Lu Xiaofeng maintained a calm composure, a faint smile curling the corner of his lips as his gaze swept across the group.
“Here is the arrangement,” he said softly.
“When the vampires come for the exchange, we can move, but don’t go for a total wipeout. Leave Chevalier alive at least, along with the few vampires guarding him closely.”
“That way, as soon as Chevalier gets back to the estate, Matt can track the scent all the way there.”
“And then… we quietly ‘leak’ the location of that vampire nest to The Hand?” Jessica understood this time.
“Exactly.”
Lu Xiaofeng gave a light smile.
“How to get the message over to them—that’s up to you.”
“Me…?”
Jessica froze, instinctively pointing at herself.
“Just do what you usually do,” Matt added, his tone carrying a touch of banter.
“Find a bar, have a couple of drinks, pretend to be plastered, and offhandedly mention where the vampire estate is. With The Hand’s network of eyes and ears, combined with their current obsession with vampires, the news will reach their leader’s ears in less than half a day. They will definitely pounce on it immediately.”
“Why does that sound so wrong?”
Jessica frowned.
“What do you mean ‘do what I usually do’? Do I usually go around making a drunken scene?”
No one said a word.
They simply turned in unison to look at her waist—
One, two… five, six.
A full six liquor bottles were tucked into her belt, all top-shelf stuff swiped fresh from the vampire bar.
“Haha!!”
Jessica let out a dry laugh and scratched her head.
“I’ve had trouble sleeping lately… alcohol helps with sleep, you know…”
When it came to modern tactical execution, The Punisher was a true expert.
Before the vampires showed up, he quickly drafted a simple and efficient plan based on everyone’s abilities and the terrain on the east bank of the Hudson River.
The strategy was straightforward:
Luke Cage, with his impenetrable skin and titan-like strength, would take the front line, drawing fire and shielding Lu Xiaofeng and Matt.
Jessica could fly, acting as an aerial strike operative.
Frank stuffed dozens of high-explosive grenades, flashbangs, and UV grenades he brought straight into her hands.
He chose a high vantage point with a wide field of view, serving as the long-range firepower core, dedicated to cover and suppression.
The entire tactical approach boiled down to two words: solid work.
They were genuinely impressed.
Everyone nodded repeatedly as they listened.
Jessica even gave him a thumbs-up.
“Frank, at first, seeing how swollen your chest muscles were, I thought you were just a brainless musclehead. Now I realize I misjudged you.”
“…”
Frank’s lip twitched, almost unable to maintain his cold face.
Couldn’t she just shut her mouth?
Was “all chest, no brain” even something you said to a man?
“Haha!”
Luke Cage chuckled, teasing, “Jessica, are you sure you’re not talking about yourself?”
“Pfft!”
Jessica rolled her eyes and raised her middle finger.
“Luke, your chest is bigger than Frank’s! Who’d believe your muscles didn’t squeeze your brain flat?”
“Uhh…”
The smile on Luke Cage’s face instantly froze.
…
As the five chatted while waiting, the vampires soon arrived.
Leading them was a man with slicked-back, shiny hair.
His face was grim, his skin pale, and his tall, lean frame was wrapped in a dark red suit, radiating a chilling, sinister pressure.
The moment Chevalier saw him, his eyes lit up, and he struggled, yelling, “Uncle Lesath! Save me!!!”
*Fool!*
Marquis Lesath’s brow furrowed, his expression turning even colder, yet he didn’t berate him further, merely raising a hand with a wave.
“Bring her up.”
A team of fully armed vampires behind him answered in unison as the crowd parted to both sides.
A little Black girl was pushed to the front.
Her eyes were red and swollen, and her body quivered like a withered leaf in the wind, barely able to stand.
“Don’t be afraid, sweetie.”
Lesath leaned down, slowly running a cold, sharp fingernail across the girl’s cheek, his lips curling into a creepy, unsettling smile.
“Sob… sob…”
“Stop right there!!”
Luke Cage was consumed with fury.
He stomped down, breaking one of Chevalier’s legs with a sharp snap.
“AAAAAHHH!!!”
Chevalier rolled all over the ground, howling like a slaughtered pig.
“Uncle Lesath! Save me! If I die, my dad will never let you off!!!”
*Damned idiot!!!*
Veins bulged on Marquis Lesath’s temples, his face turned black as the bottom of a pot.
Who flips their bargaining chips right in front of their opponent before negotiations even begin?
He had intended to use the little girl to apply pressure and force them to hold back, but this moron ruined the whole thing…
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
Narrowing his eyes, his voice turned as cold as shards of ice.
“We start the exchange now. If you dare touch Chevalier again, I can’t guarantee what pieces this child will be missing.”
“Fine!”
Luke Cage remained expressionless, lifting Chevalier with one hand as he walked toward the vampire camp alone.
“Got some nerve, don’t you?”
Lesath grinned, baring two pale, deadly fangs, while giving his men a discreet look.
The vampires behind him nodded subtly, their fingers already on their weapons.
A distance of two hundred meters was crossed in the blink of an eye.
“Uncle Luke, sob sob!!!”
The little girl finally broke down.
Her long-suppressed crying burst out, tears streaming down her face.
“Don’t be afraid, Lilith. Uncle is taking you home.”
Luke Cage comforted her softly, gently rubbing her hair and shielding her as he took a few steps back.
Then he raised his arm and hurled Chevalier forward with brute force.
“Attack!”
Marquis Lesath caught Chevalier in midair and issued a harsh command before his words even settled.
*Bang!
Bang!*
*Bang!
Bang!
Bang!*
Over thirty fully armed vampires behind him raised their guns in unison, their expressions cold as they pulled the triggers.
“Move!”
At almost the exact same instant, “Lu Xiaofeng” across from them raised his brows.
His figure shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring, taking the lead.
The night was deep, and the east bank of the Hudson River had been silent, with only the chirping of insects and the low murmur of the water.
Yet the moment the two sides clashed, that tranquility was torn to shreds.
The muffled cracks of gunfire and the sharp clatter of spent casings hitting the ground erupted almost simultaneously.
On the vampire side, thirty men: ten held submachine guns aimed low, wildly spraying at the nearby Luke Cage; the other twenty raised their barrels high, concentrating their fire on Lu Xiaofeng and the others hundreds of meters away.
Muzzle flashes flared as deafening gunshots echoed.
Bullets slammed into the ground, whipping up choking clouds of dust.
“Hmph. That is the price of provoking the blood tribe.”
Marquis Lesath set Chevalier down, unhurriedly smoothing the creases on his collar, a confident, cold smirk curling his lips.
In his eyes, under such a dense hail of bullets, there was no way this group could survive.
Chevalier, however, wasn’t as confident as him.
Clutching his freshly snapped leg with both hands, he shrank back and urged frantically, “Uncle Lesath, retreat! They aren’t afraid of bullets at all!”
“They aren’t blood tribe. Where would they get invulnerable bodies?”
Marquis Lesath frowned, his tone impatient.
“It’s true! What reason would I have to lie to you? If you’re not leaving, I am!”
Chevalier dragged his crippled leg, limping toward the cars.
Saving his own skin came first; everything else could wait.
“Completely brainless, and braver than a rabbit!”
Marquis Lesath sneered with complete disdain.
*BOOM!*
A thunderous explosion suddenly cracked through the air.
Marquis Lesath’s pupils shrank, and he instinctively twisted his body to dodge.
Too late!
A custom sniper bullet slammed viciously into his right shoulder.
The massive force shattered his entire arm along with half his shoulder blade on the spot.
He shrieked, ducking behind his subordinates, grabbing one and biting into his neck to greedily suck blood to heal his injury.
“Tsk, off by a bit.”
At the high vantage point in the distance, Frank held his Barrett, shaking his head with mild regret.
He then picked up his walkie-talkie.
“Jessica, Chevalier is clear. You can detonate.”
“Copy!”
On the other end of the walkie-talkie, Jessica replied crisply.
Tucking her waist full of grenades, she bounded a hundred meters into the night sky, grinned, and rained down high-explosive bombs, flashbangs, and anti-vampire UV grenades in succession.
*BOOM!
BOOM!*
The night was pitch black and the wind blew hard.
Who could have expected a thunderous barrage to rain down right on their heads, let alone UV grenades specifically tailored to harm bloodsuckers?
As the blinding light swept over them, the vampires’ skin rapidly charred and blackened.
Screams echoed continuously as chaos erupted.
“I told you they were tough, but you wouldn’t listen!”
Chevalier, who had just started his engine, shivered all over as he heard those agonizing shrieks.
He slammed the gas pedal to the floor, and the car shot out like an arrow off a bow.
“Retreat! Retreat now!”
Marquis Lesath also realized things were going horribly wrong.
He roared at the remaining dozen or so subordinates and transformed into a black streak, diving straight for the nearest sedan.
*BANG!*
Far away, Frank had been keeping his eyes locked on him—how could he let him get away?
Squinting, aiming, firing—the gas tank exploded into a fireball!
“Damn it!!”
Marquis Lesath cursed violently, spun on his heel, and dove headlong toward the Hudson River.
“Want to go for a swim? Not a chance.”
“Lu Xiaofeng” stood smiling on the riverbank, blocking his way completely.
“You seek death!”
Marquis Lesath’s eyes burned blood-red.
His figure moved so fast it blurred into residual images as he lunged forward with claws outstretched.
“When it comes to footwork, you’re still a novice.”
The corners of “Lu Xiaofeng’s” lips curved upward.
His body shifted subtly, slipping to his opponent’s flank.
A flash of sword light severed the lunging right arm; with a flick of his wrist, the blade pointed straight at the crown of Lesath’s skull.
“What kind of monsters are these?!”
Marquis Lesath was in so much pain his soul nearly departed.
Enduring the agonizing pain, he stumbled back, turned, and sprinted frantically in another direction.
“Not this way either.”
Matt appeared leaning on his cane, standing quietly at the intersection.
Lesath: “…”
Are they hell-bent on blocking every single escape route?
His face darkened, and he abruptly turned back toward his surviving subordinates, intending to grab a couple of vampires to drain their blood on the spot and stabilize his injuries.
When he looked over—
The Black brute who had just been sprayed by ten submachine guns was expressionlessly crushing his subordinates’ skulls one by one.
Though his clothes were tattered, there wasn’t even a scratch on his body.
“…So what Chevalier said… was true.”
A chill ran down Marquis Lesath’s spine, regret flooding up his throat like a tidal wave.
*BANG!*
Frank seized the moment of his distraction and pulled the trigger once more.
This time aiming for a capture, he targeted the thigh.
This time, Lesath couldn’t dodge.
With a muffled blast, his right leg exploded into a heavy cloud of blood mist, and he crashed hard to the ground.
“Everyone, we can talk this out! There’s really no need for us to fight to the death!”
Marquis Lesath panicked.
Enduring the agonizing pain of his severed limbs, he spoke at breakneck speed: “I am one of the blood tribe’s top marquises! The wealth I’ve accumulated over a thousand years is beyond counting! As long as you spare my life, any condition is negotiable!”
“Oh, so you’re a big fish.”
At that moment, Jessica swooped down from high above, landing gracefully before dropping to one knee to examine the battered Marquis Lesath.
A smile curved her lips: “Let me hear it. How much money do you actually have to your name?”
“I have…”