Chapter 32
Madame Gao struggled to climb out of the container, her cane trembling as it supported her frail frame. She looked at Qin Li, who stood calmly before her, and asked, "Are young people these days so lacking in respect for the elderly?"
Dragging the golden cross in one hand, Qin Li slowly approached her and replied, "Respect is reserved for the virtuous elderly, not for monsters like you who have forsaken both morality and the dignity of being human."
Before Qin Li finished his sentence, Madame Gao vanished from her spot and reappeared in front of him, attempting the same trick to distract him. She took a stance reminiscent of a samurai preparing for a draw slash, and her cane suddenly split apart to reveal a longsword hidden within.
The blade flashed toward Qin Li's throat with lightning speed. Madame Gao, confident in her attack, thought to herself, Youth and inexperience—this strike will be his downfall. Repent in the afterlife.
But just as the sword's tip was about to pierce its target, it came to a sudden halt. Madame Gao looked up in horror. Qin Li had caught the blade between two fingers, his expression amused, almost mocking.
A cold sweat soaked her back as she quickly abandoned the sword, flipping backward to gain distance. Landing on a nearby container, she crouched, her eyes filled with terror. That strike was her best effort, bolstered by all her martial skill and inner energy, yet Qin Li had stopped it effortlessly.
"Bakuto! Alexandra! Sowande!" Madame Gao shouted desperately. "What are you all waiting for? Summon the Black Sky with the dragon bone! If we don't kill him now, we face annihilation!"
A refined-looking elderly man stepped out from the shadows. "Madame Gao," he said calmly, "Bakuto and Sowande are already preparing the ritual, but there's been interference. No matter—those who resist will serve as offerings to offset the Black Sky's weakness during its creation. Be patient." He positioned himself next to Gao, ready to confront Qin Li together.
Hearing this, Qin Li's expression darkened. Interference? Could it be SHIELD? A frown crossed his face. He activated his communicator and spoke to Hawkeye: "Clint, get your team out of there now. Those two buses are a trap. Save whoever you can, but don't risk your people unnecessarily. I'll finish up here and head over immediately."
"What's going on?" Clint's voice came through the comms, accompanied by faint gunfire and the twang of his bowstring.
"The enemy plans to use your people as sacrifices. I'll explain later—just get moving." Qin Li's tone was grim.
"Got it. But it's complicated—there are vampires on my end." Clint's voice was strained. Amidst the chaos, he fired an explosive arrow that pierced through a vampire's eye, detonating on impact and leaving behind a decapitated corpse.
Qin Li stopped responding, his focus now entirely on Madame Gao and the old man, Alexandra. His gaze turned icy, and his voice was devoid of emotion as he said, "Have you thought about how you'd like to die?"
Madame Gao opened her mouth to retort, but before she could speak, a violent gust of wind swept past her from behind. She and Alexandra were hurled forward, tumbling awkwardly before regaining their footing. The old man quickly raised his hands in a gesture of negotiation. "Father Qin!" he called out. "I am Alexandra. Surely, we can discuss this peacefully—"
Qin Li didn't let him finish. With a sudden burst of speed, he vanished from his spot and appeared directly before Alexandra. The ground where he had stood shattered into fragments. Swinging his massive golden cross with devastating force, he brought it down on Alexandra.
The old man had no time to escape. Desperately, he channeled all his inner energy into his arms and chest, bracing for the blow. But the cross's sheer pressure shredded his clothing before it even connected. The moment it struck, his arms buckled, his chest caved in, and he was sent flying backward, blood spraying as he slammed into a shipping container.
To Madame Gao, it all happened in the blink of an eye. Alexandra had been reduced to a crumpled, bloodied heap, his chest grotesquely deformed. Knowing he was beyond saving, Gao steeled herself, gripping her sword-cane tightly. When she glanced back, Qin Li had vanished again.
A faint breeze brushed past her, sending chills down her spine. The sweat-drenched fabric of her clothes clung to her trembling body. Fear consumed her as she screamed, "Come out! Face me head-on, coward!"
Qin Li emerged from the shadows, leaping down from a container. He gripped the cross with both hands and swung it downward with the force of a god splitting a mountain. The impact crushed Madame Gao's skull and drove her body deep into the ground. The resulting shockwave dispersed the dust and smoke, revealing a crater filled with unrecognizable gore.
"Clint, what's your status?" Qin Li asked while making his way toward the distant flashes of gunfire.
"Not great. These vampires are tough to deal with," Clint replied between labored breaths. The fight on his end had grown more intense.
"I'm almost there. Hold the line until I arrive," Qin Li said calmly.
"Got it. Wait—your side's clear?" Clint asked, as he and a group of SHIELD agents huddled together behind a makeshift barricade.
"Dealt with. They might have a way to resurrect, but I've disrupted their plans for now. If all goes well, tonight we can put an end to this once and for all," Qin Li said, his voice lightening.
"Good to hear. Damn it! These vampires just won't go down." Clint's frustration spilled over as he watched one tear through an agent, ripping open their chest.
"I'm close. Hang in there," Qin Li assured him, his eyes locking onto the firefight ahead.
"Hit their heads, you idiots!" Clint barked at his team. "You've been trained for this—what are you doing, aiming at their bodies? Their heads! They die if you take out their heads!"
With Clint's commanding voice, the defensive line stabilized. Though the vampires were fierce and clever, even they couldn't withstand concentrated headshots. One by one, they began to fall.