Amelia staggered through the manor's wrought-iron gates, finally managing to hold on until the vampire guards who were there to greet her appeared. She then collapsed to the ground, startling the vampires who quickly surrounded her. Several vampires examined her injuries with grave expressions.
The vampire commander arranged for one team of guards to disperse and scout outwards, while another team carefully lifted Amelia and quickly carried her to the manor castle's medical room.
Meanwhile, the battle at the train station had subsided, leaving only lingering smoke, a heavy stench of blood and gunpowder in the air, and mutilated Werewolf corpses and vampire ashes scattered in every corner, the ground covered in blood and bullet holes.
The surviving Werewolf silently moved through the battlefield, rummaging through the corpses of their companions, searching for any survivors still breathing.
Upon seeing their leader return, a Werewolf squad leader, covered in blood, immediately stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and solemnly reported the casualties, "Leader—of the 48 elite brothers, only 19 remain. More than 20 have been killed in action, and several others are wounded, some lightly and some seriously."
Upon hearing this devastating news, Lucian and Raze's faces darkened. The elite Werewolf force they had brought were the most skilled and battle-hardened members of their tribe, and they had hoped to launch a brilliant ambush using their newly developed ultraviolet weapons.
Unexpectedly, the vampire guards were so tenacious, causing them to lose more than half of their manpower and ultimately failing to capture Amelia. It was a double loss, and now they could only place their hopes on Draco and his companions.
"I'll tell you everything you want to know," Lucian said, conceding. "However, vampire pursuers will be here soon, so let's go back to base and talk."
Draco nodded and followed Lucian and the others back to the Werewolf stronghold. Unlike the high morale when they set off, the atmosphere inside the stronghold was now oppressive and dejected. The surviving Werewolf sat or leaned against something, silently tending to their wounds.
At that moment, a thin, bald man with old-fashioned round glasses on his nose approached. He was wearing a filthy lab coat and exuded a gloomy, sickly aura. Lucian shook his head at him helplessly.
A look of regret crossed the old man's face. "What a pity. This means we'll probably have to wait another hundred years..."
"You're being far too optimistic," Lucian said, his voice tinged with despair. "After this battle, that opportunity is probably gone."
The old man's gaze shifted to Draco, who stood to the side, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes. He reminded him, "Chief, there's no need to be so pessimistic. Don't we still have the wizard's help?"
Lucian then introduced, "This is Singe, our Werewolf clan's chief scientist. He developed the ultraviolet bullets used in this operation. The plan to capture Michael was also carried out in conjunction with his research project."
Upon hearing the introduction, Singe's face lit up with eagerness, and she nodded to Draco and Trillian.
The look in that eyes sent a chill down Trillian's spine. She muttered to herself, "Damn, this old man's eyes are so creepy."
Singe composed himself and explained, "I'm not interested in women; I just feel there's hope for the experiment again."
"Dr. Singe is obsessed with scientific experiments and doesn't pay much attention to other things," Lucian explained.
"Let's talk inside." Draco didn't hesitate; he didn't want to waste time chatting in the sewers, the office was much more comfortable.
Lucian and his two companions, along with Trillian, followed. As they walked, Trillian said with some admiration, "You really are a genius. You even managed to develop something like ultraviolet bullets."
Singe remained calm in the face of praise.
"Talent certainly exists, but perseverance is indispensable."
After taking their seats, Trillian asked curiously, "What exactly are you trying to develop after all this time of preparation?"
Singe looked at Lucian,
After receiving a tacit nod from Lucian, he slowly spoke, "Research the Half-blood life form of Werewolf and vampire."
"What do you mean? Half wolf, half ghost?" Trillian asked, puzzled.
"Your understanding isn't wrong," Singe patiently explained. "Simply put, it involves extracting the genes of Werewolf and vampires and attempting to fuse them. If successful, it would allow them to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. For example, the vampire's potential for immortality and the Werewolf's immense strength and self-healing abilities would allow the Half-blood life form to overcome its fatal weaknesses to silver and sunlight!"
This insane idea shocked Draco and his companion.
After the initial shock, Draco remarked:
"No wonder you created the ultraviolet bullet... Your imagination is truly boundless. I merely wanted to suppress the transformation defects of traditional Werewolf with the genes of the new Werewolf, but you guys went and directly attempted to fuse two races."
Singe shook his head. "Actually, I just turned this crazy idea into a concrete research project. The person who truly conceived of this idea was our leader."
Draco and Trillian both looked at Lucian.
Lucian stared blankly into the distance, then spoke of a long-buried past, "Years ago, I fell in love with the vampire Sonja. Back then, we discussed this idea all night long, originally planning to use our child as an experimental subject to personally verify the possibility of cross-species genetic fusion."
"If successful, it might facilitate reconciliation between the two races. After all, no Werewolf can resist the temptation of silver, and no vampire wants to face the sun directly."
"Wow, you two are awesome..."
Trillian slapped the sofa and exclaimed in admiration.
Lucian gave a bitter smile and didn't reply.
After a brief moment of reflection, Trillian asked with doubt, "Is this idea even feasible? I feel it's very difficult."
"It's possible," Singe said confidently, then dropped a bombshell that would overturn their understanding. "Because, fundamentally speaking, Werewolf and vampires originate from the same source."
"Huh?!" Draco and Trillian exclaimed in unison, as if it were utter nonsense.
"The leader obtained ancient historical records circulating within the vampire clan. After years of research, I discovered that vampires and Werewolf are actually descendants of the same progenitor— Alexander Corvinus." Singe revealed this secret.
Giving Draco and Trillian time to process this, Singe continued, "The eldest and second sons were bitten by wolves and bats, resulting in different mutations that eventually evolved into the vampire and Werewolf races we know today."
"But at the genetic level, their underlying codes are identical. Moreover, I discovered that the direct descendants of Alexander's third son carry the original Corvinus Gene. This gene is what neutralizes the cellular rejection between the two races, allowing the two bloodlines to fuse stably."
Trillian continued her deduction, "You mean, Michael is a direct descendant of Alexander's third son?"