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"Call the cops!"
"I already did, but they won't get here for a while!"
"Then what do we do?!"
"Waahhh…!"
Some of the kids broke down crying.
"Don't be afraid, children, it's okay—it's okay. The Lord will protect us!"
…
Several more guards teamed up and went to check things out. They never came back.
Frank vaulted over the high wall, landed quietly, and put on his night vision goggles, moving like a shadow through the dark.
Suddenly, the special necklace Erik had given him reacted violently. His heart sank—there was a vampire in the orphanage!
Following the pull of the necklace, he moved quickly.
A figure in a security uniform spotted him—drawn by the scent of a living human.
"Raaagh!"
With a roar, the figure charged straight at him.
"What the hell? The orphanage guards are vampires now?"
He was surprised, but his hands didn't hesitate—aim, fire, done.
A silver bullet ripped through the vampire's skull, and the creature collapsed on the spot.
Frank stepped up to check. This one had only recently been turned—a low-level thrall. Only thralls left bodies behind after death.
And the only ones who could create thralls… were high-ranking vampires. If there was a thrall here, that meant there was a powerful vampire inside.
Frank's expression hardened. Following the necklace's guidance, he moved on.
"Dammit, what's wrong with you? I'm your teammate!"
A guard was wrestling with a thrall—someone he recognized—but he couldn't bring himself to hurt them. The thrall had no such hesitation, and its pale fangs sank into his neck. At that moment, he remembered the urban legend.
"Vam…pire!"
Bang!
A single gunshot. The thrall dropped dead, a bullet through its skull.
The guard collapsed to the ground.
"You okay?"
Frank rushed over, and the man clutched the wound on his neck.
"Hurry! Save the kids! There's really a vampire!"
Frank stood, giving him a complicated look.
"I… I'm not gonna make it. Please—please kill me. I don't wanna turn into a monster! I don't!"
His voice was hoarse now, his skin turning pale. Frank raised his gun, looking at him one last time.
"Then die as a human."
Bang!
One pull of the trigger, and the man left the world still human.
Without lingering, Frank sprinted toward the children's location.
Along the way, he saw more and more staff and guards who had been turned. This was supposed to be a happy day for the orphanage… so why? Why did it have to be like this?!
Rage boiled up in him.
Inside the room, a tall, elegant figure blocked the doorway.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… so many tasty little snacks."
"Ahhh!"
Terror filled the room. The kids hid behind the adults, sobbing, while the grown-ups shook with fear.
"You bastard! I won't let you lay a finger on these kids!"
One of the female staff shouted, her legs trembling but refusing to take a single step back. The children were behind her, and she wasn't moving.
Vlad clapped his hands slowly.
"Brave… but I don't like anyone interrupting my meals. So die."
He pointed a finger at her, and she was yanked into the air like an invisible hand had grabbed her throat. After a brief struggle, her legs twitched—and she went still.
"Now then… I trust no one else will try to stop me?"
Licking his lips, Vlad stepped forward.
The fear pressing down on them was like a mountain. They wanted to run, but their legs wouldn't move.
"You big bully! Don't you dare hurt anyone!"
A voice rang out. Little Orange stepped forward, arms spread wide, her tiny body shielding everyone behind her.
"What an amusing little thing."
Vlad hadn't expected a child to stand up to him like this.
"Then I'll start with you."
"Don't hurt Orange!"
Two more small figures stepped forward—Jason and Pierre, the two biggest troublemakers in the orphanage. But now, they were the bravest.
"Hahaha! Interesting… very interesting! Fine, as you wish—I'll start with you!"
With a flick of his hand, the two boys were pulled straight into his grasp. He opened his mouth, fangs bared, and lunged for Pierre's neck—
Bang!
A gunshot stopped him cold.
"Who's there?!"
Vlad turned, fury in his eyes.
A man in a trench coat stood there, a skull painted across his chest. He fired two more shots.
But the bullets froze in midair before they could hit him.
Vlad casually tossed the two boys to the ground.
"Silver bullets… you're a vampire hunter, aren't you?"
Frank didn't answer—he just squeezed the trigger over and over, emptying his magazine, but every bullet was stopped.
"So this is a high-ranking vampire… definitely not your average leech."
He muttered under his breath, then pulled a custom submachine gun from under his coat—one of Erik's demon-hunting toys.
"You're guilty. Go to hell."
Rat-tat-tat!
The SMG's firepower was far greater than his pistol.
Vlad's expression darkened—he was truly pissed now.
"I am a noble count, and you dare interrupt my meal, you damn little pest!"
With a roar, he lunged.
Frank rolled to the side, dodging, and returned fire.
Trading blows as they moved, he deliberately drew Vlad out of the room.
The survivors inside finally let out a breath. They knew Frank had done it on purpose to protect them.
"Kids, now's our chance—run!"
Out in the courtyard, Frank darted between cover, his agile movements keeping Vlad pinned down.
"You've really pissed me off now!"
Vlad's killing intent exploded, and the surrounding cover shattered under the pressure.
"Get over here!"
He yanked at Frank with a powerful pull—
—but Frank's cross-shaped necklace burst into a soft silver glow, blocking the force.
"A hunter's charm?! Damn you, Van Helsing!"
Vlad roared, and Frank took the opportunity to fire again.
The next instant, Vlad blurred forward, appearing right in front of him, and grabbed him by the throat.
"You filthy little pest!"
With a savage roar, he slammed Frank into the ground again and again, blood spilling from Frank's eyes, nose, and mouth. He felt like every bone in his body had shattered.
"Frank!"
A familiar voice rang out, and a blade slashed toward Vlad's arm.
Shing!
In one clean arc, Vlad's arm was cut clean off.
Frank, lying on the ground, finally let out a shaky breath.
"Cough… took you long enough, Erik."
Back when he first found out there were vampires in the orphanage, he had already sent Erik a message. Unfortunately, Erik had just discovered another nest of vampires, so he had been busy wiping them out and only rushed over just now.
"....."