Vampire Bar

"I warned you already. Now you were finished."

The bartender sighed and shook his head, looking at Donnie with pity. In his eyes, Donnie was already dead. Barging into a vampire stronghold meant certain death—there was no way he could escape. To those savage vampires, every human except the Ha-Ghost Clan was food.

Donnie was furious, and even more nervous.

Someone was definitely plotting against him! He just did not know who it was!

Gritting his teeth, Donnie ran through countless thoughts in an instant. The first person who came to mind was the scrapyard manager. He had been the one to tell Donnie there was a vehicle modification master here.

Could that manager have been a member of the Ha-Ghost Clan too? Or was he merely a pawn, while the true mastermind hid behind the scenes?

It could also have been the mysterious person who had sent him that warning message. Either was possible.

He was still too young. Wishful thinking was unacceptable. This world was filled with pitfalls, and one careless step could send him crashing in.

Donnie had not originally cared much about being plotted against. In fact, once he had set foot on this path, he could forget about staying safe and uninvolved forever. As his strength grew, he would only be able to eliminate weaker opponents, making their schemes useless because they could not harm him at all.

In truth, with his own AllSpark creations, even without relying on a giant like Optimus Prime, Donnie alone possessed considerable strength. His phone and watches ensured he could freely dismantle and assemble armor and weapons. The AllSpark gave him decent physical abilities and regenerative power, enough endurance to sustain a prolonged battle.

But these vampires were the ones he dreaded most!

That member of the Ha-Ghost Clan had sharp hearing. His eyes widened as he suddenly sobered up from the alcohol, staring at this stranger in disbelief before shrieking, "You're actually human?"

The bar fell silent in an instant. The sensitive keyword "human" quieted them immediately. They stopped their revelry and turned to look at Donnie, their gazes filled with mockery and greed.

"New food has come in." One vampire bared his fangs and greedily sniffed the air. "Who sent him in? Didn't they say an important figure was coming today to assign a mission? Food isn't allowed in on an occasion like this."

"Maybe he came knocking on the door himself."

"Do you think the guards at the entrance are idiots? They're vampires, not members of the Ha-Ghost Clan," someone retorted. He was also a member of the Ha-Ghost Clan.

The music stopped as well, only for new heavy metal to blast out at once, its rhythm fierce and blood-pumping. The atmosphere in the entire bar exploded! The vampires rejoiced at food delivering itself to their doorstep, all taking it as a good omen.

Donnie clenched his teeth, tense to the extreme. The AllSpark in his mind blazed brightly, already poised for battle. He felt that a vicious fight was about to break out.

The vampires in this world were nothing like the "romantic" ones from Twilight. They were freaks who fed on humans, and they could transform ordinary people on a massive scale! In other words, these filthy things could spread as rapidly as a virus. Vampires bit people to create new vampires, and the new vampires bit more people... Ordinary people were treated as food because the vampires of this world loved eating humans. Only human blood could keep them alive!

They were even more terrifying than a virus!

If a vampire bit someone and did not drain all their blood, killing them outright, they would soon become one of the vampires. Every major organization had drugs and serums that could halt the transformation, but Donnie had none. If he was bitten even once, he would basically be finished. He could only risk asking the nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. and Professor X for help.

But that would be risky. S.H.I.E.L.D. was manageable—they would merely take the chance to study him, and perhaps accidentally produce a Donnie clone or a cyborg Donnie someday. Professor X was the real problem. He absolutely could not let him examine his memories, or it would all be over. No one could guarantee that the professor would not suffer brain death.

"Good luck." The bartender looked somewhat pitying.

Donnie hesitated. Did he really have to ask S.H.I.E.L.D. for help? If he fought vampires, he absolutely could not get hurt. One moment of carelessness and he would be bitten. Then everything would be over.

Over the past several thousand years, humanity had launched countless wars against vampires, yet each time they managed to rise again. They were impossible to eradicate and extremely troublesome.

Part of the reason was the vampires' nature. Their long lives always fascinated certain high-ranking humans, who willingly became vampires and worked for their interests. That alone gave vampires enough room to maneuver. As long as ordinary people feared death, vampires would never be wiped out!

Donnie was not afraid to fight anyone, but vampires alone made him deeply wary. They looked exactly like humans, yet possessed long lives and powerful physiques. They could also conduct research and use advanced technological weapons.

"What should we do with this food? Eat him?" One vampire was terribly greedy. He wanted to feed, to devour Donnie alive in public.

The member of the Ha-Ghost Clan who had exposed Donnie said, "An important figure is coming. Causing a mess here would reflect badly on us."

The vampire gave the Ha-Ghost Clan member a dangerous look and let out a low growl, warning him not to interfere in vampire affairs without permission.

"Don't think you have the right to meddle. Say another word and I'll kill you first," a vampire threatened.

The Ha-Ghost Clan were ordinary people obsessed with immortality. They willingly served vampires, tattooing the backs of their necks in hopes that one day they would be transformed into vampires and enjoy the pleasures of eternal life. They had betrayed humanity, betrayed their own kind, and willingly become lackeys.

The Old Bartender mixed a drink and handed it to Donnie, saying pityingly, "Drink it. Have a safe journey."

You old bastard. You have a safe journey. Your whole family can have a safe journey.

The vampires and members of the Ha-Ghost Clan burst into laughter, egging Donnie on to drink it.

Donnie's face darkened as he rapidly assessed both sides' strength.

Vampires were extremely difficult to kill by ordinary means. Their astonishing regenerative abilities and resilience allowed them to ignore many minor injuries. Silver, sunlight, and garlic were needed to deal with them, but he had no time to find any of those things.

He could have Optimus Prime wait outside while he armed himself to the teeth inside, slaughtered his way through, and rushed out. Escaping would not be difficult, but ensuring he was not injured would be. This was a vampire stronghold—he would not believe for a second that they lacked heavy weapons.

Now he could only fight for his life. At worst, if he was bitten, he would join S.H.I.E.L.D. and have their people inject him with a treatment serum.

Suddenly, the entire bar stirred. Someone shouted, "The important figure is here! Get ready to welcome him!"

"What about this guy? Deal with him quickly."

"Drag him away and kill him. Drain his blood and keep it as emergency rations. Don't leave food here getting in the way."

The vampires grew impatient. They wanted to please this important figure. Rumor had it that he was a pureblood vampire, born a vampire! That was truly extraordinary. He had been born with lofty status, something transformed vampires like them could never compare to.

"Hey, which one of you is the modification master?" Donnie asked anxiously, grabbing the Old Bartender by the collar.

"It's me. I'm the famous modification master around these parts. What do you want?"

"You're a vampire? Or a member of the Ha-Ghost Clan?"

"Neither. I'm human for now. Though I'll probably become a vampire soon." The Old Bartender looked somewhat sorrowful, sighing heavily over his bad fortune in being captured and brought here.

Donnie hoisted the Old Bartender over his shoulder across the table and started walking. One watch transformed and assembled itself into a firearm, while several other watches rapidly changed as well, barely forming a suit of armor that protected part of Donnie's upper body. Two phones leaped out, transforming into two Mini-Transformers that brandished chainsaws with swaggering menace.

Before anyone else could marvel at this scene that defied common sense, the Old Bartender cried out first, "What are you doing? I never offended you!"

"You offended me the moment I stepped into this animal den!" Donnie gritted out. "If I hadn't come looking for you, do you think I'd have come in here for no reason? I never go to bars!"

Donnie strode forward with the Old Bartender slung over his shoulder. He was going to take this guy and charge out. As long as they got outside, there would still be a chance to turn things around.

The vampires stirred. They wanted to make their move.