The entry music swelled slowly, and a dim corridor materialized before her eyes. It stretched endlessly into the distance, as if terrible monsters were lurking in its depths. The ceiling lights flickered erratically, accompanied by the occasional sizzle of burning electrical wires.
Sheng Mian took a few steps forward. Her soles met the dry, brittle floorboards with a tooth-aching creak. Tiny specks of dust floated in the air, and she rubbed her nose as it began to itch uncontrollably.
The corridor was narrow, Sheng Mian estimated it to be about two meters wide—with hard, cold walls on either side. She gathered her courage and ventured further in. The scene was so realistic that her heart raced instinctively, thudding against her chest.
Swallowing hard, Sheng Mian walked toward the curved, dark end of the hallway.
Ding-ding! A sudden broadcast startled her.
Vampire Conversion Successful: 1.
Current Standings: 3 Vampires, 15 Commoners, 2 Knights.
Less than five minutes into the game, a commoner had already been turned. Everyone began to speculate on who the unlucky soul was, and the tension in the environment spiked.
Qin Heng listened to the announcement in shock. He stared speechlessly at the bite mark on his arm, which was still sizzling with beads of blood. The conversion process wasn’t pleasant; it felt as if a giant hand were squeezing his heart, while a sharp stinging sensation pulsed through his veins. Finally, his body temperature dropped, and his vision became unnervingly sharp in the darkness.
He cast a look of silent betrayal at the person beside him. Shen Zhilin wiped her mouth and began to observe the candles on the wall with feigned curiosity, avoiding his resentful gaze.
“If you were a vampire, you should have said so! I trusted you!” Qin Heng’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for Zhilin to hear.
Zhilin spread her hands innocently. “I did tell you at the very start.”
Qin Heng thought back to a moment ago and had to physically restrain himself from punching the wall.
His starting point hadn’t been a corridor but a kitchen. The room, filled with white appliances, was illuminated by pale fluorescent lights that made it look like a morgue.
There was bloody meat on the counter. Upon closer inspection, Qin Heng had nearly jumped out of his skin, it was a human torso. A knife stuck into the side had split it down the middle, and blood bubbled out continuously, filling the room with a sickening metallic stench.
Enduring the nausea and fear, Qin Heng searched the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, only to find rows of human heads staring back at him with wide, bulging eyes.
Slam! He kicked the door shut. As he did, a card fluttered to the ground, its crimson and murky green hues clashing with the sterile white floor. He picked it up and squinted at the front, terrified of what the image might be. When he finally opened his eyes fully, it was just text.
Exclusive Broadcast: Congratulations! You have obtained a Clue Card.
Clue: The Vampire is closer than you think.
Almost at that exact moment, the click-clack of footsteps sounded nearby. Qin Heng immediately connected the noise to the clue. He looked left and right, desperate for a hiding spot.
But the kitchen was an open layout; even the tables were skeletal frames. Qin Heng cursed his “dog luck.” Talk about an unlucky start—surely, he wouldn’t be the first to die before the battle even began?
His heart climbed into his throat. The footsteps sounded like a reaper’s toll, stepping rhythmically onto his very soul. Suddenly, he remembered his Defense card. Timing it perfectly as the tip of a shoe appeared around the corner, he activated it.
Qin Heng vanished. The kitchen appeared empty. He prayed this invisibility card would last until the vampire moved on.
A figure stepped in: Cheng Liye.
Liye stood at the doorway, scanning the space where there was nowhere to hide. Qin Heng watched the countdown on his card: 10, 9, 8, 7.
As if sensing something, Cheng Liye walked into the room, pacing back and forth. Qin Heng didn’t dare breathe, cursing internally: What the hell are you looking at? Just leave! 6, 5, 4.
Though Liye sensed a strange presence, he found nothing and left with a hint of regret. The moment his silhouette vanished, the card expired.
Qin Heng covered his nose and mouth, taking a cautious, deep breath. He peeked out; Cheng Liye was nowhere to be seen. Exhaling in relief, he hurried in the opposite direction.
He felt a small surge of triumph. At least he had a Clue Card now, which halved the danger. With him on the Commoner team, their odds of winning were surely rising!
Walking forward, he saw a silhouette ahead. Judging by the frame, it wasn’t Cheng Liye. Relaxing slightly, he approached.
When he got close enough to see the face, he sounded like he’d found his greatest ally: “Shen Zhilin!”
He rushed over to share his intel. “Let me tell you, I know who one of the vampires is!”
Zhilin saw how completely unguarded he was and knew instantly that the person he’d identified wasn’t her. “You don’t seem curious at all,” Qin Heng noted, seeing her flat expression. He didn’t think much of it and pressed on: “Cheng Liye is the vampire!”
Zhilin nodded. Actually, during the initial draw, she had already known her teammate was Cheng Liye.
She looked at him, her expression a bit unnatural. “Aren’t you afraid that I’m a vampire too?”
Qin Heng confidently threw an arm around her neck, not believing it for a second. “Not at all. If you were a vampire, you would have turned me by now. I’ve actually wanted to be one, being a commoner is boring.”
Shen Zhilin decided to grant his wish. She glanced at the arm draped over her shoulder, seized his wrist, and bit down on his forearm to initiate the conversion.
Qin Heng stood dazed for a long while. Initially, he couldn’t process why Shen Zhilin had suddenly bitten him, but as a series of unusual physical sensations washed over him, followed by a booming system announcement, it finally clicked.
Shen Zhilin was a damn vampire.
What kind of “luck” was this? Within minutes of the game starting, he had managed to run into the entire Vampire faction.
However, Qin Heng accepted his new identity quickly. The vampires were the hunters, and the commoners were the prey; while he was slightly disgruntled at Zhilin for turning him, at least they were on the same team now.
The two looked at each other and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Seeing Qin Heng’s goofy expression, Zhilin laughed and muttered, “Idiot.”
Having received the conversion broadcast, Sheng Mian knew the Vampire faction had grown. She stayed on high alert, her nerves pulled taut. She turned into a right-hand corridor where the light was so dim it was almost non-existent.
The thudding of her own heart in her ears masked the sound of footsteps closing in.
Suddenly, she collided with someone. Clutching her nose, she slowly looked up. Cheng Liye was standing over her, looking down with a smirk that felt even more sinister in the dark, eerie environment.
As he stepped closer, she retreated, her voice trembling. “Are you a human or a vampire?”
Liye bared his stark white teeth. “And if I’m a vampire, what are you going to do about it?”
If you’re a vampire, I’m definitely running!
Sheng Mian’s gut told her he wasn’t a “good guy.” Her eyes darted around, calculating which direction offered the best escape route.
Cheng Liye read her expression instantly; her wide, rolling eyes were far too easy to see through. He moved first, slamming a hand against the wall to block her retreat while using his body to shield her line of sight.
“That letter, did you read it?” he asked, his voice dropping to a strange, low pitch, as if he were embarrassed to ask.
“I read it,” Sheng Mian answered truthfully.
Cheng Liye’s breathing became heavy. She had read the letter, yet she had absolutely no reaction?
“And? That’s it?” he asked, his voice tinged with frustration.
Sheng Mian sensed trouble. He’s here to settle the score. She spoke with difficulty: “I did like you before, and I know I caused you a lot of trouble. But I’ve decided to move on now. It’s better for both of us.”
Cheng Liye gritted his teeth, savoring the “better for both of us” line with a clench of his fist. “So, you just want to act like none of it ever happened?” he growled.
Sheng Mian steadied her nerves. “When I was chasing you, didn’t you find it annoying? You were always scowling, and you never really smiled at me. When your friends made fun of me, you never said a word to stop them. It’s clear you never liked me, so why bother with this now?”
He was momentarily speechless. Everything she said was true; he really hadn’t felt anything for this persistent Omega back then. But now, things felt different.
“That was then,” he said stubbornly, dodging the main point. “Now.” He couldn’t bring himself to say he liked her; he just couldn’t stand the fact that he was now no different from a stranger in her eyes.
Seeing his hesitation, Sheng Mian spoke bluntly: “Actually, it’s not that you like me. You’re just not used to me not following you around anymore.”
She tried to push his arm aside to leave, but his muscular arm was like a wall of solid iron; it didn’t budge. She finally resorted to ducking and scrambling under his arm. Cheng Liye remained frozen in his “wall-thumping” pose for a second before his feet moved to follow, then stopped.
In the dim corridor, her retreating figure was unnervingly clear to him. He finally broke into a run, closing the gap in a few strides. He seized her arm with a powerful grip. She tried to shake him off to no avail. His heart was pounding, and before he could organize his thoughts, the words blurted out: “We could try dating for a bit.”
Sheng Mian froze as if she’d heard a ridiculous joke. She even stopped struggling. “How do you ‘try’ dating? How do you date someone when there’s no emotional foundation?”
What do you mean no emotional foundation? he thought indignantly. You liked me so intensely before, how can you call that nothing?
“You’ve just forgotten how much you liked me,” he argued stubbornly. “When you get your memory back, you’ll definitely regret turning me down today.”
Sheng Mian tried to pry his hand off her arm. “Then wait until I get my memory back before you make that suggestion,” she said helplessly.
Cheng Liye had never been rejected so many times by the same person in his entire life. He had softened his heart to give her a chance, and she didn’t even treasure it! He grabbed her by the shoulders and let out a low, angry roar: “Can you stop messing around? I’ve already lowered myself this much, what else do you want from me!”
Sheng Mian flinched at the outburst, her own tone becoming heated. “I’m not even your girlfriend yet and you’re already screaming at me! If I actually became your girlfriend and did something you didn’t like, would you start hitting me too?”
Cheng Liye went silent instantly. “I wouldn’t,” he muttered weakly. “I never hit Omegas.”
Embarrassed, he loosened his grip but didn’t let go, as if keeping her restrained was his only source of security. He softened his voice, offering a gentle apology: “I didn’t control my temper just now. I’m sorry.”