“Poisoned members, return to camp on your own. The rest of the team, follow me.”
Lia gave her order in a cold voice.
She stood at the edge of the sloping stone path, slowly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her eyes were an even deeper shade of crimson.
Lia heightened her senses, scanning the lingering scents in the air.
Someone had arrived in the underground jungle before her, slipped past the deadly bee assault, and gone even deeper.
Anyone venturing into the underground jungle could only be after the Crimson Flower Stamen.
It was a top-tier material worth a fortune—if she obtained it, her family’s standing among the Demons would soar even higher.
She wanted to see which Demon dared to get there before her and try to take what was hers!
In her enhanced perception, Lia caught a faint, yet extremely familiar trace.
That was…
“!”
Lia’s heart skipped a beat.
It was the residual aura from Seffina’s ability.
Seffina came to the underground jungle!? Why? The Drago Family was in dire straits, why would she come here now?
Was it to obtain a rare material and turn things around for her family?
But what a coincidence—it just had to be the Crimson Flower Stamen she was after. How could that be?
Lin Shu… Where was Lin Shu?
Was it her? Did she know about the mission the family assigned to Lia, and told Seffina about it so the latter could get here first?
Lia’s hand, gripping the scythe, trembled. Her fingertips pressed down unconsciously, losing all color.
She didn’t want to believe it.
Since Seffina was here, Lin Shu must be here too!
Lia took a few steps forward, then leapt from the rugged stone path, plunging straight into the depths below.
She had to find her—she had to find her now!
“Young Miss!!” The leading warrior cried out in shock.
He saw the Young Miss use her perception skill, then suddenly stare downward in a daze.
What happened? What did the Young Miss see…
He immediately turned and said to the team behind him, “Quick, follow the Young Miss!!”
*****
At that moment, in the deepest part of the bunker.
The strange shrieks of the Flower Monsters closed in from all four directions, accompanied by the sound of wet, slippery bodies scurrying.
“I’ll stop the bleeding, cutie, you handle defense. The rest of you, stay alert for monster ambushes,” Seffina ordered.
“Yes!”
Lin Shu had fallen to the ground from the earlier mishap, her hands still braced behind her.
There was no time to get up. The first thing she did was activate the [Rose Bramble] skill.
Countless vines erupted, digging into the stone walls on both sides of the corridor, stretching out like a barricade before the group.
But it wasn’t enough, Lin Shu thought to herself.
All four directions, front, back, left, and right—they all needed to be sealed off to make sure everyone stayed within the vine zone.
A sharp, burning pain still throbbed from the wound on her thigh, fresh blood slowly seeping out.
By now, Seffina had already knelt gracefully beside her.
Lin Shu froze for a moment.
Vampires, stopping the bleeding—she knew exactly what Seffina was about to do!
“Wait, Master…” Lin Shu tried to struggle a bit. “The witch doctor…”
Wasn’t there a healer right next to them? Did Seffina really have to use her mouth?
“I was hired by the Young Miss, so I listen to her orders.” The witch doctor turned around without hesitation, giving his back to them, and finished Lin Shu’s question for her.
“His healing spells might be more than you can handle,” Seffina reminded her gently. Propping herself on the ground with one hand, she leaned closer to Lin Shu. “Just focus on defense, cutie.”
With that, she bent down.
The other teammates turned their backs to them, facing the four tunnel entrances, forming a defensive circle with Lin Shu and Seffina at the center.
“Don’t worry, Miss, we’ll guard the passageways.”
“See no evil, see no evil~” Lulu obediently turned around as well, her face blushing pink.
Two Flower Monsters had already appeared at the far end of the corridor, racing toward Lin Shu and the others.
“Roaaar—!!”
Their hulking bodies squeezed through the tunnels, flower-petal heads opening wide to reveal gaping maws full of jagged fangs.
Lin Shu forced herself to focus on the enemies ahead.
She poured all her concentration into speeding up the growth of the vines.
“Swish swish swish!!” The bristling, thorned brambles thickened between the walls.
The Flower Monsters had already charged up, whipping out blood-red branches and launching them at the group.
“Don’t let them touch you, they eat flesh!”
“Cut them down!” The vampire warriors swung their greatswords, cleaving at the crimson branches.
Some branches slipped past and collided with the vines—Lin Shu struggled with all her might to hold them back.
She’d used her power earlier and hadn’t had a chance to recover. Now, faced with several Flower Monsters, pushing her willpower was becoming a real strain.
But what distracted her even more was…
Seffina’s face lowered close to Lin Shu’s thigh wound, her tongue lightly lapping at it.
When vampires feed, they have a unique way of helping wounds heal.
“Mmm!” Lin Shu felt something slick glide over the inside of her thigh, her cheeks flushing with heat.
Seffina’s hair brushed against her leg, sending a teasing tickle over her skin.
The impact of both sensations sent Lin Shu’s breathing into shallow, rapid bursts as she strained to maintain her skill, sweat beading on her brow.
“Hang in there!” The vampire warrior’s shout was followed by a greatsword slicing through a branch.
“Three more coming from the left tunnel!”
I can’t get distracted… I have to keep protecting everyone…
Lin Shu bit her lower lip hard, fingers digging into the ground to force her attention back.
Seffina noticed her reaction and looked up.
A drop of scarlet lingered at the corner of her lips—it was Lin Shu’s blood.
She flicked her tongue to lap up the red, then curved her lips in a wicked smile. “Tastes delicious.”
“But you’re struggling so hard,” Seffina leaned forward, pressing her body against Lin Shu and covering Lin Shu’s hand with her own. “Let me help you, cutie.”
The red in her eyes grew brighter—in an instant, her domain skill activated.
A surge of power poured into Lin Shu’s body, and a crimson magic circle spread out from beneath the two of them.
All the vines began to grow madly, sealing off Lin Shu and her companions from the Flower Monsters and forming a sealed space.
One Flower Monster after another was cut off outside the vines, unleashing piercing shrieks.
“Whew, that was scary.” Lulu patted her chest. “I almost became flower fertilizer.”
Lin Shu pushed herself up off the ground. The wound on her thigh had healed, though her leg still felt a bit weak.
“Stay quiet for now. We’ll wait for them to leave before we do anything else,” Seffina said as she stood up.
Suddenly, a violent disturbance shook the bunker above.
The Flower Monsters outside all made a “guji” screech, as if they were rapidly communicating.
They quickly scurried off, fleeing down the tunnels in the opposite direction.
The squelching drag of their movements faded into the distance, and soon, silence returned outside.
Lulu watched their movements through her expanded senses, and said in puzzlement:
“The monsters… they all seem to be heading for the entrance. Did someone arrive?”
She looked up.
“Whoa, this person’s aura is really strong!”
Someone strong enough to come after them? There was only one possibility…
“It’s… Lia?”
Lin Shu looked up as well, murmuring to herself.