A/N:
thank god, i finished just in time! here you go, the next chapter!
...
Sergei had a relatively enjoyable evening. After all, the group he had taken down wasn't weak, and that added to his satisfaction. Feeling content, he asked the butler to bring some snacks and fruit. He had a game to finish tonight.
Meanwhile, Leon was holding a syringe filled with vampire blood and called Keisha.
"Keisha, analyze the blood," he instructed.
"Yes, Captain Leon. Beginning analysis," Keisha responded.
"The blood contains 317 specific viral combinations. It's not contagious, but it has strong phagocytic and fusion properties, making it highly compatible with human blood. Once infected, transformation occurs within half an hour, with a level of consciousness still under domination."
Keisha continued, "The blood can transform human bones, internal organs, and enhance sensory capabilities. Extracting a small portion of the genome, the evolutionary process is back-calculating... 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 100%."
"The most primitive genome has been deduced: an unknown genome with traits of a first-generation divine body and some characteristics of a second-generation divine body."
"Shall I upload the genome sequence to the database?" Keisha asked.
"Upload," Leon commanded.
"Upload successful."
The Sky Blade No. 7's computer calculated the evolutionary efficiency at a shockingly fast rate. The primitive bloodline of the vampire displayed divine body traits. In comparison to angelic civilization, their divine bodies might be considered lower-level, but for ordinary races, a divine body was already terrifying. It could even withstand nuclear bomb blasts without harm.
Given that an ancestor-level vampire could possess such power, it wasn't entirely surprising.
In short, if Leon wanted, he could now use the Sky Blade No. 7 to initiate a genetic modification project, transplanting the genes of the vampire ancestors into humans. But it wasn't worth it.
The vampire ancestors were certainly powerful, but only to a point. In the grand scheme of things, compared to the gods and other powerful races in the universe, the vampires' abilities paled in comparison. The upper limits of vampire genes were too low.
With so many better options available, why settle for less? It would be like tossing away a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds—a foolish move.
However, the vampire genes did have their perks. By collecting genetic material from other mid-tier races, Sky Blade No. 7 could deduce new sequences. This time, Leon wouldn't use the top-tier genes for Wanda and her crew, but they could be useful for building an army or training warriors.
Too bad Odin wasn't dead yet. If he were, Leon would have had Sky Blade No. 7 search for dimensional coordinates to places like Jotunheim and other realms. Those places housed plenty of strong beings and races worth considering.
As Leon pondered these thoughts, the sound of playful laughter caught his attention. He turned to see Alina, Polina, and Clarice running into the room, panting from exertion. The three little ones, faces flushed with energy, lined up and stared curiously at Leon and Sergei, their big eyes full of questions.
Leon and Sergei couldn't help but smile.
"So, what's up?" Leon asked, noticing the beads of sweat on their foreheads. He could tell they'd been running wild—no surprise, given that their stamina far surpassed that of any grown man.
But he was more intrigued by their current expressions.
"What does a vampire look like? Aren't they supposed to be beautiful and elegant?" one of them asked, eyes wide.
"Is it like in The Vampire Diaries?" another chimed in.
It turned out the three little ones had recently watched an American TV show about vampires. The show portrayed vampires as living elegant and refined lives, where every vampire was portrayed as handsome and beautiful. So when they heard that Sergei had encountered vampires, their curiosity got the better of them. While playing outside, they overheard the servants talking about Sergei's return, and they rushed back to ask him about it.
After all, no matter how precocious they were, little girls still had dreams of a pure and beautiful kind of love—something platonic and romantic. But Sergei wasted no time in crushing their illusions.
"Believe me," he said, "it's nothing like that. Behind their so-called refined lives are ugly, dirty, and corrupt hearts."
The harsh reality left the three little ones visibly disappointed.
Leon, amused, ruffled their hair and added, "Just look at the pictures. No matter how elegant or refined they seem, at the end of the day, vampires are nothing more than blood-sucking bats. When they feed, their true, hideous faces show."
"Even among themselves, it's all about conspiracies, manipulation, and power plays."
Alina pouted, clearly not thrilled with this new information. But then Leon noticed something.
"Wait, where's Pushkin? Isn't he usually with you?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow.
Polina huffed in annoyance. "No, he said he's a man now and wants to be strong like you and Sergei. He's decided to train hard and said that he can't waste time playing with us anymore."
Pushkin's sudden declaration that he had grown up and needed to focus on becoming a warrior had hurt the three little girls deeply. They had always been inseparable friends, but two days ago, Pushkin announced he couldn't play with them anymore, saying it would weaken his fighting spirit.
The three little ones had nearly teamed up to beat him up for saying that.
"Haha, it seems our little man has finally grown up," Leon chuckled, but when he noticed the dissatisfied looks from the three little ones, he quickly added, "But of course, what he did was a bit ungraceful. A real man shouldn't act that way, and he deserves a little criticism."
"Leon's right," the three little ones nodded in agreement, feeling vindicated. They weren't necessarily going to scold Pushkin, but in this playful moment, they wanted Leon to show that he was on their side.
Even though their illusions had been shattered, the girls were still in high spirits. After all, it wasn't enough to ruin their good mood. They dashed to the refrigerator, grabbed a big ice cream cake, and ran back out, full of energy.
Their joyful shouts filled the manor with life and laughter. As Leon leaned back on the sofa, watching them with a fond smile, his heart brimmed with affection for the three little ones.