Chapter 34: The Tunnel

"Shall we give it a try then?" The leader raised his caterpillar-like eyebrows.

A vampire approached the leader and whispered something to him. Everyone present, except for Olivia, heard it. The leader glanced at Emily. If she didn't follow along, their visit would be in vain. They had given Les Umbra three days, and those three days were hard-won.

Emily, of course, heard what the vampire said. She made a "please" gesture, and only then did the leader feel relieved and lead the way.

The first major rule of the Secret Society was to avoid the world, which meant that vampires' existence must not be discovered. Otherwise, it would be an execution offense. Shuncheng was the territory of the Secret Society, and Les Umbra generally wouldn't venture into it. If they wanted to come, they had to obtain the permission of the Secret Society's prince in advance and abide by the society's rules. They couldn't openly engage in warfare in Shuncheng.

In fact, obtaining this permission from Les Umbra was quite difficult. After a long negotiation, Ga Yi finally nodded in agreement, allowing them to stay for only three days. Whether they could capture Emily within these three days would depend on their abilities. If Les Umbra's people were still in Shuncheng after three days, they would be dealt with according to territorial invasion protocols—execution without mercy!

The leader had witnessed Emily transforming into a Rakshasa, a sight that even frightened vampires. It was truly not an easy task. Moreover, considering Alexander's temperament, if he couldn't bring Emily back, he would face severe punishment. Though the details were unknown, he knew that his future days wouldn't be pleasant.

It was a matter of life or death, so they would give it their all against Emily!

The leader led the way, while the other vampires followed from behind, as if afraid that Emily's group would escape. They were sandwiched in the middle, like filling in a pie.

They had already found a location and had initially planned to lead Emily's group there. However, Emily's nose was too sensitive. After careful consideration, they decided to use the most direct method. And that's how they ended up at the entrance of a tunnel.

The leader led them to the subway tunnel and they walked along it, going further until there were no more tracks. They expected the path to become narrower as they progressed, but to their surprise, it became more spacious, albeit devoid of light. Olivia struggled to adapt to the darkness.

Emily looked around. The underground felt like a maze of secret passages. She smelled the presence of many vampires lurking in these crisscrossing tunnels beneath Shuncheng. The deeper they went, the more vampires there were. She was secretly astonished. Had Les Umbra sent so many people?

The leader walked at the front, and the vampires formed a dense blockade at the back, like a constipated colon. This location was chosen strategically. Even if Emily's group wanted to escape, they would have to defeat the large group behind them. If they didn't want to engage with so many vampires, they would have to keep moving forward. However, what lay ahead was unknown, accompanied by an even stronger fragrance of tuberose.

The tunnel was not well-dug, and it was unclear who was responsible. It was clearly the realm of vampires, but how could the refined and elegant bloodline be associated with such a poorly constructed tunnel?

Emily continued to follow the leader, curious about how he could be so familiar with this chaotic tunnel despite being unfamiliar with the place.

After walking for a while, the view suddenly widened. Though it was still underground, it resembled an underground parking lot—vast and spacious. However, there were no people to be seen. Emily could sense many pairs of eyes peeping at them, but she didn't know where those people were hiding. The strong fragrance of tuberose betrayed their presence.

Who were these people? Why were they here? Could it be an ambush?

A rough estimate revealed that there were at least two to three hundred individuals present. With such a large number, were they all here to capture her? Would today be a one-way journey? Emily began to feel uneasy. She wasn't worried about not finding the way back since Benjamin would remember the route they took. However, if the number of vampires was too overwhelming, the three of them would eventually be exhausted.

The leader stopped in the middle and turned to face Emily. The others swiftly surrounded them, but as they looked around, something seemed off—there were only twenty-something individuals left!

"Where are the others?" the leader roared. The remaining twenty-odd people exchanged puzzled glances. Everyone had been focused on Emily and her companions, and nobody had noticed that some members had gone missing. Despite the initial group of dozens of vampires, only twenty-something had made it inside. Could they have lost their way midway? That couldn't be! Vampires weren't prone to getting lost!

The leader's eyebrows knitted together as they realized there were only twenty-something individuals left. It seemed like they had no chance of winning.

"What's wrong? Did you lose your little shrimp?" Emily smirked, trying to boost her own confidence. She couldn't tell whether the people lurking in the shadows were friends or foes.

"Don't get too arrogant too soon!" the leader gritted their teeth and charged forward. Their weapon was their claws, and the nails on each finger grew longer and harder, resembling sharp knives.

Emily swiftly turned to the side, evading the attack with a cool demeanor. Her hair danced in the wind as she moved, almost like she was dancing.

Seeing the leader take action, the others disregarded the missing members and rushed forward in a frenzy.

In the darkness, Olivia struggled to unleash her full potential. Eventually, she tore a strip of cloth from her clothes and blindfolded her eyes. She wielded her silver sword, relying solely on her hearing to fight. It was a skill she had trained extensively during her regular exercises, and with a single movement, she decapitated two heads.

Benjamin extended his razor-sharp nails and engaged in combat with the leader.

Emily found herself surrounded by a dozen or so vampires. Gripping her dagger, she relished the opportunity to display her skills. However, she was quickly overwhelmed by the onslaught of attacks, her mind becoming chaotic. In the end, she resorted to random and frenzied stabbing.

Feeling unsatisfied with the stabs, Emily threw away her dagger and leaped onto a vampire's shoulder. With both hands embracing their head, she twisted it forcefully, ripping off a dashing head, causing blood to gush out, splattering onto her body.

This action mirrored what happened in Boris's room. As the blood sprayed onto Emily, it chilled her skin, but her body seemed to ignite. Her blood boiled within her veins. Impatiently, she charged towards another vampire and delivered a powerful upward strike with her palm, severing an arm.

As the vampire howled in agony, clutching their wounded arm, before they could let out a second cry, another arm was forcefully ripped off. Emily's body was becoming increasingly drenched in blood.

The sight of Emily's sinister smile and her body covered in the blood of their comrades struck fear into the hearts of the others. Their steps forward became hesitant, some even instinctively took a couple of steps backward.

Benjamin, engaged in a struggle with the leader, glanced in their direction during a momentary lull in their fight. Alarm bells rang in his mind. Emily had lost control once again!