Chapter 8: Return to the City
The middle-aged man with a beard was called Huang Gu, at least that was his name now.
Huang Gu was just an unfortunate fellow. After being turned into a bloodsucker, he chose not to affiliate with any vampire family or faction. Instead, he went into hiding like a lost dog and has since become a part of the small town.
For over thirty years, Huang Gu had to change his residence every seven to eight years, slowly growing from a lowly blood servant to a mid-level attendant. However, due to his lack of personal abilities, he got stuck at this level over a decade ago and couldn’t rise any further.
Perhaps in a few more years, he would have to change his identity again and look for a new place to settle.
The memories of his former family had become blurry, and now Huang Gu was left with a dull reclusive life, having witnessed the country’s transformation from closed to open prosperity.
……
Late at night, on the highway from City D to City C, a small truck began to slow down and came to a stop outside a tunnel.
Ahead, dozens of cars were already backed up, and Huang Gu leaned out of the driver’s seat to look into the depths of the tunnel, where a temporary checkpoint had been set up halfway through.
“Hey, this is the fourth checkpoint we’ve hit today. I wonder what happened in City D a few days ago…”
Huang Gu flicked away his cigarette butt and spat out of the car window before turning slightly to glance at the cargo hold behind him.
At that moment, Xia Yan was intently pressed against the wall of the cargo area behind the driver’s seat. Her right hand gripped a pistol that had been ready to fire since their departure, while her left arm held the drowsy Gu Yao.
For some unknown reason, Gu Yao had begun showing symptoms similar to blood thirst shortly after they set off, appearing increasingly lethargic, as if suffering from motion sickness. Fortunately, her body temperature had not shown any abnormalities.
Along the way, Xia Yan had opened a bag of blood in an attempt to feed it to Gu Yao, but as soon as it touched her lips, she vomited, as if the blood tasted foul to her.
Feeling the small truck slowly moving through the tunnel, Xia Yan discreetly tucked her pistol away.
“Officer, I’m heading to City C. Hey, it’s the May Day holiday, my two nieces want to go out for some fun.”
After glancing at the driver’s license in his hand and matching it to the photograph, the cold-faced traffic officer said nothing, while another officer dressed similarly pointed a device resembling a camera at Huang Gu and filmed for several seconds.
Seeing his partner shake his head slightly, the officer turned his gaze to the cargo area, adopting a serious expression. “You have a small truck, carrying passengers in the back is against traffic regulations. Didn’t you know? I’ll write you a ticket, and you’ll have to pay it online.”
With that, the two officers walked toward the cargo door.
“Hey, this is how we do it in the countryside. When we’re not transporting goods, we just take relatives along—nothing out of the ordinary.”
Huang Gu nodded submissively and opened the cargo door himself.
Inside, two pretty young girls were huddled in the middle of a pile of packages, one with long black hair in a light blue T-shirt and gray black skinny jeans, and the other with long light golden hair in a white T-shirt and blue denim overalls, both wearing sneakers, looking just like college students on vacation.
“Uncle Huang, can you drive a little slower? I’m feeling a bit carsick.”
Xia Yan first looked at the traffic officer, momentarily stunned, before softly speaking to Huang Gu, tightening her embrace around Gu Yao.
The officer holding the special device filmed the two young ladies for several seconds before shaking his head slightly.
Faced with the device’s lens, Xia Yan maintained her composure, but her heart raced, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
She understood that this was a thermal imaging camera used for detecting body surface temperatures. This was already the fourth checkpoint since they hit the road today, but it was much simpler than before.
Under normal circumstances, the body surface temperature of bloodsuckers is about two degrees lower than that of ordinary people, which could easily expose an unprepared bloodsucker. At the very least, it served as critical evidence.
At that moment, the thermal imaging camera held by the disguised Dark Arrow member clearly outlined the silhouettes of the two young girls, and the readings seemed normal. The temperature of the light golden-haired girl was even slightly higher.
“Is it really worth saving that little money? Don’t you fear overheating in this season inside the car? Sigh…”
Looking at the sweating girl, the officer muttered and shook his head, making a gesture to let the blockade behind him pass.
The small truck exited the tunnel, and Xia Yan relaxed, leaning against the cargo wall in exhaustion, feeling her body drenched in sweat.
They had successfully entered the area of City C.
……
In District J of City C, an old neighborhood by the river awaiting demolition.
Across the river, the dazzling high-rise buildings were within reach, but here it felt like a massive heap of garbage waiting to be sorted out—old, disorganized, lifeless, and deserted.
Under the dim streetlights, a small truck slowly passed by and finally stopped at a dark corner.
The cargo door opened, and Xia Yan helped the weak Gu Yao out of the vehicle, offering a grateful smile to the bearded uncle.
“This bottle of warming medicine has some left; keep it for precaution. As for the internal and external hormone inhibitors, consider the previous ones my gift, but I can’t provide any more; they’re costly. You’ll have to manage on your own.”
Huang Gu held a cigarette in his mouth and fished a small paper box out of his pants pocket, handing it over to Xia Yan.
Having been shadowed throughout the journey, Xia Yan knew she had made the right bet: this middle-aged bloodsucker before her, who was only worthy of being an E-level task target, could be trusted as one of her kind.
“This is the contact information for an underground shop in City C. Blood, warming medicine—everything is available. If you’re lucky, you might even find both internal and external hormone inhibitors there. For your identity issues, you can look for this person.”
Huang Gu pulled out a piece of paper and a business card, shaking them under the streetlight before folding them together and handing them to Xia Yan.
“Thank you, Uncle Huang…”
Xia Yan nodded lightly, tightening her travel bag on her shoulder and ensuring Gu Yao’s body was steady.
“I’ll handle the aftermath of the Yang family’s incident. After that, it’s up to you to choose your path… Remember the rules of the bloodsuckers: don’t suck the blood of ordinary people on others’ turf. If you don’t know the other party’s background, it’s best to avoid them. For us wandering bloodsuckers, staying low-key and not causing trouble is the way to last longer. Sigh, there’s a hierarchy among bloodsuckers too.”
With a self-deprecating smile, he opened the truck door.
The two young girls gradually vanished into the darkness. Hours ago, the half-life of the external hormone inhibitors they injected hadn’t yet passed, so Huang Gu couldn’t sense where they had gone.
Once again, the area around the small truck fell into silence, with even the distant streetlight dimming weakly. Huang Gu exhaled the last puff of smoke and pulled out his phone.
“Wan Jie, it’s me, Huang Gu… Yeah, I found two promising newcomers, but there’s something odd. After being turned, they’ve reached the level of attendants; could you please take another look…
“…Yes, it’s a rare blood type. I suspect they might be former Dark Arrow members who were turned and could be related to the incident involving the Tang family early yesterday morning.”
After hanging up the phone, Huang Gu started the small truck and drove off.
In the demolition-awaiting neighborhood long forgotten by the times, in a crumbling building missing half its wall, Xia Yan gently laid the blurry Gu Yao down.
In the dim candlelight, Xia Yan gazed at the weak, flushed face of the light golden-haired girl, felt her burning arm, and minutes later silently unwrapped the bandage from her wrist, raising the fruit knife again.
The previous wound had healed without a trace; the wrist was as good as new. A new line of blood appeared, seeping droplets that filled the air with an invisible fragrance only certain individuals could detect.
Gu Yao, leaning against Xia Yan’s side, twitched her nose a few times as if manipulated by unseen strings, suddenly opening her eyes wide. Within seconds, her pupils turned red, yet her gaze remained empty.
Almost before Xia Yan could grab a cup, Gu Yao tightly seized her wrist and opened her mouth to latch onto it.
The sounds of greedy sucking and swallowing rose and fell softly; Xia Yan felt as if Gu Yao’s tongue was about to burrow into her wound.
“Huang Gu looked at me and Xiao Yao with a bit of fear, but when he first appeared, his strength was far above mine and Gu Yao’s. That explosive state of Xiao Yao’s, which came from who-knows-where, seemed to catch Huang Gu completely off guard; that must be a power only an attendant possesses.”
“What exactly did that terrifying giant meatball monster turn Xiao Yao into, and can I be sure that I’m fine?”
While stroking the confused yet absorbed Gu Yao, Xia Yan fell into deep thought.
A gust of night wind swept through the hall, extinguishing the candle in the corner, while Gu Yao, with a satisfied and happy expression, fell asleep in Xia Yan’s embrace. As for Xia Yan, she felt no drowsiness at all; she merely stared blankly at the night sky beyond the broken wall.
