Kennan, clutching a briefcase, was a picture of sheer panic. Josh, Blade's former assistant, followed close behind. Both men looked like they were fleeing certain death. Even after jumping into the commercial van, they didn't relax; instead, they floored the accelerator, making the vehicle fly with the ferocity of a high-performance sports car.
Their panic was warranted. Who could have foreseen that the thriving Vampire Empire, which had captured Blade, its most fearsome enemy, just hours prior, would completely collapse overnight?
Kennan and Josh, who had depended on the Vampire establishment, were now like dogs without a home, and worse, were branded as human traitors. Even Josh, a seasoned undercover agent, was completely overwhelmed.
Josh was, indeed, a mole planted by the Vampire Empire inside Blade's operation. He had endured relentless hunting by Vampires while maintaining his human guise, a self-inflicted wound so expertly performed it even fooled the suspicious Blade.
His covert status was why the Vampires were able to use Whistler as leverage during Blade's capture. Without Josh's guidance, capturing the deeply mistrustful Whistler would have been near impossible. This sequence was the culmination of Makinos's master plan.
The plan was perfect, until Makinos and his entire domain dissolved into chaos. This turn of events stranded Josh, who not only failed to reap the promised rewards but also had his identity irrevocably exposed. He knew that Blade was far too shrewd not to figure out the truth.
Thus, seeing Kennan, the ringleader of the human collaborators, attempting to make a quick escape, Josh had unhesitatingly tagged along, coercing Kennan into giving him refuge.
As Josh accelerated, making the factory disappear in the rearview mirror, Kennan touched the briefcase in his lap and sighed. He was a top-tier intellect. Even without his Vampire Master, his comfortable life would be unaffected. He had sacrificed his dignity and humanity to serve Makinos not for comfort—he already had everything—but for eternal life.
To live for centuries, retaining youth and vitality, like the Vampires. He recognized their fatal flaws—the fear of the Sun and silver—but as a brilliant genetic Expert, he believed these weaknesses could be overcome.
The briefcase contained years of experimental data collected for Makinos. With this, he could swiftly re-establish himself with another Vampire Family, securing his dream. As Makinos's chief scientist, he had connections with powerful Vampires across Europe. When that time came, Kennan thought, his gaze hardening as he looked at the confused man beside him, he would not forget this forced partnership.
Kennan despised being threatened, especially by a simple-minded buffoon like Josh.
Josh, oblivious to Kennan's sinister thoughts, was a bottom-feeder; he possessed a low-grade malice and shamelessness, but when it came to true cunning or schemes, he was an absolute idiot.
Clutching the ever-present cigarette, Josh nervously sped up the van. He knew he had no leverage. His desire for an extravagant life depended entirely on the man beside him.
"I say, pal, where are we heading? There's nowhere in New York that Blade can't find, especially with the Dawn Knight flying around." Josh couldn't keep quiet.
"Shut your mouth and focus on driving." Kennan clearly wanted silence. He closed his eyes, silently calculating how to maximize the value of his data with his European contacts.
Josh knew he was powerless. "I can shut up, but pal, you gotta tell me where we're going first."
"To the airport!"
The word was barely out of Kennan's mouth when a black-gloved hand clamped down on Josh's shoulder. "Pal," a cold voice drawled, "I think you should drive to my house instead."
Both men saw Blade in the rearview mirror, his white teeth gleaming. They had been so panicked that they hadn't noticed the figure lying low on the back seat floor.
Kennan instantly broke into a cold sweat. He instinctively tried to distance himself from Josh, believing that Blade's immediate hatred would be focused on the traitor.
However, before he could speak, an irresistible force slammed into the passenger side. Josh saw a black shadow flash past, and Kennan was gone. Only a car door, twisted beyond recognition, remained.
Josh instinctively swallowed, turning to ask Blade what had happened, but the half-Vampire cut him off.
"Don't worry about him. He's got his own scores to settle. You, however, need to worry about the score I'm about to settle with you."
Kennan screamed as he was pulled into the sky by a crushing force. The severe sense of weightlessness sent him into a panic. As the ground shrank beneath him, he closed his eyes and struggled. He suffered from a mild fear of heights, and this sudden ascent was too much for his heart. Yet, even in this terror, his hands remained steady, clutching the briefcase tightly.
The feeling of weightlessness disappeared, but Kennan didn't feel solid ground. He cautiously opened his eyes to see a man in black armor staring straight at him.
The Dawn Knight!
Recognizing his captor, Kennan let out a huge sigh of relief. Unlike the ruthless Blade, the Dawn Knight was a public figure, a hero bound by moral rules. Though he fought crime, he had never once killed a human. Kennan felt he could manipulate a man constrained by justice and a moral compass.
Noticing the faint look of relief on Kennan's face, a cold voice emerged from Zhou Yi's throat.
"You don't seem afraid of me."
"Why should I be afraid of you?" The slippery man adopted a lawyer's smooth eloquence. "You are an envoy of justice, a protector of the people, a maintainer of law. And I am simply a professional. Perhaps my employer was misguided, but that has nothing to do with me. Legally speaking, I haven't even committed a crime, so why would I fear you?"
Zhou Yi tilted his helmet, the black surface reflecting a cold gleam in the sun. "Do you think I wouldn't dare kill you?"
"No, no, no!" Kennan quickly shook his head. "I never doubt your courage. But I am still a human being, a law-abiding human being. I haven't even evaded taxes. I cannot fathom any reason for you to harm me."
"You have a silver tongue," Zhou Yi said after a pause. "I don't care about your life or death; your fate is your own. I just want to ask you some questions. Answer honestly, and I might just let you go."
"Speaking well is the professional pursuit of a lawyer," Kennan sighed, feeling his life was now safe. "Please ask; in the name of the law, I shall speak the truth."
The value of the law to such a man was irrelevant to Zhou Yi. He stared directly at Kennan.
"How many of Makinos's experimental subjects are left?"
"As you can see, all unsuccessful subjects have been terminated. Only Chadnomah, a semi-finished product, and Giant, who was close to success, remain." Makinos was dead, and Kennan had no loyalty to a former employer, especially when his life depended on revealing the truth.
"I checked your records," Zhou Yi continued. "Your experiments made no progress for years until suddenly they progressed rapidly a few years ago. Don't tell me you had a flash of inspiration. Your data shows little innovative ability; without external intervention, those results are impossible given your aptitude."
Kennan's face flushed; having his professional pride questioned stung, but the anger was quickly suppressed. Life over dignity. Zhou Yi's conclusion was, unfortunately, accurate.
A hint of dejection crossed his face. "It was an ancient virus, never before discovered. Makinos obtained this virus from his allies in Europe and used it in the project. The virus possessed incredible potency. Though it had some incompatibility with the Vampire genome, we quickly overcame that, and our research saw a huge Breakthrough."
Zhou Yi cut straight to the point. "Makinos's allies provided this virus. Who are they?"
Kennan's eyes darted slyly. "I only know that it is a Vampire Family residing in Britain. I know nothing more."
Psychological analysis confirmed his statement. He wasn't telling the whole truth, but for Zhou Yi, the information about the Vampire family in Britain was enough.
Turning silently, Zhou Yi flew directly away, leaving Kennan suspended in mid-air. Losing the maintenance of the psychokinetic field, Kennan's body immediately began to free-fall under the force of gravity.
He was at 13,000 feet, directly above an open highway. Survival was impossible.
He screamed, cursed, pleaded, and threatened, but it meant nothing. His life was reduced to a few dozen seconds of frantic descent.
With a heavy, sickening sound, Kennan's body struck the ground like a smashed tomato, splattering fluids across the highway. Even in death, he still clutched the briefcase—a truly pathetic end for a man who valued data over everything.
Waving his hand, Zhou Yi unleashed a burst of fire to incinerate the remains, then flew toward home. Both he and Blade had finished their work, and never having felt such profound exhaustion, he desperately needed a comforting embrace to rest in.
Many days later, Blade returned from a routine Vampire hunt. Josh's death had created an inconvenience. Whistler was getting old, and he was struggling to keep the operation running. His equipment was still unorganized, especially his transport, which was affecting his duties.
Whistler knew the urgency but building a custom vehicle for Blade was a complex task. He was usually working late.
But today, Blade saw Whistler, for once, sitting outside, smoking a cigarette and basking in the sun.
Seeing Blade, Whistler squinted through the smoke. "A friend sent you a present. I think you'll like it."
Blade frowned in surprise. "A friend? Who are you talking about?"
"Don't worry, I checked it. No tricks. And I actually think the guy's alright." Whistler winked, pointing toward an open space nearby.
Faced with Whistler's rare playful tone, Blade was bewildered. He walked in the indicated direction and saw a huge shipping container.
Whistler never lied. Without hesitation, Blade yanked the container door open.
Inside, six military Humvees were parked, their rugged, muscular lines gleaming under the sun. Blade shrugged and casually closed the door.
Turning back, he looked toward a figure slowly ascending into the sky. A strange, knowing smile touched his lips.
"Pal, well done!"