Duke Tess stood on the high platform, his eyes narrowed as he envisioned the bright future ahead: "From now on, every vampire will be able to drink fresh human blood!"
These words ignited the bestial instincts in almost every vampire present. Their eyes turned bloodshot, their fangs sharpened, and they longed to immediately grab a human and tear them apart.
"Today, we will cross that high wall, we..."
Before Duke Tess could finish speaking, a gunshot rang out, and his next words remained forever stuck in his throat.
The excited vampires below were still cheering when they saw the person on the stage collapse limply, kicking up a cloud of dust. After a moment of dust swirling, a stream of blood spurted from the wound on Duke Tess's chest, staining the vampires' eyes with the first crimson hue.
Then came the second, the third, and so on, as the nobles on the platform fell one by one…
"W-What happened?"
Before the initial excitement had subsided, panic began to spread. The other high-ranking vampires who had stood with the three deceased nobles immediately flew down from the stage.
The audience erupted in excitement.
"It was a human? The humans attacked first?"
"Did anyone see clearly? Where did the bullet come from?"
Amidst the escalating chaos, a figure leaped from the rooftop and landed silently on the high platform.
His toes were splattered with the blood of the vampires, his figure tall and strong, his right hand gripping a gleaming silver gun. The spot where his palm touched the gun was seared and torn, blood flowing from his palm, over the gleaming white barrel, over the dark muzzle, and slowly dripping onto the ground.
But the man paid no attention to the wound on his hand. He seemed to feel no pain at all, holding the gun expressionlessly and looking down at the three vampires at his feet whose hearts had been pierced.
"It's a hunter!"
Someone in the audience recognized the person and exclaimed in surprise.
Someone else added, "...the prince's hunter."
Upon hearing this title, the panicked vampires quickly regained their composure and immediately said, "Go and inform the Prince!"
"Yes! Notify the Prince..."
Several vampires were about to leave, but before they did, they looked at the hunter one last time and saw something strange and terrifying on his neck.
The hunter's shirt was somewhat dirty and disheveled, with bloodstains hanging on the back. Through his open collar, a rope could be seen around his neck. Something was hanging from the rope, indistinct, only a faint trace of flowing crimson could be seen.
As the hunter bent down, what had been half-hidden in his collar was finally revealed.
It was a bright red ruby, as if it were flowing with blood.
Upon seeing the ruby, both the vampires, whether in a state of panic or having calmed down, stopped what they were doing and stared at the gem in a daze.
It wasn't because they knew this was a sign of a vampire sacrificing all their blood and power, but rather because... they sensed an extremely familiar aura on this heart that had only recently been mineralized.
This aura is almost etched into the blood of every vampire—powerful, handsome, and reassuring.
So much so that just a glimpse from afar would unconsciously elicit a look of reverence from them.
They once thought that this aura would never disappear.
He will stay by the side of the vampires, unconditionally sheltering them from the wind and rain forever.
But now...
This powerful aura was contained within a lifeless rock, gradually weakening until it became imperceptible, until it vanished forever...
At this moment, what enveloped the hearts of all vampires was not sorrow or fear, but a ridiculous and indescribable bewilderment.
Their prince... is dead?
The thought had barely formed when it was interrupted by his own sneer.
How could that be! The prince is so powerful, so kind, so calm and reassuring. How could such a prince abandon them?
Ridiculous, how...could that be?
A profound sense of absurdity descended, turning the previously excited vampires into completely dazed puppets.
Finally, one of the vampires reacted, completely forgetting his fear and apprehension towards the hunter, and pointed at the thing on his neck, asking, "What is that? Where is His Highness? Where is His Highness!"
Following their gaze, K looked down at the object hanging on his chest.
He twitched the corner of his mouth, reached out and touched the gemstone, his voice still full of teasing: "Hey, did you hear that? They're calling you."
The hunter's reaction completely crushed the vampires' last remaining hope.
After the initial bewilderment and disbelief came a sudden breakdown. One woman abruptly collapsed to the ground, clutching her head and letting out a piercing scream: "Impossible! His Highness the Prince could not have chosen death!"
Similar howls rose and fell, like the unanimous lamentation of a tribe.
"No, no! The prince betrayed us! No, I..."
The sound attracted the attention of the hunter on the high platform. He seemed to find it interesting, first listening intently, and then taking two steps forward, squatting down on the platform and peering over.
He stared at the vampire's devastated face and asked, "What did you say? Betrayal?"
The vampire nearly lost his mind: "If it wasn't betrayal, why would he sacrifice himself to a hunter?"
Upon hearing this answer, K, who was squatting on the platform, laughed: "Ha, betrayal?"
His laughter grew louder and louder, as if he had heard an extremely funny joke, laughing so hard he almost lost his balance. Amidst the mocking laughter, he yanked the rope off his neck and held the gem to his eyes with one hand.
"Did you hear that? They call it betrayal? This is the kind of bastards you're trying to save. Are you happy now?"
The vampires watched the hunter stand on the high platform, laughing maniacally, and watched him hold the mineralized heart, muttering to himself in a low voice.
The laughter gradually subsided. The hunter raised his hand to wipe away the tears that had welled up from laughing, smearing the blood from his palm onto his face. Combined with his smile, it made him appear even more eerie.
He hummed a cheerful tune as he tied the rope around his neck again. Then, with his face covered in a terrifying mess of blood, he looked down at the vampires of various colors below the stage.
This was a scene that every vampire present would never forget for the rest of their lives.
The hunter, with his handsome yet enigmatic face, looked at them and said softly, "Do you know what he said before he died?"
The vampires clenched their fists involuntarily, but then they heard the hunter say, "He said that if he doesn't die, it will be very difficult to end this."
Without explaining Qin Chu's last words, amidst the vampires' bewildered, terrified, or hate-filled gazes, the hunter's voice was as soft as a whisper, yet also like the cruelest curse:
"Whether you miss him, are angry, or hate him... you will never see your beloved prince again."
“But…” The hunter’s blood-stained lips curled into a malicious smile: “You will live a life of ignominy under the protection he bought with his life.”
These words, like the whisper of a demon, slowly flowed into the eardrums, blood, and limbs of all vampires.
No sooner had the hunter finished speaking than the piercing roar of cannons echoed across the sky once more. Familiar flashes of fire, mixed with flying silver particles, exploded one after another in the air above the vampire territory.
Under the already dark sky, each shell was like a brilliant firework, celebrating and lamenting at the same time.
A sharp, burning pain struck.
Painful howls rang out, and the proud vampires began to scatter in all directions, hiding behind walls, under stone slabs, and even burying themselves in the mud.
This time, without any command or orders, they consciously learned to protect themselves and hide.
This time, as the scorching flames and silver particles fell on them and burned into their skin, they truly realized what kind of power the lowly humans they had looked down upon possessed.
It was also this time that they experienced in the most unforgettable way the pain suffered by those who had stood in their way.
However, there are no longer any protective wings to provide them with a warm and secure haven.
The new ruler of mankind stood on the high wall, excitedly waving his short, stubby arms.
With his belly bulging with fat, he directed his emaciated kinsmen below the wall to stuff cannonballs into the cannon barrel one by one, completely unaware that these frail kinsmen were also being injured and coughing up blood from the vibrations of the cannon.
"Keep fighting! Keep fighting!"
Amidst the roar of artillery fire, a barely audible gunshot rang out, leaving a bullet hole between the lord's eyebrows. He collapsed limply like those vampires.
As the gunfire subsided and the brief roar subsided, the world returned to calm, making the previous chaos seem like an utterly ridiculous farce.
For a long time, there were no signs of human activity in either territory, only the occasional bird flying by, letting out a mournful "caw".
Humanity retreated behind high walls, seeking refuge from potential retribution. Then one day, they began to elect new lords and divide the land.
On a quiet night, the vampires cautiously emerged from their hiding places, processing information that was beyond their wildest imaginations.
The flames of war did not reignite, but those dark cannon barrels remained outside the high walls. Freed from the exploitation of lords, humanity developed even more rapidly, and its weaponry continued to improve.
The vampires' arrogance suffered a fatal blow. Stripped of the prince's protection, they had to learn the art of self-preservation. They had to raise livestock for blood, shrink their territory, negotiate contracts with humans, and dedicate their long lives to study and research…
Having experienced excruciating pain, this race gradually learned how to walk on their own.
Over a long period of time, there have been many attempts by individuals within both races to instigate war.
However, the vampires who wantonly captured humans were all mysteriously killed, and the humans who attempted to seize land also died inexplicably. For a considerable period of time, the boundaries between vampire and human territories were very clear, and neither race dared to trespass.
Qin Chu's plan succeeded.
He erected a sharp and terrifying butcher's knife on the boundary, its tip forever pointing towards unrestrained desire.
In the long life of a vampire, this prince became a legend.
His cold, handsome appearance remains captivating even after many years. His act of single-handedly protecting all the upper echelons of the vampire clan is even more awe-inspiring.
However, there are many different theories about why he sacrificed himself.
Some rational vampire scholars point out that the prince's purpose was to awaken the entire race. Other vampires, who have always hated humans, insist that this was a betrayal.
Some vampires and some humans thought of the mysterious hunter and the jewel around his neck.
They firmly believed that this was a love story.
...
The smart curtains opened, and the window was also slightly ajar.
A slightly warm breeze blew in, ruffling Levi's flowing hair.
He leaned back in his chair behind his desk, his upright back sinking into the soft backrest, while slowly and methodically wiping a gun in his hand. His slender fingers brushed across the back of the gun, and from certain angles, old scars on his fingertips and wrists could be seen.
Unfortunately, this gun isn't made of silver; it's a new type of energy gun. Judging from the markings, it should still be in the experimental testing phase. I don't know how he managed to develop it.
With two "clicks," the energy gun was disassembled into a pile of parts.
Qin Chu withdrew his gaze and hid his chin in his black robe.
The person who was supposed to listen to the story started playing a game of assembling guns out of boredom, while the butler, who was standing aside as an observer, listened intently. When the man in black robes suddenly stopped talking again, he waited for a while before realizing that the story had ended.
The butler opened his mouth, then sighed, "I never expected it to be a love story..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the black-robed man sitting down look up and give him a chilling glance.
Qin Chu really wanted to ask the old steward how he came to such a conclusion, but his time was almost up and he wasn't in the mood to linger and chat idly.