The Secretly Rich Man novel Chapter 1757

Chapter 1757
It wasn’t long before the trio arrived at the well.

Pointing at Fane’s corpse—that was now lying on the ground—Gerald then said, “Please have a look at this corpse, Old Flint! Something attacked him yesterday before tossing him down the well!”

Upon seeing the corpse, the shocked Ray then shouted in disbelief, “…I-isn’t that Fane, Mr. Crawford? We just met him yesterday! How could he die so abruptly?”

Not even bothering to answer Ray’s question, Gerald simply kept his gaze on Old Flint.

Old Flint himself simply stared at the corpse, clearly analyzing it. After a short period, he then said, “…This is the work of feral vampires!”

“Feral vampires?” repeated Gerald, surprised by Old Flint’s answer.

“Indeed. Only their kind would have such sharp claws that could easily kill. What more, if you pay closer attention, you’ll be able to see bite marks on his neck! It can only signify that his blood had been sucked up!” explained Old Flint.

“So, what you’re saying is that there are feral vampires in the forests around us? Why weren’t we attacked last night instead?” asked Gerald.

Seeing that Gerald was rather doubtful about his claim, Old Flint then replied, “That’s because the feral ones are afraid of fire. We had a bonfire burning last night, remember? That’s why the feral vampires didn’t go after us. My guess is that this Fane person must have gone out in the middle of the night. Seeing that they couldn’t target us, the feral vampires must have gone after him instead!”

Old Flint’s deduction made sense to Gerald, so he bought his words. To think that all this had been the work of feral vampires!

Whatever the case was, Old Flint then added, “We mustn’t linger around for any longer. We have to set off immediately!”

Watching as Old Flint then turned to leave, Gerald took one final glance at Fane’s corpse before following Old Flint together with Ray.

Once they were back home, they quickly packed their stuff and silently left the village. After all, if the villagers knew that they were leaving under such short notice, they’d surely attempt to stop Gerald and his party.

Regardless, after walking for a bit, they eventually managed to enter the old forest deep in the mountain…

Now enshrouded by trees, the group remained vigilant as they slowly proceeded.

While walking on, Ray couldn’t help but ask, “…What do feral vampires even look like, Mr. Crawford?”

Hearing that, Gerald wasn’t too sure how to reply. After all, he had never personally met a feral vampire either. With that, he then turned to look at Old Flint before saying, “Not a clue. Do you know what they look like, Old Flint?”

“Feral vampires have particularly sharp fingernails that can easily tear through human skin, not unlike a predatory animal’s claws. They’re also reliant on and enjoy drinking blood, so much so that they have a keen sense toward blood!” explained Old Flint.

Now understanding that they required blood to live, Ray then asked, “…If they’re as scary as you say, then why are we even looking for them?”

Hearing that, neither Gerald nor Old Flint responded. Only Gerald and the old man were allowed to know the reason for now, and until they arrived at the vampires’ territory, the remaining trio wasn’t going to get a clear explanation about their mission from either of them.

Until then, the trio simply had to focus on helping Gerald and Old Flint remain vigilant against surprise feral vampire attacks.

Not long after, the group was able to hear rather loud rustling from within the trees. Stopping in their tracks, Gerald and the others immediately heightened their vigilance!

Seconds later, a group of people—who were dressed in clothing that made them blend well with their surroundings—rushed out from the trees before quickly surrounding Gerald’s party!

Chapter 1758
“…Who are these people, Mr. Crawford?” whispered Ray as Gerald shook his head, a deep frown on his face. Quite frankly, he had no idea who they were either.

Following that, a man with a buzz cut stepped forward, staring at Gerald and his group before asking, “Who are you people?”

“Kind sir, we’re merely merchants who are here to have some fun!” replied Gerald.

“…Merchants you say? Out here in the middle of nowhere? Who are you trying to fool?” retorted the man as he glared at Gerald.

“You’re free to choose not to believe us. Regardless, what are you and your men doing all the way out here?” replied Gerald.

“We’re here to look for the vampires’ territory!” declared the man with the buzz cut, not seeing a reason to lie.

“…Oh? You’re here to look for their territory as well?” replied Gerald in surprise. To think that these men had the same goal as he had!

“Hmm? So, you’re saying we share a goal?” said the man as he signaled for the rest of his men to lower their weapons.

“Well then, if that’s the case, allow me to introduce myself! I go by Lech Zak, and I’m the leader of my team!” said Lech as he stretched his hand out.

Hearing that, Gerald then returned a firm handshake as he replied, “Gerald Crawford!”

Following that, Lech then said, “Didn’t expect to bump into other teams looking for the vampires’ territory as well!”

Nodding in agreement, Gerald then turned to look at Old Flint who had been standing behind him. Seeing that the old man wasn’t showing any response, Gerald was instantly relieved. After all, this meant that Old Flint didn’t have too much animosity toward Lech and his subordinates.

With that in mind, Gerald then turned to face Lech before asking, “Do you know where exactly the vampires’ territory is located?”

Retrieving a map from his pocket, Lech then spread it out for Gerald to have a look.

“We’re currently here, you see, and the vampires’ territory is within this mountain. With that in mind, we’ll need to dig our way into their territory!” explained Lech.

Hearing that, Gerald could instantly tell how well-prepared Lech and his subordinates were.

Regardless, since both parties were looking for the vampires’ territory anyway, they figured that they may as well just work as a team.

With that, after a short rest, the two groups then resumed their journey.

Eventually, they finally arrived at the area where they had planned to start digging.

“This is it, Gerald!” exclaimed Lech as he waved his hand at his team members—who were following behind—, indicating that they had arrived.

Chapter 1759
With that, Lech and his teammates retrieved their shovels—along with any relevant equipment—before starting to dig the earth beneath them.

“You guys keep an eye on things while we dig! Let’s get our well-deserved rest once we make it to the other side!” said Lech.

Knowing that it wasn’t easy to dig out a passageway and that it would be some time before Lech and his men were done, Gerald naturally had no objections.

Chapter 1760
Upon hearing that, Gerald and the others were pleasantly surprised. After going through so much effort, they had finally managed to enter the vampires’ territory!