Salvatore

"Honey, is it really okay to leave Peter with Ben?" Mary Parker's head was close to her husband's, a distance that ensured their conversation wouldn't be easily overheard by others. The sound of footsteps and various announcements in the waiting hall was enough to mask her voice. Mary Parker, trained as a professional agent, could manage all of this.

Patting his wife's hand, Richard Parker reassured her in a similarly hushed voice, "Ben and May are very kind people. They'll take good care of Peter."

Sighing, Mary Parker realized her husband still didn't understand her meaning. Long hours of scientific research had made Richard lose the composure expected of an agent, his way of thinking becoming too direct. Or perhaps, facing his beloved, Richard didn't want to analyze the hidden meanings behind her every word; that would be too tiring a way to live.

Peter had only recently learned to walk. It was also the time when Richard's research was entering a critical phase. The couple spent most of their time in the laboratory, seeing little of young Peter. If she hadn't insisted that Richard take one day a week to spend with little Peter, their shadows would likely have disappeared from Peter's memory, making them strangers he knew best.

After receiving the transfer order from Nick Fury, for at least a year, they would no longer be Richard Parker and Mary Parker, but another couple. Two people with legal documents proving their identities, who had never engaged in social activities before. This meant they couldn't see Peter during this time, nor were they even allowed to call and hear his voice—if Nick Fury were feeling particularly benevolent, he might send an agent to secretly film Peter for them to watch.

Before leaving, Richard called his brother, Ben Parker. He used the excuse that he and his wife, Jenny, needed to conduct a highly classified experiment and would be unable to contact the outside world for at least a year. He asked Ben and his wife, May, to continue looking after little Peter, who was staying with them.

Ben and May, who didn't have children of their own, agreed to the request. Richard also entrusted them with Peter's upbringing—at least in terms of character, the upright and kind couple would surely raise little Peter to be kind and brave.

Soon, the flight the Parker couple was about to take began boarding. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had been guarding them moved as well. Although they lined up normally like ordinary people, showing no connection or communication, the few individuals kept the couple within their protective circle at all times, ready to react at the fastest speed in case of any accident.

Nothing happened until the plane took off. Not only the Parker couple but also the agents protecting them breathed a sigh of relief—the number of passengers on the plane was fixed, and besides the flight attendants, no one would wander around a flying passenger jet.

"This is my first time on this kind of plane. It's really interesting," a young man sitting by the window suddenly said something inexplicable, attracting the attention of the surrounding passengers, including the Parker couple and the agents protecting them.

The agents shifted as if uncomfortable from sitting too long, but in reality, they took out some small gadgets—S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued weapons that could bypass security checks. They had limited lethality and wouldn't damage the plane itself when used in the confined cabin, but they could effectively restrict a target's mobility with strong stopping power.

The young man was a typical Caucasian, wearing a scarlet shirt and a dark suit. He was handsome, with jet-black hair and skin so pale it lacked any trace of blood. Under the sunlight streaming through the window, it shone like some kind of gemstone—much like the image of vampires portrayed in recent years by the Blood Clan to improve their reputation.

In reality, this young man was indeed a vampire.

Although he appeared very young, he was one of the earliest followers of Victor and his most loyal subordinate, more trusted by Victor than those humans willing to die for him.

However, immortal beings were still just immortal beings; they were also limited by lifespan. The higher the status of a vampire within the Blood Clan, the longer its lifespan. Victor's lifespan was long enough for him to plot and contend for power, but this vampire had reached the end of his life—until a few days ago.

Victor personally brought a briefcase to the dormant vampire, who was waiting to awaken. He opened the briefcase and showed him two vials of potion: "Salvatore, this is the future of the Blood Clan. As one of my earliest followers, I hope you will witness the arrival of that era with me."

Salvatore accepted Victor's proposal without hesitation. He injected one of the vials into his withered body with a syringe. Within minutes, he was reborn.

Not only did he regain his youth, but his foreseeable lifespan became immeasurably long, and his condition was better than ever. His combat ability far surpassed his peak by several times, and as time passed and he fed, his various functions seemed to grow without end—most importantly, the things vampires originally feared could no longer harm him.

Silver weapons, garlic... and sunlight.

The Blood Clan possessed vast wealth. With their enormous funds, it wasn't impossible to develop sunscreen that completely blocked UV rays, but those products were expensive to fake and had limited usage time. Even Salvatore had only enjoyed them a few times—it felt like a human bathing in lava without being harmed.

But now, Salvatore no longer needed such things. He could walk freely under the sun, wear silver jewelry without reservation, and his diet had expanded from the monotonous human blood to a range of human foods like garlic steak.

Furthermore, if Salvatore entered a combat state, he could transform into a non-human form. Although he maintained a human shape, it was like wearing an exoskeleton infused with bat elements. Its surface was colorful yet terrifyingly ferocious.

In this state, Salvatore's various indicators increased exponentially. The Blood Clan's proud regenerative ability was enhanced to a terrifying degree—however, Salvatore would quickly enter a state of hunger, his reason would be affected, and he would crave to feed ravenously.

His most urgent prey was his own kind, a craving that was driving Salvatore to the brink of madness.

Victor, unaware of this, was overjoyed by Salvatore's transformation. This meant he would gain the same power after injecting the other vial of Amazon Cells. Then, he assigned Salvatore a mission: the request from Doctor Death, conveyed through Doom, to kill the Parker couple.

Salvatore readily accepted and no longer intended to return to the Blood Clan alive.