*Boom!*
The entire wall shuddered violently as spiderweb cracks spread frantically.
Chevalier’s eyes bulged, and looking down, he saw that everything below his waist had been reduced to a spray of bloody mist.
His vision went black, and he passed out on the spot.
*Too ruthless!*
Standing by the back door, Matt’s eyelids twitched.
He instinctively took three steps back, keeping a good distance from Jessica.
“Jessica, this guy’s all yours to handle. I’ll take care of the other vampires.”
“Let’s go, together.”
Having witnessed the entire scene, “Lu Xiaofeng” turned and retreated as well.
“Tch, what’s with the attitude?”
Jessica curled her lips in dissatisfaction and gave the guy stuck in the wall another brutal kick.
*Boom!
Boom!*
This time, the entire wall collapsed.
Inside the bar, Luke Cage’s battle with the vampires was still ongoing.
However, as “Lu Xiaofeng” and Matt joined the fray, the tide turned rapidly.
The three coordinated seamlessly: Luke Cage used his steel body to tank the firepower, blocking most of the attacks for his allies; Matt and “Lu Xiaofeng” seized openings to break into the enemy ranks, engaging in deadly close-quarters combat.
Normally speaking, vampires were fast, possessed brute force, and had sharp fangs—they were indeed tricky.
But in actual combat, they weren’t all that impressive.
Forget “Lu Xiaofeng”; Matt alone could take down ten of them with room to spare.
Before long, the vampires in the bar were wiped out down to the very last one.
He was hoisted into the air by Luke Cage with one hand around his neck, his feet kicking uselessly in midair.
“Speak! Where are you holding Lilith?”
Luke Cage’s arm bulged with blue veins, his deep voice sounding like rolling thunder.
“I don’t know! I really haven’t seen Lilith! Spare me… I swear I’ll never drink blood again, really!”
The vampire babbled incoherently, relying purely on survival instincts.
Yet Luke Cage’s gaze didn’t waver in the slightest.
Five fingers suddenly applied pressure—*crack*—neatly snapping the vampire’s neck.
*Argh!*
A piercing shriek cut off abruptly, and the last vampire vanished into ash.
Having done all this, Luke Cage stood silent for a moment before turning to nod at “Lu Xiaofeng” and Matt.
“Thanks for the hand. I’m Luke.”
“Hello, Luke.”
Matt hesitated briefly, then pulled off his mask.
“I’m Matt Murdock. Good to meet you.”
“Hello, Matt.”
Luke Cage smiled candidly, shook hands with both of them, and said, “Sorry, I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I’ll be taking off.”
Before the words had finished leaving his mouth, he was already stepping toward the door.
“Wait.”
“Lu Xiaofeng” called out to stop him.
A prime recruit had just popped up—how could he let him slip away so easily?
He stroked his handsome mustache, smiling gently yet meaningfully.
“Luke, I heard you say earlier that you’re looking for someone?”
“That’s right!”
Luke Cage clenched his fists tightly, anger surging between his brows.
“Lilith, my neighbor’s daughter. She’s only fourteen. I followed a lead that she might have been snatched by vampires in Harlem.”
“There’s such a thing?”
Jessica strode over carrying the unconscious Chevalier, swigging alcohol as she walked.
Draining the bottle, she let out a loud burp, patted her chest, and said loudly, “Count me in on finding her! These vampires are completely unconscionable, going after underage kids!”
As she spoke, she casually smashed the empty bottle right onto Chevalier’s face.
*Bang!*
The unlucky baron’s nose bridge collapsed on the spot, blood spurting out. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Lu Xiaofeng: “…”
Matt: “…”
Luke: “…”
*What a violent woman!*
The three of them simultaneously took half a step back, silently opening up a safe distance.
“Aaargh!”
Chevalier was jolted awake from his coma by the sheer agony.
His already pale face was now almost translucent, his eyes bulging out of their sockets like a zombie fresh out of a coffin.
“What are you wailing for!”
Jessica frowned and rained a few more heavy punches on his face, sending blood spurting from his mouth and loosening his teeth.
Chevalier immediately shut his mouth, completely cowed.
No matter how strong his regeneration was, it couldn’t stand being beaten to death like this!
He was trembling inside: at this rate, he might actually become the first pureblood noble in history to die of blood loss…
But Jessica had no intention of stopping.
She shook her fist, her smile dangerous and eager.
“Hey, you seem to have quite an entourage. You must be a big shot in vampire circles, right? Have you heard of a fourteen-year-old girl named Lilith?”
At these words, Luke Cage’s gaze shot over like a blade, locking tightly onto Chevalier.
“This…”
Chevalier’s Adam’s apple bobbed, cold sweat instantly drenching his back.
An invulnerable monster with terrifying brute strength, and a violent woman who was even more ruthless than a vampire—his heart tightened.
If he made even the slightest misstep in his answer, he probably wouldn’t even make it across the bar’s threshold today.
Swallowing hard, Chevalier lowered his voice and spoke with extreme caution: “I haven’t heard of a young girl named Lilith, but I’m a vampire baron. I do know the whereabouts of the person you’re looking for.”
“Where is she?”
Luke Cage’s eyes suddenly lit up, his tone taut like a fully drawn bowstring.
“I can’t say just yet.”
Chevalier slowly shook his head.
“You have to guarantee that I walk away in one piece first. Otherwise, I won’t spill a single word.”
“Hmm?”
Jessica’s brows knitted together, her knuckles popping as her fist clenched tight again.
“Even if you beat me to pieces, I won’t talk.”
Chevalier protected the back of his head with both hands and squatted right down.
“The vampire race has built many secret blood vaults in the shadows. Without me leading the way, you won’t touch a single hair on Lilith’s head for the rest of your lives.”
“How about this then,”
“Lu Xiaofeng” raised a hand to stop Jessica, who was raring to go, a faint curve on his lips.
“A life for a life. You call your accomplices right now and have them bring Lilith. We’ll set a location and make the trade face to face.”
“Fine.”
Chevalier thought for a moment and agreed.
“Hurry up!”
Luke Cage tossed a smartphone over, his eyes like knives.
“You’d better pray Lilith is completely unharmed. If she’s missing even a single hair, you won’t even have a complete corpse left.”
Chevalier froze, cold sweat rising on the back of his neck, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen.
In less than half a minute.
He exhaled a long breath, hung up the call, and forced a smile: “Lilith is safe and sound. I’ve arranged it. Three hours from now, meet at the east bank of the Hudson River.”
“Three hours? That’s a bit tight.”
“Lu Xiaofeng” raised an eyebrow and chopped the back of Chevalier’s neck with the edge of his palm.
Clean and swift.
Chevalier collapsed on the spot, his eyes rolling back as he passed out once more.
“Lu Xiaofeng, why did you knock him out?” Jessica asked in bewilderment.
“Lu Xiaofeng” twirled his mustache, his smile deep and inscrutable: “To pave the way for the next step, of course.”
***
The Hudson River.
507 kilometers long, flowing through Saratoga, Troy, Albany, New York City, and other cities, it was an important waterway on the East Coast of the United States. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
Of course, to the locals of New York, this river had an even more straightforward purpose: the premier location for dumping bodies.
According to rough unofficial statistics, the New York Police Department dredged up over two hundred remains from the Hudson River every year.
That number alone was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine!
In earlier years, a journalist had risked his life to expose the matter, causing widespread outrage among citizens who took to the streets to protest the police department’s dereliction of duty.
But protest as they might, the number of dredged-up bodies never decreased year after year.
As time went on, New Yorkers who had seen it all grew numb instead.
Some third-rate economists even used the number of skeletal remains pulled from the river as an economic barometer: more bones meant times were tough, while fewer bones suggested a decent market.
Rough as it was, it actually worked, and quite a few citizens took it seriously.
Ahem, off-topic.
Back to the main point!
Since the hostage exchange location was set on the east bank of the Hudson River, Lu Xiaofeng’s group arrived early to scout the terrain.
Quite a few people had come.
Besides Lu Xiaofeng, Matt, Jessica, and Luke Cage, there was also a cold-faced tough guy with a skull emblem printed on his chest.
The Punisher!
One of the very few formidable figures who ranked among superheroes without any superpowers.
Solitary assault, squad coordination, underwater infiltration, interrogation under torture, intelligence analysis… he was skilled in everything.
Given how wild the vampires’ firepower was right now, Matt had specifically invited him to oversee the operation just in case.
“How’s the situation, Frank?”
Seeing the Punisher scanning the terrain on both banks with binoculars, Matt asked.
“Not in our favor.”
The Punisher put away the binoculars and shook his head.
“The terrain on both banks is too open with no cover, unlike agile urban alley combat. And among the five of us, except for me, the rest of you rely on close-quarters combat.”
“If the vampires set up heavy firepower in advance to create a crossfire lock, we won’t even find cover.”
“Doesn’t Lu Xiaofeng have those Golden Body Talismans? Give everyone one, and bullets won’t be able to penetrate, right?” Jessica chimed in casually.
“I only have four talismans left.
I have to save them for dealing with Bai Yifei,” “Lu Xiaofeng” said, spreading his hands.
“Bai Yifei?” The Punisher frowned.
“The Hand has been unusually active lately. I found out their new leader is the Marquis of the Blood Wardrobe, Bai Yifei. Is he the one you’re targeting?”
“That’s right…”
“Lu Xiaofeng” opened his mouth, instantly activating his deception mode.
[Shock Value from Frank Castle +200]
Sure enough, the Punisher’s pupils contracted slightly, clearly shaken.
However, as a top intelligence operative, he didn’t fully believe it right away.
After a brief silence, he nodded: “On the day you move against him, count me in.”
*Excellent.* As for The Defenders, all that was missing now was the weakest Iron Fist in history.
“Lu Xiaofeng” raised an eyebrow with a smile, stroking his chin: “Welcome aboard, Frank.”
“What’s the tactical plan?”
Having joined the game, Frank stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point.
“The plan has two steps.”
“Lu Xiaofeng” gestured with his chin toward Chevalier sleeping on the ground.
“Step one hinges on him. I already smeared a special spice inside his collar. The scent is extremely faint—ordinary people can’t detect it at all. Only canines or individuals with extraordinary senses of smell can pick it up, like Matt.”
“You want to use him as live bait.”
Frank grasped it instantly, demonstrating his tactical acuity.
“Smart!”
Lu Xiaofeng nodded.
“Bai Yifei relies on sacrificing a large number of pureblood vampires to resurrect the Blood Demon. In that case, we might as well wipe out those sacrifices before he conducts the ritual.”
“Straightforward and effective. I completely agree,” Frank nodded in agreement.
“Count me in too,” Luke Cage, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
“I’ve never liked vampires, and the Blood Demon is their progenitor. I can’t just stand by and watch this happen.”
“You’re more than welcome.”