Blood-sucking fangs

Chapter 5

Feng Nian'en stared at the smooth mirror with a chipped corner, reflecting a pale face. Pale, deathly pale, without a trace of blood, like... a vampire.

He closed his eyes and, like a madman, punched his reflection in the mirror. The mirror shattered, and tiny shards of glass, mixed with streaks of crimson blood, dripped onto the pool.

He opened his eyes, and dozens of ghostly faces smiled silently at him.

He lowered his head; at least, his blood was still red…

He doesn't know how he got through that night. What he remembers most vividly is the light bulb that stayed on all night and the yellowish light it cast.

He thought about it all night and finally decided to go to the church first. Although the chances were slim, it was at least a direction to go in.

Just as he closed his eyes, preparing to force himself to rest, Doraemon's music started playing. He picked up his phone.

"Where are you now?" Zhang Hanwen's arrogant voice, just like the one in my memory, came through.

"Home, I'm home now."

"Damn it! I knew it! You forgot it's that old spinster's class today, do you want me to fail?"

Feng Nian'en's thoughts were in turmoil. Before he could even speak, Zhang Hanwen said again, "Go to class right now. If you're late, you'd better watch out!"

"but……"

"What's the problem?"

"No, no. There's no problem."

"Go quickly!"

Feng Nian'en turned off her phone, a bitter smile appearing on her lips. She glanced at the calendar on the wall clock and pulled two books from her desk.

Although he didn't get into university, thanks to Zhang Hanwen, he attended classes and took notes like a normal student for the past three years, compiling key points for the final exams and helping Zhang Hanwen review. These tasks weren't too difficult for him. The trouble was that he had to try his best to avoid attracting the attention of teachers and classmates, lest he cause any trouble.

For this reason, although she has lived in this city for three years, she doesn't have many friends. The only friend she could call might be Zhang Hanwen, even though she always treats him like a fool…

Chapter Four

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Feng Nian'en finally arrived at school, entering the classroom almost a step before the professor. Relieved that he wasn't late, he breathed a sigh of relief and slumped over the desk in the last row, panting.

Although he was used to waking up early, he had experienced rushing like this before. This distance was nothing to him, having grown up in the countryside. He knew that the reason he was so tired was entirely because the sunlight wasn't even that bright yet.

Just as Feng Nian'en was struggling to breathe, Li Zilin, whom the students called an "old maid" behind her back, began calling roll as usual. He mumbled that Zhang Hanwen was there and took out his notebook to take notes. Although genetics had been a hot topic in the past two years, he still found it strange that Zhang Hanwen had chosen biology as her major. Even if she didn't have any particular interest, as Zhang Jiru's only daughter, it would have been more reasonable for her to choose a major like business administration.

However, this was irrelevant to him. He didn't particularly like this major, but he didn't dislike it either.

To be honest, Li Zilin's professional knowledge and teaching style are not disappointing. The reason why she is maliciously called "old maid" by students is simply because she is too serious. Whether it is being late, skipping class, or cheating, she never shows any mercy once it is caught.

"Teacher," a student raised his hand, stood up, and asked, "according to what you just said, then vampires can also be considered another kind of human being with genetic mutations?"

Feng Nian'en, who had been somewhat dazed, was pulled back to the classroom by this question, and he couldn't help but hold his breath.

“Vampire?” Li Zilin hesitated for a moment. “Theoretically, that’s a fair statement.”

Why?

“Because,” she pushed up her glasses, “the most important thing to distinguish whether one creature belongs to another is to look at its essence. Vampires are, in essence, human.”

"Essentially speaking, although they have human appearances, they do not die naturally, fear sunlight, and live by sucking blood. Can such creatures still be called human?"

Li Zilin was stunned for a moment before saying, "But aren't these all just legends? What if they could also die, weren't afraid of sunlight, and didn't live on blood?"

"Then are they still vampires?" the student said smugly. "Then what the teacher was talking about is just a human, isn't it?"

“Yes…” Li Zilin murmured absentmindedly, her unusual behavior drawing the attention of the entire class.

"Teacher?" The student looked at her as if declaring war.

Li Zilin took a breath: "What I mean is that the legends may not be entirely accurate. According to the Bible, the first vampire was a product of God's punishment. Cain was originally a human being just like us, but because he made a mistake, he was punished by God. In this sense, he is equivalent to a prisoner serving a sentence nowadays; no matter what, he is still human."

"The teacher's point of view seems to be correct, but this isn't a religious class, is it?" the student concluded triumphantly. "So from a biological point of view, vampires are a different kind!" he said smugly as he sat down.

Feng Nian'en kept scribbling on the paper, no longer paying attention to the mutations of the other creatures below.

Genetic mutation? If vampires are the product of genetic mutation, then wouldn't it be enough to simply restore their genes?

Thinking of this, he smirked. Change genes? Easier said than done!

Moreover, he wasn't turned into a vampire on the operating table.

He was lost in thought when the sound of others standing up interrupted his train of thought. He looked up and saw the students carrying their books, leaving the classroom one by one.

"classmate!"

After a moment's hesitation, Feng Nian'en called out to the boy who had asked the question earlier in class.

"Is there something you need?"

"Yes, that's right. I just heard you ask Teacher Li about vampires in class, and... well, I'm also a bit interested in this kind of thing, so..."

"Vampires? Ha, I have no interest in that kind of kidding stuff!"

"But just now..." He looked at the smug boy with a puzzled expression.

"That was just a deliberate question, to see how the old maid would answer. But she actually started talking about the Bible with us. Hehe, we finally made that old maid lose face!"

"ah?"

"What, you're really interested in this kind of deceptive stuff? Then go find an old maid, maybe she can help you search through all the fairy tales!" After saying that, the man laughed and caught up with his companion.

Feng Nian'en stood there for a moment, then turned around and saw Li Zilin walking towards her, having just finished answering a student's question.

“Teacher.” He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward.

Is there a problem?

"Yes, that's right. I... I'm somewhat interested in vampires, so... so if possible, I'd like to ask you about them."

"Oh." Li Zilin looked at him, her eyes shining behind her glasses.

Feng Nian'en shrank back, thinking that Zhang Hanwen would be furious if he found out about this.

Are you genuinely interested?

He nodded quickly.

"If that's the case, I've collected some materials. Can I give them to you during the next class?"

“Yes,” he nodded quickly again to express his gratitude, “Thank you, teacher.”

"So what's your name?"

“My name is Feng Zhang… Feng Nian’en. I’m here to sit in on the class.”

"Oh. Then don't forget to come and ask me for it next time." Li Zilin gave him a meaningful look, then turned and left.

Did she know that student was deliberately causing trouble? Did she know I was attending the class in someone else's place?

As Feng Nian'en was pondering this, his cell phone rang in his jacket pocket, and he quickly took it out.

"You're not late, are you?"

"No.

"Come to my place at five o'clock this afternoon. I have arranged to meet someone at the newly opened 'Urban Skull' on Dong'an Road."

Five o'clock?

"Yes, five o'clock, don't be late."

Five o'clock?

He glanced at his watch; it was 11:15 a.m. The not-too-intense sunlight made his eyes water, and even his skin felt a faint, pricking pain. He took a deep breath, placed the book on his head, and considered whether he should buy a parasol.

Feng Nian'en barely managed to rush out of the school gate, hiding in the shade of a sycamore tree, panting heavily. After a long pause, she weakly reached out and flagged down a taxi.

"Church, church."

"where?"

"church."

Which church?

"Which one?" Feng Nian'en blinked. "The nearest church. Please take me to the nearest church."

The driver gave him a strange look, started the engine, and stopped in front of a pointed building three minutes later.

Feng Nian'en paid and got out of the car, finally understanding the driver's strange look earlier. The church was built near the west gate of the school, and it wouldn't take more than five minutes to walk through the campus.

He shook his head, enduring the discomfort throughout his body, and squinted as he examined the building in front of him.

This is a Gothic building, made of huge stone bricks and stained glass. Although the door looks freshly painted, it is still clear that the church was not built recently.

It was heavy and somber, just like the churches in Feng Nian'en's memory.

Neither Lanya nor the Prince told him he couldn't go to the church, and he doesn't feel out of place standing here now.

After looking for a while, Feng Nian'en finally staggered in. The hazy light shining through the stained glass in the narrow corridor gave him an illusion, as if he were really walking towards God, as if God was waiting for him to pour out his heart.

I ask you, God, what wrong have I done? What reason do you have to inflict this punishment upon me? If I have truly erred, what can I do to atone for my sins? How can I find a third way…?

Feng Nian'en walked through the corridor and looked at Jesus on the cross. It was a face of pain, not for himself, but for the ignorant masses.

This was the first time he had felt this way. For some reason, Feng Nian'en suddenly felt that his pain was not as heavy as he had imagined.

He looked away, thinking about his purpose, and his eyes searched his surroundings.

The central hall was empty; its vastness was uncomfortable. If it weren't for the footsteps coming from outside the low, arched wooden door, he would have almost run away. He took a deep breath, walked over, and bumped into a man in his forties wearing a beige casual suit.

"There are people inside. It's not possible this morning. Come back after 3 PM." The man said, turning to leave.

Feng Nian'en stopped him: "I... I just wanted to ask a question, not to confess."

"Ask a question? What question?" The man stopped and looked at him. "I am a monk here. You can ask me any questions you have."

Feng Nian'en swallowed hard: "What kind of creature is a vampire before God?"

“Vampires?” The monk looked at him. “If such things exist, then in God’s eyes they are no different from demons.”

"Like demons? Then... what if a vampire doesn't want to be a vampire?"

"A vampire doesn't want to be a vampire? What do you mean? This is a church! The most sacred place under the sun, not a place for you to cause trouble!"

“No, no, I didn’t mean to cause trouble.” Feng Nian’en quickly waved her hand. “Isn’t God the most benevolent one? As long as you repent, you can return to His embrace. What I mean is—if a vampire repents to God, is it possible for him to become human again?”

"No."