No Hero Volume 7: The End, the Beginning, Part One
Original novel in Chinese by: 御我(Yu Wo)
The Third Step Toward the End: Pure, the Purest Existence—translated by Raylight (proofread by Trespa.s.serby; C/E edited by Taffygirl13 and lucathia)
"Retreat!" Ezart roared loudly, "Everyone, go back!"
I had already expected that it would be a treacherous journey, so despite having to keep it confidential, I had still gathered twenty people for the exploration team. On top of that, they were equipped with heavy firepower, enough to attack a small city. However, it appeared that I was still too naive.
Originally, I had thought that even if this place were to still exist, any defenses that they had must have long since perished over the years. However, I"d forgotten that there must have been a major reason why this laboratory would have been destroyed in the first place.
Was it due to the night race in front of us?
Or perhaps, something even stronger?
I want to see—I want to see it all!
"Young Master!"
I quickly grabbed onto the young master, who looked as though he was truly about to murder the man standing before him. However, the instant I held onto him, I realized that this was not the case at all. The young master was barely able to stand. Rather than killing, it seemed that what he wanted to do more was to simply collapse onto the ground and start crying bitterly.
Shock was written all over the man"s face as he asked in bewilderment, "W-What are you saying? Killed me twice? This is the first time I"ve met you face to face!"
The young master momentarily froze, and then his crumbling expression faded considerably. After scrutinizing the man for a long while, he gently pushed me away and stood up straight on his own. He forcefully restrained all his emotions as he commanded, "Get in the car first. There are too many people around here."
In reality, there were not many people around us, only about five or six people. However, they were already taking out their phones to film the scene. If the young master were to continue being so agitated, or the other person were to call him "son" a few more times, we could possibly end up appearing on the news again tomorrow.
"Who exactly are you?" questioned the young master, with no trace of politeness, in the very moment we sat in the car and the door was shut tight.
Hearing that, the other fervently patted his chest as he exclaimed, "I am Luo Ye, your father!"
This whole time, I had been paying attention to the young master"s expression. Once the name "Luo Ye" came up, he looked confused at first, as though he was not familiar with the name. Following that, he quickly reacted, and his expression changed to one of even greater shock than when he had first been called "son" earlier.
"Luo Ye…?"
The young master"s expression was too subtle for me to tell what he was feeling. Did that name bring out positive or negative feelings for him? Or perhaps, even the young master himself does not know?
The young master seemed like he wanted to say something, but hesitated in doing so several times. In the end, he just turned to Nitewalker and ordered, "Go to the press conference."
"Understood."
Originally, I should have been seated in the front pa.s.senger seat. However, the young master disliked sitting in the back seat alone and would always ask me to sit together with him. Nevertheless, the center back seat was not a place where I ought to sit, for that was the seat reserved for the master.
At the moment, I had the young master on my right, and the man named "Luo Ye" on my left. This was truly an extremely bizarre situation. However, before we had gotten in the car, the young master had distraughtly hinted to me that he did not wish to sit with the man shoulder to shoulder, so I could only take this extremely inappropriate seat.
Along the way, Luo Ye was talking non-stop, crying in one moment and smiling in the next. The whole time, his gaze never left the young master.
"All along, I thought that you were already dead. Never had I dared to hope in my wildest dreams that Ri Ji Yan would let you go. Who would have thought that I"d actually see in the news that the Sun Emperor had a little brother. At first, I couldn"t believe that it was you, but upon seeing your face, I just knew that you must be Xiang Ye. You look exactly like Wyn!"
The young master finally reacted. "Wyn?"
Luo Ye nodded his head with a smile. But when he saw the young master"s puzzled face, realization seemed to hit him. His expression abruptly changed, and he roared angrily, "Did Ji Yan not even tell you the name of your mother?"
Ji Yan? I had the impression that before the Sun Emperor took over, the Sun Alliance"s head was called "Ri Ji Yan," who was also the Sun Emperor"s father. Theoretically, he should have also been the young master"s father, but from what the young master had inadvertently revealed several times, the truth was not as such. Moreover, what is going on with this person "Luo Ye" who is proclaiming himself as the father?
"My mother?" The young master seemed to be shocked, and turned at that. He appeared to be much more interested in things regarding his mother than his father.
I did my utmost to stick to the back of the seat, so as not to disturb his conversation with this Mr. Luo.
Luo Ye"s expression softened as he replied, "Your mother"s full name was Elowyn. I always called her Wyn."
The young master murmured, "Elowyn? My mother"s name?"
"Ji Yan seriously never told you?" Luo Ye struggled to contain his rage as he exclaimed, "How could he be so cruel!"
According to the traces of information I have heard till now, that Mr. Ri Ji Yan"s treatment of the young master was most likely much more cruel than this.
Luo Ye pulled out a necklace from his chest. The flat pendent was in the shape of a red apple, and it did not seem like a style intended for men. Moreover, it was evidently able to store photos. He handed the necklace to the young master.
"Have you seen your mother before? This is Wyn"s necklace. Apples were her absolute favorite; she"d often spend the entire day eating only apples, though I frequently advised her against it. She was skinny to the point of being all skin and bones."
With that, he opened the locket. As expected, there was a photograph inside. "I shoved the locket into the hollow of a tree in the streets as I pa.s.sed by to prevent Ji Yan from finding it."
The young master took it, and after a single glance, immediately seemed reluctant to part with it. He commented, "There are some photos of my mother at home, but there aren"t a lot, and none have her smiling so happily."
The young master pa.s.sed me the locket so that I could see it. The woman in the photo had a head of long and straight silver hair, glistening like strands of silk satin. She had a pair of large, black eyes, rose-like lips, and skin even more beautiful than snow. Her beauty did not seem to be of this earth. Because of her smile, her originally cold and distant disposition became breathtakingly stunning, as though roses had bloomed in a snowfield.
That kind of beauty was not at all foreign to me. The woman looked like a fairy in the snow, and the young master was called an angel. The two of them were practically identical in both appearance and refinement.
"You truly look very similar to your mother," I remarked with heartfelt sincerity.
The young master seemed very joyous upon hearing so and held onto the photograph lovingly, as though he was unwilling to part with it. It appeared that he truly did love his mother a lot.
Luo Ye warmly said, "I was afraid that it would get destroyed, so I made many copies and hid them all over. Next time, I"ll bring a bigger picture for you, okay, Xiang Ye?"
Hearing that, the young master fell silent for a moment, before he answered, "I still have to go to a press conference in the afternoon, so stay in the car for a bit first. At night, we can have dinner together and continue talking then."
"Nitewalker, can you help me take… him to a nearby place to sit?" The young master seemed to be at a loss as to how to address the man.
"Understood, Young Master."
Not too long after, we arrived at the location of the press conference. I was originally a little worried that with such a large incident happening so abruptly, the young master might not be able to calmly attend the press conference.
However, it was evident that I had been overthinking it. After hearing the name "Luo Ye," the young master"s mood was no longer as terrible as before. At most, the young master appeared to be at a loss on what to do, which was a lot better than his frenzied expression at the start.
"Young Master, please hold on for a moment."
The young master turned to look at me in confusion. Just as I was about to remind him, I heard the door open as Nitewalker got out of the car and walked over to open the door for the young master.
This personal chauffeur eased into the swing of things faster than I expected. I made a decision that no matter what, I had to get Nitewalker to remain as the young master"s chauffeur.
As he stepped out of the car, the young master started smiling, and instantly, the camera lights began flashing non-stop. At this point, I too got out. Some of the cameras turned to me, but the flashes stopped after a while. It seemed like the reporters had remembered that I was a vampire, so taking photos of me would be futile. Only some of the video cameras filmed me for a short moment, for at least they would still be able to see me in the live broadcast.
"Is it true that today"s press conference will release details about the movie?"
"May I ask what kind of film it will be?"
"Are you intending to both sing and act in it?"
The reporters had many questions, but the young master merely looked at them with a blank smile. When he encountered a question he did not know how to answer, he occasionally replied, "I don"t know that either."
The young master glanced around, not knowing which direction to walk, so I decided to go in front to lead the way. Although I too did not know where we were supposed to go, regardless, it would be better to bring the young master to somewhere less crowded first. At this time, we heard a familiar voice calling out to us, "Young Master, this way!"
The young master and I both turned to look, and the young master blurted out, "Melody, weren"t you at home sleeping?"
Melody walked over, her red lips pursed. She complained, "That Secretary Bai told me to come over and handle this personally. He even scolded me for sleeping at home for such an important matter, and that he would fire me!"
Once she said that, the reporters grew even wilder.
"May I ask if Secretary Bai is referring to the Sun Emperor"s left hand?
"Have you really been fired?"
Melody just gave them a glare. Rumor had it that in the eyes of the reporters, she was a shrew. However, even a shrewish vampire was unable to stop the barrage of questions from the reporters.
She coquettishly teased, "It"s unfortunate, dear reporters, but I haven"t been fired yet! You all still have to continue to face me, a fierce vampire whom you can"t take any photos of."
That"s still better than facing the Sun Emperor"s left hand.
A small, almost inaudible voice spoke from somewhere. The scene fell into dead silence for a moment, but people soon started firing questions again.
The Sun Emperor"s left hand was nowhere as famous as his right hand, Secretary Kyle, but he seemed to be more feared by others. However, given that my knowledge of the business world was outdated by about sixty years, I was not as up-to-date as the reporters in front of me.
Even though I had heard a long time ago that Secretary Bai was responsible for work under the table, I did not know just how "under the table" his work extended to. Moreover, his looks were extremely refined, so he did not look like someone who would strike fear in the hearts of people.
"Hmph!" It seemed that Melody dared not give any comments on that statement, an extremely rare occasion. She coyly said, "All right! Everyone, there"s no need to rush. You can all ask your fill during the press conference, okay?"
After saying that, she turned around and said, "Young Master, follow me!"
We followed her onto the elevator, and Melody pressed the b.u.t.ton to the highest floor. She briefed, "Young Master, later on, there will be reporters on the rooftop. A werewolf will capture you, and show itself at the water tower. All you need to do is act frightened; the werewolf will handle the rest of the act. The reporters will be filming for roughly three minutes, and then you can rest afterwards."
The young master inquired, full of curiosity, "Is it a real werewolf?"
"It"s a real one." Melody nodded as she continued, "Actually, they wanted to find a vampire for this, so that it would fit the movie theme. However, a vampire would only be seen in the live broadcast, and wouldn"t be visible in other media like the newspaper. The publicity time would simply be too short. That"s why they compromised and got a werewolf."
The young master scratched his face, asking, "It can"t possibly be the one that I caught and handed over to Bàba last time, right? I feel a little sorry for that werewolf. Though he did kill at least three people, still…"
Melody had a complicated expression as she shot down, "Not that one."
The young master"s expression fell as he muttered, "I thought so. He couldn"t possibly still be alive, right? I mean, if he already entered Bàba"s laboratory, how would he be able to leave?"
Hearing that statement just made it sound like "being sent into Mr. An Te Qi"s laboratory" was a one-way trip. However, that was a reasoning that I could fully understand. During the short time span that I had been taking care of Mr. An Te Qi previously, even though I was not an experimental subject, I frequently felt as though I might explode into smithereens any second.
Melody sized up the young master, and concluded with satisfaction, "Young Master, the clothes you are wearing today are really not bad at all. I don"t think you need to change; just wear these! Oh, but the wind is going to be strong on the rooftop, so it might be cold if you are wearing just a vest…" She seemed to waver.
The young master chuckled and whispered, "Dark Sun"s clothes aren"t any warmer than this current outfit!"
Melody asked, uncertain, "Young Master, are you not afraid of the cold?"
That was a question that I too wanted to know the answer to, for that would be extremely beneficial to coordinating the young master"s clothes.
The young master pondered for a while. Then, he replied, "I am able to feel cold, but not as strongly as an ordinary human. It would have to be roughly fifteen degrees Celsius and below for me to feel cold at all. However, if the temperature is really too cold, I have my ways to maintain my body at the temperature of when I"m exercising."
The young master can wear summer wear as long as it is fifteen degrees and above. I silently committed it to memory.
Once we exited the elevator, we found out that the wind on the rooftop was indeed very strong. However, the young master"s expression was no different from usual. Sure enough, he was not particularly affected by the cold.
The rooftop had been arranged to look like ruins. Even the central area where the press conference was to be held was formed by old and broken wooden tables and chairs, and there were still some staff members frantically bringing things over.
A middle-aged man was brought over to us by one of the staff, and he looked a little nervous.
Melody seemed not to mind as she introduced, "This is the beast that is going to kidnap you later."
Calling a werewolf a "beast" did seem a little derogatory, but the werewolves themselves did not think so. Most of them took pride in their feral side, and did not feel shamed when addressed as such.
Werewolves were indeed qualified to pride themselves in their strength, or at least, they were "in the past." As of now, they were in the same situation as vampires, or rather, about the same as all the rest of the non-humans. Sightings of truly strong werewolves were becoming increasingly uncommon. Most of them had chosen to live in seclusion, avoiding this world that was changing too quickly to keep up with.
"Young Master, please go to the water tower in a bit and stay on standby. Your only job is to get "captured" by the werewolf, and show an expression that will make others" hearts ache for you." Seeing the young master nod, Melody then shot me a glance, and she pretended to casually bring up, "Butler, you will be following the young master, correct?"
I understood what she was trying to ask from me. Werewolves were, after all, difficult creatures to control. If he were to go out of control, fending off the werewolf would be much more appropriate for me as a vampire than the young master as a human. However, if the young master were to know about this, he would definitely not allow me to follow him.
Therefore, Melody could only inquire discreetly whether I would partic.i.p.ate in the battle like a "bodyguard" if the werewolf were to go insane.
"Certainly," was my answer without batting an eyelid. "The duty of a butler is to follow their master."
At this point, even if combat was the only way to a.s.sist the young master, I would not hesitate to do so.
Melody gave a "Mhm" in acknowledgment. It seemed that our conversation had not aroused suspicion from the young master.
Melody immediately followed up with, "Then, you can also go to the water tower. Just don"t stand in an obvious location. The werewolf will bring you two there. As for me, I"ll wait below for the reporters to come in."
"Understood."
The werewolf"s voice was stiff as he said, "The two of you, please, follow me."
On the way over, the young master asked curiously, "Are you working at my gēge"s side?"
This werewolf looked a little nervous, as he hurriedly answered, "No, no, how could I possibly know the Sun Emperor! I was merely working at a certain trading company, without knowing that it had ties to the Sun Alliance. Afterwards, my ident.i.ty as a werewolf was discovered, and I was then brought to work in the Alliance. However, I have never seen the Sun Emperor. N-Nor even the secretary!"
"How did your ident.i.ty get discovered?" The young master seemed even more intrigued as he exclaimed, "I can"t tell that you are a werewolf at all!"
"I bit a supervisor who kept making things difficult for me to death, and was found out afterwards…"
The young master gave an "Oh" as he continued, "Then, what are you helping my gēge with? Killing people?"
The werewolf seemed rather uneasy when he heard the young master"s question. However, I could completely understand his feelings. Hearing an angelic-looking boy casually ask about killing others was too great of a contrast to accept without difficulty.
"Mostly, yes, but recently I"ve been undergoing experiments at a laboratory."
It cannot possibly be the laboratory that one can never escape from upon entering? Evidently, the young master was thinking the same thing, for he fell silent and did not ask any more questions. Moreover, he even lowered his head, as though he was trying to hide the pity that he could not help but show on his face.
The werewolf abruptly turned around and picked up the young master in a swoop. I was shocked by the action, but the werewolf did not transform, and the young master was not uncomfortable judging from his expression either. The werewolf bent both knees and jumped a full story high toward the water tower right above us.
I directly walked up the walls, and as the werewolf landed, I told him, "Your strength is truly impressive."
The stronger the werewolf, the more strength they could retain in their human forms. However, a vast majority of werewolves were simply no different from the average human without transforming.
The werewolf, however, seemed extremely shocked. He stared at me with wide eyes, as he let slip the question, "How are you so fast?"
The young master proudly stated, "Charles"s speed is amazing!"
Fear showed on the werewolf"s face, but that was not something to be mindful of. Originally, non-humans were always on guard around each other, and even those of the same race were not always friendly. I reminded him softly, "There should still be some time before it starts, so could I request for you to put the young master down first?"
He stiffened and nearly dropped the young master on the floor. Fortunately, the young master had quick reflexes, and naturally found his footing.
"I-I"m terribly sorry!" The werewolf looked as though he was scared out of his wits, as he desperately apologized to the young master, "I should not have picked you up so casually! I forgot for a moment that the vampire could take you up here! I"m truly sorry! Please forgive me!"
The young master seemed stunned. He continuously rea.s.sured the other with "It"s O.K.," but the werewolf continued to look terror-stricken.
"Are you scared of me?" The young master fell silent for a while, before he inquired, "Did Ah Yue—Did Secretary Bai say something to you? You don"t have to be bothered by it. I won"t tell Secretary Bai anything."
"Secretary Bai? Why would someone of his level personally come and speak to me?" The werewolf blurted out with alarm. Seeming to have thought of something, his face turned ashen as he stuttered with an expression of despair, "Y-You are the Sun Emperor"s little brother. Of course you are of a higher rank than him!"
The young master seemed to be utterly clueless as to what the other was implying. However, I understood. He had mentioned just now that Secretary Bai would not personally speak to him, but given that the young master had come to speak to him personally, he had implied in a roundabout manner that the young master was of a lower rank than Secretary Bai—However, the young master did not do roundabouts.
Seeing how pale the werewolf"s face was, the young master started to panic as well. I walked in front to cut between the werewolf and the young master, and spoke quietly, "Our young master does not understand such matters. All you need to do is to keep a moderate level of respect."
Hearing that, the werewolf snuck a few glances at the young master, and his expression seemed a lot more relaxed.
"Young Master, do you know why the werewolf that had previously held you hostage stopped at the crucial moment, just as he was about to attack you?" The werewolf quickly spoke up, as though he wished to make up for his mistake by providing some information to the young master.
The young master shook his head, curiosity written on his face. A relieved expression appeared on the werewolf"s face, as though he was extremely happy about not having to disappear off the face of the earth for a slip of the tongue.
"The werewolves have their ancient sacred laws. As of now, barely anyone follows them, but they have more or less pa.s.sed down through the generations. One of these laws is "Thou must not harm the purest existence." I believe that, at that time, he must have thought of this law."
Vampires also had their sacred laws too, but they had fallen into oblivion even more so than the werewolves". Even with my honorable father"s abilities, he could only find the law, "Thou must not take the last drop of blood when feeding." However, he was unable to find out the actual reason for it either.
Though I did not know the story behind this law, my honorable father had still fervently warned me that even if I had no other option but to take blood from humans directly, I was not to take the last drop of blood.
However, a living human would have about five to six liters of blood,1 which was simply not an amount that I could possibly finish. In the situation where I did not want to kill the one I was feeding from, I would drink approximately a liter or less of their blood. That would satisfy me to about seventy to eighty percent full. If I had the intention of killing them, then I just had to drink over two liters of their blood, which would result in me not feeling any hunger for an entire two days.
Therefore, the reason as to why this law existed was completely unfathomable to me.
"I"m not the purest existence or the like," the young master refuted.
The werewolf looked at him, and just smiled in return. He then shifted his gaze toward me, wordlessly implying, "Your young master is truly an adorable and innocent child," or something of the like.
However, I could not decide whether or not to agree with such a statement. Certainly, the young master was a little innocent, but given that he also had the side of "Dark Sun" that was rational to the point of heartlessness, it was extremely difficult to judge as always.
"The reporters are here," the werewolf nervously told us.
Over our course of conversation, the reporters had already started entering the scene. Though there were not many of them, they were entering extremely quickly, and had even done their best to squeeze to the very front. It was a pity for them that our current location was diagonally across in the back.
At this moment, the werewolf cried out and started transforming. The young master"s eyes grew wide, but he did not show any shock in his expression. After all, the process was not unfamiliar to him, for it looked almost the same as Dragon Peace"s transformation. The only difference was that Dragon Peace"s body was bigger, and he did not grow fur.
The body of this werewolf was a little bigger than the previous one that had stirred up trouble, and his fur was a beautiful silvery-gray. As expected, he was no ordinary person. It was no wonder that the Sun Alliance had recruited him.
The werewolf stooped down and rea.s.sured the young master, "I will have to carry you. Please don"t be afraid, for I will absolutely not harm you!"
The young master nodded.
The actions of this werewolf made me feel a little shocked. Typically speaking, even a transformed werewolf who sounded conscious would still be impulsive and easily p.r.o.ne to anger. A single glance at them would usually be enough to invite a deadly fist.
If that were not the case, the werewolf race would not have found it so difficult to avoid getting their hands stained in blood. However, this werewolf was able to maintain his calm to such an extent. Could it be that the stronger the werewolf, the calmer they are? That was not something I had heard of before.
After picking up the young master, the werewolf first gave a loud roar that resonated to the sky. Even the area around the water tower seemed to shake slightly. I could not help but worry that it might attract other werewolves" attention, but then decided that if this was something that Secretary Bai had personally arranged, there should not be any problems.
When the roar faded, the werewolf jumped upwards and landed on the water tower, crushing it in half. Large amounts of water started gushing out from the cracks, like tiny waterfalls flowing endlessly. This made the rooftop that had been arranged to appear like ruins appear even more ruined.
Most likely, the werewolf is so terrifying that it actually managed to prevent the reporters from charging forwards… Or perhaps, it is because they are worried that the water would damage their cameras?
About three seconds later, the reporters seemed to come to a realization that the scene before their eyes was also a part of the press conference. Camera lights immediately started flashing non-stop.
After the reporters had filmed for a while, the werewolf angrily roared at them, "The setting sun is gone. From now on, it is the realm of the non-humans!"
The werewolf lifted up the young master, as though flaunting his prize, as he growled, "Be it Sunset City, or the angel, they all belong to the non-humans!"
This speech is really too provocative. If someone takes it seriously and believes that the non-humans are challenging humans, it could possibly stir up both parties. Is it truly wise to use these kinds of stunts for publicity?
"Who has the guts to try and save him? You? Or is it you?" He pointed at the various video cameras repeatedly and snarled, "Or is it the Church? Do you still have the b.a.l.l.s to?"
Hearing the werewolf issue the challenge to the Church made all the reporters gasp. Even I felt rather shocked at this. Is this really just some normal movie propaganda?
Compared with the werewolf"s continuous taunting, the young master simply did not have a single line to speak. He seemed unsure as to what to do, and merely stared at the cameras innocently. At this moment, the werewolf abruptly threw him on the ground, and then struck the side of the young master"s head with a powerful slap … How dare you hit the young master!
In a single slide step, I arrived in front of the young master, shielding him. I absolutely could not let the werewolf hurt the young master again.
"Charles, don"t!" The young master shrieked from behind me.
Even if the young master were to say so, how could I possibly leave my hands out of this matter, and allow the werewolf to hurt him further just because the young master is unable to retaliate in the middle of filming?
"Has he really gone berserk?" I muttered.
As I thought, we should not have gotten a werewolf. It is too difficult to control one of their race. Using the Hollow Roar of the vampires, I warned him, "Retreat!"
The werewolf raised his head and laughed loudly, "Just because of you? Pesky little vampire, are you standing on the side of the humans?"
I had lost count how many times I had been asked this question. Naturally, humans would a.s.sume that I was on the side of the non-humans, but my behavior made non-humans suspect that I was on the side of humans. In the past, I had always been stumped for an answer, but this time-
"I am on the side of the young master!"
The werewolf lowered his head to look at me, seeming a little shocked. I began to feel suspicious. Judging from his expressions and movements, he did not seem to have lost his sanity.
"Charles, he didn"t hit me for real! He just gently pushed my face a little, and the slapping sound came from somewhere else," explained the young master in a small voice from behind me.
"…"
The entire place was a sea of silence. Do not tell me I interrupted the press conference? Feeling a bit uneasy, I glanced toward the conference stage where Melody stood. She sighed as she shook her head at me and mouthed the words, "You"re so gullible."
Gullible? I froze for a moment. Could it be that even the part that "I would go in front and stop him" was a part of the press conference?
In the distance, a helicopter seemed to be slowly flying toward us. I grew even more puzzled. Is this possibly also a part of the press conference?
The helicopter drew closer, and I felt that there was something off about it. If I was not mistaken, the symbol on the side of the helicopter seemed to belong to—
Bang, bang!
With a slide step, I stood in front of the werewolf, using layers of blood ability to slow down the bullets. Upon slowing the bullets down, I swept most of them away and grabbed one of them with my hand. As expected, what I saw in my palm was an armor-piercing bullet used to deal with vampires.
Honestly speaking, I did not need to use my blood ability to block ordinary bullets, or even a small amount of armor-piercing bullets. I could directly catch them with my hands. It was just that after I had clearly seen the symbol on the helicopter, I did not dare to drop my guard. For after all, they were—
"The Church!" This time, I could hear from the werewolf"s voice that he was truly enraged.
Everyone turned to look at the sky, and the helicopter drew closer and closer. The large cross on the vehicle seemed to excite the reporters even more.
The young master muttered, "The sounds of this helicopter are so soft. So it"s possible for one to be this quiet? But what is the Church doing here? Could it be that Ah Yue-gē arranged for this? But the relationship between the Church and Gēge is clearly terrible…"
The helicopter was already right above the rooftop, and the wind caused by the propeller blew the whole rooftop into a mess. At this moment, the door of the helicopter opened. What appeared was an extremely familiar face—a face that would make the media go crazy.
“Ah Yue-gē!"
I turned to look and saw that the young master was on the phone. His tone seemed to be one of dissatisfaction as he grumbled, "Ah Yue-gē, you must have already found Alex a long time ago and even lied about making use of me and Charles to lure him into agreeing to acting in the movie."
The young master listened for a while, and then asked with his voice full of doubt, "Really? You really didn"t know? You are coming over?"
He stopped talking for a while, and then chuckled, "Even if you don"t come over, Gēge"s not actually going to kill you! He constantly says that he wants to kill you every day, but he still hasn"t done it yet—Ah, I"m gonna drop the call now, Alex seems like he"s coming over."
The young master cut the call, and then instantly ordered, "Charles, get behind me and try not to speak."
"Understood." I immediately did as I was told.
The helicopter slowly landed on the rooftop with astoundingly little sound, not much different from a car.
The first person to step out of the helicopter was Father Alex.
This was the person who had received a lot of attention from the youngsters, was chosen as the representative of Daystar City, and in the end, even defeated the young master in the City Representative rankings, becoming number one. Though it was true that the master"s terrible reputation lowered the young master"s votes, his was still not an easy feat, and such a person would at least have to possess an outstanding appearance.
Indeed, Father Alex was extremely handsome. His head of golden hair glittered under the sun"s rays, and he had well-defined features, with a tall and slender body. If one were to say the young master was a sincere and innocent angel, then Father Alex would be a glorious and majestic G.o.d.
Other than Alex, ten clergymen stepped out of the helicopter altogether… Or at least, I presumed them to be clergymen, given that they were all dressed in the black garbs of a priest. However the various weapons in their hands made them look otherwise.
Nevertheless, Alex walked over alone.
The reporters rushed forward to take pictures. However, because Father Alex had a unique aura that made others fear offending him, the reporters gradually backed off as they shot questions at him, allowing Father Alex to walk over smoothly. All the time, he maintained a faint smile, and did not answer a single question.
Finally, he reached the bottom of the water tower. He raised his head to look up at the young master, who was currently kneeling on the floor. The young master lowered his head to look back at Alex, and the two stared at each other from different heights. Alex had a sincere expression as he said very gently, "I have always wanted to meet you. A child with a disposition like yours is truly rare these days. However, seeing you pull such a publicity stunt is somewhat regretful. This would stir up the rift between the non-humans and humans."
Indeed, this kind of publicity stunt is not the best way to do things, but that was not a decision made by the young master.
The young master boldly retorted, "And directly firing a gun at others is better?"
Hearing that, Alex gave a bitter smile. "Indeed, it is not great, but please believe me when I say that my companions did not use any weapons that were too lethal."
He seemed a little helpless as he looked back toward his companions. Indeed, those clergymen looked like the type who would fire without a word.
The bullets just now were truly not lethal. The young master seemed to know this too, and so he did not appear particularly angry. He merely asked inquisitively, "Did you come over to reject the movie offer? That"s why you opened fire?"
"No, no!" Alex quickly clarified, and following that, he seemed somewhat troubled as he answered, "I am here as ordained, but since I can"t really act, it doesn"t seem right to agree to it."
"It doesn"t matter, right? Anyways, I can"t act either," the young master honestly admitted.
Alex froze for a moment before laughing in reply, "So, the two of us, neither of whom can act, will be starring in a movie together?"
"Yeah, that seems to be the case!"
The reporters below seemed a little dumbfounded, and some of them started laughing. Even the werewolf at the side looked as though he could not decide whether to laugh or cry.
Alex and the young master looked at each other with smiles on their faces, seemingly getting along with each other.
"All right, all right!" Melody stepped toward Alex, but before she could even get close, the other nine clergymen2 all raised their respective weapons at her.
Melody"s eyes narrowed dangerously, but she did not retaliate. Instead, it was the young master who directly jumped down from the water tower to stand in front of Melody, his face full of rage. But before he could even speak, the waiters serving drinks at both sides of the press conference all flipped their tea trays and pulled out various weapons from under their trays. There were even two people holding energy swords, who walked forward to stand between the young master and the priests.
A mere press conference was about to become a battleground. Can the young master really finish the movie successfully with Father Alex? I could not help but feel worried.
"My fellow brothers, the Lord once said, "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed." Thus, to better oneself as a human, one must use their utmost to avoid resorting to violence."
Alex merely frowned, his face showing a trace of disapproval. However, one could thoroughly feel his disappointment. The priests hesitated for a moment, and then one-by-one put their weapons away with guilt on their faces. However, there were still a few who remained unconvinced and retorted, "Alex, they are vampires! Their existence is a sin in itself!"
Alex calmly replied, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone."
"A stone?" The young master muttered with his head lowered, "Aren"t they holding guns?"
I quietly answered, "Young Master, it is a reference to a story in the Bible."
The young master gave an "Oh."
The unconvinced clergymen silently put away their weapons as well.
Seeing that, the young master"s expression greatly improved, and his gaze toward Alex was no longer cautious. I could not help but worry a little upon seeing this. No matter what, the incidents in the past made it impossible for them to have a friendly relationship. However, the young master was not one to hold a grudge, and if he were to get along well with Alex, it was possible that the young master could drop his guard.
Alex turned around, and gave a small smile. "It is an honor to be able to act in the same film as you. I will be looking forward to it greatly."
The young master replied with a smile, "Me too!"
"May I ask you a question?" Alex abruptly brought up.
The young master shrugged and responded, "Sure!"
"Why is the one behind you wearing priest garbs with a cross necklace? Is this supposed to be a form of satire? Or perhaps I am mistaken, and this is actually his way of expressing his friendliness?"
The young master reflexively looked back. I was currently wearing the priest garbs that I had forgotten to change out of since changing into them at X-Killer.
I fell silent for a while, before I uttered, "This is… the current trend."
1 five to six liters of blood: Either humans have more blood in the NH world than we do or something else is going on, but most humans have 4.5 to 5.5 liters of blood here.
2 nine clergymen: We have little clue what happened to the tenth clergyman that disembarked from the helicopter. Perhaps he fell off the building, he didn"t have a weapon, or he didn"t exist in the first place. Or maybe he"s Father Alex!