Gentleman?

John moved quickly down the street; although it looked like he was walking rather than running, his speed was no less than that of an average person sprinting.

Moreover, he didn't walk in a straight line; he kept turning into alleys and using the terrain to conceal his movements.

A dozen minutes later, John stopped in a dark, smelly alley. He squinted at the light on the street outside the alley, controlled his breathing, and waited slowly.

A few minutes passed, and no one appeared. During his rapid movement, he also did not notice anyone following him.

John breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he had probably been overly nervous; the other side had likely only sent that burly man in the suit, and no one else.

Who are they? And how did they find him?

John frowned in thought, believing that the most likely explanation was that he had been noticed by someone while searching for clues in the places Guo Tianxiang had spent a long time during the day.

It seems that Guo Tianxiang has been exposed, and his connection with them may have been discovered by others, who have been waiting for him to come knocking on their door.

However, it was strange that the other party only sent that burly man in a suit to find him. Did they not discover his true identity? Was the other party actually an "outsider"?

No, they came prepared, otherwise the burly man in the suit wouldn't have woken up so quickly; it was clear the other party already knew his abilities!

Thinking this, John's heart, which had just calmed down slightly, started racing again.

Then he suddenly noticed that there was a very faint buzzing sound that he had just ignored, but now the sound seemed to have grown louder. He began to look around, trying to find the source of the sound.

The alley was pitch black. His night vision was better than that of an average person, but he still couldn't see everything clearly. However, with the help of his hearing, he was able to determine that the sound was not coming from the alley.

He suddenly looked up and saw a fist-sized, dark aircraft hovering five or six meters above his head.

Clearly, this thing was in a higher position before, and it has only just been lowered, which is why he hadn't noticed it before.

What is this thing? A drone?

He knew China's drones were advanced, but... were they really that advanced?

Will some tiny drone, no bigger than a mosquito, shoot him with tranquilizer darts or something?

He wasn't interested in figuring out what that little thing was anymore; clearly, his whereabouts had been exposed again. But knowing what was tracking him made things easier; all he had to do next was avoid being seen from the air.

But as he was about to rush out of the alley, his neck was suddenly grabbed, his feet left the ground, and he was slammed against the wall.

The hand gripping his neck was incredibly strong. He held the other man's wrists with both hands, as if he were holding an iron clamp, and couldn't budge them an inch. Moreover, the other man seemed to be wearing gloves, and they felt strangely cool and smooth to the touch, like some kind of special ceramic or metal.

He looked up and immediately looked into the other person's eyes.

Although the alleyway was dimly lit, the moonlight filtering through the two buildings overhead and the faint light coming in from outside the alleyway were enough for him to see to a certain extent.

To his shock, when he looked down, there was nothing there where the person who had been choking him should have been. He could see directly to the wall across the alley and even the filth beside it.

His gaze shifted back, and he was shocked to find that the strong arm gripping his neck was also nothing but an empty shell.

Is that guy invisible?!

As he thought this, his right hand swiftly pulled a small white porcelain knife from his pocket and stabbed it towards the arm he was pinching.

If the other party can become invisible, then it's highly likely they are also a "Bloodline."

As long as you're a "Bloodline," his little porcelain knife will be incredibly effective; even invisibility won't work!

However, his small porcelain knife did not pierce anything as expected. It wasn't that the arm had disappeared, but rather that his wrist holding the knife was accurately restrained by another large hand, like an iron clamp.

John's strength was already far greater than that of an ordinary person. Even if he were to compete with a champion strongman or a heavyweight weightlifter, he would not be inferior in any way. However, after his neck was grabbed and his wrists were clamped, he knew that his strength was being crushed by his opponent.

But he did not give up resisting. He bent his legs, ready to kick hard, forcing the other party to let go and create distance. Then he tried to force the other party to reveal himself and find an opportunity to make eye contact.

However, as soon as he bent his leg, his body was grabbed by the neck with one hand and his wrist with the other, and he was slammed against the wall twice.

His wrist, which was holding the small porcelain knife, was twisted and broken, and the knife was taken away. Then, his stomach was punched three times hard by his opponent, each punch penetrating his spine, as if his entire body had been broken, and he instantly lost all ability to resist.

The brutal beating lasted less than ten seconds, but John was already convulsing like a smashed eggplant, completely unable to resist.

He was once again choked and lifted up against the wall, this time with a tall figure appearing in front of him.

But when John saw that figure, he was stunned. Even though he was used to walking in darkness and blood, and even though he had seen all sorts of strange things and terrifying beings, a chill still rose involuntarily in his heart.

The "person" who cornered him in the alley and beat him half to death, choking him, had a naked body covered in spiderweb-like patterns that made it look like he was wearing a bodysuit—but he could tell at a glance that it wasn't a bodysuit, but rather the other person's "skin"!

The other person was wearing a helmet, but John knew that the other person wasn't observing through the gray visor of the helmet, but rather through a camera peeking out from above—so he couldn't make eye contact with the other person, which shattered his last hope of turning the tables.

His pride in his ability to roam freely in the city and in human society was easily suppressed and completely crushed by his opponent, leaving him utterly powerless to fight back.

He now deeply regrets not being careful enough, and regrets not being more cautious. Before setting off, after realizing the extent of the old guys' apprehension towards the East, he should have been a hundred times more careful and attentive, and simply made a symbolic trip to China.

Anyway, it's those old guys facing their limits, not him. Although finding Guo Tianxiang or other "blood descendants" would bring him the greatest benefits, if he dies here, everything will be for naught.

No wonder those old guys have all sorts of excuses for not coming to China themselves.

He recalled what the old folks used to say: for them, the true Bloodline of Europe vampires, China, North America, and Japan were the three most dangerous regions. These three places always gave birth to the most savage, ferocious, and tyrannical beings. Compared to those beings, they, the true Bloodline, were far too gentlemanly and far too civilized.

Of course, whenever this topic comes up, the old folks always put away their fearful and apprehensive tone and add a few words with a touch of pride: those "barbarians" and "Blood Beast" are just temporarily arrogant, and very few of them can live for ten years. Those who can truly live forever and pass on their legacy are the true bloodline "Bloodline" like themselves.

"If you live long enough, you'll see the enemy's corpses floating downstream."

"To live elegantly and for a long time is the true essence of the 'Bloodline'."

Of course, this is on the premise that you don't encounter those "brutal" and "tyrannical" beings.

Just when John thought he was about to be devoured by this "ferocious" monster from the East, the other party's high-tech-looking helmet suddenly slowly opened its visor.

He saw a pair of round eyes without eyelids, very different from ordinary humans. The whites of those eyes were almost invisible, completely black.

Chance!

Although he didn't know why the other party suddenly revealed their eyes, this was a chance to turn the tables, John would never let it slip by.

He stared intently into the other person's eyes, his unbroken left hand gripping the wrist that was choking him, managing to barely make a sound.

To his surprise, the other person loosened their grip on his neck, allowing him to make sounds easily, as if deliberately creating space for him to exert his abilities.

"The eye is a sophisticated and wondrous organ. More than 75% of the information processed in the human brain today comes from the eyes. However, most people believe that the eyes are merely the terminals for acquiring information, and that the brain is ultimately responsible for making decisions; at most, they are simply deceived by visual information. But they don't realize that this 'terminal' of the eye can also be hacked, directly influencing the brain's decisions. The person who first said 'the eyes are the windows to the soul' may not have realized that this statement actually has a more direct interpretation."

His deep, hoarse voice, like the friction of metallic particles, was conveying "truths" that most people couldn't understand, delivered in a detached tone and with a slight Mandarin accent.

John's muttering, strange syllables slowly ceased, and fear and despair resurfaced in his blue eyes. He knew his hypnosis had failed; even without the helmet and camera to block the other person's view, he couldn't use his abilities.

Looking down at John Cavendish, who was slumped on the ground, "Mr. Liang" said indifferently in English, "There's a black RV by the roadside outside. Before you get in, clean yourself up."

A moment later, John noticed that the terrifying figure had vanished again, and the small drone was no longer visible overhead.

He didn't know whether the terrifying creature was merely invisible, still hidden beside him, or whether the drone had simply increased its altitude and concealed itself in the darkness.

But he knew he couldn't escape. His methods were known to the other side and were ineffective. Since they hadn't killed him immediately on their turf, perhaps there was still a chance to negotiate?

As long as he can survive, as long as there is a chance to survive, he will definitely seize it.

John roused himself slightly, got up from the ground, and his right wrist, which had been twisted into a pretzel, had recovered considerably, and his fingers could move with some difficulty.

His back was still a bit stiff, and he felt waves of pain when he walked, making him walk like a duck. But he didn't dare to stay in the alley for too long, afraid of angering that terrifying creature. He endured the pain and limped out.

As soon as I walked out of the alley, I saw a large black GMC modified campervan parked by the roadside, and the driver sitting in the driver's seat was the burly man in the suit who had come to the bar to find me.

The burly man glanced back at him, then looked away, seemingly unsurprised.

John sighed softly and reached for the double doors on the carriage, but before he could touch the handle, he noticed the grime on his hands and remembered what the "terrifying presence" had said.

He swallowed hard, withdrew his hand, and vigorously wiped it on the suit jacket he had commissioned at a high price from a renowned bespoke tailor shop in Florence. Then he took off the jacket and wiped it on his buttocks, trousers, and shoes. Finally, he looked at it with considerable reluctance and tossed it aside on the roadside.

Just as he was about to open the car door, the driver's side window suddenly rolled down. The burly man glanced at the suit jacket by the roadside, then at the trash can not far away.

John paused, his grip on the doorknob tightened, but he eventually bent down, picked up the suit jacket, took a few steps, and stuffed it into the recyclable bin.

The interior of the GMC RV is very spacious. While not luxurious, it has a strong sense of technology, filled with various screens and numerous control buttons, making it look more like the control room of a precision instrument.

There was no one in the back of the car. After getting in and closing the door, he prepared to sit down in the only large seat.

The driver's voice came through the intercom in the carriage. "Don't sit on the chair, that's not for you."

John paused for a moment, looked around the carriage, and saw no other seats. But he hesitated only for a second before squatting down in a corner, leaning against the carriage wall and hugging his knees.

The RV moved slowly.

Just as John was nervously about to speak up to test whether the invisible "terrifying presence" was also in the car, that distinctive, deep, hoarse voice rang out:

"You were in Montamira before?"

John paused, confirming the voice was coming from the only seat in front of him. That "terrifying presence" had boarded the bus without a sound, and he hadn't even noticed?

"Yes... because I heard about what happened on the night of March 8th, I made a detour to Montamira before coming to China," John said truthfully. This question made him realize that the people who were with the tall Myanmar boy and stopped him on the streets of Montamira to question him were likely in cahoots with this "terrifying entity."

Are you from Europe or America?

"I'm from... Europe, Slovakia ..." John said cautiously.

"Oh? Europe? Is that... the one from 'Red Rose'?" Mr. Liang chuckled strangely, his figure slowly appearing.

"You...you know us?" John thought this was a good sign.

But what "Mr. Liang" said next made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"I know, they're just pathetic worms who only dare to dig holes and hide, surviving by deceiving people, competing to see who can live the longest."