Chapter 34

"Bro, what are you really thinking?" Josh asked. He had taken over Whisler's job during his disappearance, modifying various weapons for Blade to make them effective against vampires.

Josh wasn't exactly a respectable person. He was originally a thug, known for illegally modifying vehicles and running fast when things got dicey. He became Blade's assistant for a simple reason: his talent was useful to the police but meant nothing to the vampires. When he was hunted by vampires, he met Blade, and the hunter became the hunted.

Perhaps finding Blade's actions cool, he volunteered to join Blade's team. Exactly two years had passed until Whisler was rescued by Blade.

"Sounds like a good idea!" Blade said casually, his attention still on the equipment in his hands.

"What's your real thought?" Whisler limped forward, frowning at Blade. "They're not the kind to keep their word."

Putting away the equipment and putting on gloves, Blade revealed his true thoughts.

"Once they get the chance, they'll bite us, and they'll bite us to death."

Josh, who was smoking, immediately threw away his cigarette when he heard Blade's words. He leaned in and asked, "So we won't agree to this cooperation, right?"

This guy had a strange habit of touching his lower lip with his fingers while speaking.

"We'll play along with them. We can use this opportunity to infiltrate their organization and learn more about them. After this is over, I'll deal with them!" Blade said, showing a hint of fangs.

"That's what I like about you, man!" Josh seemed excited, punching Blade's chest. "Imagine my little baby dealing with these guys, it must be awesome!"

"I know enough about these guys." Whisler, leaning on the stairs, limped down. "They must be terrified. Losing their position at the top of the food chain must be very frustrating."

Seeing Whisler's strange behavior, Josh covered his mouth and whispered to Blade, "Honestly, man, I'm worried about him. I know you and he are close, but I think you should be careful. You know no one can turn back from a vampire in one night."

After saying this, Josh turned and left, feeling he had said enough.

Whisler was captured by vampires two years ago. As a veteran vampire hunter and now Blade's assistant, the vampires' hatred for him was immense. So they didn't just torture him physically but also mentally.

The best way to do this was to turn him into a vampire. Becoming the very monster he had hunted all his life would drive anyone mad.

They turned Whisler and kept him in cold storage until Blade rescued him and used a reversal antidote to turn him back. However, they weren't sure if it would work. Although Whisler could still walk in the sunlight.

"That guy is right, they're no longer at the top of the food chain," Zhou Yi, who had slowly floated down from the factory roof, said to Blade.

Blade wasn't surprised by the arrival of the Dawn Knight. A flying person could go anywhere, and it was hard to stop him, especially in this well-ventilated factory. So he asked calmly, "How did it go? Any leads?"

"Yes!" Zhou Yi responded clearly. "They're expanding rapidly, and I can sense they're deliberately avoiding our search. There are only attack marks, nothing left behind. I'm curious how our vampire allies can ensure they find these guys."

"Maybe they have a special recipe to catch rats," Blade said with a cold joke, but neither of them laughed. The issue of vampire variants was always on their minds.

They didn't know how far the vampire variants had spread or what the vampire empire was planning. One wrong move, and human society would face a huge impact. This was something both of them didn't want to see.

Time passed quickly, and soon the last rays of the sun had set, and night fell over the land. The nocturnal races began to stir.

Zhou Yi stood silently on a high platform, waiting for the vampires to arrive. He also connected to the New York Police Department's surveillance network, hoping to find some clues about the vampire variants from their systems.

Blade, on the other hand, had returned to his room. He needed to control his bloodlust. As a daywalker among vampires, he still retained vampire traits, especially the urge to drink blood, which he felt every day. Generally, he used his willpower to suppress this urge, but more often, he needed medication to control it.

Bloodlust was a terrible condition. Even a seasoned warrior with iron will found it hard to resist the temptation. Once conquered, one would become a monster. Blade had persisted for a long time and would continue to do so.

Princess Nissa of the vampire empire led a group of odd characters into Blade's base. Though strange, they were indeed there as allies this time.

As soon as she entered the factory, Nissa saw the Dawn Knight standing there. However, she ignored Zhou Yi and asked Blade's assistants.

"I've brought the blood guard as agreed. Where is the Daywalker?" They preferred to call Blade the Daywalker, recognizing him as part of the vampire race, even though he hunted them.

Whisler fiddled with his welding torch as if he hadn't heard Nissa's question. Josh, with a cigarette in his mouth, grinned and said, "If you're looking for that guy, you should check the office. Let me introduce myself, I'm..."

Nissa walked past him expressionlessly, heading straight for the office above. The blood guard behind her laughed mockingly.

"No need to thank me!" Josh shrugged, ignoring their laughter, still acting nonchalantly.

Soon, Nissa returned, followed by Blade, who had returned to his normal state.

"Allow me to introduce our blood guard," Nissa said, introducing each member to Blade. She first pointed to a pair of vampires embracing. One was a bald, muscular man with strange tattoos, holding a large axe, and the other was a red-haired woman hugging him from behind, caressing his body affectionately.

"Light Axe, Virene..." When she said this, the two vampires, who had been intimate, lifted their heads simultaneously, baring their fangs at Blade. It was clear they were a well-coordinated pair.

Next, Nissa pointed to another vampire.

"This is the Priest." A vampire with long, flowing hair, dressed in a style from the previous century, bowed elegantly to Blade, like a true gentleman.

"Snowman!" A cold-faced vampire with Asian features quickly drew his katana, performing a dazzling blade maneuver before sheathing it. He bowed to Blade like a samurai.

Finally, she pointed to a burly man in a half-armor, looking annoyed, and his bald companion.

"And Chuba, and the captain of the guard, Rehert."

Hearing Nissa mention his name, Rehert raised his head, walking over with his nose in the air.

He looked at Blade's cold face and said disdainfully, "Hey, we have our doubts..." He pointed to the group of vampires behind him, then covered his mouth, as if asking a sensitive question.

"Oh, doubts about what?" Blade turned his head, pretending to listen.

"Will you blush?" Rehert leaned in, whispering in Blade's ear. After he finished, the blood guard erupted in loud cheers.

Rehert's words were quite amusing. He wasn't mocking Blade's skin color. Vampires were a race that valued bloodline, not skin color. Otherwise, Yassa wouldn't be the steward of the vampire duke, one of the most powerful figures in the vampire empire.

What he was really asking was whether, as the target of the blood guard, Blade had the right to lead them in hunting vampire variants. Although they had to follow Blade's leadership due to the vampire duke's orders, it didn't mean they had no objections.

Blade smiled, glanced at the Dawn Knight, and they nodded imperceptibly. Then Blade walked around to Rehert's side.

"I understand your meaning." As he said this, Blade suddenly moved, punching Rehert in the stomach with great force, causing him to bend over.

At the same time, Blade kicked Rehert's head with a powerful kick. If it had landed, even a pureblood vampire would have needed some facial repairs.

However, Rehert was an elite vampire warrior. In this situation, he immediately kneeled, straightening his body to avoid the kick by a hair's breadth.

Missing his target, Blade immediately turned and delivered another kick. This time, Rehert was better prepared. He raised his arms to block the kick, and with a slight crack of bones, he used the force to launch himself into the air, kneeing Blade.

In such a short time, to think of using a minor injury to not only turn the tide but also counterattack showed the strength of the blood guard.

But Blade was Blade, a unique mutant among vampires, not just immune to sunlight and other traits, but also faster, stronger, and more powerful than ordinary vampires.

Using his hands to counter the force of a leg was generally difficult, but not impossible, especially when the strength difference was significant, as it was now.