Into The Sea

The sky was overcast with a steady rain falling softly. The heavy clouds allowed no light to pass through. At 8AM in the morning, when the city should have been vibrant and full of life, it remained shrouded in darkness, as if forever trapped in the previous night.

In another old residential area not far away, Su Jin pushed open the door of a convenience store, carrying a vampire tied up like a caterpillar. The people inside had been waiting for a long time and quickly came forward when they heard the commotion. “What took you so long… Huh? What’s this?”

Su Jin unceremoniously threw the girl on the floor. “I went out to look for supplies and happened to see her sneaking around outside. When I got closer, I realized it was the vampire who took Changge.”

Ye Qingjun was stunned. “That’s… quite the coincidence.”

Although she had suspected that the two vampires were together when they met last night, she didn’t expect to catch one of them today. It was almost too easy.

However, after circling the vampire lying on the floor a couple of times, she stroked her chin and said thoughtfully, “Do you think she’s the one who took Changge?”

Su Jin was taken aback. “Isn’t she?”

“It’s hard to say. After all, they look exactly alike, and…” Ye Qingjun frowned, pinching the vampire’s chin to examine her closely. The girl squirmed uneasily, shrinking back while sneaking glances at her.

Ye Qingjun met her gaze and gave her a gentle smile. To her surprise, the vampire hesitated for a moment, as if faced with a difficult dilemma, before finally returning a polite smile.

Ye Qingjun: “…Okay, this definitely isn’t the one who kidnapped Changge.”

Su Jin asked, “So… what now? We let her go?”

“Let her go? I forgot to tell you last night, but the reason Shanye and I came here track her down specifically. Don’t be fooled by the innocent look. She’s actually even more ruthless than her sister.”

Su Jin glanced at the quivering vampire and expressed doubt. “Really?”

“Yes,” Ye Qingjun nodded, her tone meaningful. “This little vampire… seems to eat humans.”

Lan Wu, who was eavesdropping, was shocked and struggled to lift her head. “What! Eats humans? Me?”

“Yes,” Ye Qingjun said with a smile. “Two witnesses said you ate someone. Remember? At the gas station supermarket?”

“The gas station supermarket?” She repeated blankly. A few seconds later, she realized what she was talking about. “Oh, you mean that? That wasn’t me!”

“If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”

“It was another vampire,” She muttered in dissatisfaction, “Only fallen vampires eat humans. I’m a noble vampire. I only drink blood, I don’t eat humans!”

Ye Qingjun and Su Jin exchanged a look. “If that’s true, then where is this other vampire?”

“She’s dead.”

“How did she die?”

Lan Wu was about to answer when she suddenly thought of something. Her eyes darted around, and she asked warily, “Why are you asking me that?”

“To clear your name, of course,” Ye Qingjun said, crouching in front of her with a gentle tone. “If you can prove that someone else did it, we’ll let you go. But if you can’t…”

“What happens if I can’t?”

Ye Qingjun looked down at her, her voice turning cold. “If you can’t, then you don’t deserve to stay alive.”

Lan Wu was stunned. Before she could become afraid, a familiar voice rang out from behind. “What arrogance.”

Everyone looked up to see a slender figure crouched on the second-floor railing like a cat. In the pitch-black darkness, only a pair of red eyes glowed eerily.

Su Jin’s face changed immediately. She gripped her silver pistol and stepped forward, only for Ye Qingjun to place a calm hand on her wrist.

“How touching,” Ye Qingjun said dryly. “You catch one, and the other comes running.”

Lan Yuan sneered, leaping down from the second floor with effortless grace, her footsteps still silent. “Whether we’re close or not is none of your business. But come on, do you really think someone like her would eat humans?”

Ye Qingjun didn’t answer, only asking, “Where’s my student?”

“Your student? Meng Changge?” The girl seemed to think seriously for a moment before suddenly raising her eyes, revealing a chilling smile. “Dead.”

Su Jin exploded, “You—!”

Ye Qingjun held her back again, her expression stern. “You really think you can just show up in front of us like this? You must be very confident in your own strength.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare. Not after how badly you lot beat me before.” Lan Yuan’s lips curled in a lazy smile as she stepped closer to her sister. “But I came anyway… which means I’ve got leverage.”

Ye Qingjun frowned, looking at her without saying a word.

“Aren’t you curious what that leverage is?” Lan Yuan shook her head, feigning disappointment. “Typical boring vampire hunter—”

“What leverage?” Lan Wu piped up curiously.

Lan Yuan’s voice cut off. She glared at her sister, too annoyed to keep up the act. “Fine. No point playing games now. Ye Qingjun, your other students should’ve been back by now, right? So where are they?”

Ye Qingjun was stunned and subconsciously said, “You took them?”

She immediately reconsidered. “No. That’s not possible. Shanye and the others usually operate separately. From the time we captured your sister to now, it’s been maybe forty minutes—there’s no way you had enough time to catch them all.”

“You’re right,” Lan Yuan admitted. “I didn’t catch them all. Just one is enough.”

“Who did you take?”

“Doesn’t matter who. Ye Qingjun, aren’t you a good teacher? Now one of your student is in my hands. If I and Lan Wu don’t come back in ten minutes, my accomplice will kill her. So, are you going to let us go or not?”

Silence fell.

The atmosphere gradually grew tense. Su Jin looked around and carefully leaned over to the woman’s ear. “Teacher, she might be lying. There’s no way she could have…”

“I can’t take that risk,” Ye Qingjun clenched her fists, her voice low. “Not while we still don’t know if Changge is alive.”

Seeing their grim expressions, Lan Yuan scoffed and flashed her sharp claws. “No answer? I’ll take that as a yes.”

Under the watchful eyes of the two vampire hunters, she walked forward without changing her expression and quickly cut the ropes binding Lan Wu. “Don’t worry. Once we’re gone, your student will be returned unharmed.”

The ropes mixed with a small amount of silver threads fell to the ground. Lan Wu was freed from her restraints and scrambled to her feet, looking at her with admiration. “Wow, you’re so amazing.”

“Shut up and move,” Lan Yuan muttered. “We’re leaving.”

The two vampires didn’t head for the door. Instead, they climbed back up the ladder to the second floor.

But before they could disappear, the front door creaked open behind them. A group of girls stumbled in, arms loaded with food.

 “Teacher! We searched all the nearby shops. Sorry we’re late.”

Lan Yuan froze.

Downstairs, Ye Qingjun stared intently at the three girls who had just entered. After a moment, she suddenly turned to look at Lan Yuan. Their eyes met, and Lan Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. She grabbed the confused vampire. “Let’s go, hurry!”

Lan Wu glanced back at her. “Wait, I thought you said you….”

“I was bluffing, idiot! I was too busy looking for you. Where would I have found time to kidnap anyone?!”