252. Unexpected Grit
The edge of Florida.
A group of people stood waiting outside the county town. Except for the emaciated Aurelio Barragan, the others all wore dark armor with red capes.
Such a grand formation, all to wait for one person.
Who knows how long it had been.
A short man wearing black clothes came running from outside, not sparing his energy. Seeing so many familiar figures, his expression changed slightly: "You summoned me back suddenly, do you all know already?"
As the only remaining Golden Bell Vampire Hunter in Florida.
The short man now gritted his teeth, his eyes concealing extreme fear: "I tried my best, delivered precious elixirs to it, but its injury was too grave and beyond saving, with barely half a breath left."
As long as the White Crocodile Vampire King didn't die, it remained a threat to the Red-Eyed Vampire King.
But once news of its death spreads, one can almost foresee the tragic downfall of Florida.
"I know." Aurelio Barragan nodded.
"You know?" The short man's eyes widened, never expecting such a response. The situation they had painstakingly maintained for over a hundred years was on the verge of collapse.
How could the Admiral react this way?!
"Don't be so desperate, think of something... there must be a way." The short man anxiously paced back and forth, then was grabbed by Kade Marrow.
"It's all fine now." General Marrow, with a complex expression, gently comforted his colleague.
The short man froze: "What do you mean?"
"The Inspector came personally, cleared out all vampires, and Florida is now free from vampire troubles. We've arranged for people to check every county town, and so far haven't found a single vampire."
Kade Marrow explained smoothly, though his eyes also showed a trace of disbelief.
"The Inspector... the Inspector..."
The short man staggered back several steps, as if struck by lightning. Despite being an harmonizing expert, he now sat down hard on the ground.
This sounded like a story from a storyteller's tale—in times of desperation, a celestial being descends, subdues all evil vampires, followed by drums and firecrackers...
These were mythical legends that commoners used to comfort their families, not something officials like them should believe in.
Yet now it came from his colleague's mouth.
"Everything will be fine."
Kade reached out to help him up, but was suddenly pushed away by the short man, who then covered his face with his arm. Sitting on the ground, he made no sound, only his body trembled slightly.
Everyone remained silent.
"What are you all doing?"
A crimson cloud descended from the sky, revealing a black-clad figure.
I walked puzzled into the crowd: "Is the information about the other Vampire King ready?"
"Reporting to Inspector Kane... your information is crying on the ground."
Admiral Barragan coughed dryly, pointing at the man on the ground.
"..."
I walked over and said softly: "Cry later, work first."
At this moment, longevity wasn't lacking, but sangrith blood was in short supply.
The short man stiffened on the ground, removed his arm, and glared at his colleagues... He hurriedly got up, looked at the young man before him, forcibly suppressing his disbelief, and saluted: "Greetings, Inspector."
"No need for formalities, take me to find the remaining Vampire King."
I grabbed his collar, summoned the demon cloud, and left Florida's borders.
Vampire also view each other as precious elixir.
If something else stole my sangrith blood, that would be a real loss.
The short man floated in the air like a small chick, somewhat bewilderedly tucking in his legs before extending his hand to guide the Inspector.
...
At the peak of green mountains and clear waters, hidden under dense foliage.
A cramped cave was barely visible.
Even Wave Realm vampires would disdain such shabby quarters.
The short man stood at the entrance and sighed.
Only he knew that dwelling here was a true Vampire King.
He quickly walked in.
There, a humanoid White Crocodile vampire weakly rested on a stone seat, only as tall as an ordinary person, even thinner than most.
It had covered itself with thick beast hide, eyes closed in false sleep, a faint smile on its lips.
"Now you're openly delivering food to me?"
A dying Vampire King is at its most dangerous.
Because the slightest disturbance would make it fight with everything it has, even the Red-Eyed Vampire King wouldn't choose to provoke it at such a time.
"Thank you for all these years."
The short man kept his head down. Ironically, without this Vampire King, Florida wouldn't have lasted until today.
Having said that, he suddenly raised his head, unhesitatingly pointing at the White Crocodile: "Not me, it's this one."
"Who?!"
Before the White Croc Vampire King could react, it suddenly sensed a figure beside it.
The black-clad youth had somehow already seated himself on the stone seat, his right arm quietly resting on its shoulder, then suddenly exerting force.
With a crack.
The White Crocodile's head drooped limply.
"Alright, you can go back now." I nodded slightly.
"..."
The short man smacked his lips and obediently left the cave.
He never thought the White Croc Vampire King would be a match for the Inspector, but he also hadn't expected it to end so quickly.
Goodness, it was like killing a chicken.
"What a waste."
I glanced at the panel.
[Slain a White Crocodile Vampire King, total lifespan 7,858 years, remaining lifespan 3 years, absorption complete.]
I opened my mouth, converting the entire body into sangrith blood.
Fifty-nine drops.
Actually stronger than the Red-Eyed Vampire King by quite a bit. It seems that Great Divine Cultivation Method was indeed powerful, allowing the black bear to defeat a stronger opponent and thrash its senior.
Since it didn't take much effort, I'd consider it a windfall.
I stood up and put the long-handled broadsword beside the stone seat into my storage treasure, confirming that this Vampire King was so poor it only had a weapon and a tattered beast rug left, before slowly walking out of the cave.
… …
Orlando, Florida.
Aurelio Barragan meticulously arranged everything and gave clear instructions to all H.A.R.M. Generals on how to reassure the public.
As state admiral, Aurelio lacked the Inspector's combat prowess, but he excelled at managing these administrative details.
After ensuring nothing had been overlooked, Aurelio mounted his half-vampire horse and accompanied Inspector Kane as they departed from Florida.
Having caused such chaos in Florida, he should rightfully have been brought back in chains.
Fortunately, Inspector Kane had been lenient, not reprimanding him even once—though he hadn't said anything else either.
Thanks to the extraordinary speed of the Black-Scaled Dragon Bloodsteed, they would reach the capital in fewer than ten days.
… …
Meanwhile, as the two continued their journey, the Martial Abbey in the capital received an unexpected visitor.
The Martial Abbey Cleansing was temporarily suspended as four black-robed abbey priests convened together.
Despite their high status, they were acting as tourist guides, explaining the history and functions of each portion of the Abbey to a man with a goatee, dressed in a Mao suit.
"What brings Honorable Comrade Changqing to New Terra?" Reverend Thompson asked with measured composure as they walked into the Chapter House. His tone struck a perfect balance—neither submissive nor challenging.
"Just taking a breather from the frontline." Comrade Changqing casually walked to the prominent center chair that was usually the seat of the main host. His voice remained flat as he sat down, "Also to inform you that a Ward of Nature has unfortunately perished."
When he took the center chair, the four priests maintained impassive faces, but as he delivered the news about the Ward of Nature, all four instinctively clenched their teeth.
"Ward of Nature" was a term used exclusively in New Terra, distinguishing it from "Seeker of Redeemer," while the Red Party used the term "True Persons." So when Comrade Changqing mentioned a Ward of Nature, he was specifically referring to one from New Terra.
Calvin Thompson's hand, hidden in his sleeves, suddenly tightened.
After a long silence, he replied coldly: "We understand."
New Terra had only seven Wards of Nature remaining, and now one had mysteriously died, yet this Red Party representative showed complete indifference and didn't even mention the cause of death.
"If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave and let you enjoy your vacation."
Despite often publicly dismissing the Wards of Nature as uncultured brutes, in truth, all Martial Abbey disciples recognized that they and the Wards were brothers in arms jointly protecting New Terra.
How could they not be angry at this moment?
However, they dared not display their anger. Even the slightest change in expression might provoke the Red Party, potentially resulting in harsher treatment for the Wards of Nature at the frontline.
Reverend Thompson turned to leave, his back rigid with restraint.
"Wait a moment." Comrade Changqing suddenly raised his palm to stop them. "I've heard from a friend that you now have a new Ward of Nature."
The Abbey priests halted and turned around, genuine surprise evident on their faces.
"Honorable Comrade, I've not heard such good news," Thompson said with feigned delight. "Could you tell me who this friend is? If such a Ward of Nature truly exists, I would very much like to meet them."
Comrade Changqing carefully studied the priests' faces. It would be difficult for all four to feign surprise simultaneously. Besides, Mrs. Prince had expressed uncertainty—after all, the person in question had only been a Wave Realm Breaker at the time.
"My friend merely heard a rumor, which appears unfounded." Changqing smiled casually, then his tone grew serious. "However, another friend—an elder from Fox Wonderland—asked for my help when I mentioned I was coming here. Two of their disciples went out for training, but one mysteriously vanished while in New Terra."
He arched his eyebrows and asked, "Do you have any information about this?"
After a moment of reflection, Reverend Thompson replied, "We have no knowledge of this, but if assistance is needed to locate them, we would gladly help and dispatch people to the Twenty-five States to gather information."
"Thank you... but there's no need to trouble the Martial Abbey disciples." Comrade Changqing smiled faintly and took out a piece of paper. "The senior disciple from Fox Wonderland has already gathered information for you. His junior brother disappeared near Salem city in Cascadia. He wrote to Admiral Theodore Montgomery of Cascadia, and the reply he received—" He clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
He showed the paper to Reverend Thompson. It read, "Don't know, never heard of him, take your concerns to the Martial Abbey."
Thompson's eye twitched twice.
That Montgomery fellow, does he truly have such unexpected grit?
"Fox Wonderland and our Three-Party Alliance have always been on good terms, and they're one of the key allies the Red Party has worked hard to secure. I trust Martial Abbey recognizes that we're also working to ensure the safety of New Terra's Wards of Nature."
Changqing stood up and placed a letter on the table: "His senior brother has investigated quite thoroughly. At that time, only three Crystal Realm Breakers passed through North Cliff. Two of them were too weak to threaten the Fox Wonderland disciple. Only the third one is suspicious, but we have little information about this person, as if he appeared out of nowhere."
"I hope you can bring this person to me so I can provide an explanation to my old friend. Fox Wonderland will conduct a fair investigation into the matter. If this person truly has nothing to do with the disappearance, I will personally escort them back to New Terra."
Having heard him out, the abbey priests seethed with mounting indignation.
While Fox Wonderland had maintained neutrality, they were still essentially fox vampires. New Terra choosing not to provoke them was prudent, but their audacity in sending someone to demand an explanation was utterly insulting.
Had New Terra been at its peak, would Fox Wonderland have dared to challenge them at all?
Forget about mere disciples—what if they killed an elder? What could Fox Wonderland possibly do about it?
Calvin Thompson took a deep breath: "May I ask who you are looking for?"
Comrade Changqing picked up the letter on the table, found the name and said: "John Kane from Cascadia."