Compared to Mecha Taoist Soldiers or Asura Hounds, the Blood Shadow Taoist Soldiers created from Nightstalkers showed no dramatic leap in sheer combat strength.
Their true value lay in their flexibility, intelligence, and subjective initiative.
Case in point: the current scene on the road leading to an ancient castle in the suburbs of Paris.
Inside a convoy of heavy-duty off-road vehicles, Jason Bourne held a walkie-talkie, his tone sharp and decisive.
“All team members, pay attention.”
“The target is every vampire at Antler Manor.
Capture them alive.”
“Everyone check your gear and keep comms open.”
Confirmations immediately crackled through the speaker, one after another.
Once everyone had reported in, Selene, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to look at Jason Bourne with a strange expression.
Keeping his eyes glued to the road, Jason said, “Surprised, aren’t you?”
Selene didn’t answer.
A flash of pain crossed Jason’s plain, unassuming face.
“Captain, you know me.
I only joined the Golden Court Clan back then to save Marie.”
“For the past few years, Marie and I haven’t been happy.
The Golden Court Clan never truly treated us outsiders as one of their own.”
“And Marie has told me many times how much she misses the beaches and sunshine of Tuscany.”
As he spoke, Jason rolled down the window and reached out slightly, as if eagerly anticipating the coming daylight.
A faint glint of envy flickered in Selene’s eyes.
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
“I understand how you feel.”
“Eight years ago, when you joined the Golden Court Clan, I could tell you were reluctant deep down.
I just didn’t expect you to change so quickly.”
“I mean…
you always seemed so dull and ordinary, not the type to play politics or flatter people.”
“I never imagined you’d be the first one in the squad to step up.”
Jason Bourne: “…”
*Thanks a lot, Captain.*
Selene’s words made Jason feel subtly insulted, though he had no proof.
The conversation that had barely started died right then and there.
Silence stretched in the vehicle for two full minutes before Jason’s desire for advancement finally overcame the awkwardness.
“Captain, based on what you know, what kind of person is the Boss?”
Selene was taken aback.
great body…”
Jason: “…”
*I shouldn’t be in the car.
I should be under the car.*
Just as Jason grew increasingly embarrassed and unsure of how to respond, Selene realized the inappropriateness of her words.
She cleared her throat lightened up her voice.
“I mean, Mark is very mysterious and possesses an extraordinarily terrifying life aura.”
“Though before this, his situation wasn’t great.”
“You know what Umbrella Corporation is like—it’s always been chaotic on the inside.”
“Mark comes from the Ashford family, and he feigned mental disability for a long time…”
Mark’s background information wasn’t overly complex.
As Selene narrated, Jason gradually relaxed.
Getting straight to the point, Jason asked, “Captain, if you’re right, the Boss will definitely take back Umbrella Corporation in the future, won’t he?”
Selene nodded.
“Yes.
Are you looking to earn some merit?”
Jason didn’t hide his intentions.
“Exactly.
I think Marie needs one of those miraculous seeds, too.”
“I can feel that seed constantly reshaping everything inside my body.
It’s like…
fixing my genetic defects.”
“I have a feeling that the current me might no longer fear the sun.”
“And my appetite for normal food—I can actually feel real hunger returning…”
Excitement leaked into Jason’s voice.
It was the thrill of returning to the ranks of the living after being a dead creature for so long.
He might still not be a completely normal human, but at the very least, he no longer feared sunlight and could enjoy actual food and drink again.
The more Jason spoke, the more solemn Selene became.
It was obvious she deeply envied the changes taking place in Jason and her other teammates.
Fortunately, Jason soon noticed her crestfallen mood.
Suppressing his excitement, he offered some comfort.
“Captain, you don’t need to be envious.
I can tell the Boss treats you differently.”
“Maybe he just forgot for a moment, or perhaps he has an even better arrangement for you than those seeds.”
Silence eventually descended on the vehicle again.
By then, the convoy had left the Paris urban area, and the Golden Court Clan’s castle estate was already visible in the distance. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
***
Mark didn’t care about the battle at the ancient castle.
Deep within the underground Hive, he was busy deciphering the mysteries of vampire bloodlines, preparing to launch his grand scheme for farming vampires.
He had wanted to do this ever since he first met Selene.
However, back then he possessed no cultivation whatsoever, and his attempt to use the Inner Demon Heart Curse had failed.
Later, Christine bet on Mark and granted him extensive authority.
With the blood bank from Blue Umbrella at his disposal, Mark’s initial cultivation resources had been plentiful enough.
Combined with the fact that Selene’s looks suited his taste perfectly, Mark had refrained from starting his vampire farming project with her.
Now, the appearance of Kraven, a vampire viscount, made him the perfect test subject.
However, after initial research, the plan hit a wall right at step one.
As the sole heir to the Blood Fiend Demonic Sect in the Marvel world, Mark commanded the sect’s entire legacy.
It hadn’t taken him long to figure out the bloodline secrets of vampires.
Vampires indeed possessed a degree of blood-sucking and life-transforming capabilities.
Unfortunately, their efficiency at converting extraordinary spirituality was abysmal, and their bodies harbored far too much resentment and yin aura.
Only within their hearts could Mark extract usable blood essence.
Even if he bled Kraven completely dry, he could extract at most around ten drops of blood essence.
While a vampire was certainly better than a normal human—who yielded no more than three drops—it fell drastically short of the gushing fountain of blood essence Mark had envisioned.
Even if Mark continuously pumped artificial blood into Kraven, the time it took for him to condense blood essence was painfully slow.
Failing to condense a single drop over several hours made him practically useless.
This was a far cry from what Mark had planned.
He wondered if the so-called Grand Duke Viktor, or even the Progenitor Marcus, could condense it faster.
And then there was Alexander Corvinus, the source of everything in *Underworld*.
The Perfect Blood in his veins could fix all vampire defects.
Presumably, that Perfect Blood wouldn’t be far off from ordinary spiritual blood essence.
The plan needed a slight adjustment.
First, establish the vampire farming base.
Then capture Viktor, Marcus, and Alexander.
After that, use Alexander’s blood to fix the flaws in every vampire.
Fatten the pigs before slaughtering them.
It was a bit more troublesome, but every journey had a rough start.
Putting in some initial investment to secure a steady, continuous stream of blood essence was perfectly reasonable.
No problem.
That was the way to go.