The smell of blood in the cellar excited Murphy, causing his eyes to emit a faint red glow. As he felt the struggling girl in his hands, he seemed to be able to see the hot blood flowing in the veins under her fair skin. The sight made the canines in Murphy's mouth eager to bite in.
His weak body yearned for fresh blood.
However, noticing the three young players still watching from above, Murphy quickly regained his composure, flinging the girl away. She managed to scramble out of the cellar, only to be caught by the three "warriors" who were waiting outside.
"Slap"
Outside the cellar, the shrill screams echoed as Murphy slapped himself to suppress his bloodlust. He crouched in the dark to pick up the shotgun he had found, searching the corpse of the witch hunter for any usable ammunition.
"You are not a monster, Murphy!"
Murphy reminded himself in the darkness:
"Once you drink the blood of innocents, there's no turning back. I bet you don't want a 25-man raiding party busting in on you in the future...huh?"
As he was talking to himself, his hand brushed against something in the deceased witch hunter's pouch.
The small blood-stained scroll unfolded in front of him, revealing a handsome portrait of him, accompanied by detailed information marked below. The clear, conspicuous words made Murphy furrow his brows.
Key target, kill on sight?
"Fuck!"
This picture made Murphy realize the seriousness of the situation.
Although he knew that he was sent out by the Clan Leader as a bait and cannon fodder, it's one thing for the Clan Leader to be scheming, but it's another thing for his detailed portrait to end up in the hands of the witch hunters on the very first day he leaves the city.
Excluding unpredictable spiritual energy means, if it is calculated based on time, it's almost equivalent to the witch hunters already knowing his identity, specific information, and exact route even before Murphy set off!
Otherwise, how could they have arrived at Morlan village to set up an ambush?
What happened tonight was not just Murphy's bad luck, this was a huge fucking trap designed specifically for him! If it weren't for the brave little players rescuing him, he would have lost his life here!
A traitor has emerged from the Blood Vulture Clan!
And it's a traitor who can directly gain access to the orders issued by the Clan Leader.
"No wonder Cui Si told me to run. The Blood Vulture Clan seems to have a significant advantage in their own territory but in reality, they have been infiltrated extensively. There's no point in fighting!"
Murphy felt a surge of anger.
Suppressing his anger, he left the cellar with a cold face, first arranging for the three players to continue searching the village for anything valuable. Then, he signaled to Maxim who was tying up the strange girl with a piece of rope.
The two of them, plus one "spare blood bag", went into a house that had not yet collapsed.
The flames at the other end of the village had diminished and were expected to go out in a few dozen minutes. However, no one paid attention to it anymore, even the young players didn't.
Murphy handed the witch hunter's scroll, printed with his portrait, to Maxim. After taking a glance at it, Maxim's eyes widened in shock, exclaiming:
"There's really a traitor in the clan? Unimaginable."
Murphy rolled his eyes at Maxim's words.
Hey, bro, you haven't undergone the initiation ceremony and are still a human, how come with every word coming out from your mouth, you are more loyal to the "clan" than me, a legitimate member of the Blood Vultures?
"The situation has changed subtly, Maxim."
Murphy sat on a wobbly chair, rubbing his forehead while he meticulously thought about the current situation, trying to use his social experience gathered from years of hard work to devise a counterstrategy.
He said to the anxious Maxim:
"Those bastards trained in the teachings of the old religion, the witch hunters, are well known throughout the continent for their ferocity and accurate tracking. They have already caught my scent and will not give up until they cut off my throat. If I run now, I'm playing right into their hands; there might even be witch hunters closing in right now."
He softly tapped his pale fingers on the ash-covered table. The chaotic information in his head straightened itself out as his thoughts progressed,
Just like operating a database, he extracted and combined key information.
This wasn't difficult for Murphy, a professional software testing engineer. In his past life, he was used to finding hidden, magical bugs amongst multiple layers of structures. After ending up in a different world due to some inexplicable transmigration, he was grateful that this good habit came along with him.
After pondering for a while, Murphy made up his mind and told his loyal vampire servant:
"Dawn is breaking soon and I am very weak. I can't travel during the day, but the witch hunters are coming for me. The only option now is for you to take the secret letter from the Clan Leader to the designated location in my stead and hand it to the midnight hunters. Ask them to send reinforcements for me."
"My picture is in the hands of the witch hunters and I'm their first target, so I can't leave."
"You should head towards East Prussia by the small road first, then take a detour from the northwest through Andma hills. Although the journey is longer, it is safe enough. You won't be obstructed."
"But you have to be quick."
"There are horses left by the witch hunters in the village. Start your journey immediately."
"But..."
Maxim hesitated, looking worried.
He wasn't stupid.
As soon as he saw Murphy's portrait carried by the witch hunters, he realized that staying here would probably lead to certain death. He was already prepared to be abandoned as bait, but did not expect Murphy to pull a complete 180.