He Zhixin took advantage of the two women’s inattention, sneaked over to the delivery guy, and whispered hoarsely, “Later, I’ll lure them away. You run for your life when you get the chance.”
The delivery guy stared at him in terror. Thinking he hadn’t heard clearly, He Zhixin repeated himself, then suddenly shouted, “Look over there!” pointing in a random direction.
But Shay and Xueji just stared at him as if he were an idiot.
Shay looked at him with confusion and bluntly remarked, “Scared out of your mind?”
“Seems like it,” Xueji said, turning away to wait for the elevator doors to open, completely ignoring He Zhixin’s antics.
He Zhixin burned with anger at being dismissed, but now wasn’t the time to argue—survival came first.
While the two were focused on the elevator, he seized the chance to hoist the delivery guy onto his shoulder. “Bro, I’m getting you out of here!”
The delivery guy took one look at He Zhixin’s disheveled appearance and the two well-equipped women, weighing his options. Neither seemed reliable, but if he had to choose, the women seemed like the safer bet.
“Uh, maybe I’ll just stay here…” the delivery guy said awkwardly.
“Don’t worry, we’re bros. No need to be polite.”
“Really, it’s fine…”
Ignoring his protests, He Zhixin dashed toward the door with the delivery guy on his shoulder, then bolted for the stairwell.
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and a dozen half-transformed vampires poured out.
“Shay, they’re still human—don’t kill them!” Xueji reminded her.
Shay clicked her tongue in annoyance but sheathed her sword.
These half-vampires were just enhanced humans. Even holding back, Shay had no trouble taking them down. She partially transformed her limbs, retracting her claws so she looked like she was wearing a mascot costume.
With her incredible agility, she effortlessly weaved through the half-vampires, swatting them down one by one like whack-a-mole. In under a minute, she’d taken out most of them.
“This isn’t even a warm-up. How boring,” Shay said, cracking her knuckles.
She was itching for a real fight.
“Let’s not waste time here. There are stronger opponents ahead,” Xueji said, taking Shay’s hand and leading her toward the stairwell.
Shay’s hand was still partially transformed, so her grip enveloped Xueji’s entire hand.
‘Her hand is so soft…’ Shay couldn’t help tightening her hold slightly.
‘It feels so nice… I want to keep holding it.’ For some reason, all sorts of strange thoughts were popping into her head tonight.
‘Whatever. I can’t let someone as good as Xueji fall into Ling Xiaoxiao’s hands!’
The memory of what Ling Xiaoxiao had done to Xueji that night made Shay furious. And on top of that, she’d been spanked by that woman! As the Wolf King, she had to get revenge.
Xueji winced in pain. “Shay, ease up. You’re hurting me.”
Inside her consciousness, Lilith overheard the commotion and blushed.
“Eww… is this even allowed to be broadcast?”
……
Meanwhile, He Zhixin had already carried the delivery guy down to the 11th floor.
The delivery guy was surprised by how strong this scrawny-looking guy was. Maybe he’s actually capable after all.
Just as he was thinking that, He Zhixin suddenly stopped.
The stairwell plunged into darkness. Whether it was an illusion or not, an eerie chill crept down their spines. If they had looked up, they would have seen pairs of glowing red eyes staring down at them greedily.
Sensing the danger, He Zhixin set the delivery guy down.
Pretending to be exhausted, he panted heavily and said with a solemn expression, “Bro, even my strength has its limits. I’m afraid we might not make it out this time.”
The delivery guy quickly thanked him and reassured him, “It’s okay. You already saved me once, and you called me ‘bro.’ What kind of friend would I be if I abandoned you now?”
“Here, lean on my shoulder. Let’s keep going,” he said, reaching out to help He Zhixin up from where he’d slumped against the wall.
“Bro…” He Zhixin’s voice trembled as he looked at the delivery guy with intense emotion, like Bo Ya meeting Zi Qi.
Just then, Shay and Xueji caught up to them.
Shay looked disgusted, as if she’d tasted something foul.
“Two grown men being so sentimental? Eww…”
Her words broke the moment.
The two men stared in disbelief at Shay and Xueji, who were completely unharmed.
“You escaped too? That’s great!” He Zhixin said with exaggerated delight, acting as if they were old friends.
Without a word, Shay drew her sword and raised it overhead, ready to strike He Zhixin.
“Wait, little girl, have mercy!” He Zhixin pleaded, terrified. Somehow, he knew this strike would kill him.
The pressure from Shay’s aura froze him in place—he could only watch as the sword descended.
In that desperate moment, his survival instincts kicked in.
Had he adapted to the pressure?
No. Driven by pure self-preservation, he grabbed the startled delivery guy and used him as a human shield.
“What are you doing?!” the delivery guy cried out.
But He Zhixin felt an unprecedented sense of relief and exhilaration.
“I won’t forget you, bro! Hahahaha!” He laughed maniacally.
Shay’s sword didn’t waver. If anything, her killing intent intensified.
Her expression darkened as she swung her blade—three vampires fell, cleanly sliced in half.
Seeing this, He Zhixin realized he’d made a terrible mistake. He’d been arrogantly overestimating himself all along.
But would he truly admit he was wrong?
Of course not.
“You—you’re this powerful? Why didn’t you say so sooner? This is your fault for making me do this!”
From childhood, the only lesson He Zhixin had learned from his parents was that no matter what he did, someone else was always to blame.
He couldn’t join the Special Forces because his ability wasn’t suitable; because his classmates pressured him too much; because the instructors didn’t appreciate talent.
Just then, a swarm of bats burst through the stairwell door, surrounding them. Dozens of true vampires emerged from among the bats—they looked almost human, but their eerie, mesmerizing eyes held a hypnotic allure.
“Ladies, I believe we can have a civilized discussion,” said a tall man in a suit, with slicked-back hair and a thick gold chain. His voice was deep and imposing.
Xueji sensed his aura—he was a Vampire Lord, a threat even most intermediate-level Awakened couldn’t handle.
The dim stairwell was lit only by a flickering bulb casting a weak white glow.
‘Heaven helps me!’ He Zhixin thought. Seizing the opportunity, he hurled the delivery guy toward the Vampire Lord. In the resulting confusion, he elbowed a short, dwarfish vampire blocking his path.
But the vampire didn’t budge. After a stunned second, He Zhixin leaped up, planted both hands on the vampire’s head, and used the momentum to vault over the encircling crowd.
“Hahaha! This is my escape route!” he yelled, sliding down the banister.