With a sense of spatial distortion, Draco teleported Hermione and Trillian to a dark underground space.
The moment I landed, a nauseating stench of fish and mold assaulted my nostrils; it was utterly indescribable. Beneath my feet lay sticky, filthy sewage, puddles reflecting dappled shadows, while murky water droplets dripped and pattered down from above.
Trillian frowned in disgust, covered her mouth and nose with the back of her hand, and complained, "Young Master, have we been transported to the sewers? This smell is suffocating!"
Draco's gaze swept across the dim surroundings. The walls were covered in moss and water stains, and the outlines of several forked paths could be vaguely seen in the distance, giving him a vague idea:
"This must be where the Werewolf are hiding."
"How can these guys adapt to this environment? Aren't dogs supposed to have a very sensitive nose?" Trillian was puzzled.
"It might be related to vampires," Hermione guessed.
As they walked, Trillian chatted with a hint of gossip in her voice. "You mean—they were forced here by vampires? That's why they have no choice but to huddle in this godforsaken place?"
Hermione nodded and continued, "That Werewolf started shooting as soon as he smelled the Lao Hei, so there must be some serious grudge between the two sides."
Trillian's eyes lit up, and with an inappropriate hint of excitement, she said, "There's even some juicy gossip to be had! This trip was definitely worthwhile!"
"Get ready," Draco reminded them, as he continued to lead the two along the golden footprints, using short teleportations to delve deeper into the intricate underground passages.
The further you go in, the more the sounds of wind and dripping water from underground gradually mingle with the deep, hoarse roars of wild beasts, suppressed howls, and the occasional shouts of cheering people.
Draco raised his hand, signaling the two to stop, then gripped his wand in his inner pocket, chanted a spell, and cast Disillusionment Charm on the three of them, making them blend into their surroundings.
"Follow me," Draco said. The two nodded and followed closely behind Draco, slowly walking down the passage. After taking only two steps, Draco suddenly raised his hand again, stopping Hermione and Trillian, and signaling them to be quiet.
At the entrance of the passage ahead, Lao Hei and his partner rushed back, looking travel-worn. They hurried into the passage from which the noise had come. Draco silently thought to himself:
" His Specialis Revelio."
An invisible magical fluctuation spread like ripples on water into the depths of the passage, reflecting the entire scene within into his eyes.
There were about thirty or forty people gathered in the space, both men and women, most of them exuding a rough, wild aura. In the center of the group, there was an open space where two Werewolf were fiercely fighting.
Claws tore through the air, wolf howls echoed through the passage, and the massive beasts clawed at each other, their fur flying and blood splattering everywhere.
The crowd erupted in deafening cheers and whistles from time to time, shouting encouragement for their respective fighters.
Just as the battle was at its most intense, Lao Hei and his partner roughly pushed aside the wolves in the crowd and forced their way into the center of the arena.
"Stop right there!" Lao Hei roared, his face darkening.
His voice drowned out all the shouts in the stadium.
The noise immediately subsided, and everyone turned to look at Lao Hei standing in the center. The two Werewolf that had been fighting also stopped, panting heavily, and shrank back into human form from their wolf form, revealing two faces covered in sweat and blood.
"Where's Lucian? Where's the leader?" Lao Hei asked.
"Captain Raze, the chief is handling clan affairs in the innermost stone chamber," a Werewolf replied.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the passage.
The crowd automatically parted to both sides, making way for a path.
A man with long hair walked in.
The man walked up to Raze, examined the remaining signs of battle on his body, and asked, "Did you catch Michael?"
"We failed. Just when we were about to succeed, a vampire and three other people intervened and prevented us from capturing them."
"Three people?" the long-haired man repeated, puzzled.
"Yes," Lao Hei nodded, then continued his report with a hint of uncertainty, "They smell like ordinary humans, but their methods are like... those of legendary wizards..."
"A wizard?" The long-haired man's expression flickered slightly.
Raze's partner added, "Yes, boss! That's not ordinary strength. They wield wooden sticks, bullets just disappear when they hit them, they can teleport, knock people unconscious, and even suspend them in mid-air..."
"That's a magic wand," Raze corrected.
The partner nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, the magic wand!"
Upon hearing this, the Werewolf were in an uproar. After exchanging glances, they all wore expressions of absurdity, and then murmurs of discussion arose.
"Wizards? Aren't they things from ancient legends?"
"Our Werewolf clan has survived for hundreds of years, roaming the underground realms of other races for so long, and we have never seen a wizard!"
"I think it's just incompetence. They can't find a reasonable excuse, so they're just using some vague and unfounded wizard to appease the leader, right?"
"Yeah, that's ridiculous."
All the Werewolf looked incredulous, thinking that Raze and his companion were guilty of their defeat and were deliberately making up absurd excuses to shirk responsibility.
Raze's partner panicked, his face flushed, and argued vehemently, "It's true! We saw it with our own eyes! Those three people, two women and one man, were holding wands; they could knock someone unconscious with a single wave! They captured both of us!"
Disputes began to escalate on the scene, and the atmosphere became somewhat agitated.
"Quiet, no need to argue." The long-haired man raised his hand and gently pressed down, silencing all the noisy discussions. "Since Captain Raze has said so, it must be true." He then asked Raze, "Those three wizards, are they the vampire's henchmen?"
"No." Raze shook his head, equally puzzled.
"They didn't distinguish between vampires and us, they captured them all, but... they didn't do anything to us."
"What?!" Everyone was shocked.
The long-haired leader's expression also turned serious. "Three wizards? They managed to subdue both you and the vampires at the same time?"
"Yes." Raze nodded, "Their strength is unfathomable; I have absolutely no idea what their trump cards or potential are."
The long-haired man's expression grew even more serious, and he pressed on, asking:
"So how did you escape?"
Raze thought for a moment and replied, "They probably underestimated our strength. They only used ropes to tie us up, but I forcibly broke free of the restraints, and my companions took the opportunity to help us retreat."
The long-haired man stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It seems the other party doesn't know your true identities."
Raze recalled for a moment and confirmed, "Yes, one of the women seemed very surprised when she saw us transform."
"So their target is vampires?"
"This... I can't be sure." Raze shook his head.