To Mark, dealing with vampires was his exact specialty, having inherited the supreme arts of the Blood Fiend Demonic Sect.
Even when Mark was just an ordinary mortal, he had been able to catch Selene off guard and control her.
Now, he was a noble first-layer Qi Refining cultivator.
Dealing with vampires of Selene’s caliber today was as effortless as eating or drinking.
Still, that didn’t stop Mark from making extra preparations for the upcoming vampires of the Golden Court Clan.
Besides, while the Golden Court Clan vampires were underwhelming, they still had a few ancient, lingering elders.
Blue Umbrella Corporation, the underground Hive.
In terms of depth, this was at least 27 floors below ground.
Sub-level 7 served as the transit station.
Sub-level 27 was the actual entrance to the Hive.
It was much as Mark had imagined.
A branch of the Umbrella Corporation was never a place of benevolence.
Throughout the entire underground Hive, starting right from the first entrance sub-level, nearly every corner housed laboratories that could never be exposed to the light of day.
Unlike White Umbrella Corporation’s plant and virus research, or Red Umbrella Corporation’s computer science and armed bases, Blue Umbrella Corporation’s Hive poured almost all its resources into bio-weapon research—including, but not limited to, human tissue culture, cloning, artificial hematopoiesis, genetic serums, Tyrant experiments, Licker experiments, and more.
Every single experiment danced on the absolute edge of taboo.
If any of them were exposed, Blue Umbrella Corporation would be utterly destroyed by humanitarian backlash worldwide.
Even a Death Dealer like Selene, who spent years on the front lines of the vampire-werewolf war, felt a wave of nausea after seeing many of the experimental setups inside the Hive.
It could only be said that when it came to seeking its own demise, Umbrella Corporation took top honors across countless crossover worlds.
Fortunately, Mark’s soul and will were resolutely Huaxia at heart, reinforced by the mental suppression of his Blood Fiend Demonic Sect arts.
After witnessing the horrifying scenes in the labs, Mark felt only a brief moment of discomfort before quickly composing himself.
The test subjects in those labs—the Black men, the rednecks, and the rest—could hardly arouse his pity.
After all, from the very beginning, when Mark first met a top Western beauty like Selene, his immediate thought had been to hit her with a Great Heart Demon Curse.
Too bad it hadn’t succeeded.
Even so, that didn’t stop Mark from scheming regarding Selene in his mind.
Controlling hearts, ensuring loyalty, and preventing betrayal were all classic tricks of the demonic trade.
If the Great Heart Demon Curse didn’t work, it didn’t matter; there were plenty of other ways.
Selene noticed his look, unable to parse its meaning, but feeling a warm current in her heart nevertheless.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” she said.
“I’m just a bit unaccustomed to this for the moment.”
Mark was speechless for a second, then flashed a bright, sunny smile.
Really now—she was actually thanking him.
Looking back, he shouldn’t use overly brutal methods on Selene; he ought to be gentler with her.
He would use the Six Desires Celestial Maiden Mantra.
It was, at the very least, a dual cultivation art that would subtly brand her true soul with a mark.
At least the Six Desires Celestial Maiden Mantra wouldn’t turn her into a puppet, a Dao soldier, or a cultivation cauldron, nor would it distort her mind, will, or soul.
He really was far too kind.
Mark’s smile grew even gentler as he squeezed Selene’s small hand softly.
For a moment, Selene felt a blush of shyness.
Thankfully, Mark didn’t push her emotions further.
He turned to Michelle and asked, “Michelle, why are so many labs in the Hive left empty?
In fact, it seems like the entire Hive base is short-staffed.”
Michelle was caught off guard, then offered an awkward yet polite smile.
“Mr.
Mark, ever since the Resident Evil outbreak occurred in Raccoon City two years ago, many of the company’s operations were temporarily suspended.
As for the research staff inside the base, many resigned out of concern for the company’s reputation…”
Michelle was putting it mildly.
She left unmentioned how various financial syndicates were aggressively headhunting staff and tearing apart the corporate group’s assets.
Upon hearing Michelle’s explanation, Mark’s expression darkened slightly.
What irritated Mark even more was that the main culprits behind the Raccoon City outbreak—Alexander Isaacs and Albert Wesker—had escaped all punishment.
One had gone into hiding, while the other had taken White Umbrella Corporation and defected to the Osborn Group.
Especially that bastard Albert Wesker.
After awakening his memories, Mark remembered vividly that it was that bastard who sent assassins after him, forcing Sergei to take him and flee from America to Europe.
When he fought his way back to America and captured those two bastards…
Mark swore he would make them taste the methods of the Blood Fiend Demonic Sect.
In a flash, his Dao Seed thrummed.
Mark quickly snapped out of his unpleasant memories, withdrawing his surging malevolent aura.
After adjusting himself, Mark lost all interest in continuing the tour.
He turned and said, “Michelle, have a lab prepared for me immediately.
Deliver ten units of each model—Tyrants, Lickers, Zombie Dogs, and the rest.
Also, have them collect natural crystals, gemstones, jade, cinnabar, red ink, and the like, and deliver them to the lab.
Besides that, if there are any supernatural subjects like werewolves or vampires, send two over as well.”
Hatred breeds drive.
Now that he possessed enough authority, Mark planned to refine a few Asura Dao Soldiers directly.
The authority granted by Christine was only temporary; a final decision would only be made after the outcome of negotiations between Mark and the Golden Court Clan vampires.
But if he could successfully refine Asura Dao Soldiers…
Sorry, but he wouldn’t be playing by her rules anymore.
Why should his authority be granted by someone else?
That was completely turning the natural order upside down.
Moreover, in Mark’s view, the bio-weapons developed by Umbrella Corporation—like Tyrants and Lickers—were essentially prototype Asura Dao Soldiers whose souls had been destroyed by bloodthirsty yin fiend energy.
Using bio-weapons like Tyrants and Lickers to refine Asura Dao Soldiers had a remarkably high degree of compatibility.
They didn’t need to be refined into top-tier Dao soldiers right away.
With just a little touch-up and refinement, supplemented by a large amount of essence blood, Mark could refine several Foundation Establishment Dao Soldiers to protect him in a short time.
Using Selene’s strength as a baseline, Foundation Establishment level Dao soldiers would be more than enough to subdue those Golden Court Clan vampires.