Chapter 242

Chapter 232: Ambush

On the northern outskirts of Tivyán, at the King Campus of the Royal Sacred Crown University.

As night fell, within the King Campus, deep inside the gathering point of the Secret Knowledge Society, behind the long corridor filled with tight guards, white spider silk, and orange lights, in the first level of the ruins, there were currently more than a dozen figures gathered here. Above the room illuminated by lanterns, these figures all wore black hooded robes, standing in neat rows.

These were members of the Secret Knowledge Society. At this moment, they stood in orderly lines, their expressions blank as they looked ahead. In front of them stood three people, with the one in the middle being bald, thin, with prominent cheekbones and dark eye circles—this was Claudius.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you have proven your loyalty and abilities over time. As a reward, tonight I will personally lead you to transcend to the extraordinary realm.”

Looking at the neatly arranged students before him with their blank expressions, Claudius spread his arms and declared. Listening to Claudius’s words, the students bowed in unison, their movements and voices synchronized.

“Thank you, sir…”

The synchronized voices echoed in the room. Seeing this scene, Claudius nodded slightly and responded.

“Now, the time has come. Let’s begin.”

With that, Claudius waved his hand, and the students lined up and walked to the edge of the room, descending the stairs to the lower level of the ruins. After watching the students descend the stairs, Claudius turned to a nearby subordinate and said,

“Guard this entrance tightly. Not even a worm should enter.”

“Yes, sir. With so many precautions in place, we will surely be able to ensure everything goes smoothly.”

The subordinate replied. Seeing this, Claudius nodded slightly.

The d*ath of Thistle proved that someone was watching them. To ensure the important ceremony tonight, Claudius had to take every precaution against any unexpected events. Thinking about the safety net formed by the sensing spider webs, guards, Radiance Lamps, anti-ghost measures, and internal spiritual detection, he felt reassured.

Claudius was confident that unless it was a true high-level Extraordinary Being, no one could sneak past such a tightly secured network. If anyone tried to force their way in, the alarms would immediately alert him.

After all the students had descended, Claudius led the others down to the second level of the ruins. In the spacious hall, tall stone pillars supported the underground space. In front of the hall, there stood a five or six-meter-tall statue of a goddess with a spider’s head and human body.

Before the statue, a large magical array had been drawn. Around the hall, a circle of candles had been lit, and on the stone pillars hung lanterns. On both sides of the statue stood two rows of masked black-clothed people holding small knives, their expressions indicating they were awaiting something. This was the ritual site of the Eight Pinnacle Nest.

As the ritual began, the students stepped uniformly onto the magical array and knelt facing Claudius. Their actions were perfectly synchronized.

“Now, pray! Pray to the Spider Queen! Summon Her power from the depths of the web! Infect this land!”

Claudius raised his hands and shouted loudly. Following this, the dozen or so cultists holding small knives in the hall began to silently chant. The students remained motionless on their knees, staring blankly ahead at Claudius. Their expressions remained as wooden as ever.

The ritual in the ritual site began. Above the ceiling of the hall, a gecko was focused on the scene below.

…

“They’ve started…”

In the third level of the underground ruins, near the staircase entrance, Dorothy sat in a chair, muttering. Around her lay ten or so corpses in various states, all brought out from the Magic Box. They were now zombie puppets ready for use.

“It’s begun… So, shall we infiltrate now?”

In front of Dorothy, Vania spoke with a hint of nervousness. She wore a black nun’s habit, a mask covering her face, and held a rifle. A large fan-shaped object was strapped to her back, covered with a black cloth.

“Yes, according to plan, it’s time to act. Now is the best opportunity.”

Dorothy replied. Vania then expressed some concern.

“Well… It seems there are quite a few people up there. Miss Dorothy, will sneaking up like this go unnoticed?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve seen for myself; they’re busy with the ritual and won’t notice anything else. There’s no one guarding the staircase leading here… Why would they send someone to guard an empty ruin leading deeper?”

Hearing Vania’s words, Dorothy smiled confidently and said. The Secret Knowledge Society had plundered this empty ruin for centuries, with only one dead-end path leading to the main gathering point. Guarding that path ensured nothing could get through.

They wouldn’t expect the secrets hidden in this ruin, which originally belonged to the Star Number Repair Association, because the “Enlightenment” Extraordinary Beings who could discern these secrets had vanished a thousand years ago.

After continuous overtime work, Dorothy’s zombie puppet team finally opened a passage through the sixth level of rubble. Thus, Dorothy could bypass the gathering point and enter the lowest level of the ruins through the Ascension Hall’s passage, using an “exit” unknown to the Eight Pinnacle Nest to reach the ritual site below.

After obtaining specialized antidote pills from a professional friend after Beverly brought her a sample of the poison, Dorothy paid 40 pounds per pill—a steep price. Due to lack of funds, Dorothy had to pawn off all the gold and silver items she had collected from the Burton, Buck, and Field residences, along with other items, finally receiving 440 pounds in cash. With this money, Dorothy could barely afford the antidotes and ended up buying three pills.

That evening, well-prepared Dorothy and Vania entered the ruins via a secret passage in the Ascension Hall. With the help of the antidotes, they passed through the poison corridor and navigated the cleared rubble, arriving beneath the ritual site in the third level of the ruins, where they waited for the right moment.

“Alright… We should go now, quietly.”

Standing up from her chair, Dorothy manipulated six zombie puppets wearing coats and holding revolvers, moving toward the staircase leading upwards. Vania quickly followed.

Cautiously, Dorothy, Vania, and the zombies climbed the stairs, hiding in the shadow behind a tall pillar at the edge of the second-level hall. Everyone’s attention was on the ritual, so no one noticed the figure emerging from the downward staircase leading to the dead end.

“Priority target the bald leader!”

Dorothy whispered to Vania. Hearing this, Vania nodded and raised her rifle, aiming at Claudius, who was conducting the ritual in the distance. Meanwhile, Dorothy controlled her zombies to raise their guns, aiming at the black-clothed participants, the minions.

Now, everything was prepared; all they needed was to pull the trigger.