Into The Sea

“Ouch!”

The door slammed shut behind her. Lan Wu grimaced and rolled over, struggling to sit up.

She looked around. The cramped basement was cold and damp, with the constant drip of water echoing from the corners. Frowning, Lan Wu glanced to the side and quickly spotted a huddled, dark figure. Her eyes widened in delight, and she eagerly shuffled closer. “Sis!”

The figure didn’t move, her head buried in her knees as if asleep.

Lan Wu wasn’t discouraged. Feeling that crawling was too slow, she lay down and rolled over to the figure. “Sis, is that you?”

The person remained silent. Lan Wu called out a few more times, but there was no response. She began to wonder if the person was dead.

She stared for a moment, then tilted her head and looked at the girl’s hands. Sure enough, there was a scar about a finger wide across one of them. Immediately energized, she resumed her calls with renewed determination, “Sister, Sis! Lan Yuan!”

Finally, the figure stirred, turning her body to face the other direction, leaving Lan Wu with only her back. “You’ve got the wrong person.”

“No way!” Lan Wu struggled to crawl to her side. “I came here to rescue you.”

“…” Lan Yuan raised her head. “You? Rescue me?”

She looked at the disheveled Lan Wu and scoffed. “You got yourself captured too, and you call that a rescue?”

Lan Wu’s eyes widened. “It really is you! Why didn’t you admit it earlier?”

Lan Yuan was silent for a moment, then buried her head again. “Leave me alone.”

Lan Wu had a sudden realization. “Oh—I get it! You always looked down on humans and thought they were just food. And now you’ve been caught by them. You’re embarrassed, right?”

“Do you think I’m here for fun?!” Lan Yuan snapped, glaring at her. “If it weren’t for you, I would’ve never set foot in this godforsaken place, let alone be locked in this… this filthy dump!”

“You came to find me?” Lan Wu seized on the key point.

Lan Yuan’s face stiffened. “Don’t flatter yourself. Mom asked me to supervise the vampires in the northern district. I just happened to be looking for you on the way.”

“Where’s Mom now?”

“She’s busy with other things.”

Lan Wu nodded. “So you did come just for me.”

Lan Yuan took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Can you just be quiet for one second?”

“Nope,” Lan Wu shook her head, then fixed her gaze on the collar around her neck. “Is that a new accessory?”

“…” If she didn’t know Lan Wu’s personality, she would suspect that her annoying sister was deliberately trying to piss her off.

She took another deep breath. “It’s a new weapon the vampire hunters made. Designed specifically to control vampires.”

“How does it work?”

“Voice-activated,” Lan Yuan said succinctly. “The exterior is made of silver. Once the handler gives a command, it tightens immediately. At the same time, the inner lining also turns silver and becomes very hard. You can’t break it by force. Only a special key unlocks it.”

She spread out her hands, revealing several burn-like scars. “I’ve already tried.”

Lan Wu stared at them for a moment, then asked softly, “Does it hurt?”

Lan Yuan stiffened, awkwardly withdrawing her hands. “No.”

Lan Wu pursed her lips and leaned against her leg. “It’s okay. I came to save you. We’ll be out of here soon.”

Hearing this, Lan Yuan couldn’t help but frown, shaking her leg. “So how exactly are you going to save me? Explain it to me.”

“Ah, well… that’s…”

Thump—

As the last person slumped to the ground, Ji Lingyue put down the ladle and walked over to Meng Changge, who was slumped over the table. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys.

These women were supposed to be vampire hunters, but when it came to humans—especially one who looked like a helpless victim freshly mauled by a vampire—they let their guard down completely.

But after today, it’ll probably change.

Ji Lingyue, expression blank, walked over to the heavy, padlocked basement door and was about to unlock it when she paused and turned her eyes toward the metal cabinet on the table.

That “secret weapon” Meng Changge had mentioned earlier… should be in there.

She hesitated for a moment, then returned and opened the cabinet. Inside, several silver collars were neatly stacked. She picked one up and pressed the only black button on its smooth surface.

Click!

A mechanical h sound came from inside, followed by a cold electronic voice asking, “Would you like to register a voice command?”

Ji Lingyue blinked. After a moment, she gripped the collar tightly and whispered, “Yes.”

Ten minutes later, she returned to the basement entrance and used the key to unlock the lock.

The door opened silently.

The warm light from the living room cast her long shadow onto the descending steps. Ji Lingyue pursed her lips and carefully walked in, supporting herself against the wall. Soon, she heard a delighted voice in the darkness. “I told you she’d come to save us. You didn’t believe me!”

Another voice replied coldly, “Don’t get your hopes up.”

Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ji Lingyue looked at the two vampires huddled together. Although they had identical faces, she could almost instantly tell which one was Lan Wu.

She stepped forward and held out the collar.

Lan Wu’s smile froze on her face as she stared in shock.

Lan Yuan, realizing what was happening, lunged forward, but the silver chains around her ankles and waist clattered loudly, yanking her back. “Don’t touch her!”

Lan Wu was still staring at Ji Lingyue, her mouth hanging open. “You…”

Click!

The cold collar snapped around Lan Wu’s neck. Ji Lingyue cut the ropes binding her feet. “Let’s go.”

Lan Wu seemed to be in a daze. “Why? This…” She instinctively reached for her neck, her fingers brushing against the silver surface. A sharp pain made her flinch, and she finally understood what Ji Lingyue had done. Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You… you lied to me.”

“Did I?” She pulled out another set of keys. “This is the key to unlock your sister’s collar. If you come with me quietly, I’ll help her take it off.”

Lan Yuan snarled, struggling against her chains. “Get out!”

Lan Wu, however, looked up. “Really?”

Lan Yuan froze, then laughed in exasperation. “You still believe her? Are you an idiot?! Don’t you dare agree to this!”

Ji Lingyue glanced at Lan Yuan, then suddenly grabbed Lan Wu’s collar, leaning in to kiss the corner of her lips. “Of course it’s true. I just want you to come with me. As long as your sister doesn’t come after me, I’ll help her take off the collar.”

As she spoke, she looked up, a sweet smile on her face as she met Lan Yuan’s frozen gaze.

Lan Wu’s lashes fluttered as she looked at Ji Lingyue, her throat bobbing. After a long moment, she whispered, “Okay…”

“Good girl.”

She stroked Lan Wu’s cheek affectionately, pulled her to her feet, and took a few steps towards the exit. Lan Wu turned back anxiously. “The key…”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get out first.”

Lan Wu’s arms were still bound, and Ji Lingyue tugged her along, dragging her up the stairs. The sudden brightness of the living room made Lan Wu squint, her vision blurry as she saw the vampire hunters sprawled across the floor. Before she could feel any relief, Ji Lingyue pushed her out of the house and into the waiting car.

“Stay here and don’t move. I’m going to free your sister.”

After saying that, she was still uneasy and used the rope to tie the vampire to the passenger seat.

Lan Wu protested. “Hey!”

Ji Lingyue ignored her. After making sure Lan Wu couldn’t escape, she returned to the basement door. It was eerily silent inside, with only the unchanging drip, drip, drip of water. After a long time, Ji Lingyue saw a pair of fiery red eyes in the inky darkness.

She was sure that as soon as Lan Yuan was released, she would kill her.

But she had promised Lan Wu to take off Lan Yuan’s collar.

How troublesome.

Ji Lingyue frowned, tossed the keys in the air, and threw them inside with force.

Screech!

The metal key scraped across the floor, and Lan Yuan stared at it in shock before looking back at Ji Lingyue.

Ji Lingyue said coldly, “You’re on your own.”

After saying that, she closed the heavy door and locked it again from the outside.

How long would it take the freed vampire to break through the door? She wasn’t sure. Therefore, she had to leave as quickly as possible.

She turned and hurried past the unconscious vampire hunters, grabbing what she needed and taking Meng Changge’s gun. Just as she was about to leave, Meng Changge suddenly twitched, grabbing her hand.

Ji Lingyue froze, looking down to see the woman’s half-open eyes, her voice weak but filled with confusion.

“Why… why would you…”

Without hesitation, Ji Lingyue pried her hand off, ran out, jumped into the driver’s seat. Lan Wu stopped twisting and struggling, looking around in a panic. “Wait! What about my sister? Where is she?”

“She’s not coming with us.”

“What do you mean?” Lan Wu’s eyes widened. “We’re going home. Of course, she’s coming with me.”

“That’s not up to you.”

Ji Lingyue backed the car out of the yard and turned it around. “We are going home, but it’s to my home.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean ‘huh’? Sit tight.” She tapped the steering wheel. ” This road might get bumpy.”

Lan Wu’s face paled. “Wait, do you even have a driver’s license?”

Ji Lingyue: “I just turned eighteen.”

“So?”

“So,” the girl turned and smiled at her, then slammed her foot on the accelerator. “Take a wild guess.”