Unable to Trust / Before the Eternal Night

Lin understood what she meant, and naturally took her gloved hand, following the crowd toward the drop tower.

The silver-haired girl tilted her head and stared at Lin as he pulled her hand, leading her away unsteadily, like an innocent child.

Lin accompanied her until the end of the queue, and said to Theresa, who was curiously watching the staff put on her safety measures, "Don't run around after you're done playing. Wait for me here. You should change back into your swimsuit. There will be a water concert here tonight."

Although Lin felt something was off, he didn't think much of it. Theresa was even more well-behaved than before, like a sensible little sister.

After the girl's gaze was instantly lifted off the ground by the speed of the drop tower, Lin rushed towards Kallen. Based on his understanding of her eating speed, she had almost finished the food on the table.

"Waaaaaaah!"

The screams from the drop tower broke through the wind and reached Lin's ears, making him feel as if something cool was pressed against his neck, which made him relax.

If this situation continues, and Theresa loses her mind again, then I'll feed her my blood again.

"..."

The wind blew into the wound beneath the bandages, causing a dull ache.

Lin stopped in the middle of the road without warning.

The surrounding heat seemed to have vanished completely, and something extremely cold was... sprouting from the ground somewhere.

"Waaaaaaah!"

Lin suddenly turned his head and looked in a certain direction, where chaos suddenly broke out and screams were deafening!

An instinctive, deep-seated feeling, stemming from having experienced "some" event, began to stir.

Without hesitation, he rushed out, like a gust of wind, nimbly brushing past the gaps in front of him, and in the blink of an eye he had arrived at the source of the commotion.

"Aaaaaah!"

Blood boiled on the ground.

The woman, clutching her bleeding neck, sat on the ground in terror and backed away, screaming uncontrollably as if she had seen some monster.

In front of her, a man with bloodshot lips was being pinned down by two tall, burly staff members. He was screaming irrationally, his eyes bloodshot, greedily staring at the blood splattered on the ground and on the woman's neck.

Lin was stunned.

What... is going on?

Why...

The man who went crazy and screamed and the injured woman were both taken away. This was just a minor incident, and it was handled very quickly. So, those who witnessed this "sudden onset of mental illness and violence" incident will only treat it as a joke and wait to tell others about it when they get home.

Whether out of lingering fear or amusement, everyone quickly left.

Lin, however, stared at the blood on the ground that hadn't been cleaned up, silently covering his head, the memory of the last time lingering in his mind.

That man might indeed have just suffered a sudden mental breakdown. He was wearing swim trunks, which means he entered the water park normally. Moreover, Lin already had information about Theresa and Kallen's movements, and there were no signs of blood being sucked from the man's neck.

So, this was just... an accident? A coincidence?

Lin didn't know.

A bad feeling settled in his heart. Not long ago, the white-haired man's meaningful words seemed to have a hidden meaning, like a mountain pressing down on Lin's heart.

He didn't know how he got back to the food stall. He saw Kallen struggling with the last serving of fried noodles and asked numbly, "Have you... been here all this time?"

"Hmm?" Kallen swallowed the last of her fried noodles, grabbed her soda and gulped it down. Clutching her stomach, she said with a broad smile, "Of course, so much good food can't go to waste! Ah... sorry, I didn't save any for you, there's some here..."

"No need, you eat it. I'll go buy some more for you."

Despite the sweltering heat, Lin felt a chill seep into his very bones through his fingertips.

Did Lin overlook something?

The memory of the last time kept flashing through his mind: the feeling of Theresa's canines piercing his veins and absorbing his blood.

That feeling is...

"Does it really take you that long to buy things, human?"

Lin turned around and saw a pretty vampire girl in a swimsuit standing behind him, looking quite displeased.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Untrustworthy

How long?

Seeing that Theresa had changed back into her swimsuit to come looking for him, it seemed that it had indeed been a while. He had been delayed on the way, and the ride on the drop tower was very short, which would have made Theresa impatient to come out and look for him.

However, what exactly is this subtle sense of unease...?

Lin glanced discreetly at Kallen, who was sitting some distance away. Theresa didn't notice her sister licking the last plate clean, and casually asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Hmm..."

The vampire girl glanced around guiltily.

She was indeed a little hungry, otherwise she wouldn't have taken the initiative to find Lin.

"Would you like something to eat?" Lin didn't rush to buy Kallen anything; he didn't want Theresa to know Kallen was there too. "Would you like some ice cream?"

Theresa said shyly in a low voice, "I don't want to eat these..."

"Blood?"

"... Hmm." A reply so soft it was almost inaudible, like a mosquito's buzz.

This is a bit troublesome. Lin led Theresa toward a sparsely populated grove of trees.

Humans are, after all, animals, and moreover, humans are creatures that can go into heat in all four seasons of the year. So there are quite a few loving couples in this grove, and they all tacitly agree not to disturb each other.

Listening to those unbearable sounds, Theresa, blushing, tugged at Lin's sleeve and stared at his heels as they walked forward. Although she didn't understand what those people were doing, her intuition made her too shy to look directly at them.

"Hurry up." Lin didn't care about any of that. He chose a spot where he couldn't see anything unless he parted the leaves, then hugged Theresa and brought his neck close to her mouth.

Lin, at this moment, wants to confirm one thing.

Theresa didn't know what Lin was thinking. She was simply attracted by the rich "fragrance" emanating from Lin. Compared to others, the fragrance Lin exuded was much stronger. If it were a gourmet meal, it would be like a top-notch delicacy in terms of color, aroma, and taste.

How could someone who has almost never tasted fine food possibly resist finishing it in one bite?

Just as she opened her mouth wide to take a bite, she saw Lin Qingxing's eyes. He was completely unguarded, and the firmness in his eyes revealed his belief. Theresa was almost losing her mind, suddenly had clear eyes.

"..."

Why don't I want to hurt this person?

Because he had already hurt her? Because he brought her to the water park? Or because he... didn't treat her as someone else or a tool?

There are many reasons, and you can use any reason you want, even if it's just that you're in a good mood today.

But the choice deep in one's heart is the real one.

The cute canines carefully pierced the blood vessel, not daring to go too deep, and gently licked the bleeding wound with their tongues. Lin felt a slight pain along with a tingling sensation. Theresa sucked the blood little by little, also helping to soothe the pain in his wound.

Gradually, Theresa wrapped her arms around Lin's back, and she drank the rich blood into her esophagus with abandon. It was as if Lin's blood contained an irresistible and addictive ingredient. From the moment she tasted the first drop, she could not stop.

Unlike last night when she only tasted a small amount of blood, this time Theresa was able to drink her fill, and this large quantity of delicious food was enough to make Theresa lose her mind.

Kelin didn't stop her; instead, he supported her waist so she could suckle more easily, like feeding a kitten milk.

"Hmm..."

When her cloudy red eyes returned to normal, she was surprised by the abundance of energy she had never felt before, and her thoughts were so clear that they seemed unlike her own.

But she paid no attention to any of that. Instead, she was immediately startled by Lin, who was pale and had a lifeless, pale complexion next to his wounds from which blood had been drained.

"You, a human..." Theresa quickly separated them and checked Lin's condition. His expression didn't change much, but he seemed to have weakened considerably. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"... Help me up if you've had enough to drink."

Lin did not answer. He never said anything unnecessary; this was his own choice not to answer anyone.

"Are you an idiot? Do you want to die?"

Theresa took Lin's arm and helped him up.

In a sense, they were indeed similar to other couples who walked into the grove; when they left, the man appeared somewhat weak, while the woman was radiant.

"What exactly are you trying to do? Don't you find it strange? Don't you find it terrifying?"

Theresa is questioning him.

In the scorching sun, she questioned the man who had been so open with her, the man she had just met, the man who had stirred indescribable feelings within her.

Lin took a couple of breaths and looked at the bewildered girl.

"You knew I was a vampire, yet you still approached me, brought me here, and didn't say a single extra word. You've already been hurt by me, yet you don't care, you're not afraid of me attacking you again, and you don't even stop me when I'm sucking your blood."

"You have ulterior motives, but I won't fall for it. You're just like 'him,' aren't you?"

Theresa's chest heaved rapidly, and the gentle mist in her eyes felt like a sharp knife piercing through their hearts.

"Your kindness to me is only so that you can use me later, treating me like a tool. That's why you can say even the gentlest lies. Even if I ask you to swear right now that you have no ulterior motives towards me, you can still say it without batting an eye."

"Because lies have no consequences."

The brutality deep in the vampire girl's eyes was revealed as her words gradually spiraled out of control. She grabbed Lin by the neck, stared at his only remaining eye, and grinned, revealing her fangs.

"Tell me, you lowly human, what do you really want?"

"..."

Words have lost their meaning.

Language is a vehicle for conveying one's own will. Language only has meaning when both parties in the exchange are equal beings.

But now, their status, power, and species are all different.

The terrified vampire girl, in the long, cold existence, could only experience ruthless exploitation, being used as a tool to resurrect others, chained to an iron cage by the lie that she "needs you".

Gentleness is a facade.

Goodwill is a facade.

The more Lin Yue conveyed his gentleness, kindness, and enthusiasm to her, the more frightened, panicked, and at a loss she became.

As a result, he revealed his inhuman side.

Her blood-red pupils, devoid of any human features, reflected the man being gripped in her hand.

Was she filled with anticipation or fear?

It doesn't matter anymore.

The moment the man utters those words, it will all be over.

She knew very well that she wouldn't listen to anything the man said.

So, she...

She...

Kill...

"——"

However, the warm, soft touch on the lips made time stand still.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Before the Eternal Night

His calm, dark eyes, unnoticed, quietly watched the braided girl walk past the branches. He glanced at the stunned Theresa, then turned his back to her, isolating Theresa and Kallen, pretending to be like any other couple.

After Kallen, who seemed to have sensed something, walked away, Lin released Theresa. As soon as he let go, a steam-like heat rose from Theresa's head onto his face.

"Human! You, you, you... what are you doing!"

Theresa pushed him away in a panic, covering her burning lips, feeling her mind reeling.

What does this mean? So what did I see earlier, men and women hugging and kissing? What's the point? Why is my heart pounding so hard my ears are ringing?

"... This is an exchange."

After confirming that Kallen had not been found, Lin turned his gaze back to Theresa's face. After a moment's thought, he said calmly, "I do this every time you drink blood."

Exchange...

Theresa didn't know Lin's purpose, but she felt that Lin seemed to be drawing something from her in this way, something... indescribable.

"Will you do the same next time you drink blood?"

"... Probably."

"Should?"