Chapter 50: Facing a Troublemaker, Powerless

Benjamin and Yuri obediently went to the basement, even bumping into each other on the stairs. Emily found it annoying to listen to their bickering. With only three people in the team, such lack of unity would only lead to more chaos once they rescued Bloodblade.

Emily soaked in the bathtub, comfortably lying down. It had been a long time since she had relaxed like this. Today, she found herself in such a dangerous place, but here she was, immersed in a spacious bathtub. She added a few drops of rose essential oil, and its fragrance filled the air, blending with the misty steam, creating a faint and refreshing scent.

The scent of rose essential oil reminded her of the blood-rose fragrance on Yuri. Emily rested her head against the edge of the tub, looking at the ceiling. The dim lighting wasn't too harsh on her eyes. She slowly closed her eyes, and for some reason, the similar scents made her recall the two kisses he had stolen from her.

The first one was mischievous and teasing, and the second one was gentle and passionate. The overlapping memories of those two kisses kept flashing in Emily's mind.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide. She found herself in the middle of a serene forest—a tranquil forest where birds chirped and water trickled, where trees were green, the sky was blue, and the air was fresh. Countless oxygen bubbles floated and twirled in the transparent air, like little fairies with light, graceful movements. The gentle breeze brushed against her face, carrying the faint scent of roses.

In the midst of the forest stood a large bathtub, filled with thick soap bubbles. Emily was inside the tub, with her head and arms exposed, playfully enjoying the beautiful scenery before her.

Emily knew this was an illusion created by Yuri, as if he had woven a beautiful dream for her. In this dream, she had no worries or sorrows. She leaned back against the edge of the tub once again, leisurely savoring this beautiful dream. Occasionally, she blew the bubbles in the tub towards the sky, a faint smile lingering on her lips.

After resting her eyes for a while, Emily didn't open them. She gently parted her lips and said, "Yuri, that's enough. I want to get up now!"

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a softly lit room with a silver-white ceiling. Everything had returned to tranquility. Emily finished her bath, lied down on the large, soft bed, and fell into a deep and comfortable sleep.

By the time night fell, Emily went to the basement and kicked the two men awake, instructing Yuri to conjure up the map again.

"Could it be that our approach is flawed? Perhaps Alexander didn't actually keep Bloodblade in their stronghold?" Emily pondered, furrowing her brow as she studied the map. Cyberville was vast, and the new district alone accounted for a quarter of its size. She had thoroughly searched the new district yesterday, but there was no trace of Bloodblade.

"If Bloodblade deliberately conceals his scent, it's normal for us not to find him. Maybe we should go down and search. Just sniffing from above won't help. You know, we're all vampires, and we can't detect scents like humans can," Yuri said with a hint of frustration. His male pride was at stake; he felt inferior when women outperformed him.

"Going down might alert Bloodblade if he's not there, and it could jeopardize our mission," Emily shook her head, expressing her opposition.

"This is where Yuri's expertise comes into play!" Benjamin chuckled, patting Yuri on the shoulder as if they were comrades fighting side by side, while an undercurrent surged between them.

Emily and Benjamin looked at him in astonishment. Benjamin calmly explained, "Since Yuri can create illusions that show Emily the real environment even when she can't see anything, he can also create illusions for the Lassenbar's people, making them unable to see us. What do you think?"

Hope flickered in Emily's eyes as she eagerly looked at Yuri.

Yuri, however, felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth, feeling somewhat conflicted. "Going down, with such a large number of people, creating illusions for each one of them would be very difficult."

"I thought you were so capable!" Benjamin seized the opportunity to tease.

Yuri's emerald eyes burst into flames. He didn't want to be underestimated, especially not in front of Emily. "I can do it, but if that's the case, I can't go with you. I need to concentrate to make it happen."

"If you don't come with us, how will you know about the environment around us?"

Yuri took out a small bottle, exquisitely crafted with ancient and intricate totems carved on it. The metallic color showed signs of age, indicating its historical significance. The bottle was about the size of a little finger, with a black string threaded through the top.

Yuri hung the bottle around Emily's neck. "This is a magic bottle called Soul Eye. It connects me to you. When you wear it, I can see the environment around you. But remember, you must not make any sound. With the Soul Eye, I can only see but not hear. If you make any noise, I won't be able to create illusions, and it will be very dangerous!"

Emily held the Soul Eye tightly in her hand and nodded solemnly. Benjamin inwardly lamented his misfortune. The suggestion was initially meant to embarrass Yuri, but it ended up involving him even more.

"Where are we going today?" Emily turned her gaze back to the map. She ruled out the new district because there was not even a hint of Bloodblade's presence there. It was also an intuition she had.

"Then let's go to Lanjiang Road. I explored this area yesterday and found that the underground terrain is complex and interconnected. It might have connections to the human world. This place serves as a hub for the subway station and has several abandoned tunnels. The chances of finding something here are relatively high," Benjamin pointed to the central location of Cyberville.

"Good, let's go there today," Emily agreed, making Benjamin elated.

After deciding on Lanjiang Road, Emily turned to Yuri and said, "Make sure you hide yourself well."

Yuri pointed to the tallest building. "I'll go to that rooftop."

"Alright, we'll come find you later."

"You'll carry me up there!" Yuri suddenly grinned mischievously, acting like a stubborn child.

"You can just jump up there yourself!" Benjamin glared at Yuri.

"It's too high. Besides wasting time, it would make a lot of noise. If we're discovered, our mission will be compromised!" Yuri confidently stated his reasons, convinced that Emily would definitely carry him up.

"Well..." Benjamin was about to retort, but Emily interrupted, "Then hold on to me."

Benjamin was so infuriated that his eyes seemed to shoot fire, while Yuri had already tightly embraced Emily's waist and smirked provocatively at Benjamin.

"Just hold my hand, that's enough!" Emily said helplessly.

"No, no!" Yuri continued to act stubbornly, rubbing his head against Emily's neck. "Like a hanging corpse, it's too inelegant. What if you don't grab me properly? Just like this, like this!"

Emily rolled her eyes. Dealing with a rascal like Yuri couldn't be done using conventional methods. She had to resign herself to the situation and spread her wings, taking off into the air. Yuri remained vigilant of their surroundings, creating illusions for anyone who appeared at the windows to prevent them from seeing. However, his restless head rubbing against Emily's body caused her quite a headache.

Finally, they reached the rooftop, and Emily breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll come find you later," she said before preparing to jump down. However, Yuri grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace, pecking her lips quickly.

"You... Ah!" Emily didn't have time to get angry before a pair of large hands swiftly pushed her away, sending her plummeting downwards.

"Damn it! Not again!"