Fritz, the leader of the Warlords Clan, had decided to attack the Stone Mountain Clan after he heard that they had just fought against three Tyrant Zombies. He believed that they weren't in a good state to fight them and this would be an easy win with their trump card ready.
Indeed, his Clan was only Ranked 37, but he had the courage to fight them and take their territory because of an item that he had recently obtained after saving up their Reputation Points.
They were able to purchase two Attack Drones that were now being controlled by other members of his Clan outside.
As soon as they reported that there weren't any signs of survivors, they slowly entered the castle gates and confirmed that the place indeed looked abandoned.
Of course, it could still be a trap, but after several scouts tried to assess the situation, they confirmed that there weren't any signs of life inside.
"Look at them… Is this a Zombie's doing?" Fritz muttered as he looked at the corpses of the members of the Stone Mountain Clan.
"Blood-sucking Zombie? Is there a Zombie like that?"
"I've never seen one, at the very least."
"Why do they suck blood though?"
"Just for fun… Just like how they eat people…"
"Leader… I think that this had all happened at night. There are almost no signs of fighting except for the two Leaders of their Clan…" One of Fritz's subordinates reported.
The two Leaders of the Stone Mountain Clan had Talents called Earth Skin and Stone Skin. The two had then decided to build the Stone Mountain Clan together.
With their talents, they were undoubtedly included among the top survivors who had incredible defenses.
'So they're the ones who could only react against their attacker…' Fritz mused as he could see that the two leaders were still filled with injuries before being drained with blood. They were unlike the other people who only had one injury on their bodies that ultimately drained their blood.
"For those who still have a Message Load left, ask the World Chat or the Regional Chat if they encountered a similar event---Wait, let me try to find out if they can be looted." Fritz said as he tried looting one of the corpses.
He touched one of them and waited for the System Prompt to appear.
However, after waiting for a few seconds, it didn't appear.
Fritz shook his head as he signaled for his team to spread the news in the Regional Chat and send private messages to their friends and ask about this.
After all, if they want to take this castle for themselves, they must be aware of the enemy that was hiding in this place. They don't plan to die in the same way!
[ Alice Mae: We have recently found dried-up corpses of Survivors, about 50 of them... It was eerie. Does anyone here know a type of Zombie capable of doing that? ]
[ Charlie: That sounds creepy, Alice. I haven't encountered any Zombie with that ability. Do you think it was some kind of curse? Maybe a Talent of another Survivor? ]
[ Alice Mae: That's what we're trying to figure out, Charlie. ]
[ Travis: A Vampiric Ability of a Survivor? That's probably a good suggestion. However, if it's a Survivor, I don't think that he'd be able to do that against 50 other Survivors. If it's their Talent, it must have a limit since it uses Spirit Points. Furthermore, there should be a cooldown for this blood-draining skill as well. If he's alone, he shouldn't be able to win against 50 Survivors.
[ Alice Mae: That's a nice analysis, Travis. It was definitely a strange experience. Has anyone else encountered anything before? ]
[ Natalie: We once explored an abandoned mine and found dried-up corpses as well. The items of the Survivors weren't stolen. ]
[ Raze: Wow… You have an interesting topic here. Anyway, I haven't seen a Zombie that could drain someone's blood yet. They only bite and rip things apart. It must be an unknown high-tier Zombie or maybe a Survivor with Vampire's Blood Talent. ]
[ Frank: Hey, sorry to interrupt, but has anyone seen my pet White Tiger around? He's been missing since this morning in Sector 13's Maple City. I can tell from the System that he's still alive, but I can't find him. ]
[ Travis: Did you check your map? ]
[ Frank: Yes. My map only covers 500 meters, so maybe my pet is out of range. ]
[ Raze: Pets won't go too far from their owners. It must've been taken away by someone else. Just keep messaging here in the Regional Map, and they might see your message and ask for ransom soon. ]
[ Travis: Haha… Someone's been doing that recently. Stealing someone else's pet and returning it after a payment is made. Good luck! ]
[ Grace: I heard there's a Golden Treasure Chest hidden in the Forest of Whispers. Is that chest still there? ]
[ Liam: Yes… There's a Wild Shelter near that place, and the chest is guarded by Hunter Zombies. It's not easy to get it unless you have an army with you. Just stock up your ammunition for now. ]
After an hour, Fritz's members were still monitoring the chat and kept asking questions related to the dried corpses.
Alice Mae, one of Fritz's subordinates, had already started a private conversation with Natalie, who had had a similar encounter.
She was even willing to pay for the information, but Natalie decided not to ask for payment since she didn't really know that much either.
After all, she left the region where they encountered the strange scene. They weren't as invested as Fritz's Clan.
In the end, Fritz decided to take over the castle. After all, the Zombie or Survivor who killed these people might have left already.
"Let's just fortify this castle… Check the marketplace to see if the one selling a Barrier Generator has listed another one. Immediately inform me if you see one since we'll buy it no matter how expensive it is!"