Duval had always known that SHIELD’s patience had its limits, yet for some reason, they hadn’t taken any further action.
Did they really have that much budget to burn?
Either way, the days ticked by.
Duval and Dum Dum continued living as awkward neighbors, occasionally playing Robin Hood, spending the same stack of cash over and over, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
“So far, the Queen has laid fourteen eggs.
Two haven’t hatched yet, but the rest produced eleven Xenomorphs.” Duval counted his forces on his fingers, constantly monitoring the mental state of each Xenomorph.
It was a unique form of telepathy.
During this time, Duval didn’t even step out his front door—until Blade, losing his patience, came knocking once again.
“You know I don’t like coming here.” As soon as Blade walked in, he adjusted his sunglasses and looked around.
He spotted a few Runner Xenomorphs, but didn’t see the crown-wearing Xenomorph.
He immediately asked, “Not to mention you’ve gotten even more pets.
How do you do it?” “And how do you manage to single-handedly make life such a living hell for the vampires?” Duval countered.
“Strength.
I have immense power.” “That’s my answer too.
Because I’m strong, I always believe I can achieve great things.” Blade didn’t believe a word.
He figured Duval must have cultured the embryos long ago and was only releasing them now.
“So, what are you here for?
I probably won’t be selling you any more acid,” Duval said.
“I don’t need it.
I killed a piece of trash calling himself the Blood God, and your weapons were a huge help.
But the trade-off is that some vampires are already suspicious of you and are trying to figure out a way to eliminate you.” “Then let them come.
Erasing vampires from this planet might be a good option.” Duval pondered the possibility carefully.
Blade’s gaze narrowed.
“Are you serious?
That’s nearly impossible unless you can synthesize a vampire virus.
People have been trying for years with little success.
Honestly, I think you’d get better results developing a cure for mutants.” “Ha, you think dealing with mutants is easier than dealing with vampires?” “No, just that the mutant issue is bigger and more complex.
If you start there, you’ll gain much more, just like many other scientists have chosen.
Vampires are nothing more than parasites living off humans,” Blade said.
Duval set the tone for their conversation: “Then I’ll parasite my power onto the vampires.” *He clearly despises vampires, maybe holds some human-supremacist views, or maybe it’s just an act because hunting vampires benefits him,* Blade thought silently.
As for what specific benefits there could be, Blade couldn’t imagine.
Aside from amassing a lot of money thanks to their long lifespans, what else did those vampires have?
Nothing.
Blade finally revealed his true purpose: “There’s something I might need your help with.” “Are you speaking for yourself, or the team behind you?” “I haven’t officially joined them yet, so strictly speaking, I’m the one who needs your help.
After all, I don’t know many reliable people.” Blade kept a straight face.
“I got word that a crazy general is obsessed with the Super Soldier Program.
He even deployed the military to capture a certain green, walking blood bank.” “You want me to go up against that green brute?
That won’t be easy.
I remember seeing news reports about him online a few months ago,” Duval said.
Blade looked at Duval with an odd expression, stunned by his imagination.
“What on earth makes you think you’re qualified to get involved with Hulk?
All that guy needs to do is roar, and your little pets will shatter into pieces.” *Truly insane.
Are young people nowadays all this aggressive?
Or does he just grossly overestimate his own abilities?* “Then I should consider myself lucky,” Duval replied noncommittally.
Blade observed Duval’s subtle facial expressions.
Sometimes he really couldn’t tell whether this guy was confident out of ignorance or because he had a trick up his sleeve.
He leaned toward the former.
Anyone who learned about Hulk’s file would be dumbfounded.
A green powerhouse capable of swatting fighter jets out of the sky with his bare hands, casually swinging with hundreds or thousands of tons of force—and if he got angrier, unleashing even more power was effortless.
Blade said, “What I need to handle are the guys after Hulk’s bloodline.
Your little pets are nimble and seem pretty combat-ready.
They can take some of the pressure off us.” “And why should I get involved in something so dangerous?
Just because those people are assessing my threat level?” “Listen, I don’t know how much you’ve guessed, but doing what you can doesn’t hurt,” Blade said candidly.
“Your strength hasn’t reached a level that makes them truly wary, but they won’t let you run free either.
A guy as smart as you must have anticipated this during our first deal.” With that, Blade stared straight into Duval’s eyes.
“You’re intentionally showing off your talents, aren’t you?
Maybe it’s time you had to expose yourself.
Using their power to grow your own isn’t a bad choice.” “Don’t misunderstand.
I have no intention of joining you.
I just want to give back to society.” Duval waved his hand.
He indeed had to take this step sooner or later, and using Blade as a stepping stone was a fitting opportunity.
He took a stack of documents from Blade and flipped through them quickly, gaining a general understanding of SHIELD’s focus.
It turned out the primary target wasn’t Hulk, but someone else—Mr.
Blue, who had already conducted genetic experiments using Hulk’s blood.
Blade was targeting Mr.
Blue because Mr.
Blue had dealings with a specific vampire, Baron Blood, possibly engaging in dangerous blood trades.
He was a target that needed to be eliminated.
In Blade’s mind, god only knew what horrific creature a top-tier vampire would turn into after drinking the Hulk’s blood.
It was too dangerous.
“Got it.
You want me to track down and intercept Mr.
Blue, right?” Duval said.
“Fair warning, my price isn’t cheap.” “One million dollars.” “Two million.
This is life-threatening work.
Also, I want all the intelligence you have on vampire demographics and stronghold locations.” Blade looked meaningfully at the young man.
*Asking for population figures?* To make a request like that, he was either drunk out of his mind or possessed an appalling appetite.
What on earth was so attractive about vampires to Duval?
Blade didn’t know the proper way to use vampires, but Duval felt he did.
Large in numbers, decent in individual strength, and harvesting a batch yielded a fortune…
Nothing piqued Duval’s interest more than capturing vampires.
Otherwise, who else was he supposed to capture—mutants?