Chapter 355: The Assassin
"You there, be careful with my crystal candelabra! That was handcrafted by Master Hesky himself."
Count Okot said irritably.
"Y-yes, my Lord."
The guard nervously held the candelabra, moving it slowly, terrified of causing any damage.
"Crash!"
The crystal candelabra fell, shattering into countless pieces.
The guard stared at the Count, his mouth agape, his face full of terror.
"M-my Lord..."
"You wretched fool! Can't you understand what I'm saying? That was a crystal candelabra made by Master Hesky himself!"
Count Okot flew into a rage, his mustache quivering as he stormed forward and grabbed the guard by his chest, lifting him off the ground.
The guard trembled all over, pointing shakily behind the Count.
"M-my Lord, behind you..."
"What?"
Still fuming, Count Okot instinctively turned his head.
"Crash!"
A sharp sound echoed again, this time the sound of glass breaking. Shards flew everywhere, some even grazing the Count.
Pale figures in tailcoats with eerie smiles on their faces entered through the shattered windows, the faint scent of blood wafting from them.
"Who... who are you? What do you want?"
Count Okot stammered, his hand releasing the guard as his large, corpulent frame began trembling visibly.
Langli Baitiao shouted menacingly:
"Robbery!"
"What nonsense is this? I am Count Okot Sur!"
"And I'm here to rob a Count!"
Langli Baitiao sneered, advancing step by step with a dagger in hand.
"Enemies! Guards, protect me!"
"Where is Alyosha? Get out here now!"
Count Okot fell to the ground in fright, crawling backward with his hands and feet, shouting in panic.
But when he turned his head in haste, he was struck dumb once again.
In mere moments, the dozen or so elite guards had all collapsed into pools of blood, not even making a sound.
Beside each corpse stood a vampire, one of whom even licked the blood from their blade with an exaggerated gesture.
The vampires had already infiltrated the mansion.
All his guards were dead.
At the door lay the body of a man in gleaming plate armor, arrows tipped with poison piercing his neck, arms, and head—this was Captain Alyosha, his most formidable guard, who had been caught off guard and killed by the vampires.
"Alyosha..."
"How could this be..."
Count Okot muttered in disbelief, his mouth hanging open.
After a brief pause, he realized his dire situation. He quickly prostrated himself on the floor, trembling violently as he begged for mercy.
"I-I am Count Okot. Please don't kill me. I can give you land, titles, and gold!"
Langli Baitiao looked at him, tilting his head with a peculiar expression, and asked:
"If we kill you, wouldn't your money all be ours anyway? Besides, the Kingdom's troops are about to overrun this place. What use are your promises of land and titles?"
"This isn't all my wealth! I can give you more... more money! I swear..."
Faced with death, Count Okot was incoherent with fear.
The next moment, Langli Baitiao raised his hand crossbow without hesitation, baring his sharp fangs as a confident smile spread across his face.
"Sorry."
"We of Nocturne never leave witnesses."
"Whoosh—"
The poisoned arrow shot through the air but struck an invisible barrier of light.
It turned out Count Okot's amulet had activated, releasing a protective spell to block the fatal shot.
"I... I'm alive!"
Count Okot touched his neck in disbelief, feeling fortunate as he staggered to his feet, trying to flee.
Langli Baitiao's expression darkened.
"Damn it, I finally got to deliver a cool line, and you had to ruin it?"
"Die already!"
He calmly reloaded his crossbow and fired another shot at the fleeing Count.
"Whoosh—"
Yet another force field barrier appeared, deflecting the arrow.
Langli Baitiao ground his teeth, his face twisting with anger as he watched the panicked Count stumble away.
"How dare you defy a top-tier assassin!"
"Everyone, attack! Let's see if this guy can survive!"
"Boss, leave it to me!"
At Langli Baitiao's command, the vampire players charged from all directions.
In an instant, daggers, poisoned arrows, and glinting needles rained down on the Count.
"No, stay away!"
"Ugh..."
Count Okot foamed at the mouth, his massive body collapsing to the ground. His veins turned purple as he succumbed to the poison, lifeless.
Langli Baitiao walked over to the corpse with a grim expression, kicking it as he muttered:
"Even at death's door, you couldn't let me show off properly?"
"Boss, over here!"
"We've struck gold!"
Wolf of the Night's excited voice rang out.
Langli Baitiao turned and was instantly dazzled by the sight—tens of thousands of gold coins piled on a cart, along with luxurious paintings, jewelry, and even sculptures.
"Damn, this fat pig was loaded!"
Suddenly, the emblem on his chest lit up, and the voice of Medrolash, the leader of Nocturne, echoed in his ears.
"Seventy percent of the spoils go to the organization."
"..."
Langli Baitiao fell silent.
By the next morning, the residents of Vichy City woke to find the entire city steeped in the stench of blood.
They were horrified to discover that the soldiers on the walls had been slaughtered, the Count's mansion littered with bodies and drenched in blood, and even Count Okot lay dead in the hall, stripped of his clothes.
His bloated corpse bore a darkly humorous paper note covering a sensitive area.
"Count Oliver has been assassinated. Perpetrators: 'Nocturne.'"
The people were overcome with dread.
This was no mere assassination; it was a massacre.
"Oh, gods..."
"Who could have done this?"
"This is terrifying... it's like hell itself!"
The maid who escaped from the Count's mansion felt immensely grateful to have survived the ordeal.
However, rather than plunging the city into chaos, the massacre seemed to impose a strange order. A crooked note was found pasted to Captain Alyosha's face—
"Surrender obediently to the Kingdom. Anyone who resists dies tonight."
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Vichy City.
Charlotte and the members of [Magic Coin] waited silently.
Yet no convoy of treasure-laden carts or the corpulent Count appeared at the end of the road.
Staring at the empty path, Charlotte muttered, "Damn it, that bastard broke his promise. We were supposed to meet here at noon. Where is he?"
Lonely as Snow quipped beside him, "President, with tactics like yours, you're really talking about trust?"
Indeed, [Magic Coin] was back to its old tricks.
Betrayal.
The "mysterious mage proficient in teleportation," hailed as a savior by countless Northern nobles, was none other than Charlotte in disguise, spreading false information deliberately.
So far, [Magic Coin] had cleaned out two barons, one viscount, and all their wealth.
Charlotte wagged a finger and said earnestly, "You've got it wrong. Can a player's actions be called lying? This is called rational use of game resources."
"It's these fools who are untrustworthy. They're the ones who deserve death!"
"..."
Lonely as Snow fell silent again.
Charlotte sighed, "Let's go. It seems someone intercepted this deal, but no matter. We've got plenty more business ahead."