Shrouded Seascape

Dozens of figures stood quietly beneath the villa's dim lights; they had been waiting for Gao Zhiming. The figures were of all ages, and they only had one thing in common—their unusually pale skin.

Their pale skin had proven their identity, but compared to their counterparts in the seascape, the Blood Clan members on the surface world were more modern in terms of clothing.

For example, the thin man at the helm was wearing a tracksuit with three stripes, and the hat on his bald head was worn askew. He was squatting at the helm of the group and was smoking some pot.

Magnus' eyes were narrowed as he stared at the bizarre-looking visitor.

"Welcome, welcome. It's been a long time since I've had some guests here," Magnus said coldly.

"I come in peace." Gao Zhiming raised his head. He followed Anna's instructions and looked straight at Magnus.

"I don't know where you're from, sir or miss, but I don't think casually killing someone else's blood servant can be considered coming in peace anywhere else in the world," Magnus replied.

As soon as his words fell, the malicious crimson eyes in the darkness moved to surround Gao Zhiming. Judging from the looks on their faces, they took Anna's action of killing one of them as an act of grave provocation.

Realizing that the atmosphere was becoming tense, Anna said, "Do you really think that it's a good idea for us to fight when the IMF is nearby? And is it really a good idea to fight someone unknown to you?"

Magnus hurled the joint in his hand to the ground and roared, "No one has ever dared to offend me like this. And you killed one of my people, so you must pay the price!"

Gao Zhiming couldn't understand what Magnus was saying, but he could feel the malicious gaze being thrown at him. Their gazes were too much for a nine-year-old child to bear, but Gao Zhiming held on bitterly just to help his big sister.

"Is that so? I had no idea that Blood Clan members could actually have such affection for their family members. But truth be told, these people are just slaves you casually converted while feeding on them, aren't they?

"You should be careful. Vampires rebelling against their elders isn't a rare sight, and perhaps one day, they might conspire to drain you of your blood essence.

At the naked threat against their father, the nearby vampires opened their mouths and bared their fangs at Gao Zhiming. Their nails also transformed to resemble a tiger's claw.

Magnus just had to give the order, and they would immediately tear the presumptuous boy before them into pieces.

Before any orders could be given, the dozen or so vampires around Gao Zhiming were suddenly engulfed in flames. They couldn't do anything other than scream as they were reduced to ashes in the proverbial blink of an eye.

"Apologies, but I don't like people standing too close to me."

The turn of events frightened all the vampires present, and they hurriedly distanced themselves from Gao Zhiming. Those vampires had spontaneously combusted. It was a bizarre ability that seemed impossible to counter.

They also had no idea when the figure before them had made their move. To make matters worse, the attack could just be one of the other party's special abilities.

Instead of getting mad, Magnus actually laughed at the sight. He raised his hand, and the remaining vampires around Gao Zhiming retreated in a hurry.

"Hahaha, you know a lot about us. Have you had any contact with us before?" Magnus asked, putting his hands in his pockets and walking toward Gao Zhiming.

"Yes. Back then, my husband liked dealing with your kind."

"Oh? Then, I hope you'll introduce me to your husband when you have the time. I really like making friends. Ah, nice to meet you; I'm Viscount Magnus."

Gao Zhiming grabbed the extended hand and gave it a light shake. "You can call me Bandages."

"All right, Miss Bandages, how may I help you? You're not out here for a late-night stroll, are you?"

"I'm a bit curious. How come you and the IMF are in the same city? Are they not bothering you at all?"

Magnus gestured to the villa instead of answering, and the heavy wooden doors opened slowly. "How about we go in and talk about it inside? Of course, if you feel unsafe, you can turn around and leave."

Gao Zhiming followed Anna's instructions and walked straight into the villa.

There were many sofas within the reception hall of the villa, and vampires in different attires were either standing or sitting on the sofas. Each vampire was doing their own thing.

Some were listening to music with headphones on; some were chatting with wine glasses in hand, while some were even making out in the open.

If it weren't for the large age gap between each vampire, anyone would think that they had stumbled upon a young adult party.

Anna had Gao Zhiming look around for a while before instructing him to sit on an empty sofa in the corner of the reception hall. Viscount Magnus quietly followed him.

Magnus lit a greenish-brown joint and held it between his lips. Soon, a piney smell permeated the air around him.

"This place was originally a swingers club, and it hasn't been that long since we occupied this place. We haven't been in this city for long," Magnus said, answering Anna's earlier question.

"Please excuse our rudeness earlier, but I'm sure you know that the IMF excels at infiltration. An organization that has been infiltrated by them only has one fate—either destruction or containment.

"It happens so frequently that one can't be too careful." Magnus sized up the black bandages wrapped around Gao Zhiming.

Anna laughed coldly in her heart. The underlying meaning behind Magnus' words was unmistakable. "Are you saying that I'm one of the IMF's shadows?"

Magnus waved the joint between his fingers and said, "No, I don't suspect you at all. The IMF members in this city are all under our surveillance. Since you're clearly not one of them, then you must be a friend, right?"

Anna went silent. Magnus was a chatterbox, so she decided to let him spill whatever he wanted to spill.

"To be honest, we usually don't gather so many people in a city. Just finding enough food for so many of us is already troublesome," Magnus said with a light smile. "Despite that, there are so many of us in this city.

"Why do you think that's the case, Miss Bandages? And we're just one part of a bigger whole."

"It can't be because you're planning on attacking an IMF site, can it?" Anna asked jokingly, but Magnus' expression revealed that she had struck the nail on the head.

"Have you heard about the incident involving 315? 315 became famous by raiding multiple IMF sites in just over a year. In the end, she was killed, but her exploits told us that the IMF is not impregnable—the IMF can be defeated.

"There have been many 315 copycats recently, and they're making the IMF feel flustered. Under the immense pressure, their seemingly unassailable fortress has begun showing cracks."

A map of the city was rolled out in front of Gao Zhiming. A circle was drawn in the very center of the city, and there were three letters written in blood within the circle—IMF.

An IMF site was actually located right in the middle of the city. Anna had never imagined that there would be an IMF site in such a place—no wonder she hadn't been able to find it.

"Miss Bandages, you have formidable strength, and you can surely help me when the time comes," Magnus said, looking thrilled as he continued, "Just think about it; why should we hide from them? Why can't we walk on the streets without fearing for our lives?

"The IMF has been sitting on its throne for too long, and it's about time we replace them!"

Anna wasn't foolish enough to fall for Magnus' impassioned words. Everything he was doing was just for show, and it was all for the sake of using Anna as a weapon.

However, it seemed that they were really planning on attacking an IMF site, and nothing else mattered to Anna other than that.

Regardless of their motive and goals, Anna wanted nothing more than the tree branch that Charles had left behind and the memory-altering mirror that Olivia had mentioned before.