A plump, middle-aged Black woman, Susan, peered through the ticket window for a long time. When she saw Li Kang's Asian face and his trench coat, which he wore in all seasons—and no one else wore a trench coat in this weather—Susan finally confirmed that the person was indeed Li Kang.
"I knew it," Susan said with a warm smile, opening the security gate. "Besides you and those thugs looking to rob the place, no one else comes here."
"My dear Susan, you've become even more beautiful," Li Kang said, winking his left eye as he handed her a hot dog. "Look what I brought you! Extra cucumbers and green wasabi, two lettuce leaves, an extra sausage, and light on the salad dressing, right?"
Susan took the hot dog and bit into it forcefully. The green wasabi exploded in her mouth like a live volcano, rushing up through her nasal cavity to the top of her head. She closed her eyes, savoring the magical pleasure the flavors brought, every cell in her body instantly ignited.
"This is the taste! You really know my preferences," Susan said, wiping the corner of her mouth with a smile. "I also want to thank you for drawing that magic circle for me. Ever since I had it, those strange things in the subway have stayed far away from here."
Li Kang nodded. Locals never took the subway because rumors said there were monsters inside. There were even eyewitnesses who claimed vampires haunted the place. Although these were all rumors, three years ago, a subway train was attacked by an unknown creature, resulting in a tragic thirteen deaths. Since then, no one rode the Hell's Kitchen subway anymore.
But if he didn't take the subway, with New York's killer traffic, he'd barely make it to Osborn Corporation by nightfall. Despite his reluctance, Li Kang chose to take the subway and chat with Susan for a bit.
Susan was a witness to Hell's Kitchen, having lived there her entire life. From her, he could learn many things that money couldn't buy elsewhere.
"Susan, have there been any rumors about me lately?" Li Kang also took a bite of his hot dog.
"Oh, about that, did you swindle some money from the Russians?" Susan asked casually, confirming Li Kang's suspicion.
Sure enough, those Russians had figured it out. This was bad.
"If anyone else asked, I'd deny it, but between you and me, there are no secrets. Three days ago, I did win some extra cash from the Russians. What's wrong?" Li Kang was annoyed. He had cheated so gleefully last time that he forgot the rule of "win seven, return three" in cheating circles, and it had indeed brought trouble.
He had just won three thousand, and Pavel, the Russian, immediately left the table and searched Li Kang, which meant he was already suspected. Most members of the Russian mafia were retired soldiers with excellent military training and strong execution. If he offended them, it would be difficult to gain a foothold in Hell's Kitchen.
Although Li Kang wasn't afraid of them openly, the thought of sitting at his desk counting money one day and suddenly having a smoking RPG fly through his window made his head ache.
"Thanks, Susan. It seems my train is coming. I'm going in now." Li Kang picked up a ticket and walked into the subway station.
Inside the subway station, most of the lights were broken, and the remaining ones were flickering on and off, their lives almost over. The walls were covered in graffiti, with "Hail Satan" everywhere, and Nazi symbols coming in second. From deep within the subway station, strange rustling sounds occasionally echoed, as if something huge was dragging its tail.
No sunlight entered here all year round, so who knew what kind of monsters might reside within.
The subway train, like an ancient behemoth, slowly pulled into the station. The doors opened in front of Li Kang. Inside, apart from a blonde girl in a hoodie, there were no other passengers. Typically, passengers would get off at this section. The blonde girl, wearing headphones and listening to music, seemed to have fallen asleep and missed her stop.
This was very much a hippie style.
"Whistle!" Li Kang looked at the girl's fair, long legs, more captivating than a supermodel's, and couldn't help but let out a wolf whistle. Although he couldn't see her face clearly, she must be a great beauty. Suddenly, a layer of distorted black energy appeared around the girl. Her image twisted for a moment, and though it quickly returned to normal, it didn't escape Li Kang's eyes. Sure enough, a single, beautiful woman sitting on this subway line definitely had something strange about her.
Li Kang walked into the train and found a seat very far from the girl.
"I'm out on business today, and I'm not in the mood to play with you guys. If you dare to provoke me, be careful not to get more than you bargained for!" Li Kang muttered a warning to the air.
The train started moving. This section of the subway, long neglected, moved very slowly. Looking out the window, the tunnel grew increasingly dim. Suddenly, Li Kang's vision went black. The lights in this section were completely broken; apart from the train's interior lights, it was pitch black outside.
Li Kang hunched his shoulders, leaned against the window, and fell sound asleep. On the train, apart from the occasional clanking sound of its movement, there was no other noise.
The blonde girl with headphones suddenly opened her eyes, stood up silently, and pounced on Li Kang with several times the speed of an ordinary person. Her fingernails rapidly transformed into curved, hook-like claws, her eyes instantly turned blood-red, and a pair of fangs emerged from the corners of her mouth, aiming for Li Kang's neck.
It turned out she was a vampire.
"Crack!" A crisp sound. Around Li Kang, an invisible protective shield blocked the blonde girl. The shield emitted an electric spark, sending the blonde girl tumbling.
"Just a young, inexperienced vampire," Li Kang teased, wagging a finger. "Since I dared to get on this subway, I'm not afraid of you monsters."
This blonde girl was acting alone, without any older vampires to guide her. Vampires were very loyal, and few could escape the control of their elders.
So this blonde girl was either exiled or belonged to an insignificant minor family. The fresh blood in the bustling heart of New York City was not for them.
The vampire world was extremely cruel. Families without power could only hunt down drug abusers and sick homeless people. If a vampire drank that kind of blood, at best they would fall seriously ill; at worst, they would directly turn into a frenzied ghoul. Ghouls were creatures of pure instinct, hunting everything they could, not even sparing vampires.
But hunting on the subway was a very foolish thing to do. This young vampire must have been starving.
The train continued to move, and not far ahead, a light appeared in the distance. This section of the tunnel was nearing its end, and ahead was the Hudson River Bridge, three kilometers long. No vampire could endure that distance, not even Dracula, the lord of vampires.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, the blonde girl turned and climbed onto the ceiling like a spider, intending to open the skylight and escape.
"Nameless Mist, weaken my enemies." A black mist flew from Li Kang's hand, engulfing the blonde girl. She shivered and fell from the ceiling.
"Please, spare me. I was just too hungry. I escaped, and I haven't killed anyone," the blonde girl pleaded, looking up. Her face wasn't the cold, marble-like visage of an elder vampire, but still retained a human vibrancy. The girl was exceptionally beautiful, looking like a supermodel. No wonder she was targeted by vampires; those elder vampires who prided themselves on refined taste loved girls of her type.
This girl should still be a virgin, which is why her family head made an exception to turn her into a vampire. Converting a vampire is no small matter in the vampire world, requiring the approval of the New York City elders. The fact that this girl could break free from her family head's control and escape on her own must mean she is special. Perhaps this situation could be exploited. In this world, knowing one more secret always brings some surprises.
Li Kang pondered for a moment, quickly formulating a plan in his mind. He took out a notepad, wrote down an address, and slipped it into the blonde girl's pocket. "If you need help, you can come find me tonight."
With a wave of his hand, he dispelled the spell on the blonde girl. The girl cast a grateful glance at Li Kang and jumped out of the subway train. Less than a second later, the train roared out of the tunnel. Li Kang took a breath. Getting involved with an escaped young vampire was not a good thing. He would have to be more careful when walking at night from now on.
But since he had done it, there was no point in regretting it, because in this world, there were all sorts of remedies, but no medicine for regret. If an elder vampire really came looking for trouble, then he would simply deal with them all. The fangs of elder vampires were excellent materials for black magic, and there were plenty of people willing to pay a high price for them. Killing vampires could also earn a generous bounty from the Hunter's Alliance. This might be a path to wealth.
Li Kang's ears seemed to hear the pleasant dinging of an ATM.
After crossing the Hudson River, one could see New York City's two industrial titans, standing in distant response to each other. One of them bore a giant letter decoration spelling out "STARK," which was the famous Stark Industries. Since World War II, it had been a leader in the military industry, now managed by the playboy and brilliant military scientist, Tony Stark.
The other was the Osborn Corporation, at the forefront of biotechnology. Compared to the modernist style of Stark Tower, Osborn Tower appeared more conservative. Both buildings were magnificent structures over a hundred stories tall. Osborn Tower was originally taller, but after renovations last year, Stark Tower now surpassed Osborn Corporation in height.
The personalities of the heads of the two corporate groups were also quite different.
Tony Stark, the head of Stark Industries, was a world-renowned playboy. Legend had it that he spent ninety percent of his time with beautiful women, nine percent on scientific research, and only one percent managing the company.
Norman Osborn, the head of Osborn Corporation, was a very low-key biotechnological scientist. Although he had countless achievements throughout his life, he rarely appeared in the media. Especially in recent years, rumors of Norman Osborn suffering from a serious illness circulated, and no one had seen him in public since.
However, in terms of market value, the two companies were on the same level. If Tony Stark put more effort into managing the company instead of womanizing and creating tabloid headlines, it would only be a matter of time before Stark Industries surpassed Osborn Corporation.
In every aspect, Li Kang leaned more towards Tony Stark. Rich people should enjoy life. If I had Stark's wealth, I would definitely devote one hundred percent to the embrace of beautiful women. As for other research and managing the company, to hell with it.
But this time, Li Kang's destination was the Osborn Corporation.