Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Li Yuebai drove onto the less crowded outer ring road.
In less than half a day, he and Ye Qing had fallen into the same dead end— both had become fugitive criminals.
Ye Qing was a vampire with the ability to control minds, so even when wanted, he could always find a way to slip through checkpoints.
But he didn’t have that ability. Once Director Wang started laying down his net, there was no escaping.
What crime was assaulting a police officer?
The tranquilizer gun he used was a contraband… and the rattan-patterned silver-plated longsword was also a contraband, already left in the city police station’s parking lot, with no time to retrieve it.
After thinking it over, Li Yuebai took out his walkie-talkie and sent a call request to Director Wang.
Soon, the other side answered.
Director Wang probably had never seen such a daring suspect, who dared to make a call right after escaping.
“Director Wang, don’t issue a warrant for my arrest.” Li Yuebai made a ridiculous request with a straight face.
“What? A fugitive suspect is asking the police not to issue a warrant? This is unheard of!” Director Wang must be slamming his fist on the table again, the sound echoing loudly.
“I’ve always abhorred tattling,” Li Yuebai said helplessly. “But if you’re going to issue a formal warrant for my arrest, I’ll have no choice but to report you to the National Security Bureau.”
“Xiao Gu, I advise you to pull back from the brink,” Director Wang said, his anger rising, his tone becoming increasingly serious.
“It’s you who should pull back from the brink,” Li Yuebai’s voice trailed off. “Do you really want to become a vampire?”
In the original storyline of this world, within the human camp, there were constantly people who tried to be possessed by dormant entities to become vampires because they feared death and craved immortality.
Director Wang was now one of those people.
In his youth, he was spirited and energetic; but in his old age, panic began to creep into his heart. The most terrifying and powerful weapon in the world is time; even the strongest person has to bow before it. Decades had passed, and everything once easily possessed, even health, had become a luxury. The shadow of death was drawing ever closer. At this age, too many people developed a fanatical pursuit of health preservation— various drugs, health products, and treatment devices were rampant, and no matter how expensive, people were willing to buy them. This human nature was not something to be ridiculed, but rather a kind of helplessness— no one was unafraid of aging, no one was unafraid of death. At this age, coupled with the temptation of “immortality,” it was easy to become hopelessly addicted.
The vast majority of them were deterred by order and law— although becoming a vampire was desirable, being granted immortality, but the next second they faced the risk of being killed by human legal institutions.
Director Wang, being a leader of a legal institution, wielded considerable power and personal strength, and had the opportunity to contact dormant bodies. Once driven by desire, it would be almost inevitable for him to vie for dormant bodies.
When Li Yuebai was cornered by Director Wang in the parking lot, he almost genuinely believed for a moment that Director Wang and Director Yang had conspired to lure him there.
But upon calming down and thinking it over, he found the loopholes.
First, if this was a trap set by Director Yang, and if their sole purpose was to arrest him, why not ambush him inside the city police station building, at the station entrance, or near the safe— any of these locations would have been easier to use to ambush him than the parking lot? Why wait until he arrived at the parking lot, about to drive away, before waiting to intercept him? Second, if it was a trap, why did Director Yang actually use a real black coffin as bait? He could have easily placed a rock or something else in the safe; there was no need to risk such an important item.
Third, Director Wang was clearly attending a meeting out of town at this time; why was he the one rushing to arrest him? When he tentatively inquired, Director Wang, after some thought, actually followed his line of reasoning and admitted to conspiring with Director Yang to lure him there. If it were truly a conspiracy, Director Wang could have remained silent, revealing no information, and simply made the arrest; why would he expose the trap in front of his subordinates?
Finally, Director Wang’s focus on the black coffin was far too intense. Although he consistently used the guise of arresting himself to conceal his true purpose, it was clear that his deeper aim was singular— to obtain the black coffin and the dormant body.
Director Wang wasn’t lacking in cunning or concealment; he was simply driven by an overwhelming desire. Even the most cautious person could not hide their intentions under the weight of surging ambition.
From beginning to end, everything Director Yang told him was true: someone tried to decipher the safe’s combination, someone tried to steal the dormant body, someone tried to defect to the vampire camp— and that person was Director Wang.
“Director Wang, you haven’t committed any actual crimes. It’s not too late to back down now. I won’t say a word,” Li Yuebai said sincerely. “Several people in the National Security Bureau already suspect you. If I report you, they’ll immediately start watching you. Even if you successfully convert, they’ll immediately assassinate you with silver bullets… So, how about we compromise?”
“The dormant body,” Director Wang uttered, ignoring his previous statement.
Director Wang knew perfectly well that their conversation would be recorded and could potentially be used against him later. Therefore, he remained tight-lipped, refusing to admit any desire to become a vampire, no matter how much Gu Xisha provoked or tried to trap him. Every word he uttered was carefully chosen to avoid giving himself away.
To ensure his escape, Li Yuebai tossed the small black coffin to Director Wang. With the coffin in his possession, Director Wang held a significant advantage. His phrase “dormant body” implied “the dormant body is with me,” and further implied: “What right do you, Gu Xisha, have to negotiate with me? Since the dormant body is with me, I hold the power and can transform into a vampire at any time. From the time you report me until the National Security Bureau arrives, it will take time. In that time, a vampire could easily escape. Therefore, you have absolutely no right to negotiate with me.”
“Yes, if the dormant entity was in your hands, things would be very difficult,” Li Yuebai said helplessly. “You can immediately become a vampire and escape, perhaps leaving a suicide note before you go, pointing the finger at me as the murderer. Not only can you ignore my threats, but you can also trick me again, making me a wanted fugitive for eternity… But unfortunately, the one you have is fake.”
Fake?
Director Wang frowned, looking at the small black coffin in his hand.
Both the material of the coffin and the sealing silver rope were exactly the same as the evidence in previous cases. These craftsmanship techniques could not be replicated by modern human technology; they couldn’t be more real.
“The coffin and the sealing silver rope are real, but there is no dormant entity inside,” Li Yuebai said.
The alarm bells in Director Wang’s mind immediately went off.
He didn’t hang up the walkie-talkie. Instead carrying the black coffin, he went into his private office at the city police station. There was a well-sealed cubicle there, perfect for possession. He removed his usual glasses and put on electronic display glasses— specially made for special missions, with lenses that acted as electronic displays, allowing him to clearly observe the dormant entity.
After preparing, Director Wang opened the small black coffin.
It was empty.
Even with the electronic display glasses, the dormant entity was completely invisible.
On the other end of the walkie-talkie, Li Yuebai heard the crackling sound of the silver sealing rope being pulled open and immediately said, “Now you believe me? Sorry, that was just something I used to fool you.”
The small black coffin he kicked to Director Wang in the parking lot was actually the one from the museum that had once contained the Joker and Vila.
As for the coffin with the dormant body that he took out of the safe, it was still on his person.
Not to mention Director Wang, even Director Yang, and none of his other colleagues at the Municipal Bureau knew that there was a dormant Joker body in the museum. The only people who knew were Li Yuebai, Ye Qing, Zhuo Zhuo, Wang Wen, and Xiao Tian. The latter three were probably still unconscious and couldn’t possibly have told Director Wang about it remotely. Therefore, Director Wang had no way of knowing that Gu Xisha had a second black coffin on her person, and that it was actually empty.
“Where did you get this extra empty coffin?” As expected of Director Wang, even in his anger, he didn’t lose his temper and was able to sort out his thoughts and continue to ask.
“I’ve been investigating all sorts of vampire-related cases lately. There are just too many of them, as many as you can get,” Li Yuebai casually made up. On the other end of the walkie-talkie, Director Wang seemed to light a cigarette and take a long drag.
Without the dormant form as leverage, he had to seriously consider Gu Xisha’s demand for a “compromise.” Actually, it was quite simple. As long as he didn’t order Gu Xisha’s arrest, the people who had been tranquilized were all his trusted confidants and wouldn’t say a word. Given Gu Xisha’s character, he naturally wouldn’t push him too far or report his dangerous intentions to the National Security Bureau. He could still remain the head of the Municipal Bureau, as if nothing had happened, and everything would be peaceful.
It had to be said, such a deal was excellent, fair, and a win-win situation.
“Director Wang, if you don’t speak, I’ll take that as your acceptance of my compromise proposal.” Li Yuebai sighed. “That’s settled then. Goodbye.”
The call was disconnected.
Director Wang smoked several cigarettes, still seething with anger. He’d been completely outmanoeuvred by Gu Xisha, a truly humiliating defeat.
Even if he couldn’t issue a public arrest warrant for Gu Xisha, he was determined to find another way to get revenge.
In this day and age, you didn’t necessarily need to use public power to “issue a warrant” to ruin someone.
Gu Xisha had plenty of enemies; simply spreading his recent activities would attract those seeking revenge.
Just as Director Wang was considering the best approach, the phone rang. It was Building 39 of the Military Region General Hospital calling.
“Hello, Director Wang, I have something to report.” On the other end was the guard watching over Weng Zichen. He kept a daily record of everything and reported it to Director Wang: “Just this morning at two o’clock, your former police officer, Gu Xisha, came here. He first met with Liang Jing, and then he and Liang Jing visited Weng Zichen.”
“Is there anything suspicious?” Director Wang frowned.
“Yes, when he and Liang Jing went to the ward to see Weng Zichen, Weng Zichen was extremely agitated, almost wanting to rush up and fight Gu Xisha.” The guard was also puzzled: “I don’t know what happened, but Gu Xisha had high authority, so we didn’t stop him.”
“Although this matter is small, it should be taken seriously.” Director Wang ordered: “Send me the video footage, I will investigate it personally.”
There was very little video footage, only a photo taken by the security camera at the entrance of the military hospital when Gu Xisha drove in.
The photo clearly showed Gu Xisha’s face and the license plate number.
Such a photo, once posted online, would expose Gu Xisha’s recent whereabouts. If someone wanted to kill him, they could simply trace the license plate number, which would be much faster and easier than issuing an arrest warrant.
Director Wang clicked the mouse and anonymously sent out the photo.
Of course, at this time, Director Wang did not expect that his move would be even more effective than he imagined.
To ordinary humans, it was just an ordinary photo; at most, they’d say, “Oh, that’s the former police officer who was released on bail, the one who was in the news before.”
But to vampires… even through a photo, they could see through a Vila’s true nature.
Shortly after the photo was posted, at 1 AM in Damascus, Gao Chengyu’s underground vampire kingdom received the information, elevating Gu Xisha’s importance level to number one.
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