John's Opportunity

According to the information Mr. Liang knew, the so-called "Red Rose" was an organization formed by a small number of early mutated "Blood-feeding Creature" in Europe who banded together for mutual support.

These "blood -Blood-feeding Creature," which are transformed and mutated from humans and call themselves "Bloodline," have been satisfying their blood-drinking needs with human blood from the very beginning, and have thus mutated to develop various characteristics that target and "influence" ordinary humans.

Although these "Bloodline" were extremely rare, they thrived in the early days of Europe aristocracy, influencing many people through their characteristics and abilities. They even had a group of followers who once came into contact with the core of power at the very top of Europe.

In the early days, however, they were far from forming any organization; they were even engaged in extremely bloody battles and conflicts among themselves, drawing ordinary people and various national forces under their control into the conflict.

However, due to some events that occurred later, these "Bloodline" were terrified and retreated into the darkness. They also became objects of disgust for certain powerful figures in the upper echelons of Europe who knew of their existence, and were treated like rats in the street.

Only after that did the "Red Rose" come into being.

These "Bloodline" consider consuming human blood to be noble and orthodox, and when faced with a certain limit, they are only willing to absorb the blood of "Blood-feeding Creature" that have mutated from humans.

Of course, this raises a question: when the limits of a given stage are reached, how do we obtain the "lifeblood" to meet the needs?

Most of the time, they would use all sorts of underhanded methods to lure humans from various places who had mutated into "Blood-feeding Creature" for various reasons to Europe's "holy land of Bloodline" and "birthplace of vampires" to "explore" their "Bloodline" roots and seek "answers" to the things that had happened to them.

Once those people arrive in Slovakia or other locations they have arranged in Europe, they will be identified as "Blood-feeding Creature" through special means, and then contacted secretly.

These alien human "Blood-feeding Creature" are the "blood source" of the so-called orthodox Bloodline of the "Red Rose".

However, due to various concerns, the "promotions" and "bait" that "Red Rose" has been secretly circulating through various channels do not actually contain much substantial information about "Bloodline" or specify the true characteristics of "Bloodline." Instead, they rely more on glorified and mystified traditional vampire legends to guide and spread the message widely, only emphasizing the "origin of Bloodline."

Therefore, very few human "Blood-feeding Creature" would actually seek them out and be lured into their clutches because of that information.

Comparatively speaking, their "fishing" was more effective before the advent of the internet. On the contrary, in recent decades, although transportation and information dissemination have become more and more convenient, the number of true "Blood-feeding Creature" who would travel to Europe to "find their roots" because of those legends has been decreasing.

Because of their fear of certain powerful "Blood-feeding Creature" outside, the "Bloodline" of the "Red Rose" dared not leave their hiding place.

But their limits will eventually come. Without the blood of suitable "Blood-feeding Creature" as a "blood source," they will eventually return to dust.

Thus, the "Red Rose," who banded together for mutual support, made a pact: any "Bloodline" by the time their stage limit was reached would become the "blood" source for other "Red Rose" members before their final end.

This has led to all the members of "Red Rose" trying to outlive each other and delay their respective limits.

Almost all the so-called orthodox "Bloodline" of the "Red Rose" have found a common way to prolong their lifespan—by relying on insufficient blood drinking to trigger a long period of slumber, and continuously extending this slumber period to form a long sleep period that does not require blood drinking.

However, Mr. Liang obtained this information from an old man; he himself had never met anyone from "Red Rose" before.

The old man who told him this information held the organization "Red Rose" in utter contempt and disgust, and influenced by him, he had previously held the same attitude.

Even after meeting John, his attitude remained unchanged.

After boarding the train, "Mr. Liang" was no longer wearing the helmet that allowed him to become invisible. He was fiddling with the small white porcelain knife he had stolen while looking at John, who was squatting in the corner of the carriage. He said in English, "You came to China to find Guo Tianxiang? Was he the 'blood source' you tricked into believing?"

John looked up at "Mr. Liang," whose terrifying face and dark eyes revealed little expression or emotion. His instinctive reaction was to deny it, but considering that the other party knew about "Red Rose" and held a rather negative view of it, he figured it was better to tell the truth, given the current situation.

"Yes, I'm here to see Guo Tianxiang. He was supposed to contact us last October, but he didn't..." John said cautiously.

"Guo Tianxiang went to Slovakia to find you on his own?"

"When he came to Slovakia looking for the cause of his physical changes, we proactively sought him out."

"Why didn't you just drink his blood? Isn't that your usual method? Or is he simply not qualified?"

John hesitated for a moment, then replied, "No, his abilities are very strong, the strongest we've seen in twenty years, so... the old count hopes he can become even stronger, at least enough for another stage of transformation, so that he can meet the old count's bloodline requirements when he reaches his stage limit..."

"Oh? You guys think he'll come back after he evolves?"

"He stayed in Slovakia for several months, and we taught him a lot. He trusted us and believed we could teach him the secret to immortality."

"The stage you're referring to is one where you've consumed the blood of a 'Blood-feeding Creature' and undergone a complete mutation, right? When Guo Tianxiang to Slovakia, which stage was he in?" Mr. Liang asked again.

Although the term "Mutated Creature" was used differently, John understood what "Mr. Liang" meant. He didn't dare to hide it and continued, "It's the first stage."

Mr. Liang nodded slightly and asked, "So, what clues have you found so far?"

"There are no clues. We can only confirm that Guo Tianxiang has disappeared, but we haven't found out exactly where he went."

"Tell me about your whereabouts after entering the country and the investigation process."

"After I sneaked into your country from the border, I first hitched a ride to Liu City, and then..." John quickly described his search route.

"You determined that his last known location before his disappearance was Liu City, so you went directly to Liu City after entering the country? How did you know this?" Mr. Liang asked.

John paused for a moment, slightly nervous, then quickly said, "I don't know where he disappeared. He just mentioned when he contacted us before that he would often go to Liu City, so I just happened to..."

Mr. Liang interrupted him, "If you entered through Myanmar and your destination is Yang City, going through Liu City will take a lot more time. Normally, if you're looking for a missing person, shouldn't you prioritize their place of residence? He told you he often goes to Liu City. Is Liu City special to him? Does he spend more time in Liu City than in Yang City?"

John swallowed hard. He hesitated whether to continue making up lies to cover it up, but one lie required two or even more to cover it up. He wasn't sure if the lie he had made up on the spot could hold up. Clearly, this "terrifying presence" was not someone who could be easily fooled, and it seemed to have become suspicious of him.

But to tell the truth? That would be tantamount to cutting off his chance to return to Slovakia, severing his connection with "Red Rose" and all his interests there.

"Mr. Liang" let out a strange laugh, his already deep and hoarse voice seeming even more eerie, the metallic scraping in his voice intensifying. "If you had obediently followed my driver, Lao Xie, out of the bar and cooperated with the investigation, confirming you hadn't committed any illegal acts within our country, our usual procedure would have been to deport you back home—back to where you came from. But unfortunately, you refused to communicate in such a friendly and proper manner; you displayed unfriendly behavior. Therefore, I have to handle this matter myself, and the procedures I'll be using won't be the conventional ones. Do you understand?"

John was stunned, inwardly lamenting: even if he were an ordinary person, he couldn't possibly go out with that burly man in a suit with a face full of scars! Besides, even if he were "sent back" to his country, he wouldn't have a country to return to! He not only had no identity in China, but he was also an undocumented immigrant in Slovakia!

But he knew this was not the time to plead, so he quickly cried out, "My lord! I really have no hostility towards your country or your people! I'm only looking for Guo Tianxiang. This kind of 'criminal' with so many lives on his hands is also a threat to your people. Taking him back is also helping you get rid of a scourge!" In his desperation, he even cried out "my lord."

Mr. Liang ignored him and continued, "It takes about two hours to travel from Yang City to Peng City. If you can provide me with enough information to satisfy me before we arrive, I agree to give you a chance to live."

Mr. Liang didn't say what would happen if he was "dissatisfied," but John understood instantly. He immediately pointed to the small porcelain knife in Mr. Liang's hand and said, "I used it to sense the locations where Guo Tianxiang had appeared. Before he left Slovakia, we also gave him a knife. He used that knife in Liu City, and then we lost contact with him. So we know that he should have been in Liu City before he disappeared."

"Oh?" Mr. Liang looked down at the small porcelain knife in his hand. While he was playing with it, he was quite certain that this thing was not an electronic product, meaning that they did not rely on GPS or similar functions to determine their location.

Mr. Liang noticed that there was a cleverly designed, integrated, and very well-hidden small mechanism at the end of the handle. When pressed down, some green liquid was injected from the handle into the narrow blood groove.

The green liquid filled the blood tank but did not drip, as if it were wrapped in a thin film and sealed inside the blood tank.

Mr. Liang held the small white porcelain knife, tinged with a bright green, under his broad nose and sniffed it. Then he stuck out his tongue, covered in fine hairs, and licked the green.

Instantly, the green liquid seemed startled and retracted into the hilt of the knife. On the smooth white blade, in the blood groove, not a trace of green remained; it was clean and dry.

"Mr. Liang" chuckled strangely, looking at the small porcelain knife and said, "It's still alive!"

He then disassembled the mechanism at the back of the handle and poured out the liquid inside, but the green liquid inside seemed to be "afraid" and huddled inside, refusing to come out.

Mr. Liang placed the small porcelain knife on his lap, then pinched his right index finger with his left hand. In a short while, his right index finger was stretched and pinched into the shape of a spoon or a hook.

Using these pinched fingers, "Mr. Liang" quickly "picked" the green objects out of the knife handle, and then... ate them directly.

John's eyes widened and his mouth gaped slightly as he watched "Mr. Liang" slowly chew the green substances. He could guess that the green substances couldn't escape and had no ability to resist, but he never expected that the "terrifying entity" would deal with them so directly!

After chewing for a while, "Mr. Liang" looked at the dumbfounded John and said in his signature voice, "Only a part?"

John was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses and realized what "Mr. Liang" was asking. He quickly replied, "That's 'Holy Blood'... no, it's Earl Joel's... part of Old Joel's 'prosthetic'... It can suppress the wound healing speed of other 'Bloodline' and 'Blood Beast,' weaken their strength and stamina, making them easier to control. So it's very useful for dealing with other 'Bloodline' and 'Blood Beast.' However, this 'Holy Blood' needs to be fed with blood every now and then to maintain its activity, and after being separated from Old Joel, it can only survive for a maximum of three years. When it is fed with blood or comes into contact with the blood of other creatures, no matter how far away, Old Joel can sense it and know what kind of creature's blood it is in contact with..."

He noticed that "Mr. Liang" did not swallow, but the green liquid simply disappeared, as if it had been directly chewed and absorbed.

After hearing his explanation, "Mr. Liang" chuckled and said, "You 'true Bloodline,' don't you claim to only drink human blood, only the blood of other 'Bloodline' and 'blood descendants'? This old Joel, however, has drunk quite a bit of the blood of other 'things,' you know?"

John naturally understood what he meant, and smiled somewhat awkwardly, saying in a low voice, "Just like you said, they're all just barely clinging to life... poor people, who often don't even have the right to be picky."

After witnessing firsthand how "Mr. Liang" so "violently" devour part of Old Joel's "prosthetic limb," John finally let loose and poured out all the information he knew about "Red Rose" and Guo Tianxiang.

Upon arriving in Peng City, "Mr. Liang" learned that the "Red Rose" now only had five "legitimate Bloodline" left, including John. The one who had transformed the shortest time had already lived for over thirty years, and the one who had lived the longest had even transformed for over two hundred years—although he spent 80% of his time in slumber and the rest of his time hiding in the darkness. Moreover, this "old Bloodline" of over two hundred years had reached the limit of his lifespan, and if he could not find a suitable "blood source," he would have to face the "final judgment" and then, before his death, have his blood divided among the other "legitimate Bloodline" for final recycling.

Mr. Liang also learned about Guo Tianxiang's physical characteristics and abilities, as well as the location and time when the small porcelain knife in Guo Tianxiang's hand was used. He determined that the small porcelain knife must have injured a "Blood-feeding Creature" at that time, and Guo Tianxiang's disappearance was likely related to that "Blood-feeding Creature," perhaps he was killed in retaliation.

The black RV slowly drove into the ground floor of a building and entered a fully enclosed parking lot.

That "parking lot" was actually a "repair shop," with a few staff members inspecting and repairing equipment including drones and modified vehicles.

The RV was parked directly at the elevator entrance. Once the door opened, it could be entered directly into the elevator lobby without being seen by the staff.

Of course, when "Mr. Liang" usually comes back, he always disappears when he gets off the bus, and it doesn't matter where he stops. But this time, there's John in the bus who can't disappear.

Before getting off the bus, Mr. Liang looked at the somewhat nervous John and said, "I have a question."

"You asked."

"The 'Red Rose' always holds a ceremony to share 'blood' whenever they obtain it. This might not satisfy everyone's needs, right? Doesn't anyone want to monopolize it? If someone is strong enough, they can suppress the other members?"

John carefully replied, "In the early days, Europe Bloodline were indeed like that, incompatible with each other. But after becoming 'Red Rose'... everyone considers the long term, quickly undergoing phased transformations. Although this can bring greater benefits in the short term, it also means that the 'blood source' conditions required next time will be more stringent. Therefore... everyone sticks together for mutual support, and there's no need to break the rules."

Mr. Liang suddenly realized. "Oh, that makes sense. You're competing to see who can live the longest, huh! By the way, you seem to think that what happened in Bucharest more than a hundred years ago, and the physical disintegration that occurs when you can't break through your stage limits, are the so-called 'final judgment'?"

John paused for a moment, then nodded.

Then he saw Mr. Liang's lips curl up, stretching all the way to his ears, revealing a "smile" that sent chills down his spine.

However, "Mr. Liang" did not offer any further comment or express his opinion or judgment before his body went invisible.

John saw the burly driver in the suit stand at the elevator entrance, gesturing for him to get out of the car. John had no choice but to get out and walk into the elevator.

The elevator doors slowly closed, but the burly man in the suit didn't enter. John seemed to be the only person inside, but his intuition told him that "Mr. Liang" was nearby. So he cautiously asked, "Sir, are you satisfied with the information I've provided along the way? If you have any further questions, I can continue to answer them, whether it's about the 'Red Rose' or anything else related to 'Bloodline'... I know a lot more about 'Blood-feeding Creature'."

Sure enough, Mr. Liang's voice came from the side. "I'm very satisfied."

John breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his heart wasn't completely at ease, because he noticed that this "terrifying presence" hadn't asked his name at all. So he carefully and respectfully said, "My lord, I, John Cavendish, am willing to become your humble servant. Whether in China or Europe, I can demonstrate sufficient value. You should know my abilities; in human society, I have a great advantage..."

The elevator descended rapidly, but Mr. Liang remained silent about John's declaration of loyalty until the elevator doors opened, at which point his figure slowly reappeared.

This is a huge, technologically advanced space, with rows of lights overhead illuminating various devices.

After John followed him in with a surprised expression, "Mr. Liang" suddenly snapped his fingers, and a plain-colored wall instantly disappeared, turning into a transparent glass wall.

Inside the transparent glass wall was a giant python coiled up as if asleep.

The python's body was as thick as John's waist, and it had a small red fleshy growth on its head, which looked quite disgusting.

John immediately recognized it as a "Blood Beast," or, as "Mr. Liang" would call it, a "Blood-feeding Creature."

Moreover, upon closer inspection, he discovered that what was in front of him was not a glass wall, but an entire screen with excellent display, showing the images in the huge room.

"Is this... an adult's pet?" John asked.

"This is your chance. If you can kill it, I'll not only let you live, but I'll also let you drink its blood." As Mr. Liang spoke, he snapped his fingers again, causing the wall to rise, and then threw John inside.

Unexpectedly, behind that wall with the screen was indeed the place where the giant python was kept.

John screamed and turned to run away, but the wall had already collapsed again, trapping him inside.

Mr. Liang's huge, eyeball-less eyes, devoid of eyelids or whites, coldly watched John on the screen as he pounded on the wall and begged for mercy, completely unmoved.

He knew that this member of the "Red Rose" was no match for the "Mutant Python," and John's "chance" was practically zero.

Mr. Liang felt utterly disgusted by these creatures who, since their mutation, had been feeding on human blood and were proud of it, considering themselves noble and orthodox.

He knew that if they weren't discovered and weren't restricted, these guys, whether or not they needed to drink blood, would take pleasure in killing, bewitching, and manipulating other humans.

What he loathed most was that these guys only chose the easiest shortcuts, only took advantage of those weaker than themselves, and had no courage to explore or fight against the real reasons that could cause them to collapse, disappear, and be destroyed. They just clung to life in the darkness, waiting to decay.

Such a guy is of no help whatsoever to his "career".

They can't even be considered ordinary "Blood-feeding Creature," let alone "predators." They can only be considered "blood sources" to provide nutrition for the "Blood-feeding Creature" they keep, which is making the best use of them.

In the windowless, enclosed room, John pleaded for a while, then suddenly shut his mouth and slowly turned around.

The giant python had awakened, and the red growth on its forehead looked even redder, as if blood was about to burst out at any moment.

Its enormous snake eyes stared at John, and it slowly raised its body. Then, the raised half of its body slowly opened from the middle, like a person tearing open their clothes with both hands, revealing a larger, blood-red maw in the middle, from which five tentacles with sharp barbs extended.

John was terrified. He stared intently at the snake's eyes and suddenly began to mutter those strange syllables.

The giant python, which was about to pounce, paused for a moment, giving John a chance to dodge and avoid a fatal attack.

But after its first attack missed, the giant python adjusted its body and began to circle around again, its tail also joining the attack, trying to hook or coil around him.

However, whenever the tentacles, tails, or the giant python's mouth were about to touch John, there would be a momentary hesitation, allowing him to narrowly dodge.

Fortunately, the room was big enough for him to move around.

John's abilities are primarily used against humans, regardless of nationality, and also have some effect on primates like apes. However, they are much less effective against other animals, especially cold-blooded animals and those with poor eyesight, regardless of whether they are "Mutated Creature".

Just like with this giant python, even if you succeed, it will only cause it to be stunned for a moment before it recovers. Moreover, there is still a certain chance of failure.

However, once the initial eye contact and hypnosis have begun, the effect will continue even if the python closes its eyes.

John, who was intently staring at the giant python, was actually in despair. Although he hadn't been hurt by the python yet, he knew very well that if he still had the small porcelain knife in his hand and the green liquid inside, he might have a 5% chance of turning the tables. As for now... he was walking a tightrope with no end in sight. If the hypnotic delaying effect failed even once, he would be done for, and that was already a foregone conclusion.

After several failed attempts to attack, the giant python seemed to understand why it was affected. Two tentacles extending from its chest suddenly attacked its eyes, gouging them out.

Seeing this, John was startled, realizing that he couldn't even hide now; snakes don't need to rely on their eyes to hunt!

He whirled around and rushed toward the partition wall, shouting hoarsely with a sob in his voice, "Sir! Are you looking for the eight-armed giant that appeared in Montamira? I can help you find it! I really can!"

The partition wall was opened, and John scrambled out. Behind him, the giant python that had gouged out its own eyes was lunging at him with its jaws wide open, but it was forced back by the gas spraying from nozzles that had somehow appeared at both ends, and was locked back in the room.

John, who had rolled out of the room and returned to the vast space, raised his head, his body trembling slightly, panting heavily, and looked at "Mr. Liang" standing by a control panel, feeling as if he had been transported to another world.

His gaze involuntarily fell on a badly damaged, ugly Rabbit Woodcarving "Mr. Liang" was playing with in his hand, and a chill ran down his spine.