Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 894: The Bonds of the Immortals (6)

Boom—boom—boom—!

In the midst of the flames, Tu Shenyi witnessed an unforgettable scene, something one would only see in a sci-fi movie... a battle that surpassed the limits of the human body.

In the snowy forest, Karen... Was this the Karen he knew? The Karen he had hugged and kissed? Tu Shenyi wasn’t sure.

She moved like a war machine, running at an unimaginable speed... lowering her body, running with a long sword like a cheetah on the snowfield.

At the same time, he also saw the tattooed man, who suddenly sprouted dense fur, sharp canine teeth, and claws, transforming into the image of a werewolf straight out of a horror novel.

She was fighting them... Yes, she was pushing beyond the limits that Tu Shenyi could comprehend.

He even saw the sharp teeth on the lips that had once kissed him, and instantly, a name came to his mind: vampire.

"Descendant of the Yishel family, Karen Yishel, your head is quite valuable!"

The hunter, suppressing fire with a massive hunting rifle, bit down on a cigar and laughed arrogantly before firing a powerful shot from behind.

Karen leaped high and landed under the trunk of a large tree, coldly looking down. "More werewolves? I thought there were real demon hunters, but it's just some fearless bounty hunters."The man with the huge hunting rifle laughed, "We’re just helping out the big shots a bit."

Karen sneered because she knew if they were true demon hunters, they would be more cautious, but if they were these bounty hunters, they would stop at nothing.

These guys were mostly scum, wandering among dark creatures, seeking profit... She glanced at Tu Shenyi, who was hiding behind a tree trunk, knowing that it was time for her to leave.

Just like decades ago, when she left the young man who had promised to paint her a beautiful portrait.

Vampires are cold-blooded creatures, but that doesn’t mean their hearts are cold... Over the long passage of time, they, too, search for meaning in their existence or someone to love.

For decades, Karen had felt nothing, but meeting Tu Shenyi had been like receiving the best Christmas gift from fate.

"It seems you care about this man? Sorry about that, then!"

At that moment, the werewolf-like tattooed man sneered and leaped forward. Werewolves had excellent jumping ability, and in a moment, he landed in front of Tu Shenyi, his heavy body hitting the ground like a pile driver.

The werewolf swung his claws fiercely. Tu Shenyi’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly retreated... but in his haste, he tripped on a rock and fell to the ground.

The werewolf's claws hit the tree trunk, and the thick trunk was almost entirely slashed through, falling down with a thunderous crash.

"Rather than letting this woman suck you dry, I might as well finish you now and let you die as a man... Hahaha!" The werewolf's bloodthirsty eyes gleamed as he raised his claws.

"How dare you!"

Suddenly, a cold voice exploded in the werewolf's ears. He instinctively turned, but all he saw was a flash of red light.

In the snow, the female vampire they had marked as prey had hair standing on end, and red steam surged from her body. Even her eyes glowed a demonic red.

The werewolf felt as though the world had been split in half as red light slashed down.

Splurt...

The werewolf's body was sliced neatly in two, falling to either side... And with that, there was nothing standing between Tu Shenyi and Karen.

He saw her, fierce and yet seductive in the blood-red steam, and she saw him, pale-faced on the ground.

Karen said nothing. She just turned and, with a leap, chased after the black-robed priest. The priest, in panic, gripped his cross tightly, and in the darkness, a golden orb of light appeared beside him.

It might have been his last defense... for when the orb appeared, the priest visibly relaxed. However, he hadn’t anticipated that Karen would slice through the golden barrier with ease.

"Don’t... don’t come any closer..." The black-robed priest turned to flee in terror.

But Karen reached out, grabbing him out of the air, and in an instant, she opened her mouth, letting out a terrifying roar... and bit down.

The priest screamed in agony... People say vampires are elegant when they feed, but all he felt was his blood being drained rapidly, accompanied by nerve-piercing pain, as if he were falling into a forest of steel needles. In moments, his mind collapsed.

"You monster!!!"

The last remaining hunter gripped his massive rifle with both hands, shouting as he fired wildly, walking toward Karen.

The special bullets exploded on impact, creating a cloud of smoke and dust that obscured everything.

The hunter’s bullets finally ran out, and as he stopped to reload, he stared anxiously into the thick smoke.

Suddenly, a blood-red sword shot out of the smoke.

The sword pierced the hunter’s chest, lifting him off the ground and pinning him to a tree.

The hunter sat there, unable to move. His eyes filled with hatred as he watched Karen emerge from the smoke, her blood-red steam dissipating. Finally, he spat out blood and lowered his head.

Karen raised her head as snowflakes began to fall. The snow melted instantly as it touched her, yet it seemed to cool her body. When the last of the red steam disappeared, she slowly opened her eyes.

She quickly turned to look.

Tu Shenyi didn't leave. At this moment, he cautiously approached, and Karen instinctively moved closer as well. However, Tu Shenyi suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Karen paused, feeling a slight shock, and stopped too.

She saw the hesitation and fear in his eyes... such an expression made her feel fear in return.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Karen finally sighed and said, "You should leave. I won't appear before you again."

Tu Shenyi remained silent for a while before finally saying, "Are you... really a vampire?"

"Haven't you already seen?" Karen replied calmly.

As she spoke, she walked to the fallen hunter and pulled out the sword that had pierced him. Then, glancing back at Tu Shenyi, she turned and headed toward the woods.

"Wait."

Karen turned her head.

Tu Shenyi suddenly said, "I finally understand why you always leave before dawn... But isn't it a bit early? It's not even daylight yet."

"Aren't... you afraid?"

"I'm afraid of you not being here."

...

This is the modern era. Don’t underestimate modern people's ability to accept things beyond common sense—this was the lighthearted explanation Tu Shenyi gave himself on the way back.

However, after learning of her true identity, an invisible barrier now stood between them.

They were at Karen's rented apartment in the town of Palin—a well-decorated house. In the living room, Tu Shenyi sat opposite Karen... It seemed like a safe distance, psychologically speaking.

"Let me sort this out..." Tu Shenyi rubbed his forehead. "You're a vampire, and the people chasing you in the snowy forest were bounty hunters. There's a price on your head, so they wanted to collect it... Who issued the bounty?"

"The Demon Hunter Association."

"Right... The Demon Hunter Association." Tu Shenyi bit his knuckle, thinking, "So, you have a lot of enemies: the Demon Hunter Association... and those bounty hunters just now, they're another group?"

"In theory, yes," Karen nodded.

Tu Shenyi quickly glanced at her, then lowered his head, staring at the floor as if continuing to ponder. "So... were you planning to drink... my...?"

Karen coldly said, "I had that plan, but those guys interrupted. Now I'm not in the mood... But that could change. When I get hungry, I won't care about my mood. So, I suggest you leave as far as possible before that happens."

Tu Shenyi suddenly asked, "Is it really impossible for vampires to eat anything other than blood?"

Karen coldly responded, "Have you ever heard of a vampire that doesn’t drink blood?"

Suddenly, she opened her mouth, revealing two sharp fangs in front of Tu Shenyi, her eyes turning blood-red as she let out a low growl.

"Wait, are you... hungry right now?" Tu Shenyi stood up quickly, waving his hands in fear. "Calm down, calm down..."

Karen sighed, retracting her vampire traits. "Tu... do you find this amusing?"

Tu Shenyi stayed silent.

"You’re obviously terrified," Karen shook her head. "You’re forcing yourself to accept this situation, but it doesn’t make me happy. In fact, it makes me feel worse. You should leave... It’s dangerous to stay with me. You saw those bounty hunters... If there was one group, there will be a second, and a third. As long as I’m alive, there will be people hunting me. You can’t deal with that."

"You’re... you're right," Tu Shenyi nodded, almost as if convincing himself, muttering, "There's nothing more important than your own life. I’d just be a burden... I... I should go. I'll leave now."

Tu Shenyi turned to go.

Just as he placed his hand on the door lock and was about to turn it, Karen moved her lips, but in the end, didn’t say anything to make him stay. She lowered her head.

"Goodbye..."

The sound of the door opening and closing.

Karen suddenly looked up, but the door had already closed. She stared blankly for a moment, then instinctively raised her hand, waving slightly, and softly said, "Goodbye..."

She let out a sigh, smiled faintly, and took out a 1-mark coin from her pocket. She placed it on the table and spun it, silently watching it.

Suddenly, the sound of the door unlocking echoed again.

Tu Shenyi hurried back inside, and under Karen's surprised gaze, he walked to the sofa, his head lowered. "I... forgot my coat."

Indeed, his coat was on the sofa. Karen glanced at it and nodded without speaking.

Tu Shenyi put on his coat and once again walked to the door, preparing to leave... Perhaps he should have left for good, but he stopped.

"Does it have to be fresh human blood?"

"What?"

"I mean..." Tu Shenyi, still facing away from her, lowered his head and quickly said, "Does it *have* to be fresh human blood? Or does it have to be human blood at all? What about animal blood? Or blood from a hospital blood bank... is that possible?"

Karen hesitated.

Tu Shenyi slowly turned around, his eyes burning with determination. "What I'm trying to say is... Can you give me some time to adjust?"

"Do you realize," Karen said softly, "that for us, there’s a moment when we feel an overwhelming desire to drink the blood of the person we love most? Our lovers, parents, children, siblings... It's a near-maddening urge, impossible to suppress or resist, like a curse. We try to avoid it, but we can't stop it from happening."

She held her chest, speaking quietly. "It feels like there's a bottomless abyss here... It needs something to fill it, desperately. Even if you try to defy it, it will still make you fall in love with someone... and drag you into a sea of torment."

"Then... make me like you."

Tu Shenyi suddenly rushed forward, hugging Karen tightly. Whispering in her ear, he said, "My adoptive parents are gone. I grew up in an orphanage. I have no parents, no family. If I have anyone I love, it's only you... You’re a vampire, but I can’t drink your blood."

"You're too naive," Karen shook her head, gently pushing him away before turning and hugging herself. "You should leave, while I... while I can still control myself."

Tu Shenyi tenderly embraced her again, softly whispering in her ear, "Do you know... I’m actually a vampire too."

"Don't joke around," Karen shook her head.

"I'm not joking."

Tu Shenyi spoke seriously: "Not just me—human beings are vampires in another sense. We obsessively take wealth, love, plunder the world’s resources. We sink our fangs into everything we see. Driven by desire, we stop at nothing, hurting others, even those who love us... We’re always drinking a different kind of blood. So..."

He stepped in front of Karen, cupping her face in his hands, and said with deep affection, "I’m a vampire too. We’re the same. I have no reason to fear you."

He leaned down and kissed her.