Negotiation

"Blade, sorry. They offered too much!"

Wang Bert's words made Blade's heart sink. Just as he was about to say something, Wang Bert burst into laughter. "Just kidding, Blade. Come visit my estate. I have a surprise for you!"

Blade was speechless. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Are you human now, or a Vampire?"

Wang Bert said, "Human. A human revered as king by Vampires, with one of the top three fortunes in the world!"

"I'm coming over now."

Blade hung up and coolly said to the police officer, "Take me there!"

"Okay!"

The officer nodded ingratiatingly, then drove Blade in the Patrol Car to a large estate in the suburbs!

The officer glanced enviously at the estate, worth hundreds of millions, and said to Blade, "Mr. Blade, I can't go in. I can only take you this far!"

Blade ignored the Blood-thirsty Clan member, opened the door, and got out of the Patrol Car. A familiar face stood waiting at the gate under an umbrella—it was James!

"Blade, the Blood God is waiting for you. Speaking of which, couldn't you have come at night? Daytime is so uncomfortable!"

James said with a smile. It was obvious that he had been riding high lately; the smile on his face had never faded.

Blade looked James up and down through his sunglasses and said, "Nice clothes."

"More than nice! I spent over a hundred thousand dollars having this top-of-the-line suit custom-made. It even has high-tech Ultraviolet protection added to it."

James showed off proudly. He had never even dared dream of owning clothes like this before!

Blade was somewhat speechless. "Over a hundred thousand dollars?"

"Small change. After the Speaker and the Twelve Pureblood Elders died, aside from what S.H.I.E.L.D. snatched away, most of the rest of their assets went to the Blood God."

James gestured for Blade to get into the Patrol Car. As he drove inside, he said, "On his first day moving in, the Blood God bought more than a dozen luxury cars and called in a bunch of car models for a party! Hey, Blade, I heard the Blood God can freely control any part of his body. Any part!"

Blade gave James a speechless look. Was it really okay to make up stories about the big boss like that? Still, that ability really was sleazy—and enviable!

Blade sighed inwardly. No wonder he said they offered too much. The wealth of the North American Purebloods must have all fallen into his hands. He's probably richer than Tony Stark now!

The Patrol Car drove for over ten minutes before reaching the villa entrance. To Blade's surprise, Wang Bert was waiting there. He stepped forward and gave Blade a hug, smiling. "Blade, long time no see!"

"Not that long. I still haven't figured out how to kill you!"

Blade said. The Butler and maids nearby were all stunned. He actually dared speak to the Blood God like that? Wasn't he afraid of dying? "Take your time. No rush. Come on, let's go inside and talk!"

Wang Bert laughed heartily. He said, "James, we have another group of guests coming. Sorry to trouble you, but greet them outside!"

"Understood, Blood God!"

James answered respectfully, though he was somewhat curious about who was coming. He was one of the Blood God's trusted aides; anyone who warranted his reception was no ordinary person.

Wang Bert led Blade into the villa and said, "I'll give you a surprise first, then we'll talk about everything else!"

"Don't tell me you've got a bunch of Vampires lying in ambush around here?"

Blade asked. Wang Bert laughed. "To deal with you, I alone am enough. No ambush needed! Forget that. Look at the surprise first. You'll be very happy!"

As he spoke, Wang Bert pushed open the large doors ahead. Inside, an old man was gulping down red wine, with plenty of it spilling onto his clothes!

Any normal person seeing this would have assumed it was cheap wine. In reality, the red wine the old man was drinking was worth tens of thousands of dollars! "Whistler!"

Blade cried out upon seeing the old man. Whistler turned around and laughed loudly at Blade. "Blade, you finally came. I knew they'd definitely go find you!"

Blade's expression was complicated. Since Whistler was alive, he should have become a Vampire, right? "Don't worry. He's still human!"

Wang Bert patted Blade on the shoulder and said, "When you went to deal with Deacon Frost, he was taken away by a group of Vampires. They froze him and tortured him day and night. Later, I rescued him and used medicine to turn him back into a human."

(This was the plot of Blade II. Whistler did indeed become human again, so the setting here is that as long as someone bitten has not yet turned into a Vampire, they can be saved with medicine.) "That's right, I'm human now. After this guy brought me back, he's been treating me to fine food and drink every day, even hiring several models to keep me company. I'm living like a god!"

Whistler laughed heartily, but the next moment, he smashed the expensive red wine onto the floor with a crash. Then he shouted, "He thinks he can buy me off like this, but he's wrong! Blade, ignore me! Kill all these Vampires!"

Blade was somewhat speechless, but even happier. It really was the familiar Whistler, the same bastard as ever! "Whistler, that's a bit wasteful!"

Wang Bert was somewhat displeased. He said, "By the way, one of those models is pregnant!"

"Huh?"

Whistler, who had just been so arrogant, was dumbfounded. Wang Bert burst out laughing. "Just kidding. Someone, clean this place up. We still have guests coming later!"

Maids immediately came over to clean up. These maids were all carefully selected humans, specially meant to serve Vampires. Vampires could do whatever they wanted to them, including drinking their blood.

Blade could not help asking, "Bert, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Blade, we're friends. I won't harm you. If you want, you can leave with Whistler at any time. I definitely won't stop you!"

Wang Bert said seriously, "But I hope you'll stay. Today, we're going to decide the fate of the North American Blood Clan!"

Blade looked at Wang Bert and nodded. "All right!"

"You won't be disappointed! Sit!"

Wang Bert smiled. Whistler sneered, "Let's see what kind of trick you're trying to pull. Oh, and bring me a few more bottles of that red wine from before to rinse my mouth!"

"No problem, but don't smash them again. I don't like waste!"

Wang Bert clapped his hands and had someone bring over several bottles of wine. Being rich and being wasteful were two different things. Having money did not mean one had to waste it.

"Whistler, drink less!"

Blade sat down. Looking at the expensive furniture around him, the cashmere carpet that was clearly no ordinary product, and the authentic paintings hanging on the walls, he sighed. "Purebloods are too extravagant!"

"They really are too extravagant."

Wang Bert nodded in agreement. "With just one phone call, a Michelin Chef will immediately come cook for us. All the ingredients are airlifted in. Oh, and the Butler gave me a list earlier. It recorded many celebrities, as well as beautiful women with noble bloodlines and so on.

As long as I wanted, they would come over right away and let me taste their blood!"

"That's disgusting!"

Whistler cursed loudly, and Blade shook his head as well. Half-blood Vampires could not even drink blood bags, while Purebloods could freely choose whose blood to drink. No wonder the Half-bloods had been incited by Deacon Frost.

And keeping Blood Slaves really was disgusting.

"It is disgusting. That's why I didn't take a single one. I'd rather communicate with them in other ways."

Wang Bert laughed. He said, "Speaking of which, having too much money is troublesome too. My team still hasn't managed to calculate exactly how much money I have! And I'll probably have to pay quite a lot in taxes this time. The Tax Bureau isn't easy to deal with."

"Are you showing off?"

Blade complained. At that moment, the Butler came in to report, "Blood God, Senator Stern and the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. have arrived!"

"Good, I'll go out right away!"

Wang Bert nodded and said to Blade, "Blade, join the meeting later. Whistler, you should avoid them for now. Your mouth is too foul. You'll easily offend people!"

Whistler gave Wang Bert the middle finger, then rose and limped away with the wine bottle. As he passed Blade, he whispered, "Blade, don't believe a single word Vampires say!"

Blade nodded coolly. Wang Bert heard him but did not care. He stood up and went to the entrance to welcome the Senator and Nick Fury!

Cyclops Nick Fury had a dark face the entire time. He felt he was terribly unlucky. He had spent more than ten years painstakingly laying out a Blood God Project. Once it succeeded, the Blood Clan would no longer be a threat.

Yet after calculating every possibility, he had failed to account for someone appearing midway to snatch the Blood God from him. That person had even killed Deacon Frost. Not only had that caused his plan to fail, it had turned all his arrangements and contingencies into a joke.

What made him even more depressed was that Director Fury had only discovered this a while ago, so he had been unable to alter his plans in time. And his original plan had helped that guy—because of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s pressure, the Blood Clan had surrendered to him so quickly! If they had not surrendered, the Blood Clan would have been wiped out by the Blood God, Blade, and S.H.I.E.L.D.!

After the Blood Clan surrendered, that Blood God stabilized the Blood Clan's chaos at top speed. Then he led the Blood Clan in a surprise attack on a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, abducting Level 8 Agent John Garrett and a large group of elite agents. That was why Nick Fury had accepted the invitation and personally come today! Negotiation!

Of course, Nick Fury would not be in danger. Senator Stern had also been invited. Unless the Vampires wanted an all-out war with humanity, they would not dare do anything at such a formal occasion.

Besides this, Nick Fury had another troubling matter. Captain America's girlfriend, S.H.I.E.L.D. Founding Elder Peggy Carter, had disappeared several days ago. He had mobilized a great many people to search for her, yet found no clues at all.

Unlike Director Fury, Senator Stern was in a fairly good mood. Vampires were very generous. Though he did not lack money, who would ever think they had too much? "Director Fury, Senator Stern, welcome!"

Wang Bert came out of the villa and extended his hand to the two men. "I am the New Blood Clan Chief. You may call me Bert!"

Senator Stern shook Wang Bert's hand and sighed. "Chief Bert is truly young and accomplished!"

"The Blood Clan has only ever had a Speaker. Where did this chief come from?"

Director Fury stared intently at Wang Bert and asked coldly. He had investigated much information on Wang Bert lately. Frankly, he still could not understand why such an ordinary kid had been able to defeat Deacon Frost and become the Blood God. In the twenty-two years before this kid became a Vampire, there had been nothing special about him whatsoever. But after becoming a Vampire, he had risen like he had cheat codes, becoming the Blood Clan Chief. Even Fury himself had to come negotiate with him.

"There wasn't one before, but there is now. Speaking of which, I have Director Fury to thank for that. Otherwise, if the Twelve Elders and the Speaker were still alive, no one could have united the Blood Clan!"

Wang Bert smiled. "By the way, should I write S.H.I.E.L.D. a thank-you letter?"

Director Fury's face darkened even further. Everything he had done had become this kid's stepping stone. It could be said that without him, this kid would never have had such a smooth rise.

Senator Stern smoothed things over. "All right, let's go inside and discuss this in detail. Chief Bert, you wouldn't have us standing here in the wind, would you?"

"Of course not. This way, please!"

Wang Bert led the two into the meeting room. Both of them were startled to see Blade. Wang Bert introduced them, "This is the famous Vampire hunter Blade, the Blood Clan's number one enemy. Blade, this is Director Fury. Deacon Frost was the undercover agent he turned. And this is Senator Stern!"

Blade said with a hostile expression, "Director Fury? I truly appreciate your consideration!"

Director Fury snorted. "I don't know any Deacon Frost. But why is a Vampire hunter in a Vampire den?"

Blade could not be bothered to answer Fury. Wang Bert invited the two to sit down and had the maid beside them pour the already aerated red wine. He introduced it, "This is red wine I took from an Elder's home. I heard it once belonged to Napoleon. I don't know much about this. Please, help yourselves."

Senator Stern smiled. "From Napoleon's era? Then I really must savor it properly!"

Director Fury had no interest in tasting it. He said, "Chief Bert, I want you to explain why you attacked our S.H.I.E.L.D. base and abducted our people."

Wang Bert sneered. "They say Director Fury is black, and his heart is even blacker. It seems that's true. Your people clearly attacked our Blood Clan, yet you're actually turning around and accusing us?"

Director Fury said expressionlessly, "That statement is suspected of racial discrimination!"

"No, I'm merely looking down on you!"

Wang Bert waved his hand, signaling the maids to leave. Then he said, "All right, enough nonsense. Director Fury, Senator Stern, I only have one question. Is the agreement between the Blood Clan and humanity still valid?"

Before Director Fury could answer, Senator Stern set down his wineglass and said with complete certainty, "It is valid. I came this time to mediate between both sides and restore everything to normal. New York's public safety has worsened quite a bit lately. Washington does not want things to continue like this!"

Director Fury's face darkened again. What was a useless teammate? This was a useless teammate!

The Blood Clan was not that strong, yet it had never been eliminated. Besides nuclear bombs that might or might not exist and its powerful capital, the most important reason was that there was a group of Blood-thirsty Clan supporters within the government protecting them!

Those in power wanted to live forever, and to do so with dignity. Therefore, the Blood Clan could not fall.

"Since the agreement remains valid, why did S.H.I.E.L.D. send Deacon Frost to stir chaos in our Blood Clan? And why did S.H.I.E.L.D. attack our Blood Clan settlements, kill our people, and seize our wealth?"

Wang Bert questioned Director Fury. "Director Fury, you must give me an explanation today!"

"I told you, I don't know any Deacon Frost!"

Director Fury said, "As for attacking your Blood Clan settlements, it was because your Blood Clan violated the agreement by capturing living people to drink their blood. We had the right to do that!"

"That was ordered by your undercover agent Deacon Frost. S.H.I.E.L.D. must immediately release our people and compensate us for our losses!"

"I'll say it one last time. I don't know any Deacon Frost. The Blood Clan should be the one paying compensation. Also, release our agents immediately."

The two sides naturally began arguing. Senator Stern hurriedly tried to mediate, while Blade silently drank wine at the side. It was so boring. Both sides were putting on an act.

In truth, this was not acting. It was procedure. Though boring, it was necessary.

After they had argued enough, Wang Bert waved his hand and said, "Director Fury, for the Senator's sake, I will return all the agents to you. But in return, you must also return the Blood Clan members you captured and the wealth you seized. Then, both sides will formally cease hostilities and continue upholding the previous agreement!"

"Fine!"

Director Fury agreed with a cold face. Given the current situation, this was the only option. No matter how strong S.H.I.E.L.D. was, it could not defy Washington's decision!

This time, S.H.I.E.L.D. had drawn water with a bamboo basket and come up empty. The Blood Clan had not gained anything either. Only the Blood God had achieved a complete victory!

Of course, Director Fury had no intention of letting the Vampires off cheaply. How much money he returned would depend on his mood. They happened to be short of funds for building bases lately!

Director Fury loved building bases all over the world most of all. Even if he embezzled money, he had to build them! Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Senator, Director Fury, I have a suggestion."

"What suggestion?"

"In this conflict between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Blood Clan, S.H.I.E.L.D. certainly bears the primary responsibility, but we Blood Clan members also bear responsibility. Many Vampires do not abide by the agreement and recklessly drink the blood of living people."

Wang Bert glanced at Director Fury and said, "Among them, the Deacon Frost supported by S.H.I.E.L.D. was the most typical example!"

Director Fury said, "I don't want to explain again. Wang Bert, what are you trying to do by saying all this?"

Wang Bert smiled. "What I want to do is very simple: prevent this sort of thing from happening again!"

"Looks like I need to write you a thank-you letter!"

Director Fury said exaggeratedly, not believing Wang Bert's words in the slightest. In fact, Senator Stern did not believe him either! Wang Bert ignored Director Fury and continued, "To that end, I have decided to establish a Blood Clan Police Department, specifically responsible for investigating and dealing with criminal Vampires. Its rules will be similar to human laws!"

Wang Bert looked at Director Fury and said, "S.H.I.E.L.D. may send people to join the Blood Clan Police Department. The ratio between both sides will be roughly one to nine!"

"Are you serious?"

Director Fury was somewhat shocked. Establishing a Blood Clan Police Department alone was nothing, but allowing S.H.I.E.L.D. to join meant the other side was serious!

Blade also stared at Wang Bert in shock. Was this the explanation Wang Bert had promised him?