Blade

"Is prosthetic conversion of the human body really viable?" Nick Fury fell silent for a moment, then said thoughtfully.

The Avengers Initiative had long been drawn up, but suitable candidates were in desperately short supply. He had originally had two people in mind, but in the face of the threats they faced now and those they could foresee in the future, even elite ordinary humans weren't enough. They needed people with formidable combat abilities—and the more at Captain Marvel's level, the better.

Wei Xiuming said, "It's definitely possible. If you don't want to risk sacrificing a perfectly healthy subordinate, you could ask your disabled personnel for their opinions. Even those who can only stay alive with medication and medical equipment might not turn down the chance to replace some of their body parts with prosthetics and walk again."

"There are also various kinds of Knight Systems, but they're developed to counter specific enemies, so they have considerable limitations. Another option is to inject special particles into the body and use them to gain great power. There are plenty of methods like that. Prosthetic conversion is a form of military enhancement. Compared with all kinds of serums and drugs that produce unpredictable results, modifying the body is far more reliable. At least it won't create all sorts of uncontrollable monsters."

Nick Fury was clearly tempted, but he didn't make a decision lightly. Instead, he raised a hand and switched off the Shielding Device. Then he spoke into his communicator. "Agent Coulson, come to my office and take Dr. Clark back."

Wei Xiuming reminded him, "That vampire-human hybrid—I need his strength."

"Agent Romanoff, bring Eric Brooks and his old man to my office. Just tell him that someone who can wipe out vampires for good is here."

Eric Brooks, known on the streets as Blade, had been born after his mother was bitten by a vampire shortly before going into labor. He had been infected with vampire venom in the womb and turned into a half-vampire, half-human. His mother, however, had died from her injuries.

Blade was later taken in by a vampire hunter named Whistler. Hating vampires because of what had happened to his mother, Blade learned all kinds of skills from Whistler, whom he called Dad, and became an excellent vampire hunter.

As an adult, Blade relied on the superhuman stamina and regenerative abilities granted by his vampire blood to frequent places where vampires gathered. While hunting them, he also rescued people they had targeted as prey.

Whistler served as his steadfast support, continually providing logistical assistance. Besides silver-plated weapons, he had also developed the serum that suppressed Blade's bloodlust. If Blade was ever captured after being overwhelmed by his enemies, the old and frail Whistler would storm in to save him from danger.

Not long ago, the two had been approached by people claiming to be S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Well-informed, Whistler knew a thing or two about the secret world and had heard of S.H.I.E.L.D., unlike most people, who thought of it as nothing more than an urban legend.

Knowing what kind of power stood behind the organization, the two hadn't resisted. They had gone quietly to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, where Eric Brooks had undergone a thorough examination. The tests were so extensive that they had nearly cut him open for tissue samples.

If they had known the agents meant them harm, they wouldn't have been so polite from the start. Whistler was perfectly content to stay there. No matter how bold vampires were, they wouldn't dare attack S.H.I.E.L.D., a global organization. Doing so would be like stepping out into the blazing sun without protection.

Compared with their own base, riddled with traps, even with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s doors wide open, it was more than ten times as secure.

As for Blade Brooks, the physical examinations were no big deal. Even the traumatic liver biopsy had left a wound that healed after only a few hours' rest. Compared with the injuries he'd sustained fighting vampires, it was nothing. Blade was out to kill vampires, and they fought just as viciously to save themselves. A liver biopsy was mild by comparison.

Most importantly, someone in the know had told Blade that they had been brought in to wipe out the vampire race once and for all.

Blade hated vampires with an intensity that extended even to the vampire part of himself. He hated not only the bloodlust that required regular serum injections to suppress, but also the powerful regenerative ability that so many people could only dream of. His vampire-hunting crusade was driven by revenge, but it also carried a streak of self-destruction.

After spending several idle days there, Blade Brooks and Dad Whistler were led into an office by a very beautiful female agent. Three men were already waiting for them inside. One of them, a tall man in a white lab coat, immediately put Blade on guard.

Perhaps it was an advantage of his hybrid physiology, or perhaps some special ability brought on by the so-called protagonist's aura, but Blade's sixth sense had always been remarkably sharp. The female agent showing them the way was beautiful and alluring, yet he sensed she was a spider brewing venom. If they entered the web she had spun, she would inject them with poison and savor her prey.

The man in the lab coat, on the other hand, was nothing less than an ancient beast. He kept all his power tightly contained, as if sunk in a deep sleep. But if they intruded into his territory and roused him, the destruction that followed would be world-shattering.

Wei Xiuming looked Blade up and down. This tall Black man dressed much like Nick Fury: a black leather coat over a black combat suit, and sunglasses worn on his nose day and night. But unlike Black Eggplant, whose head shone like a mirror, Blade had a thick head of hair, shaved into a striking pattern.

Most importantly, the moment he saw Wei Xiuming, the man was already on guard, like an old wild goat sensing a tiger's presence. The tiger was hidden in the grass, downwind so its scent wouldn't reach the herd.

Yet the old goat had sensed that faint danger, the hunter's presence, and grown wary.

"This is Dr. Clark Kent. He proposed the plan to wipe out the vampire race, and he'll also be leading the technical side of the follow-up operations," Nick Fury introduced him, then suddenly realized something was off.

When had the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. stooped to personally handling something as minor as vampires? Then again, considering the various interest groups involved and the so-called Amazon Cells that could change Earth's ecosystem, Nick Fury accepted it.

After the group left Nick Fury's office, a middle-aged man in a suit appeared there through a secret passage...