Chapter 6: Rewards

As night fell, Edward gathered the necessary equipment and information to start his mission.

Riding an old motorcycle, he parked it in front of a bar, which was the location of the three vampires. The intelligence sellers didn't know these three were vampires, assuming they were just ordinary people.

This intelligence organization, backed by what could be called the American version of the Local Homeless people, included the homeless, beggars, and drifters across the United States. By providing information to the organization, these members would receive rewards once the information was used. The breadth of this organization's intelligence rivaled even that of the US government.

Looking at the bar in front of him, Edward hesitated for a moment. Just as he was about to push the door open, a voice sounded behind him: "If I were you, I wouldn't go in."

Edward turned around to see a man stepping out of the shadows, carrying a katana on his back and dressed in black leather. He wore armor-like clothing underneath and had two micro submachine guns strapped to his thighs.

"Blade…?"

"You know me?"

"Of course, I'm the owner of a detective agency. I think we could work together." Edward answered after thinking for a while.

"Do you know what this place is?"

"A vampire nest. I know. My client wants me to capture three vampires from here. The rest are all yours. I can assure you, their fate will be no better than what you would do to them."

"Got it."

"Let's go in, then." Edward pushed the door open. Inside, loud music was playing, and people were dancing wildly. Suddenly, the fire sprinklers began spraying an unknown liquid. Edward quickly pulled out an umbrella to shield himself from the liquid.

"Those three over there are my targets," Edward pointed to three vampires in a corner, each preying on a woman.

Blade said nothing, drawing his submachine guns and opening fire on the vampires with silver-plated bullets, mowing them down.

By the time the remaining vampires realized what was happening, only a dozen were left from the original fifty. The ones who survived were the stronger vampires, wearing bulletproof materials that could absorb the bullets' impact, though not completely stop them.

Their eyes glowed red as they charged at Edward and Blade with a roar.

"I really didn't want to do this," Edward muttered coldly. In the next moment, gunfire erupted, and bullets pierced through the vampires' so-called bulletproof vests, killing one instantly.

Blade glanced at Edward in surprise before tossing his guns aside and drawing his katana, slicing through the remaining vampires.

The three target vampires charged as well. Edward, worried Blade might kill them, kicked them aside and shot at the other vampires, quickly killing eleven more. He reloaded his gun with a quick slide along his ammo belt, using regular bullets designed to suppress the three vampires' movements.

Soon, Blade had dispatched his foes, leaving only the three vampires Edward needed.

"The rest is up to you," Edward said.

Blade nodded, and Edward shot the three vampires in the head to ensure they wouldn't wake up soon. He then pulled out chains to bind them, dragging them back to the agency.

By the time they arrived, the vampires' bodies were severely damaged, with flesh worn away, exposing bones and internal organs. Edward threw them into a corner and fed them some blood packs to keep them from dying immediately. He then contacted the client.

"Hello, this is Marvel Agency. Your commission is complete. Please come over as soon as possible."

"Alright," came the old man's voice. Shortly after, the sound of a car braking was heard, and the old man entered. Seeing the three vampires in the corner, his body shook, and his breathing became labored. Edward quickly went over to help.

"Calm down. You don't want to pass out before getting your revenge. Breathe air."

With Edward's Top G guidance, the old man regained his composure. He looked at the three vampires and instructed his men to take them away, asking, "Using silver will kill them, right?"

"Yes."

"This is your payment." The old man handed over a bank card. Edward took it and then tossed a parchment scroll into the air, which instantly combusted and disappeared. Old man, he was already gone.

After the old man left, a small gift box appeared on the table. Edward walked over and opened it, revealing a floating card inside.

Edward picked it up and saw a figure on the card, with a shadowy black figure behind it.

[Sub-Human Physique: Gain sub-human physique upon use. Activation requires one death.]

Edward raised an eyebrow, surprised by the reward. Without hesitation, he used the card, thinking that having a sub-human physique would allow him to take more risks.

As the card turned into a stream of light and merged with his body, Edward felt something change within him, though it was subtle and hard to define.

He exhaled slowly, then pointed his gun at himself. After some hesitation, he struggled with the idea of killing himself, even though he had killed many others before.

After a long moment, he lifted the gun again, deciding not to give himself time to think. He pulled the trigger, the bullet pierced his head, and as his life ebbed away, he lay motionless on the ground.

Suddenly, Edward jolted awake. His sub-human physique had been activated. Apart from the bloodstains on his body, there was no trace of the wound.

"Whew, this feels really… unpleasant," Edward muttered. Behind him appeared a dark specter, resembling a figure wrapped in countless bandages. These specters possessed complete transparency, making them invisible to humans unless emotions ran high or Edward summoned them with malice. Under normal circumstances, ordinary humans couldn't detect their presence.

Due to the limited amount of IBM matter in Edward's body, he could only summon the dark specter for up to eight minutes, and only twice a day. Nevertheless, this ability was already a significant advantage.

With the sub-human physique, at least his safety was now ensured.

(AN: I have no idea where this power is from. If you know anything about movie or anime, tell me.)

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