The Energy Angel dashed forward like an arrow, thrusting a sword toward the thing within the coiled vines.

There, the shadow entangled by vines let out a scream—Fang Hong also sensed that his Energy Angel had hit something. But the cluster of shadows suddenly played its old trick again, dispersing into a cloud of smoke, from which countless bats chattered as they tried to escape from all around.

"Gita, stop him!" Fang Hong shouted.

"Anstali Great Glacier!"

Gita gently closed her eyelids, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. She placed her hand on the silver pages of the Magic Guided Book and recited the spell with a somewhat trembling voice.

'Crash,' a loud noise sounded.

A chill immediately filled the corridor, and curling Ice Walls rose from all sides, sealing off the narrow space completely.

At this moment, the only exit left was in the direction where Gita stood. A swarm of blood-red bats flew frenziedly, bumping into walls, and indeed turned toward that direction.

Fang Hong immediately tossed a Ts-1 Stalker capable of generating a Gravity Trap toward the direction of the window.

But just then, the corridor where the three were suddenly sank downward and collapsed. "Oh no!" Fang Hong thought, knowing that Gita's vine spell had damaged the corridor's already fragile structure due to years of disrepair.

The floor indeed fractured downward, and Fang Hong raised his hand to shoot out a Flying Claw, gripping an overhead protrusion to avoid falling.

But he heard a cry from up ahead.

"Mr. Knight, it's Gita."

Hearing Miss Tata's warning, Fang Hong looked up and saw that his Ts-1 Stalker had also fallen with the collapsing floor and hadn't been able to function. The cloud of smoke rolled towards Gita.

Gita had already turned pale with fear, forgetting any spells she might have known. Besides, even if she had spells, she was just a level-six Natural Historian.

The smoke landed and turned into hands that grabbed Miss Natural Historian. The vampire seemed seriously injured, unwilling to linger, as it snatched the petrified Gita and vanished down the corridor.

The direction led back to the previous room.

Burning with anxiety, Fang Hong didn't care where his Ts-1 Stalker had fallen. He knew vampires could recover by drinking human blood, and given enough time, Gita's fate would likely be dire.

He swung forward urgently, landing steadily on the platform formed after the corridor's fracture. Without even checking his chest wound, he gritted his teeth, chasing in that direction.

Little did he know he'd be back here again in just a few minutes. But as he pushed the door open, the room was empty, and when he lit an Illumination Crystal, there was no sign of Gita or the vampire anywhere.

The painting still sat in the same spot, with the girl in it quietly watching him—

Accidentally glancing at the girl, Fang Hong noticed a peculiar ring on her right ring finger. The ring bore a wolf's head, vaguely familiar to him.

But the thought passed quickly. He had no time to ponder such things now—he only skimmed the room quickly, seeing the only exit was a hidden passage, knowing the vampire must've taken Gita in there.

He couldn't afford any hesitation now; he hung the Illumination Crystal around his neck, drew the silver handgun presented to him by Sicape and Hilveld, and cautiously entered.

Two Energy Angels guarded him, front and back.

The hidden passage didn't differ much from the one he had seen in the Clockwork Fairy's vision, narrow and winding with a monotonous view throughout, leading downward. Such places were prone to traps and mechanisms, but Fang Hong was too worried about Gita's safety to care.

Fortunately, it seemed these traps had long since become defunct, likely due to the passage of time. Or perhaps no traps were ever set here, for he encountered no trouble on his way.

As he dwelled deeper, urgency marked his every step. Yet, however long he walked, he saw no trace of the vampire or Gita. Suddenly, his vision opened up, revealing an underground hall in the glimmering light of crystal lamps.

In the dark, the hall's extent was unknown, but it was no smaller than the foyer he and Gita had entered upon the castle's entrance.

The empty silence around him stirred something inside Fang Hong, slowing his pace slightly—the hall was vast and empty, the only sound his own shuffling footsteps. He glanced around, taking the crystal from his chest to hold it aloft.

The glow expanded slightly, the illumination extending in a circle further out, but it barely reached the center of the hall.

That's when Fang Hong noticed a fleeting flash on the floor over there.

He went to check and found a bat-shaped Silver Badge lying in the dust. Fang Hong paused for a moment, recognizing it as an Attendant's Crest that vampires leave upon death, wondering which level it was.

Perplexed, he discreetly scanned his surroundings before picking up the badge. It felt slightly warm to the touch—a sign of lingering magic power, as vampires have no body heat.

This indicated the badge had just been left behind.

The system prompted: High Rank Attendant's Crest.

Fang Hong felt a chill down his spine. Unless another high-ranking servant was present, this badge likely belonged to the previous vampire. But how could it die here?

Could it be that the unfortunate creature succumbed to its injuries before it could even drink Gita's blood?

But the problem is—

Where's Gita?

Fang Hong stood up, full of doubts, observing the silent hall. If she was still here, she should have seen him holding the light by now.

...

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