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Chapitre 19

Five minutes passed, and the dark figure was still battling the water column, showing no signs of exhaustion.

The surrounding police officers whispered among themselves, "What kind of monster is this? It's definitely not human. If it were human, its internal organs would have been crushed by a high-pressure water cannon after five minutes."

Another policeman said, "Ye Cheng's move is really wicked. Who did he learn it from?"

"Working with foreign colleagues, thank goodness it's summer, if it were winter..." The policeman shuddered as he spoke.

"He even knows foreign police officers."

"You idiot, don't you watch the news? A few days ago, there was a protest somewhere, and this is how the local police dealt with the protesters. Ye Cheng watched it with great interest, never expecting to use it here."

Meanwhile, Ye Cheng was leisurely sipping his half-cold coffee, humming a song he had adapted, "Half a cup of coffee I don't drink, left for years, it's always been by my side..."

Half an hour passed, and the shadowy figure finally realized he couldn't withstand the water jet and stopped resisting it. He was pinned against the wall by the water jet and couldn't move.

"Looks like you've figured it out. What kind of monster is he? He's nothing special." Ye Cheng waved his hand, preparing to have someone turn off the high-pressure water gun.

The shadowy figure vanished!

He vanished in full view of everyone, as if he had never existed.

As soon as the high-pressure water gun was turned off, Ye Cheng ran over to see what was going on. Just a few steps from the wall, Ye Cheng's heart tightened; his intuition told him danger. This same intuition had saved his life many times in critical moments. He abruptly stopped and took three steps back. A black figure leaped from the sewage, slamming into Ye Cheng like a cannonball. Ye Cheng was sent flying. The black figure seized the opportunity to reach the chicken coop door, and with a flick of its wrist, countless streams of blood, like tiny snakes, slithered into its body. Having succeeded, the black figure turned and ran towards the edge of the village.

While all the police officers were still in a daze, Ye Cheng struggled to get up from the ground and shouted, "What are you standing there for? Chase them!" Only then did all the police officers react and give chase.

Hidden in the bushes, Li Xiao saw a group of people running out of the village, chasing after one person. He emerged from the bushes, pistol in hand, and stood at the crossroads, shouting, "Don't move! If you run again, I'll shoot!"

The dark figure leaped past Li Xiao without slowing down. Li Xiao pulled the trigger without hesitation.

With a loud thud, the bullet pierced the shadowy figure's body. Unaffected, the figure ran to the riverbank and leaped into the water with a splash.

When the police arrived at the riverbank, they only saw a streak of blood on the surface of the water; the dark figure had vanished. Ye Cheng, despite his pain, rushed to the riverbank and looked up along the bloody water. There he saw Yishi Academy.

006 Vampire Legend

Just as Ye Cheng was chasing after the demon, something like this was happening in the girls' dormitory building of Yishi Academy.

The moonlight was beautiful tonight, its pure white rays flowing silently. Standing beneath it was a seven-story building, the girls' dormitory of Yishi Academy. The night was deep; most of the windows were dark, only a few lights remained on, which quickly went out. Only a window on the third floor emitted a flickering light, like a ghostly fire. From time to time, mournful cries rang out, startling the wild birds roosting below, which flapped their wings and flew into the night sky. The people inside were experiencing something terrifying.

Four girls lived in the room: Luo Shimin, Hu Rongrong, Zheng Yubing, and Shui Lan. The four of them were sitting around a square table with a candle and an incense burner on it, emitting white smoke that gave the room a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

Yes, they are experiencing something very scary; they are telling ghost stories!

Hu Rongrong cleared her throat and deliberately spoke in a hoarse voice, "Now it's my turn to speak. I'm going to tell you a story about vampires. Before I start, I want to tell you that this story is not fictional, it's real. It happened on our school campus, and I heard it from an old lady who lives nearby."

Whew...

Before Hu Rongrong could even begin speaking, she was interrupted by a soft snore. Shui Lan turned her head and saw Luo Shimin fast asleep, drooling, slumped over the table. Shui Lan couldn't help but burst out laughing, the deliberately created atmosphere of dread vanishing completely.

"Luo Shimin!" Hu Rongrong slammed her hand on the table in anger, waking Luo Shimin from her sleep.

"Finished talking? Go to sleep now." Half asleep, Luo Shimin staggered towards her bed.

"Get out! Get out of here!" Hu Rongrong blocked her way, pointing angrily at the dormitory door.

Luo Shimin rubbed her sleepy eyes and saw Hu Rongrong's angry face. She turned her head and saw Shui Lan and Zheng Yubing laughing together. She chuckled and said, "So you haven't finished yet? Then I'll listen for a while."

Hu Rongrong said expressionlessly, "No need, get out. We'll call you back when we're done talking."

Luo Shimin pleaded, "Rongrong, I won't do it again, I promise I won't fall asleep."

"go out!"

Luo Shimin obediently walked out of the dormitory.

Don't assume Luo Shimin is an easily bullied girl; if you think so, you're in for a world of trouble. Looking across the entire Yishi Academy, besides Hu Rongrong, you absolutely won't find anyone else who dares to yell at her. In fact, as long as she doesn't bully others, they should be praying. Her father, Luo Sannu, is an internationally renowned gangster boss, and her brother, Luo Xie, is an even more fearsome figure. The reason Hu Rongrong dares to yell at Luo Shimin is because they've been childhood friends. Furthermore, Luo Xie likes Hu Rongrong, but she hasn't reciprocated.

After clearing away the distractions, Hu Rongrong returned to the square table and sat down again. After calming herself down, she began to tell a horror story in a low voice.

"As everyone knows, our college's predecessor was a nursing school founded in the 1920s by a Swiss doctor named Denangel. It was a turbulent era, a time of rampant bandits and bullies, government oppression of the people, and years of civil war among warlords, leaving the populace displaced and suffering immensely. The story I'm about to tell takes place during that era, and the protagonist is a kind girl named Tian Zi. Tian Zi's father, Tian Qingshan, was a small, declining landlord. Because he had attended school, he worked as a clerk in a foreign-owned company. Her mother was the daughter of a merchant; after the merchant's death, she inherited the small shop, and the business was fairly good. The two lived a happy life amidst the chaos of war. Tian Zi's arrival brought even more joy and happiness to this small family. However, little Tian Zi was born with..." Unlike others, she often cried for no apparent reason. They took her to the hospital, but couldn't find the cause. One day, an old Taoist priest met Tian Zi, surprised and disappointed. The old priest told Tian Zi's parents that little Tian Zi was born with heterochromia, her eyes able to see both the mortal and spiritual realms. Her crying was because she saw ghosts around her, not because of any illness. This was a once-in-a-century talent; if she could become his disciple, Tian Zi would surely shine brightly in the Taoist world in twenty years. Unfortunately, due to sect rules, he couldn't accept female disciples, sighing with regret. Tian Qingshan didn't feel sorry; he didn't want his daughter to become a Taoist priest. Before leaving, the old priest performed a ritual, sealing Tian Zi's heterochromia, ensuring she would never see ghosts again until she turned sixteen. Sure enough, after the ritual, little Tian Zi stopped crying for no reason.

The story begins on Tian Zi's sixteenth birthday.

On Tian Zi's birthday, Tian Qingshan remembered the old Taoist's words and worried that after his daughter's birthday, the seal would break and she would be able to see unclean things again. He secretly observed her for a few days and found that his daughter did not behave abnormally, so he assumed that her heterochromatic eyes had been completely sealed. Little did he know that the heterochromatic eyes also had another name, called the Eye of the Gods, something that many cultivators had been seeking in ignorance. How could it be completely sealed? It was just dormant and would naturally awaken when the time was right.

After her sixteenth birthday, Tian Qingshan thought about his daughter's future and felt that she should learn a trade. After discussing it, the couple decided to send Tian Zi to the Denanger Nursing School.

The school was run by foreigners, so local thugs didn't dare cause trouble, and it was all girls, making it very safe. Although the tuition was relatively high, the couple gritted their teeth and used their savings of over ten years to send Tian Zi to nursing school.

Hu Rongrong was talking happily, and Shui and Zheng were listening intently when Luo Shimin called from outside the door, "Rongrong, are you done? I'm so sleepy!"

Hu Rongrong suppressed her anger and ignored it, continuing, "When Tian Zi first arrived at the nursing school, she felt very uncomfortable. Even though it was summer, she felt a chill down her spine as soon as she stepped into the dark classroom, and had a kind of creepy feeling."

She always felt like there was an eye watching her from behind, but when she suddenly turned around, there was nothing there. After asking other female classmates, she learned that everyone had this feeling when they first arrived, but they gradually got used to it over time.

After a while, Tian Zi adapted to life at nursing school and became bolder. When she first saw the human specimens preserved in formalin, she screamed and fainted. Now, she's not afraid to be alone in the dissection room with corpses. But that feeling still lingers; when she's alone, there's always a pair of eyes watching her from behind. She tried to find out who it was, but to no avail. Fortunately, those eyes meant no harm, so she stopped paying attention.

Tian Zi also made a good friend at school, Xuan Xiaotong, the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Although her family was rich, she wasn't like those good-for-nothing playboys who spent their days indulging in debauchery. Xuan Xiaotong studied diligently and always had a smile on her face. Her dream was to establish a hospital after graduation to provide medical care for all the poor. The two kind-hearted girls became best friends and were inseparable.

A year later, war broke out again in the country. Many people fled to this city to escape the fighting, surviving by begging. They lacked food and clothing, and couldn't afford medical care when they fell ill; many died on the streets. Two girls couldn't bear to see this. They secretly took sick homeless people, regardless of age or gender, back to their school. Since there were many vacant houses on campus, the two girls housed the homeless there. Although there were no beds, at least they had a place to shelter from the rain. The two girls also treated the homeless people's illnesses. After they recovered, Xuan Xiaotong would find ways to properly resettle them. Most of them went to her father's factory, finally having food to eat. The homeless people called the two girls "living bodhisattvas."

Days passed by, fulfilling and happy, until one day, a foreign male doctor named Sherlock Holmes entered their lives. Sherlock Holmes had only recently arrived in China, but he spoke fluent Chinese, and his classmates called him Ade. Ade was different from the other older teachers at the school; he was handsome and charming, and his lectures were humorous and engaging, making him very popular with the students and the prince charming in many students' eyes. Many girls secretly wrote love letters to Ade, but he never paid any attention. His classmates speculated wildly: some said Ade was already married, some said he looked down on Chinese girls, some said he was gay and actually preferred men, and some even maliciously said Ade was a murderer who had fled to China to escape being wanted—otherwise, why would he come to China? Tian Zi also liked Ade, but she never mentioned it to anyone, not even Xuan Xiaotong. She simply laughed off the rumors that reached her ears. She believed that Ade had just not met the girl he liked. The girl Ade liked must be incredibly beautiful, gentle, kind, and extremely talented, only then could she be worthy of Ade.

Despite her thoughts, Tian Zi never imagined that the girl would be herself. She knew she was just a lowly nurse, and the difference in their social status was too great. Even if they loved each other, such a relationship rarely ended well. During this time, Xuan Xiaotong became somewhat mysterious, often going out alone and returning late at night, frequently smiling to herself. Tian Zi knew she was in a relationship but didn't press her for details, knowing Xiaotong would tell her at the appropriate time.

Not long after, a classmate saw Adela walking hand in hand with a girl on campus. Although they couldn't see the girl's face clearly, they were certain that she was a student at the college.

This incident caused a huge uproar at school. The students were eager to know who the girl was and asked Ade, who just smiled and remained silent. Tian Zi was a little jealous of the girl; she also wanted to know who she was and what Ade loved about her.

One day, Xuan Xiaotong walked up to Tian Zi, holding a man's hand. At that moment, Tian Zi felt a pang of heartache. Xuan Xiaotong's boyfriend was none other than Ade, the man she had a crush on. Their intimate actions deeply hurt Tian Zi. She only spoke a few words to Ade before leaving, citing illness as an excuse. Xuan Xiaotong, deeply in love, didn't notice her best friend's unusual behavior.

After leaving, Tian Zi was in a state of turmoil, wandering aimlessly. Before she knew it, she had wandered into a desolate wilderness. By the time she realized it, it was too late. She found herself in a dimly lit, gloomy field, surrounded by low, overgrown hills. Not far away stood a strange, thick tree, its trunk menacing and menacing appearance resembling a monstrous creature with bared teeth and claws. A foul stench filled the air. Tian Zi covered her nose tightly with her hand, but the stench still seeped in through the gaps between her fingers. She turned to run, for the smell was familiar—the stench of rotting human flesh.

After taking a step, Tian Zi stopped. She had a strange feeling, a feeling she had never experienced before. It was as if something was calling to her from under that thick, strange tree. It was like the strange premonitions some people have before they die. Tian Zi felt a middle-aged woman beckoning to her from under the strange tree, even though there was clearly nothing there.

Unable to contain her curiosity, she walked step by step toward the strange tree.

She was getting closer and closer, but she still couldn't see what was under the tree.

Ah... Ah...

Suddenly, a painful groan came from the bushes under the tree. Tian Zi turned to run, but it was too late; her body was no longer under her control. She stared at the bushes in terror, imagining what kind of monster would emerge and take her life—a zombie or a demon? She didn't know. A rustling sound came from the bushes, and Tian Zi closed her eyes in fear. She even felt a pang of regret; dying like this was too much of a waste. Her body was slowly rotting, and even if someone found her, they wouldn't know who she was. Her parents would be devastated. Thinking of this, tears welled up in Tian Zi's eyes.

Five minutes passed, and nothing happened; something was tugging at his trouser leg.

Tian Zi slowly opened her eyes and looked down. She saw two chubby, white infants who couldn't walk yet. Following the tracks the infants had left, Tian Zi saw a middle-aged woman on the verge of death. Although her clothes were dirty and tattered, the style and material were exquisite, something an ordinary person couldn't afford. Not far away was a decomposing male corpse, and the stench of decay was emanating from him.

Tian Zi was no longer afraid. She carried the two infants over and examined the woman, discovering that she seemed to have contracted some kind of plague and was running a fever. There was a wound on her right wrist, like something had bitten her, and the blood had already dried. She put the two infants down, tore off a piece of her sleeve, and carefully bandaged the woman's wound. Inadvertently, she noticed bloodstains around the infants' mouths.

She suddenly realized that the woman had bitten herself. In that instant, she was moved by the woman's immense maternal love, and tears streamed down her face. Tian Zi's cries carried far, far away across the open field. As if Tian Zi's cries moved the heavens, the woman awoke from her unconsciousness, her chapped lips moving with difficulty before she uttered a few words, "...child..."

"Don't worry, the children are with me. I'll take good care of them, and you'll be alright too. I'm a nurse, and I'll heal you."

"...No...it's...the child..." Before she could finish speaking, the woman fainted again.

Tian Zi wiped away her tears, dug a hole and buried the man, then moved a stone to mark the spot, because she didn't want her child to grow up and not be able to find his father's grave.

After doing all that, she carried the unconscious woman on her back with her frail body, and then held two infants in her arms, struggling step by step towards the school. Only by returning to the school could the woman possibly survive. Halfway there, Tian Zi had exhausted all her strength, but she gritted her teeth and refused to give up, slowly making her way back to the school.

Strangely enough, the two children didn't cry or fuss the whole way, just staring at Tian Zi with wide eyes. Tian Zi kissed each of them, and the two children giggled.

It was night when Tian Zi returned to school. She settled the woman and children in an empty room and stole some anti-inflammatory drugs and vitamins from the pharmacy for the woman. Perhaps it was the woman's time to survive, but as dawn approached, the woman's leg miraculously stopped burning, and the two children fell asleep peacefully. Only then did Tian Zi drag her exhausted body back to her dormitory.

Luo Shimin's impatient voice came from outside the door again, "Rongrong, are you done talking? It's very late. If you don't go to sleep, you'll be late for class tomorrow."

This time, Hu Rongrong couldn't hold back any longer and shouted at the door, "Luo Shimin, if you dare to interrupt my story again, I'm really angry and I'll never talk to you again."

Luo Shimin kicked the wall repeatedly with her foot, "Can I go in and listen for a while? I won't fall asleep again."

"No, you can wait outside until I finish speaking before you come in."

Shui and Zheng were completely captivated by the story and urged, "Rongrong, please continue, we're waiting."

Hu Rongrong sat back down and continued, "Tian Zi returned to her dormitory and gently pushed open the door. Even breathing could be heard from the darkness; her roommate was fast asleep. Tian Zi quietly walked to the bedside. A voice in the darkness asked, 'Tian Zi, is that you?' It turned out that Xuan Xiaotong was worried something had happened to her and had been waiting for her to return."

Tian Zi was touched and replied softly, "It's me. You're still awake?"

"I can't sleep if you're not back. Where have you been?"

Tian Zi told Xuan Xiaotong about her experience. Xuan Xiaotong, hearing that she had saved two adorable babies, was eager to see them, and the two agreed to visit the children together the next morning. Tian Zi was exhausted and quickly fell asleep. She had a strange dream in which a strange man waved his hands incessantly, shouting at her, "Run! Get out of here! Run!"

The next morning, Tian Zi was woken up by her roommates. She looked at Xuan Xiaotong's bed, where the quilt was neatly folded and placed on the bed, but Xuan Xiaotong was nowhere to be seen.

Xiaotong must have gone to give birth. Tian Zi quickly tidied herself up and ran out of the dormitory building.

Before she even stepped inside, Tian Zi heard the children's innocent laughter. She pushed open the door and saw Xuan Xiaotong playing with the two children. Ade was also there, scrutinizing the two children with a strange look in his eyes. It was an indescribable feeling, as if he wasn't looking at two children, but at a rare treasure.

Upon seeing Tian Zi, Xuan Xiaotong said shyly, "I really wanted to see the baby, so I didn't wake you up since you were sleeping so soundly. I'll bring Ade over to see what disease the woman has. He'll keep it a secret for us."

“

Tian Zi forced a smile. "It's alright. How is the woman's illness?"

Ade said, "I checked her over, and the woman is fine; she should wake up soon. It's the two children who are acting strangely."

Hearing that something was wrong with the child, Tian Zi quickly asked, "What's wrong with the child?"

Ade shook his head. "I don't know either. It just feels strange, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

Xuan Xiaotong said, "By the way, I found a silk scarf on the woman with a name embroidered on it, probably the name of the child's father."

Tian Zi took the silk scarf and saw the four characters "Duan Ganxiangzhen" embroidered on it. Ade asked curiously, "Is the child's father Japanese?"

Xuan Xiaotong laughed, "What Japanese? This is called a compound surname. Surnames like Dongguo, Dongfang, and Ouyang are all compound surnames. The father of the two children is surnamed Duan Gan and named Xiangzhen. This is a very rare name." Tian Zi looked at the unconscious woman. From her clothes to the name on the silk scarf, it was clear that this woman's background was not simple.

Xuan Xiaotong suggested, "Let's name the two children." Tian Zi agreed. She and Xuan Xiaotong each came up with a name: the slightly chubby child was named Duan Gan Xuanbang, chosen by Tian Zi, and the other was named Duan Gan Xuanbang, chosen by Xuan Xiaotong. The two children were very happy, seemingly cheering for having names.

That afternoon, the woman awoke from her coma. Ade was startled at first sight of the blond, blue-eyed man, but gradually calmed down with the comforting words of Xuan Xiaotong and Tian Zi. For some reason, the woman couldn't speak; she could only make incoherent sounds, becoming mute. Ade checked the woman's vocal cords; they were undamaged, but she simply couldn't speak. With nowhere to go and two children to care for, she settled in the empty house. Tian Zi visited the woman and the two children whenever she had time, and Ade and Xuan Xiaotong also came frequently. Each time Ade visited, he would bring some baby formula and other nutritional supplements, which were very difficult to obtain at the time.

Gradually, Tian Zi noticed a problem: the two children seemed terrified of Ade. They rarely cried, but every time they saw Ade, they would burst into tears. For several days, the children were listless and looked very unwell. When she asked their mother, she could only babble incoherently. Finally, one day, Tian Zi placed an old wardrobe in the room and hid inside to investigate.

A day passed, and nothing happened. Just as Tian Zi was about to give up, Xuan Xiaotong and Ade appeared. The mute mother quickly fell asleep after eating the food they brought. The two children began to cry loudly. Ade took a large syringe from his pocket and pricked Xuanbang's neck, drawing a full vial of blood. Then he took out another syringe and pricked Xiaosheng's neck, drawing another vial of blood. Xuan Xiaotong watched with a grin. The moment the syringe pierced the child's fair skin, Tian Zi almost screamed. She covered her mouth tightly with both hands, suddenly remembering a legend she had heard: Declare was an evil surname. Its ancestor, Count Declare, was a notorious vampire in European history. Could Ade be a vampire?

After the blood draw, the couple fed the baby some formula, and the baby fell asleep. Xuan Xiaotong and Ade left the room hand in hand.

Tian Zi carefully emerged from the wardrobe. After confirming that the child and the mute woman were alright, she followed them out, wanting to see what they were up to. The two walked into the teaching building, chatting and laughing. However, once inside, Tian Zi discovered they were gone. She searched every corner of the building but couldn't find them.

Just as Tian Zi was worrying about Xuan Xiaotong, the two came down the stairs from the second floor. After following them several times, Tian Zi discovered a secret room. Taking advantage of their absence, Tian Zi broke into the secret room and saw many evil things, which further solidified her belief that Ade was a vampire and that Xuan Xiaotong must have been bewitched by him. She couldn't let Xuan Xiaotong stay with Ade any longer; if things continued like this, Xiaotong would one day become a vampire too.

Tian Zi desperately wanted to tell Xuan Xiaotong about her discovery, but whenever she faced her and saw her happy expression, the words wouldn't come out. She had a bad feeling; something big was about to happen.

One afternoon, with no classes, Tian Zi was alone in her dormitory. She felt a strange unease, a growing sense that something was about to happen, making her restless. She went to the window and looked out. Dark, heavy clouds filled her view. This kind of weather was Tian Zi's worst nightmare; it foreshadowed a heavy rainstorm soon, inevitably accompanied by thunder and lightning. Tian Zi was afraid of thunder and lightning, though she couldn't explain why.

As dusk settled, it began to rain, heavier than Tian Zi had anticipated. The wind whipped up large raindrops that pounded against the windows with a resounding thud. Several poplar trees in the distance swayed violently in the wind and rain, seemingly on the verge of snapping in the next second. A bolt of lightning ripped through the dark sky, startling Tian Zi into covering her ears. A few seconds later, a deafening rumble of thunder followed.