Infiltration (Seeking Recommendation Votes)

The ancient blood-red castle stood alone in the distance beyond the Black Forest.

Heavy mist shrouded the place, with black mist curling through the air, hazy and sinister.

The occasional cry of a crow made the ominous atmosphere even thicker.

The moonlight had been stained by that smear of blood-red, making it somewhat glaring.

Su Li's spiritual jade trembled slightly, wiping away this trace of unease.

Taking a deep breath, he summoned Su Miaohan. Amid the shadows was her home ground.

He then placed the little fox on his shoulder and activated [Ice Blue Shield] as a precaution against any accidents.

Before setting out, he had thoroughly researched the vampire system and consulted the relevant materials.

Vampires with noble titles were all aristocrats of the vampire race, possessing powerful bloodlines and existing on an entirely different level from ordinary vampires.

This meant that Baron Carlos possessed terrifying strength at least beyond Su Li's own rank, while his exact capabilities remained unknown.

Quite troublesome.

It was not hard to tell from Grantis's displayed strength that vampires were an exceedingly difficult race to deal with. They had to be killed in a single blow, or their blood supply had to be cut off; otherwise, they simply could not be killed.

Of course, it would be even better if he could avoid Baron Carlos and come into direct contact with Grantis.

Su Li gave Su Miaohan the order to scout ahead.

The card constantly relayed information. The closer they came to the blood-red castle, the stronger Su Li's apprehension grew.

At present, his control over the card extended only about five hundred meters. As Su Miaohan drew closer, Su Li had no choice but to follow behind, maintaining an effective distance.

Rustle!

Suddenly, a moose appeared, fleeing madly through the forest.

"Hahahaha!" The piercing laughter was unbearably harsh, like a knife scraping across glass.

A figure appeared. It was a vampire, its skin a grim, dull blue. Most of its eyes bulged from their sockets, and its two fangs were hideously grotesque.

The moose was wounded, its blood spilling onto the ground. The vampire stopped its pursuit and crouched down like a pervert to lap up the blood. At the same time, its body twisted strangely as it let out eerie laughter.

After drinking every last drop of blood, it resumed the hunt, toying with the moose and constantly inflicting new wounds, as if satisfying some twisted desire.

Su Li judged that this was likely a low-ranking vampire. It could not even maintain a human form and had already begun to deform.

He gave the order for Su Miaohan to attack.

The dagger blade moved like a shadow. With two swishes, it severed the vampire's arms and sliced through its ankles.

"Aaaah!" The vampire let out a shrill scream.

Su Miaohan approached slowly, dagger in hand.

"Damn it! Damn humans! You dare set foot in the dark forest? Lord Carlos will make you pay!" the vampire roared hysterically.

Viper's Kiss pulsed with dark energy. Su Miaohan crouched before the vampire and parted her red lips.

"Tell me the specific details of this castle."

"Damn humans! Damn humans!" Blood filled the vampire's bulging eyes.

Su Miaohan did not hold back. It was a monster, unworthy of pity. She raised her foot and kicked it, giving the vampire a brutal beating.

The vampire screamed until it was barely breathing before finally speaking.

"W-What do you want?"

"Tell me the specific details of this castle. What vampires are here, which area Baron Carlos is in—everything." Su Miaohan waved Viper's Kiss, its sharp edge flashing with streaks of light.

"No! Baron Carlos will kill me! I'll die horribly! No!" The vampire shrieked strangely, as though it had recalled something, its body trembling.

Su Miaohan sighed softly and was about to strike again when the vampire shuddered and hurriedly said, "Baron Carlos has already left to attend the vampire feast. It is a banquet held by his family.

He will return soon. You had better leave this forest at once, or you will die horribly!"

"Who else is in the castle?" Su Miaohan continued.

"A vampire guard squad, and... and Lord Albert. He is Baron Carlos's strongest thrall and the captain of the guard squad."

"What else? Do you know Grantis?" Su Miaohan asked.

"Grantis?" The vampire fell silent, then suddenly let out a strange chuckle. "That delicate little girl?

Hehehe, Lord Carlos turned her into a thrall, yet instead of obediently submitting, she actually resisted with her own will? It seems she has already gone mad and has been locked at the very top of the castle.

She has undergone a mutation, and her bloodline is very high. Lord Carlos likes her very much. This blood feast seems to have something to do with it as well."

At last, it muttered, "It shouldn't be... it shouldn't be. Why can she resist Lord Carlos?"

This vampire was clearly not quite sane either. It had lost part of its awareness, consumed by its pure desire for blood.

It was still lost in thought when Su Miaohan made her move. There was no need for such a monster to exist.

A flash of blade light split the night, killing it completely.

In the distance, Su Li sank into thought. What connection was there between the Grantis who had appeared in the real world and the Grantis in the card world? This so-called interdimensional invasion seemed to have diverged from his understanding.

But that was not what he needed to focus on right now. Strengthening Grantis was his true objective this time.

Baron Carlos was actually absent? That was fantastic news.

Grantis was Bronze Rank 5, so Baron Carlos, as her master, could not be much stronger—at most, low Silver rank. His strongest servant was surely stronger than Grantis, likely around high Bronze rank.

He did not waste any more time. Vampires could not be fully trusted, but their words could still serve as a reference; he would need to make his own judgments afterward.

Su Miaohan swiftly approached the blood-red ancient castle.

The castle was enormous, consisting of a main fortress and two smaller ones. Its gates were tightly shut, with two vampires holding blood spears standing guard outside. They looked far more normal than the ones they had encountered earlier.

Su Li did not rashly enter. Instead, he had Su Miaohan scout first. Moving through the castle's shadows, she eventually confirmed that Baron Carlos truly was not there.

They silently killed the vampires at the entrance.

Then the two of them sneaked inside. Along the way, Su Miaohan struck repeatedly, killing the patrolling vampires.

These vampires had weak bloodlines and did not even know Blood Conversion. Su Miaohan killed them with ease.

Su Li gradually came to understand Grantis's strength. She probably did not lose out to some vampire nobles.

The vampire guards they killed were all around Rank 3 or Rank 4, and they had no special skills—only Blood Manipulation.

Su Miaohan struck directly at their vital points, spilling very little blood. But as the number of dead vampires increased, the smell of blood finally began to spread.

"Who goes there?!" A figure dropped from the top of the castle. He was a long-haired man encased in armor, holding a spear formed from blood.

His pupils were blood-red, his aura overwhelming, and his gaze cold enough to make the nearby vampires nearly suffocate.

Roar!

Su Li released Su Xiaobai, who transformed at will into a ten-meter-tall beast. Its enormous fox tail danced beneath the blood-red light, and its fur became spears, unleashing a carpet bombardment.

Meanwhile, he took Su Miaohan into the main fortress and headed for its highest point.