Chapter 6

"God, you must be a demon hunter sent by the Lord."

John looked helplessly at Gus, who kept muttering beside him.

God?

John didn't reveal the origin of the Blood Master, otherwise Gus would lose his faith! "How's your mother doing?"

"Oh, my friend, thanks to you, she has been successfully transferred to Manhattan Central Hospital."

Gus scratched his short hair, feeling a bit embarrassed. Considering the cost of American healthcare, he knew John must have spent a lot of money.

"Good!"

John graciously accepted Gus's gratitude without revealing the source of the money. The Stoneheart Group certainly wouldn't publicize the theft of one of their vaults.

It was a pity to miss such a good opportunity. John couldn't have imagined that the Blood Master would dare to face the UV light directly, even after being pierced by a silver sword.

However, he had gained significantly from the encounter. His eyes flickered, and a semi-transparent screen, visible only to him, appeared in front of him.

John Smith

Innate Talent: Dimensional Deprivation

Abilities:

Immortality (Partial): Requires body possession every 100 years for eternal life and endless vitality.

Progenitor's Body (Partial): Extraordinary physical qualities and regenerative abilities, requiring blood consumption to replenish energy! (Additional abilities to be discovered.)

Unlike before, although the deprivation time was short, the abilities were greatly enhanced.

Now, two abilities appeared on his personal panel, making him eager. He knew that only by fully depriving the Blood Master would these abilities be perfectly optimized.

His eyes burned with excitement.

Eternal life was within reach.

John's gaze lingered on one of the abilities, and he smirked slightly. The Progenitor's Body was far from simple as its description suggested! With a powerful leap, John jumped up, easily landing on a tree branch three meters high, as if he still had strength to spare.

"Oh my God!!!"

Gus looked on in disbelief. Suddenly, a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes as if he had thought of something.

"Don't overthink it! I'm not one of those worm-infested monsters!"

John chuckled, immediately understanding Gus's sudden change in expression. Gus looked embarrassed again.

...

A narrow, historical street housed an old pawn shop at the corner.

The heavy wooden door, weathered by time, had deformed. Inside the shop, dim lighting illuminated old items. An elderly man with white hair, leaning on a silver-handled cane, slowly walked to the door.

His aged eyes gazed at the particularly gloomy sky, lost in thought.

After a while, he walked back inside, firmly shutting the shop door and hanging a "Closed" sign in the window.

Abraham entered the inner room from a corner of the shop. The room was also dimly lit and filled with various strange tools.

Most items were silver, including long swords, ancient bows, and various tools for hunting large animals. His eyes fixed on a glass jar on the display table, containing a still-beating heart.

The heart's surface was wrinkled and grayish, with numerous tiny worms wriggling out of its crevices, giving it a sinister appearance.

"It seems you have finally emerged."

Abraham stared at the grotesque heart, muttering to himself.

At Manhattan Central Hospital, the largest and highest-ranked hospital in New York City, all medical staff wore grim expressions.

Silent, lifeless bodies were wheeled into the hospital one by one.

As the infirmary doors opened, Ephraim Goodweather, a CDC expert, walked into the now-quarantined hospital, wearing protective gear.

His assistant, Nora Martinez, was already waiting.

"What's the situation?"

"No autopsies yet. Some causes of death are unknown, and some have small cuts on their necks."

Nora's face was serious. In her many years at the CDC, this was the first time she had encountered such a strange situation. Most people had died from unknown causes, while others had neck wounds suggesting something more than just an outbreak.

"They were miners at the Allen Mines. When the underground collapse occurred, they were trapped inside. By the time rescuers arrived, they were already like this."

Ephraim's face showed curiosity as he stepped into the quarantine area. All the bodies had lost their lives, their skin pale.

He approached a seemingly normal man, placing his gloved hands on the body's pale skin and pressing lightly.

"This guy's body has already lost its elasticity?"

Ephraim was incredulous. These people had died less than a day ago!

"It seems their blood was drained!" Nora explained, looking uneasy. She had done a preliminary check earlier.

"Drained of blood?"

Ephraim frowned, examining the bodies and the small neck cuts on several of them.

"Take me to the mine!"

He and Nora then drove to the Allen Mines in a CDC vehicle.

Meanwhile, another medical expert, David, a friend of Ephraim's and also a CDC expert, entered the quarantine area to perform autopsies.

David approached one of the bodies, a white man, and began the autopsy. As the scalpel cut through the pale skin, his pupils shrank.

Yellowish-white blood oozed from the wound. David gulped, quickly checking his protective suit for any gaps.

After ensuring everything was secure, he resumed the autopsy, opening the man's chest. Despite the white blood, what he found inside left him in disbelief.

David grimaced as he removed the still-beating heart from the chest cavity, examining it closely. Tiny worms crawled from the heart towards his gloves.

"Fuck!"

He tossed the heart aside and frantically tore off his gloves. The white worms were his worst nightmare. However, in doing so, he failed to notice the worms crawling from his sleeve onto his hand.

Panicking, David tried to pull the worms out of his skin, but more worms continued to burrow into his arm.

"Fuck!"

Sweat poured down his face. Despite his bloody hands, he didn't give up. Meanwhile, behind him, the bodies of the previously deceased began to rise from their beds...

(End of Chapter)