Chapter 142

The image in her mind vanished in an instant, like a forcibly severed scene.

Letia snapped back to reality, her gray eyes fixed on the patch of dark, sticky blood on the ground that had yet to fully dry ::

The current situation… seems a little strange.

The short blade that pierced the priest’s heart in the “script” playback just now…

Although the patterns on the blade now glowed with an eerie, blood-red color, as if some sinister light was flowing along its length, she would never mistake it—that was undoubtedly the blade Red had personally enchanted for Otto!

But then why… why was that priest hypnotized?

Letia’s thoughts raced, and she instantly recalled the Sleep Demon Device Satania had once displayed.

Could it be that item is now in Otto’s hands?

With Otto’s current status and means as a Bishop of the White Church, obtaining that item from Satania wouldn’t be difficult; logically, it made sense.

However, the bigger question was—why would Otto do this?

Advancing the Black Church’s Demonization Plan… what would he gain from it?

Letia pondered for a long time, but still couldn’t figure it out; her mind was a tangled mess.

In the end, she chose to give up thinking.

“Pah…”

She shook her head irritably, forcing herself to focus on reality.

Another, more urgent question surfaced:

“Come to think of it… where did Satania… run off to?”

She glanced around.

This was the treacherous, peril-ridden Second Floor Twenty-Seven of the Dungeon.

With Satania’s limited strength, running blindly in such a place was no different from throwing herself straight into the jaws of the Monster Tide.

Letia’s heart tightened abruptly, anxiety and worry welling up.

She instinctively glanced in the direction Satania had escaped.

Chase after her?

No way…

Even if she generally knew the direction, Letia wouldn’t dare to pursue recklessly.

This was a Dungeon; wandering aimlessly could easily cost her own life as well.

So, what she needed to do now was naturally head to the Scarlet Legion’s camp.

Although she couldn’t regroup with Red and the others, there’d be no problem observing from the shadows.

“How’s Hera doing?”

When Brian returned to the tent, Red immediately turned and asked him.

“With the bandages and medicine, plus those Priests in your team, she should be stable, right?”

“Thankfully, with the bandages you gave us, Red, the bleeding from Hera’s wound has stopped. But we can’t stay here much longer—we need to get back to the surface as soon as possible.”

Brian also sat down.

Upon hearing his words, Tos, who had been tense, relaxed.

He leaned back in his chair and said with a hint of nostalgia.

“Let’s hurry back then. I’m starting to miss those cute little succubi.”

At these words, even Red and his two close brothers couldn’t help but shoot Tos a big white-eyed glare.

Mason couldn’t help but remind him.

“Did you forget? The City Return Array on the Second Floor Twenty-Seven has been cut off. If we want to go back, we’ll have to return from another floor.”

Tos cursed under his breath and then turned to Brian.

“So we’re retracing our path to the Second Layer Twenty-Six? The City Return Array there should still be usable.”

Faced with Tos’ suggestion, Brian shook his head and pointed to the hand-drawn Map on the table.

It was drawn when they first conquered the Second Floor Twenty-Seven.

“The Scarlet Legion’s current position is roughly here.”

Red glanced at where Brian was pointing and frowned slightly.

This location was quite far from the Second Layer Twenty-Six, but very close to the Second Layer Twenty-Eight.

“If we head for the Second Layer Twenty-Six from here, I’m not sure Hera and the other wounded can hold out that long. More importantly, after that terrifying demon appeared, the monsters on Floor Twenty-Seven formed a Monster Tide. We can’t guarantee our group will be able to avoid them.”

As Brian said, carrying so many wounded would slow them down.

If they ran into a Monster Tide, they wouldn’t even be able to run away.

Even if they wanted to avoid it, the team would need more mobility…

Looking at the Map and their current position, Red’s brows furrowed even tighter as he questioned Brian.

His gaze fell on that blank area of the Map—an unknown region Brian had marked as the demon’s hunting grounds.

He pondered for nearly ten seconds.

A bold and risky plan gradually took shape in his mind.

He looked up, eyes sharp, and stared at Brian.

“Brian, the demon you all encountered—does it mostly prowl around this area?”

He tapped the blank spot on the Map.

“That’s right, it’s active around here. Why?”

Brian confirmed, eyes full of inquiry.

“This area… You haven’t explored it yet? Completely unknown?”

“Yes…”

Brian sighed helplessly.

“Our goal was to find the Lord’s Nest on Floor Twenty-Seven, but halfway there we were ambushed by that monster and had to retreat in a hurry.”

A short silence fell over the tent, broken only by the faint groans of the wounded outside.

Red took a deep breath and laid out his risky idea.

“I’m thinking… If we could lure that demon to the Lord’s Nest… what would happen?”

“Lure it there?”

Tos sucked in a sharp breath, then his eyes lit up.

“You mean… have them fight each other to the death?!”

Everyone immediately understood Red’s intent.

Let that terrifying demon clash with the floor’s lord.

No matter who won, they could reap the benefits!

“That’s bold!”

Brian was a little excited, but then frowned.

“But… we don’t even know exactly where the Lord’s Nest is. And the demon is wandering that whole area—it’s too dangerous to send anyone scouting!”

“Brian’s right, that’s a real headache…”

Tos trailed off, then suddenly realized something.

“Wait a sec—almost forgot! With those Bloodtracking Hunter Spiders Yangde has, we could scout the area completely without sending anyone in!”

At that, Brian’s face filled with genuine appreciation and relief.

“That’s right! Red, your little guys have really been a huge help! If it weren’t for them mapping the area and helping us avoid danger, we’d have been lost or fallen into a trap in this accursed place long ago!”

He patted Red’s shoulder hard, voice tinged with lingering fear and gratitude, yet also a hint of helplessness.

“Too bad… our luck ran out and we bumped into that vicious demon. Otherwise, we’d be on Floor Twenty-Eight by now.”

“Then it’s decided,” Red said decisively, getting up.

He addressed the three, “I’ll immediately control the Bloodtracking Hunter Spiders to conduct a thorough search, prioritizing the Lord’s Nest. Once it’s confirmed, we’ll find a way to lure that demon over!”

Mason, who had been quietly listening, also stood up to join him, but Red held up a hand to stop him ::

“Mason, stay here and conserve your strength. The search and initial baiting don’t require too many people—I can control the spiders more flexibly alone. Rest and be ready to handle any sudden developments.”

Mason adjusted his glasses and simply replied, firm and concise.

“Alright. Be careful.”

Red left the camp, and Letia, who had been lurking in the shadows all along, decisively followed after him.