Chapter 35

The group of maintainers trudged through the wilderness of the Wallachian Plain, covering over thirty kilometers, and finally discovered a hidden cave in a rocky hill.

The cave entrance was small, only allowing one person to pass through by bending down.

Sun Ran compared the ghost-finding compass in his hand and confirmed, "The vampire is inside."

Lan Xin immediately contacted the game administrator to request a map of the cave's interior.

The map was quickly transmitted, divided into five parts, and directly loaded into the maintainers' minds. In an instant, the five-person team became more familiar with the cave than their own homes.

Lan Xin added, "Although the map provided by the game company is accurate, the vampire must have set many traps inside. The administrator warned that the cave is shrouded in a fog that even they can't penetrate, so they can't scan for traps. We still need to be careful."

A fog that even the administrator can't see through? This is enough to show that there's a saboteur inside.

"I'll go in first," Jing Ke said without hesitation, crouching down and leading the way into the cave.

The team of Thorn Rose watched, all feeling that this assassin was incredibly bold. This guy really treats it like a game, with no fear, diving into any cave without hesitation, completely ignoring the 100% immersion of the virtual reality game.

Sun Ran was the second to enter, "I have some knowledge of traps, I'll follow you."

Next was Bai Tingxuan, followed by Lan Xin, and Ke'er brought up the rear, invisible.

The cave entrance was narrow, but after walking for about ten meters, it widened into a passage about three meters high and two and a half meters wide.

The air in the passage was fresh, but there was no light, pitch black, truly dark as night. If traps were set here, they would be impossible to detect.

Bai Tingxuan immediately began distributing talismans, "This is the Bright Eye Talisman, stick it on your face, and it will give you night vision."

Sun Ran took it and stuck it on his face, immediately feeling a slight brightness. The impenetrable darkness turned into a black and white world, though without color, the details became exceptionally clear, just like daytime.

The talisman worked well, but only Sun Ran and Bai Tingxuan needed it, as the others had their own night vision abilities.

Jing Ke, an assassin, moved lightly and swiftly, his body slightly bent. In the darkness, his eyes emitted a faint green glow, looking like a large cat. Lan Xin had eagle eyes, and Ke'er, also an assassin, relied on shadows, so darkness was no problem for them.

The group walked another twenty meters along the dark passage, and a corner appeared ahead. Jing Ke, though angry, was not reckless. Corners are the easiest places for ambushes, so he had to be careful.

At the corner, he waved his hand back, signaling everyone to stop, then cautiously moved out half his body.

A fierce column of fire, nearly thirty centimeters thick, shot out like a dragon's breath.

Jing Ke was prepared and immediately pulled back. The fire column almost grazed his body, hitting the wall at the corner and lasting for several seconds before disappearing, burning the rock wall to a slight melt, showing its high temperature. If Jing Ke hadn't dodged quickly, his body would have been vaporized.

Jing Ke retreated and tried again, and the fire column still appeared, showing no sign of weakening, as if it had an endless supply of energy.

"What do we do?" He turned to Sun Ran, who he knew was a mage.

"This is a high-level fire rune developed by the natives, level three, with a cyclic energy source, so it can be triggered infinitely. It seems there's at least one skilled mage among the saboteurs."

Sun Ran took out his staff, which then glowed, the light converging at the tip, forming a blinding cold light sphere.

"I'll go first and block the fire column. Lan Xin, use your crossbow to destroy the rune."

Lan Xin nodded, tearing off the invisibility talisman from her turbo crossbow and following behind Sun Ran.

Sun Ran took a deep breath, murmured a spell, and after ten seconds, his staff vibrated. With a crisp sound, a thick ice shield appeared half a meter in front of him.

Native spell: Ice Shield, like the high-level fire rune, is also level three. Below level two permissions, Sun Ran needed ten seconds to gather enough data to support the spell.

Sun Ran walked out of the corner, and the fire column reappeared, hitting the ice shield, causing flames to scatter, and the ice shield quickly thinned.

Lan Xin promptly rushed out, her eagle eyes activated, seeing the high-level fire rune on the wall five meters away through the scattered flames. She raised her bow and fired an arrow.

With a loud thud, the arrow embedded in the rock, the fire rune exploded inside, the wall turning red and becoming a viscous paste like lava, changing shape slightly under gravity. The rune was destroyed, and the fire column disappeared.

Jing Ke, seeing the red-glowing wall, looked at Lan Xin's crossbow with a hint of shock and couldn't help but praise, "Good stuff."

If he had this, he could have defeated the high-level vampire with one arrow last night, without the need for a prolonged struggle, and wouldn't have been ambushed by the archer team.

After speaking, he moved to the front of the team again, taking on the role of scout.

The path ahead became wider, gradually turning into a hall. After walking over a hundred meters, they reached a natural rock hall, with the highest point about ten meters and an area of at least two hundred square meters.

In the center of the hall stood a metal golem, over two meters tall, its body gleaming with a golden metallic luster, very thick.

The golem's head and arms were originally hanging down, but at the sound of movement, its head lifted, and its previously dull eyes glowed with a blue light.

It didn't immediately attack but began to speak: "Ah~ Are you the maintainers? Don't rush to attack."

Its voice was deep, with a metallic rasp, like a radio with signal interference.

What's going on?

Sun Ran frowned and looked at the golem. After a moment, his eyes showed understanding, and he explained to the team, "This is radio wave transmission technology. If I'm not mistaken, this golem has a built-in microphone."

Radio waves are a technological force, with a simple principle. Any modern person can learn to make a simple radio with a little study. These saboteurs using radio waves on a golem with a strong medieval style is quite imaginative.

The stone golem continued, "I know your purpose, to kick me out of the game, dismantle my bat army, and return Dracula to his destined fate."

Jing Ke asked, "Since you know, why make it difficult for us? Why don't you end it yourself?"

The golem laughed, "Your words are meaningless. I just want to tell you that the path ahead is full of traps, each capable of turning your bodies into mush. Even the game administrators can't revive you. Even if you manage to get in, I'll be long gone, and you're destined to fail."

"We can find you wherever you go!" Ke'er interjected.

"Indeed. But I'll go to Duke Dracula, where there are heavy defenses. With just a few of you, you won't be able to enter the city and kill me," the golem laughed.

"What do you want to say?" Sun Ran asked calmly.

"A deal. Dracula has only twenty years left to live. I just need him to be Duke for twenty more years to complete my mission. During these twenty years, I'll restrain him, making him kill less. Don't doubt me, I have the ability. If you don't agree, once I return to the capital, the Duke will attack Istanbul and massacre the city! Don't doubt me, with my bat army, capturing the city will be easy."

The golem looked up at the sky and said to the air, "Game administrators, I'm sure you can hear me. What do you think of my proposal?"

In the space station, Hao Qiang was somewhat swayed but was still reluctant. He instructed the divine punishment officer, "Prepare divine lightning over the hills. As soon as you see a vampire, electrocute him."

Just as he finished speaking, the saboteur seemed to guess his thoughts and laughed, "Administrators, don't think of using lightning to seal the hills. I'm not a naive medieval native. I understand the properties of lightning and carry lightning protection equipment made of superconducting materials, high-tech. You definitely can't electrocute me, hahaha."

Hao Qiang waved his hand in defeat, stopping the divine punishment officer's actions.

He contacted the maintainer team, activating the team communication mode, and asked everyone, "How confident are you in catching him?"

Silence. The enemy was in the dark, and no one could guarantee a 100% chance of catching the saboteur.

If they failed and let him escape, the maintainers would bear a significant responsibility for the massacre Dracula would launch. This responsibility was too great for them, just Black Iron or Bronze level maintainers, to bear. But giving up like this made everyone feel reluctant, as compromising with the saboteur was a disgrace to every maintainer!

So they remained silent, but this silence already spoke volumes.

Hao Qiang was preparing to give up and compromise with the saboteur, enduring him for twenty years of game time. Although this was rare, it wasn't unheard of.

At this moment, Sun Ran suddenly spoke, "Administrator, my companion and I have a 100% chance of killing him before he reaches Targoviste."

"Are you sure?" Hao Qiang was surprised.

"I'm sure," Sun Ran said calmly.

The other members of Thorn Rose remained silent but moved to stand behind Sun Ran, clearly ready to stand by him.

"Sun Ran, you?" Jing Ke asked, his voice full of doubt. Although this guy had shown remarkable skills, saying this seemed a bit overconfident.

"Are you not seeking revenge?" Sun Ran smiled, his gaze lowering to the intestines wrapped around Jing Ke's waist.

Jing Ke, feeling a surge of anger, said, "Fine, I'm in!"

"Alright, go for it!" Hao Qiang was a straightforward person.

During this time, the golem had been patiently waiting, knowing they were communicating but not knowing what they were saying. Seeing Sun Ran step out of the team and approach him, he asked, "How did the discussion go?"

Sun Ran nodded, "We're retreating, you win."

"Ha ha ha, a wise choice... Why are you coming closer, stay away..." The golem sensed something wrong and warned, but his voice suddenly stopped.

Too late. Sun Ran's staff had already touched the golem, and complex magical patterns extended from the tip, like a spider web, instantly enveloping the golem's entire body, seizing control in an instant.

"A mere puppet trick, daring to show off in front of me." Sun Ran sneered, a faint look of disdain on his face.

Lan Xin helplessly patted her forehead. She admitted Sun Ran was excellent in every way, but there's always someone better, and he could be a bit more humble. She didn't know that Sun Ran had once been the best of the best.

Ahead, the golem began to turn, rushing down the passage into the depths of the cave.

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**End of Chapter**