The eardrums of vampires were remarkably resilient.
The music blasting through the venue was deafening. After Jason emptied two full magazines, dozens of vampires in front of him had crumbled to ash, yet those farther back remained oblivious to the carnage and continued their frenzied revelry.
It wasn't until Jason put a bullet through the DJ's head and the music abruptly ceased that the remaining vampires finally realized something was wrong.
A few bold ones attempted to rush him, but he dispatched them with clinical precision.
Rather than charging into the chaos, Jason held his position at the main entrance, his finger steadily squeezing the trigger.
Almost every shot claimed a vampire.
Faced with this deadly barrage, the surviving vampires surged toward the back of the stage. They flung open the rear exit, desperate to escape—only to be greeted by a blindingly intense purple light!
The fastest runners disintegrated into ash instantly.
The others retreated with primal howls of agony.
By now, Jason was reloading for the second time. After firing more than seventy rounds, he'd eliminated half the vampires in the venue.
System notifications continuously chimed in his mind.
The remaining vampires grew increasingly desperate, swarming toward him in a last-ditch effort. Unfortunately for them, Jason had come meticulously prepared.
He scattered a handful of fine silver powder into the air, creating a shimmering cloud of microscopic particles.
The silver powder formed an invisible barrier. Any vampire that made contact with it immediately suffered excruciating pain across their exposed skin.
Those unfortunate enough to inhale the particles collapsed to the ground, clutching their stomachs and writhing in agony.
After emptying his third pair of magazines, the main floor was completely cleared.
The few surviving vampires cowered in various corners, either plotting ambushes or simply struggling to stay alive.
But with his infrared vision, their body heat signatures blazed like beacons in the darkness.
Jason moved methodically through the venue, firing with practiced precision, systematically cleansing the entire dance hall.
"What the fuck is going on here?" a bewildered voice suddenly called from behind him.
Jason turned to see a tall Black man wearing a black leather trench coat and dark sunglasses, despite the low light. A long sword was strapped to his back, and he held a shotgun at the ready, scanning for targets that were no longer there.
Blade.
Jason smiled. "You're late. I've already taken care of all the vampires at this Blood Feast."
"Who the hell are you?" Blade demanded.
"I'm the renowned vampire hunter—Night Walker. Surely you've heard of me?"
Blade appeared momentarily confused. "No. I've only heard of the Daywalker."
Jason's smile widened. "Ah, the Daywalker. Yes, I'm familiar with that name. But a real man faces his strongest enemies head-on. What's the point of walking in daylight? I excel at killing in the darkness of night!"
"I confront my enemies in the shadows themselves—that's why they call me the Night Walker."
"That's... not what Daywalker means," Blade clarified. "I hunt at night too. The name refers to my ability to walk in daylight despite being—"
"Oh?" Jason's eyes lit up with recognition.
He stepped forward, extending his hand. "If you're in the business of killing, then we're both members of the same exclusive club. It's an honor to meet you."
Blade shook his hand, expression still bewildered, as Jason rummaged through his pockets before producing a business card.
The card featured only a simple phone number and a stylized cartoon Hell's Butcher.
"This is my contact info. We should hunt together sometime when you're free. I have other business to attend to now, so I must be going. Take care!"
Jason hurried to meet David at the back door, and they drove away hastily.
Blade stood confused, staring at the business card in his hand. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.
"Quickly, someone call the police! There might be murderers inside! Everyone... who are you? Man in the coat, put your hands up!"
Blade rolled his eyes in frustration. He had failed to find his target and now found himself in trouble with the authorities.
During the drive back, David took the wheel while Jason eagerly accessed his system interface.
A series of notifications appeared in rapid succession.
[Mission completed...]
[Mission completed...]
Finally, the stream of alerts condensed into two main displays.
[Mission accomplished.
Character level: Bronze.
Upgrade: Not upgraded.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Freshness: One star.
End-of-life emotion: Fear.
Sentiment rating: Three stars.
Comprehensive task evaluation: Two stars!
Reward: Bronze 2-star gift package.]
[Congratulations on triggering the first twenty kill streak reward, free attribute value: 20]
[Congratulations on obtaining the Hundred Kills Achievement: Special Achievement Gift Pack.]
Now came the exhilarating gift package opening session.
For slaughtering over a hundred vampires in a single operation, he'd received ten bronze gift packages.
Most were level one or two, with level three being particularly rare.
He opened them all simultaneously.
[Congratulations on receiving the rewards: Basketball proficiency, Assault rifle proficiency, Diving proficiency, Singing and dancing proficiency, Free attribute value: 32 points.]
Basketball proficiency?
Jason reviewed his physical stats, considering his 6'3" height. Why become a superhero when he could join the NBA instead?
With tens of millions in annual salary, he could date celebrities, drive luxury cars, sail yachts, and throw extravagant parties.
The Lakers had been champions for the past two years. Perhaps he should dethrone them?
The Celtics had won eight consecutive championships in the past—he could aim for eighteen!
Wait a minute... basketball skills plus singing and dancing abilities, combined with some rap... was the system planning to launch his entertainment career?
He continued opening achievement packages.
[Congratulations on receiving the reward: Ability Upgrade Card]
This was valuable indeed. As the name suggested, it could enhance one of his existing abilities.
Night vision, compound eyes, Dragon Chi, infrared vision—looking at his four modest abilities, which deserved the upgrade?
He immediately ruled out night vision and infrared vision.
Compound eyes was currently one of his most powerful abilities, especially when paired with firearms.
As for Dragon Chi...
Well, he hadn't managed to seduce Kingpin's wife last time, so he hadn't found much practical use for that particular skill yet.
One ability offered combat effectiveness, and the other also enhanced combat effectiveness. It was a difficult choice.
After careful deliberation, Jason decided to upgrade Dragon Chi.
Relatively speaking, compound eyes, night vision, and infrared vision were all reconnaissance capabilities.
Between his Combat Master and Pistol Master skills, he currently possessed more than sufficient offensive power but lacked adequate defense.
If upgrading Dragon Chi could make his entire body more resilient, wouldn't that be ideal?
With a mental command, he selected Dragon Chi, and a warm current surged through his body.
The system display immediately changed: Dragon Chi: Burst.
He hadn't gained the ability to harden his entire body as he'd hoped.
Instead, Burst was an enhancement that could instantly double his physical capabilities.
While the original ability remained available, he could now push himself to the extreme, channeling a concentrated burst of dragon chi to create an virtually impenetrable fist that could strike enemies from a distance.
However, this powerful technique consumed substantial physical energy and couldn't be used frequently.
After allocating his attribute points, his stats changed dramatically:
[Name: Jason
Age: 22
Bloodline: Human
Status: Normal
Power: 26
Speed: 26
Defense: 20
Constitution: 20
Will: 30 (Human bloodline limit)
Skills: Combat Master, Pistol Master, Trap Proficiency, Swimming Proficiency, Basketball Proficiency, Assault Rifle Proficiency, Diving Proficiency, Sniper Proficiency, Singing and Dancing Proficiency
Abilities: Night Vision, Compound Eyes, Dragon Chi: Burst, Infrared Vision
Items: None
Instance: Locked
Alternate Universe: Locked
Main task: Those who are guilty must be punished
Iron-tier target: 15/19
Bronze-tier Target: 4/25
Newest mission:
Silver-tier: 0/1
Creed: Kill to gain redemption]
Notably, once his Will attribute reached thirty points, the system indicated he had reached the limit of human bloodline potential.
Jason grimaced slightly. If he wanted to increase it further, would he need to let a vampire bite him?
But wouldn't that mean becoming vulnerable to sunlight, garlic, and silver?
For now, there seemed to be no realistic possibility of accessing other bloodlines.
Even if he encountered such an opportunity, it might be futile. Bloodlines were primarily inherited from birth—they couldn't simply be recreated, could they?
Perhaps his only option was to rely on future system extractions?
The night breeze flowed through the car window as Jason fell into contemplative silence.
Meanwhile, in a darkened luxurious office elsewhere in the city...
The brilliant city lights twinkled through floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Wesley, how's the plan progressing?" a deep voice inquired.
"Thus far, I've made contact with Mac Gargan 'Scorpion', Georges Bartoc 'The Leaper', Mr. X from the Fraternity, and your adopted daughter, 'Echo' Maya Lopez. There was originally a top-tier assassin named John Wick on our list, but he appears to have retired recently. Nevertheless, the remaining individuals are sufficient to form a formidable hunting squad. However, are you absolutely certain—"
Before James Wesley can continue , Wilson Fisk rose from his massive executive chair, cigar clenched between his teeth, and strode toward the panoramic windows.
"What's your concern, Wesley? Do you believe I've become so enraged over Vanessa that I'm resorting to this?"
Wesley remained tactfully silent.
Kingpin exhaled slowly, watching the smoke descend along the glass. "I'm not targeting him merely because he disrupted my first meeting with Vanessa, provoked me, and escaped my grasp. My motivation is purely pragmatic—he represents a significant threat to our operations!"
"But sir, he's currently the most wanted criminal in the city. The NYPD is hunting him, as are numerous gangs and other killer trying to claim his bounty. He hasn't been seen in Hell's Kitchen for days, not since—"
"Since our confrontation," Fisk interrupted, a sneer crossing his face. "Over the years, few have managed to slip through my fingers. Wesley, don't underestimate this man by dismissing him as some petty thug who specializes in eliminating street-level criminals. I have a strong intuition that he will transform Hell's Kitchen—perhaps even all of New York City! I cannot allow someone of such potential to exist unchecked."
Wesley paused before responding, "I understand, sir."