Chapter 53

The top floor of the Century Building was brightly lit even at night. Under the rooftop swimming pool, a group of elegantly dressed women—some in suits, others in revealing dresses and swimsuits—lined up with goblets filled with the fresh blood of eighteen-year-olds.

In the center of the party, a man in a white shirt with an open collar, revealing a tattoo, sat with a beautiful white woman on his lap. The atmosphere was one of luxurious indulgence, a typical blood party for the noble vampire clan.

Suddenly, the revelry was shattered by gunshots and explosions, jolting the vampires from their pleasure. Panic spread through the crowd.

The tattooed man stood up abruptly and roared to regain control. "Silence! Look at yourselves—flustered over such trivial matters. You've lost the elegance and composure of our noble clan!"

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached, and a vampire in a suit leaned in to Reddick and whispered, "Mr. Reddick, the building is under attack. There's only one intruder, but he's incredibly strong. Our blood servant warriors couldn't resist him; he's already made it to the 40th floor."

"Who is it? Could it be Blade?" Reddick's shock was evident. How could someone have breached forty floors so quickly? Was this person even human? Were his blood servants nothing more than helpless victims?

"No, from the appearance of the intruder, he seems to be Eastern European," the vampire said, pulling out a tablet. The screen showed real-time surveillance footage.

Nearby, several vampire men and women, who were friends of Reddick and belonged to the same social circle, approached. "Reddick, what's going on?" they asked, confused and concerned.

Reddick barely acknowledged them, his attention fixed on the surveillance screen. His eyes twitched with anxiety as he watched the footage.

What he saw was horrifying: a wave of red flames surged through the stairwell, where blood servants, heavily armed and ready, were trying to defend their position. But each time the flames flashed across the screen, his blood servants turned to ash, their efforts utterly futile.

The escape passage was in ruins; the stairs had collapsed, and everything was charred black from the flames. Finally, it dawned on Reddick why the intruder had broken through to the fortieth floor at such a terrifying speed. In just a blink, they had already reached the tenth floor.

"Damn it, who the hell is this Eastern European bastard?" Reddick muttered, feeling a cold wave of fear wash over him.

As a vampire, his senses were several times, even ten times sharper than those of humans. To him, the speed of bullets leaving a gun's muzzle appeared slowed down by tenfold. With his enhanced physique, dodging firearms was usually child's play.

But now, despite these heightened senses, he couldn't even register how fast this intruder was moving. There was no doubt that this individual was far stronger than any of the vampire warriors present. An inexplicable fear gripped his heart.

Worse still, the weapons the intruder carried seemed capable of killing vampires.

Panic surged within Reddick. He spun around and shouted to his men, "Call in all the vampire warriors! Use every weapon we have to stop him!"

After a deep breath, he turned to his friends, who were casting him dissatisfied looks.

"The party's over. We need to leave. Now."

A few of them still seemed reluctant to agree, but after seeing the grim expression on Reddick's face, they realized just how dangerous the situation was. Silently, they nodded in agreement.

Only then did Reddick's tense expression relax slightly.

Under the protection of the vampire warriors, the group made their way up the passage toward the rooftop. A helicopter was waiting for them there.

However, just as they reached the stairwell, a red glow illuminated the space ahead. Though no one had appeared yet, the violent, fiery energy felt like a volcanic eruption. The intense heat, like the scorching sun, made all the vampires uneasy.

But what truly terrified them was the smell of sulfur and death in the air.

Boom!

Four streams of fire exploded at the entrance of the passage, roaring like dragons and engulfing everything in flames. The vampires, frozen in fear, could only stand still. Only the loyal vampire warriors reacted, drawing their guns and pointing them at the figure standing amidst the flames. They opened fire.

Ta! Ta! Ta!

Bullets rained down like a heavy storm, but the figure's right hand moved slightly, and with a sharp ding and a shower of sparks, every bullet was deflected with effortless precision.

The shooting stopped when the magazines emptied. The vortex of flames dissipated, revealing Sergei. He tilted his head slightly, scanning the faces on the rooftop. His gaze lingered momentarily on the scantily clad women with striking figures. It was hard not to notice—after all, no one of average looks would be seen in a place like this.

Sergei, still an adolescent, couldn't help but be briefly affected by the scene before him. But the overpowering stench of decay and the coldness in the air quickly made him feel nauseous. In an instant, his flickering gaze steadied. His eyes eventually settled on Reddick and the other vampires surrounded by several vampire warriors.

The situation was clear—it led to obvious conclusions. Furthermore, with his heightened senses, Sergei could tell that these vampires were high-ranking members of their clan.

"Who are you? Do you know what you're doing?" Reddick, sensing that Sergei hadn't attacked immediately, tried to speak, hoping to negotiate. But Sergei cut him off before he could finish.

"I'm not interested in killing you," Sergei said flatly, pulling out a special injection tube from his pocket. "I just need your blood. If you give me a vial, you won't die."

His mission was simple: collect blood. He had no real interest in slaughtering vampires unless they crossed a line. His actions were guided by a vague sense of punishing evil and promoting good, depending on his mood. Leon's subtle influence had instilled some moral restraint in him, though it wasn't particularly strong.

"Impossible," Reddick hissed, though fear gripped him. The pride of the vampire clan wouldn't allow him to retreat in such a humiliating way, especially with his friends watching. To give in would mean disgrace for the clan, punishment by the council, and possibly even expulsion from his family.

"A bunch of fools who don't know how to make a choice."