Chapter 98:

Ah Yuen, covered in blood stains, stared in disbelief at the scene before him. This was originally supposed to be three interconnected underground warehouses, but the middle wall had been dug through, connecting them into a single shared area. Wooden crates could still be seen stacked in the corners, but the space was crammed full of people. From the small entrance platforms where the players were, one could overlook the entire terrain of the area. It had been turned into a rather cramped yet orderly refugee zone, densely packed with people. It seemed incredibly noisy, but in reality, they appeared accustomed to this cramped living condition. Some men were using tools to dig into the corner walls, creating more usable space. Among the crowd, dismantled crate boards had been used to construct crude “shacks”, separating individual partitions and maximizing use of the limited space. They had even hung crate-like “treehouses” from the ceiling area. Those were designated as the “living quarters” for children, with hand-woven soft ladders for them to climb up and down. Near Ah Yuen, Gugu Chicken even spotted an area with pots set up for cooking something. If not for the out-of-place setting, it would have seemed like they were back in a survivor’s camp. Just from their clothes and appearance, it was clear these people living in this massive underground warehouse were civilians from Kadman City. Just like in the outer city district where many fled into the sewers when the astral fissure attacked, the inner city residents had made the same choice. But evidently, they were far luckier than those who escaped underground in the outer districts, likely found by that formidable vampire male who brought them here. “Damn, just how many people are here?” Cheche asked in a low voice, somewhat startled. The calmer Ah Yuen used elementary school math estimation skills to scan the area and said: “Judging from the number of those shacks, at least 1,500! The situation here is really odd, this has to be some kind of super powerful hidden storyline! We must report to Lord Murphy immediately!” —— The vampire lord had just finished dealing with that mother Astral Manticore after expending quite an effort. In certain legends, this creature was also called the scorpion-tailed lion. It was a fusion of lion, bat, and scorpion features, said to live deep in the Dark Mountains south of Transia, with mutant offshoots in the great deserts of the faraway Sanghai Empire. Adult manticores were huge beast-type creatures. As they aged and grew stronger, some powerful ones would ascend to the realm of “legendary creatures” that defied conventional wisdom. But the Astral Manticore was clearly more dangerous than its “kin” in the physical world. Its danger came not just from its body being three times larger than a normal lion and its brute force, but also from the vicious, venomous scorpion tail that allowed it to use some spirit magic and assault enemy minds, like all its astral compatriots. If Murphy hadn’t grown large bat wings to take to the skies, he really wouldn’t have had a good way to deal with this ferocious, dangerous creature that had taken a liking to living flesh and blood. This thing could easily reach supersonic flight speeds. Here in the underground cavern severely limiting its performance, it couldn’t last five minutes against Murphy’s ghostly onslaught before rejoining the stars. Like other astral beings, after its physical projection was destroyed, it began rapidly dissipating, but left behind a little “memento” for Murphy. Its grotesquely shaped, venomous scorpion tail impaled the ground by Murphy’s feet. Though biological, it was icy cold to the touch like an alien metal artifact, glimmering with starlight specks in the darkness – clearly prime material for crafting an exquisite short blade or dagger. “Hm?” Just as Murphy picked up his spoil of war, he sensed a proactive report coming from the players through his core computation bead. Based on the computation bead architecture’s communication system, players couldn’t initiate contact with Murphy as a higher-level node. They could only submit “reports” following a fixed format like sending letters in this world. Most players rarely used this function since it was a hassle during active dungeon raids. But he narrowed his eyes upon opening Ah Yuen’s brief yet striking report. Huh? Blood Vulture Civilian Protection Officer? At least 1,500 survivors? A hidden refuge with the corpse of a crazed vampire? Wasn’t this connected to the young lady’s earlier speculation and reminder? “Wait a moment!” He gestured to the old knight Finoch who was about to press forward, then sent a communication request to the young lady’s computation bead. Seconds later, the call connected. The young lady’s cold voice came through from the other side: “What is it? I’m rather busy here.” “Who is the current Blood Vulture Clan’s Civilian Protection Officer?” Murphy asked. As a clan member, he should know the answer to this question. But being an outcast left Murphy unclear and uncaring about such organizational structures. His sudden inquiry did catch the young lady off guard for a moment. She replied: According to Lady Tris, as long as the statues weren’t shattered, there was a small chance of “reviving” the vampires by reinserting their hearts within a certain timeframe. Commotion broke out among the group. The players had personally witnessed the destructive power of these crazed vampires today, yet these feared elites had been slaughtered here like cattle. This was clear proof of the presence of someone extremely formidable. “Stop, don’t go any further,” the young lady warned, sensing the killing intent and familiar aura ahead. She signaled the players to halt as she strode forward, leaning on her crimson spirit staff. “Halt!” A rebuke came from ahead, and Femis immediately stopped in her tracks. Then, in view of the scene transition watched by the players, a tall heavily-armored knight emerged from the shadows before them. Clad in a crimson vampire-styled heavy armor with a vulture-like face mask and wide cloak, the once-splendid armor and mask were now drenched in horrific blood, the crimson cloak in tattered ruins like shattered, powerless wings drooping down. Yet this was not a pitiful sight. For the armor’s owner stood ramrod straight like an unwavering pillar after countless battles, grasping a blood-red greatsword just like theirs. Clearly a hardcore badass character. “Brother...” Femis looked at the man before her. She lowered her hood and addressed the one coldly appraising her: “It’s me, Femis. I’ve returned with reinforcements! I know what has happened here. I need to send the survivors you’ve sheltered to safety now...” “CLANG!” The heavy greatsword slammed violently into the ground, cracking visible fissures. “The citizens cannot leave! It’s too dangerous out there! I must protect them, it’s my duty!” The Blood Vulture Civilian Protection Officer rasped. “The sky has shattered, the Astral Realm is invading! Monsters howl in the darkness. Salrokdar went mad, said he heard the call. The vampires went mad too, trying to escape only to be ensnared by the whispers in the dark. Up ahead! Unimaginable evils are unfolding! But I must hold this ground. I was given this duty, I must protect the citizens! None shall pass! You shall not harm them! You shall not harm those under my protection! Begone! Vampire! You are not welcome here!” Rebuked, Femis bit her lip, tasting the former wandering knight’s true feelings towards the Blood Vulture Clan in his rebuke, even after over a hundred years, he still referred to them as “vampires.” This proved Kudel himself did not consider himself a Blood Vulture member, despite becoming one of the undying midnight creatures himself. “The astral fissure is closed, Murphy has established a survivor camp outside! Father is doing dangerous work, Kudel. I know how strong your will to protect the people is, but you must lead them out now!” Femis gripped her arcane staff tightly. Though Kudel strove to maintain his imposing presence, the young lady could keenly discern the officer’s underlying weakness. He may have been deliriously fighting nonstop for nearly 10 days now. Even as a high-ranking Silver-tier vampire, he was likely running on fumes. “I’ll say this one last time!” The young lady raised her voice. “Kudel! I did not come to harm your people, but to aid them. Please regain your senses!” “You! Shameless vampire!” Kudel gripped the monstrously large crimson greatsword, his entire being radiating murderous cold intent as he rebuked: “Leave the place I have sworn to protect! Final warning!” Completely unable to communicate! Only his obsession with protection kept him going. Perhaps it was this very obsession that helped him resist the corrosive foul energies assaulting his mind, sparing him from descending into total madness like the other vampires. The young lady shook her head. She gripped her computation bead, issuing orders to prepare for an assault to the players behind her. Then, raising the crimson spirit staff, she said softly: “I know I was unqualified to say this before, but now, I too wish to rescue these people we once viewed as mere sustenance, so...” “Forgive my impudence, Protection Officer.”