Chapter 110: The Hidden Laboratory

Murong Mingyue stood before the old dormitory, holding a small glass vial in his hands. He murmured incantations into the air, his voice steady and deliberate. Soon, the sky above the dormitory began to shift. Dark, swirling clouds gathered, visible only to those with the innate ability to see the supernatural. 

These clouds were not ordinary. They were formed from the lingering spirits of those who had died unjustly, their souls trapped in this place, seething with resentment. 

As Murong Mingyue continued his chant, the clouds dispersed, transforming into wisps of white smoke that rushed into the glass vial. He sealed it with a wooden stopper and cast a binding spell. 

The spirits within the vial would now guide him to the person they hated most. More than that, they could be forged into a potent weapon. 

Murong Mingyue believed in combating evil with evil. By collecting and sealing these vengeful spirits, he turned them into tools to fight other dark forces. In doing so, the spirits could achieve redemption and pass on in peace. 

The spirits he had used against Dr. D earlier had been collected from another location. The antique-looking weapon he carried amplified their power. 

Now, with these new spirits' guidance, he would locate Dr. D. 

Meanwhile, back at the castle, the Morris brothers and their steward, Sheffield, had caught wind of the disturbance and hurried to the old dormitory. Zhang Muzhi, representing the Chinese government, and his subordinates also arrived at the scene. 

They discovered that the two guards and three workers had all been killed with a single, precise cut to the throat. This was different from the previous murders they had investigated. However, the guards were no ordinary men—they were former soldiers. For them to be killed without a chance to fight back suggested their assailant was extraordinarily fast. 

"Something feels off…" said Lestat. 

The strong metallic scent of blood filled the air as they entered. The victims had all been killed by slashed throats, but something else seemed amiss. 

"I noticed it too," said Richard. "There's too little blood here. The amount spilled from three adult men's arteries should be far more substantial." 

The others nodded in agreement, reminded once again of the vampire's heightened sensitivity to blood. 

"Master, there's a basement here!" exclaimed Sheffield. 

While searching for clues, he had noticed something strange. Aside from the three dead workers, there were no signs of anyone else entering the building before they arrived… 

Sure enough, the old dormitory concealed a hidden passageway. 

Sheffield lifted a wooden plank, revealing the entrance to the basement. A putrid stench wafted up as he descended, followed closely by Richard and Lestat. Zhang Muzhi and his subordinates exchanged wary glances before pulling out flashlights and following suit. 

The vampires, with their night vision, needed no light to see the interior. What they found was unmistakably a laboratory. 

A large iron cage held three or four corpses, and a surgical table was littered with experimental equipment. 

No one could have guessed that the lab responsible for creating the mysterious serum was hidden beneath the old dormitory—right under their noses! 

If Richard hadn't ordered the dormitory's demolition, it might have remained undiscovered. But how had someone built a secret basement here without their knowledge? 

Richard approached the wall, his eyes narrowing as he studied the markings. For the first time, a look of genuine alarm crossed his handsome face…