In fact, Ivan Hesenba, the inspector of the Thirteen Clans, took longer to recover than he had initially anticipated.
While his ntal state had already recovered early on, his physical recovery dragged on for another two or three days, despite the substantial intake of pure blood. Of course, for Ivan Hesenba, a direct descendant of a prince within the Thirteen Clans and an inspector, the supply of pure blood was never an issue.
The living room was quite simple, devoid of any unnecessary items. Despite its spaciousness, it only contained a single sofa, as Ivan was a minimalist. "Simplicity is beauty"—vampires had a wide variety of strange aesthetic preferences, and nothing was unusual anymore.
At the mont, Ivan was facing the fireplace. Despite it being sumr in the southern hemisphere, a fire was already burning. The flas flickered and gradually morphed into a human face—his superior, one of the three chief executives with the highest authority in the entire Thirteen Clans' inspection agency.
"Eric?"
"Yes, my lord." Ivan knelt on one knee, bowing his head respectfully. "That’s the na he gave, and his power is formidable. If he hadn’t held back, I would have…”
“The chaotic Baku…” The face in the fire flickered, seemingly deep in thought. After a while, it spoke again. "Ivan, report this matter directly to . I’ll handle everything from here."
Ivan Hesenba suddenly said, "My lord, the hybrid Elizabeth seems to know Eric. Should I begin with her to gather more information?"
The chief executive coldly replied, "Ivan, there are many hybrids among us. The attitude toward hybrids within the clan is delicate. We're in a balanced stage right now, so do not stir up conflict between purebloods and hybrids. Rebellion is not exclusive to humans."
Ivan was taken aback. As a mber of the inspection agency, he had access to more information. From various clues over the years, he had surmised that a hidden force was quietly organizing hybrids within the clan, plotting sothing. The chief executive’s words gave Ivan a vague sense—this hidden force was indeed beginning to take action.
The chief executive then added, "However, the matter at the castle must be thoroughly investigated. You can start with Cythacyl."
"Him? My lord, I didn’t find any trace of him there at the ti," Ivan said, frowning.
The chief executive replied, "Our people in xico spotted Cythacyl shortly after the incident at the castle. His na also appeared on Tu Shenyi’s guest list for the Hunting Day banquet, so he must be an insider."
"Understood. I’ll head to xico imdiately," Ivan nodded. "I’ll leave things here to my adjutant. A certain human family seems to be investigating the castle. My adjutant will know how to handle it if necessary."
"So human families hold considerable power. Avoid unnecessary conflicts, as we still have weaknesses." The chief executive sounded slightly impatient.
Ivan quickly asked, "Is there sothing else troubling you, my lord?"
"Oddly enough, yes." The chief executive's voice grew solemn. "I recall there was a descendant of the Takizawa family on the guest list for the castle banquet, wasn’t there?"
"Yes, Takizawa Akira, also known as ‘The Deceiver,’" Ivan confird.
The chief executive said, "A few days ago, I received a report from the inspectors in the East. It was also about the Takizawa family. Strangely, their main family in the East was completely wiped out in a single night, and no one knows who did it."
"What?" Ivan was shocked. "The Takizawa family in the East had a fourth-generation pureblood, and they were known for their taboo hybrid transformations. How could they have been wiped out so easily?"
"The Eastern inspection agency is weak, and our influence doesn’t reach that far. I’ve already sent more personnel to investigate. As for the Takizawa matter, leave it alone for now. Focus on your own tasks. Also, ten years' worth of pure blood seems a bit stingy."
"This…," Ivan hesitated.
The chief executive added lightly, "Since this hybrid is connected to the chaotic Baku and he’s willing to intervene on their behalf, their relationship is clearly not simple. The princes prefer to avoid Eric when possible, so don't provoke him. I’ll arrange for five additional golden pure bloods and another thirty years’ worth of pure blood. You will deliver them to Elizabeth’s ho personally."
"Is he really that terrifying?" Ivan Hesenba couldn’t hide the change in his expression.
The chief executive's voice beca distant. "You haven’t experienced it. Thousands of purebloods, including princes, fell into nightmares in a single night, powerless to escape. If he wished, we could all face eternal silence in our dreams. The fear is not in his power, but in his ability. They say he possesses the ultimate power of dreams, able to freely shift between dream and reality, making dreams co true…”
(Note: Still unsure if the Chaotic Baku here refers to our MC or soone else)
As the flas in the fireplace gradually dissipated, Ivan slowly stood up in the minimalistic living room. After a mont of silence, he waved his hand.
The door behind him opened, and a woman with a cold expression walked in.
"Gloria, I’m heading to xico. You’ll handle things here. The chief executive’s orders are to avoid significant conflict with humans. But rember, all actions must prioritize our interests."
"Understood, brother."
Ivan turned to look at Gloria, feeling no emotions. "You lowly hybrid, don’t cause trouble. If you don’t want your mother to suffer more punishnt, do your penance properly."
"Yes, brother."
She remained cold, expressionless.
…
The camp had long been established, and the area around the manor had been cordoned off, with soldiers patrolling.
Over the past two days, much of the debris above ground had been cleared, but the governnt had not allowed deep excavation of the underground area.
No one paid much attention to the large number of Song family personnel at the site, as the place did indeed belong to the Song family.
In the secret village of the Song family, various talents were cultivated. Those suited for combat were recruited into the 'Iris' group, while other specialized talents were placed in key departnts, including the military.
However, the camp around the manor was rely a façade. The real team tasked with exploring the castle’s underground labyrinth was a separate squad, led by Mr. Blind and Song Haoran, along with the Song family’s three brothers and twenty elite mbers of the 'Iris' group.
Their entry point was the secret tunnel in the treasury, through which the three Song brothers had escaped earlier.
The treasure vault remained intact despite the collapse of the underground labyrinth. When Song Haoran and his group made their way inside, it was relatively well-preserved.
The sight of gold, silver, jewels, and ancient artifacts glead under the light from their tools. Song Haoran casually whistled and smiled, saying, "I should’ve brought a girlfriend."
For Song Haoran, adventure, beautiful won, and treasure were all part of a romantic experience.
O'Neil rolled his eyes, casually picked up a string of jewels, and hung them around his neck, looking as gaudy as possible, before being harshly kicked by Lluvia.
Mr. Blind calmly said, "Be careful. There's a lot of death energy here. According to Song Da's description, there are also quite a few zombies hidden in this place."
Only then did O'Neil and Lluvia restrain themselves. The village had many instructors, teaching all kinds of skills, but Mr. Blind never participated in any of the courses. However, every villager wished to spend more ti around him. Just a word or two of guidance from Mr. Blind could be imnsely beneficial.
Old Master Song was the object of unquestioned loyalty, and Mr. Blind was the object of utmost respect.
"We'll split up to explore," Song Haoran began giving orders. "Mr. Song Da and Mr. Song Er, take 15 people with you. Mr. Song San and I will follow Mr. Blind with the remaining group. How does that sound?"
Mr. Blind nodded. "That's fine."
The three Song brothers also nodded. There were no objections to Song Haoran's arrangent since both teams had people familiar with the underground labyrinth.
Song Da and Song Er quickly led their teams through the vault doors and headed up the spiral staircase.
As for Mr. Blind, he didn’t move. Instead, he sat down to ditate, saying he was sensing the source of the death energy.
Mr. Blind had ntioned that this place was a feng shui treasure land, perfect for nurturing corpses. But feng shui is not fixed; it can gather and also disperse. A place suited for corpse cultivation is better destroyed than left intact.
Suddenly, Mr. Blind shouted, "Who’s there?"
His voice was piercing, causing their ears to ache. He leapt to his feet, coldly snorted, and a flash of light shot out from his hand.
The light seed to strike sothing in the air, finally pinning a shadow against the wall—a human shadow. The shadow was pinned by an ancient bronze sword but quickly slid away and fled out of the vault’s door.
"Song San, stay here," Mr. Blind ordered before chasing after the shadow.
Seeing Mr. Blind move so swiftly, Song San sighed, "Is he really blind…?"
"Stay alert. There may be more enemies. Stay on guard," Song Haoran said sternly, fully activating his heightened senses.
Everyone gripped their modern weapons tightly, scanning their surroundings.
Suddenly, Song Haoran’s eyes snapped open, and he swung his arm. A gunshot echoed, startling everyone, causing them to aim their weapons.
Song Haoran had fired at a wooden chest full of treasure. He signaled O'Neil, who cautiously moved forward.
"Nothing. It’s just a spider," O'Neil soon reported, holding up the spider's corpse with his gun.
The spider was large, bigger than a tarantula, but now its body was torn apart by a bullet. O'Neil admired Song Haoran's marksmanship. If the strategist were ranked, he'd be the best sharpshooter in South Arica—or perhaps the world.
Seeing it was only a spider, Song Haoran relaxed and lowered his arm. But then, a sudden chill gripped his heart as he looked up.
It wasn’t just a spider… it was a giant spider!
"Spider!!!"
Soone scread. Song Haoran instinctively looked down and saw that a swarm of spiders had appeared in the vault.
The scream ca from one of the village warriors. His body was covered in spiders, struggling on the ground. The spiders crawled all over him like a small mound, slowly "shrinking" as they consud him.
His screams stopped, and when the spiders left, only his clothing and gear remained. In re monts, the warrior had been entirely devoured!
"They're here too! Over here… and here!!"
Spiders surged from all directions, forcing the group to huddle together. Cold sweat dripped from Song San’s forehead. He could fight dozens of zombies, but against these spiders, he was helpless. At this mont, martial arts were less effective than firearms.
Machine guns roared, trying to fend off the approaching spiders. But there were too many, and the firepower wasn’t enough to slow them down.
Worse still, a massive spider lood above, its eight glowing eyes constantly watching Song Haoran’s group.
"How many monsters are in this damned place?!" Song San cursed, pulling out a grenade, biting off the pin, and hurling it hard.
Boom!
The explosion sent spiders flying, opening a path to the vault door.
"Run! Close the door!" Song San shouted.
The group sprinted, but the enormous spider above them moved. It spat a web, catching a warrior and binding him completely before dragging him away.
"Damn it!"
The spider shot out more webs, snaring several more warriors, including Song San.
Song San frantically tried to tear the webs, but they were as tough as steel cables, impossible to break even with his strength.
He was pulled upward.
"Ah!"
Screams filled the air as the giant spider pulled its victims up one by one, like a fisherman reeling in its catch.
Song Haoran and Lluvia were the only ones left, just five ters from the door. Song Haoran grabbed Lluvia’s hand, the door within reach.
But at that mont, a powerful force wrenched Lluvia from his grasp.
Lluvia was taken by the giant spider—right from his hands.
Gritting his teeth, Song Haoran looked at the door, then turned back. He grasped the 'Sun God Emblem' on his chest, fully activating his senses.
In the darkness, a three-dinsional world unfolded before him. He "saw" the suspended figures—they were still alive, with faint heartbeats.
But where was the giant spider?
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced Song Haoran’s mind, leaving him breathless.
A sharp limb—the giant spider’s claw—had impaled him from behind, piercing through his chest!
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