Chapter 27

He looked to be only eleven or twelve years old, with clothes that were finely made and elaborately styled, suggesting he was from a prominent family in the city.

The boy turned his head to look at Qian Ye, his face full of shock.

The moment the boy ran into view, Qian Ye had already aimed at his head.

Although firearms were inferior to force weapons, a triple shot at such close range could still severely wound a bloodline. However, Qian Ye found the trigger unusually heavy, hesitating to pull it.

This should be a normal person... Qian Ye couldn't help but think.

Is it necessary to shoot and kill a defenseless normal boy without a word? Even though it was an order.

Suddenly, the boy extended his hands toward Qian Ye, as if seeking protection. His left cheek was dirty, with some blood stains from an unknown source. In a chaotic battlefield, such a situation was quite common.

Qian Ye's fingers loosened, the gun muzzle slightly lowered, and the sight moved away from the boy's forehead.

At that moment, the boy suddenly lunged at Qian Ye, moving with agility that was not human! He opened his mouth wide, saliva flowing abnormally, his eyes fixed on the artery on Qian Ye's neck, bloodshot and glowing red, looking incredibly ferocious!

Qian Ye instantly raised the gun, aiming at the boy's forehead again. Time seemed to slow down, and his finger slowly pressed the trigger.

Suddenly, a large foot flew out from the side, kicking the boy away, sending him flying and crashing into a wall dozens of meters away! A dull thud echoed, and the boy's entire body stuck to the wall, bones broken, then slid down, leaving a bloody trail.

"Rookie! What's wrong with you?" The Red Scorpion team leader walked out from a nearby alley, staring at Qian Ye and sternly demanding.

"No, nothing, I just... wanted to see what it could do," Qian Ye said somewhat nervously.

"That's a blood slave! They only have the instincts of beasts, no special abilities, no need to look. Boy, put away your curiosity or thirst for knowledge. These things are more dangerous than you can imagine! If you get bitten and their saliva enters your blood, it's best to commit suicide immediately to avoid me having to blow your head off with a bullet!"

The Red Scorpion team leader's stern voice made it clear he was not joking.

Qian Ye agreed and continued his search. Along the way, he eliminated over a dozen blood slaves and a hidden vampire. These blood slaves had been transformed for a short time and mostly still looked human, with many of them still wearing clean clothes.

But all the blood slaves were like beasts, madly attacking Qian Ye as soon as they saw him. Their desire for flesh and blood had overwhelmed all rationality. Among the blood slaves were old people, young women, and even children three or four years old. No matter what they were originally, they had now become mindless beasts.

As Qian Ye shot and mentally counted, it seemed to help him focus and avoid thinking too much about whether there were any human survivors.

Blood slaves are the result of being drained of blood by vampires or simply bitten. Unlike the initial embrace, they do not receive the pure blood of the bloodline, so they do not become new bloodlines.

The blood slaves' minds are eroded by the blood poison of the vampires, turning them into half-bloodline, half-beast monsters. Their lives are then dominated by their instinctive desire for flesh and blood, as well as their fear and obedience to true bloodlines.

To this day, humans have no effective countermeasure against the blood poison of the bloodlines. Once bitten by a vampire, the brain is destroyed by the blood poison within one or two days, which is the fundamental reason for losing rationality and becoming a blood slave. This transformation is irreversible, and even the bloodlines themselves cannot reverse it.

Worse still, blood slaves also carry blood poison, even more virulent than that of true bloodlines. Those bitten by blood slaves will also become blood slaves. This is why, in just a few days since the city's fall, the number of blood slaves has become countless.

Among the dark races, blood slaves are the lowest form of life, not even considered cannon fodder. They do not live long and are often used as food for lower dark races or to feed war beasts.

Whether in the Dawn or the Eternal Night, the fate of blood slaves is incredibly tragic and irreversible.

The Great Qin Empire and other human nations have a consistent attitude toward blood slaves: all blood slaves or those already contaminated by blood poison are to be executed.

Therefore, in the dark races, although the bloodlines are not the most powerful or numerous, they are always considered the greatest enemies of humans. This is the reason. It is a relationship like that between prey and predator.

The battle in the small city soon came to an end, with all vampires and blood slaves eliminated. The city was filled with corpses, and blood flowed through the streets. Qian Ye's military boots squelched as they stepped through the blood.

"Residents of the city, come out and gather at the central square! You have ten minutes, I repeat, you have ten minutes. Those who do not gather at the central square by the deadline will be considered blood slaves and will be executed immediately upon discovery!"

A loud voice from the war vehicle's loudspeaker echoed over the city. A few minutes later, some people timidly emerged from their homes, heading to the central square.

Qian Ye was walking down the street when he was suddenly stopped by a veteran Black Scorpion.

"Rookie, follow me, it's time for class!"

Class? Qian Ye was puzzled, turned around, and followed the veteran to the central square.

The central square had already gathered several hundred people, who were uneasy but clearly still rational. Some of them had injuries, which they carefully concealed. However, this did not escape Qian Ye's notice, let alone the veterans of the Red Scorpion army.

Red Scorpion soldiers and all rookies appeared around the square, blocking all four exits.

The veteran who brought Qian Ye over turned and said, "If anyone tries to run, shoot them in the head! Got it?"

"Got it!"

At this moment, a Red Scorpion team leader said to the local army commander responsible for the operation, "Now have your men search the city, don't miss any corner! You have... twenty minutes!"

The commander was startled by the twenty-minute deadline but immediately hopped away like a rabbit, loudly calling his troops to search the entire city as quickly as possible.

Shortly after, sporadic gunshots and occasional screams echoed through the city. Some people had hidden in their homes and were immediately executed when found.

The twenty minutes seemed especially long, and the city gradually quieted down, with no more gunshots or screams.

At this moment, a Red Scorpion team leader raised his right hand, pointed at the square, and made a throat-cutting gesture!

Qian Ye's heart immediately trembled; this was the order to massacre!

Qian Ye held his gun expressionlessly but did not pull the trigger. Not just Qian Ye, many rookies looked extremely uncomfortable, while the veteran Black Scorpions scanned the crowd with indifferent or even cold eyes.

They are still normal people!

Qian Ye and many other rookies thought.

"Captain! They don't look like blood slaves!" Finally, a rookie called out.

The Red Scorpion team leader coldly said, "There are a few blood slaves among them, and the others are uncertain. They could be contaminated or not. The proper procedure is to send them to a special black mine to dig until they die! But we don't have the time, and there are no such mines nearby. So, execution is the best option. Do you understand, rookie?"

The rookie shook his head vigorously, pointing at some normal people and shouting, "They have no injuries at all! How can they be blood slaves!"

The Red Scorpion team leader said, "Blood poison can spread not just through blood but through deep contact. Although the chance is low, we can't take the risk. If left unchecked, a single blood slave can destroy a city! I can't bear that responsibility, and neither can you, rookie! Now, as punishment for questioning my order in public, you will be confined for ten days after the mission and temporarily lose your Red Scorpion status. You can rejoin after you personally kill a hundred blood slaves!"

The rookie's face immediately turned pale.

This punishment essentially kicked him out of the Red Scorpion army. Even if he rejoined, he would likely not be taken seriously. Red Scorpion slots are fixed and highly valued. Once his slot was vacant, many prominent families would vie for it.

The Red Scorpion team leader's gaze swept over all the rookies, his voice becoming extremely stern, and he shouted, "Rookies! This is war! A war that has lasted for thousands of years! We and those dark bastards have only a war to the death, any compromise is a betrayal of comrades! So, put away your ridiculous sympathy and follow orders. Kill all the enemies you see, that is the fate of an imperial soldier! Now, rookies, raise your guns and shoot!"

All the rookies' guns were spewing fire, and Qian Ye subconsciously pulled the trigger. His muscles were stiff, and the recoil of the automatic rifle made it jump in his hands, with metal bullets tearing and shattering the bodies in front of him.

In a moment, the magazine, which held eighty rounds, was empty. Qian Ye mechanically and skillfully replaced it with a new one and continued shooting. When all the rookies had emptied two magazines, there was no one left standing in the square.

After the gunfire stopped for a while, the local army commander ran over. Seeing the scene in the square, the fat on his cheeks twitched, and cold sweat poured down. He approached the Red Scorpion team leader and quietly asked about the next steps.

"There are still many people hiding in the city, and some of your soldiers seemed to ignore them."

The Red Scorpion team leader's words made the local army commander break out in a cold sweat. He quickly said, "Give me twenty minutes, no! Ten minutes! I will dig out every last person! I promise!"

The Red Scorpion team leader looked at the blood flowing on the ground, shook his head, and said, "No need. The city is thoroughly contaminated and can no longer be inhabited. So, I will burn it."

"Burn... burn it?" The commander was stunned. Even a small city is a significant asset, and to burn it down?

The Red Scorpion team leader nodded and said meaningfully, "Yes, burn it! This is the consequence of having dealings with the bloodlines!"

The commander's cold sweat flowed again, and he bowed repeatedly, "Yes, I understand! Burn it, burn it immediately!"

The troop trucks roared and slowly left the battlefield.

Qian Ye looked back, seeing flames rising to the sky and the sound of explosions still echoing. The small city was engulfed in flames and would soon become ruins and history. Cities that were completely destroyed in this way were not uncommon in the empire's history.

Qian Ye's shoulder was patted, and he turned to see a veteran sitting next to him.

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