Captive

A red sun rose in the east, casting its radiance across the land.

The airship hovering above Captain Jack's Tavern gave off a low rumble. Across the surface of its nearly thousand-meter-long hull, a thin layer of mirror-smooth metal plates unfolded like blossoming petals.

In just a few breaths, a massive mirror over three thousand meters in diameter appeared in midair. The circular mirror reflected the eastern sunlight and gathered it into a dazzling pillar of light, bathing the entire block around Captain Jack's Tavern in blinding whiteness, leaving not even the slightest shadowed corner.

Old Jack, who had been standing at the tavern entrance bowing and scraping as he saw off the two inspectors, looked up in shock. He stared despairingly at the circular mirror slowly spreading across the sky and began cursing hysterically. "Damn Hunters! You pack of bastards!"

The two inspectors turned around at the same time. They drew two Hand Crossbows from inside their windbreakers, each gleaming with faint rune-patterned light, aimed them at Old Jack, and pulled the triggers. Two thumb-sized silver metal pellets shot from the Hand Crossbows and struck Old Jack in the chest with two bangs.

Old Jack flew backward as if he had been rammed by a charging bull, spraying blood in great mouthfuls. The two metal pellets rapidly changed shape like liquid. With sharp whooshes, countless hair-thin silver metal wires stretched out from them, forming a large net that bound Old Jack tightly within it.

The net contracted with force. Old Jack's large frame was forcibly squeezed by the taut metal mesh into a ball of flesh barely over two feet across. His bones gave off grinding cracks as he screamed hysterically. "Little Jack, run for your life! Damn Hunters, they've gone mad! They actually dare attack law-abiding citizens of the city-state!"

One of the inspectors who had just accepted Old Jack's bribe stomped viciously on his face. The kick was immensely heavy. Both rows of Old Jack's teeth sprayed from his mouth, and blood and saliva gushed from the corners of his lips. The pain left him without even the strength to howl.

The one called Little Jack was the young man in the tavern's back alley who could control fire.

While the Security Guards were surveying the scene, Little Jack had been leading several burly men as they watched over the place inside and out. Hearing Old Jack's furious roar without warning, he froze briefly, then charged out of the tavern like a madman.

More than a dozen Security Guards in fully enclosed skintight combat armor came sprinting over with spears in hand. Seeing Little Jack burst from the tavern, they shouted, "Drop your weapon, cease resisting! We have the authority to execute you on the spot!"

The spears wielded by these Security Guards were around two meters long. Three spiraling rows of runes were carved from the base upward, and twelve thumb-sized white crystals were embedded where the three rows intersected. The crystals emitted faint energy fluctuations, and from time to time, a dim glow followed the runes and converged at the conical spearheads. The entire spears shimmered with flowing light and clearly possessed extraordinary power.

Little Jack rushed out of the tavern and crouched low. His hands crossed before and behind each other, and a flame-shaped rune flashed abruptly between his brows. A howl of wind and fire rose between his palms. Without incantations, hand seals, or spell gestures, more than a dozen fist-sized fireballs condensed between his hands and shot out like cannon shells.

The dozen or so Security Guards charging at him were struck by the flying fireballs. Though only fist-sized, the fireballs contained immense power. A series of piercing explosions rang out, and all the Security Guards screamed miserably. Their combat armor, made from alloy plates and Demonic Beast hide, was blasted to pieces. Coughing blood and trailing black smoke, they were thrown dozens of meters away.

Dozens more Security Guards, also carrying spears, were charging over from farther away. Seeing the fireballs' immense power, they leveled their spears from a distance and locked their spearheads onto Little Jack. Brilliant light flickered across the spears, and with shrill tearing sounds, several-meter-long beams as thick as fists shot from their tips, converging on Little Jack with lightning speed.

Little Jack threw himself to the ground in a frantic tiger pounce, and dozens of beams skimmed past his body. Dull booms rang out endlessly as the walls of Captain Jack's Tavern were punched through with dozens of clean holes. The white beams carried tremendous force, piercing through several walls in succession before gradually dissipating.

From the airship's gondola floating a thousand meters above the ground, nearly a hundred Hunters in black fitted outfits jumped down one after another. With bird-wing-shaped gliders strapped to their backs, they circled lightly down like great birds. Dozens of meters above the ground, these Hunters drew the equally shimmering longswords from their backs, discarded their bird-wing gliders, and dropped lightly to the ground.

The nimble Hunters rolled several times as soon as they landed, easily dispelling the impact of their descent from the heights. With a spring and a launch, dozens of Hunters shot up like leopards, sweeping curved flashes of blade light as they pounced on Little Jack.

Sander, Fennice, and the white-robed youth emerged one after another from a Flying Car by the roadside. Sander cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hey, seal off every sewer nearby! Use shockwaves to find all secret passages and hidden rooms! Don't let a single person escape! Don't hurt that little fellow who plays with fire. He's Fennice's prey!"

Several Hunters at the very front had already reached Little Jack. They raised their longswords, about to chop down at him. But upon suddenly hearing Sander's order, they all withdrew their blades and darted into Captain Jack's Tavern in a flash.

The burly men under Little Jack's command rushed out shouting and roaring, armed with all manner of vicious weapons. But compared to these Hunters, they were simply far too weak. Dazzling blade light flashed repeatedly within the tavern, every strike swift as lightning, effortlessly slicing open the burly men's throats. Scalding blood splashed across the floor, and the stench of blood once more filled Old Jack's tavern.

Hearing his subordinates' death cries, Little Jack cursed the Hunters loudly and leaped up with all his strength. A thread of fire flashed across his body, and he was about to rush into the tavern to save his men.

But a blast of hot wind swept past him. Fennice, wreathed in rising flames like a fire spirit, had already blocked his path. Her body was wrapped in a layer of scorching flame, while twelve crimson fireballs the size of human heads spun rapidly around her.

Waves of heat continuously spread from Fennice's body. The powerful hot wind scattered the surrounding dust. Even the Security Guards could barely keep their footing, swaying helplessly in the gale and forced to stagger backward.

Compared to the faint, wavering flicker of fire on Little Jack's body, Fennice's flames were at least a hundred times stronger, and the aura she released was even less something Little Jack could compare to. Only a flame-shaped rune flashed between Little Jack's brows, but a thumb-sized crimson, flame-shaped crystal had emerged directly from Fennice's forehead. All the flames on her body originated from it.

"A lost one with noble blood, yet willing to sink into depravity!" Fennice, wrapped in flames, narrowed her eyes and looked arrogantly at Little Jack. "You possess the same power as I do. That proves we share the same progenitor! For the sake of our shared origin, if you can repent of your sins and recognize your mistakes, I can grant you a brand-new life!"

"Boss, run!" A burly man whose chest had been pierced by a longsword stumbled out of the tavern, blood spraying continuously from his wound. He spread his arms and lunged toward Fennice in a fierce embrace, then roared himself hoarse, "I told you that old ghost Old Jack couldn't be trusted! Boss, run! Don't throw your life away for that old ghost. It's not worth it!"

The moment the burly man's hands touched the flames around Fennice, his body abruptly ignited. It was as if a volcano had erupted inside him. His body suddenly turned crimson and translucent, and countless brilliant flames erupted from within. In the blink of an eye, he was burned into ashes that scattered in the wind.

Little Jack's body trembled violently. He stared blankly at his subordinate reduced to ash, his mind completely empty.

Old Jack, bound so tightly in the metal net that his bones were grinding and cracking, rolled his eyes at the side and roared through foaming lips, "You bunch of ungrateful bastards! Without me, how would you have survived all these years? How did you grow so fat and well-fed? Still, Little Jack, run if you can! This girl is far stronger than you!"

Old Jack wanted to yell a few more times, but the inspector who had just accepted his bribe kicked him several more times. The two inspectors dragged him by the knots in the metal net, rapidly hauling him across the road and into the crowd of Security Guards. Several Hunters holding longswords immediately pressed their blades to Old Jack's neck and stuffed a towel into his mouth.

Several white-robed people rushed over. They drew Old Jack's blood with syringes, added several unknown reagents, and conducted an on-the-spot analysis of his blood.

More than a dozen Flying Cars gleaming with faint rune-patterned light sped over from far away. They flew to nearby streets, and large numbers of black-clad Hunters carrying various weapons disembarked one after another. They opened the nearby sewer covers and slipped into the sewers.

Before long, deep rumbles came from underground. Artificial shockwaves rapidly spread outward through the earth, and the Hunters used various secret methods to swiftly take control of all the sewers and other underground structures in the surrounding blocks.

Sander watched the Hunters all around him work in an orderly fashion and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Respected boss, I keep feeling as though someone has used us as a spear! Look, before dawn even broke, secret intelligence was delivered saying that some important figures might have appeared at several damned vampire strongholds! This feeling makes me very uncomfortable!"

The white-robed youth gripped his cross tightly and said calmly, "What does that matter? So long as we can eradicate these heretics lurking in darkness, I am willing even to be used. Perhaps it is merely another bout of internal strife within the Dark Alliance. Nothing more."

After looking around for a while, Sander took out a fist-sized gold ingot and waved it before the white-robed youth.

"Then how about a bet? Let's see what level of goods the important figure hiding in this tavern really is. An important figure ought to be a powerful being with at least a noble title, right? A baron? A viscount? It can't possibly be an earl, can it?"

As he said the word "earl," Sander had already begun to smile dreamily. "If we could kill an earl, how much reward money would we get? Boss, tell me, if I can chop off an earl's head, would Fennice let me kiss her?"

The white-robed youth looked at Sander as if he were an idiot, then shook his head helplessly.

"Pay attention, Sander. If a powerful earl truly appears, then it will be our turn to run for our lives! Working together, we can at most deal with an experienced baron. If we are willing to burn our lifespans and use our source power, perhaps we can defeat a viscount who has only just broken through? But an old monster like an earl, who has lived for at least two hundred years, is someone we had better not encounter."

Tossing the gold ingot in his hand, Sander looked regretfully at the white-robed youth. "So, you won't take the bet?"

The white-robed youth shook the cross in his hand. "Gambling? No, thank you. I have commandments I must obey!"

Above and below, in every direction, Captain Jack's Tavern had been surrounded so tightly that not even water could pass through. Hundreds of Hunters underground had formed a rigorous blockade, and all manner of spiritstone weapons with powerful killing effects against Blood Demons had sealed off the underground. On the surface, the sunlight reflected by the airship blanketed three nearby blocks, leaving no shadowed corners anywhere. Once a Blood Demon was exposed to that blinding sunlight, the only outcome was to be reduced to ashes.

In the tavern's hidden chamber, Yin Xuege was asleep. He had only just fallen asleep not long ago.

The bed Old Jack had provided was soft, comfortable, and the clean quilt carried an unfamiliar fragrance. Yin Xuege had never seen the sun, nor had he ever used bedding dried under it. He did not know that this was the sun's distinctive scent. The soft bed was a hundred times more comfortable than the hard plank bed in his small building, and the fragrant, dry quilt felt wonderfully strange to him. Thus, he slept especially deeply.

In his dreams, he vaguely heard muffled bangs coming through the walls. He thought someone was causing trouble in Old Jack's tavern again. He paid the sounds no mind, merely shifting into a more comfortable position and sprawling on the bed as he continued to sleep soundly.

Suddenly, the door to his room was violently kicked open, and more than a dozen dazzling lights shone in.

Yin Xuege was startled. Though he possessed the strength of a Star Warrior and had gone through countless practical battles in the Children's Hall, as a child, he had not received comprehensive survival and combat training. He had ample experience in face-to-face combat, but he had never encountered a sudden raid where enemies caught him in bed.

Before he could recover his senses, several agile figures had already flashed inside. They pinned down Yin Xuege's hands and feet and fastened them tightly with extremely tough metal cords. A spellcaster in a black robe strolled in slowly, placed a black metal talisman over Yin Xuege's heart, and recited an incantation in a low voice.

The black bone staff in the spellcaster's hand slammed heavily against the floor. Yin Xuege felt his entire body sink, as if he were carrying thousands of pounds of weight, and he could no longer move.

A shadow reversed the longsword in his hand and smashed the hilt viciously into Yin Xuege's lower abdomen.

Yin Xuege felt a stab of pain in his abdomen and could not help letting out a muffled grunt. The blow itself did not hurt much. He had grunted not from pain, but because his surprise outweighed his fright. The pain from that strike was far less than he had imagined! Was this person simply weak, or had his body become far too powerful?

Chaotic footsteps sounded, and several dazzling lights shone on Yin Xuege's face.

Yin Xuege narrowed his eyes and turned his face slightly away. The Children's Hall's lessons had never taught him what to do after being captured, but at least Yin Xuege was not stupid. He kept his mouth tightly shut and said nothing. At a time like this, not speaking carelessly and not acting rashly could not possibly be wrong.

A voice with a strange tone rang out. "A little child? How could it be a little child?"

Another voice came from outside the room. "There is no one else. We only caught this child!"

Yin Xuege's heart sank sharply. What did they mean, there was no one else? Where had the two Yin Clan Warriors who came here with him gone? Where were Yin 9937 and Yin 9938? Had they not been caught, or had they already escaped?

The harsh light shone upon Yin Xuege's face, forcing him to keep his eyes shut. Several powerful hands seized Yin Xuege and dragged him out of the room. The room where he had slept was quickly turned upside down. His Soft Sword, the soft armor newly bestowed by the Internal Affairs Hall, and the ten bottles of Essence Blood Potion he had exchanged for before leaving were all found.

People filled every direction. Heavy breathing and countless fierce, hostile gazes made Yin Xuege understand what it meant to be isolated and helpless.

He was held up in their grasp, surrounded by countless people watching him. Some muttered in low voices, clamoring to burn him to death slowly rather than letting the sun turn him into ash in just a few moments.

Others cursed under their breath. "Look at those things, that equipment and those potions. He's a damned vampire!"

Someone else moved close to Yin Xuege and sniffed him from his face all the way down to his feet. Then the person muttered strangely to himself, "But this is odd. He doesn't smell like a vampire? No scent of blood, and none of that cold corpse stink either!"

Soon, every clamor quietly ceased. Yin Xuege heard the footsteps of two people approaching.

Sander and the white-robed youth came before Yin Xuege. Sander frivolously lifted Yin Xuege's chin and gave a light whistle.

"Hey, look, dear boss. A tiny, tiny, tiny little vampire, so tender that water would come out with one pinch?"

"Have those Blood Demons gotten water in their brains? They sent a child to infiltrate the Great Berlin City-State?"

The white-robed youth stepped before Yin Xuege, gave him a deep look, and lightly waved his hand.

"Throw him out. Burn off one of his hands with sunlight first, then ask him what he came here for."

******

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