Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 28 "Old Friends"

"The bodies of the eight swordsmen who were guarding Mr. Thales at the time of the incident are here. Out of respect and because of the urgency of the situation, we did not touch them and left them as they were."

Gilbert, standing in the corridor on the third floor of the Mindis Hall, addressed the grim-faced Ginny, looking at the eight corpses before him.

Yodl stood quietly to the side.

"Six skilled, experienced, and promising mortal-level swordsmen, along with two genuine super-level experts, all had their carotid arteries slashed by irregularly shaped sharp weapons."

Gilbert walked over to a corpse, knelt down, and pressed his hand against the corpse's neck. A hideous and horrific wound was revealed; the wound had changed color, and even the blood had congealed.

"Our initial assessment is that the opponent is likely a master of the extreme realm. To kill these eight people in an instant would require exquisite skills and immeasurable power, and his speed is even faster than that of the Yordle."

"And then there's that terrifying ability to hide. When the invasion happened, we had guarded all the entrances and exits, but he still managed to sneak in, and Yordles didn't sense anyone at all."

Gilbert spoke his guess with a somber expression, pulling out a mechanical watch from his pocket and staring at the time: 6:30 PM.

Even the moon has risen.

Ginny frowned, her charming lips pressed tightly together, highlighting the beauty mark on her lips. She crossed her arms, pondered for a while, and then suddenly raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

"Take off their helmets."

At Gilbert's glance, the guards beside him stepped forward and removed the dead man's helmet.

Ginny stepped forward, her elegant high-heeled boots adorning the ladies-in-waiting, and knelt down on one knee, carefully observing each person's face.

"With massive bleeding from the carotid artery, they wouldn't have much time left before death, just enough time for them to struggle on the ground for a while. This period of time is when each of them witnessed the murderer."

“The expressions on each of their faces,” Ginny said cautiously as she leaned over to observe, “were all subtly different.”

"These four were lying face down, and their expressions before death were very consistent: anger, hatred, resentment, and gritted teeth. They were probably unable to react at all, facing severe injuries and death without ever knowing the truth, which is why they felt such resentment and bitterness."

"The two were lying on their sides, their expressions one of astonishment, disbelief, and confusion. They must have sensed the killer's fatal blow and tried their best to fight back but to no avail. This surprised and puzzled them greatly. The time they spent struggling on the ground froze these expressions on their faces."

"The last two were probably the strongest. One was lying on his back, and the other was sitting against the wall. Their expressions were much more subtle than the previous six. The one lying down was filled with regret and pain, while the one sitting was filled with relief and helplessness. They tried to fight back, but still failed. However, they were probably the last to die, so they struggled to see the murderer, which is why they had such deep regret and sudden realization before their deaths. In other words, for both of them, as long as they knew the enemy's identity beforehand, they could have made an effective response."

Ginny stood up with a cold face, crossed her arms, looked at the somewhat helpless Gilbert beside her, and said decisively:

"The murderer is not a master of the Extreme Realm!"

"If it's an overwhelming power like that of the Extreme Realm, the last two people would be filled with despair and fear. The killer must have used a special technique, ability, or mechanism. He cleverly started with the strongest people, and then moved on to the last six weaker ones. So only after the two strongest people fell did they have the opportunity and time to see the killer and his method of killing."

"Although he hasn't reached the ultimate level, his speed is very fast, perhaps approaching or even exceeding half of the ultimate level masters. However, because he hasn't reached the ultimate level, there is still a sequence in which he kills people."

Yodl stepped forward and knelt down in front of the body, seemingly to verify Ginny's words.

Gilbert stared blankly at the woman before him, as if he were seeing the spirited young girl from twenty years ago in the courtroom.

And, often standing behind her, was that youthful, sunny young man.

He sighed inwardly and walked up to her.

“Ms. Ginny, I know you were once the most outstanding guard in the capital, even participating in the investigation of the royal assassination during the Bloody Year, tracking down washed-up magic users, and the Kingdom's Secret Service frequently seconded you.” Gilbert said calmly, his hands behind his back.

"Your reasoning is also excellent, as sharp as ever."

"But our top priority is to find that child."

Ginny glanced at him thoughtfully.

The most outstanding guard?

Her fist clenched unintentionally.

Bullshit guards.

But the charming woman showed no emotion. Instead, she used her left hand, which was resting on her other arm, to habitually touch the beauty mark on the left side of her lip and chuckled softly without a word.

"Men are indeed the epitome of carelessness and negligence."

Gilbert narrowed his eyes and slightly lifted his top hat to show his doubt.

"Haven't I made myself clear enough?" Ginny lowered her hands, strode forward rudely, pointed at the corpse in front of her, and said confidently:

"These two super-tier guards were the strongest, and they were standing together, so they were the first to be attacked. These two were next, and the other four were the last to be attacked. But the order in which they died was reversed: the strongest struggled to the end and saw the killer!"

"Once I determine their location before the attack, I can follow the trail to find the location where the perpetrator broke in."

"Although the amount of bleeding was so great that the bloodstains were all mixed together, it was difficult to find any trace of the guards struggling and moving before they died."

"However, based on the time of arterial bleeding and the speed at which people struggle on the ground, two circles can be drawn with the two strongest individuals as the centers. This represents their range of movement from before the attack until their death."

"Don't forget, these two strongest individuals were attacked by the same weapon almost simultaneously, which means they were standing together before the attack."

"Therefore, the intersection of these two circles is where they were attacked!"

“Two circles, with two intersections. One of them is the answer, the actual location where the two were attacked, which is also the location where the murderer broke in.” Ginny’s expression was focused as she traced the shape with her footsteps, and the content of her words made Gilbert and Yodl look at her seriously.

"Based on the last gazes of these two strongest individuals before their deaths, the murderer appeared in this location after killing everyone, which I guess is also where the child was standing."

“Starting from the killer’s last appearance,” Ginny stood in that position and retreated step by step, “following the order in which they were attacked, roughly find the killer’s path,” Ginny slowly walked past several corpses, then back to the corpses of the two strongest, “at the end of the path, connecting back to the area of these two circles, the closest one is this intersection!”

Ginny walked past the scattered corpses, her gaze sharp, and finally stopped in one spot:
"This is the location where the two strongest individuals were first attacked; in other words, it's the location where the killer infiltrated and made their first move!"

Gilbert strode forward and looked around.

"You mean, the murderer suddenly appeared here?" he said slowly. "The mercenary team did attack here. But that's impossible. This place is far from the stairs. While we were cleaning up the mess, he had nowhere to hide."

Ginny gave another dismissive chuckle.

Only Yodl silently walked up and pointed to a small decorative vase next to her.

This kind of vase is common in hallways, but this is the only one, and it's closest to Ginny's spot.

Under Gilbert's puzzled gaze, Ginny strode forward, grabbed the vase, and smashed it without hesitation!
“Bang!”

She silently squatted down, picked up a shard of vase, examined it carefully, then gently ran her finger along the inside of the shard before showing it to the two "useless men."

Gilbert was surprised to find that there was red blood on Ginny's fingers!
Yodl also crouched down and picked up a few fragments.

The inside of the vase was also covered with tiny drops of blood.

"Nowhere to hide?" Ginny laughed sarcastically, making Gilbert somewhat embarrassed.

“So,” Gilbert took the shards of the vase, his expression changing, “this is—”

Ginny stood up and said crisply:
"Victims: Eight. Cause of death: Carotid artery hemorrhage."

"The killer: a high-ranking vampire, i.e., a vampire. The murder weapon: vampire claws—"

As Ginny got into the conversation, she suddenly paused, realizing the situation.

So she gritted her teeth and swallowed back what she was about to say.

After all, I'm no longer a guard.

Ginny shook her head, clearing away any irrelevant emotions.

"So, he relied on his innate talent for blood transformation to infiltrate hiding places, and on his innate instantaneous speed to kill and plunder—not on his own strength." Ginny raised her head and rolled her eyes at Gilbert: "Is this the kind of extreme master you're talking about?"

Gilbert was very embarrassed, but he knew this was not the time to be angry, so he asked amicably, "That's quite an eye-opener, so, the child?"

"Is this what you call an eye-opener?" Ginny thought dismissively.

What a narrow-minded high-ranking person! If you had seen the "Secret Department" of the Stars, the "Dark Chamber" of Exter, the Black-Clad Guards of the Night Dynasty and the "Kuntana" of the Hambul Dynasty, and seen their methods, you would know how many terrifying figures lurk in the shadows beneath the surface, capable of knowing all your secrets with just a flick of their fingers.

Then, her eyes sharpened, and she said decisively, "The incident happened—the sun hadn't even set yet! He could only hide among those groups of mercenaries by using the blood-dissolving technique!"

"For vampires who haven't reached the pinnacle, the blood transformation process can only produce blood-like liquid, and it won't take more than half an hour. This means that those mercenary teams arrived here within half an hour!"

"A team of mercenaries is traveling at full speed. Half an hour away from the Twilight Star District, there are only the DC District with its noble manors, the Morning Star District with its city hall and commercial hub, and the Central District where the Palace of Revival is located!"

Ginny exhaled. The mature beauty finished her reasoning and habitually reached behind her waist, only to find nothing.

She was taken aback again, then smiled bitterly to herself: Yes, I'm no longer a vigilante, and I've even given up smoking long ago.

Hasn't that intern who used to follow her around and hand her a light long since become a different person?

She sighed.

The shrewd woman put away her memories and looked at Gilbert.

"Make your decision, Your Excellency."

Gilbert took a deep breath: "Those who sent people to probe are definitely nobles, and the DC district is quite large, with manors being the most suitable places to hide vampires! Although there are quite a few manors over there—"

Yodl's figure flickered and disappeared.

Gilbert was speechless at his colleague's rude behavior, and could only sigh, "Well, at least it narrows down the search area."

Gilbert looked at Ginny and nodded slightly to her.

The latter merely scoffed.

Gilbert was not offended, but instead reassigned personnel:

"Open the spare armory, everyone prepare, and equip your exorcising silver swords!"

"Select the thirty best fighters and come with me! Target: DC District!"

"Take that lamp with you!"

------------------

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The muffled thumping from the ceiling continued, and it grew increasingly urgent!
Chris whirled around, a hint of anxiety flashing across his face for the first time. He glared at Thales and ordered Eastrend, "Send him back to the dungeon! Lock him up properly!"

Then, before Eastren and Thales could react, the old man and Lorana vanished from sight!

Eastrun also wore a look of surprise. He grabbed Thales and, ignoring the latter's struggles and shouts ("Hey, what's going on? Weren't we supposed to be exchanging information, Lord Eastrun?"—Thales), and sped towards the stone steps!

The next second, before the dizziness had even worn off, Thales fell headfirst onto the damp stone ground!
Boom!
He winced in pain. "You brat! Stay put! We can hear you no matter what you do!" A crisp click of a key and Eastren's anxious voice rang out, and then silence fell.
Thales then got up, feeling both annoyed and relieved.

Eastrun has disappeared.

So he silently reached his hand to his leg, pretending to scratch an itch, and unintentionally made a cut on the bound JC dagger.

The pain came.

His blood fell to the ground.

coming.

Thales took a deep breath, welcoming the burning sensation throughout his body.

That way, Gilbert and Yodl will know my location, right?

He let out a soft breath, completely relaxed, and a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him.

The boy trembled as he reached for a wall and sat down beside it.

Today's experience was in no way inferior to yesterday's visit to Hongfang Street!
Now Thales had time to observe his surroundings.

The dim light came from two small torches.

The stone floor was damp, cold, and hard.

The mottled wall is covered with countless scratches and engravings.

Narrow metal fences and heavy padlocks as thick as an arm.

I kicked a rusty chain at my feet, and it jingled.

Thales sighed and lay down on the cold ground.

Without a doubt, this was a prison cell—damp, murky, and bloody.

bloody?
Thales smelled a salty, fishy odor in the air.

It smelled exactly the same as what I smelled on Red Town Street last night, only much stronger.

Just as his heart tightened, terrifying screams and groans suddenly came from outside the cell.

"what--"

Thales was so frightened that he stood up!
In my memory, he never had any tolerance for horror movies. It was always that guy with the terrible teenage syndrome whose name I can't remember who dragged me to watch them.

It's euphemistically called "training courage."

Stimulated by the goosebumps, Thales' brain started working at full speed again!
dungeon.

bloody.

Bloodlines.

Screams and groans.

Thales suddenly realized where he was.

It is the vampires' "food cabinet".

A wave of nausea washed over me.

Thales sighed again; he had probably sighed more than he had drunk in the past two days.

But just as he was about to sit down, a faint, rough breathing sound suddenly came from beside him!
"Huff—huff—ah—"

He was so frightened that he crawled several steps in the opposite direction!

Can you please stop scaring me?

Thales patted his chest, still shaken, before realizing that his cell was not a luxurious single room.

Thales slowly moved closer in that direction.
In the dim light, a human body appeared, wearing heavy shackles and lying on the ground, panting in pain.

"Woo-"

In the darkness, the prisoner seemed unable to speak, only breathing heavily, his voice filled with pain and torment.

His wrists, which were locked in shackles, appeared to have a tube inserted into them, connecting them to the outside of the cell.

Thales knew what it was.

"If you ask me, just connect the blood collection device and the infusion tube, and lock him in a coffin"—this is what Eastren once said.

So this is the blood collection device.

Sigh, Thales lowered his head and let out another helpless sigh.

He was probably a pitiful person who was captured by vampires and brought here to become their food source.

"Ugh—" The prisoner struggled and groaned, seemingly sensing the approaching person.

Thales felt nauseous again.

This nausea made him decide that he had to do something.

"Sorry, it might hurt a little."

Please bear with it.

He whispered to the poor prisoner.

The boy reached out, touched his wrist, smeared the rough blood collection instrument on it, and with great force, pulled out the needle that was several inches deep into the blood vessel!
"Ah—woo woo—" The prisoner struggled and groaned even more violently, but still made incomprehensible creaking sounds, like a mute.

Thales pressed on the wound on his wrist; thankfully, there wasn't much bleeding.

Of course, it's also possible that he didn't have much health left to begin with. Thales thought bitterly.

Having just clashed with three vampires, Thales's mood, though tense and fearful, was never heavy.

However, looking at this locked "blood source" now, he inexplicably began to feel a sense of heaviness.

Perhaps it was pity—he thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

Thales touched the shackles and noticed that they were dark stone mechanical locks, covered with intricate patterns and inscriptions. Heavy and ingenious, they bound the prisoner's hands tightly to his chest, with two additional clamps extending upwards to clamp the prisoner's cheeks, preventing even the slightest movement of the head. Thales pushed hard and found that the heavy mechanical stone lock seemed to be firmly fixed to the ground—or perhaps it was so heavy that it was practically fixed to the ground.

It appears to be a heavy lock specifically designed for expert users.

Thales touched the latch; it was made of a special metal.

Just then, the metal suddenly heated up, and a scorching heat came from the latch!
"Ah!" Thales cried out in pain and released the lock.

The boy frowned and tried the latch again... It would burst into high heat as soon as someone touched it.

It seems he is unable to pick the lock.

The prisoner's struggles gradually subsided.

Thales watched him struggle and suffer in agony, feeling incredibly distressed, but could only silently step aside and sit down against the wall.

As he moved, the torchlight outside the cell was no longer obscured and shone directly onto the prisoner's face.

Thales saw the true nature of this pitiful man.

This was a man covered in wounds, his gray clothes torn and filthy.

Moreover, he has a physical disability.

His legs, below the knees, were completely bare.

Even more horrifying was his neck, where the flesh and blood were tangled together, displaying a terrifying purplish-black color, as if his throat had suffered a severe injury.

That's probably why she couldn't speak.

Thales touched his throat, recalling the two times he had been strangled, and the pain made him shudder.

He looked at the prisoner and thought silently: "Poor man, covered in wounds, it's a miracle he's still alive."

The prisoner's expression was exaggerated; his face was contorted as he gasped for breath, as if he were enduring immense pain.

But all it could utter were rough groans that sounded like "woo-woo".

Short, light blue hair covered half of her face.

On the other half of his face was a strange tattoo.

"Ugh—" he continued to groan in pain.

and many more.

Thales suddenly froze.

He recognized the tattoo on the other person's face.

Thales suddenly realized that the person in his cell, who was panting and unable to speak, was actually an "old friend".