Chapter 45

Qian Ye weighed the assembled rifle in his hands, quickly finding the familiar feel. This was not an ordinary force rifle, but a special Scorpion Stinger edition custom-made for the Red Scorpion Legion, and it was the standard equipment for Red Scorpion warriors.

The original design of the rifle came from the Empire's Firebird Group, known for its high precision and power, with a force conversion rate of up to fifty percent, making it one of the best standard force rifles. The Red Scorpion Legion's custom Scorpion Stinger edition had undergone redesign and calibration in key areas, further enhancing its precision and power, at the cost of a relatively slower rate of fire.

This was also the Red Scorpion's usual style: if they didn't move, they wouldn't, but once they did, it was a fatal strike.

Qian Ye gently gripped the gun handle, the feel as familiar as meeting an old friend. Even in his most desperate moments during his escape, he hadn't sold even a single accessory. After settling down in Beacon Town, he had buried it deep under the bar, and it had been a long time since he had taken it out.

Now, it was time to use this Scorpion Stinger again.

As a former Red Scorpion, Qian Ye's target was not an ordinary vampire but a high-ranking vampire with a title.

Qian Ye slung the Scorpion Stinger on his back and took out the Colt pistol, attaching a silencer. Then he left the bar and followed Ye Tong's trail according to the predetermined route.

Not long after, several vampire warriors, fully wrapped in black robes, suddenly appeared outside Beacon Town.

One of them sniffed the air forcefully and said in a hoarse voice, "Ye Tong has already left here. She's heading west. Quickly inform Lord Wilde. We'll follow her first."

A nearby vampire warrior said, "West? I remember there's a secret settlement of the New Party there. She wouldn't be planning to go to the New Party's territory, would she? If so, this will be another good topic for the council to attack us."

"This is not something we need to worry about; the big shots will take care of it! Our job is to subdue and bring back Ye Tong. But if we lose her, that will be our responsibility."

The vampire warriors began to move quickly westward, gradually spreading out in a large fan shape, forming a wide and tight net, spreading in the direction Ye Tong had left.

Their speed was extremely fast, even faster than the wolves on the wasteland, and they could run for a day and a night without rest. These were the vampire warriors, with their powerful racial abilities and natural strength, making them a natural enemy of humans.

On the top of a distant tree, Qian Ye was holding a scope, gazing at the wasteland shrouded in night. The scope had a strange pale red field of view, and in it, he could see the rapidly moving figures like burning flames.

This was the multi-purpose tactical scope equipped by the Red Scorpions, with special modes for vampires and werewolves. Now, Qian Ye had activated the special night vision mode for vampires. In this mode, he could detect the unique blood force of vampires, which appeared as red figures in his view.

Qian Ye silently counted the number of enemies: "One, two... a total of nine! Good, they're really putting in a lot of effort. This woman, Ye Tong, isn't as simple as she claims! Hunter? Humph!"

He scanned the wilderness again and cautiously switched to the werewolf vision mode but found no other suspicious targets.

Among the nine vampire warriors, there was no sign of a titled vampire, indicating that these warriors were just the vanguard, and the main force was still behind. Their movement route also suggested that they were not in a hurry to catch up with Ye Tong but were spreading out and advancing slowly, always staying within the tracking range.

This suited Qian Ye's intentions. He was ready to give these black-blooded bastards a proper welcome. Qian Ye put away the scope, flipped off the tree, and disappeared into the night.

Under the night sky, a vampire warrior cautiously entered a valley. The valley was not large but had complex terrain. It was covered with thorny shrubs and numerous caves. Many scavengers used it as a temporary shelter.

When scavengers camped, they would habitually set up small traps around the area. When they left, they often didn't remove the traps. Over time, the valley became a place of thorns, making it very difficult to navigate.

Scavengers had their own tacit understanding, able to recognize the trap markers left by others. However, this regular vampire warrior lacked such skills, and before he had walked far in the valley, he was doused in foul-smelling acid and had his calf caught in a trap.

He was extremely angry.

This minor injury was nothing to a vampire's tough body, but the acid and foul water truly disgusted him. Vampires had a natural obsession with cleanliness! However, this valley had to be thoroughly inspected because it was a good place to hide. If Ye Tong was hiding here and he didn't find her, he would face the harshest punishment from his clan.

So, the vampire warrior continued to investigate while complaining.

If he could find a scavenger, it would be good, the vampire warrior thought. He certainly wouldn't drink the dirty blood of these scavengers, but he would definitely take some time to torture these cunning humans!

As he walked, the vampire warrior suddenly kicked a thin black line. Before he could pull back his foot, the line snapped!

The vampire warrior frowned, looking around alertly, waiting for the trap to activate. As long as he noticed it, the small traps set by scavengers couldn't harm him.

But just as he was scanning the surroundings, a silver flame suddenly flashed a few meters away, instantly emitting an extremely blinding light!

In the pitch-black night, the vampire warrior, with his powerful night vision, let out a惨叫, covering his eyes!

He was extremely experienced in combat. Upon sudden attack, without thinking, he immediately rolled to the side, leaving his original position.

But as he stood up, preparing to force his eyes open to check the surroundings, he suddenly felt a chill on his back. A sharp blade pierced him, deeply penetrating his heart!

As the blade entered his body, the vampire warrior suddenly felt a burning pain throughout his chest. He even smelled the scent of burning from his own breath! In an instant, a flash of realization struck him: "The blade is coated with silver!"

He struggled in vain but couldn't even let out the faintest groan, as a powerful hand clamped down on his throat.

The vampire warrior finally realized he had encountered a formidable opponent, perhaps the most hated vampire hunter. Only someone with a deep understanding of vampires could accurately pierce the heart with one strike and prevent them from calling for help by clamping the throat. Many inexperienced humans would cover the mouth, only to be bitten by the vampire, and even if they eventually killed the vampire, they would become blood slaves.

The vampire warrior struggled a few times and then collapsed, no longer moving.

Qian Ye appeared like a ghost behind him, silently pulling out the military knife and stabbing him a few more times. Then he flipped the vampire warrior over, pried open his lips, and examined them. There were two complete fangs, the mark of a full member. Any adult vampire had at least the strength of a second-level soldier.

Qian Ye used the military knife to pry out the two fangs and put them in his backpack. Many institutions in the Empire would buy vampire fangs at high prices as a reward for killing vampires. A full member of the vampire clan could fetch a reward of one Imperial gold coin.

Qian Ye searched the body again, putting some valuable items into his leather bag and leaving the rest. Vampires often equipped their weapons with special tracking devices that used blood energy, which were difficult to completely eliminate without the right methods and tools. If he greedily took them, it would be like setting a clear target for all the vampire warriors of the same clan.

After spending a few minutes erasing all traces of his presence, Qian Ye walked around the valley, retrieving several unused small tin foil packets. These packets could produce intense flashes, making them effective against the dark races with excellent night vision.

After completing these tasks, Qian Ye left the valley. Half an hour later, he had run twenty kilometers and found a hidden cave to hide in.

Qian Ye put on tactical gloves and carefully took out a bag of silver liquid from his backpack. He forced himself to endure the churning in his blood and soaked the military knife in it for a while, then dried it and sheathed it. Thus, he prepared for the next battle.

Then Qian Ye closed his eyes and began to rest. The few simple actions had made him break out in a cold sweat.

In the distance, Ye Tong, who was moving quickly, suddenly stopped. Her left eye turned blood red, and she saw seventeen faint blood chains in her field of vision, leading to the distance.

These were blood chains, a powerful secret technique known only to purebloods. Through blood chains, they could connect with the target and suppress their levels with the combined efforts of multiple vampire warriors.

The more blood chains, the better the suppression effect. Although the level reduction affected both sides, and each linked person was suppressed equally, the side that cast the blood chains could rely on sacrificing a large number of cannon fodder to suppress a truly powerful opponent.

Moreover, once caught in the blood chains, it was impossible to truly escape. The blood chains would always indicate the direction of the linked parties, and one could never escape unless all the linked parties on the other end were eliminated.

Now, Ye Tong felt a lightness in her body as one of the blood chains was breaking and fading, clearly indicating that a warrior on the other end had been killed.

Ye Tong glanced back, "He actually managed to kill one? Is this good luck?"

In her mind, Qian Ye's strength was truly weak, equivalent to a vampire warrior who had just left the newborn stage. Humans were so fragile.

However, humans were quite cunning and could reproduce at an alarming rate. It was said that during the Dawn War, countless heroes of the dark races had met their end under the human sea tactic.

The vampires on the other end of the blood chains were not low-level warriors; each originally had the strength of a human fifth or sixth-level soldier. A sixth-level soldier was already a colonel in the Imperial army, commanding nearly a thousand warriors. However, after joining the blood chains, they were all suppressed to the level of a second-level soldier.

In Ye Tong's view, these high-level warriors dying at the hands of Qian Ye, who was only a second-level soldier, would likely die with regret. However, her thoughts stopped there; the fate of those warriors was not worth spending more time on in her mind.

Ye Tong continued to move quickly through the night, quickly disappearing into the distance.

PS: I won't admit that I accidentally pressed the button at noon; it was a surprise, yes, that's it.