Hao Ren froze when he heard about the Golden Manor, while Pierre looked even more astonished at his reaction. He hadn't expected the vampires before him—he had instinctively assumed Hao Ren was one too—not to know anything about the Golden Manor. So what were these two doing here?
"What is the Golden Manor?" Vivian asked, frowning at the freelance detective before her. "Listen, we don't want to hurt you, but you'd better tell us the truth. A lot of people are watching this place now, and the others may not be as easygoing as we are. If you come clean now, we might even be able to protect you."
The cold aura around Vivian made Pierre's teeth chatter uncontrollably. Seeing that he looked ready to have another fit, Hao Ren patted Vivian on the shoulder. "Could you put that power away for now? If I have to revive him two more times, I'm afraid I won't be able to bring him back."
This wasn't a good place to talk, so Hao Ren brought Pierre to a bedroom nearby. The room contained only a rickety old wooden table and several dust-covered chairs. Vivian swiftly cleared them off, and only then was the room barely fit for sitting. Pierre's face was pale as Hao Ren helped him sit beside the table. He took a cleverly designed hanging lamp from his satchel and fixed it to the nearby wall. When the bag opened, Hao Ren saw all sorts of strange things inside: oddly shaped iron rods, an array of lenses resembling a telescope, and bizarre devices that squeaked and creaked. The sight was dazzling, and Hao Ren couldn't help remarking, "You've got quite a collection of tools. What's this for?"
Pierre sighed. "There's one thing I didn't lie about: I really am a