"Everyone, let's discuss it. Should we take this job or not?"
Inside a hidden stronghold of The Hand, dim lights illuminated five faces with varying expressions.
Madame Gao scanned the other four leaders, her aged fingers gently tapping the table. Such a high reward was definitely worth the risk.
"Looks like that boss is truly terrified," Murakami said with a sneer, a hint of vigilance flashing in his eyes.
"Is that Mutant named Adrian really that strong?" Alexandra asked with a frown, her fingers unconsciously caressing the rim of her teacup.
The Hand had assassinated Mutants and superhumans before, but they rarely received tasks with such generous rewards.
The employer not only set up a separate assassination fund but also promised that if they succeeded, the bounty from the underground world would also be theirs.
The total exceeded fifty million dollars!
In the '90s, this was definitely an astronomical figure.
"My suggestion is to take this job."
"But the specific action plan has to be very carefully thought out."
Bakuto pushed up his glasses, his tone cautious.
Sowande and Murakami also nodded in agreement.
For the superhuman world, Adrian was a figure who'd suddenly appeared. From being a wanted man to now clashing with the vampires, only about three months had passed, yet he'd already shown shocking changes in strength.
According to intel from the vampires, Adrian's strength shouldn't be underestimated. The Hand had previously fought with vampire hunting parties, and both sides suffered casualties. However, Adrian's subordinate was able to single-handedly wipe out a vampire squad without injury, which was enough to prove the point.
"We need to plan meticulously."
"It's modern society now. I don't believe anyone can withstand an assassination with thermal weapons. Even someone like Magneto would be pierced through the neck by a specially made bullet."
Madame Gao finally made the decision.
Several days passed in a flash.
Adrian and Clarisse once again destroyed a vampire stronghold. This was already the third stronghold they'd raided, and the number of vampires killed by Clarisse had long exceeded a hundred.
From her initial awkwardness to her current composure, Clarisse's growth was visible to the naked eye. Under Adrian's deliberate guidance, her psychological state also showed no problems. It had to be said that her faith was really firm, which allowed her to maintain inner peace when facing gore.
"Your Eminence, there's new news."
In a luxurious hotel room, Clarisse, holding intel from the Vatican, came to Adrian's room.
"Tell me," Adrian said without lifting his head, continuing to read the book in his hand. Elemental light flowed and flickered between the pages, as if recording some mystery.
"There was definitely a coup within the vampires."
"The chaos was huge—all the Elders of the pure-blood vampires were taken away by Deacon. As for what he plans to do, nobody knows yet. But he seems to be looking for Blade's whereabouts."
Clarisse reported.
"Hmm?" The light on the book paused, then faded.
"Interesting."
"Looks like he's ready."
A smile played on Adrian's lips.
He naturally knew what Deacon was plotting—the Blood God Sacrifice Ritual required the blood of a Daywalker!
Among all vampires, there were only two Daywalkers: one was Dracula, an immortal being created by a remnant of Atlantis with the help of the Darkhold, who had almost no weaknesses, his only vital point being the Darkhold itself. The other was Blade.
Blade's existence was an accident inadvertently created by Deacon. As a hybrid of human and vampire, he possessed the strength of a vampire and the habits of a human, yet he wasn't afraid of sunlight. In a possible future, Blade would even be chosen as a vessel, becoming the body for that remnant's revival.
"Let's go, let's join the fun."
"This matter should come to an end now."
Adrian closed the book and stood up.
By now, the vampires had paid a good enough price. The culprit who massacred the church—the vampires could never hand him over, because he'd already died at Adrian's hands several days ago.
The reason for continuing to clear out vampire strongholds, besides disliking these dark creatures, was more for establishing authority.
"Knock knock..."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Creak~"
The door opened, and Blade, covered in blood, stood at the doorway, clearly having just gone through a fierce battle.
"Mr. Adrian, is the Blood God Sacrifice Ritual you mentioned earlier this one?" Out of politeness, Blade didn't step directly into the room, but just stood at the doorway. In that short time, the blood at his feet had already pooled into a small puddle.
"You're badly hurt."
"Deacon's found you already?"
Adrian observed Blade's condition, not at all surprised.
In the Blood God Sacrifice Ritual, Blade was the most crucial link. Without the blood of a Daywalker, Deacon's ritual would be way less effective.
"That's right." Blade nodded, then continued to ask.
"I want to know, am I part of this ritual?"
He always felt that Adrian knew a lot of secrets. Even though the guy's information seemed really transparent, this feeling kept getting stronger.
"That's right, and the most important part."
"You should know that even though vampires are long-lived species, it's pretty damn difficult for them to improve their strength. Including pure-blood vampires, their power limit is almost determined from the moment they're born or transformed, and even Dracula's no exception."
Adrian admitted frankly.
He paused, then continued: "But it's not totally impossible to improve strength. Clearly, Deacon's found a way. And this is also your opportunity."
Adrian looked up at Blade. The guy was a typical dark hero, not a good person in the traditional sense, but there was room for cooperation with him, at least at this stage.
"I think we can cooperate."
"If I successfully hijack this ritual, I hope to form a strategic alliance with the Vatican."
Blade thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said.
Seeing that Adrian didn't interrupt, he continued to explain: "After talking with you last time, I specifically looked into the history of vampires. Those hidden old monsters are powerful, especially the second and third generation vampires, who are almost invulnerable, not to mention Dracula, the progenitor. I think the Vatican also needs powerful allies."
Blade knew the alliance condition he proposed had no obvious benefits for the Vatican, and might even mess with the Vatican's reputation, since cooperating with a hybrid vampire sounded sketchy.
"Interesting." Adrian hadn't expected Blade to bring up cooperation on his own.
Just like Blade thought, cooperation between the Vatican and him really had no obvious benefits, but this didn't mean that Adrian personally couldn't cooperate with Blade.
"I can cooperate with you, but only as myself."
"It doesn't represent the Vatican's position."
Adrian finally said.
The guy involved the Darkhold, so it was worth strategizing.
Blade agreed without hesitation: "Good!" He'd come specifically for Adrian. As long as Adrian agreed to cooperate, nothing else was an issue.
"Let's go, meet your old friend." Adrian stood up and walked to Blade's side, casually patting his shoulder.
A strong vital energy surged into Blade's body, green light flickering. His wounds healed rapidly at a visible speed. The wood-element life energy, drawn from plants and trees, had an insane healing effect even on a hybrid vampire like Blade.
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