Chapter 1: A Deadly Pursuit Under the Moonlit Night

Late at night in the Zhonghai office building, Su Yi, who had worked overtime until he was drowsy and slumped over his desk, was suddenly awakened by a scorching heat.

Groggily raising himself, he found the source of the heat was the bracelet he wore on his right wrist. He still remembered how he had acquired it: back in college, he had bought it from an elderly street vendor beneath an overpass. The old man claimed it was an heirloom, though he couldn’t say what it was made of or its value, only that Su Yi could have it for a reasonable price. Seeing the man, well past his eighties, still hustling for a living, Su Yi’s compassion was stirred, and he purchased it for one hundred yuan.

He had worn the bracelet for years without incident, but now it was emitting an increasingly bright red glow. A sharp pain shot through his forehead—the small wound he had gotten that evening, when he bravely intervened against a thug outside the company, had reopened.

The dark brown bloodstain on the bracelet made Su Yi uneasy, and he suddenly realized that the mutation was likely caused by the blood flowing from his forehead wound. The lights around him began to flicker erratically. Unable to remove the bracelet, Su Yi dashed to his colleague Xiao Mei’s desk across from him and pulled a black stun baton from beneath it.

Xiao Mei, fashionable and attractive, had developed a paranoid fear after reading too many news reports about ride-sharing incidents. She had spent a hefty sum to buy this upgraded stun baton online for her late-night journeys home.

The surroundings plunged into utter darkness, impenetrable even to light. Holding the stun baton, which the vendor claimed could incapacitate even an elephant, Su Yi felt a slight sense of security. The bracelet ceased its unnatural glow, and, barely daring to breathe, Su Yi twisted on the baton’s flashlight, hoping to illuminate his surroundings.

Yet all he saw was pitch black, a darkness that even the flashlight could not pierce. He groped his way toward the company entrance, but after a full minute of walking, he encountered no obstacles.

The bizarre situation weighed heavily on Su Yi’s heart, but he did not lose hope and pressed on in the direction he believed was correct. After an indeterminate time, a faint light appeared ahead, and his spirits soared as he quickened his pace.

With a soft “pop,” as if passing through an invisible barrier, Su Yi suddenly found himself in a dim alley.

The full moon hung high, the stars bright and clear. The ancient cobblestone ground bore the traces of long ages.

Su Yi realized he had somehow changed clothes: he now wore a brown leather armor, dark blue tight trousers, and a broad sword hung at his waist.

Still reeling in confusion, a mechanical voice, indistinguishable as male or female, sounded in his ear.

“Instance world activated. Basic information transmission beginning.”

With a muffled groan, Su Yi endured a burst of pain, then a stream of information flooded into his mind.

In an instant, Su Yi became one with the memories of this world’s native. He was now named Sonam, a militia member of the Redstone Town Security Squad, currently pursuing a vampire beast that had been ravaging the town.

“Mission: Hunt down the Nofeller clan vampire terrorizing the town. Upon completion, you may return.”

Su Yi had little time to react before the world, previously frozen in its strange state, suddenly reanimated. The next moment, a cacophony of shouts and noises assaulted his ears.

“Sonam! Watch out for the monster!” The voice of Captain Yousi echoed from afar.

Moments later, bricks and stones flew from the alley wall above, and a revolting monster crashed down before Su Yi.

It was the first time Sonam had seen the creature clearly since the pursuit began. Nearly three meters tall, its body was covered in black, festering boils; its twisted, hideous features were clustered together like random strokes on a mildewed canvas.

A bowl-sized wound gaped on its chest, left by a family knight of the esteemed Lord Downing of Redstone Town. One hind leg was charred black, with dark green blood spurting from the injury—a clear mark of Captain Yousi’s heavy firearm. The wound had caused the monster to misjudge its landing and crash before Su Yi.

The vampire beast immediately spotted the nearby Su Yi, its injuries further fueling its rage. Its enormous forelimb, clawed like a fan, swept toward him.

In a split second, Su Yi’s mind went blank, never having faced such imminent danger. Yet Sonam’s muscle memory took over at the critical moment.

Years of rigorous training allowed him to draw his sword and step forward to meet the monster’s claw in a seamless motion.

Amid the clash of metal, the monster’s claw was deflected, but the hurried, insufficiently powered move left Su Yi’s body trembling from the impact. He was sent flying into the wall behind him, his sword ricocheting away.

Seeing the weak human weaponless, the monster bared its maw, sharp fangs descending toward Su Yi’s throat.

Give it two seconds, and it would snap his neck and drain most of his blood. Even if it couldn’t fully heal, it would make escaping pursuit much easier.

Everything happened too quickly. Su Yi watched the monster’s gaping jaws descend, its foul saliva already spraying forth. Never had death felt so close, but in that instant, he remembered the stun baton still in his hand.

The next moment, crackling blue-white arcs of electricity exploded in the dark alley. With tens of thousands of volts, even a non-human monster could not withstand it. Amid shrieks, the creature spasmed violently and toppled backward.

Was it really over so easily?

Merged with Sonam’s memories, Su Yi felt little fear once the danger had passed. He dashed forward, grabbed his sword off the ground, and turned to strike at the monster’s head.

But just then, the creature’s body changed; in an instant, its color shifted from indigo-blue to a glaring crimson, continuing to swell.

Su Yi realized something was wrong, released his grip on the sword, and rolled away with all his strength.

With a deafening blast, the vampire beast exploded, its fetid stench filling the alley, red and white flesh fragments spraying everywhere.

The monster’s tissue seemed to possess terrifying corrosive properties, the alley walls left pitted and smoking.

Su Yi, sprawled on the ground, groaned; though he had reacted swiftly, his back was splattered by the monster’s flesh.

His leather armor was eaten through, leaving a gaping hole; his back was a mass of bloody tissue. Even Su Yi, who prided himself on his resilience, could not help but gasp in pain.

“Warning: Target vampire has transformed into a Blood Hunter.”

“Through long evolution, elite warriors of the Nofeller clan can, under severe injury, occasionally transform into Blood Hunter form.”

“Vampires in Blood Hunter form lose all potential to become vampire elders, but temporarily regain peak physical condition, greatly enhancing agility and recovery.”

“Weaknesses: Decreased defense, amplified bloodlust, extreme hatred for target enemy.”

The notification flashed through Su Yi’s mind in an instant. He felt every hair stand on end and, without hesitation, forced himself up and sprinted away!

Behind him, a thunderous, monstrous howl erupted, the chilling tone brimming with overflowing hate.

“Damn human, I’ll tear you limb from limb and burn you in the holy fire of the desolate cemetery for a thousand years!”

Through the dense night, a streak of crimson burst from the alley.

Transformed into Blood Hunter form, the Nofeller clan vampire had shrunk to less than two meters tall, its body a tangled mass of pink and black-red muscle. Its mouth full of fangs occupied nearly half its face.

The vampire beast stamped the ground, accelerating toward Su Yi with astonishing speed.

Su Yi knew that if the vampire caught up, death was certain. He fled towards Captain Yousi and the squad.

If the monster retained any reason, it would not run headlong into a crowd.

Yet he underestimated the creature’s hatred, amplified by its bloodlust.

Despite the approaching group, the monster did not slow its pursuit.

“My god, is that the same beast from before?” Captain Yousi, atop his horse, looked uncertain. Though the monster’s appearance had changed and its wounds seemed healed, his combat experience made him shout instantly:

“Sonam, get down!”

Trusting Yousi’s memory, Su Yi threw himself forward.

Almost as the gunfire roared, bullets flew across dozens of meters toward the monster.

Just as Captain Yousi thought victory was within reach, the charging beast suddenly slowed, then twisted its body with incredible agility to dodge the bullet that would have struck its chest.

Bang! Bang! Bang! More shots rang out as other squad members fired, but the monster darted left and right, escaping with only a graze to its arm.

Captain Yousi’s face was grim. They had brought heavy firearms, believing they could suppress the massive, heavily armored vampire beast. Yet after its transformation, its agility was astounding. If it reached the crowd, they could only watch it slaughter and escape.

Rising from his prone position, Su Yi glanced back—the vampire was less than twenty meters away. He could read the mocking look in its eyes, as if ridiculing the futility of his flight.

The gunfire had shown Su Yi that even if he reached Captain Yousi, the beast could still tear him apart, risking injury. Except for Captain Yousi, the squad’s close-combat skills were inferior to his own. Even if the beast was outnumbered, Su Yi’s life was forfeit.

His mind raced, searching for a way out. Suddenly, he caught sight of a distant building.

A plan formed in his heart—he would gamble everything.