The Heart Resurrected

As Anna screamed, she and Shen Yi fell from the surface into a large underground cavern.

Surrounded by billowing dust, Anna looked around in terror. They had landed in an underground cave with a small spring. The water flowed from other tunnels, creating an extensive underground maze. The drip-drop of water echoed in the solemn and desolate environment.

"What is this place?" Anna asked in horror.

She turned to Shen Yi, "Why did you bring me here? And how did you know about this cave?"

"That's not important. What's important is that we have a friend here," Shen Yi replied.

"A friend?" Anna was startled.

Shen Yi didn't answer but instead focused on the ground. There, they saw large footprints, about half a foot long, leading towards a dark corner of the cave. Following the footprints, Anna could sense something large lurking in the darkness.

"There's someone there!" Anna exclaimed, raising her sword.

"Don't be nervous, I'm not a bad person," a deep voice suddenly said.

"Come out and let me see your face!" Anna demanded.

A figure emerged from the darkness. In the dim light filtering from above, they could see it was a grotesque monster, nearly two meters tall but severely deformed, with disproportionate sides of its body. Its skin was a patchwork of different flesh tones, stitched together like a combination of many corpses. Green-glowing devices replaced its brain and heart, pulsating with unnatural light.

Anna couldn't help but shout, "Oh, my God! It's that monster!"

Indeed, it was the creature from the Van Helsing story, created by Dr. Frankenstein – a being assembled from seven humans, a feat akin to God's creation of life. Dr. Frankenstein was attacked and killed by the townspeople and Count Dracula for his mad experiment. The creature, longing for paternal love, escaped with Frankenstein's corpse but was believed to have perished.

Who could have thought it survived and hid in these underground caverns?

Instinctively, Anna drew her sword.

"No, don't hurt it! It's not evil, just a bit ugly," Shen Yi quickly intervened.

"Why are you looking for it?" Anna asked, a mix of confusion and anger in her voice.

Shen Yi gazed at the good-hearted but terrifying-looking creature, saying softly, "It's key to killing the vampire count. It's the key to your family's passage to heaven."

When they returned to the town, it was already late. Shen Yi and Anna were both exhausted from the night's adventures. Shen Yi, with his enhanced attributes, was somewhat better off, but Anna was visibly tired.

As they headed back to their rooms, Anna, with bright eyes, looked at Shen Yi and said, "I don't know why you did that, but I trust you have your reasons."

"Thank you for your support," Shen Yi replied, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead before departing.

Watching Shen Yi's receding figure, Anna felt a pang of loss in her heart. She was beginning to sense something amiss and realized she had been led into a trap by Shen Yi. He had deliberately taken her to that ruin, but how did he know about the existence of Frankenstein's monster underground? Anna found Shen Yi increasingly mysterious.

His sudden appearance, the defeat of the formidable silver wolf leader, gaining the townspeople's trust within an hour, and now killing the dwarf demon leader and finding Frankenstein's monster - all his actions were shrouded in mystery and incredulity. She was unaware of what Shen Yi had discussed with the monster, but she had seen the initial resistance and eventual nodding agreement from the creature before they left the cave. Shen Yi had not offered her any explanation, which frustrated her.

Being the cherished daughter of the Villares family, Anna felt things were slipping out of her control, being led by this man. Yet, she couldn't deny a certain enjoyment in this new experience, a break from the responsibility she had always shouldered.

Lying awake in bed, Anna found herself unable to sleep, her mind filled with thoughts of Shen Yi, only succumbing to sleep as dawn approached.

She was awoken in the morning by the noisy commotion in the town. Looking out the window, she saw Shen Yi standing in the town square, holding the head of the dwarf demon leader, and addressing the townspeople:

"Open your eyes and see! This is the monster that terrorized and enslaved you for centuries! Look at its face, its eyes - what do you see?!"

Someone shouted, "It looks scared," followed by laughter among the crowd. Shen Yi affirmed their observation, emphasizing that the demons, including Dracula, were not invincible. They had survived because no one had dared challenge them.

Shen Yi admitted his inferiority to Dracula but stressed the importance of waking their dormant hearts. Evil, like darkness, could return, and without the courage and strength to resist, they would always await external salvation, which was unrealistic.

"I'm not here to be a savior but a guide," Shen Yi proclaimed. "Reignite the blood in your veins! Awaken your anger and energy, let your dead hearts come alive! When Dracula and his minions come, they will find not lambs but angry hounds ready for a fight to the death. We might die, but we can tell our children that we fought bravely for justice and survival. In our last moments, we will be called by the Lord, not wander as meek souls!"

He then called for war, asking the townspeople to choose between dying in cowardice or fighting bravely. Unanimously, the crowd responded with a call for a brave fight, their passion ignited by Shen Yi's words.

They realized that centuries of numbness hadn't changed their fate; only resistance offered a way out.

"Arm yourselves! Build defenses!" Shen Yi commanded, and the townspeople sprang into action.