Chapter 39: Chaos

“Any news?”

“Very sorry…”

In the dimly lit room, the Seventh Seat of Crescent Moon, the Ripper, sat in the boss’s chair.

This middle-aged man wore a grim expression. Before him stood his subordinates in a row, all with bowed heads.

The atmosphere was heavy.

After destroying the two largest vampire factions in their homeland, they had found neither the human who could create clones nor the object he sought.

That ancient sacred relic from the Archaic Holy Sect.

It was a powerful artifact that had guarded an entire civilization’s development in ancient times. Though damaged, its research value remained significant.

To keep this treasure hidden, the Ripper had deliberately concealed it on his beloved daughter, then sent her out from the heart of Crescent Moon’s vortex.

But fate had other plans.

By a twist of events, the treasure had been snatched away.

“Keep searching! Dig three feet underground if you have to—I want that person found!”

The Ripper vented his anger.

Once he calmed down, a subordinate stepped forward to report: “Sir, Miss has discovered an awakened individual with a rare ability—he can instantly recognize monsters at a glance…”

After hearing about the events at the school, the Ripper’s gloomy expression softened as he nodded. “Indeed, a very rare ability. Go and investigate his background. Such a person must be under my control.”

“Yes, sir.”

The subordinates exited the room.

Just as the Ripper lit a cigarette, someone burst in hurriedly, knocking open the door.

“No respect for rules—get out!”

“S-sir, it’s urgent!”

“Speak.”

“The Nani family has not been wiped out. They still have many remnants in Ximu Town. Someone just reported seeing a large number of three-star vampires.”

The Ripper sprang to his feet, cursing, “A large number of three-star vampires? Do you know what that means? Where did this information come from?”

The subordinate replied, “The report came from the squad led by the Outlaw. After finishing the school situation, he went to Ximu Town this afternoon. Just now, his comrade sent word that the Outlaw may have died. Miss Marie knows the gravity of this matter and instructed me to report immediately.”

The Ripper sneered, “Well, well, well—a Nani family indeed! They’ve been hiding their hand. Send people to verify in Ximu Town. Summon the Lambert and Broad families to see how well they’ve trained their dogs!”

…

The afternoon sun was harsh and scorching.

Moyu stayed inside his apartment, playing on his phone.

He glanced at the time.

The mirror image was about to detonate the C4.

Ximu Town had completely fallen.

The entire town was under vampire control. The townsfolk worshipped vampires and regarded joining the Nani family as an honor, many already transformed into vampire forms. This was information extracted through torture from residents.

Beneath Ximu Town lay a secret world.

The basement of the nursing home had a downward entrance, but it was guarded by several knight-level vampires. In complete darkness, these knights could unleash their full power.

They were utterly impervious to firearms.

They could catch bullets from heavy machine guns barehanded; only anti-materiel sniper rifles could inflict some harm.

Firearms were useless.

Close combat was no option either. Without repentance or sunlight to aid him, Moyu could only handle one at a time.

He couldn’t win by fighting.

So the only choice was to self-destruct.

He staged a ploy, deliberately calling the trio, then charged into the nursing home’s underground entrance clutching the C4, setting off a massive explosion.

Such a commotion would surely draw attention from Crescent Moon and the authorities.

The waters were muddied.

The ‘Outlaw’ took a temporary leave.

The ‘Brother’ who could clone was about to make his move.

First, observe the hunters’ movements.

Moyu turned over and resumed playing on his phone, but then heard the balcony door open. Standing there were Iris and the maid.

“Miss, I thought you were hiding somewhere else?”

“The Outlaw is dead. No need to hide anymore. Our plan has succeeded.”

Judging by the curve of Iris’s lips, the vampire beauty was in high spirits. She sat by the bed, grabbed Moyu’s arm, and bit down.

Under Moyu’s puzzled gaze, she mumbled, “In a good mood—need to eat something good.”

Moyu was speechless.

Iris always took very little blood. With his current physical condition, as long as he didn’t die, it was fine for her to draw blood at will, though each time it felt like she was biting his nerves.

That tingle was strangely exhilarating.

A truly peculiar neurotoxin.

In the following days, Black City descended into chaos.

Moyu and Iris switched to spectator mode, gathering the latest intelligence through Iris’s informants.

That very night, Crescent Moon sent scouts in three waves; only the last group managed to deliver information.

Upon detecting anomalies, the hunters launched an operation. The authorities mobilized the military, sealing off a 20-kilometer radius around Ximu Town.

Over the next two days, Crescent Moon and local hunter families summoned over a thousand hunters, who marched toward Ximu Town in a grand procession.

A fierce battle erupted and raged for an entire day.

The outcome was a crushing defeat for the hunters.

This result took Moyu by surprise.

The hunters had attacked during the day, and ordinary vampires dared not expose themselves to sunlight.

This battle shouldn’t have been lost.

When he saw the video Iris sent, he immediately understood why.

Though it was daytime, Ximu Town was covered by a strange black barrier that blocked out sunlight.

From afar, it looked like a half-black sphere inverted over the ground.

Inside the barrier, it was pitch black.

What should have been the hunters’ territory had turned into a hunting ground for vampires.

The hunters were soundly routed.

Even the Ripper was wounded.

After the hunters’ retreat, the military launched a barrage of firepower onto Ximu Town.

Missiles flew into the barrier like stones into water, without a single ripple.

Moyu put down his phone and asked Iris, “What is that black thing? It can alter the natural order on such a scale?”

Even without her explanation, he could tell how vital that thing was to vampires. It blocked sunlight, solving their greatest weakness and enabling them to fight in daylight.

Iris answered, “That’s exactly what I want.”

Indeed.

Anything Iris coveted had to be of paramount importance to vampires.

Though she was unafraid of sunlight, she still weakened under it. Something that could create darkness on such a broad scale was a divine artifact to vampires.

That very night.

Black City descended into chaos.

After realizing they had been exposed, the Nani family decisively sparked a massive riot, releasing most of their followers into hiding throughout Black City.

The entire city plunged into darkness as the power went out.

Under the shroud of clouds, the night was especially black.

Hidden vampires mobilized en masse.

It was an unprecedented disaster; chaos swept through the entire city.

All human forces in Black City, including hunters and authorities, mobilized to defend.

The chaos lasted until dawn.

The first rays of sunlight pierced the horizon, and Black City fell silent.

Moyu stood by the window, gazing into the distance.

Black smoke rose from various parts of the city.

The chaos would not last long.

The mainland was still under human control on the surface, and reinforcements from various factions would soon arrive.

The riot’s end was just a matter of time.

Events unfolded as he had predicted.

Silence by day.

Chaos by night.

After three days, human reinforcements arrived.

The army marched into the city in force; numerous awakened individuals came to garrison.

Crescent Moon dispatched four additional seat holders with elite troops to reinforce the city.

Various factions united in law enforcement.

With humanity’s main force on stage, Moyu’s plan could finally commence.