Chapter 37: The Queen of the Blood Clan

Just as Kong Zhe had anticipated, the building was utterly deserted, not a soul in sight. The lighting was poor, barely sufficient to make out shapes. He led Xiao Lei through the corridors for quite some time; thankfully, aside from the ominous and eerie atmosphere, they encountered no monsters.

After a while, Kong Zhe stopped before the door of a warehouse. Judging from its location, the ventilation duct on the third floor directly opposite should lead right into this room. So the chances of that elusive creature being inside were quite high.

He placed his hand upon the door and applied gentle force.

Creak.

The door, clearly neglected for years, groaned open with an ear-piercing shriek, the sound echoing sharply in the vast, silent space.

Xiao Lei hid behind Kong Zhe, peering nervously into the darkness beyond, but nothing could be seen within that pitch-black interior.

Kong Zhe entered, Xiao Lei close behind. No sooner had they passed through than the door behind them slammed shut with a loud bang, as if pushed by unseen hands.

Startled, Xiao Lei nearly cried out, but Kong Zhe still held her hand, so she hurried closer to him.

Kong Zhe, with vision keener than Xiao Lei's thanks to his awakened abilities, scanned behind the door with suspicion but found no sign of anyone.

He shook his head, then quickly surveyed the surroundings. This was a storeroom for miscellaneous items, spacious and about two stories high, yet there were no windows; the sole illumination came from a few rays filtering through a skylight above.

He had a flashlight in his ring but chose not to use it. Something about the warehouse felt inexplicably strange, and as soon as he entered, he sensed a gaze watching from somewhere within. Until he could confirm their safety, turning on the light would only expose their position.

After a while, his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness. Though still dim, it was much better than when they'd first arrived; at least he could make out the general shapes.

"Who dares disturb my solitude?"

A clear, ringing voice came from somewhere within the warehouse.

"Identify yourself!"

This time, the voice seemed to come from another direction, but it was unmistakably the same person.

"Ah, that's Tuantuan's voice!" Xiao Lei exclaimed before Kong Zhe could reply, excitement in her tone. "Tuantuan, are you alright?"

"Xiao Lei!" The voice sounded pleasantly surprised, but soon shifted to anger: "You! What have you done to my companion? Release my companion at once, or I shall grind your bones to dust!"

Clearly, these words were meant for Kong Zhe.

"Companion?" Kong Zhe murmured, his expression odd. Then he called out loudly to the upper reaches, "And who are you? Are you really Xiao Lei's friend?"

The voice did not reply. Suddenly, Kong Zhe saw three flashes of silver not far away; his eyes narrowed and he swiftly drew his blade, swinging it several times.

Ping! Ping! Ping!

With three soft clinks, three slender silver needles fell to the ground.

---

"Tranquilizer darts?" Kong Zhe frowned, staring at the needles. Within the hollow ends, a trace of red fluid flowed—he had seen this before. These were tranquilizer darts used for large wild beasts, the red liquid a potent sedative. A single dart could knock out a grown tiger; had he been struck, even as an awakened one, it would be a long time before he recovered.

A harsh, grating laughter echoed from high up on the other side, "Heh heh heh heh... I didn't expect you to dodge my attack."

No sooner had Kong Zhe spoken than a glowing rabbit appeared in the corridor on the second floor, where the laughter had come from.

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be mistaken, but the sight remained—a rabbit, but not a real one, rather a rabbit doll.

The doll radiated a ghostly blue aura, its face and body covered in scars, floating eerily in midair.

Kong Zhe turned to Xiao Lei, astonished, "Your friend is a rabbit?"

"How could it be, fool!" Before Xiao Lei could speak, the rabbit replied in a hoarse, raspy voice.

"I am my master's familiar—Robert."

"Oh?" Kong Zhe eyed it. Despite its bizarre appearance, he sensed no threat from it.

"So, where is your master?" he asked, spreading his hands.

"Insolent mortal! My master possesses a noble lineage; not someone you can meet merely by wishing!" The rabbit wobbled as it spoke.

But no sooner had it finished than a clear voice rang out from nearby, "It's alright, Robert. In any case, he brought Xiao Lei back safely. Let him witness my true form!"

"Yes!" Robert replied, then turned to Kong Zhe, speaking loftily, "Human, count yourself lucky. My master is in a good mood today; usually, your kind would be obliterated on sight. Hmph, frightened yet? Hurry and kneel to welcome my great master!"

As Robert recited, it began to hum a peculiar tune, reminiscent of an anime theme song.

"Dun dun, dun, dun dun, dun dun dun..."

Kong Zhe couldn't help but laugh. Was this supposed to be an entrance theme?

Accompanied by the rabbit's melody, a bluish glow illuminated something nearby—a vintage, ornate chair, upon which sat a girl. She was petite, her hair styled in twin tails bound with violet ribbons adorned with little silver bells. Her round face and delicate nose gave her a childlike look, and her Gothic Lolita attire made her resemble a finely crafted doll.

At this moment, the doll—no, the girl—sat lazily on the chair, resting her cheek on one hand. She opened one eye and looked at Kong Zhe, a cold sneer on her lips, "Heh heh heh, so you're the one who dared kidnap my companion. Do you know who I am?"

"...Isn't your name Tuantuan?" Kong Zhe shrugged, noticing the large LV1 label above her head.

So, she was an awakened one. All this mystery for nothing. That explained the rabbit; awakened abilities were endlessly varied, and perhaps she had mastered a peculiar summoning skill.

But a talking summon? Its level must be quite high, Kong Zhe mused, stroking his chin.

---

The girl snorted haughtily, "Tuantuan is merely my name in this world. I am the reincarnation of the Queen of the Blood Clan, a vampire who has lived for ten thousand years: Laces, Be Maria, Huang, Saint Margaret. After the apocalypse, I awakened memories of my past life. My purpose is to conquer all humanity. In fact, this apocalypse was orchestrated by my clan to invade Earth."

Kong Zhe was speechless. This might fool others, but not a reborn like him. Whether she truly was the blood clan queen or not was irrelevant; the blood clan was a minor race, constantly suppressed by others due to their unending need for blood. On the beast continent, they were always fleeing for survival, hardly in a position to invade Earth.

He shook his head and asked, "Saint Margaret...whatever, is that a character from an anime?"

The girl snorted, frowning, "Impossible... By the way, there is an anime called 'Magical Witch Laces,' with excellent plot and characters. It airs every Friday afternoon. Highly recommended!"

Kong Zhe was at a loss for words. Was this her admission?

Clearly, the child needed more homework.

He noticed her right eye had been closed the whole time; only the left was open, which seemed odd. He moved beside Xiao Lei and whispered, "Does your friend have a problem with her eye?"

"No, Tuantuan is always like that. Her right eye is very powerful—she can't let just anyone see it." Xiao Lei replied solemnly.

"Heh heh heh! You noticed?" The girl's ears were evidently sharp, catching their whispers. She laughed loudly, "My right eye is the highest-level golden pupil of the Blood Clan. Those who dare gaze upon it are cursed with death; everyone who has seen it has died."

"Everyone who saw it died? Do you think you're Sister Shiki? Such things can't possibly exist!" Kong Zhe muttered under his breath.

"Hmm? You don't believe me?... Hmph, you clearly don't understand. Well then, do you wish to witness my golden pupil?" the girl asked with a wicked smile.

Kong Zhe folded his arms. "Oh, please do enlighten me!"

"Hmph, don't regret it... Companion, I'm opening my eye now—close yours quickly!"

Xiao Lei hurriedly covered her eyes with her hands, then peeked through her fingers, only to see Kong Zhe brazenly staring at Tuantuan. She rushed over to pull him, "No, Kong Zhe, close your eyes! It's dangerous!"

"You really believe that? It's obviously nonsense!" Kong Zhe chuckled at Xiao Lei's anxious face.

"Heh heh heh!" The girl on the second floor sneered, and under Kong Zhe's gaze, she slowly opened her right eye.

Against her pale skin, unlike her other dark pupil, this was a golden eye, shining with a radiant glow in the colored light.

Kong Zhe watched in surprise. Heterochromia?

In another world, there was indeed a race born with different colored eyes, but not the blood clan—it was the fairy folk. After a moment, Kong Zhe shook his head. This was no true heterochromia; a real one would captivate at first glance. Hers was clearly just a normal eye, likely enhanced with colored contacts.