129 Albany Laurent
The journey was uneventful. No vampire dared challenge this small army of H.A.R.M. agents.
Five days later, we reached Surrey.
To my surprise, the scale of Surrey was not much smaller than Seattle, with signs of prosperity visible everywhere.
Among all the government buildings, the most striking sight was not the county magistrate or local police station, but rather the grand and imposing mansion of the H.A.R.M. general.
Three shuttle buses pulled up.
The two majors at the gate fixed their cold stares on the approaching vehicles, their expressions softening only when they recognized the shuttles as their own.
Rose Hightower got out of the first bus and stood still.
Upon recognizing her, the two majors smiled, and even walked over to greet her. "Colonel Hightower! It's good to see you back. The General has been asking about you. He'll be pleased to see you."
Despite their welcoming smiles, Rose's brows furrowed slowly. She was a little surprised that General Laurent was at home. But more importantly, Since when did Albany post majors to guard gates? "Did something happen in the mansion?" She asked.
Not every H.A.R.M. general had a reputation like Aisha Patani, whose mere presence in the city kept vampires at bay from all directions.
General Laurent usually guarded the outskirts and, unless necessary, rarely returned to the city to rest.
"Tch." The two majors exchanged pained looks, their faces flushed with shame as they lowered their voices. "We had a thief break in."
Their faces twitched at the mere mention of these words.
The stately H.A.R.M. General's Mansion, hadn't been harmed by a Vampire Lord, but was instead robbed by a petty thief.
Rose froze for a moment, then her eyes widened, a flicker of realization sparked in their depths. "Peter Volare?"
"That damned thief!" One of the majors gritted his teeth, seething with rage. "Instead of targeting the governor's fine wine collection, he had to come to Surrey to make trouble. I swear I'll cut his legs off one of these days."
Obviously, he was just venting his anger.
As the king of the most notorious gang among the first-rate powers, Peter Volare could do whatever he pleased—not just in Surrey, but even in Seattle.
Peter Volare... traveled eighty thousand miles, never returning empty-handed.
"Come now, what's the big deal? He knows exactly where to draw the line." Rose waved her hand dismissively. The thief king's survival could be credited not just to his movement techniques unrivaled throughout Cascadia, but also to his careful selection of targets—high profile yet always within the bound of controlled chaos.
He always borrowed and returned... of course, what he actually returned was another matter.
One thing was for certain, he never touched what he shouldn't.
The two majors sighed but didn't continue. After General Laurent returned to investigate, he indeed didn't think the matter was that serious. But for them, as subordinates, it was undoubtedly a slap in the face.
Moving on from this topic.
They gazed curiously at the bus, surprised to have seen Rose speaking so respectfully to someone inside before stepping out.
With Rose's status, especially on General Laurent's turf, there was no need for her to be so deferential to anyone.
Then they saw a young man in a black jacket emerge from the bus.
When the majors saw the silver bell hang at his waist, the confusion in their hearts lessened by a third.
A Silver Bell Vampire Hunter so young was certainly worthy of respect.
Doesn't he usually hide his bell in his pocket? Rose thought, noticing that John had deliberately displayed the bell and paused thoughtfully.
Good heavens—at Black Stone Spring it was H.A.R.M.'s internal affair, yet here at the General's Mansion, it had become a vampire hunter's achievement.
He really refused to brook any inquiries.
As the colonels and agents got off the bus, their faces grew pale.
They had hoped General Laurent might be away from Surrey, buying them more time. Instead, they had run right into him.
At last, Kourosh Zarrinkamar fell from the bus with a thud.
The two gatekeeping majors stared at him in confusion, taking a while to recognize him. They exclaimed in shock, "Lieutenant General Zarrinkamar?!"
How had the normally imposing old lieutenant general fallen into such a wretched state?
"Hold your greetings for now," Rose said, her expression turning serious. "Go report to General Laurent. The Vampire Hunters have important matters to discuss."
The majors were stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Why bother reporting when you're returning home..."
Noticing Rose's expression, one of them quickly responded, "I'll go right away."
Seeing this, Rose turned around, intending to advise John to soften his demeanor. Even if by acting, he should try to conceal his aloofness. Albany Laurent was, in fact, quite approachable for a general. Building a good relationship with him could benefit John's future.
Just then, she noticed the young man's hand resting calmly on his sword hilt.
Rose's lips curled up in a helpless smile.
Forget it, she should just say less. It seemed that he had no intention of taking the opportunity to curry favor with his superior.
… …
The conversation between Rose and the majors caught me off guard—they treated her like she owned the place. It reminded me of Arnold's strange expression when he'd seen me hugging Rose. I hadn't thought much of it then, but now an uneasy feeling crept over me.
A wave of discomfort swept through me. I couldn't tell if it came from jealousy or from being in the presence of someone who could easily overpower me. The same feeling had surfaced with Chloe back in Seattle, and now it returned with General Laurent. Even though I knew we were allies, an unsettling tension refused to leave me.
If it stemmed from the latter, it was actually very easy to fix. Once my strength surpassed theirs, the feeling would naturally disappear.
As for jealousy, I shouldn't jump to conclusions.
Soon, several agents hurried over, extending their hands in welcome. "This way, please."
Following their lead, the group entered the mansion and made our way to a side courtyard.
A tall middle-aged man rose to greet us. He wore a blue jacket, and his well-defined features carried a scholarly air. His gaze was gentle, and his voice clear and soft.
"Rose, welcome back!" He first nodded at Rose, then extended his hand to me warmly. "Thank you for your assistance, young Vampire Hunter."
"Good to see you, senior brother," Rose replied with a smile.
I reached out and shook his hand gently but remained silent, my mind churning.
When General Laurent stood up, I noticed the way he gazed at Rose. His look revealed feelings that went far beyond the usual regard of a senior martial brother for a fellow disciple.
Their voices held an unmistakable warmth and familiarity, betraying a deep intimacy they themselves might not have noticed.
A pang of heartache hit me, but I quickly recognized my error. After all, I had only known Rose for a couple of months—and our actual time together amounted to far less than that.
If Garcia's account was accurate, General Laurent and Rose had been together for over 10 years—training under the same master, working side by side in H.A.R.M., and advancing their careers together. I was just an outsider, probably nothing more than a brief fling during her lonely time in Pinewood County. I had no grounds to be jealous or resentful.
… …
Rose noticed my awkwardness, and she also saw that Albany's eyes were fixed on my waist, not on the silver bell, but on my hand resting on the scabbard.
She quickly explained. "John's a bit guarded by nature. He doesn't mean to be disrespectful."
She anticipated some awkwardness between the three of us. However, her relationship with Albany was quite different from what people assumed.
They maintained a professional relationship with certain benefits. When Rose joined the Vampire Hunters, Chloe took her under her wing and grew quite fond of the young woman. As a female hunter, Rose needed to master seal-breaking technique—the same one she later used in the prison cell of the Berkshire Mountains.
As the training involved sex, Chloe selected Rose's practicing partner with care. She didn't even consider her own grandson Arnold, choosing instead to approach Rose's senior brother Albany Laurent, who was already a lieutenant general at the time.
Their physical relationship had continued since then. Though intimate, she had made it clear it wasn't romantic. Her demanding life as a Vampire Hunter required physical releases, and Laurent provided that with gentleness and understanding.
To outsiders, however, their relationship appeared exclusive, since neither of them dated anyone else. Though she and Albany shared a clear understanding about the nature of their arrangement, Rose couldn't exactly go around explaining it to everyone.
Albany Laurent came back to his senses and smiled fondly. "Rose, I understand. But from what you said, it seems you know this young brother really well."
Rose subconsciously pouted her lips, immediately realizing her slip-up. She raised her eyebrows and said calmly, "Stop teasing me, is that how you treat junior brothers and sisters now?"
With that casual deflection, the atmosphere shifted instantly from official business to a comfortable familiarity.
"Brother Kane, no need for such formality. Please, sit down." Albany Laurent smiled at me. Despite being a powerful Crystal Realm expert at the nascent harmonizing stage, he carried himself with genuine humility.
"Yes, sir." I answered respectfully.
From the moment I walked in, I noticed the general's gaze fixed on my black blade—and I knew it wasn't because of anything I had done.
Since he had chosen to avoid the topic, I followed his lead and pretended not to notice. After all, the blade had been surrendered to me by the ape vampire in Pinewood County—I hadn't stolen it.
After exchanging pleasantries, Rose addressed the core matter by explaining why Kourosh Zarrinkamar had failed to report three times.
Albany Laurent listened carefully, pondered for a moment, then raised his head to look at the old man being restrained in the distance. He said gently, "Veteran Kourosh, you have done a lot for Cascadia. Though you may not have achieved great merit, you have worked hard. I will ensure you receive a dignified end."
Hearing this, Kourosh Zarrinkamar silently looked at Laurent's scholarly face. His already muddled pupils gradually lost focus. The mouth without a tongue opened and closed slightly, but no sound came out.
After a moment, he lowered his head as if accepting his fate.
Seeing his expression, Albany closed his eyes. A gentle breeze whispered through the courtyard.
Kourosh's body suddenly slumped to the ground, devoid of any sign of life.
Simultaneously, the colonels and over a hundred agents from Black Stone Spring dropped to their knees with a thud, sweat beading on their foreheads. None dared speak in their defense. The courtyard fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.