When Mike returned to the supermarket, he found Old Earl staring blankly at the cash register, with no customers in the store.
Although there weren't many customers normally, it was too deserted.
Soon, Mike found the source of the desolation.
Blade, wearing sunglasses, sat upright with his katana resting across his lap.
The person on his left was wrapped in a black hooded cloak—lined with blood-red silk. He was hunched over, exuding a chilling aura.
To his right was a man in his thirties, strongly built, with thick hair, eyebrows, and beard. Coulson would probably bite his handkerchief if he saw him. This man reminded Mike of Wolverine, whom he had met once.
With the trio lingering in the supermarket, it would be strange to have any customers.
"Mike."
"Blade, long time no see."
The two had fought side by side, and sometimes, the bond between men didn't require many words.
"How have you been lately?" Mike asked.
"Nothing's changed, I go wherever there are Vampires." Blade's expression was cool: "The Vampires in New York were scared witless by you and went into hiding. So I had to go to New Jersey. These two I met in New Jersey are also interested in hunting Vampires."
The cloaked man removed his hood, revealing pointed ears, red eyes, long fangs, and a pale complexion—the spitting image of a Vampire. To be precise, he looked more like a Vampire than most Vampires.
"Morbius." The cloaked man introduced himself, then looked at Mike with a strange gaze, "Most people would have been terrified seeing me like this."
"You said 'most people,' and no matter how humble I try to be, I don't consider myself most people." Mike said, "Mike Tang, just call me Mike."
Blade briefly explained Morbius's origin.
Morbius's origin was different from other Vampires. Other Vampires originated from the magic power of the dark divine book, while Morbius was a product of science.
Michael Morbius, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist. To cure a rare blood disease, Morbius conducted experimental treatment using bats and electroshock, which resulted in him becoming a "Vampire" who could only survive by constantly drinking blood.
This person was both good and evil. In the future, he might become a major opponent for the little spider.
At this stage, Morbius was working with Blade to research and hunt Vampires, hoping to return to his human form.
The hairy man was named Jack Russell, nicknamed "Night Werewolf," a victim of an ancient family curse.
"You were doing fine in New Jersey, why come back to New York? Is the air too fresh there, and you're not used to it, so you want to come back to New York to breathe car exhaust?" Mike joked.
"Vampires are active in New York again." Blade said.
"I know." Mike nodded.
Yesterday, Fat Jerry sent him some intelligence about Vampires, but due to important matters like gaming and dating, he hadn't had time to read it carefully.
"It might be related to Dracula." Blade was very serious.
Dracula?
No way.
They just fought the grandchildren's generation; according to the pattern, the children's, father's, and grandfather's generations should take turns, but for an ancestor to suddenly pop up, isn't that a bit exaggerated?
"Are you sure?" Mike asked.
"Yes." Blade nodded, "According to intelligence, Danica Talos of the Vampire Council awakened Dracula in a pyramid in Afghanistan."
Mike stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and his eyes gradually changed: "Dracula, they say he's immortal. But someone also said, a monster, when killed, will die. Which one is correct?"
Mike took out his notebook and opened the email from Fat Jerry. The email was short, providing an address for a suspected Vampire factory.
"Depart immediately?" Mike asked.
"Tonight." Blade said.
Vampires sleep during the day, and the factory only has Ghoul Clan members. Going at night would also allow them to capture a few Vampires for interrogation.
Blade didn't mention two points: although Morbius wasn't a traditional Vampire, he strongly disliked sunlight. And Night Werewolf's combat power was stronger after nightfall, and it changed periodically with the waxing and waning of the moon.
Having agreed to meet at night, the three left. Blade noticed Morbius's expression was off.
"What's wrong?"
"That person's blood smells very tempting, like red wine aged for years in a sealed oak barrel, making you unable to resist opening it and tasting it." Morbius revealed two sharp fangs.
"You'd better resist, or Mike will smash all your teeth." Blade sneered, sighing inwardly. Morbius's bloodlust was growing stronger and stronger, sometimes even overriding his reason. Blade also had bloodlust; he knew how hard it was to control the urge, like a thousand small knives scraping at his heart.
He only hoped Morbius wouldn't cross that line. Otherwise, today's comrade would be tomorrow's enemy.
Night Werewolf agreed with Blade: "My intuition tells me it's best not to provoke him."
Morbius chuckled sinisterly: "Don't worry, I was just joking."
Blade snorted: "It better be."
Night fell.
Blade drove Morbius and Night Werewolf, while Mike drove his G-wagon. The group arrived in the suburbs.
According to intelligence, this was a storage facility for a biological company.
Night Werewolf sniffed and said, "I smell many different people, and their life force is very weak."
Morbius grinned, "The smell of fresh blood, a large amount of fresh blood."
Blade sighed: "It seems to be a Vampire factory, and a large-scale one at that."
If caught in a Vampire factory, after one or two weeks, even if rescued, the body would suffer irreversible damage. After more than a month, they would basically become a vegetable.
"Prepare to act." Blade said.
"I'll go first."
Morbius got out of the car, took a few running steps, spread his cloak, and flew up like a bat.
After flying to the roof, Morbius squeezed through a ventilation window.
Ten seconds later, the red door slowly opened.
Morbius stood by the door, making a gesture to enter, his movements elegant.
After entering, Blade, Mike, and Night Werewolf all remained silent.
Transparent bags hung on racks, containing humans. Some tubes supplied nutrients to the humans, while others drew a fixed amount of blood from their veins.
There were thousands upon thousands of such bags, densely packed.
"Hiss!"
It was Night Werewolf's first time seeing a Vampire factory. While horrified, immense anger rose within him.
"Hah!"
Night Werewolf's body grew taller, his fur lengthened, and he transformed into a Werewolf. He sniffed and charged into the factory.
Soon, the screams of Vampires came from within.
"Does he have any silver weapons or garlic?" Mike asked.
Ordinary weapons were not effective against Vampires.
"No." Blade shook his head, "However, a Werewolf's claws and teeth have a special tearing effect on Vampires."
Mike thought, perhaps the Werewolf's curse and the Vampire's curse shared the same origin—from the dark divine book. That would explain the issue.
Blade and Mike had seen Vampire factories before, but this one was larger and had more advanced equipment. Blade found the control panel and pulled out a trembling operator from underground.
"Don't kill me, this is just my job, I didn't kill anyone." The Ghoul Clan member was a young, pretty girl, probably dreaming of eternal youth.
Blade: "System password?"
The girl trembled and gave the password.
"Cleaning up scum is also a job, but I really can't bear to watch such a young and beautiful girl die by my gun." Mike sighed.
Bang!
"So, I'll turn my head away."