Quinn spent the next few hours researching on his old computer. The internet was full of information if you knew where to look, and Quinn's future knowledge gave him a significant advantage.
Marcus Rent. Age 24. Level 4 strength ability user. Worked as a bouncer at a nightclub called "The Grind." Known for getting into fights, but always claimed self-defense. Multiple complaints filed, but never enough evidence to arrest him.
Until two months from now, when he'd finally go too far and security footage would catch him red-handed.
But Quinn also knew something else from his previous timeline: Marcus had a pattern. Every Thursday night, he'd leave work around 3 AM and cut through the old industrial district to get home. It was faster than taking the main roads, and Marcus wasn't afraid of the dark alleys.
Quinn checked the calendar. Today was Thursday. Technically very early Friday morning now, but Marcus would still follow his pattern.
"Perfect," Quinn muttered.
He had roughly 20 hours left on his blood quest timer. That gave him all day to prepare and then execute the plan tonight when Marcus left work.
But Quinn needed supplies first. He made a list:
Dark clothing (already owned)Cloth for cleaning (check)Plastic bags (for evidence disposal)Hydrogen peroxide (for cleaning blood traces)Gloves (didn't own - need to buy)
Quinn also needed to scout the location. He couldn't just show up blind and hope for the best.
At 6 AM, Quinn left his apartment dressed in his usual worn clothes and broken glasses. He needed to maintain his "weak level 1" appearance in public. Nobody could suspect he'd changed.
The industrial district was a fifteen-minute walk from his apartment. Old warehouses, abandoned factories, and narrow alleys created a maze of shadows. Quinn walked through it slowly, memorizing the layout.
There—a particular alley that had no cameras, no windows overlooking it, and only one entrance and exit. In his previous timeline, this was where Marcus had attacked someone. Now it would serve a different purpose.
Quinn noted the location and continued his reconnaissance. He needed to know every escape route, every potential witness location, every variable that could go wrong.
By 10 AM, he was back in his apartment, his plan solidified.
The Plan:
Wait near The Grind at 2:45 AMFollow Marcus at a distanceIntercept him in the target alleyIncapacitate quickly (surprise attack from behind)Feed (estimated time: 2-3 minutes)Clean all evidenceLeave Marcus unconscious but aliveDispose of any evidence far from the sceneReturn home via predetermined route avoiding cameras
Quinn spent the rest of the day preparing. He bought cheap gloves from a convenience store using cash. He filled plastic bags with hydrogen peroxide-soaked rags. He practiced moving quietly in his apartment.
But most importantly, he rested. He'd need all his strength and focus tonight.
At 10 PM, Quinn set his alarm and tried to sleep. His body was buzzing with nervous energy, but he forced himself to relax. In his previous life, he'd fought Dalki warlords and vampire nobles. This was just one human—a terrible human who deserved what was coming.
The alarm woke him at 2 AM. Quinn dressed in dark clothes and checked his supplies one final time. Everything was ready.
Plenty of time.
Quinn left his apartment and made his way toward The Grind. The streets were mostly empty at this hour, with only occasional night workers and insomniacs wandering about. Quinn kept his head down and his pace normal—just another person going about their business.
He positioned himself across the street from The Grind, hidden in a bus stop shelter. From here, he could see the employee exit without being obvious.
At 3:04 AM, Marcus emerged. The man was exactly as Quinn remembered—tall, muscular, with an arrogant swagger that screamed "I'm stronger than you." Marcus lit a cigarette and started walking.
Quinn waited thirty seconds, then followed at a distance.
Marcus walked his usual route, completely oblivious to the shadow trailing him. Why would he be worried? He was a level 4 ability user. Most people crossed the street to avoid him, not the other way around.
As Marcus turned into the industrial district, Quinn felt his heart rate increase. This was it. The point of no return.
Marcus entered the target alley, just as Quinn had predicted. Quinn quickened his pace, moving silently. Years of vampire enhanced senses in his previous life had trained his instincts, even if his current body was still weak.
Marcus was halfway through the alley when Quinn struck.
Quinn had grabbed a metal pipe earlier and hidden it in the alley. Now he snatched it up and swung hard at the back of Marcus's knee.
The pipe connected with a satisfying crack. Marcus went down with a shout of pain and surprise, his cigarette flying from his mouth.
"What the—" Marcus started to turn, green light beginning to glow around his fists as he activated his strength ability.
But Quinn was faster. He'd fought too many battles in his previous life to hesitate now. He swung the pipe again, this time at Marcus's temple.
Not hard enough to kill—Quinn had calculated the force carefully—but hard enough to daze. Marcus's eyes rolled back and he slumped forward.
Quinn immediately dropped the pipe and knelt beside the unconscious man. His hands shook slightly as he pulled out his knife.
"You're a monster," Quinn whispered to the unconscious Marcus. "You hurt people weaker than you. You deserved this."
He made a clean incision on Marcus's forearm—deep enough to draw blood, shallow enough not to cause permanent damage. Blood flowed dark red in the dim alley light.
Quinn hesitated for only a second before pressing his mouth to the wound.
The first taste of blood hit his tongue and the system exploded to life.
The blood was warm, coppery, and somehow... satisfying in a way that made Quinn uncomfortable. He forced himself to drink only what he needed, counting to thirty in his head.
Quinn pulled away, gasping. His body felt electric, powerful. The stat increase was small, but noticeable.
He quickly wrapped Marcus's arm with bandages from his bag—tight enough to stop bleeding but not suspicious. Then he cleaned the ground with his peroxide-soaked rags, making sure no blood evidence remained.
Marcus groaned, starting to wake up.
Quinn grabbed the metal pipe and melted back into the shadows, vanishing before Marcus's eyes could focus.
By the time Marcus fully regained consciousness, Quinn was three blocks away, disposing of his gloves and cleaning rags in separate dumpsters far from the scene.
Quinn checked his new status as he walked home:
<20/100 exp>
One stat point. It didn't sound like much, but Quinn knew how valuable every single point was. And he had four months to accumulate more.
When he finally locked his apartment door behind him, Quinn allowed himself to collapse onto his bed, exhausted but satisfied.
"Day one complete," he muttered. "One hundred nineteen days to go."
The vampire system hummed quietly in his consciousness, and Quinn smiled in the darkness.
His second chance had truly begun.