Traveling Together

Donnie fled out dejectedly, one hand clutching the wig on his head. He was quite troubled, feeling this wasn't a sustainable approach, and had begun seriously considering whether to buy some hair growth tonic, which was said to work quickly.

The old bartender chimed in from the side, "I think you don't need any UV grenades to fight vampires. All you need to do is stand at the entrance of the Night People Club and take off your wig. Reflecting sunlight will be enough to kill those beasts. It's simple, economical, and most importantly, effective and fast-acting."

Donnie's face darkened. He couldn't communicate with the old bartender; they were clearly not on the same page.

"Alright, enough with the useless talk. We need to prepare for tonight's battle. Let's go get something to eat and conserve our strength. Deacon is a very cunning guy." Donnie was serious. It would be best to capture and kill Deacon in one go tonight. If not, they would have to fight Deacon's backup forces.

He wasn't worried about ordinary vampires and the Ha-Ghost Clan. He was more concerned about whether Deacon would ascend to godhood and how far Deacon's plan had progressed.

For beings like the Blood God, a high-level bio-engineered creature, silver weapons and sunlight would be completely ineffective. The vampires' obvious weaknesses would no longer exist. The Blood God could regenerate infinitely, recovering instantly no matter how it was cut.

Donnie had always suspected that the existence of the Blood God was an attempt to overcome the vampires' weaknesses, and they had succeeded. Super regeneration, an ability to be unkillable, immunity to sunlight and silver, immense speed and strength, plus potentially greatly enhanced infection capabilities...

If the transformed Deacon were unleashed, it would be a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.

The two returned to the car. The old bartender went to a roadside store and bought some food and water. After eating and drinking, Donnie began to rest with his eyes closed, preparing for the night's battle. He released traces of Spark Energy, permeating five upgraded Transformers. These five were what he currently considered the most cost-effective, and a few more could serve as cannon fodder. He was still reluctant to squander the Spark Energy indiscriminately.

Donnie had discovered that the total energy of the Spark itself was also slowly increasing. It was as if the bottle was broken, but the water inside was insignificant until it reached the point of overflowing. The bottle's damage temporarily did not lock his power growth.

"Level 4 Mutant..." Donnie murmured. Everyone said the terrifying fluctuations he displayed during his awakening were at the Level 4 tier. The surge at the moment of awakening was second only to the Mutant Twins, so anyone with relevant detection equipment claimed he was Level 4.

But what exactly was the tier or level considered "Level 4"? Level 4 Mutants were rare, but not that rare. The most famous were undoubtedly the Mutant Twins, Professor X and Magneto. Others included cards masters, Shaw, Apocalypse, and so on, all of whom were Level 4.

Take Professor X, for example. His mental control was completely unreasonable, but Donnie suspected that with that special telepathy-blocking helmet, even a weakling with a small knife could kill Professor X.

Theoretically, Professor X and Donnie were similar in some aspects; both could control large-scale forces in battle. One controlled people, and the other controlled Transformers. It was just that the Professor, due to his morals and conscience, was unwilling to do so.

"Born Level 4, but not reaching Level 4..." Donnie closed his eyes and then slowly opened them. He seemed to understand how he should proceed in the future.

When he fought Abomination, he had essentially exploded once, and only once. This left deep scars on his Spark, and he had severed Abomination's head at the painful cost of burning his Spark. Just as Level 5 Jean had a part of her host personality extinguished every time she used the Phoenix Force, the cost of an outburst was too great, requiring one to walk the line between life and death. The price was so immense that it could take a lifetime to repay.

When killing Abomination, did his Spark enhance Optimus Prime's material? Or was the Spark Energy itself an external bonus?

Donnie sighed softly. The Spark in his mind still flickered intermittently, constantly jumping. Donnie could feel the Spark absorbing free particles from the outside, using them as fuel for its continuous revival.

Time quietly passed. While Donnie and the old bartender rested with their eyes closed, the sun set, and darkness descended.

Pedestrians hurried home. Local rumors spoke of ghosts appearing at night, specifically hunting solitary pedestrians. To ensure their safety and that of their families, people were advised not to go out at night.

Donnie and the old bartender opened their eyes almost simultaneously. The moon hung high, the night was silent, and it was a good time to clear out vampires. Donnie glanced at the old bartender with some surprise. The old guy was unusually sharp. Watching him silently organize his weapons and equipment, it was clear he was an experienced gunman.

It seemed this old fellow truly had comprehensive skills. He might have accidentally recruited a formidable helper...

The old bartender noticed the gaze and looked up in surprise, "What's up?" As he spoke, he skillfully attached a row of UV grenades to his belt and secured several small silver knives to his legs.

"Nothing, I just suddenly felt... you old geezer are occasionally reliable. Rare..." Donnie said with a smile.

The old bartender's lips curled up. He had reason to be proud. Having been on the run for most of his life, having experienced countless ambushes and hidden dangers, many of his skills were self-taught and acquired in life-or-death battles.

He followed Donnie out of the car, looking at the young man walking ahead. This kid, with a hint of immaturity but rapidly maturing, might actually be a decent teammate. At the very least, he didn't have to worry about him being a burden, and sometimes, it brought a strange sense of peace...

The night was quiet, and several figures were stealthily lurking.

To their surprise, another individual had chosen to make a move tonight, just like them.

This was a tall and burly man. His upright posture and formidable muscles made him look intimidating at first glance. He carried two katana on his back, grenades hung at his waist, and he held a custom firearm as he slowly walked towards Donnie.

"Enemy? Ally?" Donnie squinted, his newly crafted Spark battle armor fully charged and ready.

The old bartender silently raised his gun and disengaged the safety.

"A fellow traveler. I'm here just like you, to hunt vampires."

The big man walked over confidently, slowly taking off his glasses and revealing a striking set of white teeth. Among his upper and lower rows of teeth, four were particularly sharp and pointed, quite dazzling.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Blade. Vampires call me the Daywalker. I've been waiting for you. When it comes to killing vampires, we're in the same line of work." The big man bared his white teeth, which in the darkness seemed brighter than Donnie's head.