The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 513

Chapter 513: Chapter 513 Hera Tracking Rafael Down
Hera picked up her phone from the dashboard, frowning as she noticed the weak signal in the area.

However, thanks to her customized phone, the issue didn’t affect her that much.

The device was specifically designed to maintain a stable connection even in places with poor reception, a precautionary feature meant to ensure she could always be tracked—or reach help—if she were ever in a situation where her safety was compromised.

With a heavy sigh, Hera surveyed the vast expanse of forest around her.

‘So this is where the signal disappeared,’ she muttered under her breath.

The thick trees and undergrowth stretched endlessly in every direction, and without a clear lead, she had no idea where to start searching.

‘What was I thinking, coming here like this without a solid plan?’ She chastised herself quietly.

Her initial panic had subsided, and now, as her mind began to settle, she could think more clearly—yet the frustration of not having the exact location weighed on her.

‘Well, I guess I could give it a shot and maybe rely a little on the female lead’s halo,’ Hera mused to herself, a wry smile tugging at her lips.

She wasn’t entirely sure it would work, but sometimes, you had to take a leap of faith, especially when you had no other choice.

‘Right,’ Hera thought, her eyes narrowing as a plan began to form. ‘Since I’m now sharing Alice’s fate, I might be sharing her halo too. That means I could get a bit of her luck—it’s the only thing I can count on right now.’

She glanced around once more, then started her car, heading in the direction where the signal had last pinged.

Her mind raced as she considered her next move. But before she fully committed, Hera pulled off to the side and hid her car in a secluded spot. It wouldn’t do to have a conspicuous vehicle lingering around.

If Rafael’s pursuers saw it, they’d get suspicious and might even follow her tracks instead of looking for him. And that would only put both her and Rafael in more danger. Better safe than sorry.

Hera drove the car under a large tree, its thick canopy offering a perfect natural cover.

She scanned the area for any large leaves and branches, then began gathering them, her movements swift and methodical.

With practiced hands, she cut off several branches and arranged them on top of the car, weaving them carefully to blend with the surrounding foliage.

Some branches she stuck into the ground around the car, creating the illusion of overgrown, small trees sprouting up.

From a distance, it was nearly impossible to spot, and only a keen observer would notice the subtle disruption.

She wasn’t done yet.

Hera took extra care to erase any trace of her arrival.

She covered the tire tracks with dry leaves, scattering them strategically so no one could follow her movements easily. Every detail mattered; her life—and Rafael’s—depended on it.

Once she finished concealing the car, Hera took a moment to assess her work.

Satisfied with the camouflage, she pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the hidden vehicle and its surroundings.

The photo would serve as a reference, ensuring that she could easily find the spot again later or avoid any confusion if she needed to return.

It was a small but necessary precaution to make sure she didn’t lose track of her carefully concealed escape route just in case she’d need it later, if not, then at least, the person who would retrieve her car would be able to find it later.

Once she was satisfied with her car’s concealment, Hera began her trek on foot.

She grabbed a sturdy stick from the ground, using it to rustle the grass ahead of her, ensuring that any snakes nearby would be frightened away.

The last thing she needed was a venomous bite while alone in the wilderness.

As she walked, she passed a patch of familiar citronella grass.

She plucked a handful and rubbed it on her exposed face to ward off bugs, then tucked the remaining leaves into her race suit for further protection.

Continuing along, Hera encountered a few strong-scented plants known to repel snakes.

She collected some, crushing the leaves and hanging them on her gear, creating a natural barrier against the slithering dangers of the forest.

With each step, she remained vigilant, aware that every precaution she took would keep her safer in the unpredictable environment ahead.

Now that she had both citronella and snake-repelling plants on her, Hera felt a sense of reassurance.

With the threat of mosquitoes carrying disease and snakes slithering too close to her eliminated, she allowed herself to pick up the pace.

The weight of worry lifted, and her movements became more purposeful as she pressed deeper into the forest, focused on the task ahead.

It took Hera quite a while to reach the area where Sasha had last detected Rafael’s signal, as the location was deeply secluded.

Fortunately, the daylight was still holding, giving her a clear advantage.

She moved cautiously, inspecting every nook and cranny of the area, determined not to overlook any detail.

As she carefully surveyed the ground, her eyes caught sight of footprints—both fresh and partially obscured—marking the path Rafael and Minerva had taken.

Hera’s brow furrowed as she examined the footprints closely.

‘These don’t match Rafael’s…’ she muttered to herself.

According to Sasha, Rafael had rushed out as soon as he discovered Minerva was missing, which meant he would have still been in his suit and tie.

His shoes, too, would have been formal—leather shoes, not anything like boots.

She scrutinized the lone footprint in front of her, noting its half-inch depth. It didn’t match what she expected. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she knelt down for a closer look.

Hera squinted at the footprint, her mind racing.

‘And Minerva was the only one with Rafael. With how she dresses, there’s no way she’d be wearing shoes like this,’ she thought, her gaze shifting toward the direction the footprint led.

The print pointed south, toward the dense forest. She straightened, her heart racing as the pieces began to fall into place.

Hera couldn’t help but smile as she examined the footprint.

‘I guess this is my only lead for now.’

Her mind lingered on Rafael’s cleverness.

‘Rafael did a great job covering his tracks. If it were anyone else, they’d be too frantic to think about hiding their traces while running for their lives.’

She couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride—Rafael’s focus and composure were impressive, even in the chaos.

Knowing that Rafael had taken the time to cover his tracks gave Hera a sense of relief. It meant that he was still ahead of his pursuers, buying himself more time to escape. The heaviness in her chest began to lift as she realized the significance—Rafael was still alive, and that alone fueled her determination to keep going.

However, with Rafael taking care to cover his tracks and the presence of another set of footprints, Hera knew there was a chance she could be following the wrong lead.

It was also possible that their pursuers had hunting dogs or tracking hounds, using scent to follow Rafael and Minerva.

This meant that following the single footprint could be a fifty-fifty gamble—either it would lead her directly to Rafael, or it would bring her face-to-face with his pursuers, putting her in a dangerous situation.