New York, 10 PM.
The city's bustling nightlife had just begun.
Alex, carrying a sword bag on his back, approached a bar. After casually ordering a bottle of red wine at the counter, he poured himself a drink and silently observed the other patrons.
This bar was the hideout of Quinn, who thought he had successfully shaken off Alex's pursuit. The place was teeming with vampires and a significant number of ghoul-like ha gui, who flattered the vampires in hopes of being granted the coveted "first embrace" that would transform them into full-fledged vampires. After careful observation, Alex concluded that not a single human in the bar was normal.
By the time he finished the bottle of wine, it was already 11 PM. The bar had grown twice as crowded as before. Most of the patrons were ogling a scantily clad female singer performing on stage, while some lounged on sofas, shamelessly indulging their excess hormones. A select few cast Alex strange, probing glances.
"Have they realized I'm neither a vampire nor one of those ha gui?"
Draining the last of his wine, Alex slowly stood up. As he did, a group of stunningly attractive men and women began to close in, their eyes filled with malice.
The leader, a man with a sinister grin, leaned toward Alex and sneered, "Hey, kid, where are you from? Never seen you in this bar before."
"Oh? Are you looking for trouble?" Alex replied nonchalantly, his gaze sweeping over the group.
"Hahahahaha!"
The vampires burst into uproarious laughter. Even the nearby ha gui, who had been silently observing, smirked gleefully, anticipating the spectacle to come.
"That's right. We're here to pick a fight!" one of the vampires jeered, flashing a bloody grin. The others joined in, their expressions equally predatory.
"You didn't come looking for me, but now you're asking for trouble yourselves? Truly..." Alex's voice was calm, almost dismissive, as he lowered his head, obscuring his expression.
"... courting death!"
The final words were barely out of his mouth when Alex suddenly raised his head, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes glinting with the shape of crimson crosses.
Before the vampires could react, Alex swiftly drew the katana from his sword bag. With a flick of his wrist, the blade cleaved through the air, emitting a chilling "swish." A streak of blinding silver light shot out, slicing cleanly through the group.
"AAAAHHHHH!"
Shrill screams echoed as the blade cut through them like butter. The vampires' bodies split at the waist before disintegrating into countless fine particles, which Alex's Destruction Eyes absorbed entirely.
The sudden carnage stunned the entire bar. Both vampires and ha gui froze in shock, their eyes locked on the katana-wielding Alex.
Behind the bar, the bartender hesitated for a moment before ducking down to grab a gun. But before he could pull the trigger, Alex's blade struck, severing his hands and bisecting his body in one fluid motion.
"AAAAHHHH!"
Panic erupted in the bar. Screams filled the air as patrons scrambled toward the exits, trampling over one another in their desperation to flee.
"Now you want to run? Too late!"
With a cold snort, Alex leaped into the air, his katana transforming into a flurry of relentless blade shadows. He aimed directly at the densest clusters of fleeing patrons.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
Wherever the blade passed, blood sprayed like a fountain. Severed limbs and torn bodies flew in every direction. The once lively bar was now a scene of utter carnage, a hellish slaughterhouse.
Alex's superhuman physique and lightning-fast speed, nearing half the speed of sound, made him a true harbinger of death. Each swing of his blade claimed multiple lives. Within moments, not a single vampire or ha gui remained alive. The floor was littered with shredded clothing and scattered jewelry, all that was left of the exterminated crowd.
"If you don't court death, you won't die. Why don't you ever learn?!"
Alex showed no pity for the ha gui he had killed. To become full-fledged vampires, they had undoubtedly aided the vampires in countless heinous deeds, including concealing their murders of humans. To Alex, such "traitors of humanity" deserved no mercy.
With the slaughter complete, Alex felt a surge of energy coursing through him. His spirit energy had grown stronger, increasing his strength to a terrifying twelve tons and further boosting his speed.
After twirling his katana in a display of precision, Alex sheathed it back into the sword bag. Without hesitation, he strode toward the bar's kitchen, stopping in front of a large freezer.
Opening the freezer door revealed a dark, narrow tunnel.
The vampires had gone to great lengths to conceal their activities, but such measures were laughable in the face of Alex's Clairvoyant Eyes.
"Quite the hiding spot," Alex remarked with a faint smile as he stepped into the tunnel.
Dim lights mounted on the walls illuminated the path. After walking a considerable distance, Alex reached the tunnel's end, entering a cramped, dimly lit room.
Inside was an obscenely obese creature, clearly inhuman in size. Next to him were several laptops, their screens displaying rapidly changing data. To Alex's surprise, the creature's fingers moved across the keyboards with astonishing speed, rivaling the world's top hackers.
"Who... who are you?"
The enormous vampire stopped typing and turned to a monitor, shouting, "Fortes! There's a human here! Save me!"
"What?"
A shocked voice emerged from one of the laptop speakers. Turning the screen toward himself, Alex saw the image of a handsome but sinister-looking man.
"So, you're the vampire leader, Fortes?"
Fortes raised an eyebrow before regaining his composure. "Human, you know me?"
"More or less."
Alex's gaze shifted to the other laptops, where streams of data flashed. "What are you hiding here?"
Placing his hand on one of the laptops, Alex prepared to crush it like paper with his immense strength.
"Don't act rashly!" Fortes snarled, his tone darkening.
"Then explain, or I'll show you what happens when you try to threaten me."
After a tense silence, Fortes relented. "We're researching the legend of the Blood God."
"The Blood God? Sounds impressive," Alex said, his interest piqued.
"The Blood God is our race's ultimate legend. He possesses immortality and powers far beyond any vampire. When the Blood God descends, we will conquer the world!" Fortes and the obese vampire both wore fanatical expressions as they spoke.
"Is that so?"
Alex scoffed but refrained from mocking them further. After a moment's thought, he decided, "For your cooperation, I'll spare him this time. Let's see if your so-called Blood God can save you next time."
With that, Alex cast a deep look at Fortes before turning and leaving the room.
Fortes cursed under his breath before addressing the obese vampire. "Pearl, I'll assign someone to protect you. But if you fail to unravel the Blood God's secrets, you'll witness the sun's glory firsthand. Trust me on that."
At the mention of sunlight, Pearl shuddered violently. Sweat poured down his face as he resumed typing at an even more frantic pace.
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