Akashic Records

With the background music and Pearl's screams masking their conversation, the chance of Wei Xiuming and Nick Fury being overheard was slim. They used this time to exchange intelligence.

"I've arranged a new identity for you: a project supervisor at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s central laboratory, responsible for the upgrade and development of large-scale equipment. This way, you can legally access some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets," Nick Fury said. "Your new identity is classified as Level 10, with access restricted to a very select few. Most of the records about you will be fabricated."

The dark-skinned bald man certainly wasn't being purely altruistic. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret warehouse, codenamed 084, stored a vast collection of unknown items, including biological specimens and incomprehensible technological creations. The 084 project dated back to the Strategic Scientific Reserve, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s predecessor. Over decades of global collection, the number and variety of 084 items had become immense; Nick Fury himself couldn't recall how many types there were. Ostensibly, these items had been sent into the sun for destruction via spaceship, but he had secretly hidden them.

Wei Xiuming's new identity was precisely to research these 084 items, analyze them for useful applications, and expand S.H.I.E.L.D.'s technological reserves. They could even entrust him with the research and weaponization of the Space Stone.

Ironically, Wei Xiuming's position should have been filled by an internal S.H.I.E.L.D. operative. However, a warning from a parallel-universe Coulson had filled Nick Fury with distrust towards "internal personnel." Instead, Wei Xiuming, a stranger with a mysterious background, was deemed trustworthy.

Wei Xiuming eyed the dark-skinned bald man suspiciously. "You're not planning on making me work for free, are you?"

"You'll receive the full salary and benefits for the position on time. There are dedicated funds to cover your medical insurance, taxes, and social security. You'll also receive half of the patent fees for anything you develop."

Once the active ingredients in the serum wore off, Pearl finally got a moment's respite. He had fainted several times from the pain, only to be jolted awake by it. Sweat dripped from him, forming a puddle at his feet. It was estimated that Pearl would lose over ten pounds due to severe dehydration.

No longer subjected to torture and on the verge of collapse, Pearl didn't need to be questioned. He blurted out all the intelligence he possessed in a rush, as if answering a quiz. The compiled information made Nick Fury's scalp tingle.

First, he was shocked by the vampires' financial power. Just the cash, stocks, patents, and real estate owned by Deaken Fiss, a high-ranking non-pureblood Blood Clan member, were enough to dwarf the fortunes of many celebrities on the rich list when converted to US dollars.

Beyond Deaken Fiss, there were the pureblood Thirteen Elders and the younger generation like Victor, as well as ancient Blood Clan forces independent of the Thirteen Elders. The accumulation of these vampires over centuries was no weaker, and likely stronger, than Deaken Fiss's comparatively shallow foundation.

This was a tempting feast, and even if they shared it with a few others, each could ensure they ate their fill and took a portion home.

Second was the content of the Book of the Blood God. Knowing that anything related to magic rarely brought good things, Wei Xiuming didn't have Pearl explain the specifics. Instead, he recounted the general process.

Setting aside the requirement for thirteen pureblood vampires and a half-human-half-vampire, as well as a complex ritual requiring extensive preparation, the true issue was the terrifying infectivity of the Blood God Madola's power after the ritual, not just its combat strength.

Previously, vampires infected humans in only one way: biting and injecting venom, with the transformation process being excruciatingly painful. However, after obtaining the Blood God Madola's power, vampires infected humans through a virus. They didn't even need close proximity; it spread through carriers and intermediate hosts, making it far more contagious than seasonal flu.

Humans could coexist with vampires primarily due to their ability to conceal their nature, the lack of effective identification methods, and collusion with human elites through money and power.

These human elites were not fools; they had their own considerations. Their children and relatives would never become vampire prey, while the deaths of the lower-class masses were merely numbers.

All it took was signing a so-called peace treaty, nominally restricting the vampires' actions, and receiving large sums of money annually for doing nothing. Why wouldn't they agree?

They could even have the Blood Clan handle some unsavory tasks for them, avoiding any direct involvement.

Even if the vampires wanted to expand their influence, it was easily manageable.

Silverware, ultraviolet light, and garlic were all effective deterrents against vampires. Even brief exposure to UV light could cause extensive burns; silver weapons, which would only require a few stitches for humans with moderately serious wounds, were a critical blow to vampires, capable of instantly killing them with a headshot.

The cost of these countermeasures was quite low. A small portion of the annual tribute from the vampires could equip a large number of people. Even large-scale disinfection with garlic juice was feasible.

However, if a Blood Clan member successfully performed the ritual, the situation would spiral out of control. Widespread infection was no joke. Even if you were a president, you would still contract the virus upon contact with an infected source.

Especially after Pearl dropped another bombshell, Nick Fury almost couldn't resist scratching his bald head. After translating the Book of the Blood God, he had, as per Fiss's instructions, sent it to several high-ranking Blood Clan members. Their public identities were ones that even he hadn't uncovered.

Even if they killed Fiss now, other vampires would still perform the ritual. While the ritual's preparation was complex, it would only take about a month with modern society's productivity.

"Do you have a way to quickly resolve this?" Seeing Wei Xiuming's calm demeanor, Nick Fury guessed he had a plan.

Wei Xiuming replied, "Remember when I told you about Earth's memory, the Akashic Records? This time, we need to borrow its power."

Nick Fury had researched it before. The Akashic Records were described in traditional philosophy as a non-physical entity, a universal archive recording every thought and action that had ever occurred, encompassing everything since the dawn of the universe.

But could such an advanced concept truly be mastered by humans?

Wei Xiuming explained, "The Akashic Protocol is just a placeholder; the real name cannot be revealed yet. It's a method of predicting the future with precision by aggregating big data and using specific algorithms to analyze everyone's experiences and thoughts. It can even judge criminals before they commit crimes, eliminating all destabilizing factors that challenge order. Mine is a weakened version. With the right hardware, this method can identify all vampires in a very short time, and then we can track them down and eliminate them."