Twenty minutes ago, Hickson had landed at the First Starport on the Capital Star.
Having just concluded a three-day business trip, even a vampire couldn't help but feel somewhat weary.
He had originally planned to return to the Capital Star at midnight, but the negotiations had ended early, so he'd switched to an earlier flight on short notice and arrived in the early evening. That way, he could still deal with the backlog of work that had piled up over the past few days without delaying tomorrow's schedule.
As the eldest son of the Nosfera bloodline—a prominent vampire clan—and the current president of the Twilight Group, he was long accustomed to this busy life. Only in the brief lull before his driver arrived could he lean back on the VIP lounge sofa and rest for a moment.
In that rare moment of leisure, with his exceptional vampire eyesight, he spotted something suspicious outside the terminal through the floor-to-ceiling window.
In truth, from the moment he saw the little bat crawl out of the shipping container, he'd sensed something was off—what was a little bat doing in a place like a starport?
And when he saw the little bat transform into a small human with fangs, he shot straight to his feet.
Only vampires could shift between human and bat forms—so without a doubt, that was a vampire cub, and it was in danger.
Vampires had long lifespans but reproduced extremely slowly, and they universally treasured their young. They possessed an innate instinct to protect cubs. Even the coldest-tempered vampire could never stand by and watch one of their own kind be bullied.
So Hickson didn't hesitate for even a moment. He immediately summoned his Dark Shadow, sliced through the floor-to-ceiling window, and leaped out.
He rarely acted so impulsively. By the time he'd regained his composure, the men were already pinned to the ground, blood flowing freely.
Hickson felt somewhat dazed. He looked down and saw the unfamiliar vampire cub still clinging to his leg, sobbing and wailing.
"They—they tied up Fufu, said Fufu was a little monster, waaah…"
Hickson's expression grew even darker. He raised a hand, and the Dark Shadows coiled several more loops around the three men on the ground, then silently tightened. The three immediately let out cries of agony.
Chaos surrounded them as police arrived. Hickson, his face grim, explained the situation to them.
Hickson's company had dealings with the police department, and many officers knew him. The moment they heard the story, they realized a trafficking ring had infiltrated the starport. Understanding the severity, they immediately called in more officers—some to inspect the containers, others to set up checkpoints at every exit of the airport.
Hickson let out a breath. This was the Capital Star of the Fantasy Species Sector, inhabited almost entirely by Fantasy Species, who were universally protective of their young. The three men on the ground appeared to be pure humans—daring to come to the Fantasy Species Sector to kidnap a cub. They must have wanted to rot in prison for the rest of their lives.
But that was the officers' job, not his concern. Hickson checked his watch—his driver should be arriving soon, right? He didn't want to linger in a place like this.
But before that…
Hickson frowned and looked down at the cub still wailing and clutching his suit pants.
The little one seemed thoroughly frightened, gripping his trousers and burying its face in the hem of his coat, crying without pause, smearing snot and tears all over him.
What a troublesome little thing.
Hickson looked around. The officers had just pried open the container and were busy rescuing the cubs inside. The medical staff hadn't arrived yet, and the scene was utter chaos—clearly no one was available to comfort this poor vampire child.
Hickson would have to handle it himself. He bent down, reaching out to place his hand on the cub's shoulder. "There, there…"
He paused, struggling to search his mind for the right words to soothe a child. After a long, fruitless effort, he finally gave up and blurted out:
"Stop crying."
Hearing his words, the little cub lifted his head, as if trying hard to stop his tears but failing. His mouth was pursed, his body hiccupping with sobs, looking utterly pitiful.
Yet despite his misery, he was surprisingly forward. Seeing Hickson's outstretched hand, he leaned in without hesitation, rubbing his dirty little face against Hickson's palm.
"Wah… big brother…"
Hickson stiffened even more. The cub's face was damp, a little cool, smudged with dust, and mixed with tears as it rubbed against his hand.
But it was so soft…
The cub's cheeks, nose, lips—all were incredibly soft, and even the two signature vampire fangs at the corners of his mouth were smooth and slick… This unfamiliar sensation made Hickson's heart flutter with unease.
He tried to pull his hand back, but that seemed to displease the cub before him. The little one pursed his lips, tilted his head up, and shot him a dissatisfied look.
Hickson instinctively paused, then found it absurd—Why are you the one complaining? I'm not your parent; you shouldn't be rubbing against me in the first place.
But the cub was completely oblivious to propriety, pouting as he said, "Big brother, hug…"
That was out of the question. Hickson withdrew his hand to refuse.
Unexpectedly, the cub was even more forward than he'd imagined. Seeing that Hickson wouldn't hug him, he grabbed his sleeve with one hand and the hem of his shirt with the other, trying to climb up on his own!
Hickson felt a sudden weight on his clothes and started, afraid the cub would lose his grip and fall. He quickly bent down—which only made it easier for the cub clinging to him.
The little one's hands were surprisingly strong. Like a small bat hanging from a tree, he clutched Hickson's bespoke suit, scrambling up in a few moves, grabbing onto his shoulders and hanging entirely against his front.
Hickson was truly flustered now. He had absolutely no experience with cubs, much less knowing how to hold one. At this moment, both his hands didn't know where to go. He only felt that the little thing on him was as soft as a ball of cotton, and he had no idea where to even begin holding him, afraid that one wrong move might break the tiny creature.
He could only stiffly bend his arm. Fortunately, the vampire cub in his arms was very agile—seeing Hickson raise his arm, he immediately grabbed his shoulder, hauled himself up with effort, and settled his bottom onto Hickson's arm.
This was clearly a comfortable position for the cub too. The little one no longer had to cling to his clothes. He turned sideways, resting his head on Hickson's shoulder, his body still hiccupping, his little face flushed red, with tears still hanging from the corners of his eyes and his chin. When he noticed Hickson looking at him, he even lifted his dirty sleeve to wipe his face…
He looked absolutely pitiful.
Completely unlike someone who, just a second ago, had been treating a strange big brother like a tree to climb.
Hickson felt a bit helpless. He wasn't really a compassionate person by nature—he'd only reached out because of a momentary impulse, not wanting to see a cub of his own kind bullied by those people.
Now that the police had taken over the scene, by his usual habits, he should have left immediately—his time was far too precious for this.
But no matter how cold-blooded he was, he couldn't possibly just abandon this little cub, who had just escaped from the clutches of danger with tears still on its face, in the middle of a chaotic crime scene.
Fine… Hickson quietly sent a message to his assistant, patting the little thing in his arms soothingly.
He'd stay with it for a while. The police were always quick to act anyway, and the medical staff would be arriving soon. Once they had their hands free, someone more suitable would naturally take over the cub in his arms. They would apply medicine to its wounds, check its body, and help find its parents—then it would have nothing to do with him anymore.
Just a little longer. It wouldn't take much time anyway.
Soon, the police rescued multiple cubs from the shipping container. Counting the one in Hickson's arms, there were eight in total, all Fantasy Species cubs between three and seven years old, from all sorts of races.
It seemed this really was a cub-trafficking ring. The police also captured two other accomplices who had tried to flee, and along with the three on the ground, they were all cuffed and loaded into the police car.
When the Dark Shadow released those three and the police dragged them up from the ground, they were all at death's door, with several broken ribs, letting out feeble groans. But no one felt any pity for them—they were grabbed by the collars and shoved into the vehicle before being driven away.
On the other side, medical staff had already arrived to conduct preliminary checks on the newly rescued cubs. Though these cubs had been frightened, their physical conditions were still acceptable, with no life-threatening injuries. After receiving simple nutrient supplements, they too were loaded into the police car.
Once the other cubs were settled, the young officer walked toward the corner where the big man and the little one sat. "Sir, this child…"
The cub in Hickson's arms had already cried its fill, but upon seeing someone approach, it suddenly seemed to sense some kind of danger. It immediately clutched his coat tightly and called out in a tearful voice, "Brother—"
It looked like it was about to cry again. Hickson quickly hugged the cub, stiffly pressing the little thing against his chest and wrapping his suit jacket around it.
The young officer stopped awkwardly in his tracks.
It was actually normal for the cub to be scared—after all, the officer before them was a tall male centaur, estimated to be over two meters twenty in height. Even Hickson had to look up at him, so it was hard for any ordinary cub not to be afraid.
But… Hickson furrowed his brow, casting a suspicious glance at the cub in his arms.
This little vampire was just too adorable, too deceptive in appearance, making it easy to overlook…
This was the same cub who had been the only one to escape from the shipping container on its own, who had even bared its claws and tried to bite the villains while being held up in the air—a tenacious little thing.
After being rescued by him, though the cub had been crying pitifully the whole time, it hadn't shortchanged itself at all. First, it used his hand to wipe its face, then climbed up onto him, forcibly hanging onto his body, until it forced him into the right position and could comfortably lean against his chest before finally settling down.
How to put it… Though he didn't dislike it, Hickson couldn't help feeling that for a three or four-year-old cub, this level of initiative was simply absurdly strong…
It didn't seem at all like something that would be intimidated by a mere centaur.
But it was hard to say for sure. After all, Hickson had no experience raising cubs—what if this one just happened to have trauma around tall men?
Seeing how resistant the cub was, the centaur officer stepped back a few paces and called out to the medical staff nearby. Soon, an elf nurse came hurrying over with quick, light steps.
Elves naturally exuded warmth and approachability—especially female elves, who spoke in soft, gentle tones that no cub could resist.
Seeing that the little vampire was scared, she deliberately softened her voice even further: "Little one, what's your name? How about letting big sister give you a hug?"
But the cub only grew more frightened, burying his head deeper into Hickson's clothes, his voice trembling with tears again: "Wah, big brother, no…"
Hickson: "…"
…This little thing was definitely faking it!
The elf nurse froze, clearly never having received such a reaction before.
She quickly backed away: "Oh dear, no good… It seems this cub is already in a state of acute stress tonight, extremely resistant to strangers. I'm afraid anyone would get the same response…"
She exchanged a glance with the centaur officer, and together they turned their pleading gazes toward Hickson.
Acute stress? Him?
Ha.
But Hickson still let out a soft sigh, wrapping the cub tighter in his coat: "Then I'll accompany him for the trip."
He had no choice—even knowing the other was faking it, he couldn't bring himself to forcibly hand a crying cub to someone else.
Besides, a child's scheming was far too easy to see through. He knew what the little one was thinking—having just escaped from traffickers, lacking a sense of security, he'd latched onto the adult who looked the safest and most reliable.
How could he bring himself to blame such a small, innocent motive?
So he'd just accompany the little thing for the trip. Once the cub felt safe and relaxed, he probably wouldn't cling to him anymore.
The only problem was… Hickson glanced at his watch.
It was already past nine. By the time they went through the whole ordeal at the police station, it would be the middle of the night by the time he got home, and he still had work… Well, forget it. He'd just stay up late. It wasn't like a vampire could die from exhaustion.
Hickson told his assistants to head back first, then got into the police car himself and was taken to the station along with the little cubs.
The Fantasy Species Alliance placed great importance on cubs, and the police station was equipped with a special rest room designated for them. It was decorated in bright, cheerful colors, furnished with colorful sofas, small stools, and various plush toys meant to soothe young ones.
The officers had placed all the newly rescued cubs in this room, where medical staff took blood samples from each of them one by one, so they could search the gene bank to help find their parents.
The cubs had just been rescued from the traffickers. Though they appeared physically unharmed, every single one of them was badly shaken. Cries rose and fell throughout the room, and any small sound could trigger a chain reaction, plunging all the cubs in the rest room into panic.
The officers and nurses in the room felt both heartbroken and helpless, doing their best to soothe the children, using toys and small snacks to try to divert their attention.
Only the little vampire named Fufu was different. Sitting in Hickson's arms, he wasn't crying at all—instead, he kept looking around with curiosity.
Even during the blood draw, he only let out a few displeased whimpers, and once he was given a biscuit afterward, he was easily pacified. At this moment, he was holding a large milk-butter cookie given by the nurse sister, nibbling on it in small bites.
While munching, he looked around as if watching a show, staring at the cubs who were crying loudly with a puzzled expression, as if saying—Why aren't they eating? If they're not eating, can they give it to me?
He even put it into action quickly.
After finishing his biscuit, Fufu lay on Hickson's arm, leaning half his body out, reaching his guilty little hand toward the nearest mermaid cub who was crying the loudest, trying to take the other's biscuit, adding another blow to their fragile heart.
Hickson finally couldn't bear to watch anymore, reached out to pull the cub back, pressed him into his arms, then took out a new biscuit from the bag for him.
"Eat your own."
Fufu had already pouted, but when he saw there was a new biscuit, his eyes lit up, turning anger into joy.
But he didn't take it right away. Instead, he first wiped his two little oily hands on his brother's suit, then reached out again, solemnly accepting the biscuit, showing a sweet smile.
"Thank you, brother!"
Hickson had long been worn down by him, thinking that his clothes had already been pulled wrinkled by the cub, probably couldn't be worn again after going back, so he just let him do whatever he wanted.
Fufu hugged that big piece of biscuit, crunching away, munching with a blissful expression.
Hickson watched his leisurely demeanor and suddenly began to doubt his previous guess.
He had originally thought this little vampire had just escaped from danger, lacking a sense of security, which was why he clung to him.
But now looking at him… could this idea be a bit too self-flattering?
After all, looking at the cub's current state, his sense of security was clearly quite sufficient…
Hickson now began to suspect that the cub suddenly clinging to him wasn't for any sense of security at all, but simply finding himself a comfortable cat tree.
One that came with body heat and could wipe his hands and face.
But even realizing this, Hickson had no way to deal with it.
After all, he had already tried just now. Although the cub looked sweet and agreeable now, as soon as he made any move to stand up or put him down, the cub would immediately use his two little chubby paws to cling tightly to his clothes, looking at him pitifully with a tearful voice:
"Brother, don't go… Brother, hold me…"
Making it seem like it wasn't him who had rescued the cub from the traffickers, but rather that he, the heartless brother, was trying to sell the cub to them.
Thinking of that scene, Hickson finally couldn't help but reach out and vigorously rub the cub's curly hair a couple of times.
Hmph. So cute-looking, but so full of tricks.
Evil curly fleece.
But he had to admit, it felt pretty good, like freshly made cotton candy.
Hickson couldn't help but rub a few more times, messing up the whole cub's hair.
The cub didn't get annoyed, just raised his head after he finished, revealing one bright black eye from under the messy hair, looking at him dazedly.
"Brother?"
Hickson couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth.
Forget it, he couldn't possibly argue with a four-year-old cub anyway. Since he had already mentally prepared himself to accompany him until the middle of the night, he stopped thinking about leaving, sitting obediently on the sofa, serving as a sturdy, durable, high-quality cat tree.
As the night deepened, the cubs finally cried themselves tired and gradually quieted down. The officers who had been busy for a long time finally got to sit down and catch their breath.
A young wolf-girl police officer walked over to stand opposite Hickson, eyeing the cub in his arms with some curiosity.
The cub was sitting on Hickson's lap, fiddling with a plush penguin toy. Noticing her gaze, Fufu turned his head and gave her a smile—then, to her surprise, reached out and offered the penguin to her.
"You've worked hard, big sister. Here, you can play with it."
That smile hit like a critical blow. The young wolf-girl felt fireworks explode in her head, and the big tail behind her began wagging furiously.
This is way too adorable! How could there be such a well-behaved, thoughtful cub in this world? Are all vampire cubs like this?!
She couldn't help reaching out—but then paused, smiling and waving her hand instead.
"Thank you, sweetie! You keep it for yourself!"
To her surprise, the cub didn't give up. He stretched his little hand out even further.
"It's okay. Take it, big sister."
The wolf-girl couldn't take it anymore. Suppressing the overwhelming urge to squeal and roll around, she took the little penguin from the cub's hand.
"Then thank you so much! Big sister loves it~"
"You're welcome."
The cub withdrew his hand with satisfaction, leaning back into Hickson's embrace. Then he lifted his head and drawled, "Brother—"
Hickson looked over. The cub pursed his lips toward the toy basket by the sofa.
Hickson was already numb. Expressionless, he asked, "Which one this time?"
"The little bunny."
Hickson leaned over with practiced ease and picked out the yellow bunny plush from the basket.
"The pink one," the cub added.
Hickson tossed the yellow bunny back expressionlessly and picked up the pink bunny instead.
Fufu got his desired toy and immediately beamed.
"Thanks, brother~"
He even tilted his head and nuzzled his curly hair against Hickson's chest.
What could Hickson do? He could only give the cub's head a helpless rub and say, "You're welcome."
The wolf-girl officer had watched the whole scene and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
No wonder the cub was so generous—he knew his brother would get him a new one after giving it away.
This was clearly a little treasure loved unconditionally by his whole family~
Then she suddenly paused.
Wait a minute—wasn't this cub just rescued tonight? Why had his family arrived so quickly? Hadn't the genetic match results not even come out yet??
She felt a bit confused, but looking at how the cub showed complete trust toward his brother…
The wolf-girl officer finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Sir, are you his biological brother?"
"Huh?"
Hickson was utterly bewildered. What was this young officer on about? Wasn't this cub just rescued tonight? What did it have to do with him?
He was just a random helpful passerby who'd been latched onto for no reason at all.
He was about to deny it when he looked down and saw the cub gazing up at him, those small black eyes full of expectation.
Hickson froze. He opened his mouth, then opened it again, and finally squeezed out one word.
"Yes… I'm his brother."
Seeing the cub in his arms nuzzle against him with satisfaction, Hickson breathed a sigh of relief. He shot the wolf-girl officer a meaningful look and quietly added,
"We just acknowledged each other today."
Then he nervously glanced down at the cub in his arms.
Fortunately, the cub had no objection to this phrasing. In fact, he looked at the wolf-girl sister with a proud expression, as if to say—That's right, this is my newly-acknowledged brother. Handsome, isn't he?
The young wolf officer took in the complex expression changes on the man across from him, understanding that he was trying to accommodate the cub's feelings, and immediately laughed out loud.
"Haha, got it! But seriously, you two look a lot alike. If I saw you on the street, I'd definitely think you were biological brothers."
Hickson merely nodded, saying nothing.
Indeed, he also felt that the cub in his arms looked a bit too much like him. From the shape of the face to the eyes and brows, it was completely a smaller, rounder version of himself.
Especially since many people didn't know that his hair took after his mother's—he'd had the same fluffy, curly hair as a child, but it had grown straighter over time, becoming nearly straight by adulthood. If someone could dig up a childhood photo of him for comparison, the resemblance would probably be even more striking.
But as a child, he'd been the standard vampire kid—quiet, expressionless, not talkative, and never clingy with adults. Nothing like this little one, who was so attached to him.
As fellow Blood Clan members, sharing some facial similarities wasn't unusual, but having hair and eye color this close to his own was a bit… subtle.
After all, his hair color wasn't common among the Blood Clan. The dominant hair colors in vampire genetics were silver and black. His reddish-brown hair came from his mother, who was actually Merfolk. Cross-species pairings like his parents' weren't exactly common.
But Hickson didn't dwell on it. Reddish-brown wasn't exactly a rare hair color, and vampires as a whole tended to keep a low profile, silently living in seclusion across the galaxy. Most of them he'd never met—who knew if some branch of the family tree had reddish-brown hair similar to the Merfolk?
Even so, the thought left Hickson feeling a bit unsettled.
As the longest-lived Fantasy Species in the galaxy, vampires had extreme difficulty reproducing. Their conception rates were abysmally low, and technology couldn't intervene, which made them treasure their young fiercely.
So he genuinely wanted to meet this little one's parents and ask them how exactly they watched their child—how could they let their kid get lost into the hands of traffickers?
If you can't raise a child properly, then don't. Hand it over—there were plenty of vampires who'd be happy to raise it for you.
"Mr. Nosferatu!"
A crisp voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Hickson's thoughts.
He looked up and saw the Elf Clan nurse from before walking toward him.
"The Chief would like to see you."
Hickson blinked. Him?
The genetic match results were out—shouldn't they be calling for the child?
Right now, he was just an emotionless cat tree.
Or maybe it was something else? That was possible. Twilight Group did have a partnership with Glow City Police Department—maybe they just wanted to say hello.
But Hickson really didn't want to go. With a trafficking case this big right in front of them, why chat with him instead of investigating? Besides, he had a clingy little thing in his arms who refused to let go.
Showing up at the Chief's office carrying this little one would be too improper. Hickson looked at the child in his arms, then glanced at the young wolf-girl officer across from him. The kid had been chatting with her pretty well just now—maybe he could hand the child to her…
But the little one in his arms seemed to read his mind. Small hands gripped him tighter, face scrunching up as he called out, "Brother…"
On the verge of tears again.
…Forget it.
Hickson sighed helplessly, hoisting the child up a bit higher, and carried him along to the office.
Glow City's Chief, Valen, was a dark-skinned centaur. When he saw Hickson walk in carrying the child, his brow twitched.
Hickson gave him an apologetic nod, explaining, "The little one's a bit scared."
Valen coughed at that and nodded back. "That works, actually. Perfect. Have a seat."
Perfect? Perfect what? A flicker of confusion passed through Hickson's mind.
But he didn't overthink it. He sat down with the child in his arms.
"What's this about?"
The centaur officer folded his arms and smiled at him.
"Mr. Nosferatu, time is short, so I'll get straight to the point."
Valen handed a stack of reports to Hickson.
"These are the matching results from our gene bank for this little one in your arms."
Hickson took the reports, glanced over them, and furrowed his brow.
Valen continued:
"As you can see, on a genetic level, he shares a very close kinship with you.
"To be precise, he should be your younger brother—a full brother, sharing both parents."