The strange appearance of the tall man didn't cause much surprise among the homeless. In their world, people with odd looks weren't uncommon, often the result of severe illness. The thin tramp sitting nearby even gave him a sympathetic look, thinking the man was in better health than most.
Seeing the kind eyes of the tramp, the tall figure blinked, smiled faintly, and, after coughing twice, rasped out in a dry voice, "Yes, it's my first time here."
This response delighted the tramp, who immediately became more talkative. "You know, they pay in cash," he said eagerly, pulling a bottle filled with dark red liquid from the bag around his waist. "No matter how many times you sell, they accept it. And the price—higher than the market. They'll even take bottles!"
The tall man's eyes twitched, and a smirk crept onto his face, but he stayed quiet, merely nodding to the tramp.
A sharp voice interrupted. "Chad Norma, it's your turn." A woman dressed in a business suit called out, waving him over.
Nodding to the tramp, the tall man—Chad Norma—stood and walked deeper into the shadows.
High above, Zod sat atop a skyscraper, watching the scene play out below. His enhanced vision turned the entire sequence into a live-action movie for him. Next to him lay a half-eaten bag of chips and a soda. As Chad Norma began slaughtering vampires in the blood bank, Zod had already analyzed the vampire-run operation in great detail.
Rows upon rows of plasma packs lined the cold storage, an unsettling sight for someone who knew the full extent of what was happening. Through his AI, the Black Queen, Zod uncovered the vampire underworld's grip on human society. America's blood reserves were dangerously low, impacting life-saving procedures in hospitals. Patients were dying on operating tables due to a lack of transfusions, all while vampires gorged on stolen blood.
The blood supply wasn't truly depleted. America still had blood, but much of it had been sold—at a premium—to the Vampire Empire. Under the guise of free blood donations, the U.S. government profited enormously by selling blood to vampires for $400 per 100 milliliters.
The problem wasn't merely the appetite of the vampires, but the greed of the American government. Patients weren't dying because vampires drank too much blood; they were dying because the U.S. had sold their blood to the highest bidder.
Zod knew Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. were aware of this arrangement, but they remained silent. The profits were too enormous, and S.H.I.E.L.D. relied on these covert funds to cover untraceable expenses. Even if Fury wanted to stop the deal, his hands were tied by layers of corruption.
Vampires paid $200 billion in taxes annually to the U.S. government, contributing nearly 7% of the country's total tax revenue. Vampires had been intertwined with the American economy for centuries, controlling industries and paying hefty sums for access to blood banks.
For Zod, uprooting the vampire empire overnight wasn't possible. The political and economic ramifications would be catastrophic. Instead, he focused on aiding Blade and other vampire hunters to control their numbers discreetly. He knew capitalists would shield vampires if their interests were threatened. Eternal life was a temptation even they couldn't resist.
Vampires weren't just dangerous because of their bloodlust—they were deeply entrenched in human society. Their influence stretched back millennia, from the Roman Republic to modern America. Many Roman emperors, like Nero, had alliances with vampires, and while Nero had his own demonic connections, his court was filled with bloodsuckers.
Vampires were parasites feeding off the capitalist world. They controlled wealth, influenced politics, and solidified their power in the shadows. Some bankers were even called "vampires" in a literal sense.
Despite their power, Zod was determined to keep them in check. But even S.H.I.E.L.D., which could fend off alien invasions and supervillains, struggled to manage the vampires' control over the economy. The vampires, in many ways, were the economy.
Suddenly, Zod's musings were interrupted.
"Who are you?" a voice growled.
Zod had sensed Chad Norma's approach long before the reaper spoke. Chad Norma, lacking the scent of a vampire, was suspicious of Zod. The reapers behind him shifted restlessly, eyeing Zod and the warehouse filled with blood.
Zod remained calm. "The blood of tramps is full of bacteria and viruses," he said flatly. His super vision allowed him to observe the molecular structure of the plasma. Over 90% of it was unhealthy, contaminated by illness and disease.
Chad Norma felt an instinctive wariness toward Zod. He could sense this human was more dangerous than he appeared. As Zod stepped closer, one of the reapers behind Chad couldn't hold back any longer and lunged.
Zod shook his head in disappointment. "Your control over them is lacking," he muttered.