Chapter 114: Don't Use Your Hobby to Challenge My Profession!
Alice's words were like ice water thrown into the Cullen family's warm living room, instantly dropping the temperature to freezing.
"Holding a weapon... standing at our doorstep?" Emmett's massive frame instinctively tensed. He cracked his knuckles, the sharp sound echoing through the room. "Coming to start trouble? Perfect. I haven't had a good workout in a while."
"Emmett!" Carlisle cut him off with undeniable authority. His brow furrowed deeply, his expression more serious than usual. "We know too little about him. Edward, are you certain he can communicate directly with your thoughts?"
Edward Cullen nodded grimly. "Positive. The sensation... it's like someone whispering directly into your ear. Clear, immediate, unavoidable. He knows we're 'vegetarians,' and his understanding of us goes way beyond what we'd expect."
"A human who can block Edward's abilities and invade his thoughts?" Rosalie stood with her arms crossed, her golden hair gleaming like a halo, but her tone was sharp and suspicious. "That's impossible. He must be something else—something we don't understand. Bella, you befriended him. Did you tell him about us?"
"I didn't!" Bella protested immediately, her face flushing. "I didn't say anything! I didn't even know you guys were..." She stopped mid-sentence, realizing how that sounded, and looked anxiously at Edward Cullen.
"I believe Bella." Edward Cullen moved to her side protectively. "Rosalie, this isn't her fault. That guy's been targeting us from day one."
"So what do we do now?" Esme asked worriedly, her gentle gaze sweeping over each family member. "Should we... temporarily leave Forks?"
"No." Carlisle shook his head. As the head of this family, he had to stay level-headed. "We can't run every time we encounter something unexplainable. Besides, we don't know his true intentions. Alice's visions are fragmented—maybe he's just passing through, or maybe... he has other plans. Acting rashly will only tip our hand."
He paused, considering. "From now on, everyone stays alert. No one goes anywhere alone. I'll find an opportunity to make contact with him, figure out what he actually wants. Until he shows clear hostility, we don't make the first move."
Carlisle's decision temporarily calmed everyone, but an invisible shadow had already fallen over the vampire family. The young man who shared Edward's name was like an impenetrable fog—mysterious and dangerous.
In the following days, Bella and Edward Cullen were practically inseparable. The feeling of being watched and threatened, ironically, acted as a catalyst, rapidly intensifying their feelings for each other.
As for Edward Connor, he acted like nothing had happened—still the mysterious transfer student who impressed everyone with his answers in class, then disappeared on his badass motorcycle after school. He no longer actively harassed Edward Cullen with mental communication, nor did he show any unusual interest in Bella, as if the confrontation in the cafeteria had never happened.
Until a stormy weekend arrived.
The Cullen family decided to play baseball in a clearing deep in the forest—their favorite family activity, because the thunder perfectly masked the enormous crack generated by their superhuman hits. They invited Bella along.
In the clearing, the Cullen family displayed their supernatural abilities. Rosalie swung the bat with the grace of a ballerina yet could launch the baseball at cannonball speed; Emmett used pure brute strength to blast the ball into the stratosphere, creating thunderous booms; Alice and Jasper moved so fast they were nearly invisible, turning into blurs between the bases.
Bella, serving as the sole "umpire," watched in amazement, completely absorbed in this surreal family dynamic.
But the joy didn't last long.
Just as Emmett was about to swing again, Alice's movements suddenly froze. The smile vanished from her face, her eyes going distant. "Stop!"
Everyone halted and looked at her.
Three figures slowly emerged from the shadows of the forest. Leading them was a Black vampire, his expression relatively composed; beside him was a red-haired woman, her eyes wild and wary; and last was a blond man, barefoot, moving with a predator's grace, his dark crimson eyes filled with a hunter's hunger.
"We thought this area was unoccupied," Laurent, the Black vampire, said, his gaze sweeping over the Cullen family.
Carlisle stepped forward, using his usual calm tone. "We don't want any trouble."
"Your way of playing... interesting." Laurent's gaze fell on their metal baseball bats.
Just then, a gust of wind blew, lifting Bella's hair.
The blond vampire, James, suddenly twitched his nose. His head snapped toward Bella, a terrifying light igniting in his crimson eyes.
"You brought a snack," James's voice was raspy with excitement.
Instantly, the atmosphere solidified. Edward Cullen flashed in front of Bella like lightning, releasing a bestial growl. The rest of the Cullen family immediately gathered around, forming a protective circle, each dropping into a combat stance.
James smiled. He enjoyed this tension, relished the pleasure of watching prey struggle. "Looks like I've found a new game. Tracking a human protected by vampires is way more interesting than hunting mountain lions."
A confrontation was imminent.
WHOOSH!
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air without warning!
A black arrow shot like a phantom from the opposite side of the forest, embedding itself precisely in Laurent's shoulder!
"Ah!" Laurent screamed, but horrifyingly, the area around the arrow didn't bleed—instead, black smoke billowed as if corroded by acid, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air.
Everyone froze at this sudden development.
"Who?!" The red-haired woman, Victoria, shrieked. She followed the arrow's trajectory, transforming into crimson lightning, charging frantically!
But she'd barely covered ten yards when a figure casually stepped out from behind a tree. It was Edward Connor. He held an unusual black crossbow, and there was even a hint of a lazy smile on his face.
When Victoria saw him, the killing intent in her eyes intensified, and she accelerated!
Edward Connor simply raised his left hand.
Victoria, mid-sprint, seemed to slam into an invisible wall, her entire body instantly frozen in mid-air, maintaining her lunging posture, completely immobilized!
Telekinesis!
Edward Connor didn't even look at her—he just aimed the crossbow and gently squeezed the trigger.
THUNK!
Another arrow shot out, hitting Victoria dead center in the forehead. No blood, no scream—her head exploded into a cloud of ash as if an ice cube had been dropped into lava. Her headless body crumpled to the ground, then disintegrated into dust.
This instant kill, happening in the blink of an eye, sent a wave of primal terror through all the vampires present—both the Cullen family and James.
"Victoria!" James released a heart-wrenching roar. Watching his companion so easily obliterated before his eyes, his rationality was instantly consumed by rage. He abandoned Bella, the "snack," and locked all his hatred onto Edward Connor, charging in a fury.
"Should we help?" Emmett asked instinctively.
"Don't move!" Alice shrieked, her face twisted with terror. "Don't go near him! He'll kill us too!"
Her look toward Emmett was like she was staring at an idiot.
On the other side, facing the enraged James, Edward Connor looked completely at ease. The crossbow in his hand made a series of soft click-click-click sounds as a barrage of arrows formed a curtain of death.
James, living up to his reputation as a top tracker, was incredibly fast. He weaved and dodged through the arrow storm, managing to avoid most of the attack. But several arrows still grazed his body, leaving continuously smoking black wounds that severely affected his speed.
"Can you only rely on that ridiculous weapon?!" James roared while dodging. "If you're so tough, fight like a man—hand to hand!"
Edward Connor stopped firing, watching him with amusement, a smirk on his lips. "That's the first time in my life anyone's made that request."
He casually tossed the crossbow to the ground, then spread his hands toward James and beckoned with one finger.
"Your funeral. Come on."
James saw him discard his weapon and thought his moment had arrived. He let out a roar, charging with everything he had, razor-sharp claws aimed at Edward Connor's heart!
Edward Connor stood his ground, neither dodging nor retreating, simply throwing an unremarkable punch the instant James reached him.
No earth-shattering sound, no flashy special effects.
His fist connected solidly with James's chest.
The next second, time seemed to stand still.
James's forward momentum abruptly ceased, his expression of rage and confusion frozen on his face. Immediately, a spiderweb of cracks spread across his entire body, radiating from the point of impact.
CRACK.
A dull sound, like a porcelain vase filled with red powder being shattered.
James, the legendary vampire tracker, exploded into a cloud of blood mist before everyone's eyes.
Chapter Rewards
500 Power Stones = 1 New Chapter
10 Reviews = 1 New Chapter
Thanks for reading!
20+ advanced chapters available on P1treon: DarkFoxx