The unexpected turn of events made cold sweat begin to seep from Ziwu's forehead.
Forty-five seconds, exactly forty-five seconds!
He repeated it inwardly, as though trying to bolster his courage:
I couldn't have counted wrong!
But what did the other man's attitude mean?
Could he have some way of making me count wrong?
Ziwu looked at Cheadle. That female Hunter should understand that the sooner they stopped the timer, the worse it was for them!
But unexpectedly, Cheadle said nothing. Her eyes held only unwavering trust.
Why? Why was she so certain that this Dio wasn't just acting recklessly!?
Did I really miss something? Was it forty-six seconds, not forty-five!?
Ziwu felt his breathing begin to quicken. He could not figure out whether he had been influenced without realizing it, or whether they were merely bluffing, trying to trick him.
Right, he's just trying to trick me. I won't fall for it!
As though clutching at a lifeline, Ziwu began repeating those words in his mind:
I couldn't have counted wrong. There's no way I counted wrong!
After twenty-five years of hopeless waiting, Ziwu, who seemed the most normal among the five trapped thieves and four agents, was actually on the verge of madness too.
He just wanted to go home.
Ziwu raised his head and stared fixedly at Dio. He opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing, but could not utter a single word.
He tried to catch a trace of panic or guilt on Dio's face. That would prove the other man was merely bluffing.
But to his disappointment, Dio watched him calmly from beginning to end.
His eyes seemed to say, "A dead man can still breathe and talk?"
"Th-the answer is forty-five seconds-"
Ziwu gave his answer anyway. He chose to trust the instinct he had