Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Qian Xing remained focused on the surveillance feed.

It wasn’t until Lu Jing had carried Qin Weiyi and Qi Shuping to a relatively safe location that he finally spoke. “This spot will do. You should take a break.”

Lu Jing had been sprinting at full tilt, making it impossible for him to hear anything coming through the walkie-talkie. It was only after Qin Weiyi received the message that he reached out and patted Lu Jing on the back.

That touch acted like a pause button.

Lu Jing stopped immediately.

He set both Qin Weiyi and Qi Shuping down.

The moment Qi Shuping’s feet hit the ground, she began to cough violently. She wasn’t young, and being carried over someone’s shoulder for such a long run had been a grueling ordeal. However, once she caught her breath, she returned to being that respected, calm, and decisive veteran.

“What’s the situation?” Qi Shuping asked.

“Fifteen down. That’s good news,” Qin Weiyi replied.

Qi Shuping nodded. It was indeed good news, but they couldn’t afford to relax. After their successful ambush, the Vampires would undoubtedly be on high alert. It might not be so easy to succeed a second time.

Qi Shuping turned her gaze toward Lu Jing and asked, “Based on that last exchange, how many do you think you can handle at once?”

Lu Jing shook his head. “I can’t say for sure. From what I saw, their combat prowess isn’t uniform-some are stronger, some are weaker. If they’re all at the level of the ones just now, two more wouldn’t be a problem. I could probably manage eight at a stretch. But just to be safe, four is ideal, and six is manageable. Anything beyond that carries risk.”

On this matter, Lu Jing’s word was law.

After hearing his assessment, Qi Shuping immediately looked at Qin Weiyi.

Qin Weiyi was responsible for coordinating information with Qian Xing.

“Find a group of about six Vampires nearby,” Qin Weiyi said.

Although their recent attack would have put the Vampires on guard, word might not have spread that quickly yet. They could strike again before the Vampires managed to regroup.

Qian Xing quickly identified a suitable target.

This time, it was a group of five traveling together.

Qi Shuping’s trio rushed over immediately. However, because they had already caused a stir earlier, the other Vampires arrived much faster this time. After Qi Shuping finished off two of them, Lu Jing quickly led the retreat.

Elsewhere, five other Vampires suddenly collapsed into Skin Sacks.

Through these two raids, they had eliminated a total of twenty-two Vampires, leaving forty-five remaining.

The situation remained dire.

Though their numbers had dwindled, the Vampires had now begun to converge, splitting into five groups of nine. This number far exceeded what Lu Jing could handle.

They couldn’t afford to act recklessly anymore.

However, because Qian Xing was able to report the Vampires’ movements in real-time, the enemies couldn’t find Qin Weiyi’s group either. The situation fell into a temporary stalemate.

But that stalemate didn’t last long.

“Qian Xing!” Lin Junruo, who had been silent until now, suddenly cried out in panic.

Without turning his head, Qian Xing asked, “What is it?”

“They’re heading for the Surveillance Room!” Lin Junruo’s voice was thick with terror.

Qian Xing froze for a moment, then snapped his gaze toward the monitors closest to the Surveillance Room.

After suffering two losses and failing to find Qi Shuping, the Vampires had clearly finally remembered the existence of the Surveillance Room.

Qian Xing cursed under his breath before quickly notifying Qin Weiyi. “They’re coming for the Surveillance Room. I have to pull out. You guys stay sharp.” With that, Qian Xing scrambled out of his seat and looked at Lin Junruo. “We need to get out of here, now.”
Qian Xing led the way, and Lin Junruo began to follow. However, after a few steps, she came to a sudden halt. She turned back to the monitors, scanned the area, and grabbed a thermos from the side, smashing it directly onto the equipment.

*Crash.*

The thermos shattered instantly, and the water inside seeped into the electronics.

Qian Xing naturally heard the commotion Lin Junruo had caused. He was stunned for a moment before immediately walking over to help.

If they couldn’t use the surveillance to track the Vampire’s movements, they couldn’t allow the Vampire to use it to find them either. Under the watchful eye of the cameras, there were far too few places for them to hide.

When Qin Weiyi heard Qian Xing’s words over the line, his expression darkened immediately.

He had considered this point before, but two consecutive successes had caused him to temporarily forget it. Now, Qian Xing’s words had effectively shattered his optimistic illusions.

He was just about to tell Qian Xing to destroy the surveillance equipment when a series of crashing sounds erupted from the other end of the walkie-talkie.

Before long, Qian Xing’s voice rang out again: “We’ve destroyed the surveillance. We’re pulling out now.”

After finishing his report to Qin Weiyi, Qian Xing quickly grabbed Lin Junruo and hurried away.

Qian Xing had always felt that Lin Junruo was useless, but this time, it was indeed she who had realized the necessity of destroying the surveillance.

He hadn’t harbored any real malice toward her to begin with, and upon realizing she wasn’t as incompetent as he had thought, his attitude toward her improved slightly.

Lin Junruo noticed the change.

But she didn’t feel happy about it.

This change only served to prove what Mu Xin had told her.

In the Realm of Death, one could only rely on oneself. She had sought protection from Xia Zeqin, and what happened? He had pushed her out to her death without a moment’s hesitation. Yet, the moment she did something beneficial for them, Qian Xing’s attitude toward her shifted instantly.

She could only rely on herself.

But Lin Junruo knew her own limitations all too well. This realization only made her feel even more chilled to the bone.

Shortly after Qian Xing and Lin Junruo left, the Vampire arrived at the Surveillance Room. With the equipment already destroyed, the trip was a total waste of time.

Even though the main system was down, Qin Weiyi had Lu Jing dismantle every surveillance camera they passed just to be safe.

Without surveillance, neither side could track the other’s movements. The Bar had turned into a game of cat and mouse-though who was the cat and who was the mouse remained to be seen. It was just as likely a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Unlike the heart-pounding tension inside the Bar, Qin Nan’s group of three remained safe as they moved along, though they continued to proceed with caution.

However, the useful clues they found were limited.

That was, until they returned to the Vampire’s bedroom.

Jian Fan inspected the coffin once more. This was likely where the Vampire spent the most time, so it was the most probable place for clues to be left behind.

He didn’t find anything inside the coffin itself, but as Qin Nan and Mu Xin crowded in to help, the three of them happened to push from the same direction. With a bit of force, the coffin actually shifted.

The three of them froze. They stepped back, their eyes falling on the floor beneath the coffin.

In the corner where it had been moved, there were visible marks.