Chapter 1 Departure
April 30, 2019, night.
Inside the vast base, lights were bright. Men and women in black combat uniforms moved through various passages and halls, occasionally a golf cart slowly passed by, hauling military supplies.
In the well-soundproofed indoor shooting range, the roar of gunfire echoed as men and women with rifles or handguns focused intently on their shooting training.
Dozens of moving targets darted through the range at high speed, shifting up and down, their paths complex and dazzling.
A tall young man in black combat gear had a calm expression as he frequently fired his handgun, unconcerned about frequently missing the targets. His eyes tracked the newly appeared moving target, quickly squeezing the trigger.
After firing the last bullet, he let out a soft sigh, pulled the slide to check that no bullets remained in the magazine, then placed the gun down and removed his ear protection.
“Brother, that’s amazing! You hit over 30% accuracy on such a high-difficulty moving target!”
A similarly uniformed young man leaned over, admiring the display screen at his shooting position.
With a baby face, he bore the faint trace of correction surgery for a cleft lip in childhood, giving his lips an unnaturally distinct line and marred his overall appearance.
“Xiao Yao, I’ve already told Team Leader Meng that you shouldn’t participate in today’s operation.”
The tall young man skillfully disassembled his handgun, neatly arranging the various parts in a specific order on the table, not raising his head, his chiseled face remaining expressionless.
“That’s impossible! Brother, I specifically applied to join the Xuanjia Team! I plan to work with you from now on!”
The baby-faced young man suddenly grew anxious, his face turning red, his high-pitched voice piercing through the noise of gunfire in the range.
After quietly watching the baby-faced young man for several seconds, the tall young man turned back and began reassembling his handgun, his movements precise and practiced.
“All units please pay attention, the Xuanjia Team’s 497th operation will commence in 2 hours. Support squad’s first inspection, logistics team’s first inspection… All assault team members please proceed to the operational conference hall, all assault team members please proceed to the operational conference hall.”
Just as the baby-faced young man wanted to say more, the electronic communication sound echoed through the shooting range, reaching everyone’s ear protection.
Both men and women in the shooting range simultaneously set down their weapons, removed their ear protections, and filed out.
A woman, as she passed by the tall young man, caught a glimpse of the display screen at the shooting station, seemingly stunned by his training results, revealing a hint of surprise, but quickly resumed her pace, exiting the shooting range.
“Hey, brother, you must be the best in the Xuanjia Team. Look at that girl, she was scared by your results.”
The baby-faced young man chuckled, feeling a sense of pride, and lightly whistled at the departing woman.
……
In the spacious operational conference hall, which could accommodate hundreds, there were only about seventy young men and women sitting at this time.
Most seats were empty, and everyone present seemed to deliberately keep their distance from each other, sitting sparsely.
Meng Huai paced slowly through the aisles between the seats, his cold gaze sweeping over the nearby team members, whether close or far.
No one spoke in the hall; only the steady, heavy sound of military boots striking the ground could be heard.
Each time Meng Huai passed by someone, the tall shadow of his body caused the seated members to straighten involuntarily.
As he passed a certain seat, Meng Huai stopped, slowly turned around, and looked at the baby-faced young man in front of him.
Feeling the pressure of the captain’s gaze, the baby-faced young man quickly stood up straight, not daring to look away.
He raised a hand and received a folder from his assistant, flipping through it before finally speaking: “Gu Yao, twenty years old, previously a delivery rider. Already completed all three phases of the Shadow Arrow Unit training, voluntarily applied to join the assault squad of the Xuanjia Team, officially joining yesterday.”
“Yes, Captain,” replied the young man named Gu Yao, puffing out his chest.
“Don’t you know the rules here? Relatives and friends are not allowed to be in the same operational team; you might not be able to stay here. Moreover, you just joined yesterday, so you don’t have to participate in today’s mission.”
As he spoke, Meng Huai’s gaze shifted to another tall young man’s position not far away.
“Why not!” Gu Yao suddenly turned his head, glaring resentfully at the unfamiliar major commander, “Don’t fool me! The training center staff said it was just a ‘suggestion’! The Shadow Arrow has never had such a formal rule! Why can’t I stay in the Xuanjia Team?”
Upon hearing this, many members of the Xuanjia Team cast complex looks in his direction.
Meng Huai ignored Gu Yao’s questioning, his expression cold, seeming to hear nothing as he continued to focus on a particular corner where another tall young man sat quietly.
“Xia Yan!”
Shaking off his distracting thoughts, Meng Huai called out the other man’s name.
In a swift motion, the tall young man stood up, as if he had already anticipated the outcome of Gu Yao’s interaction with Captain Meng.
“Which squad he goes to, you decide!”
Once finished, Meng Huai quickly walked toward the large projection wall in the hall, signaling with his hand to his female assistant that the briefing on the operation would officially begin.
The female assistant glanced around at the silent members of the Xuanjia Team, particularly at the proud Gu Yao, quietly sighed, then swiftly pressed the button on her remote control.
“This operation’s mission coordinates are in the mountainous area northeast of D City, Province S. The specific coordinates point to a secret military factory from the Three-Line Construction period, connected to the outside world by a half-century-old wartime road. In the early part of this century, due to bankruptcy and restructuring, the factory site is currently abandoned.”
Using the remote control, the female assistant flipped through maps and satellite photos on the large screen. The conference hall was silent, with only her voice breaking the stillness.
“The operation will officially commence at 1:30 AM. Three assault squads will take a transport plane and conduct a night descent on the wartime road in the mountainous area, then venture off-road into the operation area. They will breach from the factory’s south, north, and east sides, simultaneously controlling the ground factory buildings and the underground factory area!”
At this point, the female assistant used a wireless pen to draw several lines and key points on the screen.
“According to analysis from the Shadow Arrow’s Western Surveillance District intelligence department, a baron-level small vampire clan that has occupied D City will conduct a family initiation ceremony to develop new members at the mission coordinates. It is estimated there will be five to ten knight-level vampires, and encounters with baron-level vampires are possible. Therefore, the Xuanjia Team’s mission for this operation is rated as Class C. There is no requirement for living captures; the objective is to completely annihilate the on-site targets! The support squad is responsible for external cleanup and encirclement, followed by follow-up work by the intelligence squad.”
“Considering that the underground factory will still be preserved as a strategic national asset, no air force will be utilized for destructive bombing in this operation.”
As maps and details of the mission planning unfolded, the briefing lasted over half an hour, and all present looked grave. Such an all-out operation, especially one with a high probability of encountering noble vampires, was an experience most had never faced before.
“We will depart in an hour; everyone begin preparations. I know that most of you have only participated in two to three Class D, E, or even F missions, but I believe that as long as everyone strictly adheres to the combat regulations, dealing with a baron-level vampire small clan is not difficult.”
The electronic screen went dark, and Meng Huai stood up again, surveying all the team members.
Although his expression was calm and even somewhat cold, Meng Huai’s heart was heavy.
Because, currently, the assault squad of the Xuanjia Team was not only long-term understaffed, but also less than half of the veterans had service times exceeding one year.
……
In the weapons maintenance area, it was orderly and solemn.
Rows of firearms and unfamiliar equipment were neatly arranged on metal tables or shelves, and over seventy members clad in black uniforms silently organized their weapons and ammunition.
Opening a box of bullets, twelve-gauge shotgun shells glinted menacingly in front of Xia Yan as he picked one up and loaded it into his semi-automatic shotgun.
On the other side, Gu Yao pulled out silver-tipped bullets from another box, loading them into his handgun magazine.
“Brother, are silver bullets really able to kill vampires?” Gu Yao asked in a lower voice, his face showing a mix of nervousness and excitement as he filled several magazines.
“Hmm, it’s been a thousand years; mankind’s experience combating vampires… Your instructors at the training center should have told you all about it by now.”
Xia Yan answered while disassembling a semi-automatic shotgun into a scattered array of parts before reassembling it.
“Hey, it’s my first mission, I’m just too curious. By the way, brother, look at her.” Gu Yao imitated Xia Yan’s actions, dismantling his weapon while nodding towards a young woman not far away who was quietly preparing her gear, “It’s the one from the shooting range, the one admiring your shooting results, she’s pretty, what’s her name?”
“Hm?” Xia Yan slightly turned his neck, glancing briefly before nonchalantly checking the night vision goggles on his combat helmet, “That’s Second Lieutenant Tao Qiaoer from the third squad. What, interested in her? Didn’t anyone tell you when you joined not to get too close to people in the squad?”
“Brother, I just got here,” Gu Yao scratched his head, showing confusion on his face, “I just arrived, but I’ve noticed that everyone in the Xuanjia Team is so cold and unwilling to connect; how can we accomplish great things like this?”
“Wait until Meng tells you the answer… As a newbie like you, you were originally only allowed to start from the lowest F-class missions to gradually understand our operation nature and combat characteristics.”
Xia Yan smiled and handed Gu Yao a few cylindrical grenades from a nearby shelf, “Take a few more incendiary and smoke grenades, it never hurts to be prepared.”
As they spoke, Meng Huai, fully armed, approached. Members of the combat squad in the weapons maintenance area immediately stood up, awaiting their captain’s pre-departure check or talk.
With a stern face, Meng Huai scanned his team members before finally landing his gaze on a female team member’s face: “Since we have newcomers in the team again, Tao Qiaoer, you should explain the squad rules.”
Stepping back slightly, he leaned against a nearby ammunition rack.
The female second lieutenant pointed out by Meng Huai stepped forward, standing straight: “First, except for executing combat missions, team members must not privately gather, especially not to engage in romantic relationships. Second, during the mission period, the squad leader of each squad is the primary commander, and team members must follow the squad leader’s orders. In the event of casualties, the pre-designated succession order will take over command. Third, during operations, if a teammate is injured and cannot be moved immediately, check for any bleeding infection response; if… if it’s positive, then… it must be… disposed of on site.”
Probably having repeated this many times, Tao Qiaoer spoke fluently, but faltered at the last section.
“Mhm, word for word, very good…” Meng Huai raised his head, his gaze sharp, “Although everyone here possesses a rare blood type, it does not guarantee 100% resistance against vampire blood infection. Once someone becomes a new vampire, given our blood type’s rarity, it equates to bringing another nightmare upon humanity. Therefore, I hope that when it becomes necessary, everyone can make the choice most beneficial to humanity. I’m not against you all forming emotional bonds and becoming close comrades; however, I fear you might hesitate when it comes time to act.”
As he spoke, his gaze turned toward the pale-faced Gu Yao and the exceptionally calm Xia Yan: “Gu Yao, I remind you once more in front of your brother, it’s still not too late to withdraw now; there will be other missions in the future.”
“I… I want to participate. I’ve completed all the necessary training; I won’t hold everyone back.” Gu Yao glanced around at his unfamiliar teammates, their expressions varying, gritting his teeth and shaking his head.
“Very well, it’s good that you have this resolve.” With that, Meng Huai strode towards the exit. Just as he reached the door, he suddenly turned back again, his gaze sweeping over his subordinates’ faces once more, “Don’t be complacent. Even if someone cannot bear to act, in the future, regardless of whether it’s the Xuanjia Team, the Xiu Yi Team, or even the entire Shadow Arrow Unit, those infected with blood will still be pursued and hunted down, and with the highest priority…”
……
At 11:00 PM, the electric door on one side of the weapons maintenance area slowly opened, revealing a straight diagonal corridor ahead. Rows of indicator lights illuminated sequentially along the sides.
Fully armed members of the Xuanjia Team filed in, their heavy footsteps chaotic yet solemn, each adorned with heavy gear, heads slightly bowed.
Gu Yao closely followed Xia Yan, strangely feeling his legs tremble; he accidentally bumped into a teammate beside him. Just as he was about to say sorry, he bumped into a young woman’s indifferent face, quickly blushing and averting his gaze.
At the end of the corridor, it opened up into the military airfield on the base’s surface, where a large black military transport plane sat on the runway. The rear cargo door was wide open, revealing a brightly lit spacious interior, with four massive engines running at low speed in preparation for takeoff, emitting a heavy roar.
