Turning Point

Suddenly.

A hand gripped the wrist of the monstrous giant.

James looked at Victor in silence, his eyes filled with fury. He locked onto Victor's wrist, holding it steady without moving an inch.

"Why stop me?" Victor squeezed the words out from his throat, his eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint.

"They aren't vampires."

"They are the enemy!" Victor finally roared. He reached out with his other hand, his palms locking and twisting until he barely managed to break free from James's iron grip.

"Then let them face the bullets and judgment of the Federal Army!" James raised his voice as well, speaking firmly. He looked at the multiple bloody holes on Victor's body where the vampires had bitten him, watching as black blood slowly seeped out and the wounds healed with sluggish hesitation, his expression growing even more grim.

Federal troops gradually arrived, shouting for the enemy to surrender and be bound. Seeing that the situation was lost, the Confederate soldiers threw down their guns and surrendered one after another. Joseph Hooker, commander of the Army of the Potomac, arrived at James's side, led by his adjutant.

"Mr. Howlett! On behalf of the entire Army of the Potomac, I extend my highest respect and gratitude for your assistance! You are the person the entire American Federal Army is most glad to see!" Commander Hooker removed his hat and placed it over his heart to salute James.

"If not for your support this time, we could never have achieved such a complete victory, nor captured the commander of the left wing of the Army of Northern Virginia, 'Stonewall' Thomas Jackson! This is the greatest victory on the Eastern Front since the war began!" Hooker continued, speaking with excitement.

James calmly removed his mask and said, "This is our shared victory, Commander. I am very sorry that I could not make it to Fredericksburg in time."

Commander Hooker waved his hand dismissively. "The front lines are so long; it is already no small feat that you were able to support us in several places."

"This must be the honorable Victor, the 'Sabretooth'! He is truly even taller and more imposing than the rumors suggest." Hooker continued enthusiastically. Victor said nothing and turned to walk away.

The commander did not mind, as if he had expected this, but his excitement faded into a look of worry. He continued to speak to James, "There are more and more of these monster armies in the South. We cannot rely solely on you and your team to put out fires; we must find a way to arm the Federal soldiers on a large scale as soon as possible!"

Ever since Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and the policy to arm Black soldiers, the Confederate Army had suffered a fatal collapse. However, soon after, "monster" units of the Confederacy that could not be killed began appearing on battlefields everywhere, plunging the Federation into crisis once more and severely damaging the morale of the troops.

Fortunately, James and Victor led the Howlett Family team to appear constantly on various battlefields, hunting down vampires and stabilizing the backbone of the Federation. As the fighting increased, James's team gradually became a legend among the Northern troops, and Victor, due to his fierce appearance and tiger-like combat style, was dubbed "Sabretooth" by the soldiers.

James, on the other hand, always took care to conceal his appearance and fought with precise, rapid strikes, so he did not have the same level of fame as Victor.

But as the battles continued, the wildness deep within Victor's bloodline became increasingly uncontrollable. Beyond hunting vampires, he also attacked ordinary Confederate soldiers and even prisoners. If it were anyone else, James wouldn't say much about the kill-or-be-killed nature of the battlefield, but Victor was different; he hoped to control Sabretooth's bloodlust as much as possible.

Victor had been bitten by vampires too many times, and James suspected that he had already been affected by their blood.

"Silver-plated bullets and silver-filled fragmentation shells are already being prepared for transport to the various war zones. As long as the Federal Army is fully equipped, the vampires will be nothing to fear. The vast majority of them are low-grade blood slaves created in batches out of desperation; a little pure silver will cause their bodies to necrotize rapidly," James told Commander Hooker. Indeed, relying on his own small group of men, no matter how strong they were, was useless against the big picture.

"Sigh... I hope so. I am just worried about whether the troops can be equipped in time. The rebels are constantly gathering at Gettysburg; that will become the most important node of the entire war. If by then we cannot..." Commander Hooker did not finish his sentence.

"Rest assured, the President and I will do everything in our power to ensure this is done."

"You don't know either?" Adam's pupils constricted. He stared unblinkingly at the thin, hunched man with dirty-blonde hair in front of him, his tone filled with dissatisfaction.

The man trembled with fear and said, "Yes... Lord Adam, there are likely two trains carrying the silver ammunition supplies to Gettysburg. Aside from James Howlett and Lincoln himself, no one knows exactly which one is loaded with the ammunition."

Worried that Adam might not believe him, he added, "All the ammunition was secretly packed in Howlett's factory. The factory is surrounded and guarded by his own family militia, and the workers moving the crates don't even know what's inside..."

"Heh! That's all you're good for." Adam swept a look of disgust at him and pondered for a moment. He said slowly, "Then at least you know who is escorting each train?" His eyes turned exceptionally vicious, as if the man would become the drink in his wine glass today if he couldn't even manage that.

"I know! I know! I will definitely be able to find that out by then!" The long-haired man nodded repeatedly, proving his worth.

"Hmph, send the information as soon as possible. If you do well, I'll reward you with a chance to join the Holy Race." Adam became lazy again, speaking with indifference.

The man's face flushed, and he couldn't stop praising Adam. His body was failing, and he still wanted to live...

"Is it too few people with just you and Victor?" Abraham Lincoln said with concern. Since he took office, the war had never ceased, and in these few years, Lincoln's beard had turned somewhat gray.

James said nonchalantly, "Victor and I are enough. Having others around would only be a hindrance. It's you I'm worried about—a dignified President of America, and the war has reached such a point that even the White House Guard has been sent to the front lines. If I didn't have my people following you, how could I dare let an old man like you personally escort ammunition?"

"Ha! You underestimate me. I can still swing that axe just as well as I used to; I was quite the figure in the hunter circles back in the day!" Having said this, the President couldn't help but smile bitterly. He thought to himself, As a president, I'm probably the worst one in American history.

Lincoln pondered for a moment and continued, "I share your view. At this stage of the war, Gettysburg will become the decisive battlefield. As long as Adam wants to win, he will definitely come to stop this ammunition transport, and he will certainly come in person."

"If he doesn't come, that would be what disappoints me," James said quietly.

In this world, there was finally an opponent worth looking forward to.

The carrier pigeon flapped its wings, busily pecking at the grain on the windowsill. Vadoma took the note from the bird's leg, glanced at it, and walked quickly into the hall to hand it to Adam.

"Which one do you think it is?" Vadoma's sharp voice rang out. Adam smiled, his eyes glowing slightly red, and he said in a low voice, "A powerful person only trusts himself."