“Two students from the undergraduate department of Santiago Academy are missing, and we suspect it is linked to the case where you were attacked. Therefore, please remain here for the time being to assist us with the investigation,” Weixin said coldly.
Ethan felt the other man was talking nonsense. “What does someone going missing have to do with me? Did you guys get something wrong?”
“No.” Weixin couldn’t be bothered to explain much. “In any case, you’ll stay put here for now. When someone comes to ask about the situation, just answer whatever they ask.” With that, Weixin made a move to leave.
“Hey! Make things clear! Who do you mean by ‘you guys’?” Ethan bypassed Weixin, stepped forward to lock the bedroom door, and planted his body right in front of it to block the exit. “If something happened at Santiago Academy, shouldn’t the police be handling it?”
Weixin scoffed, casting a sideways glance filled with a hint of thinly veiled contempt.
“Police?”
“Do you really think the police can handle the wound on your neck?”
Ethan’s expression shifted. Too many complex and overwhelming things had happened over the past two days, throwing his thoughts into absolute chaos.
Yet there was one thing he knew for certain: Xun Jin was definitely not involved in any so-called missing persons case. The personal business between the two of them had zero connection to the missing students at Santiago Academy.
Furthermore, judging by Weixin’s implication, they seemed to believe that whoever inflicted the wound on Ethan’s neck was also the mastermind behind the Santiago Academy disappearances.
Ethan could not and would not drag Xun Jin into this.
Weixin walked over to a cabinet in the room, picked up a square photo frame resting on it, and brushed the dust off its surface.
Ethan stepped over beside him and spotted four prominent characters inscribed upon it:
Hunter Guild.
The sight involuntarily summoned up a certain urban legend in Ethan’s mind—blood hunters and vampires.
Ethan’s thoughts raced as he recalled the exact moment Xun Jin had bitten him.
Could Xun Jin be a vampire? But if so, why hadn’t he been turned into a vampire after being bitten?
Maintaining his composure, Ethan revealed no trace of a flaw.
Replacing the photo frame precisely where it was, Weixin turned around to look at Ethan. “Remembered anything yet? Regarding the injury on your neck? If you can give a clear account of what happened that day, it will be a tremendous help to us.”
Ethan fell silent for a moment, adopting a posture of unease. “You’re saying the wound on my neck is connected to the two missing students from Santiago…”
“Is it… a vampire?”
Weixin let out a soft laugh. “Looks like you aren’t completely stupid.”
“It is a stroke of supreme fortune that you weren’t embraced; you should be glad you’re still human right now, otherwise…” Weixin deliberately left the sentence hanging.
What followed next was none of Ethan’s concern.
Ethan clenched his fists. Several times he opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the thought that speaking up might implicate Xun Jin or complicate matters further ultimately kept him silent.
In the end, he simply nodded. “I’ll cooperate, but I can’t guarantee I remember every single detail.”
“That will be more than enough.”
“Have those two idiots still refused to confess?” The moment Cianus stepped through the doorway, his nose wrinkled in intense disgust at the heavy reek of alcohol permeating the room.
“I’ve told you over and over again, no drinking, no drinking! If those two young hunter brats manage to exploit an opening, our plan which we’ve prepared for so long will fall apart at the final hurdle.”
Cianus slapped each of the two men across the face to snap them out of their stupor.
“…Relax, I only took a drink after confirming those two brats passed out.”
“Passed out?” Cianus felt his heart leap into his throat. “Did you guys hit someone?”
“Of course not.”
Cianus breathed a sigh of relief, warning them sternly: “Make sure you don’t cripple anyone; otherwise, the Hunter Guild won’t let us off easily.”
Cianus entered the room where Talon and Mann were being held. The space was completely unlit, with the heavy curtains drawn tightly across the windows.
He ripped the curtains open, allowing the outside light to flood in and illuminate the interior.
Turning around, he found the two young men leaning against the wall, glaring at him with unyielding intensity.
Cianus: “Nice gaze. Fortunately, we have no intent to kill, otherwise you’d be walking right into your own graves.”
“I won’t say a word,” Mann said coldly.
Though their hands and feet were bound, their presence remained entirely unbowed.
“It’s a bit too early to be making guarantees.” A voice drifted in from outside the doorway.
The door swung open and shut as another person stepped inside.
The smell of liquor still clung to him, and a distinct trace of drunkenness lingered in his speech.
He walked over, crouched down in front of Talon, and used the wine bottle in his hand to hook upward beneath Talon’s chin.
“I hear you have a little boyfriend?” This was something he had discovered while scrolling through Talon’s phone.
Everyone in the room froze, save for the person speaking.
Even Cianus was caught off guard.
Hesitating for a fraction of a second, he called out, “Jack.”
Completely oblivious to his partner’s abnormal reaction, Jack pressed on, “There are plenty of ways to loosen a tongue. Want to try a few?”
“You dare!”
Jack watched Talon’s eyes flare with incandescent rage. Satisfied that the intended effect had been achieved, he gave Talon’s shoulder a pat. “Give me some time, and I’ll track down your little boyfriend.”
“I never imagined modern hunters enjoyed playing with men. I bet he tastes absolutely fantastic.” Jack ran his tongue over his lips with an exaggerated expression.
Talon: “Don’t touch him!”
Mann remained comparatively level-headed. “Don’t forget your vampire pact. One of the clauses explicitly forbids harming innocent humans.”
“You think I care about those rules anymore?” Jack laughed, standing up and walking toward the exit. Pausing at the door, he glanced back at Talon. “You two had better figure out how to tell me the location of the Hunter Guild’s secret vault before I track down your boyfriend.”
Jack flashed Talon a meaningful, chilling smile.
Talon looked ready to lunge forward and land a punch on the man’s face.
“What do we do?” Mann asked.
Talon: “We can’t talk…”
Yet what if Xun Jin actually got dragged into this? If Xun Jin suffered harm because of him, Talon would carry that guilt for the rest of his life.
Torn between the Guild and the person he loved, Talon genuinely had no idea how to choose.
Cianus watched them quietly for a short while before turning and following Jack out of the room.
“Finally gone.” Mann let out a long breath, his posture relaxing significantly compared to moments before.
He nudged Talon’s shoulder. “You don’t need to agonize over this.”
“I have a plan.”
Xun Jin couldn’t fathom why Cianus had sought him out twice in a single day, especially over such utterly trivial, unnecessary matters.
Out on the gravel yard outside the villa.
Cianus looked down at Xun Jin, who was squatting right before him, carefully placing smooth pebbles one by one around his tightly planted feet. His gaze landed with profound tenderness upon that concentrated, focused head, tempting him to reach out and mess up Xun Jin’s hair.
The moment Cianus bent forward, however, Xun Jin caught him in the act and called a halt: “Don’t move.”
Cianus rubbed his nose and straightened back up.
“How many days of leave did you take?”
“Two days.”
“Does that include the weekend?”
“Including the weekend makes it four days,” Xun Jin replied.
Even a kindergarten child could do that math, yet Cianus had actually bothered to ask.
Placing the final pebble down, Xun Jin patted his hands together, stood up, and strolled in a complete circle around Cianus to admire his own handiwork.
“An obedient puppy has to stand properly inside and not wander out, you hear?” Xun Jin finished, standing on tiptoe to reach up and ruffle Cianus’s hair.
Cianus: “…”
It was the first time anyone had ever treated him like a dog.
Yet somehow, it didn’t feel entirely unpleasant.
Even so, Cianus knew he couldn’t stand guard by his side indefinitely; sooner or later, Jack would come looking for him.
Cianus departed the villa before Zelan returned home. As he passed a large tree by the roadside, he came to an abrupt halt.
“How long have you been standing there watching?”
“I followed you here,” Jack stepped out from behind the trunk.
“Can you keep your priorities straight? Do you even have a grip on what actually matters?” Jack demanded with a vicious snarl. “Haven’t we spent all this preparation time trying to rescue our elder brother?”
“…I know.”
Jack slammed a heavy hand down onto Cianus’s shoulder. “Then I’m leaving him in your hands.”
“…”
Xun Jin was busy gathering stray pebbles back into the rock pile when his hand brushed against someone’s shoe while reaching for the final stone.
Lifting his gaze, he saw Zelan had returned.
Looking down at Xun Jin, whose hands were thoroughly dirtied from play, Zelan frowned slightly and hauled him to his feet.
Xun Jin was still clutching two stones in his fist. Zelan guided his hands directly over the pebble pile and spoke in a flat tone:
“Drop them.”
Obediently, Xun Jin let go.
“So obedient.” Softly stroking the back of Xun Jin’s neck, Zelan murmured, “Let’s go inside. It’s not safe out here.”
With that, Zelan cast a single, fleeting glance out toward the perimeter.
[You haven’t collected your malice value for today yet.]
‘But I can’t leave the house.’
[You can use other methods.]
‘I don’t know how……’
Xun Jin had no clue how to extract malice points from his cousin.
Watching Zelan wash his hands, he noticed the boy washing him with meticulous care, making sure every single finger was thoroughly scrubbed.
Feeling somewhat self-conscious, Xun Jin closed his palms together. “I can do it myself.”
Ignoring him, Zelan simply picked up Xun Jin’s other hand once he finished the first, resuming his thorough, methodical massage and rinse.
[Malice value increased.]
Xun Jin found it rather baffling since he hadn’t done a single thing.
Bedtime arrived, but Zelan remained stationed by the head of the bed, keeping watch.
Sensing that Zelan would likely wait until he fell asleep to feed on his blood again—since Zelan had skipped his feeding yesterday, he was bound to do it tonight—Xun Jin remained wide awake.
Having done nothing all day, Xun Jin wasn’t tired and found it difficult to drift off. With Zelan standing right there staring at him, falling asleep became an outright impossibility.
Pulling the blanket up past the bridge of his nose, Xun Jin peered out at the person standing by the bed. “Can you please go outside? I want to sleep.”
Sensing the atmospheric pressure around Zelan plummet instantly, Xun Jin quickly hauled the covers even higher.
Zelan leaned downward, bracing his hands against the mattress on either side of Xun Jin.
Staring up at the hovering Zelan, Xun Jin’s eyes darted nervously. “What are you doing……”
Suddenly, Zelan slid right into bed beside him. Xun Jin felt half of his blanket yanked away as a large, warm body pressed close, effortlessly circling an arm around his waist to pull him flush against his chest.
Struggling in protest only resulted in Zelan tightening his hold even further.
“Sleep.” Zelan’s voice carried an absolute weight that brooked no refusal.
How on earth was he supposed to sleep like this?
This marked the first time Zelan had embraced him while he was completely “conscious,” leaving both of their bodies rigid as boards.
Lying on his side felt deeply uncomfortable, yet the hand resting against his stomach continued its subtle, restless movements.
He let out a muffled grumble: “Stop touching me.”
Zelan grunted an affirmative “Mhm,” and obligingly stopped moving for a moment. But before long, the wandering hands resumed their chaotic kneading.
Worse still, the hand shamelessly slid downward from his lower stomach, giving his pajama trousers a tug downward.
Catching Zelan’s wrist, Xun Jin protested in displeasure, “If you keep doing this, I’m not letting you sleep with me anymore.”
“How won’t you let me?” Zelan seemed deliberately intent on teasing him.
Yet Zelan’s voice sounded remarkably strange, as though he were desperately holding something back.
Before Xun Jin could formulate a reply, Zelan reached downward with a sudden, decisive tug.
Xun Jin doubled over instantly, curling inward like a panicked shrimp.
In a flash of indignant fury, he grabbed Zelan’s wrist and scolded him: “Get out! Stop touching me!”
Even while reprimanding him, he kept his voice tightly controlled, terrified of waking the house, keeping his tone carefully reined in.
The skin was impossibly delicate and thin, offering an incredible texture. Leaning in close with his upper body hunched over, Zelan pressed his abdomen flat against the back of the person in his arms, murmuring right beside Xun Jin’s ear:
“Was that fucking idiot touching you like this?”
Xun Jin couldn’t understand why Zelan was dragging up yesterday’s events out of nowhere. When they first returned home yesterday, Zelan hadn’t uttered a single word about it.
“Was he?”
“Or like this?”
“Or maybe like this?”
Reaching his breaking point, Xun Jin let out a soft whimper. His fingers tightened their grip around Zelan’s wrist as his entire body trembled uncontrollably, setting off a spark that threatened to ignite Zelan, who pressed flush against him.
“Mmph….. let go….. wuwu…..”
Unable to endure the weeping any longer, Zelan panted heavily, lunged forward, and bit down on the collar of Xun Jin’s shirt, ripping it aside to expose one of his shoulders.
Sinking his teeth into the soft flesh at the junction of shoulder and neck, he ground his teeth against it in repeated, ravenous friction.
Even so, Zelan still held back from piercing the skin, despite being starved to an unbearable degree.
Xun Jin’s body reacted by desperately trying to wriggle forward and escape, only for Zelan to effortlessly reel him back into his arms with a single pull.
With his limbs completely liquefied and his body wracked by tremors particularly down below, where he shook violently Xun Jin was paralyzed by terror, utterly incapable of breaking free from the absolute control of a vampire far stronger than him. All he could do was sob in broken intervals, his breathing tangled into an incoherent mess, coming within a hair’s breadth of passing out from oxygen deprivation multiple times over.
Listening to Xun Jin’s cries, Zelan gradually clawed back a shred of rationality.
It seemed that prolonged starvation had severely eroded his self-control.
Burying his face into the hollow of Xun Jin’s neck, Zelan drew a deep, shuddering breath, his arms tightening around Xun Jin with crushing force.
Surrendering himself entirely to the intoxicating, sweet aroma enveloping him, he waited until he was truly on the verge of total collapse before jolting upward and teleporting straight back to his own bedroom.
Behind him, the bed emptied instantly, the mattress springing upward as it rebounded.
Clutching his blanket tightly, Xun Jin bundled himself up into an even tighter cocoon.
He wiped his tears blindly across the fabric. Once he recovered enough strength, he pushed himself up with great effort.
Looking down, he discovered his shorts were entirely gone.
Biting his lip, Xun Jin burned with a fresh wave of mortification.
“Perverted… cousin……”
“I don’t want to stay in this house anymore……”
Clutching his replacement trousers, Xun Jin scrambled down from the bed.
The moment his bare feet hit the cold floorboards, his legs gave out beneath him, nearly sending him crashing to his knees.
Fresh tears welled up instantly in Xun Jin’s eyes. “Wuwu….. lunatic……”
Once he managed to pull himself together, donned the thickest and most conservative pajamas he owned, and buried himself deep inside the blankets rolled up like a sushi roll, a heavy wave of drowsiness finally overtook him, causing him to miss the system notification echoing in his mind:
[Today’s malice value collection is complete. The mission for this world will soon reach its conclusion.]