Carlos, born into the elite special forces of Great Britain, was one of the finest soldiers in the military.
His outstanding achievements forged his proud character, which led to a restless spirit. Becoming the strongest warrior in the army, he soon found it mundane and, despite advice from his superiors and family, he decisively left the military.
Soon after, he ventured into more perilous international mercenary groups, facing even more life-and-death challenges. Weary of war, he eventually joined a newly established security company.
This company was powerful, and even Carlos, who considered himself a skilled fighter, found himself placed in the middle ranks, astonished by the company's formidable strength. His curiosity about this organization grew.
Through training, learning, and experience, Carlos earned the company's trust and finally underwent the final evaluation and selection.
Passing this assessment would grant him higher benefits and the opportunity to choose a new future.
However, the evaluation did not satisfy his restless heart. Dissatisfied with a mundane life, he decisively chose a new path and joined the Bounty Hunter Guild!
The Bounty Hunter Guild? When Carlos first heard this name, he thought it was a joke. But upon further investigation, he realized that this guild was far from ordinary. It was the guild that opened a new door to his future.
Within the guild, there was much information he longed to know. According to their introduction, hunters were rewarded for completing tasks. These rewards ranged from money to weapons, medicines, knowledge, and even items that seemed like mere legends.
These mysterious items filled him with longing. After seeing them, he never wanted to leave, eager to join the guild.
However, to obtain the things he sought, he would have to abide by the guild's rules, which were quite complicated.
Upon first joining, hunters were ranked F-Class. Completing F-Class tasks would earn points, and once those points accumulated, hunters could advance to E-Class and begin to take on core tasks.
After joining the guild, Carlos learned more about it. Unfortunately, to gain further knowledge, one needed to advance in rank, starting from F-Class and progressing through to A-Class, with S-Class being nearly unattainable.
At first, Carlos was stuck at the lowest F-Class, with S-Class being far beyond his reach.
For him, basic tasks seemed trivial, easy to complete with little danger, requiring only patience to steadily follow through and finish the task.
Eager to reach E-Class quickly, Carlos eagerly took on task after task, completing them as fast as possible.
Though these tasks offered little reward, they consumed much of his time. It wasn't until many months later that he finally reached E-Class.
E-Class marked a true entry into the guild. Upon reaching this level, a hunter's benefits increased, as did their authority according to their rank.
With his new authority, Carlos discovered numerous treasures. Not only were there rare items, but also high-tech products not available in the market, life-saving devices, and much more. This filled him with excitement, but also regret.
Excited to see the wealth of treasures within the guild, he also felt regretful because he could only look and not obtain them.
To obtain these treasures, he would need to complete various tasks, increase his rank, and earn the right to claim them.
E-Class tasks didn't offer many points, and he would need to complete many tasks to reach his goal. Initially, he thought it would take a year to acquire such treasures, but then a new mission was posted, giving him hope.
The new mission — C+ (Special Blood-red Skull Marker) — Seek the Killer.
"Is it really necessary to risk so much just to find a killer?"
Without even looking at the task details, he accepted it immediately, ready to proceed.
Mission process: Apply for the task, fill in personal information, and wait for a reply. The response was quick, and the task was approved.
After receiving the task, Carlos realized that although it seemed simple, it was actually quite dangerous, as it was marked with a blood-red warning.
Believing in his strength, Carlos proceeded with the task, disregarding the warning, and followed the instructions.
The task led him to a small town, one that was rapidly developing, with many new buildings and some under construction.
If not for the recent unpleasant events, this town would have been the envy of many others.
Recently, the town had experienced several incidents, including a terrorist attack, and rumors of a vampire attack.
According to the guild's detailed information, things were not as simple as they seemed... It was all the work of some sinister individuals. After reading this, Carlos was relieved that he had left the military.
Apart from the hurried pedestrians, the town appeared rather quiet.
The local stores were operating normally, so Carlos had no issues with his accommodations. He reported in and confirmed the beginning of his mission.
Familiarizing himself with the surroundings, he arrived at the scene and conducted an investigation. He spent days asking around the town, tirelessly searching… Unfortunately, after several days, he had nothing to show for it.
"The killer hasn't escaped, has he?"
While the town was in the midst of recovery, he was at a loss. Doubt began to creep in. Was the killer already gone? If so, he might fail the mission.
Suppressing his anxiety, he continued searching. Just as he was about to give up, he stumbled upon a clue.
That night, as Carlos walked down the quiet streets of the town...
"Woof! Woof!—"
Dogs began to bark wildly around him, but no one dared step outside. The dog owners quickly calmed their pets, and the streets fell silent once more.
"Help! Help!"
A cry for help came from a distant house.
This was it! Carlos drew his weapon and rushed toward the source of the noise.
"Ah!—"
A scream echoed, followed by silence.
Carlos stopped outside a yard, the door closed. He glanced around and immediately scaled the wall.
Inside, the house was eerily quiet. The lights flickered, and the atmosphere was tense.
Carlos's nose twitched, and his face changed. Following the faint scent of blood, he ran inside.
There were overturned chairs and broken bottles on the floor, signs of a struggle. Following the trail of blood, he found a girl lying motionless on the floor in her pajamas, her neck bearing several bloodstains. Her eyes were vacant, her face pale, her heartbeat had ceased, and her body temperature was rapidly dropping.
She was dead.
"May your soul find redemption, may your soul..."
Carlos made a cross and said a prayer, feeling a heavy heart as he began his search, only to leave in regret.
"Whoo-whooo!—"
The sound of police sirens blared as they set up a cordon, sealing off the scene.
The click of cameras echoed as reporters gathered outside, flashing their cameras as doctors wheeled out the covered stretcher.
The police, faces grim, cleared a path for the doctors, allowing them to be photographed.
Lately, criticism of the police had been relentless, and they had become accustomed to silence in the face of reporters.
Carlos left, thinking the day's events were over, but on his way back, he encountered another similar incident.
"Ah!—"
A scream echoed. Carlos drew his weapon and rushed forward, just in time to see a man in black clothes sink his fangs into a girl's neck.
Beside her, a burly man holding a shotgun lay in a pool of blood.
"Fuck! Let go of that girl!"
The figure seemed to ignore him, continuing his gruesome actions.
Bang! Carlos fired, causing the figure to flinch. Enraged, it let out a growl and raised its claws.
Carlos felt himself being thrown into the air, crashing into a wall like a rag doll. The shadow approached, and before he knew it, everything went black. He lost consciousness completely. (To be continued…)