Read Novel Full Chapter 176: Pile of Corpses
Chapter 176: Pile of Corpses
Madeline held Seamus’s hand abruptly, forcing him to stop mid-run. Her grip was tight, almost instinctive, as she leaned closer and whispered, "Something’s wrong, Seamus. I can feel that strange source of energy again."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The same one from Corvane’s manor. I can’t pinpoint where it’s coming from, but..." Her voice dropped even lower.
"Can you hear that sound? Like dozens of small things scraping along the ceiling. It reminds me of rats running in the dark."
Seamus narrowed his eyes. He already understood what she meant. The possibility settled heavily in his chest. If the same kind of experiment had been conducted here, then this place would never have meant to stay hidden for long.
"Seamus! Come here!"
Andrew’s shout echoed sharply through the corridor. Seamus flinched, then followed the sound with Madeline close behind.
As they stepped out of the room, a swarm of rats scattered across the floor and walls, squealing as they fled in every direction. Both of them froze, realization hitting at the same time.
"What the hell is this?!" Ben shouted from the doorway before turning away and vomiting violently.
Daniel stood beside him, eerily still, his gaze unfocused as if his mind had already left his body.
Seamus lifted a brow and stepped into the next room.
What awaited him made his breath hitch.
The room was filled with corpses. Not human ones. Vampires. Dozens of them piled together like discarded clothing, limbs tangled unnaturally, bodies stacked without care or respect.
Their skin had turned gray and brittle, some torn open, others partially desiccated. Dark, bitter-smelling blood pooled beneath the heap, thick and sluggish, already beginning to rot.
The stench hit him late, sharp and wrong, like something deliberately sealed away. Seamus instinctively covered his nose, his stomach tightening as he wondered how none of this had leaked into the next room at all.
Stepping back, he noticed something odd along the wall. A thin, pale layer clung to the surface like dried glue. He reached out and touched it. It stretched slightly before snapping back.
"Spider net," he said at the same time as Bianca.
Her face drained of color instantly, as if the word itself confirmed something she had been afraid to acknowledge.
Seamus turned away and approached his father.
Andrew was crouched near the pile, inspecting the bodies with a grim focus. Before Seamus could approach him, a scream rang out from somewhere deeper inside the building, followed by panicked shouting.
"FIRE! FIRE BROKE OUT! RUN!"
"Damn it," Seamus muttered as smoke began to flood the room. Andrew stood quickly, eyes sharp despite the chaos.
"Let me teleport all of you," Madeline said urgently.
He nodded. With a snap of her fingers, space folded.
They reappeared on the surface just as flames consumed the old manor. Fire crawled up the walls and devoured the structure with terrifying speed.
People screamed as they fled. Some of them caught fire instantly, their elegant dresses and formal attire burning too easily, spreading the flames even faster.
Sirens wailed in the distance as firefighters rushed closer, but it was already too late.
Seamus watched the manor burn, his jaw clenched.
Along with it, every piece of evidence vanished, erased by fire, leaving only ash and unanswered questions about who had continued Corvane’s experiments beneath their feet.
This time, Seamus moved toward Bianca. Before he could even open his mouth, someone cut him off with an amused voice.
"Oh, Daniel. I’m glad to see you’re still alive. I heard you were supposed to be dead in the fire." The man laughed lightly, as if the idea itself was entertaining.
Seamus turned his head toward the sound and saw an older man standing a short distance away, flanked by two younger men who stayed close behind him, watchful and silent like personal guards.
The man carried himself with effortless sophistication. He wore a long gray coat made from wolf skin, the fur dark and well-kept.
His silver hair fell neatly to his shoulders, and his gray eyes were sharp, observant. The way he walked and spoke felt familiar to Seamus, refined to the point of being unsettling.
For a brief moment, it was like seeing Ulrich standing there again.
"Long time no see, Dominique. I see you’re still alive," Daniel said cheerfully as he stepped forward and hugged the man.
Both of them laughed, the sound oddly warm given the chaos behind them.
"Of course," Dominique replied with a grin. "I plan to outlive you."
He then turned his attention to the rest of them. "Your friends?"
"Yes," Daniel said with a smile, clearly pleased. "You already know my assistant, Ben. This is Andrew, and Bianca."
Seamus stepped forward and extended his hand. "My name is Ryan. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Dominique. This is my partner, Rose."
Dominique accepted the handshake firmly, studying him with open curiosity. "I see. Tell me, young man, are you interested in vampires?"
Seamus chuckled softly. "Something like that."
"Ryan here wants to know how to resurrect a vampire," Daniel added casually. "Between us, I think you know the most about it."
He glanced at Andrew and Bianca. "He’s the best at what humans call synthetic biology. If anyone understands vampire resurrection, it would be him."
Dominique laughed again. "You flatter me. Though I think every doctor in Caduceus has an interest in synthetic biology."
His smile widened slightly. "Vampires are evolutionarily superior to humans in many ways. That doesn’t mean they’re perfect."
His eyes gleamed. "Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could take certain aspects of them and make them our own?"
The group fell silent.
What he said sounded exactly like the opening monologue of every mad scientist Seamus had ever read about.
The idea was dangerous, arrogant, and disturbingly logical. Still, it was too soon to accuse him of anything.
"I agree, Dr. Dominique," Seamus said calmly.
"It would be ideal if we could minimize or even entirely erase the negative side effects of Vitalis Core usage in vampire hunters."
Behind them, the manor continued to burn, crackling loudly as if mocking their conversation.
Dominique laughed again, his voice rough as he patted Seamus on the back a few times.
"Now that’s what I like to hear!"
He straightened. "As for resurrection, the first step is finding a matching core."
"I already know that," Seamus replied. "What I don’t know is how to narrow the search. I can’t exactly kill every vampire I encounter."
Dominique nodded. "True. However, the Vitalis Core usually matches the one who turned them into a vampire, so—"
"What?" Seamus interrupted, his voice tightening.
"Yes," Dominique continued calmly. "The one who turns someone usually has a core with the same vibration. It’s not always a perfect match, but if you’re trying to merge cores, rejection is rare when it involves their ’mother’ core."
Seamus stood frozen.
The noise around him faded. The fire. The voices. The movement. Everything blurred except his thoughts.
He finally understood.
The reason why she never rushed. The reason she kept telling him not to worry, that she would find it. She already knew.
The perfect match had always been there.
Standing at the center of everything.
Isolde.