Into The Sea

Crash!

Lan Yuan kicked the window open, shattering the glass. The wind, carrying rain, rushed into the room. She shielded her face with her arm, about to brave the rain and climb out, when a sharp whistling sound rapidly approached. Lan Wu, who was being dragged behind her, suddenly struggled urgently.

“To the side!”

Lan Yuan quickly sidestepped, and a silver crossbow bolt whizzed past her shoulder, embedding itself into the window with a thud. She glanced back at the trembling tail of the bolt and sneered, “The aim isn’t that great…”

Before she could finish, the bolt emitted two beeps.

The two vampires exchanged wary glances, unsure of what was happening. Then, with a loud bang, the tail of the bolt exploded, scattering silver dust like smoke.

Lan Wu’s eyes widened as she stumbled backward. “How vicious!”

She missed a step and vanished over the edge of the stairs. Lan Yuan rushed to the railing, only to find her sister hanging upside down from the floor below like a bat. She let out a relieved breath.

Looking back, the window was now shrouded in silver mist. Approaching it felt like walking into a furnace. Downstairs, five vampire hunters had already drawn their weapons and stood watching with ruthless patience.

Lan Yuan gritted her teeth. “Ye Qingjun, you really won’t let us go?”

The woman replied calmly, “Hand over Changge and explain the accusations of cannibalism, and I might consider going easy on you.”

Lan Wu couldn’t help but blurt, “I already told you, I didn’t eat anyone! Why won’t you believe me?”

“I want to believe you. But you’re not exactly being honest.”

“What do you mean I’m not being honest?” Lan Wu, still hanging from the ceiling, bared her teeth in frustration. “I told you! The one who ate someone was another vampire, and she’s already dead. You still think I’m lying? Do I look like the kind of vampire who lies?”

“Yes.”

Lan Wu blinked, even angrier. “You don’t respect me at all!”

Ye Qingjun said smoothly, “If you want my respect, you have to respect me too. If it wasn’t you who ate someone, and the other vampire’s dead, then why won’t you tell me how she died?”

Lan Wu blinked, then stammered, “I… I…”

Even Lan Yuan sensed something amiss. “What’s the big secret? Just tell her.”

Lan Wu hesitated, then looked at Ye Qingjun. “If I tell you a human killed her, will you take her away?” she asked softly.

Ye Qingjun paused, surprised. Before she could answer, the vampire turned to her sister. “If a human killed a vampire, would you still agree to take her with us?”

Everyone fell silent.

After a moment, Ye Qingjun rubbed her chin thoughtfully, “So the one who killed that vampire… was the girl who tricked a few of my students and stole a car?”

Without waiting for Lan Wu to reply, she nodded. “Impressive.”

Lan Wu grew wary. “Why are you complimenting her? Are you trying to take her away from me?”

“She’s got potential,” Ye Qingjun admitted.

The vampire was shocked and quickly climbed down a few steps. “She has nothing to do with you!”

“Nothing to do with me? What about you? You’re a vampire and she’s human. Being with her own kind is safer.”

“That’s nonsense! She’s safe with me too! I can protect her!”

Ye Qingjun chuckled. “You’re the one hanging upside down here. How exactly are you protecting anyone?”

Lan Wu stared blankly, as if she didn’t understand. After a moment, she suddenly shivered and looked at Lan Yuan in panic. “Wait, you… why are you here? If you’re here, what about Ah Yue? Is she alone?”

Lan Yuan ground her teeth. “Is that the most important thing right now?”

She pressed down the restless Lan Wu and glared coldly at Ye Qingjun. “Since you already know how that other vampire died, why aren’t you letting us go?”

“First of all,” Ye Qingjun said, “I only believe your sister because she seems like she’s telling the truth and not because I have proof. And second, the real issue is still unresolved. Where is Changge?”

Lan Yuan scoffed. “She’s…”

Before she could finish, Lan Wu suddenly jumped up and rushed toward the door in a panic. “No, I have to go find…”

Yu Shanye instinctively raised her crossbow. “Stop!”

With a sharp whoosh, the silver arrow shot forward and embedded itself deep in the doorframe.

But Lan Wu had already stopped in her tracks, staring in shock at the person stepping through the door.

“Ah Yue?”

The girl was drenched, the steel shovel in her hand dripping with blood. Hearing the familiar voice, she looked up, her body relaxed for a split second before tensing again.

“Watch out!”

Lan Wu looked up just as a shimmering rain of silver fragments came pouring down on her.

So close.

She flinched backward, raising her arms over her head, but the exposed skin on her arms quickly turned red and blistered. She curled into a ball with a low whimper of pain.

Lan Yuan rushed forward, only to be repelled by the invisible wall of burning silver mist. She gritted her teeth, glancing at her burned fingertips, and was about to charge in when a hand pulled her back.

Lan Yuan whirled around, furious, to see Meng Changge. “You?!”

At the same time, another figure darted forward. Ji Lingyue knelt beside the huddled Lan Wu, desperately trying to shield her with her own body.

The falling silver dust piled up like thin ash, turning Lan Wu’s dark hair silver. After a while, the mist dissipated, and Ji Lingyue carefully shook the dust off her head, calling out anxiously, “Lan Wu?”

The vampire stirred in her arms, the wounds on her hands slowly healing.

“My face…”

“What about your face?”

Lan Wu cautiously revealed a blotchy red patch of skin, tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m disfigured!”

“… “

If she’s still worried about that, the injuries probably aren’t serious.

Ji Lingyue sighed in relief, brushing the silver dust from Lan Wu’s clothes as she said without looking up, “Using weapons like this against vampires is a bit cruel, don’t you think?”

Yu Shanye clutched her crossbow, looking to her teacher for guidance. Ye Qingjun sighed, “And vampires treat humans as food. Isn’t that cruel?”

She pulled Lan Wu up, frowning. “But Lan Wu didn’t do that.”

The little vampire nodded emphatically. “Exactly!”

Ye Qingjun smiled, amused. “She’s never drunk your blood?”

“So what if she has?” Even as she said it, she sounded unsure. “I… I volunteered.”

The others exchanged awkward glances. Danqing even turned to whisper to Danbai, “She’s hopeless.”

Ye Qingjun was clearly taken aback. After a moment of silence, she looked at the still-whimpering Lan Wu. “You said you could protect her. But from the looks of it, she’s the one protecting you.”

This didn’t sit well with Lan Wu. “That was this time! I’ve protected her too. Just because you didn’t see it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”

Ye Qingjun said flatly, “Put your hands down if you want to talk.”

“No. Who are you to order me around?”

Ji Lingyue, sensing something amiss, asked, “Why are you two arguing about protecting me?”

Ye Qingjun gestured to Lan Wu. “You can ask her.”

Ji Lingyue turned, suspicious, but the vampire shrank back, quietly edging away.

“Lan Wu?”

Lan Wu froze, peeking through her fingers. “What?” she mumbled.

“Explain. And,” Ji Lingyue said, exasperated, “put your hands down.”

The vampire hesitated, then reluctantly lowered her hands, revealing her blotchy red face. “There’s nothing to explain. She doesn’t think you’re safe with me, so I said… I said I could protect you.”

Ji Lingyue raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Considering the current situation, it sounded even less believable.

Lan Wu pursed her lips, looking dejected. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so careless.” Then, glancing at the bloodstains on Ji Lingyue’s clothes, she added gloomily, “I’m so useless.”

Lan Yuan couldn’t help but interject, “Hey, I came to save you, remember.”

Lan Wu grew even more upset. “I’m sorry for making you come all this way and go through so much trouble.”

Lan Yuan, not expecting such sincerity, awkwardly said, “I told you, I came to supervise the northern district. Finding you was just… a side trip.”

“Right, right. A side trip.”

As the two vampires bickered, Ji Lingyue turned to Ye Qingjun. “But why does my safety concern you?”

Ye Qingjun said, “I heard you killed a vampire at the gas station. Is that true?”

“The gas station?” Ji Lingyue recalled. “It wasn’t just me. Lan Wu helped a lot.”

“So it’s true,” Ye Qingjun nodded. “You’re young, but you’ve got guts and sense—and you’ve even killed a vampire. So let me ask you: are you interested in joining us?”

Lan Wu: !

I knew it!

They were trying to poach her right under my nose!