With Linen joining the fight, the remaining vampires were quickly wiped out.
As the last one turned to ash under his heat vision, a massive bat—over five meters tall—burst out of the cave. It landed before them and transformed into human form, glaring at Linen and Tony Stark with deep resentment.
"Are you Santos Greg, the head of the Greg family?"
Tony stepped forward, unfazed by the murderous stare.
"How does it feel? Your entire clan wiped out by us—sad? Angry? Planning to kill us?"
"Oh, wait, I almost forgot. Of course you're not sad. You sacrificed most of your family yourself."
Tony clicked his tongue mockingly. "A guy who can butcher his own blood… I really can't imagine how rotten your humanity is."
He tapped his helmet.
"Ah, my mistake—you're not human at all. You're a vampire. My bad. Wrong species. More similar to… leeches, ticks, mosquitoes…"
Blade pursed his lips and leaned toward Linen.
"Your friend Tony Stark has a very… special personality. Is he always like this?"
"Tony doesn't insult people for no reason."
Linen glanced at Santos, the fury building in the elder vampire's expression.
Santos was so enraged he couldn't speak. He lunged toward Tony, blind with hatred—only for Linen to blast heat vision directly at him.
Santos dodged quickly.
He ignored everyone else—even those closer or more dangerous—and charged straight at Tony with blood-red eyes.
"Wow, the flying leech is pissed! Everyone run!" Tony shouted, continuing to provoke him even as Santos leapt at him.
But Tony didn't dodge. Instead, he triggered his armor to close tightly and spread his arms wide—intentionally hugging the vampire.
Everyone froze for a moment.
The armor instantly shifted into its ultraviolet configuration. A fierce wave of UV radiation erupted, surrounding Santos Greg entirely.
The vampire's rage dissolved instantly into pure terror.
"No!!"
He struggled desperately, but Tony's armor held him immovably. His screams echoed through the cavern as his enormous body disintegrated into ash within seconds.
Blade silently looked at Linen.
"I take back what I said earlier. Sometimes Tony Stark really is reliable."
"Heh…"
Linen smirked, stepping forward to pat Tony's armor.
"Turn off the UV. Be careful not to hit our own people."
"Huh?"
Tony deactivated the ultraviolet field.
"I designed this armor so UV exposure won't harm humans anyway."
"I'm not talking about us. I'm talking about Natasha."
Tony's expression hardened.
Five hours later — Tony Stark's private clinic
Natasha lay on a medical bed while Tony held her lab results.
"Hey, spy lady," Tony said with feigned casualness, "how does being a vampire feel?"
Natasha gave a tired smile.
"The only advantage is… I don't need coffee anymore. I kind of want to bite your neck instead."
"Wow. Then I'm definitely not showering this week."
Tony turned to Linen, all humor gone.
"According to these tests, she isn't like the blood slaves. Natasha is a pure vampire now. Linen… what do we do next?"
Seeing the serious expressions on Steve and Hill, Linen smiled.
"Relax. The Book of the Dead records a method to turn a newly changed vampire back into a human. It's difficult, but Natasha meets the requirements."
He turned to Hill.
"Ms. Hill, the vampire toxins must be removed from her body. Gamma radiation is the natural enemy of vampire toxins."
"I'll prepare the equipment immediately!"
Hill was about to leave when Linen stopped her.
"Wait. Gamma rays can remove vampire toxins, but they can also reduce Natasha into ash if the dose is wrong. We must be extremely precise."
"I understand."
Tony clapped his hands.
"If anyone knows gamma rays best, it's Bruce Banner—he became the big green guy because of them."
"Linen, should we bring Dr. Banner here? But he disappeared after the 'big red guy' incident in New York."
"I know where he is," Hill said firmly.
"Even though Dr. Banner's been hiding, he's still a potential world-ending threat. S.H.I.E.L.D. has monitored him for years. I'll lead the team to bring him back."
"I'm going too," Steve said seriously.
"Okay."
Hill nodded and left with Steve.
Tony looked at Linen.
"Anything I can help with?"
"Just don't cause trouble."
Tony raised his middle finger at him.
Linen walked to Natasha's bedside.
"Don't worry. You're going to be fine."
"I'm starving," Natasha said weakly. "I want grilled oxtail… and a drink."
"No problem. I'll get it now."
As Linen reached the doorway, Tony turned and asked:
"Uh… when you say 'drink,' did you mean alcohol… or fresh blood?"
Both Linen and Natasha raised their middle fingers.
Tony shrugged and left.
Out in the corridor, he exhaled deeply, finally relaxing.
His friend could become human again.
That was the best news he'd heard all day.
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