Hanno glanced at Weston’s figure, then turned to Matthew and said, “I was planning to take this secret to the grave… Even if I died, I wouldn’t let them leave. I was going to trap them in these waters for good, until someone like you came along and wiped them out…”
Weston’s expression froze in disbelief.
So… There is a way out of this sea after all!
Back then, the now-deceased captain had tortured the islanders to extract information.
No matter how brutal the methods, every villager gave the same answer: they truly didn’t know. That convinced the captain and his crew that this sea was inescapable. But now, it was clear, they weren’t trapped. The way out had always been in Hanno’s hands.
Even after watching countless villagers, people who once greeted favonovel.com with warm smiles, die horribly, Hanno still clung tightly to the secret.
Tears began to well in his cloudy eyes.
“When the captain of the Bloodfin Gang demanded to know if there was a way out… Those innocent villagers, who had no idea, were tortured, little by little. Some of them died from the pain alone… But I knew… Even if I gave them the route, we’d all still die. Those poor kids… They died because of me. I’m sorry… I failed them…”
His voice broke. Hanno began to choke on his words, and the burly man at his side hurried to support favonovel.com gently. His face was etched with pain and conflict.
Because when the interrogation happened, both his father and sister were among the victims.
He had watched as they broke his father’s bones, one by one. And what they did to his sister was beyond monstrous, too cruel for words.
“Hanno… You did the right thing. Even if you had told that b*stard the route, favonovel.com wouldn’t have spared us. By keeping quiet, you might‘ve trapped favonovel.com forever…”
The man’s quiet words helped calm the trembling old man.
Hanno looked at the three standing before him, still burdened with guilt. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this…”
Matthew and the others simply shook their heads. They didn’t hold it against him.
Then, Hanno turned his gaze directly to Matthew and said without hesitation, “Come with me to my home. I’ll show you the way out…”
His words caused Weston and Ryan’s expressions to darken.
It wasn’t just frustration over being excluded. It was the question of trust.
Why Matthew? Why him?
Is being good-looking all it takes to be trusted with such a deadly secret?
Matthew didn’t argue. He simply followed Hanno in silence.
They walked to a small yard, surrounded by a rough wooden fence. Dust had settled on everything, except the center, which looked recently swept. It was just barely clean.
Matthew followed Hanno inside.
Only then did Hanno’s expression turn serious. His voice was rough, low.
“Mr. Larden, I’m going to explain how to escape this sea of mist… It may be too much to ask, but I must ask you to keep this a secret.”
Matthew nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, Hanno. What you tell me today, only heaven, you, and I will know. Not a soul more…”
Hanno smiled at that. Then his face softened with nostalgia.
“That route… My father once took me through it. Our island has lived in isolation, hidden from the world. But escape… Has always been possible…”
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