Chapter Summaries

Li Lie learned that the archaeological investors hoped to find Dracula’s blood and uncover the secret of eternal life, then secretly reported the possibility of a real vampire to Umbrella. He returned to camp, where the excavation team prepared for the next day and the mercenaries began night watch, but no attack came during his shift.

• Professor Quill told Li Lie that the investors were funding the excavation in hopes of finding Dracula and using his blood to discover eternal life.
• Li Lie left camp under the pretense of smoking and secretly reported his location and the possible vampire to Umbrella’s AI, Tina.
• Tina told Li Lie to keep his phone on and promised to send a UBCS squad if the vampire’s existence was confirmed.
• Li Lie returned to camp and endured good-natured teasing from Flynn’s veteran mercenaries.
• At two in the morning, Li Lie took his turn on watch and stayed alert, but no vampire appeared before his shift ended.

Professor Quell led the archaeological team and Flynn’s mercenaries into the ancient castle’s underground passages to search for Dracula. They established a base in a secret chamber filled with the remains of soldiers, where Li Lie began investigating how they had died.

• Quill and Flynn’s mercenaries prepared the equipment and assigned two mercenaries to guard the camp while the rest joined the expedition.
• Flynn led the team of more than forty people down into the castle’s basement and underground drainage system.
• After about half an hour, the group reached a large, dry chamber scattered with weapons, armor, and human bones.
• Quill directed the students and mercenaries to set up lighting and equipment and turn the chamber into a base.
• Li Lie examined an armored skeleton and found sword marks and varied armor styles, suggesting that soldiers from different factions had fought there.

Li Lie and the mercenaries guarded Professor Quill’s archaeological team as they investigated the secret room beneath the castle. After finding a keyhole and opening a hidden entrance, they prepared to enter the tomb chamber.

• Professor Quill assigned the students to identify the dead soldiers, translate the Old Cyrillic Script, and find the tomb’s hidden entrance.
• Flynn asked Li Lie about the mission, and Li Lie warned that the expensive equipment and possible traps signaled danger.
• The students dated the soldiers to at least five hundred years earlier and speculated they had fought Vlad III’s tomb guards.
• The students found a keyhole behind a corpse, and Professor Quill opened it with the thirteenth key from Holson’s bag.
• Professor Quill told everyone to put on respirators, and turning the key opened a large entrance in the wall.

Flynn and the archaeological team entered Vlad III’s tomb chamber, where they found cats and inscriptions warning of a Child Devourer and Soul Eaters. After the students opened a passage in the rock wall, a blue-green man with glowing red eyes emerged and spoke of tasting blood.

• Flynn led a team into the dark passage and found cats instead of monsters.
• Professor Quell ordered everyone to keep their masks on as the archaeological team entered the tomb chamber.
• The students translated stone slabs that described the Child Devourer, the Black Monarch, and his army of Soul Eaters.
• Students opened a passage in the rock wall, and the cats hissed at the opening.
• Flynn formed the mercenaries into a defensive line as a blue-green man with glowing red eyes emerged and announced that he would taste blood.

Flynn and his mercenaries discovered that the Vampires could regenerate from gunfire and were immune to silver bullets, forcing them to retreat while fighting to survive. As the Vampires closed in and ammunition ran low, Li Lie revealed that he had brought the Black Tyrant serum.

• Flynn ordered his mercenaries to shoot the first Vampire, but it reassembled after being torn apart by their bullets.
• More Vampires emerged, and Quill led the students toward the secret-room stronghold while Flynn’s group held the passage.
• A Vampire killed a mercenary, then the starving Vampires fought over his corpse after smelling his blood.
• Flynn, Li Lie, and the remaining mercenaries retreated through the passage while suppressing the advancing Vampires, and Li Lie worried about surviving until UBCS arrived.
• As the Vampires gathered and ammunition dwindled, Li Lie said no one would die and pulled out a container of Black Tyrant serum.

Li Lie injected Black Tyrant and helped the mercenaries fight the Vampires, discovering that heat from a Beam Saber stopped them from regenerating. As Professor Quell and the students escaped to the secret chamber base, Robert and the Limit Legion arrived to support the trapped team.

• Li Lie injected Black Tyrant, fought the Vampires with a Beam Saber, and found that its heat prevented them from regenerating.
• Flynn ordered the mercenaries to switch to precise bursts and help Li Lie in close combat, but the growing Vampire horde still threatened to overwhelm them.
• Professor Quell and the students escaped through the hidden-door tunnel and told the mercenary at the base that Flynn and the others were holding off Vampires.
• A mercenary tried to return to the tunnel to help Flynn, but Quell attempted to stop him.
• Robert led the Limit Legion of Fleet Zero into the secret chamber base after Yelena alerted William to Li Lie’s situation.

Robert led the Limit Legion into the cavern to rescue Li Lie and the surviving mercenaries, then slaughtered the Vampires attacking them. After confirming the creatures appeared dead, he prepared to descend farther and contain their progenitor, Vlad III.

• Robert ordered Professor Quill and the students to stay in the base while he led the Limit Legion into the hidden-door tunnel.
• Robert found Li Lie, Flynn, and the remaining mercenaries near collapse, and told Li Lie to evacuate them.
• Li Lie treated the unconscious machine gunner with biological foam and injected him with Nanite Serum as the mercenaries retreated.
• Robert and the Limit Legion overwhelmed and killed the Vampires in the cavern, then fired additional shots into their bodies.
• Evreny reported that the Vampires had no physiological activity and recommended checking them with powerful sunlight lamps.
• Robert ordered one platoon to guard the cavern and led the rest of the Limit Legion toward Vlad III.

Li Lie revealed that he was an Umbrella agent after helping the survivors escape the secret base, while William arrived with Umbrella forces and led everyone back to the castle Plaza Camp. There, Li Lie reunited with Yelena, and William arranged physical examinations for the survivors.

• Flynn asked Li Lie why he had become so powerful and why Umbrella forces had rescued them, and Li Lie said he was an Umbrella agent monitoring groups that might encounter unusual phenomena.
• Flynn thanked Li Lie for saving them, then decided the survivors should return to the surface so Mickey could receive medical attention.
• William arrived with Serena, Imperial Guard Astartes, and Frenzied Sharks, ordered a medic to treat the wounded machine gunner, and led the group back to the Plaza Camp.
• Yelena hurried to Li Lie and checked that he was uninjured, while the mercenaries joked with Gret.
• William told the survivors they would undergo physical examinations, and Quell and Flynn agreed to cooperate.

The technicians found that Li Lie had retained the Black Tyrant’s enhanced physical abilities without harmful side effects, possibly because he was Li Mu and Rebecca’s son. William then learned that Robert had captured Vlad III and ordered him, the mercenaries, and the archaeology students brought to Hangar Bay Four.

• The mercenaries and archaeology students underwent medical examinations, and the injured machine gunner was cleared of infection and promised a free prosthetic arm.
• Rebecca examined Li Lie and found that he had kept the Black Tyrant’s enhancements without any adverse reactions.
• William guessed that Li Lie’s inheritance from Li Mu and Rebecca might explain his unusual compatibility with the serum, and Rebecca agreed it was possible.
• Rebecca confirmed that Li Lie was safe and had nearly half the physical capability of a Spartan-II, relieving Yelena and pleasing William.
• Serena told William that Robert had captured Vlad III, and William ordered him to bring Vlad III, Quill, the mercenaries, and the archaeology students to Hangar Bay Four.
• Yelena chose to stay with Rebecca and keep Li Lie company while William and Serena left for the hangar.

William brought Professor Quell and the others to Hangar Bay Four to interrogate the captured vampire progenitor. After Robert brutally restrained Dracula, Professor Quell confirmed he was Vlad III and learned how he became a vampire and was imprisoned.

• William told Serena to monitor Li Lie and have John and the Imperial Guard Astartes punish him if he made improper advances toward Yelena.
• In Hangar Bay Four, William explained that he wanted Professor Quell to translate an interrogation of the vampire progenitor, and Robert opened the Containment Box.
• Dracula leaped from the box, but Robert subdued and tortured him until William ordered him to stop and hold Dracula for questioning.
• Professor Quell questioned Dracula in ancient Romanian and reported that Vlad III had become a vampire after drinking his subordinates' blood during a battle.
• Professor Quell said that Vlad's vampire army had been driven into the castle prison after uniting human forces across Europe against them.

William captured Dracula, arranged to erase the memories of the people who encountered him, and ordered the backers of the immortality expedition to be pressured into honoring their contracts and abandoning their search. After Fleet Zero reunited with the Invincible in orbit, William set a course for Mars to see the planet transformed by Umbrella Technology.

• William ordered Dracula returned to the Containment Box for testing and told Flynn that Umbrella would keep the Vampire, while promising Quill he would settle the expedition’s accounts with its backers.
• William instructed Serena to identify the investors and told her to have Prus send a Ghost Agent to alter their memories, enforce their contracts, and discourage their pursuit of immortality.
• William arrived on the bridge and ordered Carmen Ibanez to return the Invincible to low Earth orbit after the guests underwent memory modification.
• Flynn, Quill, and the others had their memories modified and were returned to the ancient castle, while Serena sent recovery teams to remove evidence of the Vampires.
• The Invincible rendezvoused with the expanded Fleet Zero, and William ordered the fleet to take him to Mars.

William and Fleet Zero arrived at Mars, now transformed into a planet-spanning network of domes with Earthlike environments and thriving traffic. He decided to visit Phoenix City while leaving the fleet in Carmen’s hands, and his party began descending toward the domes.

• Carmen led Fleet Zero out of warp near Mars, where William saw the planet enclosed by emerald-lit domes filled with varied climates and artificial landscapes.
• Serena told William that Constantine was in Phoenix City holding a cooperation conference with the Starship Troopers universe’s Chamber of Commerce Alliance.
• William chose to visit Mars with Serena, John, Carl, and Mylon aboard a Pelican, telling Serena not to disturb Constantine and assigning Carmen to defend Fleet Zero.
• William and his companions flew toward a dome entrance as Mylon excitedly pressed against the Pelican’s viewport to look at Mars.

William visited Mars, where Mikhail Victor showed him the thriving capital of Phoenix City and explained the planet’s population and development. After returning to the Infinity, William ordered the ship to Epsilon Eridani e to inspect Umbrella’s next-generation flagship.

• William toured Mars’s artificial beaches and rainforest, then landed at a military base near Phoenix City.
• Mikhail Victor greeted William and guided him to Phoenix City, where he described Mars’s population and the immigrants who had helped build it.
• William returned to the Infinity with Serena and John after inspecting Mars.
• William asked Serena about reaching Epsilon Eridani e and ordered Carmen Ibanez to take the Infinity there to see the next-generation flagship.

William arrived at Reach with Fleet Zero and visited Shipyard Zero to check on construction of Umbrella’s future Star Killer-class flagship. The technical supervisor reported that the flagship was expected to be completed in two months.

• Fleet Zero emerged from warp above Reach, where Umbrella’s fleets and orbital defenses protected the planet.
• William rode a Pelican to Shipyard Zero with Serena, John, Carl, and Mylon, reflecting on Halo: Reach and the survival of Noble Team.
• William and his companions landed at the shipyard and met Umbrella Marines, technicians, and a nervous technical supervisor.
• William reassured the supervisor that he had come to see the flagship’s progress, and the supervisor said it should be finished in two months.

William inspected Umbrella’s shipyard and saw the unfinished Star Killer-class flagship, learning that its construction and upkeep costs made it impractical to build many. After encouraging the shipyard’s workers, he returned to the Infinity and hurried back to Hafa to avoid upsetting the pregnant Halsey.

• William viewed the unfinished Star Killer-class flagship and confirmed it would become Fleet Zero’s flagship.
• John explained to Mylon that the Star Killer’s construction and maintenance costs prevented Umbrella from mass-producing such ships.
• William inspected the shipyard’s command room and other facilities, then promised bonuses to workers who had served there for three years.
• William addressed the shipyard staff with a brief motivational speech.
• At 21:10 Hafa Time, William returned to the Infinity and ordered Carmen to take it back to the Solar System so he could reach Hafa before ten o’clock.

William and Yelena returned home after helping with the vampire incident in Romania, while the family prepared for Halsey’s upcoming birth. William told Halsey about the captured Dracula and described the heavily armed Star Killer-class flagship, which Halsey had designed for Umbrella.

• Ivan told Halsey that Yelena had taken William and Fleet Zero to Romania to help Li Lie Yelena with a vampire-type anomalous creature.
• William and Yelena returned to Russell Manor, and William ordered Yelena to wash and shower before going near Halsey.
• Ivan helped Halsey back to the master bedroom so she could rest after working on Power Armor and MS designs.
• William told Halsey that Robert had captured and interrogated Vlad III, who was Dracula, and described his visit to Mars and Reach.
• William praised Halsey’s design of the Star Killer-class flagship, detailing its powerful weapons, defenses, engines, and capacity to carry twenty-four escort ships.

William and Halsey discussed Yelena's feelings for Li Lie and the effects of the Black Tyrant Serum before falling asleep. The next morning, Ivan prepared for the start of school, and William sent him off with a pointed wish for a "pleasant" day.

• William told Halsey that Yelena had been visiting Li Lie at the military academy and that Li Lie had gained peak-human abilities after using the Black Tyrant.
• Halsey reasoned that Li Lie's abilities might be connected to Li Mu's earlier exposure to the serum and thought Li Lie could suit Yelena.
• William and Halsey went to sleep after their late-night conversation.
• Ivan woke on September 3, made his bed, washed, exercised with William, and ate breakfast before school.
• Ivan told William he was leaving for St. Mary's, and William wished him a "pleasant" day.

Ivan drove William’s upgraded old RS7 to St. Mary’s for his first day of classes, where Siya and Nova arrived with their escorts. After Nova invited him to dinner and sat close beside him, a mysterious classmate joined them and openly admitted she had come to hit on Ivan.

• Ivan drove the RS7 from the estate to St. Mary’s and parked near the chapel.
• Siya and Nova arrived in separate Flying Boats with their guards, then accompanied Ivan toward the finance building.
• Siya left Ivan and Nova to attend class with her advisor after warning Nova not to get handsy with Ivan.
• Nova invited Ivan to dinner at her family’s house and linked her arm through his while they sat in class.
• A tall classmate sat beside Ivan despite the many empty seats and said she had come specifically to hit on him.

Ivan learned that Megan, a new classmate created by Umbrella, was an AI designed to assist him. When an alien meteor attack struck France, Ivan left school with Nova and Megan to help his father respond.

• Megan revealed that she was an AI in a T-X body, created by William and Halsey to study and assist Ivan.
• Megan reported that meteors had struck Fiac Town in southern France, killing at least nine thousand people, and that the attack was blamed on aliens.
• Ivan suspected the attackers knew Earth's defenses, but Megan said they had disguised the meteors as harmless objects and ruled out a breach of the system.
• Megan said William had ordered Ivan to join the operation, while Nova and Shia had not been assigned a role.
• Ivan invited Nova to come with him, then left the classroom with Nova and Megan to help his father.

After an alien force attacked Fiac Town in France, William and his allies gathered aboard the Infinity to assess the invasion and prepare a response. William authorized the UNSC French Army to attack the aliens, and its forces closed in on the town.

• Ivan called Xia and asked her to join him and the others in helping William respond to the attack in France.
• William and Serena picked up Ivan, Nova, Xia, and Megan, and they all returned to the Infinity.
• Serena showed the bridge crew satellite data and surveillance footage indicating that the meteorites were alien spaceships and that their crews had begun moving through Fiac Town.
• Serena reported that the UNSC French Army had surrounded Fiac Town and requested William's approval to attack.
• William authorized the attack, and the French Army advanced toward the town to engage the aliens.