"I'm with you!"

"Include me as well!"

Nicole quieted them with a gesture and instructed, “Proceed quietly. Everyone crawls at the pickup truck. Pair up and heed my signals closely. If my index finger is raised, it's safe to advance to the vehicle. If not, maintain stillness. Is that clear?"

Each person nodded in agreement, prompting Nicole to gesture with her finger. Two girls darted out quietly.

With a subtle motion, Nicole signaled for two more girls to follow the suit.

They proceeded cautiously and deliberately until all the abducted girls had entered the vehicle. Without prompting, they arranged themselves flat on the floor, huddling together to minimize their visibility.

Nicole meticulously draped a tarpaulin over the girls. Their slender figures clustered together, rendering it difficult to discern the true number of occupants within the car.

After securely fastening the tarpaulin, Nicole moved to the driver's seat and initiated the ignition.

Suddenly, a menacing firearm pressed against Nicole's temple.

"Hey!" The guard stationed at the door had discovered Nicole and inquired with suspicion, “What are you doing?"

Speaking Ambrosia with an accent, this guard likely hailed from a place outside of Ambrosia.

Nicole's back was soaked with sweat as she urgently gestured with her hands, indicating that she needed to retrieve something from the car for the person in the adjacent room.

Though the guard couldn't comprehend her words, he grasped the gist of her gestures. Using the gun, he struck Nicole's head and commanded, "Gol"

His directive was clear. He meant for Nicole to proceed to the hut and confront the individual inside in an attempt to confirm the truth of her words.

Nicole's heart raced with fear. Within the hut, all that remained was the lifeless body of the man and the stains of blood. Entering would undoubtedly lead to her swift discovery and the guard might not hesitate to pull the trigger within moments.

Reluctantly, Nicole began her approach toward the hut. However, before departing, she deliberately dropped the keys onto the soft ground, ensuring they made no noise upon impact.

Pretending to cooperate with the guard, Nicole intentionally spoke in broken Ambrosian, knowing the guard couldn't fully understand. "Key... On the ground... I distract... You leave. No look back."

Nicole's words bordered on a final farewell. Each person understood the grim reality that they were defenseless against bullets.

Nicole's only hope lay in seizing the gun from the guard and sacrificing herself to buy the other abducted girls some time to dash off. Though the girls knew the outcome was bleak for Nicole, they had no alternative.

If asked whether she would regret her self-sacrificing actions, Nicole would flatly reply she did not have any remorse, not in the slightest. Saving this large amount of abducted girls made any sacrifice worthwhile.