“Mmph… mmph…”
Inside an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city, Yao Qingluan was tied to a chair. Her forehead was covered in sweat, her hair matted and sticky, and a piece of black duct tape was plastered over her mouth, allowing only muffled whimpers to escape.
She didn’t know why she was here. She clearly remembered being at the Bureau of Investigation, organizing files; then, she seemed to have blacked out. Upon waking, she found herself in this godforsaken place.
The interior of the factory was dim, with only a few beams of light filtering through narrow iron-barred windows, casting mottled shadows on the ground. The air was thick with the pungent stench of chemical reagents mixed with mold; everything was in a state of ruin.
Yao Qingluan struggled desperately, trying to break free from the ropes binding her. But her body felt weak and limp; even though she appeared to be using all her strength, her efforts seemed insignificant.
She glared deathly at the man in front of her.
“Don’t look at me like that, I might get scared~” Duan Jiu said with a mocking glint in his eyes. A playful, wicked smile played on his lips as he walked toward her step by step.
His finger traced a path from top to bottom across her cheek, which was stained with dirt and sweat.
“Truly a beautiful face,” he murmured.
Yao Qingluan turned her head away in disgust, trying her best to maintain distance, her eyes filled with loathing.
Duan Jiu raised an eyebrow and withdrew his hand with a low chuckle. “Fine, if the little beauty doesn’t like it, I won’t touch.”
“I’ve already sent the location to Ye Linghan. How long do you think it’ll take him to find this place?”
Duan Jiu stepped away from her and sat down grandly on a nearby chair. He casually pulled out a cigarette and skillfully held it between his fingers. Just as he was about to put it to his lips, he seemed to remember something and lowered it.
“Aiy, little beauty, you don’t mind if I have a smoke, do you?”
Yao Qingluan remained silent, turning her head away to avoid looking at him.
Duan Jiu dejectedly tossed the cigarette onto the table. “Why must you suffer like this? I never intended to make things difficult for you. I just wanted you to tell Ye Linghan to stop interfering in these matters. Why wouldn’t you listen?”
Duan Jiu studied her for a moment, then stepped forward and ripped the tape off her mouth.
“My apologies, no wonder you haven’t been talking. I forgot to peel this off.”
With the tape gone, breathing became easier. Yao Qingluan took a deep breath.
She stared at him, her eyes fierce. “Pah! What Linghan chooses to do is his own freedom. What right do you have to interfere? Or is it that you vampires have done something wicked and have a guilty conscience?”
Hearing this, Duan Jiu pretended to be terrified, waving his hands frantically. “Wait, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say whatever you want. Besides…”
In an instant, he flickered behind her. Before she could react, he had her by the throat. His grip wasn’t enough to suffocate her, but it was far from comfortable.
“Ye Linghan and I have no personal grievances; there’s no need for me to harm him. If you want to blame someone, blame him for offending those above. I’m just following orders—you can’t pin this on me~.”
Yao Qingluan’s breathing was uneven, and the sensation of the foreign object against her neck was distressing. She gritted her teeth and curled her lips into a smirk. “Then tell ‘big sister’—who is this person above you?”
Duan Jiu’s expression turned visibly surprised, and the pressure of his hand relaxed slightly. “Aren’t you a Blood Hunter? You don’t know this?”
Yao Qingluan shook her head. Based on her observations, her kidnapper didn’t seem to intend to harm her yet, so her tensed nerves relaxed a fraction.
“Then there’s no need for you to know. Anyway, I’m just an insignificant little lackey.”
Duan Jiu withdrew his hand, releasing his hold on her neck.
“Tsk. It seems I overestimated their ability. If I’d known, I would have picked a closer spot. Why are they taking so long?”
Leaving her with those words, he turned away and fell silent.
The person above him… who else could it be? Watching his back, Yao Qingluan pondered silently. Could it be that a vampire of his strength isn’t even considered high-tier? Then his superior must be terrifyingly powerful.
But this man says the person above doesn’t want Xiao Ye to live. Did he offend someone? But isn’t he with that vampire big-shot? Who else could it be besides him?
Suddenly, a terrifying thought loomed in her mind.
Could it be… that Yin Chen wants him dead?
Her heart was in a state of chaos. Although she wanted to know the truth, the thought of Ye Linghan facing a life-threatening danger upon arrival made her secretly pray that they wouldn’t come.
At the same time.
Ye Linghan was forced to hang up the phone. He squeezed the device tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. “Dammit,” he cursed under his breath.
He had thought their previous encounter was a coincidence, but it turned out to be premeditated. He hadn’t realized at what point they had become “prey.”
Ye Linghan turned around, his eyes full of resolve. “Brother Mo, I’ll go by myself. I’m the one they want to see. I promise I’ll bring Sister Luan back safely.”
He decided to go alone, though a few shards of unrealistic fantasy remained in his heart—perhaps Yin Chen wouldn’t let him die.
But Su Mo didn’t understand those nuances. He only thought that he couldn’t let a teammate venture into danger alone; he simply couldn’t do that.
He shook his head and said resolutely, “That won’t do. Since you are one of us right now, there is no logic in trading your life for A-Luan’s.”
“But the opponent is a vampire! There’s no chance of winning, and there’s no need to drag another person down!” Ye Linghan suppressed the anger in his heart.
“You are a noble Blood Hunter, while I’m just an ordinary person! If I die, it doesn’t matter!” Ye Linghan growled in a low voice.
“Hey, Dad.”
A weak voice came from behind the two men.
Who is “Dad”? Who are you calling?
Ye Linghan and Su Mo stopped their argument and looked toward the sound, only to see Liao Xihe making a phone call at some unknown point.
The two looked at each other in bewilderment.
Liao Xihe noticed their reaction and made a “shh” gesture.
“Dad, can you help us get a gun?”
Is he asking his dad for a gun? What is this kid’s background?
The two of them began to calculate in their heads simultaneously.
Because the three races coexisted, humans—who were at a disadvantage—were allowed to carry firearms. However, those who could openly obtain them were limited to people with status and influence; for those at the bottom, the authorities simply turned a blind eye.
Therefore, Liao Xihe’s background was definitely not simple.
While ordinary guns weren’t lethal to vampires, if they actually got hit, it would make them miserable for a while.
Whatever was said on the other end caused Liao Xihe’s tone to quicken with anxiety. “Oh, Dad! A life is at stake! My boss was kidnapped by vampires! It’s an absolute emergency!”
As Liao Xihe spoke, he gestured to Su Mo, saying his “boss” was kidnapped was just a pretext.
The person on the other end spoke again, and this time, the anxious expression on Liao Xihe’s face softened.
After hanging up, he looked at the two. “Send me the address. I’ll go to my dad’s to get the gun and then meet up with you!”
“You…” Su Mo started to speak, but Liao Xihe dragged him toward the stairs. “Aiy, I’ll explain when we get back. Saving the person is what matters.”
They hurriedly followed Liao Xihe downstairs. Ye Linghan stopped arguing with Su Mo about who should go. After all, the person who kidnapped Yao Qingluan was a vampire—and a ruthless one at that. They were all afraid that if they arrived too late, something would happen to her.
Arriving at the parking area, Su Mo was about to take out his keys to open his car door when Ye Linghan grabbed his arm. “Brother Mo, take my car. It can take a beating.”
He figured a fierce battle was unavoidable, or perhaps they’d be ambushed on the road, or pursued relentlessly after rescuing Yao Qingluan. In short, it likely wouldn’t go smoothly.
Ye Linghan pressed the electronic key for the G-Wagon.
Besides, the car wasn’t his anyway. Even if it was destroyed, “that person” wouldn’t care. On the contrary, if something happened to him, that person would definitely step in to solve it.
Su Mo agreed without hesitation and followed Ye Linghan into the car.
Although Ye Linghan appeared well-behaved on the surface—looking delicate and fragile to outsiders—he was actually full of wildness within. In situations others didn’t know about, he had done almost everything; he was a completely different person from his appearance.
Once in the car, Ye Linghan slammed the accelerator, racing toward the place where Yao Qingluan was being held.
The iron gates outside the factory were not closed, as if they were left open specifically for Ye Linghan. He didn’t hesitate and drove straight in.
Fortunately, the positioning was accurate, and they quickly found the building where Yao Qingluan was confined.
As soon as he brought the car to a halt, Su Mo was impatient to get out.
Ye Linghan grabbed his arm. “Wait!”
Su Mo looked back at him, confused.
Ye Linghan took the Soul-Vision Mirror out from between the layers of his clothes and turned it on to sweep the area.
“There’s still a little time left. Scan it to make sure none of their people are around.”
The places swept by the mirror were empty. Ye Linghan was pushing the utility of his magical artifacts to the absolute limit.
“Brother Mo, stay in the car. I will definitely bring Sister Luan out safely. If anything happens to me…” He paused, a surge of bitterness suddenly hitting him, clogging his heart with a painful sensation.
“Take Sister Luan and leave immediately. Also…”
He took the ring off his finger and placed it in Su Mo’s hand. “Help me give this to Yin Chen.”
He didn’t know what this ring signified or where it could be used; he just had a faint feeling that Yin Chen wouldn’t have given it to him for no reason. But he might not have the chance to find out the truth.
Ye Linghan thought: Since he gave it to me, I’ll return it to him.
He didn’t know if he could make it out alive. Hope felt slim. Although there didn’t seem to be other vampires around, Duan Jiu appeared to be mid-to-high tier. He was just an ordinary person without protective artifacts—he would likely have no chance of winning.
However, even if he couldn’t escape unscathed, he was eighty percent sure he could pull off a one-for-one trade.
At the same time, he was making a final bet: betting that Yin Chen would know about this, and that he would come to save him.
Emotion is a giant gamble. You either win it all, or you’re out.
And he wanted to win.
“You…” Su Mo stared blankly at the ring in his hand, his throat tightening.
Ye Linghan patted his shoulder and gave a bitter smile. “Don’t worry. If I don’t go in now, I really won’t have a chance.”
“Alright. Be careful.”
Ye Linghan got out of the car without a hint of hesitation and walked straight into the factory.
“Yo, not bad. You didn’t take too long,” Duan Jiu’s voice rang out.
Ye Linghan looked around. He didn’t see the speaker; only Yao Qingluan was tied to the chair at the far end.
He was about to step toward her when a wisp of black smoke struck. After circling him for a moment, it materialized into human form, standing beside him.
Last time, he hadn’t seen clearly through the surveillance, and he’d had no impression of Duan Jiu’s looks. This time, he finally saw him.
His features were delicate, his nose bridge was high, and his jawline gave his face a sharp, three-dimensional look.
However, combined with that occasionally mocking voice, it felt somewhat discordant with his face.
“Can all you vampires turn invisible?” Ye Linghan forced himself to stay calm, trying to soothe the other’s emotions first.
“Of course not. The abilities each vampire possesses vary. But invisibility is quite common—at least among high-tiers.”
Duan Jiu crossed his arms, looking as relaxed as if he were chatting with a friend.
Ye Linghan hadn’t expected this guy to be such a chatterbox.
“So, based on that, you’re a high-tier?”
He was fishing for information, trying his best to evaluate his chances if things turned south.
Duan Jiu shook his head. “Tsk~ of course not. I’m just mid-tier.”
“But don’t try to play me, and don’t harbor any fantasies about someone coming to save you—or saving yourself.”
“Mhm,” Ye Linghan’s reaction was very flat.
Duan Jiu felt a flicker of unease at this display of indifference. It was like a psychological game, seeing whose heart was more steadfast.
“Linghan, leave quickly! You don’t need to save me!”
Hearing the dialogue, Yao Qingluan looked up and met Ye Linghan’s gaze. She looked around and saw he was alone, which made her feel slightly relieved.
Because this way, she only had to convince one person to leave.
“Sister Qingluan, I’m here to trade places with you.” As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Duan Jiu. “As a vampire who is at least mid-tier, you should have some integrity, right?”
Duan Jiu raised an eyebrow. “Naturally~”
He was surprisingly honorable.
Hearing this, Ye Linghan relaxed his clenched fists; his palms were drenched in sweat.
Duan Jiu pushed Ye Linghan’s shoulder toward Yao Qingluan. Presumably, because he felt Ye Linghan was no match for him, he didn’t do anything else to him.
“However… you said ‘some’ integrity. Naturally, how much or how little is up to me. So, I could also choose not to let her go.”
“You dare!” Ye Linghan glared, his eyes filled with fury.
As expected, one couldn’t assume these people had any kindness. These devious vampires—how could they possibly keep their word?
In that case, the only option was a desperate struggle. He just wondered when Liao Xihe would arrive.
“Oh~ naturally, if it’s the little beauty, I can make an exception,” Duan Jiu said, waving his hand to dissolve the ropes binding Yao Qingluan.
Just as a spark of hope reignited in Ye Linghan’s heart, the moment Yao Qingluan stood up, she collapsed to the ground unconscious, as if she had been drugged.
“What did you do to her?” Ye Linghan instantly clenched his fists, glaring at the man beside him.
Duan Jiu spread his hands, looking innocent. “Nothing. It’s just another one of my abilities—a little trick to make people sleep soundly. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”
Although Ye Linghan was skeptical, as a hostage, he was in no position to question the other.
As if sensing Ye Linghan’s concern, Duan Jiu said calmly, “Don’t worry. Once I’ve killed you, I’ll naturally let your companion take her away.” His gaze flickered toward the unconscious Yao Qingluan on the floor.
Ye Linghan was startled. How did he know he had brought a companion?