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"This time, thanks to Mr. Karl's reminder, we were able to establish defensive lines around these target cities so early… otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
General Ross stared at the large screen with a complex gaze, subconsciously clenching his fists, and murmured with lingering fear:
"Presumably, this should be… the true crisis Mr. Karl spoke of, right?"
From General Ross's perspective, the survival of seven cities—no, the entire Northeast Industrial Zone—was indeed far more serious than the destruction caused by a Kaiju in the Prydonia.
After all, it's better for others to die than oneself.
The Prydonia was, at best, an expendable minor ally.
How could it be compared to the national security of America itself?
But what made General Ross feel somewhat unwilling and annoyed was this:
Due to insufficient consideration of the situation beforehand, the perfect opportunity he had originally planned—to personally lead troops and turn the tide in front of all American citizens, shining brightly just as the crisis emerged—was thus wasted!
Now, he could only helplessly hide behind the defensive line like this, waiting for support from the follow-up main forces… letting others take a large part of the credit for nothing.
Alas~
Perhaps it was due to being too nervous.
In General Ross's mind, an extremely absurd scene appeared.
Afterward, Karl grabbed his sparse hair and fiercely questioned, "I gave you a chance, but you're useless!!"
...…
…
Half an hour after darkness shrouded the 7 cities!
In the sky ten thousand meters above the outskirts of Chicago.
Inside the Bridge of the Sky Carrier, several figures appeared one after another, taking seats around the conference table.
Among them were:
Captain America, Tony Stark, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Bruce Banner, Sharon Carter… and Eddie Brock??
"Hey, Captain, I never thought we'd meet again so soon."
Tony Stark still maintained his unique arrogant posture as a wealthy man, unable to resist quipping as soon as they met: "I thought I'd have to wait another 70 years!"
Captain America clearly understood the "deep" meaning in his words, but he didn't get angry. He smiled and retorted, "Don't worry, I'll lay flowers at your tombstone then."
Tsk!
Is it so great to have the Super Soldier Serum "protecting" him?
Tony Stark naturally wouldn't admit defeat so easily. When it came to verbal sparring, he had almost never lost.
He immediately raised a finger and pointed upwards with a flamboyant expression.
"Sorry, I've already decided to upload my consciousness to the cloud after I die. Then I can completely control a mechanical prosthetic body to attend your funeral…"
At this point, as if he suddenly remembered something, he continued with an exaggerated expression: "Oh, I almost forgot, you probably don't even know what the 'cloud' is, do you?"
Captain America was stunned upon hearing this. He had indeed never heard this new term before.
So he subconsciously looked up, through the curved glass dome, at the sky outside.
"Pfft… Hahaha!"
Such a comical scene made Tony Stark burst into laughter, clutching his stomach and almost choking. "See, I knew he'd look up at the sky."
Bickering is almost an indispensable part of missions for the Avengers members.
It allows everyone to quickly ease the originally heavy atmosphere and face the upcoming battle with a relaxed mood.
So Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Bruce Banner had long been accustomed to Tony Stark's unreliable style and Captain America's "speechless" expression when he was put on the spot. They all showed benevolent smiles.
However, Black Widow's smile was noticeably stiff, as if she hadn't fully recovered from her previous dangerous encounter.
On the other hand, Sharon Carter, attending a formal combat meeting for the first time, immediately retorted with a look of disgust when she heard the other party intentionally belittle Captain America:
"Captain doesn't need to know what the 'cloud' is… Instead of worrying about that, why don't you seriously consider why Officer Fury called us here!"
Tony Stark glanced at the aggressive female Agent, then turned to Captain America and winked suggestively, "I have to say, Captain, your luck with women seems pretty good."
Then he sharply changed the subject, raising a hand to point at Eddie Brock, who was standing at the edge opposite him and had not yet taken a seat, and said:
"Alright, it looks like I have to say it… Has no one explained why this wanted criminal is also here?"
As he spoke, Tony Stark had already pulled out his phone with holographic projection capabilities, ordering Jarvis to display all relevant information about the other party, showing it to everyone.
Captain America frowned, clearly unwilling to associate with such a notorious individual.
The others also cast disgusted glances at Eddie Brock.
Seeing this, Eddie Brock gave a helpless chuckle, suddenly regretting his decision to specifically come and observe this combat meeting.
Although he had been specially approved by Nick Fury, he had now transformed from a prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment into a S.H.I.E.L.D. Level 6 Agent with great authority and freedom of movement.
But he knew deep down that every single person present was a formidable character he couldn't afford to offend.
Just as Eddie Brock was in a dilemma, Nick Fury finally appeared, saying with a grim face:
"Gentlemen, I specifically invited you here not to quibble over these trivial matters…"
"At this moment, including the city you are standing in, there are seven cities that were suddenly enveloped by an unknown Dark Energy half an hour ago."
"Then, about 15 minutes ago, a Vampire army suddenly appeared, attacking these cities under the cover of darkness…
Currently, the attacked areas are still rapidly expanding. If not stopped in time, the consequences could be incalculable!"
Captain America was the first to react, a look of apprehension appearing on his face, and he asked somewhat urgently: "Fury, it's not going to be like the Blood God Cult incident again, is it?"
Hawkeye recalled his near-death experience from last time and couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.
"Perhaps worse!"
Nick Fury said worriedly: "From the information received from the Military, the scale of this Vampire deployment is unprecedented; it's no exaggeration to say they've come out in full force."
"However, the only fortunate thing is that the weaknesses of the Vampires that appeared this time have not disappeared. They still fear ultraviolet light, crucifixes, holy water…"
"Phew…"
As direct participants in the Blood God Cult battle, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Good, if that's the case, there's still a fight to be had!
Tony Stark, standing nearby, keenly caught the subtle changes in their expressions and said with some confusion:
"Wait a minute, you guys didn't secretly have a team-building event without telling me, did you?"
You still have the nerve to complain here?
Which son of a bitch secretly ran off to attend the PPDC Organization summit when S.H.I.E.L.D. needed help the most?
Do you dare to loudly tell me who that person is?
Nick Fury suppressed the urge to rush over and beat up Tony Stark, and continued the previous topic.
"This large-scale Vampire attack on humans is clearly not as simple as it appears on the surface… I suspect there's an astonishing conspiracy hidden behind it that could threaten all of humanity!"
"So, next, I need you to help me figure out what these Vampires are really trying to do… whether it's simply hunting humans, or if they have other motives."
Tony Stark reined in his smile and asked somewhat seriously: "Fury, I presume you already have a target, right?"
"That's right."
Nick Fury waved a hand towards his subordinate Maria Hill behind him, who immediately brought up an image of a Pirate male on the large screen.
"According to the latest intelligence Agent Romanoff obtained from Chicago, it can now be confirmed that Blade is one of the seven instigators who released the Dark Energy this time."
"I think he must know something…"
Except for Captain America, everyone else felt a tremor in their hearts upon hearing this. They had long heard of Blade's renown.
But wasn't this guy specialized in hunting Vampires before?
How did he end up colluding with them now?
"So, gentlemen, it's time to move. The quinjet will take you directly to the designated location, and there are also special weapons prepared for your mission on the plane…"
However.
Before Nick Fury could finish speaking, Captain America on the opposite side stood up with a solemn expression and questioned:
"I remember you just said that a total of seven cities were attacked by Vampires."
"That's right." Nick Fury knew what the other party was going to say, and his tone gradually became stern, "But I think, Captain, you should understand that S.H.I.E.L.D. is not omnipotent; we can't save that many people at once…"
"Furthermore, instead of dispersing our forces at a time like this, it's better to first concentrate on breaking through one point and figuring out the conspiracy hidden behind the enemy. Only then can we save more people!"
Tony Stark then pointed his chin in Nick Fury's direction, looking at Captain America and saying: "I'm on his side this time!"
Although the others didn't speak, it was clear from their expressions that they all supported Nick Fury's decision.
"Then let's hurry and depart."
Captain America didn't waste any more words. He immediately stood up and was the first to walk out of the Bridge.
After all six people had left, Maria Hill finally approached Nick Fury, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Officer, you seem to have forgotten to tell them about the Centennial Conference!"
"For me, trusting others is always like a gamble." Nick Fury looked at the thick clouds shrouded in darkness ahead, and said with a very firm tone:
"Although I'm very willing to trust them… when it concerns the fate of all humanity, I can't afford to gamble."
"What's more, soldiers don't need to know too much. They only need to obey the Commander's orders unconditionally, don't you agree?"
...…
…
Half an hour after the darkness descended!
On the streets of the 7 cities, no complete human figures could be seen anymore.
Blood, corpses, severed limbs were everywhere…
Countless humans had met tragic ends…
The streets and alleys were filled with swarms of Vampires, reveling wantonly amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood!
And those who were temporarily hiding in buildings would sooner or later be hunted down by them!
Boundless fear rose from every street in the cities, and under the catalysis of the Dark Energy in the sky, it gradually transformed into seven demonic magic arrays imperceptible to the naked eye of ordinary people.
They echoed each other, converging together above the sky into a magnificent and pure extreme energy.
Then, guided by a powerful magic, it began to continuously pour into the altar located on Belle Isle in Detroit below.
At this moment, beside the altar carved with ancient magic runes.
A silver-haired woman, completely covered in a purple cloak, looked at the evil six-pointed star magic array drawn with human blood on the altar floor, and the magic runes within it that were slowly and orderly "lit up" by the extreme energy.
Without turning her head, she spoke to the female Vampire standing behind her, also completely covered in a black cloak:
"Lilith, the ritual has begun. Now we just need to wait until all the runes light up, and this extreme Dark Energy will open the passage between the World and the Hell Dimension where you reside…"
"But your people better move quickly, because maintaining the Dimensional Passage consumes enormous energy. Once the energy is depleted, the passage will close."
"I understand."
Lilith, who was attached to the female Vampire, immediately showed a look of joy upon hearing this, and said with extreme reverence: "Thank you, My Lord Clea, for your assistance."
"There's nothing to thank. We are merely taking what we need." The silver-haired woman named Clea warned with cold eyes, "But there's one thing I must remind you: don't think your mission is over just because Dracula is dead?"
"If you can't help us find the exact whereabouts of the [Red Slayer], you know what the consequences will be."
Facing the threat, Lilith, as a Demon Lord, involuntarily trembled.
She seemed to greatly fear the silver-haired woman in front of her.
Or rather… what truly made her fear was the vast organization behind the other party.
Lilith quickly bowed, saying with a face full of trepidation:
"Please rest assured, My Lord Clea, I will never forget my original promise… My growth today is entirely due to the help of the order, so even if it means going through fire and water, I will resolutely complete the mission."
The silver-haired woman said nothing more, her figure immediately sinking directly into the shadows of the ground, disappearing without a trace.
"Phew…"
Lilith let out a long breath, then straightened her posture again, turning her gaze towards the direction of the Impossible City, and whispered with a sinister smile:
"Dracula, this time you're dead for sure!!"
...…
…
Impossible City.
"Finally finished before the meeting starts."
In the room at the end of the second floor, Selena stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the huge magic array on the floor, drawn with her own blood and filled with intricate runes. A look of relief appeared on her beautiful face.
Although this was her first time drawing a magic array.
She ultimately managed to perfectly replicate the pattern her Boss had previously shown her, relying on her superhuman memory.
She just didn't expect the entire process to be so time-consuming and mentally exhausting.
But at least it was finally done!
Thump thump thump —
A soft knock suddenly sounded outside the room, accompanied by a female voice.
"Miss Selena, the meeting is about to begin. Please come with me to the Lord's Hall."
The other party was clearly a servant sent by Alfred the butler to remind her of the time.
Selena didn't even have time to rest. First, she quickly re-covered the soft fur rug.
Then, she checked from various angles to ensure that the magic array hidden beneath would not be easily discovered, and only then did she nod in satisfaction.
She then walked out of her bedroom, bringing the two subordinates who had been guarding the door on both sides, and pushed the door open.
She said to the Vampire maid who had been waiting patiently outside the door: "Then I'll trouble you to lead the way!"