The earliest records of vampires in China emerged twenty years ago, but their existence was only confirmed three years ago. At that time, the still-active Vermilion Bird encountered an ancestral vampire who called himself Dracula near the northeastern border. This vampire possessed power far surpassing that of high-level awakened individuals.
According to subsequent investigations, vampires are classified into six ranks: Progenitor, Ancestor, Royal, Lord, Baron, and Thrall.
A single Ancestor-level vampire is capable of destroying a small to medium-sized nation on its own. With numerous subordinates under their command, an Ancestor can pose a threat equivalent to a full-scale national war.
Dracula attempted to infiltrate China through the northeastern border but was detected by the Vermilion Bird. Their battle lasted three days and three nights. However, it was less of a fight and more of a one-sided pursuit.
Relying on the tenacious vitality of vampires, Dracula sacrificed most of his subordinates and barely escaped the border, on the verge of death.
Yet, just three days after the battle ended, news of Dracula’s death was disclosed through secret channels. Along with this announcement came the revelation that Cain, the Progenitor vampire who had been slumbering in Bran Castle in Romania, had awakened.
Cain flamboyantly declared the establishment of a new nation and quickly turned the humans around the castle into vampires. The area has now become a small vampire state, attracting ordinary people with exceptionally high benefits and claiming to have achieved a symbiotic relationship between humans and vampires.
The true power of the Progenitor has never been displayed, but according to related legends, it is described as an existence that has touched the “Domain of the Gods.” Chinese researchers believe the Progenitor’s intentions are impure and that he is likely preparing for a breakthrough. Thus, China did not approve Cain’s application to establish a nation.
As a result, the international community also does not recognize the legitimacy of Cain’s nation. In response, Cain began to retaliate against China.
In recent years, due to the disappearance of the Vermilion Bird, supernatural creatures from beyond the borders have set their sights on China.
Small groups of vampires have already infiltrated the country. Most are at the Baron or Lord level, equivalent to low or mid-tier awakened individuals.
According to investigations, most of them successfully smuggled themselves into China half a month ago, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the appearance of a mystical realm in the northern border region.
These invading vampires are almost indistinguishable from ordinary humans and have even overcome their weakness to sunlight. Many of the captured individuals refer to themselves as “Ultimate Lifeforms.”
Due to the vampires’ ability to turn humans into their kind, Pioneers and special supernatural forces have been ordered to fully pursue and capture them.
Xue Ji opened the vampire threat map in the file and clicked on the section for City A. Song Liangpeng’s photo appeared prominently, specially marked as a person of interest to the Holy Inquisition.
The incident involving Song Liangpeng actually led to cooperation between China’s supernatural forces and Europe’s Holy Inquisition. No wonder Xue Ji kept seeing short videos of foreign nuns visiting China lately.
“This time, I’m really opening my eyes to the world,” Xue Ji thought, feeling excited as she recalled the enthusiastic, blonde, blue-eyed sisters.
[Song Liangpeng: possessor of an unprecedented vampire antibody. Under strict protection.]
Xue Ji finally understood why there were several awakened individuals in disguise among the students in the neighboring class—they were protecting him.
The higher-ups were using him as bait. Given Song Liangpeng’s unique nature, all vampires within the country would inevitably come out in full force. This might even provoke action from the Progenitor himself, presenting an opportunity to test or even eliminate him.
“Wow, this little No. 3 Middle School is truly full of hidden talents. Even someone chosen by fate like this could appear here.”
“I should ask the principal to dig under the school someday. Maybe there’s some kind of treasure hidden beneath it.”
‘Why did Song Liangpeng come to me, though?’ Xue Ji pondered, suddenly recalling that during the previous mission to rescue Zhao Cheng’s team in the forest, the person lying on the ground seemed to be him.
In other words, Song Liangpeng must have been separated from the group and encountered a vampire. Thinking of this, Xue Ji decided to ask Zhao Cheng about the situation at the time. As for Song Liangpeng, there was no rush. She needed to find an opportunity to speak with him alone to avoid disrupting the plan to use him as bait.
Under the shade of a tree, Xue Ji dispelled her magic and went to look for Zhao Cheng among the resting teams. Surprisingly, the instructors were the same group she had worked with on the decapitation mission: Blade, Hawkeye, and “Soraka.”
Recognizing her, they did not stop her.
The moment she appeared on the large field, she attracted everyone’s attention. A white-haired lolita girl, wearing oversized school uniform, her short legs pattering along, her blue eyes blinking—she looked like a character straight out of an anime, impossibly cute and impossible to ignore.
The boys, who had been half-dead after endurance training, suddenly perked up. Even their ragged breathing was deliberately controlled to appear calm and composed.
The result was that some couldn’t recover properly, feeling dizzy and almost fainting, causing a commotion among the surrounding teams.
The girls’ gazes were even more direct, as if they were asking Xue Ji what color of sack she preferred.
“Classmate, my cat can do backflips. Would you like to see?” a tall girl boldly called out.
Xue Ji looked puzzled. Why would a cat do backflips? But then she remembered the cat-eared mercenaries she had seen in another world—their combat prowess was not to be underestimated, in more ways than one.
A cat-eared older sister had once told her that a cat doing backflips was a sign of evolution. She herself had done a backflip, fallen onto her owner, and when she opened her eyes, she had turned into a cat girl.
‘So that’s it!’ Xue Ji smacked her right hand into her left palm, a look of sudden understanding on her face, a strand of her hair sticking straight up.
She said seriously, “Congratulations, you’re about to have a cat girl.”
The confusion now shifted to the female student’s face. Little did she know, Xue Ji’s words would soon come true.
Xue Ji arrived at Zhao Cheng’s team, holding a bottle of cola.
The already hot weather, combined with the intense training, had left the close-combat awakened individuals feeling especially heated. Xue Ji’s arrival with cola made them crave it even more, especially since it was from her.
To catch her attention, they flexed their muscles and struck poses, drawing side glances from girls in other teams.
Then, right in front of everyone, Xue Ji walked toward Zhao Cheng, who was lying on the ground.
Zhao Cheng was lying there drenched in sweat when he suddenly felt the light dim. He opened his eyes to see Xue Ji bending over to look at him.
Just making eye contact with her brought him a sense of peace and tranquility.
“Here, I brought you some ice-cold cola,” Xue Ji said, handing the bottle to Zhao Cheng.
The scene broke the hearts of countless boys and girls. They glared at the chubby Zhao Cheng, grinding their teeth in frustration.
Zhao Cheng sat up and took the cola. Seeing it was Pepsi, his face immediately fell.
“Pepsi? Even a dog wouldn’t—” he began, but before he could finish, Shen Dai, who had run over, shot him a glare.
Among the onlookers, many knew Zhao Cheng, and Shen Dai was a well-known beauty in the school. Her arrival drew even more attention.
Those who loved drama and excitement were thrilled—a showdown was brewing.
To outsiders, it looked like Xue Ji had brought Zhao Cheng a drink, only to run into Shen Dai. Some were already laughing as they imagined what would happen next. But then they thought of their own lonely eighteen years and couldn’t bring themselves to laugh anymore.
“Dammit, why does that chubby guy get two girls fighting over him?” someone voiced the thoughts of everyone present.
However, what happened next left them even more bewildered.
Shen Dai wasn’t there to pick a fight. Instead, she hugged Xue Ji affectionately.
Zhao Cheng could feel the sharp glares from everyone around him. His heart felt colder than the cola in his hand.
“Ji-ge, your appeal is a bit too strong. I feel like I’m going to be targeted.”
Although it was Xue Ji’s first time experiencing the feeling of having people grit their teeth over her, she had to admit—it felt really good.
“Hey, sorry for being so adorable,” she replied with an innocent smile.
In the distance, on a crooked tree, a bird with crimson feathers was frantically pecking at the trunk, as if venting its frustration.