At that moment, a burly man beside them suddenly convulsed violently, as if enduring excruciating pain, letting out a choked wail.

Without warning, he swayed sideways—*urp!*—and vomited a large pool of dark brown blood before collapsing heavily onto the ground.

“Huh??”

What…?

“D-Did you… stab them right in the heart?” Liang Di blinked rapidly.

“I—I didn’t!” Liang Lin stammered, utterly bewildered.

Before the girls could react, the other men began groaning in identical agony. One by one, they crumpled to the ground with heavy thuds.

Within half a minute, the writhing figures stilled—limp as mud, as if sinking into the earth.

“Hey… you guys…” Liang Lin shoved her hands in her pockets, kicked a man’s leg hard. “Don’t play dead on me! I didn’t go all out!”

“Something’s off…”

Liang Di crouched, pressed a finger beneath a man’s nose. Her expression darkened. She sighed, stood. “Scratch what I said about no good sleep. They’re dead.”

“Dead???” Liang Lin scratched her head. “But I really didn’t beat them to death.”

“They poisoned themselves. Poison pouches hidden in their mouths—bite them if the mission fails. Self-silencing.”

“Oh.”

Liang Lin understood. Captives on battlefields sometimes chose such ends. She felt a flicker of respect.

“So what now?”

“Report to the local knights tomorrow.”

“Then… head back?”

Yawning widely, Liang Lin stretched wearily.

“No choice.”

*On the way back…*

Liang Lin checked her pocket watch. Only eight p.m.

“Orlando City has zero nightlife? Weird.”

Every shop was shuttered. Candlelight glowed behind tightly locked doors.

“With all the recent trouble… it’s normal.”

*Knock, knock, knock~*

“Who is it?” A trembling elderly voice came from behind the iron door.

“Granny, it’s us—the travelers who checked in today.”

A pause. A small square window slid open. A cloudy eye peered out suspiciously.

“Hey, what’re you staring at?”

Liang Lin dropped into a crouch—her crimson eyes locking straight with the old woman’s.

“Ahhh!!!”

The woman stumbled back, plopping onto the floor.

Liang Lin would swear she hadn’t meant it—just curious. But yeah… crimson pupils in the dark? Pretty eerie.

Liang Di facepalmed.

“Granny, it’s really us.”

After rustling sounds, the door opened. Lantern in one hand, the other pressed to her chest:

“Oh my… child, you nearly stopped my heart! Good heavens, I thought I was meeting my Maker!”

After fussing: “Why so late? Don’t you know how unsafe Orlando is? Girls your age keep vanishing! Didn’t you see every door locked?”

“We heard. Someone found a girl’s body in the woods.”

The old woman paled.

They’d reached the second-floor landing. A grand mural hung there—a poised noblewoman with an ornate fan, smiling serenely. Dim light cast shadows over creaking stairs and the fresh crimson carpet.

“You don’t know… this wasn’t human work!” she whispered mysteriously.

*Not human?*

“Not human? Could it be… vampires?” Liang Lin blurted.

The woman gasped. “You’ve heard too? Who told you?”

“Uh…” The girls exchanged glances.

Liang Di: “Overheard at dinner. Thought it was just a ghost story. Is it true?”

“Silly child! It’s true!”

“How can you be sure it’s vampires? Everyone’s just rumors.”

Glancing around, she beckoned them close. “Inside. They say my old eyes tricked me—but I swear I saw it!”

*Oh? A new clue.*

Inside, she locked the door and set the lantern on the table.

“A few nights ago, I remembered forgetting to feed the guests’ horses. Took this lantern downstairs. Grabbed fodder at the stable—then heard rustling from the storage room.”

*Oh…*

Liang Lin and Liang Di held their breath, eyes wide.

“We’d stored frozen meat there. Thought rats. Didn’t want it wasted! Grabbed a stick, tiptoed over—silent as a shadow.” She raised a trembling hand. “Then… the door flew open! Something shot out! Those crimson eyes…! Blood on her face! A fresh heart clutched in her teeth!”

“Huh? Vampires drink blood… why take a heart?” Liang Lin frowned.

“I peeked inside… oh dear…” She groaned. “My stray cat—guts spilled everywhere. Scattered. So… bloody…”

“A-And then?”

“My mind froze. Turned back—and saw it: a blood-soaked mouth, sharp fangs… right in my face.”

*Ooh! The good part!*

Liang Lin leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “Granny! Don’t stop! What happened next?”