Du Mu was about to speak when a muffled groan came through the communicator.
Then a stranger's voice came over the line. "Hey, you must be the Vampire Slayer, right? I hear you and the Daywalker have been looking for me."
Du Mu raised an eyebrow. "Deacon Frost?"
"That's right. It's me."
Frost readily admitted it. "To be honest, I'm very interested in you. You're just a human, yet you've killed so many vampires. I'll give you a chance: join us and become part of the great vampire race!"
Du Mu said cheerfully, "I'll have to think it over. How about this: I'll come find you now, and we can sit down and talk it through."
"Hmph!"
Frost snorted, his voice turning cold at once. "Since you don't appreciate this opportunity, then just wait and see! The age of vampires is about to dawn. After tonight, all humans will become our slaves!"
After delivering a textbook villain's speech, Frost cut off the call.
Du Mu glanced at the map. The green marker representing Blade was moving quickly.
He immediately took the elevator to the floor where Blade was.
Ding!
The elevator stopped. A group of vampires stood outside, all armed with guns.
The moment the doors opened, they pulled their triggers. A hail of bullets poured out, rattling against the elevator.
But when the doors opened all the way, they found the elevator empty. Every shot had missed.
"Cease fire!"
The leading vampire gave the order, then signaled to one of the vampires beside him.
The vampire nodded and cautiously entered the elevator with his assault rifle raised, checking the area.
He looked around and, seeing no one, turned and called out, "Captain, there's no one—"
"Watch out behind you!"
The vampires outside the elevator stared wide-eyed and pointed behind him.
The vampire whipped around. Du Mu had dropped down from the elevator ceiling like a ghost, grinning at him.
"Have you eaten yet? If not, let me treat you to some garlic."
Before he'd even finished speaking, Du Mu shoved a Concentrated Garlic Grenade with its pin already pulled into the vampire's mouth, then kicked him hard out of the elevator!
Yellow fumes billowed from the vampire's mouth. He was roasted on the spot; sprinkle on some cumin and he'd be ready to eat.
Come to think of it, vampires really were an ingredient in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Eating one could prolong your life.
"It's garlic extract! Run!"
Seeing the yellow cloud spread, the vampires scattered as if a cesspit had just exploded, desperately trying to get away.
Seizing the chance, Du Mu raised his gun and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets pierced the yellow haze and punched clean through the vampires' heads.
When the cloud began to dissipate, only the lone vampire captain remained in the corridor.
Seeing how fierce Du Mu was, the captain dropped his assault rifle, clenched his fists, and took a fighting stance, challenging Du Mu.
"Do you dare put down your gun and face me like a man?"
"No."
Du Mu answered without hesitation.
The vampire captain: "..."
This wasn't how the script was supposed to go.
Bang! Bang!
Du Mu pulled the trigger, shooting the vampire captain through both legs. Then he walked over and pressed the muzzle to his forehead.
"Where is Frost taking Blade?"
"You think I'll tell you?" the vampire captain sneered.
Bang!
Without a word, Du Mu shot him in the arm.
"From now on, every time you don't answer one of my questions, I'll put a bullet in you."
The pure silver coating on the bullet seared the wound, leaving the vampire captain in agony.
"Fuck, you—"
Bang!
"You—"
Bang!
"I'll talk, I'll talk..."
Bang!
"I was about to tell you! Why'd you shoot me again?" The vampire captain broke down.
"Sorry. It's a habit."
"..."
Afraid Du Mu would shoot him again, the vampire captain hurriedly said, "The Eternal Night Palace! They went to the Eternal Night Palace! Frost needs the living Daywalker to perform some kind of ritual!"
It seemed Blade wasn't in immediate danger.
Du Mu noticed the green dot representing his teammate moving outward on the map. He grabbed the vampire captain. "Do you have a car?"
"Yes, yes."
"Give me the keys!"
The vampire captain handed over the keys to the car he'd just bought with a loan, his face crumpling as his hands trembled.
Did this count as being robbed?
The Eternal Night Palace was in a remote suburb under development. A construction site could be seen from far away.
But on closer inspection, all the equipment was idle. There were no signs of actual construction. It was clearly just a cover.
Du Mu drove to a patch of open ground two hundred meters from the site and took out a pair of binoculars to observe it.
A two-meter-high chain-link fence surrounded the area. Numerous vampires carrying guns patrolled the site, as if something very important lay inside.
Du Mu checked the map and saw that Blade was deep underground. He immediately took out his Diamond Pickaxe and started digging.
Ten minutes later, Du Mu dug through the soil in front of him, and the view opened up.
Hidden deep underground was an enormous space. It looked like a structure left behind from long ago.
Following Blade's location, Du Mu soon reached a secret chamber. Several vampires were guarding a huge stone coffin inside.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Golden Desert Eagle rang out, and the vampire guards instantly turned to ash.
"Ah!!"
A piercing scream suddenly rang beside him.
Du Mu turned around and spotted a dark-skinned female vampire standing in the shadows.
Damn, when are they going to nerf that racial advantage?
Bang!
Du Mu calmly fired a shot and silenced her.
He went to the stone coffin and felt around until he found a switch and pressed it.
A mechanism clicked, and the stone coffin slowly opened, revealing Blade unconscious inside.
But he was in terrible condition. Sharp blades on both sides of the coffin had deeply cut his wrists. Blood kept dripping from the wounds and running along the coffin's grooves.
Without the coffin to support him, Blade fell straight to the floor.
"Blade, wake up."
Du Mu crouched down and patted Blade's face, but got no response.
His pale face, almost black beneath the pallor, clearly showed he'd lost too much blood.
According to Blade, though he was half human and half vampire, he'd never drunk fresh human blood. His healing ability was nowhere near as powerful as a vampire's.
At this rate, even Blade's powerful physique wouldn't save him.
Du Mu took out the Fate Coin he'd just obtained from his Game Inventory, but after looking at Blade's unlucky face, put it away and took out a red bottle instead.
[Item: Life Potion (Gradually restores health over 15 seconds after use)]
Du Mu pried Blade's mouth open and roughly poured the potion down his throat.
The potion took effect immediately!
The wounds on Blade's wrists began to heal before their eyes. Some color returned to his ashen face, and his eyelids fluttered before he slowly opened his eyes.
Looking at the now-awake Blade, Du Mu said, exasperated, "We agreed to capture Frost together. How'd you let yourself get captured instead?"
"Something unexpected happened. My mother wasn't dead. Frost had turned her into a vampire a long time ago. She'd become one of his people and joined him in ambushing me."
Blade's feelings were complicated.
His mother coming back to life should have been cause for celebration, even if she'd become a vampire.
But he'd never expected his own mother to get involved with his enemy, Frost!
That meant Frost was his stepfather. From now on, he and Frost would have to call things as they were.
At the thought, Blade gritted his teeth. "I'll find her and ask her face-to-face why she did this!"
Du Mu looked at Blade sympathetically.
His own mother had sided with his stepfather, betraying her son and even nearly getting him killed. Anyone would have a hard time taking that.
He patted Blade on the shoulder to comfort him. "Where's your mother, then? I can help you find her."
Blade looked around, trying hard to remember. "Before I passed out, she seemed to be right beside me. When you came in, did you see a Black woman?"
"..."
Du Mu glanced at the inconspicuous pile of ashes in the corner and shook his head without hesitation. "Never saw one. I bet your mom left, but I'm sure you'll meet again someday."