Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Lu Jing was still wandering through the Bar with Qin Weiyi slung over his shoulder.
Staff members would occasionally lunge out from nearby, and it was unclear whether the Vampires behind them were still giving chase. Since Qin Weiyi hadn’t told him to stop, Lu Jing just kept running forward with all his might.
That was until a wave of screams suddenly erupted from the main hall, rising and falling in succession.
Qin Weiyi’s eyes darkened, and he spoke quickly. “Go to the hall.”
Lu Jing complied immediately.
The closer they got to the main hall, the louder the clamor became, accompanied by the sound of chaotic, frantic footsteps.
As they neared the hall, Qin Weiyi patted Lu Jing’s shoulder, signaling for him to be set down. The two of them then walked toward the hall together.
When they arrived, the hall was already in a state of total chaos. Most of the guests were fleeing toward the exit, and even some of the staff were among them. This sight left Qin Weiyi somewhat surprised.
However, after his gaze swept across the room, he soon found his answer.
He saw those familiar Skin Sacks scattered about.
A Vampire had been eliminated, yet Qin Weiyi couldn’t find it in himself to be happy. On the contrary, his brow furrowed as he began to worry about their current predicament.
“Is this… another Vampire dead?” Lu Jing asked Qin Weiyi in a low voice as he took in the scene. Noticing Qin Weiyi’s expression, he paused and asked, “Xiao Qin, what’s wrong? Isn’t this a good thing?”
“Currently, only two people among us have items capable of killing a Vampire,” Qin Weiyi said.
Jian Fan had clearly gone up to the second floor with Qin Nan and Mu Xin. Therefore, the only person who could have killed a Vampire in the hall was Qi Shuping.
Lu Jing realized this as well.
“That old lady is actually quite capable,” Lu Jing remarked with admiration.
Qin Weiyi let out a cold laugh. “Capable she may be, but she’s just caused us a massive amount of trouble.”
“Huh?” Lu Jing froze, asking in confusion, “What kind of trouble? That old lady is so strong; would she really do something as stupid as me?”
“It’s not that she’s being stupid; it’s just that her plan has clashed with Jian Fan’s,” Qin Weiyi explained without going into too much detail.
He had roughly guessed Qi Shuping’s plan.
There were too many people in the Bar. If the Vampires were allowed to keep using the Embrace to expand their ranks, the entire Bar would be filled with Vampires before long. They wouldn’t even be able to struggle; they would just have to lie down and wait for death. Thus, Qi Shuping had intentionally orchestrated this scene.
She had found one of the Vampires from the start of the party and eliminated it. Consequently, all the subordinates it had turned would also vanish. Furthermore, when these things happened in full view of everyone, what would the NPCs who hadn’t become Vampires yet do?
The current situation explained everything.
When normal people witnessed phenomena that couldn’t be explained by science, they would panic and flee the area instinctively. In doing so, only Vampires would be left in the Bar, and they would no longer be able to expand their numbers. This method was indeed effective at controlling the Vampire population.
But even so, their group couldn’t handle the current number of Vampires.
Even if they could, Qin Weiyi would have to admit Qi Shuping’s method was effective-provided it was before Jian Fan’s plan had started. But now, Jian Fan had already gone deep into enemy territory to find the original Vampire. Qi Shuping’s actions were no different from startling the snake by beating the grass; it had instantly drawn the attention of every Vampire.
Jian Fan and the others might be in danger.
To be perfectly honest, Qin Weiyi didn’t care about the lives of those three.
In the Realm of Death, mortality was a constant companion. Even if Jian Fan was his temporary Partner, he wasn’t in the mood to worry about someone else’s life or death. It didn’t matter if Jian Fan died; what mattered was that, from the current situation, Jian Fan’s method was the most promising way to clear this world. If those three were gone, it would create an extremely dangerous situation for him and Lu Jing as well.
Lu Jing frowned. He didn’t know exactly what Qin Weiyi was talking about, but he knew that Qin Weiyi was bound to be right.
He asked, “So what do we do now?”
Qin Weiyi was also deep in thought.
He reached a decision quickly.
“To the second floor,” Qin Weiyi said.
Lu Jing was startled for a moment. “Won’t we lead the Vampires there?” Wasn’t that the exact reason they had parted ways with Qin Nan and the other two?
Qin Weiyi curled his lips into a slight smile. “Right now, I’m afraid no Vampire will be interested in chasing me.”
Lu Jing understood those words immediately.
By killing a Vampire, Qi Shuping had drawn all their aggro. At this moment, the Vampires’ primary target would definitely be Qi Shuping. Since their interest in Qin Weiyi had plummeted, he was naturally safe.
The logic held up, but wouldn’t that mean Qi Shuping and her group were in grave danger?
Lu Jing glanced at Qin Weiyi but said nothing.
Even though he knew Qi Shuping and the others were in peril, in the Realm of Death, sympathy and kindness were the least necessary traits to possess.
“Let’s go.” Qin Weiyi didn’t linger. After a brief command, he turned to leave, and Lu Jing followed immediately.
Even though he estimated no one would chase them, Qin Weiyi remained extremely cautious throughout the journey.
Given the current state of the Bar, no one was paying attention to the two of them anymore.
Just as he had guessed, the normal patrons had all fled in terror. Meanwhile, the Vampires were completely focused on their hatred for Qi Shuping; they couldn’t even see anyone else.
Qin Weiyi and Lu Jing successfully reached the Stairs.
Without any hesitation, the two of them headed straight up.
***
Jian Fan and the other two were currently still climbing the Stairs in the dark.
They had no idea how long they had been walking. The Stairs seemed endless. All three remained silent; the further they went, the heavier their hearts became. However, they had no better way out and could only keep moving forward.
Qin Nan was counting silently in his head.
He told himself that if they didn’t reach the end after another twenty steps, he would give up. But the next twenty passed, then the twenty after that… Finally, after an unknown number of sets, a dim light finally appeared at the end of the dark Stairs.
The three of them had finally finished climbing that seemingly infinite stretch of Stairs.
Qin Nan let out a massive sigh of relief.
This feeling of not knowing where the end was was truly agonizing.
Once his tension eased, Qin Nan began to survey the scene before them.
Behind them were the endless Stairs submerged in darkness. In front of them was a European-style Corridor. On both sides of the Corridor, candles were lit at regular intervals, their dim light barely illuminating the path ahead.
Fortunately, although this Corridor was long, they could see the end of it in a single glance.
Qin Nan immediately looked at Jian Fan.
They didn’t dare speak at this moment for fear of alerting the Vampires, so they could only communicate through eye contact.
Jian Fan was also assessing the environment.
Their situation was precarious. Every step required caution; even Jian Fan didn’t dare to be reckless at this point.
Was this Corridor really just a simple, safe hallway?
Before Jian Fan could figure it out, that familiar “click” suddenly rang out in their ears. This time, the sound was much louder than when they had heard it at the entrance to the Stairs.
At this moment, they were standing at the mouth of the Corridor. Behind them were only the dark Stairs they had come from.
There was a tiger in front, and no way to retreat behind.