Family Quarters

The grease has dissipated, and the battle is over.

Lucius and his group escaped from the room.

Han Dong noticed a small detail: Lucius's gait and arm swings had changed slightly when he walked out of the greasy room.

Clearly, the battle against Greasy Barbara is not easy.

Lucius may have been physically exhausted or injured in the battle.

Senior Sister Zhen and the Necromancer Lunze were also feeling unwell, as the distorted, Corruption Lines had spread all over their bodies.

Seeing this situation, Han Dong thought to himself:

"I've seen this greasy woman before. She's much stronger than the average cadre, plus she has a lot of spare grease and wax figures. To defeat her, you'll have to pay the corresponding price."

No matter how strong Lucius and his group are, they are still at the level of Knight-Errant in terms of "contamination resistance"... The contamination carried in the oil will inevitably lead to deep infection if it comes into direct contact with the skin.

Given your physical condition, getting into the top-floor "Family Quarters" won't be easy.

Just as Han Dong had expected.

After leaving the room, Lucius and his party immediately took out an anti-pollution agent from their belts.

An elite team as capable as them completed numerous Bounty Mission during their three years at the Knight Academy, so they were not short of money.

They wouldn't drink 'holy water,' such Oldest One pollution resistance agent.

Any task involving pollution will require purchasing finished medicines made by pharmacists from the Trading Center.

The medicine was very effective.

The dark lines covering the skin and around the eyes have faded considerably.

However... the outline of this Corruption Lines still remains.

To completely eradicate the pollution, one must return to the church inside the Holy City for 'baptism' and ' Stress Release '... Any form of medicine can only provide a superficial suppressive effect.

If not eradicated, the effectiveness of the pesticide will decrease significantly with each subsequent pollution episode.

The room was filled with grease.

Barbara, the personal butler, knelt on the ground, her brain destroyed and her heart pierced, a ' Blood Curse Seal ' covering her entire body... her physical form was dead.

"Sorry! The target's intent is too strong to be controlled with necromancy."

Lunze lowered his head apologetically.

At the same time, due to the failure to control the target, he also suffered a backlash at the Consciousness Layer, with blood constantly flowing from his nostrils.

"It's not your fault... Such a high-level 'Outsider' consciousness is inherently exceptionally stable. Let's rest for a bit, then continue our ascent to the top."

We must be the first team to make contact with the Grand Lord.

As for the "key" issue, we'll consider it before we reach the building.

Just then, Han Dong, who was bound by Bone Handcuffs, suddenly said, "If we can't find the key, we have a way..."

"What method?"

"My teammate Wenli majored in Mechanical Engineering and has a lot of experience in model making. She might be able to help."

"If you do well enough, Renze will have his Skeleton Soldier escort you safely out of the ' Upper District '... but don't even think about trying anything funny."

Blood Knight Lucius appeared unusually cautious, having already touched upon the core of the matter, and could not afford any mistakes.

After resting for a while, the team arrived at the stairwell connecting to the top floor.

A stone door with complex seals on its surface completely blocked the corridor, and forcibly destroying it was not advisable.

Senior Sister Zhen, who came from a background as a shadow assassin, tried to open the keyhole using a basic lock-picking method, but after fiddling with it for a long time, she couldn't open it. She shook her head slightly and retreated back to the group.

Click...

At this moment, Wen Li's handcuffs were unlocked, but Han Dong remained handcuffed.

Wenli carefully inspected the keyhole by shining a kerosene lamp on it and using goggles with a magnifying effect.

He immediately took out a special forging flint from his backpack and began crafting the key on the spot.

"A blacksmith... a freshman with such skills? Are you that old man's student?" Lucius asked with some surprise.

Winry was completely absorbed in forging the key and did not answer Lucius's question.

After the key body is forged, a unique pattern is engraved on the key surface using a very fine engraving tool.

These patterns perfectly align with the seal on the stone door, which is the real key to opening it.

Sizzle!

A large bottle of cold water is poured onto the scorching hot key surface to complete the final quenching process.

Click...

As the key turned, the stone door opened.

It wasn't just Lucius and his group who looked at Winry with unusual eyes.

Even Han Dong was shocked by such exquisite forging skills... Wen Li's talent in blacksmithing is probably unmatched by anyone in the entire school.

Click.

Just to be on the safe side.

A Bone Handcuffs still bound Wenli, tying her to the back of the group.

The only difference is...

Lucius gave instructions to the assassins in his team:

"Jane, you stay behind and protect these two. Leave the evil creatures lingering in the Fourth Floor to me and Lunze... You were the one most deeply affected by the oil, so get some rest. You absolutely cannot let it affect the final battle."

Senior Sister Zhen, wearing Skull Mask, nodded.

A layer of Yin Mist covered the corridor.

The closer you get to the top floor, the lower the temperature becomes... You can even hear ghostly whispers coming from above.

The official top floor - "Family Quarters".

The dilapidated, dark, and deserted place, seemingly abandoned for centuries, contrasts sharply with the Third Floor, which is covered with red carpets and lit with candles.

This stark contrast made Lucius very uncomfortable; he sensed that something dangerous was lurking in the shadows.

Han Dong, who was following at the back of the group, had a smile flash across his face.

Last night.

When he followed Barbara to the "Family Quarters," they did not encounter any danger because of their positions as executives.

But... if it's a stranger, the situation is a little different.

Han Dong chose the top floor as the key to victory precisely because a large number of ghosts reside there.

A cold wind swept across Wen Li's body like a ghostly hand. When it stared at the eerie portrait hanging on the wall of the corridor, Wen Li was so frightened that she immediately buried her head in Han Dong's back and dared not look at it for long.

"Ah, how terrifying..."

"It's okay, Senior Sister Zhen will protect us."

When Han East Side glanced at Senior Sister Zhen, who was wearing Skull Mask and remained silent, he unexpectedly noticed a strange change in the portrait of a woman on the wall next to Senior Sister Zhen.

The portrait, which had been punctured at the eyes, suddenly had two living eyeballs appear, staring intently at the group of people.

Han Dong was about to give a reminder.

Swish...

Two shadowy daggers pierced through the painting with precision, destroying it in the process.

at the same time.

The Blood Knight Lucius was at the front of the line, suddenly stopped.

Because about two meters in front of him, a white ghost pushing a stroller was crossing horizontally... Inside the stroller, some transparent tentacles were floating slightly.

Suddenly, a baby's cry, mixed with some kind of high-pitched murmur, echoed through the corridor.

Everyone covered their ears at the same time.