Chapter 72: Blood Feast Hell
Rushing through the passage at high speed, two star-shaped flames suddenly flickered in the dark room ahead. Jiang Yao was startled and instantly leaned back, lowering her body, sliding in almost in a split position.
The deafening sound of bullets tearing through the air expanded in the basement as countless bullets whizzed over the girl’s head, a few strands of her light golden hair flying up quietly, burning in the pitch-black corridor.
At the same time, Jiang Yao repeatedly pulled the trigger, and a muffled grunt came from the darkness at the end.
A click echoed as both sides ran out of bullets.
A blinding light expanded, illuminating both the passage and the room at the end.
The sound of heavy footsteps approached from behind; Jiang Yao knew that Zhou Ping and the others were coming. Although they had not yet seen one of the knights, the Black Blood Clan members were clearly trapped in the basement, with no way to escape.
A cold chuckle came from ahead. Jiang Yao dropped her handgun and slowly stood up. Gripping her dagger tightly, she began to move forward, step by step, into the room at the end of the passage.
The room was large and more elaborately decorated, likely the residence of the highest-ranking member of this dominant clan.
Turning her head, Jiang Yao immediately saw the previously injured Black Blood knight glaring at her viciously. Behind him stood a small youth, looking as tender as a middle schooler, but his expression was particularly cold.
“Does Hyacinth have nothing better to do than to come to J City to show off…”
The small Black Blood knight sneered, a creepy sound erupted from his body as muscles and bones twisted, his limbs elongating.
With the total mass of his body unchanged, he grotesquely transformed into a lanky, hunchbacked figure, resembling a sinister ghoul.
Jiang Yao had seen this appearance before—on the night she first went with Jiang Yun to trade blood, she encountered this bloodthirsty, out-of-control Black Blood knight, who looked just as disgusting, even appearing in the scene of a blood battle in a certain underground factory in D City.
Is this the Caucasian Blood Clan? A talent that can distort all the bones in the body? A series of information suddenly flashed through Jiang Yao’s mind.
Her eyes glanced inadvertently behind the distorted Caucasian Blood knight; in just a second, her pupils suddenly constricted, and she shuddered involuntarily.
In the corner, there was a bloody female corpse hanging from an iron frame about a person’s height. The corpse had almost no intact flesh, with bloody ragged openings everywhere, and half of the ribcage was exposed, stained with blood.
Zhou Ping and the others rushed in, a dozen weapons pointed at the two Black Blood knights, but like Jiang Yao, everyone’s complexion turned serious, with several hands trembling around their weapons.
“Haha, unfortunate companion!”
The Black Blood leader turned slightly to glance at the back, a glimmer of cunning flashing across his twisted, emaciated face. With a step forward, the ceiling above exploded in a collapse-like manner, countless bricks and rubble pouring down from the roof, obstructing everyone’s sight.
“Boss!”
They had thought that with the combined strength of their two knights, they could completely turn the situation around. However, not knowing that their boss would directly flee without a word, they turned around abruptly, but it was too late.
The injured Black Blood knight was caught by his boss by the throat and tossed like a hawk throwing a chick; he soared into the air, crashing toward Zhou Ping and Jiang Yao.
Immediately afterward, the Caucasian Black Blood knight pressed down with his legs and leaped out of the escape hole in the ceiling, clawing at the wall with his hands and feet, twisting in an exaggerated manner as he ascended in the dark vertical passage.
“Fire!”
Dozens of SSM silent rifles set to continuous fire mode almost simultaneously shot bullets, turning the naked Black Blood knight flying in mid-air into a charred bag of flesh emitting black smoke.
“As expected from the Black Blood Clan, they feel no psychological burden when sacrificing their own. Unfortunately, we didn’t complete Sister Kuan and Brother Zheng’s orders; we didn’t catch them all… Xiao Yao, it’s not your fault; no one expected it to be like this.”
Zhou Ping regretfully lowered her gun and turned to grasp Jiang Yao’s arm.
Actually, from the moment the Caucasian knight fled, Jiang Yao had already stepped out of battle mode. The girl’s gaze lingered on the corpse of the girl who looked like she had been dead for a long time, and her bright tears blurred her blood-red eyes.
“Xiao Yao… don’t be like this… the Black Blood Clan are all bloodthirsty maniacs.”
Seeing some young companions around also looking dejected, Zhou Ping sighed deeply, wrapping her arms around Jiang Yao’s body, gently patting her back.
“Sister Xiao Yao, Sister Xiao Ping, Brother Zheng has found the room where the blood servants are kept…”
Xiao Mei, who had helped Jiang Yao with her travel bag yesterday afternoon, approached, looking down and reporting in a low voice. She was a member of the support team that hadn’t participated in the battle just now. At this moment, her face was pale, and her expression was not better than Jiang Yao’s, who had no psychological preparation.
“How many are left?” Zhou Ping asked.
“There are twelve people left, including five women… Brother Zheng is choosing…”
Xiao Mei’s voice grew softer, and by the end, she was on the verge of tears.
…
In the small, pigsty-like underground prison, there was only a dim light.
All the blood servants, raised as blood food by the Black Blood Clan, were naked, some with blank, dazed expressions, and others curled up in corners with hollow gazes. The ground was littered with dried blood stains and various excrement and food remnants.
The stench of feces, urine, blood, and the intense, rotting smell of decaying flesh filled this hellish blood-feeding ground.
As the tactical flashlight scanned the area, Zhou Ping, who had followed Hyacinth into battle for many years, couldn’t help but close her eyes and covered Jiang Yao’s eyes with her hand.
“I’m fine…”
Jiang Yao brushed Zhou Ping’s hand away and walked slowly toward a girl whose legs were gone, squatting down gently to cover her with the clothes Xiao Mei had brought.
Nearby, a blood servant boy who had lost both arms and a leg was still grinning foolishly. His immune system was likely on the verge of collapse, and the wounds on his body had already begun to rot, emitting waves of nausea-inducing odors.
“Sister, I want to go home…”
The blood servant girl, who had lost her legs, finally showed a flicker of life in her empty eyes, reaching out weakly to grasp Jiang Yao’s arm.
“Okay, I’ll take you home…”
Jiang Yao slowly embraced the broken blood servant girl, tears streaming down her face.
“The Black Blood Clan is a bunch of beasts, the scum of humanity…”
Zhou Ping covered her face and turned away, her shoulders shaking continuously. Her emotional change triggered the surrounding Hyacinth boys and girls to start crying as well.
At the scene, aside from Zheng Shaolin, there was hardly a Hyacinth member whose emotions were stable.
“Brother Zheng… take them all…”
Jiang Yao stood up and walked to Zheng Shaolin, her face pleading.
The sturdy man in front of her simply shook his head, waved his hand, and a few people behind him stepped forward, wrapping four healthy blood servants—two males and two females—in clothes and carrying them out of the room.
The remaining eight were mostly too physically broken to live normally in the future.
After the operation concluded, Zhou Ping organized everyone to clear the scene, reminding them to take all the Black Blood Clan corpses…
Zheng Shaolin turned his back to the crowd, shaking his hand. He drew a gun from his thigh and slowly walked towards the broken bodies.
In the dim basement behind them, gunshots rang out, each shot reflecting a bright light in the corridor, causing Jiang Yao to shed another tear.
Flames rose in waves, gradually covering the dilapidated little village, like a massive open-air crematorium illuminated in the bleak darkness of a moonless wilderness, releasing all the hopeful and despairing souls.
…
In the world of Longquan Mountain, the seasonal cycle seemed more real, the forest rustled, and the red leaves were once more blown down the mountain, the greenery thinning, heralding another refreshing autumn day.
Seemingly tireless, Zheng Shaolin was vigorously busy in the kitchen at just seven in the morning, making buns, dumplings, glutinous rice balls, and soy milk.
It had been less than four hours since Zheng Shaolin returned to the Hyacinth Manor, and the members who had participated in the overwhelming offensive and defensive battle were all sound asleep in their respective rooms.
Very few were eating breakfast, among them being Wan Yue and Zhong Jing, the former leisurely tearing apart a steamed bun while the latter seemed a bit unfocused.
“What’s wrong? Missing Jiang Yao? Your face looks so bad.”
Wan Yue peeled an egg, saying nonchalantly, “She was busy all night and scared all night; she needs rest…”
“Not really… I have a bit of diarrhea.”
Zhong Jing awkwardly held a cup of soy milk, drinking it with much internal conflict. “After you guys left yesterday, I was also up half the night… sigh, I guess it’s the more natural ingredients and environment here that my city-bred stomach can’t handle?”
“I’m curious how you, with your awkward phrasing, manage to attract women? Is it just money?”
Wan Yue rolled her eyes, staring at Zhong Jing for quite a while before adding, “Diarrhea that severe, you probably didn’t sleep well either; no wonder your complexion is off. Go find Zheng Shaolin later and get some medicine.”
“Uh… there’s nothing special in the medicine, right?”
Zhong Jing nodded first, then seemed to remember something, quickly lowering his voice: “Master, for treating diarrhea, there shouldn’t be any special effects made by the Blood Clan, right?”
Wan Yue sighed, ruffling Zhong Jing’s handsome hair with a hint of disdain on her lips: “Go on, take the medicine and rest; we still have a couple of days to enjoy here.”
The few newcomers from the Hyacinth who hadn’t participated in last night’s operation gradually emerged from the dining room to start their activities. The main focus remained on practicing self-control techniques for internal and external hormones, which were all slow-going efforts that would accompany them for life against the Blood Clan.
Zheng Shaolin, holding a large basin of dumplings, finally walked out from the kitchen and sat in front of Wan Yue.
“Let one slip away?” Wan Yue lit a cigarette, her expression calm. “Did Jiang Yao make a mistake?”
“Yes, that boss of the Bawang Clan had secured the escape routes well, and there were a few unexpected circumstances from the start, so it can’t be said that Xiao Yao underperformed.”
Zheng Shaolin stuffed dumplings into his mouth one by one, answering casually, “Other than the head, most of the spoils are intact, and there were no casualties.”
“Plus, besides letting the Caucasian Blood knight escape due to emotional fluctuations at the end, Jiang Yao performed quite well overall; it’s only been four months, and she’s been trained like this by Sister Wan; she can take on more responsibility in the future!”
Zheng Shaolin briefly summarized the performance of all Hyacinth members who participated yesterday’s mission, evidently quite satisfied with Jiang Yao.
“She? She’s at this level without needing training, what’s so surprising? Didn’t you start that way too?”
Wan Yue smiled, putting down her chopsticks, her eyes flashing with a mysterious color: “Haven’t you noticed her tactical moves and some habits?”
Hearing this, Zheng Shaolin almost stood up, glancing around before lowering his voice with excitement: “She’s from the Dark Arrow Team? Which squad? No wonder I felt she wasn’t like an inexperienced newcomer; she must have undergone a full training program. What about her sister?”
“Same goes for her… other details are confidential for now; I’m also verifying some things.”
Wan Yue blinked her pretty eyes, stopping Zheng Shaolin’s speculation. “Also, the four we rescued should remain here; you take them to observe for a while, and I’ll see them again.”
Zheng Shaolin nodded, preparing to get up when he caught a glimpse of something black in the corner of his eye outside the dining room and raised his head, smiling as he waved.
Jiang Yao, who had only slept for a little over three hours, was now wearing a gray and black short denim dress, her light golden hair tied back in a single ponytail, slowly walking into the dining room with her head down.
“Sister Wan, Brother Zheng.”
Jiang Yao forced a smile and sat down on a bench not far from Wan Yue, looking at the abundant breakfast in front of her but showing no intention of eating.
“This isn’t your first battle with the Black Blood Clan; is there still something you can’t get past?”
Wan Yue, smoking a cigarette, said gently, tinged with a hint of helplessness, “If it were Jiang Yan, she probably would have devoured two plates by now.”
“She’s an old hand who’s been through it for years; of course, she’s used to it. I’m a newbie…”
Jiang Yao murmured with a hint of annoyance, finally grabbing a bun, but just as she was about to put it in her mouth, she realized she might have misspoken, her face turning a mix of red and white.
That was close; I almost blurted out something again! Jiang Yao couldn’t help but reach up to knock her own head with her finger.
Wan Yue chuckled and exchanged glances with Zheng Shaolin before standing up and leaving the dining room.
…
In the following two days, the Hyacinth Manor returned to its previous leisurely rhythm; the oppressive battle seemed to have faded away. Compared to usual, there were many more members gathering during this holiday, and with a moderate victory, the atmosphere was lively and cheerful.
Early in the morning, Jiang Yao sat alone at the edge of a pool under a waterfall, idly tossing small stones at the fish inside, her mood still low. Except for Wan Yue, this aloof leader of Hyacinth, none of the other two knights dared to approach her closely, especially considering her current emotional state.
“Fresh apricots from the mountains! Try them, they’re sweet!”
A hand reached into view, palm open, two walnut-sized yellow apricots wobbling slightly. Jiang Yao turned her head and saw Zhong Jing’s gentle smile.
“I lost face for you the day before yesterday; shouldn’t you still be sulking?”
Jiang Yao rolled her eyes, grabbing both apricots, stuffing them into her mouth and gradually chewing them with puffed cheeks. “Do as you like; I won’t comfort you.”
“Sister Xiao Ping mentioned what happened that night… I envy your chivalrous life.”
Zhong Jing found a comfortable spot on a large rock, lying back and staring into the distant red, green, and yellow autumn forest, a faint smile on his face: “When I was a kid, I wanted to be a superhero and beat up bad guys. Now, I’m just a follower of a group of superheroes.”
“I am too, but I don’t want to beat up bad guys; I want to fight those who bullied me…”
Jiang Yao glanced at the young man’s relaxed posture and picked up another stone from the pool to play with in her hand. “My sister and I used to do some tests; to put it simply, my emotional control is poor, and my focus isn’t enough—I’m pretty useless in that regard, the kind that is better off ignored.”
“Your sister, Jiang Yan? I actually find her quite peculiar, too mature, rigid, and lacking in femininity; it’s funny, she seems more like my brother…”
“I think you are pretty good, you know, as a girl—being a bit pretty, a little hot-headed, lacking focus, being a bit reckless, and a bit clumsy are all normal.”
When Zhong Jing said this, he chuckled, recalling various details of interactions between Meng Huai and Jiang Yan at the hospital and the dining table.
“Wait… are you complimenting me or belittling me? Do you mean I have femininity?”
Hearing Zhong Jing’s series of comments about Jiang Yan, Jiang Yao couldn’t agree more, nodding frequently. However, when it came to her own description, it felt a bit awkward.
“Uh? A bit more hot-headed girls do have charm, but who would want to be with a real tomboy? Not to mention guys, even girls might hesitate. Perhaps just my brother would…”
“Both he and Jiang Yan give me a sense of dread, as if they crawled out from a sea of corpses…”
Zhong Jing spoke slowly, his expression gradually becoming serious as he recalled every detail of his years with Meng Huai: “I feel like your sister is someone who can take in all the dull and indifferent remarks from my brother; it’s quite interesting.”
Watching the lazy youth lounging on the rock, Jiang Yao lowered her head to glance at herself, feeling her cheeks redden awkwardly.
“Slide over a bit… Hey, didn’t you hear me? Slide over a bit!”
Jiang Yao slapped the young man’s leg. When he didn’t understand, she put more force into it, dragging Zhong Jing’s body to the edge of the rock, scaring him, thinking Jiang Yao intended to throw him into the waterfall pool.
Not caring about his expression, Jiang Yao leaned back, resting her head on his thigh, while probing a hand into the pool, splashing the water around.
“You made me cry yesterday… Zhong Jing, why does the world always have so many inhumane things happening? I thought only ordinary people feared the Blood Clan… I encountered the things I feared, and it was so surprising.”
Tears welled up in the corner of Jiang Yao’s eye suddenly, and she quickly used her wet hand from the pool to cover her face. The cold water diluted her tears, cooling her down while hiding some of her emotions.
Sigh… this Xiao Yao is too naive. She doesn’t realize that the brutality of the Blood Clan world is no less than that of the world of normal humans; the pains of life and the fragility of existence don’t change just because of the bloodshed that day.
Zhong Jing remembered what Wan Yue had mentioned, realizing that there might be more people coveting the Blood Clan than fearing them. The secret war spanning over two thousand years might have undergone shifts in nature long ago.
Noticing that Jiang Yao had sunk back into her emotions, Zhong Jing slowly got up, gazing at her face—now wet, whether from crying or playing with water—and gradually reached out to stroke her light golden ponytail.
“Is your hair fun to play with?” Jiang Yao suddenly mumbled.
“Ah, it’s, um, okay…”
Zhong Jing awkwardly nodded and quickly retracted his hand.
“Then you keep playing; I want to take a nap…”
With that, Jiang Yao turned over, using Zhong Jing’s thigh as a pillow, letting out soft snores, seemingly finally relaxing her mind and body after the battles.
In the past, whenever she was sad, it was always Xia Yan who kept her company. Resting her head on Xia Yan’s thigh, with Xia Yan stroking her hair, was what gave her peace to fall asleep.
Zhong Jing lit a cigarette, with one hand gently resting on the girl’s long hair, puffing out smoke rings while his eyes scanned the distant autumn landscape of the mountains, his expression gradually turning calm and indifferent.
In the distance, Wan Yue slowly approached, finally stopping by Zhong Jing and the sleeping Jiang Yao.
“Jiang Yan isn’t here; just because she couldn’t find you doesn’t mean you’re someone she can truly rely on, understand?”
Wan Yue glanced at the sleeping girl, sighing softly.
“I know; she needs a companion more than anything else, rather than emotional support.”
Zhong Jing smiled, indifferent.
