Chapter 50: How to Break the Deadlock

The barbecue feast lasted until one in the morning before everyone finally dispersed.

Shen Xin and Yu Yanan were both thoroughly intoxicated, stumbling in a haze up to their respective rooms.

Early the next morning, Shen Xin was roused by the shrill ring of his phone. He struggled to pry open his eyes, seeing that it was Lao Mo calling. Lao Mo rarely called him of his own accord, so Shen Xin answered without thinking much.

“Hey, Old Shen, get over here quick, we’ve got an urgent mission!”

“What urgent mission?” Shen Xin was utterly unwilling to get out of bed—it was barely past six, not even seven yet.

“There’s been a massive outbreak of vampire infections in the subway.”

“Damn, are you serious?” The moment Shen Xin heard this, all traces of sleep vanished.

“Would I lie to you? Hurry up, we’re waiting for you.”

“Alright, I’ll be there right away!” Shen Xin sensed something was amiss. He was sure He Xuantong hadn’t turned into a vampire, so who was behind the subway infection?

He sped through his morning routine, dashed outside, and used his ocular technique to teleport straight to the compound. From waking up to arriving at the compound, scarcely two minutes had passed—a testament to a man’s speed.

Once there, he ran upstairs, donned his combat gear, and jumped into the vehicle. “Let’s go—head for the subway.”

Lao Mo grinned. “You really are quick!”

Chen Jiawang floored the accelerator, sending the SUV hurtling down the street. He joked as he drove, “I drive fast, right? Three seconds, a real man!”

Within a quarter hour, they arrived at the Niulan Street subway entrance. Getting out, they saw numerous police officers had already set up barricades, sealing off the station.

After Lao Mo negotiated with them, they were allowed inside.

The subway hall held only a handful of people. Other bounty squads, noticing Shen Xin’s group, glanced at their watches and then headed toward the halted subway trains.

Everyone picked a carriage, and almost simultaneously shouted, “Break the door!”

Lao Mo instructed, “Everyone turn on your cameras. Zirran, you’re on door-breaking duty.”

Tang Zirran released her Armored Beast and commanded it to breach the door.

The Armored Beast growled deep and charged at the carriage door, its massive head lowered.

With a thunderous crash, the door was blasted off its hinges, and the Armored Beast plunged inside. Shen Xin and the others followed closely. Upon entering, they were assaulted by the pungent stench of blood. Passengers lay sprawled across the floor and seats in grotesque fashion.

The familiar scent, the familiar formula!

But this time, Shen Xin felt neither disgust nor hesitation. He controlled his flying blades, swiftly harvesting vampires, decapitating seventeen or eighteen out of every carriage.

After leaving the carriage, Shen Xin gritted his teeth. “Keep going!”

Everyone stared at him as if he were a monster. Tang Zirran fought to suppress the churning in her stomach and ordered her Armored Beast to break the next door.

Shen Xin dashed inside, continuing his ruthless slaughter. In less than ten minutes, three carriages were cleared.

Though his mind had grown stronger, his body still lagged behind, and his spiritual energy was nearly depleted.

He shook his head with a sigh. “I can’t go on. Uncle Mo, let’s withdraw.”

“Withdraw!” Uncle Mo didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

They soon encountered the five beauties from the Spirit Fox squad again. Chen Jiawang, as ever, hurried over to ingratiate himself.

Shen Xin looked at the members of Spirit Fox. Willow Brows, Wu Worry, Wu Sorrow, Wu Sickness, and Wu Calamity. Especially Wu Sickness—he still remembered the meal she had cooked for him last time, its taste unforgettable!

He couldn’t help himself and greeted each of the five.

Willow Brows scrutinized Shen Xin, confirming she didn’t know him, then turned to Lao Mo. “A newcomer?”

Lao Mo nodded.

“Oh, that explains it.”

After leaving the subway, Shen Xin felt a vague sense of unease. He checked his phone and saw a missed call from Yu Yanan, but when he tried to call back, there was no answer.

“Brother Wang, take me to the university. Quickly.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Never mind, just drive as fast as you can!”

Seeing Shen Xin’s anxious face, Chen Jiawang floored the accelerator again, turning the SUV into a racecar.

In ten minutes, they arrived at the foot of the Art Academy’s building.

Shen Xin jumped out and sprinted toward the classroom building.

It was around eight in the morning, just before classes began.

A few classmates had already arrived. They stared curiously at Shen Xin, who was soaked through. His roommate, Zhou Min, asked, “Shen Xin, did you fall into a puddle? Aren’t you going to change clothes?”

Shen Xin saw nothing unusual, then inquired, “Have you seen Yu Yanan?”

“No, she should be here soon though.”

Shen Xin rushed out of the classroom and waited at the entrance for over ten minutes, but Yu Yanan never appeared. He Xuantong was also nowhere to be found, and the phone couldn’t connect!

“Damn it!”

A wave of foreboding rose in his chest. This time, he hailed a cab straight to the family inn in the suburbs where they’d stayed before.

Sure enough, before long, he saw a man swathed in a black robe carrying someone toward the inn.

“Damn!” Fury surged in Shen Xin’s chest. He charged forward and landed a heavy punch on the man’s face.

Caught off guard, the man was knocked flying, and the woman he carried fell to the ground.

Shen Xin looked closely—it was indeed Yu Yanan.

The black-robed man, after being struck, wasted no time and broke into a run, disappearing into the crowd after several dozen meters.

Shen Xin gave chase for a short distance, but then thought better of it and returned, since Yu Yanan was still lying helpless on the ground, in real danger.

Whether the black-robed man was He Xuantong or someone else no longer mattered.

He hoisted Yu Yanan onto his back, hailed a taxi, and returned to his new rental apartment. This time, he didn’t go to a hospital, nor did he seek out Sister Dan.

He knew as long as Yu Yanan drank his blood, she’d be fine, but a sense of powerlessness gnawed at him.

It seemed that after resetting everything, even knowing the story in advance hadn’t changed anything.

How could he truly break free?

As night fell, Yu Yanan awoke. She was lucid only briefly before plunging into madness. Shen Xin held her tightly, letting her bite him. Only after she drank her fill did she finally sleep peacefully.

Shen Xin made his way to the compound a few hundred meters away and found Sister Dan. “Sister Dan, I was bitten by a vampire.”

He showed her the bite mark on his shoulder.

“Oh! Let me take a look.”

Shen Xin leaned in. After examining him, Sister Dan discovered, just as before, that not only had Shen Xin not been infected by the vampire, but he had instead absorbed and improved the vampire’s toxin.

The rest unfolded as before—Sister Dan offered a high price for Shen Xin’s blood, and then she began making soup for him daily. But those are stories for another time.

The next day, Yu Yanan awoke, tears glistening in her eyes as she gazed at Shen Xin, wracked with guilt. She vaguely remembered what happened the previous night.

Shen Xin bared his shoulder and comforted her, “It’s alright, my wound has already healed. Tell me, who bit you?”

“I... I’m not sure. Zhou Yuan called and asked me to wait for you at East Suburb Park. At the time, I couldn’t reach you by phone.”

Shen Xin recalled that he had been slaughtering vampires in the subway then, his phone switched off. When he finally saw Yu Yanan’s call and dialed back, there was no answer.

But in that brief window, Yu Yanan wouldn’t have had time to walk from the dormitory to East Suburb Park.

What was really going on? Who blocked Yu Yanan’s phone signal?

And why was it so necessary to bite her?

Shen Xin felt as if he had fallen into an invisible web.