Chapter 24: The Pursuit

The elder vampire’s eyes flashed with a crimson light before it faded, activating his dark vision. He immediately recognized the flying object as a common military grenade used by the expeditionary forces. This primitive weapon relied on shrapnel and shockwaves to kill, capable of barely dealing with first-tier warriors but quite limited when facing second-tier formal vampires.

However, this grenade posed a significant problem. Its shockwave could potentially shake the briefcase, triggering the mechanism inside and destroying the contents of their transaction.

In a critical moment, the elder vampire roared and stepped forward, shielding his two subordinates with his body.

He was a fourth-tier advanced vampire warrior; the shrapnel from the grenade would at most cause minor injuries to him.

“Such a shame for this suit, crafted by a master!” The elder vampire thought just before the grenade was about to explode.

But the grenade did not detonate as expected. The iron cap on its top suddenly flew off, and a small tin foil-wrapped packet shot out, bursting into a bloom of silver light in the elder vampire’s vision!

The unexpected flash of intense light temporarily blinded all three vampires. Seizing the moment, Qian Ye leaped from his hiding spot, landing in a half-kneeling position, both hands holding Dawn’s Light, aiming at the elder vampire. When the silver light appeared, Qian Ye closed his eyes and, relying on memory, fired the original force bullet he had infused himself!

The distance between them was less than thirty meters. There was no way to dodge, and the elder vampire let out a pained roar as a pale yellow light exploded on his chest. Not only was his suit destroyed, but a fist-sized hole now gaped in his chest, spilling blood. He was blasted backward by the force, colliding with his two subordinates.

The other two young vampires reacted quickly. With the elder blocking some of the light, they were only momentarily blinded. One rushed to support the elder, while the other, holding the briefcase, turned and ran. But maintaining the perfect balance of the briefcase meant he could only manage a slow jog.

Qian Ye charged like a wild horse, closing the distance to ten meters in an instant, and a pronged spike flew towards the elder vampire.

The young vampire, a descendant of the elder, instantly stepped in front to shield him. Before he could raise his arm to block, the pronged spike pierced through his chest, easily passing through and emerging from his back, then embedding itself in the elder’s right shoulder.

The young vampire, stunned, never imagined the force behind the pronged spike could be so powerful, piercing straight through his body!

Qian Ye did not hesitate, sprinting at full speed to close the final ten meters, determined to eliminate the strongest opponent before he regained his vision and mobility.

The young vampire, with a howl, lunged at Qian Ye, grabbing his wrist mid-swing. A struggle for strength ensued.

Most adult vampires do not appear physically robust, but they possess extraordinary strength. A third-tier human warrior might not overpower a second-tier vampire in a contest of strength.

But Qian Ye let out a mighty roar, unleashing all his power, overwhelming the young vampire’s resistance. His dagger plunged into the young vampire’s shoulder. The silver-coated blade burned into his flesh, releasing a large puff of smoke. The young vampire let out a painful scream, his grip weakening, freeing Qian Ye’s left hand.

Seizing the moment, Qian Ye swung Dawn’s Light, smashing the steel butt of the gun into the young vampire’s face, satisfied to see that, regardless of the race, faces are relatively vulnerable.

This blow caved in the young vampire’s nose and cheekbone. Qian Ye then threw the dazed young vampire aside.

When Qian Ye finally reached the elder vampire, he was surprised to find that his once formidable opponent was incapacitated, lying on the ground, gasping for breath. In a short time, the wound on his chest had doubled in size, expanding from fist-sized to bowl-sized, and was rapidly rotting, oozing black blood.

Seeing this, Qian Ye was momentarily stunned. Was this the result of his shot?

At such close range, hitting a vital spot with a demystified mithril bullet would have unquestionably killed the elder vampire. Even a lower-tier mithril bullet would have caused a severe injury that would take a long time to heal.

But the original force bullet Qian Ye had infused lacked any special demystifying effects, and should have had only a third of the mithril bullet’s power against vampires. At best, with Qian Ye’s particularly fierce original force, it would have been half.

Moreover, the higher the vampire’s tier, the more the power is diminished. In front of a vampire’s potent regenerative ability, any non-lethal physical damage is merely superficial, and without the continuous damaging effect of silver, a fourth-tier vampire remains a significant threat.

This was why Qian Ye had risked a direct confrontation to finish the job. Yet, the elder vampire’s current condition seemed even worse than what a mithril bullet would have caused, nearly killing him with a single shot.

Qian Ye recalled the mysterious blood aura he had infused into the bullet. Could that be the reason?

Pausing for only a moment, Qian Ye ignored the two dying vampires on the ground.

He dashed into the night, chasing after the escaping vampire. Instead of closing in directly, Qian Ye estimated the distance, raised Dawn’s Light, kneeled, aimed, and fired in one fluid motion.

Dawn’s Light, fully charged with original force, formed a new energy bullet. As he pulled the trigger, a burst of light erupted from the barrel, striking the young vampire’s back!

The young vampire let out a horrific scream but managed to stay on his feet, staggering a few steps forward. Suddenly, he heard Qian Ye’s voice: “You can rest now.”

A silver-coated dagger buried itself in his heart, and the briefcase was securely in Qian Ye’s hands.

A quick inspection of the case revealed a complex mechanism beyond his skills to disarm. It seemed he would have to wait the three hours.

But there was one more important task: Ji Gongzi.

He turned and sprinted towards Black Stream City, stopping briefly to hide the briefcase in a pre-arranged, concealed spot.

Seventy kilometers from Black Stream City, a truck was parked by the roadside. Qi Yue and the old man stood by, looking disgruntled, while the guard crawled under the truck, swapping tools, obviously checking something.

Moments later, the guard emerged, saying, “Young Master, it’s the power transmission pipe! It’s cracked, and all the power steam has leaked out. No wonder we couldn’t move.”

Qi Yue frowned, asking, “Sabotage?”

“Unlikely. It looks like it was scratched by a rock on the road.”

“Damn! These damn quartermasters! Can’t they be a little less corrupt!” After cursing, Qi Yue relaxed a bit, then asked, “How long to fix it?”

“It’s a minor issue. Twenty minutes, at most half an hour.”

Satisfied with the guard’s answer, Qi Yue decided to wait for the truck to be repaired.

This place was still far from Black Stream City, and walking would take over two hours and leave him exhausted. Waiting for the truck and driving back would also take two hours.

Though slightly frustrated, Qi Yue was in a good mood. He had completed a very important transaction, and his status in the family would rise significantly, along with gaining favor with a high-ranking official.

That person was his father’s superior’s superior. Building this relationship, then gaining experience and recognition in the expeditionary forces, would allow Qi Yue to surpass his father. With luck, he might even climb higher, possibly even relocating to the upper continents.

Thinking of the future, Qi Yue felt the time pass more easily.

The guard began fixing the truck, clinking and clanking away.

As Qian Ye approached under the cover of night, he saw the scene he had anticipated, and the best possible outcome.

Qian Ye had damaged the truck’s power pipe, a simple task for a Red Scorpion like him, leaving no trace. His greatest concern was Qi Yue abandoning the truck and walking back to Black Stream City, which would complicate the tracking and pursuit.

Fortunately, Qi Yue, true to his reputation, preferred comfort and stayed to wait for the truck to be fixed.

Dawn’s Light was now fully charged, the last original force bullet Qian Ye could use tonight. He held his breath and patiently approached Qi Yue.

One hundred meters, ninety meters… until he was within thirty meters, and still undetected.

“Young Master! The truck is fixed!” The guard called out, climbing out from under the truck.

Qian Ye saw Qi Yue and the old man turn to look at the guard, and he immediately threw a grenade, aiming Dawn’s Light at the guard and pulling the trigger.

Seeing the black object flying towards them, Qi Yue and the old man’s faces changed, and they shouted, “Grenade!” diving to either side.

Both watched the grenade’s trajectory, knowing that if Qi Yue got five meters away, he’d only suffer minor injuries, not affecting his combat.

The grenade hit the ground, the top popped off, and a bundle of tin foil shot out, transforming into a blinding flash.

Blinded, Qi Yue and the old man saw only white, everything else vanishing. The flash, effective against vampires, was also potent against humans in the dark. This unexpected trick was hard to guard against.

Qian Ye watched the final original force bullet strike the guard’s face, exploding his head, then he threw Dawn’s Light.

The heavy, old-style pistol, weighing ten kilograms, became a deadly weapon in flight, smashing into the disoriented old man’s head, splattering blood across his face, and knocking him unconscious.

Qian Ye then charged at Qi Yue like a ghost.

Qi Yue’s eyes, barely open, were red and swollen, tears streaming down. Qian Ye punched him in the stomach, doubling him over, and then another punch to the back, making him collapse. A kick to the face sent Qi Yue flying, spattering blood and teeth.

Qian Ye’s immense strength, disproportionate to his size, broke Qi Yue’s resistance, leaving the second-tier warrior moaning in the mud.

Qian Ye slowly approached Qi Yue, squatted, and patted his face, saying, “Ji Gongzi, we meet again.”