Chapter 7 Contact (II)
Unlike Gu Yao, who was dazedly sleeping on the sofa to pass the time, Xia Yan had been flipping through a small notebook that she always kept on her person, which she usually stuffed in her uniform pocket.
It felt as though she was back in the study room of the training center; although she no longer had various official secret study materials on hand, with the key learning records in her notebook, Xia Yan was still working hard to recall and organize details that she might have overlooked in the past.
Pheromones, or exogenous hormones, have been confirmed to exist in the human body. They are a microscopic external expression of physiological functions and metabolic cycles, uniquely reflecting changes in individual behavior, emotions, physiology, and even psychological states.
Humans first confirmed the existence of exogenous hormones in butterflies and other insects, and later explored them in reptiles and mammals. In some species, these hormones even serve to convey information and communicate between individuals, which is how the name “pheromone” came about.
However, for normal humans, the vomeronasal organ, which perceives pheromones, has long since degenerated, leaving only some sensory cells remaining in the epithelium of the nasal cavity.
For vampires, a different mutated form allows the vomeronasal organ to regain its function of perceiving pheromones. For vampires, the content of each individual’s pheromones is as unique as a fingerprint, serving as a distinct identity badge.
Since the Chinese government utilized genetic technology to cultivate tracking butterflies twenty years ago, the efficiency of operations to capture blood servants and lord-level vampires has been greatly enhanced, leading to an overwhelming advantage that various secret agencies around the world have sought to emulate.
However, it wasn’t long before some techniques began to spread within the vampire community that allowed them to autonomously control and reduce the release of their pheromones. In fact, through intelligence analysis, China has discovered that vampires within its borders have started using a new type of drug to alter or even seal off their pheromone release, significantly undermining the effectiveness of the tracking butterflies.
……
Closing the notebook, Xia Yan rubbed the corners of her eyes, which were starting to feel sore, and realized that it was nearly dark. Glancing at Gu Yao, who was curled up on the sofa asleep, Xia Yan decided to take advantage of the fading light to go to the kitchen and prepare something to eat, planning to leave by electric bicycle as night fell.
After all, electric bicycles are a highly prevalent means of transportation in rural China; several of them were parked in the small yard on the first floor.
Just as she approached the kitchen door, a wave of indescribable perception suddenly exploded in her mind, akin to a pile driver being forcibly stuffed into her brain, pounding rhythmically and making her head extremely uncomfortable.
“This old Yang family’s habit really is hard to change; the kitchen windows are never securely locked, allowing you little rascals to slip in.”
In the dim light, a medium-sized shadow emerged: it was the delivery man from earlier, a middle-aged man with a beard.
His gradually reddening pupils revealed a meaningful gaze as the bearded man slowly strode toward Xia Yan.
As the figure drew closer, the pile driver in Xia Yan’s mind seemed to transform into a bulldozer, and a tidal wave of oppressive deterrent aura aggressively pushed her consciousness backward.
Perhaps she saw deep-seated trepidation in the bearded man’s serious expression, which made her think that her imposing entrance had been worth the trouble; the bearded man actually revealed a proud expression.
Xia Yan’s body began to warm slightly, a natural reaction towards an unmastered boiling blood state. She struggled to resist the psychological pressure inflicted upon her while slowly retreating from the corridor to the living room.
Suddenly, she felt a terrifying aura expand behind her, akin to a tsunami stirred by a typhoon overwhelming the entire living room, instantly dispelling the pressure that the bearded man had previously exerted on her.
“Damn! Is that a high-ranked servant?”
The bearded man’s face changed several colors in a single second; he froze at the junction of the living room and corridor.
A lithe black shadow rushed in like lightning, delivering a knee strike that sent the bearded man’s body soaring, crashing into the end of the corridor and breaking a variety of farmhouse jars.
Next, a shiny silver dagger was raised high and fiercely thrust towards the bearded man’s eye socket.
“Don’t… don’t… spare me… I… I have something to say…”
The bearded man was enveloped by an invisible wave of energy, his body temperature soared, and his eyes turned a liver-like red. In a dire moment, he gripped Gu Yao’s arm tightly, blood spilling from his mouth as he revealed a look of fear and desperation.
In the heightened boiling blood state, the bearded man’s only hope was to cling to life.
The golden-haired girl, who had the bearded man pinned down with her knee, remained unmoved, her expression cold and fierce, raising the dagger arm higher, gradually overpowering the bearded man’s last bits of resistance. The silver dagger slowly descended, almost touching the bearded man’s eyeball.
“Xiao Yao, let him go for now.”
Xia Yan stepped forward and halted Gu Yao’s explosive action.
……
In front of the sofa, the bearded man sat cross-legged on the living room floor, lowering his head, still shivering occasionally, looking as pitiful as a 150-pound little wife, in stark contrast to his earlier bravado.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced to the left and right, inadvertently spotting a black combat uniform jacket piled in the corner of the living room. The insignia on the sleeve made his pupils contract slightly.
“What do you have to say, and what is your identity…”
Leaning against the sofa, Xia Yan was cleaning her handgun, her legs crossed in a casual manner. The fitted jeans accentuated her long legs, which formed a pleasant curve; her rounded, tight buttocks were subtly highlighted. Her long black hair naturally fell over her shoulders, and her expression was calm.
“I’m just a wandering vampire… I was merely curious. We’re all from the countryside, and I know the Yang family well; they’re good people. Since I have kin here, I naturally wanted to take a look…”
The bearded man wiped the gradually drying blood from the corner of his mouth and spoke cautiously.
“Hah, a vampire can coexist peacefully with ordinary people?”
Gu Yao, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window with his arms crossed, couldn’t help but mumble, his eyes still tinged with faint red after regaining his boiling blood state, revealing disdain.
“Not everyone who is blood-impacted becomes a true monster… In the thirty-odd years since becoming a vampire, I too abandoned my wife and children, leaving my homeland, and only finally settled here…”
The bearded man lowered his head, choking up as if recalling some sad past.
“Abandoning your wife and children for over thirty years? That doesn’t seem right?”
Gu Yao displayed an expression of surprise as he stepped closer to scrutinize the bearded man’s face. “You look like you’re only in your forties; how old were you when you were turned?”
“Normally, once you become a vampire, your body’s functions and metabolic levels are different from those of ordinary people, and your lifespan extends.”
Xia Yan didn’t find anything amiss as she uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, starting to disassemble her handgun on the coffee table, neatly arranging the bullets in a straight line.
Despite his outward appearance of fear, the bearded man’s inner thoughts began to swirl. He couldn’t shake the feeling that these two seemingly unremarkable low-ranking vampires, who appeared quite similar to newborn blood servants, were hiding some kind of remarkable secret.
“So how do you usually resolve the… um, blood thirst issue? Since you’ve settled here and know the locals, can you actually bring yourself to hunt them? And even if you can, don’t you fear exposure?”
Xia Yan finally posed a critical question that had long puzzled and eluded her acceptance of the official explanations.
“Ah?”
The bearded man was taken aback, slowly raising his head, staring at Xia Yan as if she were an innocent child.
