On the other side of the Yali'ou Mountain Range, in the primeval forest.
Lu Qi sat in a tree, running his fingers through his rain-dampened hair, revealing a smooth forehead.
He frowned at the communication device in his hand and clicked his tongue in frustration.
He muttered to himself, "We really need to build a communication base station on this side..."
What terrible signal! He couldn't receive a single message.
That day, Lu Qi had originally planned to follow Qiao You to find the vampires' hideout and then return, not expecting the signal on this side of the Yali'ou Mountain Range to be so abysmal.
Moreover, when they followed Qiao You to that ancient castle, it had already been emptied, and the surrounding villages were deserted, without a single vampire in sight.
Qiao You just stood there dumbfounded, looking like a child whose parents had moved house without telling him.
They could only continue to secretly track Qiao You, hoping he would be smart enough to contact the main vampire force.
Lu Qi jumped down from the tree as Lu Xi came to report, "General, there's a vampire sneaking around nearby following us. We've captured him."
"Oh? Someone not afraid of death coming to our doorstep?" Lu Qi raised an eyebrow. "Well then, let's go take a look."
Ah Qiang stood trembling by a tree, his wings tucked in tightly, not daring to move, afraid that the beastmen surrounding him with predatory gazes would pounce and tear him apart.
So terrifying.
As the sound of military boots crunching on fallen leaves approached, a pair of mud-stained boots appeared in Ah Qiang's field of vision. Lu Qi's voice was cool and languid: "Speak. How did you find us?"
"And where did the main vampire force go?"
Ah Qiang's voice quavered: "The King and the Elders led the entire clan to the other side of the primeval forest. Another part of the vampire forces was sent to control the Hate Beasts to attack Kafier City."
Lu Xi's eyes widened: "What? When did this happen?"
Ah Qiang: "The move happened three days ago. As for the attack, I only know they had this plan, but I'm not sure about the timing."
The surrounding beastman soldiers clearly became agitated.
Lu Qi raised his arm to signal them to calm down, his expression cold: "Then why would a vampire so easily tell us this information? Why are you still here?"
Under his intimidating presence, Ah Qiang couldn't lift his head: "I don't want to control the Hate Beasts. They're too terrifying. Some of them were even our former clansmen..."
"So when the King and others relocated, I secretly escaped and have been lingering here."
"I only discovered your troops today..."
Ah Qiang paused, then mustered the courage to look up at Lu Qi: "I know we vampires can't defeat you beastmen. I don't like drinking beastman blood or war. Rather than following the King's orders, I'd rather tell you everything I know."
"Including the specific location of the vampire relocation and the secret to controlling the Hate Beasts. But my condition is, don't harm the innocent vampires in our clan. Some of us don't drink beastman blood and don't like war."
Lu Qi used a tree branch to lift Ah Qiang's chin, quietly meeting his gaze.
Ah Qiang trembled in fear under his stare, almost falling to his knees.
After a long moment, Lu Qi said: "Prisoners of war have no right to negotiate terms."
The light in Ah Qiang's eyes dimmed.
"However, we never engage in cruel killings."
The young vampire suddenly looked up, tears in his eyes: "...I'll take you to the magic crystal mining caves right now."
Lu Qi methodically arranged: "Lan Yuxiang, take some men to tie up Qiao You. According to this..."
Ah Qiang nervously clenched his fists: "Just call me Ah Qiang."
Lu Qi continued: "According to Ah Qiang's directions, take half the men to raid the vampires' lair. It would be best if we could capture that old vampire leader."
"Their strong vampires should have gone to Kafier City, leaving only useless weaklings behind."
"Lu Xi, you lead your men back to check on the situation at Kafier City. Surely Sixth Yan and his cat brigade can hold it."
Lu Xi looked worried: "General, what about you?"
Lu Qi directed a few beastmen to bring Ah Qiang forward: "Me? I'm going to cut off the source of the Hate Beasts."
The vampires rely on these so-called magic crystals to control the Hate Beasts, but where do the Hate Beasts come from?
Lu Qi suspected that the old vampire leader was luring normal people to turn into Hate Beasts, then using the Hate Beasts to deal with the Kashida.
According to Ah Qiang's description, these magic crystals had the ability to tempt beastmen to turn dark.
These magic crystals seemed to be related to the increasing number of Kashida beastmen turning dark.
Since it was an important place for the vampires, there should be plenty of Hate Beasts and vampires guarding the mines.
Time was of the essence, and the three groups set off in different directions.
In Lingli Town, many beastmen had already fled to other cities of Kafier City for refuge, but to ensure the safety of the city, beastmen from Lingli Town with mental power purity below thirty-five percent would not be accepted.
Many beastmen with mental power disorders stayed in Lingli Town, receiving treatment with guidance injections.
The usually lively and peaceful town was now desolate, with beastmen hiding in their homes, no longer venturing out. The roars of Hate Beasts and sounds of explosions could be heard in the distance from time to time.
As soon as Yun Manman and Yan Shuang got off the hover car, they were stopped by beastmen in military uniforms: "Lingli Town is ahead, the area where Hate Beasts appear most frequently. It's currently closed off, no entry or exit allowed."
Yan Shuang, with a solemn expression, saluted the soldiers and showed them her credentials and pass: "I am Yan Ye's mother."
The soldiers saluted, their tone respectful: "So it's Colonel Yan Shuang. Major General Yan Ye hasn't woken up yet."
Yan Shuang's steps were urgent: "I understand. Take me to see him."
"Also, we've brought medicine and food. They're all cleared, please help take them in."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Inside the medical center of Lingli Town, the wards were already full of patients.
Some were ordinary beastmen injured by Hate Beasts, others were soldiers who had retreated from the battlefield due to injuries. It was overcrowded, with even the first-floor hall filled with people lying down.
Antelope nurses moved around the injured, carrying trays and medicines, clearly understaffed.
Yan Ye was placed in the same ward as other patients, just like any ordinary patient.
His golden eyes were tightly closed, his complexion pale, with a few scratches on his face. His chest was wrapped in bandages, with heart monitors and a ventilator operating, their regular beeps indicating stable vital signs.
The Goat Doctor apologized: "We really don't have any private rooms available."
Yan Shuang waved her hand: "We don't mind that. How is Yan Ye now?"
She touched Yan Ye's face with trembling hands, her eyes brimming with tears.
The Goat Doctor said: "At the time, Major General Yan was entangled in combat with two Hate Beasts when a vampire suddenly appeared and attacked him from behind. The Major General dodged this attack but was struck in the chest by a Hate Beast's tail."
"Fortunately, the Hate Beast's tail only grazed his heart, causing major bleeding. If it had pierced the heart directly, I'm afraid..."
"We can only say it was a blessing in disguise."
Yan Shuang wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes: "When will he wake up?"
The Goat Doctor pulled up Yan Ye's medical record on his tablet: "The bleeding is currently under control, but the Major General has been fighting Hate Beasts for a long time, especially recently his mental power purity has been dropping continuously. Combined with his injuries, that's why he hasn't woken up."
"We've already given the Major General guidance injections, but the medicine is in short supply now, so the dosage isn't enough."
Yun Manman sniffled, her voice choked with tears: "I'll do it."
She would make her brother wake up.