Adam sneered.
The leather water pouch slipped from Yu Jia's hand.
Disguised as a doctor, the young vampire looked around in panic, eyes filled with fear.
Adam stepped out from the shadows, smiling faintly.
Inside a human settlement, a Fifteenth-Generation vampire whose strength barely matched an ordinary man… standing face to face with him.
Hard to tell who should fear exposure more.
"Hello… vampire." Adam's smile turned cold.
He was already calculating—Would drinking this vampire's blood quench his thirst faster?
"Who are you? A werewolf? Or an Exorcist?"
Yu Jia pressed himself against the wall, one hand gripping the doorknob beside him. He didn't run. He was waiting for an answer.
Adam said nothing.
He simply walked forward.
Step by step.
Until he stood directly in front of him.
Candlelight illuminated Adam's body—The terrifyingly dense muscles… the unnatural smile.
Yu Jia's legs went limp. He collapsed to the floor, unable to even crawl away.
"I'm begging you! I didn't do anything! I've never drunk human blood! I heal people—I save lives! Please… let me go!"
Tears streamed down his face. He threw the candlestick aside and clutched Adam's calf, trembling.
Adam raised a brow.
A vampire… begging like this?
Unexpected.
"You said you don't drink human blood." Adam grabbed his chin and lifted him off the ground. "Then what were you drinking just now?"
"I—I drink artificial blood! I made it myself! I'm not lying!"
His words sped up, hope flickering in his eyes.
"Artificial blood?"
Now Adam was interested.
Medical knowledge could be locally developed.
But manufactured blood?
Even in the First City, that kind of technology shouldn't have a long history.
In his previous life, blood could only come from the human body. Blood drives existed everywhere for a reason.
If blood could be manufactured, why mobilize donors?
This vampire claimed he could produce blood?
Either he was lying… or—
"Fine." Adam released him with a cold smile. "Show me. Prove it. I'll believe you."
Yu Jia rubbed his bruised neck and gave a bitter but sincere smile.
He picked up the candlestick, fumbled in his pocket for a key, unlocked the wooden door, and pushed it open.
Darkness.
But Adam had night vision.
And the moment he looked inside—he froze.
Before he could recover, Yu Jia reached along the wall.
Click.
Light flooded the room.
A fluorescent tube flickered to life.
The room was huge—nearly a hundred square meters—and utterly chaotic.
Unmade beds.Desks buried in waste paper.Tilting bookshelves.Mildewed carpets.
And most shocking of all—
An old washing machine.
Fluorescent lighting.
The smell of blood hit him instantly.
"You're a Descender?" Adam turned sharply.
A washing machine? Fluorescent tubes? These weren't things natives could produce.
Industrial infrastructure was required. Electricity alone made it impossible.
"Used to be," Yu Jia said quietly as he walked deeper inside and opened another wooden door. "Sorry about the mess. I don't have the habit of cleaning… and it's not exactly suitable for my assistant to come down here."
He gestured.
"Come. I'll show you the blood I make. I hope… it earns my life."
Adam followed.
They passed through a short stone tunnel and entered a vast underground chamber.
Adam stopped cold.
Glass tanks filled the space—identical to the ones he'd seen in the starship projection where Yilin was held.
Inside each tank floated human bodies.
Every one of them looked exactly like Yu Jia.
Umbilical tubes connected to their navels. Red blood lines ran from their necks and wrists, extracting blood and feeding it into processing machines nearby.
"Please believe me," Yu Jia said nervously. "They're not real humans. They're clones—grown from my cells before I became a vampire. No consciousness. They only supply blood."
He walked to a console, took a cup, turned a valve like a faucet, and filled it with processed blood.
He handed it over carefully.
"This is what I produce. I don't harm anyone."
Adam stared at the cup.
The blood was thinner than fresh human blood—but the metallic scent was just as enticing.
His thirst surged.
Before he realized it, he grabbed the cup and drank it in one gulp.
The effect was immediate.
Compared to raw human blood, this processed blood was smoother—easier to absorb.
The burning thirst subsided sharply.
Yu Jia fell backward in shock.
"Y-You… you're a vampire?!"
His face twisted in horror.
Adam narrowed his eyes.
Interesting.
He crouched down slowly.
"Yes. Surprised?"
"D-Don't kill me!" Yu Jia scrambled backward. "If you spare me—if you help me obtain a legitimate vampire identity—I'll manufacture blood for you!"
"I don't lack blood," Adam said coldly.
So. A vampire bastard.
Still… recruitable.
"No blood? Then—I have this!" Yu Jia grabbed a bottle. "Digestive serum! Lets vampires eat normal food!"
Adam slapped it away. The bottle hit the floor with a dull thud.
Plastic.
"I—I also have this!" He dug frantically through the trash-covered desk and produced another vial. "Sunscreen serum! Lets vampires move under sunlight!"
"…What?"
Adam froze.
He took the bottle, inspecting it carefully.
Had he just found treasure?
If this man was lying, where did all this equipment come from?
A vampire scientist… absurd.
"It's not perfect yet," Yu Jia stammered. "Only works for about two hours. But give me time—I can improve it!"
Adam's gaze turned sharp.
"Who were you before turning? Speak clearly. This is your last chance."
Yu Jia broke down, sobbing as he explained.
Piece by piece, Adam reconstructed the story:
Yu Jia had been a researcher in the First City, specializing in vampire studies.
During an experiment on a captured Fourteenth-Generation vampire, an accident infected him.
Turning was irreversible.
Humans could be turned into vampires—but never restored.
If discovered, he would be "humanely eliminated" by the Eden factions.
So he fled.
Smuggled equipment. Used personal connections. Escaped before exposure.
He tried to join vampire society—only to learn he was considered an illegitimate spawn. Marked for erasure.
So he ran.
Vampires hunted him.Werewolves hunted him.Eden hunted him.Even humans would kill him if exposed.
A life of endless flight.
But his research background saved him.
He developed:
Blood Generators.Pigmentation Serums.Sunlight Screens.Digestive Agents.
Enough to hide among humans.
Years ago, he drifted into this small town and became a doctor—earning genuine respect.
Adam exhaled slowly.
Yu Jia was still crying beside him.
"You think someone can be this unlucky?" he muttered bitterly, pounding the floor.
"Where are we?" Adam suddenly asked.
"…Huh?"
"I asked—where is this? Italian Peninsula? Balkans?"
"Neither," Yu Jia said, wiping tears. "Corsica."
Corsica.
Mediterranean island. Napoleon's birthplace.
Remote.
Safe.
Adam nodded slightly.
Then Yu Jia's eyes widened.
"Brother… you're a wandering bastard vampire too, right?"
Adam didn't answer.
Yu Jia took the silence as confirmation.
He jumped up, face blooming with joy.
"That's great, brother!" He grabbed Adam's hands. "From now on we rely on each other! Finally someone to talk to!"
Adam stared at him, speechless.
This so-called scientist… was a complete oddball.
Still…
Useful.
Very useful.
Adam extended his hand calmly.
"Then start by giving me… a few kilos of blood."