who were completely taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. Suddenly, a delightful and alluring fragrance began to waft through the air, originating from the torn bag. Instead of the expected pungent odor of sulfur, the hall was now infused with a soothing, sweet perfume that seemed to have a calming effect on everyone present.

"We must leave immediately. The scent of the perfume is toxic," Leon exclaimed urgently. He quickly handed Princess Amaya a mask before putting on his own. As he glanced at Prince Raquim, he noticed that his guards were in a daze, still fixated on the spot where the explosion had occurred.

"Prince Raquim, you must wear the mask; the air is poisoned." He said sternly as he passed a mask to Prince Raquim and his guards.

After adjusting her mask, Princess Amaya pressed a button on her wristwatch and then followed Leon as he led her to the emergency exit on the right wing of the banquet hall.

Princess Amaya cast her eyes toward the stage and, amid the commotion, spied Charles Gray and Adelle Black being led by several men in dark clothing toward the rear of the stage. As she turned back, she realized that the crowd had fallen into an eerie silence. No longer were there shouts or wails. The princess found herself rooted to the spot as she took in the sight of people sprawled unconscious on the floor or slumped over the tables, while those who were still conscious appeared visibly weakened.

As they hurriedly made their way out, the food servers, once displaying practiced elegance as they skillfully balanced trays of hot dishes, now brandished firearms. Their previously warm, courteous, and polished mannerisms had transformed into palpable hostility.

Princess Amaya, with her two guards, Raquim and his two guards, no longer had a chance to watch the waiters expertly search the unconscious guards of the guests and unarm them. Vasquez and Leon led them into the female restroom as the emergency exit was blocked by the ’waiters’ turned hostage-takers.

"Is the entire hotel under siege?" Princess Amaya asked. She checked her cellphone and found that she did not have any signal. Only her wristwatch was working as it used a satellite signal. Leon and Vasquez have the same watch, but a different style.

"I can’t believe someone would be bold enough to hold these VIPs from different countries hostage," Raquim said, gritting his teeth. He tried to contact Albanya’s security team without success.

"It is an inside job," Leon said. He was very calm as he unscrewed the vent cover. He worked very fast, and once the cover was removed, he gestured to Vasquez to climb up.

Vasquez stepped on the toilet bowl and propel himself to the ceiling. Once he entered the duct, his hands and face appeared from the hole in the ceiling, and he reached out to grasp Amaya’s hands.

"It is okay, Vasquez. Start moving. I can climb by myself."

Vasques disappeared from the ceiling, and before Princess Amaya could hoist herself up, a pair of strong hands held her by the waist and pushed her up the ceiling.

Princess Amaya was on the verge of responding, but she quickly recalled the direness of their situation and chose to remain silent instead.

"We have to hurry. They are coming for us, and we don’t have time." Leon said and followed right after Amaya. He did not care about Prince Raquim and his bodyguards. It was up to them to catch up.

The restroom door was forcefully opened just as Raquim disappeared from the ceiling.

"Follow and protect the crown prince with your life. I’ll cover for you and delay them," one of Raquim’s guards said.

After hastily replacing the vent cover, the guard positioned his gun at the side of the door.

When the door was kicked open, the guard pulled the trigger, and a man in a waiter uniform fell, and blood splattered on the floor.

There was a short silence, and then something was thrown at his foot. It was a hand grenade.

He quickly picked it up and leaped out the door, landing in front of at least six men wearing the white waiter uniform. Before his body could become riddled with bullets, the grenade in his hand exploded with a thunderous roar, instantly shattering the calm with a violent burst of energy that caused tremor.

Prince Raquim and his guard paused when they heard the explosion. The three persons crawling ahead of them moved faster, and they followed suit.

A tall man with a medium build wearing a chef’s uniform observed the area that used to be the entrance of an opulent rest room. The ground was scarred and pockmarked by the explosion, and the atmosphere was heavy with a lingering sense of destruction. The man’s face, full of wrath, added to the dreary air.

"Find them and bring them to me within an hour." A loud voice, like roaring thunder, broke the silence and caused the men in white to shudder.