Chapter Seventy-Four: A Daring Charge Amidst the Flames

The breathtakingly beautiful Bai Feng now stood motionless beside the polar energy source, as if she were a robot. The doors of the shipping container, once flung open, had been securely fastened and reassembled. All that remained was for the exchange team to arrive the next day, and the cargo could be transported to the surface via the freight elevator and shipped back to Huaxia for installation.

Having such a precious treasure within reach, only to have it snatched away by others at the last moment, left Duke Zeck feeling somewhat lost, despite his long-term plans and calculations. After all, the future is uncertain to all, and for now, he could only move forward one step at a time. Fortunately, Huaxia’s reputation for trustworthiness brought some reassurance.

This much, Dan Qiu had already assured him. Zeck was also vaguely familiar with Huaxia’s way of handling matters. Thus, he decided, for once, to act on behalf of the Douglas family—without alerting the elders or the Douglas lord—and return the high-density rare energy crystals they had acquired to Huaxia.

“Since Duke Zeck has shown such sincerity, we will do our utmost to assist you. The question is, how exactly do you need our help? The situation back home is stable for now, but we still require many hands and cannot spare too many people to help you dominate the Vatican. However, the three of us may be able to do something for you in the meantime,” Hua Feng said readily, seizing the moment after Dan Qiu signaled for him to speak.

“It’s quite simple. We strike as soon as possible, taking them down one by one. If we can secretly seize the energy crystals from the other two great families, and at the same time take away the important ancient texts handed down by the Gridro vampires, then even the six lords of their houses will not be able to bear the elders’ wrath when the blame falls. At that point, they’ll be guilty of two major crimes, which will far outweigh whatever charges the Douglas family faces. Then, we can look for an opportunity to ally with the Bruch clan to suppress the Gridro clan. In time, the Douglas family will stand alone at the top,” Zeck’s mind raced with calculations, though he knew well enough that what sounded easy was difficult in practice—otherwise, he’d have done it himself long ago, rather than seeking allies.

“Very well, we understand the gist of your plan. Now tell us about the two families—their defenses and the strength of their forces,” Dan Qiu responded, succinct and direct.

“Yes, you’ve been talking for ages but haven’t given us the details. How are we supposed to help?” Yun Meng interjected, finding Zeck reminiscent of an old headmaster who droned on at school assemblies while the rest of them were little more than students perched on their stools, waiting for the point.

In short, his inability to speak plainly and get to the point left the three of them rather exasperated.

“All right, I’ll keep it brief. Historically, the three great families have always had close ties, and their estates are arranged in a triangular formation across the two sides of this mountain. Our family is at the lower left. Once night falls, we’ll move together. I trust you all possess oversized storage rings; when the time comes, simply store the polar energy source in your rings.”