Over the next few days, Fang Cheng led a peaceful life, shuttling between school and home. He kept his head down at school each day and worked hard at exercising when he got home in the evenings.
Every time he exercised, Fang Cheng gained one point of physical fitness.
However, it took longer and longer to earn each point. At first, two hours of high-intensity exercise earned him one point of physical fitness.
Now it took two and a half hours.
He had gained four points of physical fitness so far, enough to lift the sofa at home with one hand and bend steel bars with ease.
This terrifying increase in strength was a huge surprise to Fang Cheng. He hadn't expected an increase in physical fitness to have such a dramatic effect.
The next time he ran into Morishita Yamato, he wouldn't need to trade injuries to knock those big guys flat.
Morishita Yamato hadn't shown up at school during this time. His head wound probably hadn't healed yet.
But even though he was absent, Morishita Yamato had already started making his moves. Every day after school, on his way home, Fang Cheng could feel someone watching him from the shadows. Sometimes, a small car even followed him home from a distance.
They thought Fang Cheng hadn't noticed, but his senses had gradually improved along with his physical fitness, making him highly sensitive to anyone's gaze.
He didn't act rashly, pretending not to know anything. He went to and from school as usual each day, waiting to see when the other party would lose patience.
Kanzaki Rin hadn't appeared in front of Fang Cheng again, either. He occasionally saw her walking around campus, a striking sight that drew countless gazes.
But the drone never failed to keep watch each day. Fang Cheng suspected Kanzaki Rin probably knew about Morishita Yamato's business.
On the fifth day after his clash with Morishita Yamato, Fang Cheng headed home from school as usual.
When he reached the apartment building, a strong stench of blood hit him.
Someone had apparently dumped a few dead chickens by the stairwell. Their blood was smeared all over the ground, and a white banner hung on the wall with the words, "Pay up or your whole family dies!"
He wondered which unfortunate resident of the apartment building had fallen into the clutches of loan sharks.
Fang Cheng fanned the air in front of his nose and stepped around the dead chickens to enter the building.
When he reached his front door, he could still smell the blood. Fang Cheng sniffed his hands, then took out his key and unlocked the door.
He had just lifted his leg to cross the threshold when he suddenly stopped.
At that moment, Fang Cheng's keen senses detected someone watching him.
He was just about to turn around when a sharp pain pierced his chest.
A hand had plunged through his back, clutching his still-beating heart.
"Shit!"
Fang Cheng only had time to curse before his vision went black and his breath stopped.
"Pfft!"
The person who had ambushed Fang Cheng yanked her arm out with force.
With nothing to support it, Fang Cheng's body pitched forward at once and slammed heavily onto the floor.
Blood sprayed everywhere with the impact, covering the entryway.
The body's fall revealed the person behind it: an adult woman with delicate, cute features, a bob haircut, and a black tracksuit.
Her name was Yagawa Ryoka. A few days ago, she'd been an office worker; now, she was a vampire who couldn't show herself in the light.
Yagawa Ryoka cautiously watched Fang Cheng's body for a while. Only after she saw no sign of him reviving did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Vampires were immune to most forms of harm and possessed extremely powerful self-healing abilities. They were universally recognized as immortal creatures.
But that didn't mean they had no natural enemies. Plenty of things could threaten vampires, and the greatest threat actually came from their own kind—attacks from other vampires could inflict real damage.
A vampire's greatest enemy might be another vampire. Their own kind always topped their list of prey.
Vampires seemed to be a naturally murderous species. They hunted one another, and the victor would dig out the loser's heart and devour it, taking their power in the process.
Before she was bitten, Yagawa Ryoka had been an ordinary office worker. She had no way of learning about any of this.
After she became a vampire, the knowledge appeared in her mind automatically.
A desire welled up from deep within her, driving her to seek out and hunt other vampires.
After carefully cleaning up the blood by the door, she dragged the body inside and shut the door.
Once she'd finished, Yagawa Ryoka stared at the heart in her hand as if it were some incredibly delicious food.
She couldn't even suppress her excited smile.
That had been so easy!
Yagawa Ryoka hadn't expected this kid to be so careless. He hadn't been on his guard at all, and she'd taken him by surprise in one move.
When vampires came within a certain distance of each other, they could smell a distinctive scent of blood on one another.
A few days ago, Yagawa Ryoka had discovered Fang Cheng's identity by chance thanks to that very ability.
She had been secretly following and watching him for several days.
She was curious about how the kid could move around in the daytime without any problems, but there was no mistaking that he was a vampire.
The scent of blood radiating from deep within him was simply too delicious.
After holding back for several days, Yagawa Ryoka had finally been unable to resist attacking him. She'd gone out of her way to get a few dead chickens to mask their scents.
She had thought this method wouldn't have much chance of success, but the whole thing had gone far more smoothly than expected.
She'd prepared all sorts of contingency plans, but in the end, she hadn't needed a single one.
"But I suppose I should thank you for being so careless. You've given me my most precious first heart."
Yagawa Ryoka stared at Fang Cheng's body and spoke to herself. She had to say something to vent her excitement.
"I'll thank you properly. I'll keep you in my heart forever and live on, carrying your power with me."
After that, she eagerly lowered her head and bit into the heart in her hand, wolfing it down one bite at a time.
In the silent living room, the only sound was the unsettling noise of her chewing.
Yagawa Ryoka quickly ate the entire heart, smearing blood all over her mouth. Then she let out a satisfied burp.
"Burp... Thanks for the meal!"
She rubbed her stomach with one hand, her eyes half-closed and her face flushed an unusual shade of red.
But Yagawa Ryoka soon frowned, because she didn't feel any new power welling up inside her.
This didn't match the knowledge in her mind. Her instincts told her that eating the heart of another vampire would let her obtain their power immediately.
Yagawa Ryoka opened her eyes again and turned to stare at Fang Cheng's body, muttering to herself.
"Do I have to eat his whole body... I can't eat that much!"
As she spoke, she moved closer to the body, a wolfish glint rising in her eyes.
"Bang!"
A sudden, loud crash interrupted Yagawa Ryoka.
The living room window burst apart. Amid the clatter of shattering glass, a small ball was thrown inside and rolled to a stop at Yagawa Ryoka's feet. It immediately released a cloud of smoke.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Yagawa Ryoka only had time to glimpse a drone outside the window before the smoke engulfed her.
The pungent, spicy smoke made her eyes and throat burn fiercely. Tears and snot started streaming down her face.
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