Chapter 26

Aldar Makinos, the oldest known vampire in the entire American region, held the prestigious position of Vampire Grand Duke, the ruler of the vampire community.

Such an honor did not make him as handsome and melancholic as described in secular novels, exuding the noble and cold charm of an ancient aristocrat. In fact, his appearance was quite ugly.

His body had decayed and mutated into a strange pale blue, on which not even hair could grow. The veins on his body were visible like ravines, and the fluid oozing from his skin was nauseating. Such an existence, like a rotten flesh struggling to survive, evoked a psychological disgust, which was even more pronounced in contrast to his daughter, Nisha Makinos.

To every pure-blooded vampire who had lived long enough, Aldar Makinos was an existence that they despised. This was a vampire who had held power for over three hundred years. According to vampire tradition, his power should have grown stronger with the passage of time.

However, it was not so. Aldar was a war-averse vampire, the most unscrupulous conspirator, and the most power-hungry individual. To ensure his power did not diminish, he even led the clan away from Europe, escaping the sight of the Church, werewolves, and other vampires, and traveled to the Americas when it was still a wilderness.

To maintain his power, he even refused to enter hibernation, preferring to let his strength wane and his body decay rather than leave his throne. He watched over every move of his empire. To ensure the supreme authority of his power, he formed a blood guard, recruited elite warriors, and ruthlessly eliminated those who opposed him.

He even collaborated with human rulers to maintain each other's power. For power, he would do anything, which was the best description of Aldar Makinos.

However, it could not be denied that he was still the ruler of the vampire empire, the sovereign of all vampires in New York.

With Nisha's support, this decrepit old man walked to the screen, gazing at the image of Chadnomas, his intertwined hands tapping rhythmlessly. He stared deeply at Chadnomas for a long time before asking the black vampire.

"Yasa, can you find him?"

"Unfortunately, my lord," the loyal vampire butler bowed respectfully.

"He is very skilled at hiding, and our people have not yet been able to track him down. It might take some time."

Aldar waved his hand. This news was neither good nor bad for him, perhaps it was the best answer. So he quickly changed the subject.

"How are those guys?"

He only mentioned it slightly, but the loyal old butler understood his meaning and immediately responded.

"The situation is not optimistic. They have mutated, becoming like him, and have caused casualties. I have already ordered my subordinates to clean them up."

Aldar looked at his black butler and nodded in satisfaction. Yasa, who had been given the first embrace during the colonial period, had served him diligently for over a hundred years. Many secrets he could hide from his daughter, but not from this loyal butler. Aldar never doubted Yasa's words; Yasa had given him loyalty, and he had given Yasa immortality and trust. This was the默契 between the two for two hundred years.

"You have done well, Yasa!" The Vampire Grand Duke, supported by his daughter, sat back on his throne. "No more meaningless sacrifices. We should find some more professionals to handle this problem."

"My lord, what do you mean?" Yasa asked uncertainly.

"Yes, the vampire hunters," Aldar replied, resting his head on his hand as if it were a casual matter.

"Wait, Boss," Harretrehardt, who had not been involved in such discussions, spoke up. As the leader of the blood guard, he did not understand the Grand Duke's order.

"You mean to find those damned guys to deal with this monster? Why? We can handle it ourselves."

"How dare you question the Grand Duke's order," Yasa stepped forward, baring his fangs at Harretrehardt, who did not back down, returning a fierce gaze. He was an elite warrior among the vampires, deferring to no one but the Grand Duke.

"Enough," the Grand Duke roared, breaking the tension between his two subordinates. "This is my order."

Harretrehardt spat in dissatisfaction but, even as rebellious as he was, he did not dare to defy the Vampire Grand Duke. Seeing Harretrehardt's submission, the Grand Duke nodded in satisfaction and instructed Yasa.

"Yasa, show him."

"As you wish, my lord," Yasa bowed like a well-mannered butler and pressed a button on his device, displaying another image on the screen.

The image showed a creature that was no longer recognizable as human, being mercilessly dismembered. Its body was opened, revealing bizarre organs and strangely shaped internal organs. Despite such treatment, the creature still showed a strong desire to attack, struggling wildly, causing the entire operating table to shake.

After turning off the image, Yasa said coldly.

"What you see is a survivor from the initial attack, a vampire, one of our own. After just 12 hours, he had mutated into this form. Disgusting and aggressive, whether to humans or vampires. We have already lost two subordinates to him."

"They are reproducing too quickly, threatening the foundation of our community. Therefore, we need to cooperate with the hunters. This is my decision; I want to make peace with them." The Vampire Grand Duke set the tone for the matter.

"Nisha, my daughter," the Grand Duke suddenly asked.

"Contact the one who suddenly appeared and has been raiding our bases at night. Tell him we want to make peace and need his help."

"Father?" Nisha was surprised by her father's sudden command and looked at him curiously.

"Since he let you go once, he will let you go again. You are bound by your oath not to reveal his identity, but that does not prevent you from finding him."

The Vampire Grand Duke spoke kindly but with a clear dissatisfaction. Nisha understood her father's displeasure and, despite her reluctance, submitted to his command, as her father was the Grand Duke of the vampires, and she was a vampire herself.

"Yasa, contact Blade and bring him here," the Grand Duke instructed his butler after seeing his daughter's submission.

"Rehardt, gather the guard. You need to be prepared to cooperate with these hunters." With a series of orders, the Grand Duke had arranged everything and woven a vast web. However, he did not know if this web would catch what he wanted.

After a day of madness with Tony and Rody at sea, Zhou Yi returned home and dove into his laboratory.

Adamantium, which was said to be a military secret, was largely a matter of luck. It depended on when the heavens would favor you and bestow you with Adamantium ore.

However, the Earth is vast, and numerous meteorites fall every day. No one could be sure which one contained Adamantium. With the ore, Adamantium could be easily produced. The formula was already available from the Stark Industries shared data.

Tony's father, as one of the founders of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) during World War II, had obtained a lot of materials, especially scientific research data. Except for the most highly classified information, most of it was backed up at Stark Industries. With the raw materials and equipment, there was no problem.

Under Medusa's control, the Adamantium ore and other raw materials melted at 1500 degrees Celsius, forming a pool of boiling steel. This was the basic form of Adamantium, which could only be cast at this temperature. Once it cooled, it would solidify, and it would be nearly impossible to change it back without a molecular restructuring device, or by throwing it into the sun.

Watching the boiling Adamantium, Zhou Yi ordered Medusa to proceed with the casting. To prevent any potential threats, he felt he needed a handy weapon.

Thermal weapons were the first to be ruled out. There were not many thermal weapons in the world that could harm him. Unless he stood still and let a nuclear bomb hit him, he did not know what in the current U.S. military arsenal could take him down.

Moreover, with his expertise in martial arts and combat, both logically and emotionally, he preferred a cold weapon, an indestructible Adamantium weapon.

Of course, at this point, he forgot about Captain America's shield, which was still sleeping in Antarctica.

However, the biggest limitation was the lack of sufficient material. Whether it was a sword or a spear, his current raw materials were not enough to make one.

Twenty pounds might sound like a lot, but it was not enough for a weapon of the weight of the如意金箍棒 (Ruyi Jingu Bang, a legendary weapon from Chinese mythology).

Moreover, Adamantium itself was not light. So, after much consideration, he decided to make a half-finished product.

The scorching molten metal was poured into a mold and quickly solidified into shape. It was a large, ancient-looking spearhead.

The flat spear body had a high central ridge, tapering sharply on both sides, and widening at the edges. The spearhead was not the usual diamond shape but a more imposing sword-like shape, with a curved tip, a straight blade, a slightly narrowed waist, and deep blood grooves on both sides. The bottom was designed like a hook, serving as a guard and also being sharp due to the Adamantium, making it even more deadly.

Just this spearhead alone consumed most of Zhou Yi's Adamantium, but it resulted in a formidable weapon, over a foot and three inches long and two inches wide. In the age of cold weapons, it would be an absolute battlefield terror, with no armor able to withstand a single strike.

Of course, even in the present day, it would be formidable. However, for Zhou Yi, it was not yet complete, as it was still a half-finished product.