40: Suppress this deserter

Having just acquired the skill, Locke was keen to test it out.

So, he gave a slight wave by the window,

Simultaneously emitting a series of sound waves inaudible to the human ear.

Sure enough, within moments, a large swarm of dark, shadowy bats arrived at the window, circling his hand incessantly.

"This skill is quite useful," Locke mused internally, impressed by the effect.

With this ability, these bats could now serve as his eyes and ears, soaring through the night sky to gather information for him.

To some extent, it wasn't much inferior to the 【Star Slave Contract】.

A thought struck Locke, and he asked, "What happened at the Vampire Base? Does any of you know?"

The bats chattered noisily for a while before one, slightly larger than the rest, flew onto his shoulder.

It relayed, in detail, how Kraven had rung the bell to convene a meeting.

However, bats don't know human names, so it only gave him a general description.

"Mhmm, I see. Alright, I understand."

Locke nodded. Even without names, he could guess the gist from the description.

"Kraven is truly impatient. He didn't even send anyone to verify the scene before jumping to conclusions. It seems I overestimated him somewhat."

After delivering the message, the bat remained perched on his shoulder, showing no intention to leave, as if planning to stick with him.

Locke helplessly squeezed a drop of blood from his fingertip and offered it to the Great Bat's mouth.

The Great Bat eagerly sucked the blood into its body, then fluttered away joyfully as if having obtained a treasure.

"Alright, I'll look for you next time I need information."

Locke waved at the bat before continuing on his way to the conference room.

However, realizing that news of his supposed death had already been spread by Kraven, he began crafting his explanation along the way.

In the conference room, discussions about the interim elder were still ongoing.

After all, Kraven's faction only held one-third of the seats.

Even with some bribes, he still hadn't secured over half the support.

Many attendees supported Serena.

Sitting at the head, Kraven's expression was dark, annoyed that his plan wasn't proceeding smoothly:

"These damned old fools. It would be so much easier if they just supported me."

Mainly, he hadn't expected Serena, a warrior, to garner support not much less than his own.

Fortunately, Serena was distracted by Locke's situation and made no effort to campaign for herself.

So, as the meeting progressed, coupled with Kraven's promise that clan members could regularly drink human blood in the future,

His support continued to rise steadily.

Seeing many persuaded, the heavy stone of anxiety in Kraven's heart finally settled.

"Once I secure the position of interim elder today, I will be the only elder in the Vampire Clan from now on."

His plan was ruthlessly cunning.

He intended to continuously collaborate with Lucien during his century-long rule, using the Werewolf Clan to find ways to kill the still-slumbering Victor and Marcus.

Thus, he would become the most authoritative figure in the entire Vampire Clan.

At this thought, his gaze fell on Serena, his eyes filled with undisguised lust.

Unfortunately, just as the matter seemed about to be settled, an unexpected turn occurred.

The tightly shut conference room doors were suddenly flung open.

With a loud clang,

The heavy iron doors slammed against the wall, the Huge noise drawing the attention of all Vampires present.

Standing in the doorway was a Vampire in a suit, handsome, with an upright posture.

Kraven, seated directly facing the door, forgot to breathe the moment he saw the newcomer.

His eyes widened,

His entire body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if witnessing something terrifying, utterly incredible.

His eyes flashed with shock, disbelief, and panic:

"Y-you... you're dead! How... how can..."

Meanwhile, Serena, who had been feeling downcast, stared at Locke for half a second before nearly leaping from her seat.

Her icy demeanor instantly melted into a radiant smile.

Her entire being radiated uncontrollable joy.

Ignoring the gazes of everyone present, she made no attempt to conceal her feelings.

Then, she rushed towards Locke, throwing herself into his arms, her hands tightly gripping his waist:

"You... you're okay. That's really Very good."

Hearing Serena's slightly tearful voice, Locke felt a stir in his heart. He reached out and gently patted her back:

"It's alright, it's alright. I'm perfectly fine."

"But... they all said the mission failed, that you were dead."

Serena looked up at him with reddened eyes, her face full of indescribable grievance.

"Do you have to believe everything others say?"

Locke smiled, lifting his hand to cradle her face:

"Besides, aren't I alive and well right now? Although the mission failed, I managed to survive by chance."

Erica, standing nearby, was no less emotional. Seeing Locke's sudden return, she was so Excited she nearly cried.

However, to prevent Kraven from noticing anything amiss,

She suppressed her Excited, covering her mouth with one hand, afraid she might sob:

"Thank goodness, thank goodness. It's good that he's okay."

If not for the undefined nature of her relationship with Locke,

She would have also rushed into his arms, clinging to him and acting coquettishly like Serena.

While patting Serena's back, Locke glanced at Erica and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Seeing that Locke hadn't forgotten her even at such a moment,

The love in Erica's heart instantly overwhelmed her tear ducts. Two clear tears were on the verge of falling from the corners of her eyes.

Feeling her emotions spiraling,

She quickly turned her head aside, discreetly wiping away the tears.

Kraven watched Locke holding Serena, his hands clenching involuntarily, a whirlwind of thoughts racing through his mind:

"Damn it! Why isn't this pretty boy dead? My men haven't returned. How did a nobody like him come back first? What exactly happened?"

He never suspected Lucien had deceived him, so he was utterly perplexed by the current situation.

Of course, after a moment, he calmed down and began calculating how to eliminate Locke:

"I didn't expect this kid to lucky escape death. But since he dared to return, I still have a chance to kill him."

In the conference room, seeing someone return from the mission, everyone started There is much discussion.

"Hey, kid, where are the others? Why are you the only one back?"

"Elder Emilia, is Elder Emilia alright?"

Members of Emilia's faction were particularly Excited. Seeing Locke return, they thought the mission had succeeded and Emilia was alive.

They all stared Excitedly at Locke, eager for news from him.

However, Locke didn't address them immediately. Instead, he leaned close to Serena's ear and whispered:

"If you have more questions, save them for later. Let's deal with the matter at hand first."

"Mhmm, mhmm." Serena nodded obediently, her face flushed as she released him. Then, she led Locke back to her seat.

"Why are you the only one who returned?

Where are the others?"

Kraven stood up directly from his seat, leaning his hands on the table, adopting a Looking down posture as he began to challenge Locke:

"Speak! Did you desert, causing the mission to fail?!"