Chapter 98.1: End
The relationship between Cai Yi and Francisco, according to Francisco, was: “There was no fate between us; it all depended on shamelessness.”
After Xie Zijing and Qin Ge went on business trips to the southern coastal area and later to the western office, they returned with all their attention focused on the Luquan incident, the follow-up handling of Warehouse No. 0, and Xie Liang’s recovery, leaving them with no time to deal with him. Francisco knew very few people here, and while it was easy to find prey to feed on, it was hard to find friends. Without Xie Zijing and Qin Ge, he felt incredibly lonely day after day.
When his tourist visa expired, he returned home and was surprised to find that his brothers and sisters had all taken up important positions in various branches of the Vampire Alliance.
Upon returning to China, the first thing Francisco did was grab his newly revised “White Paper on the Chinese Branch of the Vampire Alliance (Revised Edition)” and rush to the Special Management Committee, directly seeking out Cai Yi.
Cai Yi was extremely annoyed but had to maintain a polite demeanor, asking his secretary to receive Francisco.
The secretary was a guide, and his spirit body was a big goose. Cai Yi instructed him to release his spirit body and fan the vampire while he drank tea and ate snacks, but the secretary stood straight and refused: “Secretary-General Cai, this would not be conducive to our international relations with the vampire race.”
At that time, Cai Yi had just received a recommendation letter from the United Nations Special Human Organization, which also concerned the establishment of the Vampire Alliance’s Chinese Branch: As one of the five permanent members of the United Nations, China was the only country that had not yet established a vampire race branch, which was “not conducive to the exchange of special human and related affairs between countries.”
Overwhelmed, Cai Yi noticed that the signatures of several elders of the Vampire Alliance on the recommendation letter included two people related to Francisco: Francisco’s cousin and Francisco’s uncle.
Cai Yi naturally assumed this was also Francisco’s doing, worsening his impression of him.
With the revelations of various incidents within Warehouse No. 0, the Special Managment Committee underwent an unprecedented overhaul. Cai Yi was promoted to Secretary-General, becoming the confidant of the new top leader. His efforts in arguing during meetings, pushing for the closure of Warehouse No. 0, and reopening the investigation into the Luquan incident were widely reported by internal and external media. As a result, the young Cai Yi became a representative of special human rights. His mailbox, both physical and electronic, was perpetually filled with thank-you letters or requests for help from special humans across the country.
Satisfied and ambitious, he was ready to advance his career to greater heights when the task of establishing the Vampire Alliance’s branch intervened, blocking his path. Had it not been for this matter, he could have won last year’s Outstanding Contribution Award for Special Humans.
Cai Yi had even written his acceptance speech, revising it several times with his secretary. It was eloquent and moving, beginning with his personal story and ending on a high and uplifting note, stirring hearts. However, on the eve of the conference, he received a call from the top leader: “A vampire has accused you of personal vendetta, claiming you obstructed the establishment of the Vampire Alliance’s Chinese Branch due to your bias against him.”
Cai Yi: “…Francisco?”
Leader: “Yes, that’s the name.”
Cai Yi: “I can report the specifics to you right now; it’s not as he said.”
Leader: “Of course, I absolutely trust you. But the problem is, this complaint was not made to our Special Managment Committee.”
Cai Yi: “What?”
Leader: “Francisco directly complained to the United Nations Special Human Rights Department. I received the letter from headquarters this afternoon.”
Cai Yi’s heart sank. Every recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Award for Special Humans was reported to the UN’s special human organization. With such a complaint, he could not possibly accept the award. The speech he had memorized so well became useless.
On the night of the awards ceremony, Cai Yi sat in the delegates’ seat, his face stiff with a forced smile. A swarm of media asked him, “How do you feel?” and half-familiar colleagues asked him, “Are you okay?”
No feelings. He gritted his teeth but was helpless: Just fine.
After the ceremony, a representative of the Vampire Alliance made his way through the crowd to shake his hand. Cai Yi saw in the tall, blonde man’s face a strong resemblance to Francisco.
“So, I was coerced.” Cai Yi sat between Qin Ge and Gu Ming, angrily drinking. “For the past three months, I’ve been handling branch matters and an endless amount of procedures. There are no native vampires in the country, so everything starts from scratch. Many rules and regulations were directly copied from Japan, Korea, or even Hong Kong and Taiwan, completely unsuitable for our situation.”
He looked back at Francisco, who had returned to the vampire group.
“His so-called plan—99% of it is unusable.” Cai Yi gritted his teeth, “I can say that the branch’s establishment from nothing was almost entirely done by me and my subordinates. He… he does nothing. I hope he stops doing anything; I beg him. He causes more trouble than he helps. A well-written application, he insisted on adding the line ‘If the above content is not implemented, the Vampire Alliance has the right to hold accountable.’ Great, now it’s been rejected. I was even scolded, accused of not understanding the hierarchical relationship between the Vampire Alliance branch and the Special Management Committee… I understand very well! It’s him who doesn’t understand!”
Francisco looked up and gave a distant smile in their direction.
Gu Ming was stunned: “Wow, he’s so handsome.”
Cai Yi glanced back: “Only his looks can fool people.”
Qin Ge sympathized: “I heard from Xie Zijing before that Francisco’s grades were not good when he was at New Hope Academy. But he was a foreign student, so the standards were low, and he still graduated smoothly.”
Cai Yi: “Then I fully agree with Xie Zijing this time. The only thing he’s good at is learning dialects. But he learns them from his hookups, and they aren’t even proper dialects!”
Qin Ge held back his laughter: “I see.”
“I have no other relationship with him.” Cai Yi lowered his voice. In the noisy bar, the three huddled together, sharing a secret. “But now he’s especially infatuated with me, saying he wants to pursue me. I don’t dare provoke him, so I can only fob him off.”
Qin Ge: “…That’s not right?”
Cai Yi: “What’s not right?”
Qin Ge examined Cai Yi: “Francisco likes young guys in their twenties who are very good-looking.”
Cai Yi paused: “What’s your problem with my appearance?”
Qin Ge: “You don’t match his usual type at all!”
“You match my type perfectly.” Gu Ming, who was currently unattached, was very interested in the sentinel and looked eager, “So this infatuation should pass quickly, right? I still have a chance, right?”
“I know his type.” Cai Yi was serious. “That’s why his infatuation with me is special.”
Qin Ge thought he would say that it was all Francisco’s delusion, but he didn’t expect Cai Yi’s interpretation to be so unique. He really wanted to laugh, but Komodo Dragon was already peeking out from Cai Yi’s shoulder, showing its saliva-covered sharp teeth, so he had to hide his smile by drinking.
“I want to use this infatuation.” Cai Yi, also slightly drunk and affected by the bar’s atmosphere, was very different from his usual self. “Use this vampire to achieve my goals.”
“…You’re despicable.” Gu Ming suddenly said, “Pure love should not be exploited.”
Cai Yi didn’t expect to be rebuked and was momentarily speechless, turning to Qin Ge: “How old is your friend this year?”
Qin Ge: “This is the uniform style of the Western Office staff. Just think of him as another Xie Zijing.”
Gu Ming was quite disappointed in Cai Yi. He glanced at the Komodo Dragon, becoming somewhat interested in the spirit body: “Your lizard is big.”
“It’s not a lizard; it’s a Komodo Dragon.” Cai Yi glared at him.
Gu Ming: “I graduated from New Hope’s biology department and studied biology at the Western Office. Secretary-General, a Komodo Dragon is a type of lizard.”
Cai Yi: “I have nothing to say to someone like you.”
Gu Ming shut up resentfully, finally realizing he had no chance to have a legitimate relationship with Cai Yi.
But he couldn’t resist and whispered to Cai Yi: “Secretary-General, you need to be careful. Vampires are very dominant in bed. Once you’ve been with a vampire, it’s easy to become addicted if you lack willpower.”
Cai Yi: “…”
Qin Ge: “Is that so?”
His curiosity was piqued. Gu Ming, seeing his interest, continued: “That’s why vampires can easily find willing prey. Once a person has been with a vampire, the experience is unique. Even if they’ve never been involved with a vampire, just hearing about it can spark curiosity.”
Qin Ge: “I really haven’t heard that before.”
Gu Ming: “They have terrifying control over their partners, related to their biological traits. They don’t seek total submission but prefer to entice their partners to follow their lead. Think about it, vampires live so long; mere submission is boring. To eliminate the fear of being bitten, they secrete saliva with anesthetic properties, which humans—ordinary or special—are defenseless against. Once bitten, they’re completely hooked
…”
“Goodness.” Cai Yi turned and cursed quietly, “Qin Ge, what’s your friend’s background? So annoying!”
Gu Ming’s eyes were sharp, and as Cai Yi turned, he noticed two small, round scars under his collar.
The chatty guide fell silent. He drank while giving Qin Ge a suggestive look to pay attention to Cai Yi’s neck.
But Qin Ge didn’t understand his hint until Gu Ming whispered to him after Cai Yi left. Qin Ge then understood.
“…Don’t spread this around.” Qin Ge’s first reaction was to caution him to keep it secret. “If you talk, I’ll doubt your self-control and have the right to write everything in the sea area evaluation.”
Gu Ming closed his mouth for a moment and raised his glass: “Ah, headquarters is so interesting.”
Seeing that it was about time, Qin Ge planned to greet Meng Yu. He took Gu Ming to the back of the bar, just in time to see Tang Xing and Meng Yu coming out of the dressing room.
Meng Yu had changed into his own clothes and removed the long, curly wig. His short hair and the dry, cracked skin extended from behind his ears to the back of his neck, seemingly spreading further.
Qin Ge introduced Gu Ming to them, and Gu Ming’s attention fell on the parrot on Tang Xing’s shoulder.
The parrot had fully recovered from its previous injury and, noticing Gu Ming’s interest, puffed out its small chest proudly.
“This is the most beautiful parrot I’ve ever seen,” Gu Ming praised, clicking his tongue. “Oh wow, those big eyes like CarSLan, and those kissable lips like YSL.”
Meng Yu, unable to see Tang Xing’s spirit body, had a strange expression.
The parrot flapped its wings and landed on Gu Ming’s hand. Tang Xing couldn’t stop laughing. “You have such a way with words.”
Gu Ming said, “I really like bird spirit bodies.” He raised his other hand, and a moment later, a small bird emerged from a mist rising from his palm, its tiny claws gripping his finger.
Tang Xing immediately recognized the little bird. “A finch!”
Having found a common topic, the two began chatting away excitedly. Meng Yu was left behind by Tang Xing and turned to chat with Qin Ge about the current situation in the Wangdu district.
It matched the information Xie Zijing had received: a new leader had been elected for the Black Soldiers. Besides the werewolf leader Xia Chun and the underground leader Meng Yu, both the half-zombified humans and the sentinels and guides had new leaders.
“They’re all young, around thirty, and very energetic,” Meng Yu said. “What happened before in Bian Han wasn’t hidden; at least four leaders are aware.”
The new leaders still faced many issues. Bian Han had killed the half-zombified human leader, which alone was enough to create deep hatred between the two groups.
“So even though leaders have been elected, the two young people must get along very well, but it will take a long time to eliminate the hostility between these two groups in the capital district,” Meng Yu said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
“You’ve worked hard too,” Qin Ge said.
Meng Yu smiled and shook his head. “Those days were tough, but luckily I had Tang Xing to help me through.”
He seemed to remember something and reached into his backpack, searching for a moment before taking out a small ring box.
“Proposing again?” Qin Ge laughed. “Didn’t you propose last month? On the rooftop of the Gao Shu’s Gym.”
Meng Yu opened the ring box. “This belongs to Bian Han.”
The black lid opened to reveal a silver ring on a soft cushion.
The ring was intricately designed, with a silver snake coiled around it, the snake’s head intimately touching a small spiked ball.
“Bian Han designed the ring and had the best craftsman in the Wangdu district make it,” Meng Yu said. “His partner’s spirit body is a small hedgehog.”
After killing his partner, Bian Han removed the ring and threw it into an abandoned house. The ring fell into a crevice and went unnoticed.
It wasn’t until Tang Xing had fully recovered and was discharged that Meng Yu returned to the capital district and began searching the abandoned house with others. Coincidentally, during the cleanup, the ring fell deeper through a crack in the ground and ended up in the underground dwellers’ area.
“We cooperated with the werewolves and searched for half a year, finally finding it a few days ago,” Meng Yu said, closing the ring box. “The case is still under review, and we can’t see him, so I plan to give it to the lawyer and have them pass it on.”
Qin Ge helped him put the ring box back in his backpack and zip it up. “He will definitely appreciate it.”
“We don’t need his gratitude,” Meng Yu said. “As long as he stays alive.”
Qin Ge was taken aback. “What happened?”
“The lawyer said he has completely lost the will to live,” Meng Yu said softly. “Tang Xing told me she doesn’t blame Bian Han; these things were beyond his control. To keep him alive, she thinks we need to give him some purpose.”
So Meng Yu decided to retrieve the ring.
Tang Xing and Gu Ming finally finished discussing the pros and cons of bird spirit bodies and turned to greet them. “Ready to go? We’re taking you for barbecue.”
The four left through the back door, and Qin Ge had walked a while with Meng Yu and Tang Xing before spotting Xie Zijing. Xie Zijing waved goodbye to a few people and rejoined them.
Qin Ge asked, “Black Battalion?”
“One of them is the new leader, very young, not even thirty yet,” Xie Zijing said with a smile. “He’s about my age and already a leader; impressive.”
He took Qin Ge’s hand. “Where to now?”
Qin Ge replied, “Barbecue.”
Xie Zijing said, “Great, I haven’t had kidneys in a long time.”
Just as he finished speaking, Xie Zijing sensed something amiss and turned to see Gu Ming. “Why are you following us?”
Gu Ming said, “For barbecue.”
Xie Zijing said, “Why are you joining us?”
Gu Ming said, “I’m friends with Tang Xing now.”
Qin Ge tried to mediate. “It’s fine; let him join us; no big deal.”
Xie Zijing, helpless, held Qin Ge’s hand and strode forward.
Gu Ming seemed to enjoy provoking Xie Zijing, cheerfully following behind. His hair was cut so short that the wind made his head feel cold, prompting him to rub his head. As he did so, blocking his view, a figure suddenly rushed at Gu Ming, startling him and causing him to steady himself.
The person immediately fell to his feet.
Before Gu Ming could ask what was wrong, the person suddenly opened their mouth, making a gurgling sound.
Gu Ming reacted quickly, hooking the person’s shoulder with his foot to kick them away and leaping backward to narrowly avoid the vomit.
The person lay motionless on the ground, their face and chest covered in filth, sobbing softly.
A whip cracked against the stone pavement, producing a crisp sound. A tall woman walked out of the alley, her shoe tapping the person’s shoulder.
“Dead?”
Two young men following her ran over, one squatting to check the drunkard’s condition, the other smiling placatingly. “Sister Xia, don’t kill anyone; it wouldn’t look good.”
Xie Zijing and Qin Ge also approached to watch. The drunkard had a whip mark on his face, extending from the left side down to his neck and disappearing under his collar. The mark was swollen, indicating the person who wielded the whip used considerable force.
“Not dead.”
With that response, the drunkard suddenly convulsed and rolled over, crying and crawling away.
The whip cracked again, landing in front of him and kicking up a cloud of dust.
The drunkard froze.
“Robbing a little girl and getting handsy.” The woman walked up to him. “Are you out of your mind causing trouble in werewolf territory?”
“Xia Chun is about to kill someone,” Xie Zijing said, pulling Qin Ge’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Qin Ge nodded and saw Gu Ming standing in the crowd, dazed. He called out, and Gu Ming, snapping out of his stupor, quickly caught up with Qin Ge.
“Who was that?” he asked. “She’s neither a sentinel nor a guide.”
“Xia Chun is a werewolf,” Qin Ge told him. “She’s the werewolf leader of the Black Battalion in the Wangdu district, very formidable.”
Gu Ming said, “Oh…”
He seemed lost in thought, remaining silent until they reached the barbecue stand. Only when he saw Tang Xing’s parrot did he snap back to reality. The barbecue stand was on a rooftop, as Meng Yu and Tang Xing had said: only those in the know could find it. Beef and lamb sizzled on the grill, the oil and spices releasing mouth-watering aromas. Thin shellfish gleamed with juices, naturally sweet and flavorful without needing any seasoning. Corn and chives were brightly colored, with a slight char from the fire.
Gu Ming’s finch and Tang Xing’s parrot were pecking at each other, the finch’s feathers ruffled as it chirped pitifully and jumped back into Gu Ming’s hand. Tang Xing quickly restrained his parrot. “Pacific parrots have very strong beaks, much stronger than they appear. They’re actually quite fierce.”
Meng Yu added, “A spirit body reflects the characteristics of its owner.”
Gu Ming suddenly interrupted Meng Yu. “Tang Xing, there are still werewolves in the Wangdu district.”
Meng Yu then briefly explained the current situation in the capital district. Upon learning that Gu Ming had just met Xia Chun, Meng Yu was curious. “What do you think of her?”
Gu Ming said, “…Very fierce.”
Meng Yu asked, “Is that all?”
Gu Ming said, “Very… beautiful, very cool.”
Meng Yu rubbed his chin, smiling as he leaned closer. “Very beautiful, huh?”
Gu Ming instinctively recoiled and swallowed before answering.
This small action was caught by Xie Zijing, who excitedly pointed a squid tentacle at Gu Ming. “Oh! You’ve fallen for her!”
Gu Ming’s face instantly turned red. “No.”
“Then why are you blushing!” Xie Zijing teased. “Xia Chun isn’t a sentinel, so she shouldn’t be your type.”
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