Chapter 21: Who Attacked?

After Mo Yu suggested they go together, Iris reacted just as she had before—shyly agreeing—followed by Alice, who was in a state of total breakdown.

Three’s a crowd, and someone is bound to be the loser.

Alice remained on high alert, refusing to give the two of them a single chance to get close. Her attitude was hostile, and she used every tactic imaginable to derail their conversations. Mo Yu, acting as a third wheel, purposely teased Alice at every turn.

Every so often, Iris would check her phone. As time passed, the frequency of her checks increased, and she grew increasingly distracted. Mo Yu knew she was waiting for word from her subordinates.

When the three of them stepped off the Ferris wheel and Iris checked her phone again, her expression slipped for a split second. A flash of gloom crossed her face, but she quickly masked it and whispered, "I’m going to the restroom."

"Babe, wait for me!" Alice followed Iris as she left.

Mo Yu called out, "I’ll wait for you guys here," and sat down on a nearby bench to rest.

Five minutes later, his phone rang. It was the designated line for the maid. When he picked up, her voice came through, tense and grave:

"Where are you?"

"I’m with the Young Miss."

"Something went wrong. The Young Miss has issued an order: we are in a state of emergency. Everyone is to evacuate. Drive back the way you came."

"OK."

Mo Yu agreed. He didn’t say goodbye to Iris; he left immediately and headed to the luggage storage area on the outskirts of the amusement park to wait. Once his mirror image appeared, he dismissed it and retrieved the "Confession."

He drove back to the estate. As soon as he parked, the maid appeared. Mo Yu pretended to be oblivious and asked what had happened.

The maid explained, "The Young Miss’s plan failed. The target you were sent to kidnap was an important figure in the Moon-Splitting Organization. The original plan was to shift the blame, using the Moon-Splitting Organization and the two great vampire hunter clans of Black City to wipe out the other vampire families."

"Something went wrong during the transport. The convoy was attacked; Number 9, Number 12, and the rest of the escort were killed in action. Mary was rescued, and all subsequent plans have been aborted."

Mo Yu feigned outrage. "Who attacked them? To dare sabotage the Young Miss’s plan—unforgivable!"

He secretly glanced at his interface. The rewards for the monster bestiary wouldn't be calculated until after 8:00 PM.

[Killed Elite Vampires: 14 (Settlement in 3 hours and 21 minutes)]
[Killed Knight-class Vampires: 2 (Settlement in 3 hours and 51 minutes)]

The maid shook her head. "I don’t know. There was no time to investigate. The security forces and the Moon-Splitting Organization arrived too quickly; we only took a brief look at the scene."

Mo Yu asked, "Did you find anything?"

The maid replied, "There were at least ten attackers. The scene was very clean, with no excess traces. It was a well-trained combat squad; they looked like military personnel."

Mo Yu clenched his fists. "No matter who they are, we must make them pay the price."

The maid sighed. "Go into hiding for now. This operation has alerted the Moon-Splitting Organization, and the two local clans won't let this go either. The Young Miss has ordered everyone to scatter and hide until the storm passes."

Mo Yu nodded in agreement.

The maid instructed, "Go to the villa to retrieve your things. You’ll be staying at the estate during this time. Do not go out without orders."

Mo Yu set off. When he returned to the villa, he saw Iris and the maid moving about inside. Iris was playing the piano, and the maid was pouring her tea. Mo Yu was puzzled as to how the two of them had returned so quickly, when crimson text suddenly appeared.

[These are two Faceless Monsters. They are very weak. It is recommended to kill them.]

They were decoys.

Mo Yu had a sudden realization. He remembered the monster that had tested Alpha; it must have been one of these things. He observed them stealthily. Without the interface, he really wouldn't have been able to distinguish the real ones from the fakes. The Faceless Monsters' shapeshifting ability was truly potent, though their combat strength was quite low.

Iris was truly vigilant to use decoys to slip away like this; the day's events must have really scared her.

Mo Yu went through the back door to the basement and arrived in his room. The moment he stepped inside, Alpha crawled out from under the bed to scan his facial information.

"Station Master, please..."

Mo Yu took the initiative, knocking Alpha over before setting him upright again, successfully passing the three-step verification.

Alpha’s first sentence upon rising was, "Current derivative timeline disturbance value: 6%. Please keep up the good work."

"Huh? It went up that much?" Mo Yu was surprised. It seemed this operation had a significant impact on Iris.

He crouched down and took out the crucifix to show Alpha. "Do you recognize this?"

"Information missing. Unable to identify," Alpha replied.

Mo Yu nodded. He had expected as much. History during the infiltration period was mostly unofficial, and records of equipment like this were even less likely to exist.

He pressed further, "Alpha, in the historical database, are there any human heroes who rose to power by 'selling out'?"

Alpha’s indicator light flickered for a moment before replying, "There is one."

Mo Yu: "!"

There really was one!

He grew suspicious of the historical data provided by Alpha. In the future, no matter which timeline he went to, he would be better off gathering intelligence himself. Mo Yu decided that in his spare time, he would scour for information, feed it to Alpha, and revise the historical records.

"Hide this well."

At Mo Yu’s signal, Alpha’s dog-head opened, and he stashed the crucifix in an internal compartment.

The man and the dog returned to the estate. They didn't see any vampires along the way; the entire estate was desolate. Under the setting sun, the estate was coated in a hazy orange light. The areas in shadow were pitch black—so dark that one couldn't see what lay within. Occasionally, a bird would dart past, accompanied by the harsh cawing of a crow, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

Mo Yu returned to his room. As he sat by the window, admiring the sunset, he received a text from the maid.

"The Young Miss is back. She is very angry. Come to the council chamber."

Mo Yu replied with a "1" and set off. He wasn't very familiar with the estate and intended to ask a vampire for directions if he met one, but as soon as he stepped out, he saw three bats perched on the corridor railing.

These bats were the size of domestic cats. They were ugly, but their eyes were large and black, staring straight at him.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

The three bats cried out, flapped their wings, and flew off toward the corner of the stairs.

Mo Yu walked to the stairs and saw the three bats landing in different spots, leading down the staircase. It was clear they were guiding him. Whenever he moved forward, the bats flew ahead, always pointing toward his destination.

Mo Yu followed them into the main building of the estate, moving deep along the long corridors.

When he crossed an antique dark wooden door, it felt as though he had returned to the Middle Ages in Europe. The surrounding decor instantly became retro; there were no signs of modern facilities, and even the lamps used for lighting had all been replaced with red candles.

A breeze blew, and the flames flickered.

Mo Yu walked along the deep red carpet and finally entered a great hall.

There were forty or fifty vampires present, all kneeling on the ground, facing forward with their heads bowed, motionless. Directly in front of them, on a raised dais, sat a magnificent, deep-red chair.

The hall was filled with red candles, hundreds of lights at varying heights, weaving together to fill the entire space with a glow.

This was the kind of display that felt like a Vampire Emperor.

Mo Yu stroked his chin in appreciation.

Behind the seat was a wall. The maid waved at him from the side of the wall, signaling him to come forward.