Into The Sea

Lan Wu was taken aback, stepped forward, and tentatively took her hand.

Her palm felt colder than usual. She glanced at Ji Lingyue with concern, intending to pull her back, but the girl remained rooted to the spot, her gaze fixed on the tightly shut door.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

The relentless pounding reverberated with a dull thud. Soon, the sounds of hurried footsteps from downstairs filtered through the thick walls, reaching Lan Wu’s ears. Her brow furrowed as she listened intently, lowering her voice. “If she keeps banging like that, she’ll attract all the other zombies.”

As soon as the words left her lips, Ji Lingyue seemed to snap back to reality. Her eyes widened, and she moved forward, her face pale.

“What are you doing?”

Ji Lingyue’s voice was hoarse. “Killing it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course,” she mumbled, reaching for the doorknob. “It’s not my mom. My mom is dead. She’s been dead for a long time. It’s just a zombie, it’s just…”

Thud!

Ji Lingyue flinched, her hand frozen in mid-air.

Lan Wu cautiously approached, noticing her standing there blankly, her face devoid of expression, yet tears streamed down her cheeks.

Lan Wu’s heart ached uncomfortably. She clenched her fists and said, “Let me do it.”

Before Ji Lingyue could react, the vampire twisted the doorknob open. A wave of putrid stench immediately assaulted them. Lan Wu barely raised her fist when the zombie lunged at her, slamming her to the ground.

She shrieked in surprise, trying to shake it off. However, the zombie bit down hard on her forearm, refusing to let go, as if determined to tear off a chunk of flesh. Lan Wu struggled desperately, but couldn’t break free. Her eyes widened in terror, and she screamed, “Help! Help me! Ah—”

Ji Lingyue finally snapped out of her daze, slamming the door shut and rushing over, grabbing the zombie’s neck. “Let go!”

“Augh—!”

As if uncomfortable with the restraint, the zombie roared and turned its head to bite the nearby girl. Ji Lingyue released her grip in horror, stumbling back. “Mom…”

Lan Wu gasped for breath, looking down at her bloodied and mangled arm. Her delicate brows furrowed in anger as she flipped the zombie onto its back and raised her fist, ready to strike.

“Lan Wu!”

“What?!” Lan Wu snapped, glaring at her. “Didn’t you say you wanted to kill it? Have you changed your mind?!”

Ji Lingyue’s face was pale as she stared at the struggling, snarling monster pinned to the ground. She stammered, “I… I…”

Stammering, she couldn’t find the words. Lan Wu scoffed, impatient. “If you can’t do it, I’ll kill it for you.”

Ji Lingyue froze. “Lan Wu?”

Something felt wrong. However, Lan Wu had already grabbed a nearby hardcover book and slammed it down on the zombie’s head. In a moment of panic, Ji Lingyue cried out, “Stop!”

The vampire shuddered violently, howling in pain as she clawed at her neck and writhed on the ground.

Seeing her in such agony, Ji Lingyue quickly called off the command and hurried over to help her. But as soon as she bent down, a cold hand clamped around her wrist, leaving red bruises in an instant.

Her heart leaped. Instinctively, she looked up, meeting a pair of crimson eyes. The owner of those eyes glared at her, gritting her teeth. “Ji Lingyue!”

The next moment, the world spun. Her back slammed against the floor. As she groaned in pain, the vampire straddled her waist, her icy hands clamping down on her throat.

“Ugh…Lan…”

Suffocation washed over her. Helplessly, she clawed at Lan Wu’s hands, her face turning red, tears welling in her eyes. Yet, she continued to stare unblinkingly at Lan Wu.

Why? Why was this happening…?

The grip on her throat tightened. Ji Lingyue opened her mouth, her vision blurring. Her body went limp. For the first time, she truly understood that Lan Wu was a powerful vampire capable of taking a life at any moment.

The vampire pressed down harder, panting heavily, a crazed glint in her eyes.

Ji Lingyue’s weak whimpers were almost inaudible, and just as her consciousness was about to fade completely, the neglected zombie lunged again, biting fiercely at Lan Wu.

Lan Wu growled, grabbing its neck and throwing it against the wall with force. Ji Lingyue gasped for breath, clutching her chest as she coughed. She rolled over, her voice cracking. “Stop!”

The collar snapped shut, and the vampire writhed on the ground in agony. Yet, she strained to reach out to her, her eyes bloodshot. “I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you—”

Ji Lingyue leaned against the wall, staggering to her feet, her eyes red with tears. “Lan Wu…”

The once pristine, proud, and confident girl crawled forward, only to collapse again, struggling on the ground. “Ugh… ugh…”

Ji Lingyue choked back a sob, wanting to help but afraid to approach. “What’s wrong with you, Lan Wu? What…”

Mid-sentence, she realized something, her eyes widening in realization. She looked at the black wound on Lan Wu’s arm.

The wound she had gotten from her “mom” just moments ago.

Because there had never been a case of a zombie attacking a vampire, she had never considered what would happen if a vampire got bitten.

Would they become savage, bloodthirsty and unrecognizable?

Her face pale, Ji Lingyue looked at Lan Wu and asked in a trembling voice. “How can you change back?”

Her only response was a piercing groan. Lan Wu desperately clawed at her neck, leaving bloody trails. Ji Lingyue stepped back, tears streaming down her face, unable to bear her suffering any longer. “Stop.”

The vampire gasped for air and collapsed on the ground. After a few seconds, she turned her head, her red eyes filled with venom. “Ji…”

Before she could finish the sentence, Ji Lingyue darted into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

Muffled sounds came from outside. The girl seemed exhausted, breathing heavily, yet she still struggled to her feet, pounding on the door. “Open the door!”

Whether by luck or misfortune, she was too weak from the earlier struggle to break down the door anytime soon.

Ji Lingyue ran her hands through her hair in frustration. She didn’t want to torture her with the collar, but she didn’t want to be attacked by a crazed Lan Wu either. She was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Would feeding her blood help her return to normal?

Her head throbbed. She paced the bathroom, frantic. Outside the door was a vampire gone mad, and there was also a zombie with strange behavior. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t find a way to resolve the situation.

Suddenly, she heard a click behind her.

Ji Lingyue froze, then spun around. Someone had slipped in through the window and grabbed her collar, slamming her against the wall.

Bathed in the moonlight, a vampire with Lan Wu’s face smirked at her, a cold black chain in her other hand. Ji Lingyue blinked in shock, following the chain to a pale neck. Above that was a familiar face.

Ah, it was the vampire hunter named Meng Changge.

Ji Lingyue met her gaze for a moment before looking back at the domineering vampire in front of her. Lan Yuan smirked, her voice chilling. “Long time no see. You’ve been quite difficult to find.”

Ji Lingyue pressed her lips together, remaining silent.

“Where is my sister?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the door a few steps away was slammed with a loud bang.

Lan Yuan paused, glancing at the door suspiciously. “Lan Wu?”

The vampire outside ignored her, continuing to pound on the door, panting heavily.

Lan Yuan’s heart tightened. She tossed Ji Lingyue aside and hurried towards the door. “Lan…”

With a deafening crash, the door finally gave way, shattering into pieces. Lan Yuan, thrown against the wall by the force, scrambled to her feet, covered in dust. She stared in disbelief. “Have you lost your mind? How dare you hit me!”