Chapter 530, Someone Entered the Manor
"Archers!" Sheila Grey shouted to the group behind her.
Several team members quickly rushed over.
Led by the three teams of Dwarf Orlin, they raised their bows and crossbows, aiming into the room.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~!
Several arrows whizzed through the air.
At such close range, the accuracy rate was high.
The spiders' bloated abdomens were quickly pierced by arrows and bolts, oozing dark green liquid from their wounds before collapsing to the ground and dying.
Bang, bang, bang~!
Explosions echoed through the sky.
Necromancers are such a nuisance!
As the explosions ceased, the smoke gradually dissipated.
The room was left in shambles.
Broken tables and chairs littered the floor, along with scattered food and rolling wooden mugs.
[Corpse Explosion] wasn't as powerful as a bomb, but it had enough force to destroy the furniture in the room.
Two skeletons were sent inside to scout the area.
After confirming there was no further danger, the group entered the room.
"Check the corpses and be careful of poison," Sheila Grey warned.
The group then entered an adjacent room.
It was a bedroom.
The small space had a wooden bed with scattered bedding, and traces of blood could be seen on the walls and floor.
"He's gone, not here," Sheila Grey said.
Clearly, the target had fled before they arrived.
If he hadn't, this could easily have been a trap to lure them in.
"See if we can find anything useful," Wu Heng instructed.
"Got it!" Sheila Grey nodded.
She led the team to search the area.
After searching for a while,
Sheila Grey returned and said, "The corpses outside have been confirmed as our team members. They're dead... sigh."
She let out a sigh after speaking.
This was the first casualty the guild had suffered since she became the steward.
And it had happened on the island.
"Leaving the corpses behind was a provocation. We'll capture him and avenge them soon," Wu Heng said.
"Mm." Sheila Grey took a deep breath and added, "We found some items. See if you can track him down."
She pulled out several objects.
Since the seer wasn't with them, Wu Heng took out the [Tracking Pendant] and began using blood to search for the target.
One by one, the items were tested, but each time, the flame inside the skull extinguished.
This indicated that all the targets they sought were already dead.
"They're all dead. Are there any other clues?" Wu Heng put the [Tracking Pendant] away.
"That's all we found. The explosion scattered and destroyed many items."
Wu Heng frowned and said, "Let's head back. Seal off the port and the inner city roads, and shrink the search perimeter step by step. We'll catch him."
"Understood!"
It was clear that the enemy was cautious and experienced.
Even with Wu Heng using the seer and various tools, they were still one step behind and found no useful clues.
In the end, they had to resort to more primitive methods of searching.
As long as the target was in the city, they would find him.
By the time they returned, dawn was breaking.
The team members' faces were grim. The death of one of their own weighed heavily on them.
None of them knew if they might be the necromancer's next target.
If the steward and island governor couldn't catch the enemy, the ordinary members would be in even greater danger if they encountered him alone.
The group remained silent as they made their way back to the central area.
...…
At the Guild Hall, inside the conference room.
Sheila Grey sat at the head of the long table, listening to the reports from her subordinates.
"The woman found at the tavern was a local prostitute, met outside the tavern. This has been confirmed by the tavern owner and bartender."
"She didn't provide many useful clues. During the act, the man kept murmuring things like 'May the Great Lord bless us' and 'The Lord will reward the faithful.' She thought it was just a way to distract himself and didn't suspect anything related to a cult."
"We checked the tavern's records. They checked in on the day of the incident and hadn't stayed there before."
"From memory sketches, we confirmed that the people they described were the ones killed last night. The escapees weren't among them."
After the report, the person sat back down.
The prostitute and tavern details only involved the people they had already killed.
There were no new leads on the necromancer or the remaining Destiny Sect members.
"What about Team 2?" Sheila Grey asked.
The Team 2 captain stood up.
"We spoke to nearby residents and compiled their clues. They estimate around twenty-five people in total. Some residents reported a smell of decay and stiff walking, likely indicating the presence of undead minions."
"The missing people mostly came from nearby residential areas. We've already deployed teams to patrol the main roads and alleys."
After the Team 2 captain finished,
Sheila Grey nodded slightly and surveyed the room.
"It's clear that they're members of the Destiny Sect. Their leader is a grand knight, a necromancer of high level. This type of profession..."
She paused briefly, then corrected herself, "As a member of a cult, they're ruthless and unscrupulous. Their goal is likely to retaliate against us. If we delay, both our members and the residents will be at risk."
Everyone nodded.
The loss of a team member had created a sense of crisis among them.
They knew the necromancer could target them next.
Sheila Grey continued, "Team 1, head to the port and inspect all incoming and outgoing ships and personnel. Wu Heng, dispatch one of your armored vehicles there in case of an enemy attack on Gold-Silver Island."
"Understood!" The Team 1 captain nodded.
Wu Heng nodded as well, indicating his approval.
Sheila Grey went on, "Teams 2, 3, and 4 will be assigned additional skeleton guards and begin sweeping Lighthouse Street. The remaining teams will guard the central area and residential zones."
"Understood."
Sheila Grey reminded them, "If you spot the enemy, don't act rashly. Report back immediately to avoid unnecessary danger."
"Yes!"
...…
At 8 a.m., Wu Heng returned to the manor.
As he entered the courtyard, several maids rushed out to greet him.
They surrounded him and asked with concern, "Master, are you hurt?"
"No," Wu Heng reassured them, patting their heads. Seeing they were safe, he let out a sigh of relief.
Wu Heng didn't trust the necromancer's morals.
He had worried that while he was out hunting the enemy, the necromancer might attack his home.
Even with the manor's defenses, even a few level 18 Professionals might not be able to break in.
But a high-level specter could be a different story.
If the specter had killed the maids, he would have been filled with regret.
"Would you like breakfast?" Minnie asked, hugging his waist and looking up at him.
"Yes, I'm starving."
"I'll get it ready," Minnie said, running off to the kitchen.
Robe and Annette followed her to help.
Andviel said, "Master, last night the Skeleton Prophet stood on the third-floor balcony, watching outside all night. It seemed like something invisible entered the manor."
Wu Heng's eyes narrowed instantly.
His expression darkened.
So, the necromancer had come after all.
The manor was too obvious a target for him to ignore.
Perhaps the seer's high level had deterred him, or maybe Wu Heng's pursuit last night had been too relentless.
Either way, the enemy hadn't found an opportunity to strike.
"I'm going to see the Skeleton Prophet. Andviel, take the day off from city hall and rest at home," Wu Heng said as he headed upstairs.
Andviel nodded. "Understood."
Wu Heng climbed the stairs and entered the Skeleton Prophet's room.
The skeleton, wearing a robe and holding a wooden staff, was seated, staring out the window.
Wu Heng asked directly, "Was there danger last night? What happened? You can write it down."
The seer turned around slowly and gazed at Wu Heng with hollow eye sockets.
Its bony fingers grasped his wrist.
In the next moment, fragmented visions flashed through his mind.
In the darkness of the night sky,
A specter hovered above the manor, observing the area below, while in the courtyard, a shadow as black as ink crept across the ground and climbed up the balcony.