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Langli Baitiao clung to the ceiling of the dark dungeon, silently crawling, while blood slaves in the iron cages wailed miserably.

"Awooo…"

"Blood…"

"Give me blood!"

They had been in the dungeon for countless years, losing their sanity to bloodlust, reduced to beasts driven purely by instinct.

"Not a single one of them can speak properly."

Langli Baitiao looked at the blood slaves, sighing helplessly.

Suddenly, a raspy voice sounded.

"Newcomer, you’d better escape. Once the Duke awakens, there’ll be no way out."

"For now, at least you can enjoy this game of cat and mouse, savoring a fleeting moment of freedom—quite amusing, isn’t it?"

Langli Baitiao turned toward the voice’s source, spotting a man standing upright in a cage. He was pale but far more neatly dressed, though his clothes bore the marks of age and decay.

"Who are you?"

"Yeno Lackman."

"That surname…"

"Indeed, I am the Duke’s offspring, formerly the Count of Herey Castle, and one of his 1,172 vampire spawn, imprisoned with the blood slaves for resisting his tyrannical rule." Even in captivity, his tone carried the family’s characteristic pride.

Langli Baitiao retorted, "And why do you think I won’t escape?"

Yeno Lackman chuckled softly, "Heh."

Langli Baitiao lost his patience, "Damn, is everyone in your family messed up? Can anyone talk normally?"

Yeno’s raspy voice returned, "My father’s power is beyond your imagination. Every vampire spawn bears a slave mark imprinted in the depths of their soul. The Duke can control us all with a mere thought. When he ascends, you and I will become nothing more than boiling blood within him."

Langli Baitiao replied bluntly, "So why not just kill the old bastard?"

"Heh."

Another weary chuckle.

Langli Baitiao growled, "What’s so damn funny? You think I’m joking? I’ve killed the Chicken God of Creekwood. One vampire geezer is nothing!"

Yeno shook his head lightly, "I’ve seen many like you. Over my centuries in this dungeon, countless have escaped their cages, seeking revenge, but they all met the same fate—becoming mindless blood slaves. This is the Duke’s eternal curse."

"So, run while you still have a little freedom left."

"I know my father well; he enjoys this game of cat and mouse."

"He loves to play the all-knowing, all-powerful being, watching his prey spiral into despair. He may even be watching you now."

Imagining the old vampire watching him, Langli Baitiao felt a shiver of revulsion.

"This old creep isn’t actually some twisted voyeur, is he?"

Langli Baitiao shook his head to dispel the disturbing thought and said to the man in the cage, "And what’s the point of your resistance, then? Destiny? You think you’re noble? If destiny were real, you wouldn’t be stuck in this dog cage."

"What you’re saying only proves you’ve grown more cowardly."

Yeno fell silent for a moment before replying, "Perhaps you’re right."

Sensing he’d gained the upper hand, Langli Baitiao pressed on, "So you’re no different from the ones you mock. Quit acting like some prophet. You’re really asking for a beating."

He held up two fingers.

"I’ll give you two options. First, I break you out. You’ve been here over a hundred years, so you must know something useful. If not, you’re a total waste. I want you to help me loot this bastard’s hideout, and then we find a chance to kill this vampire geezer."

"Second, stay in this dog cage and whine, spouting nonsense about destiny until you end up a puddle of blood."

"Make your choice."

Though Yeno didn’t understand all of Langli Baitiao’s phrasing, he gathered that it wasn’t exactly complimentary.

He stared at Langli Baitiao’s unapologetic, indifferent face for a long moment.

This vampire spawn before him was unlike any he’d encountered. Most reacted with panic, despair, or fury after being turned, yet this one appeared entirely unbothered.

Yes, completely unbothered.

Every movement seemed to say, "If I die, I die—so what?"

Even upon learning he’d been turned, he showed no fear but rather a fascination, eagerly testing his abilities.

Truly bizarre.

In centuries, Yeno had never seen anyone so peculiar.

Still silent, Yeno pondered deeply.

Finally, Langli Baitiao muttered, "Are you coming or not? Quit acting like you’re so dignified. If I didn’t think you were somewhat useful, I’d piss in your cage and leave. Get it together—are you a man or not?"

"Fine, I’ll go with you."

After a long pause, Yeno finally made his choice.

Perhaps this strange individual could indeed break the chains of fate.

"There we go. All that hesitation—I almost thought I’d need a royal sedan to get you out."

Langli Baitiao grumbled softly as he picked the lock with practiced ease.

The iron door creaked open, and Yeno stepped out of his cage for the first time in a hundred years.

Langli Baitiao urged him, "Quick, is there a treasure room around here? Show me the goods, let’s rob this old creep blind."

Yeno: "…"

Langli Baitiao grew impatient, "Well, is there or isn’t there? Don’t tell me you’ve been here a century just spinning tales, unable to find your father’s stash. If that’s the case, go sit back in your dog cage—I don’t need dead weight dragging me down."

Somewhat speechless, Yeno, a noble, was experiencing this type of camaraderie for the first time but responded, "I do know the locations of a few of my father’s vaults, but they’re heavily guarded. With just the two of us, our chances…"

He trailed off, realizing Langli Baitiao had vanished.

From a dark corner came a faint scuffling sound as Langli Baitiao, wrapped in a black cloak, clung to the wall like a cockroach, crawling and twisting.

"What are you staring at? Never seen a Trickster rogue?"

"Do you know what stealth is? Hurry up, lead the way. Don’t worry about guards; we’re sneaking in to rob this old creep’s secret stash."

Yeno fell silent again.

After a moment’s hesitation, he let go of the last bit of noble pride and climbed up.

He resigned himself. If we fail, so be it.

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