Trap
Xu Mo stepped into the elevator.
The two surviving vampires, desperate to live, lashed out in a frenzy. But after a few punches, the difference in strength became undeniable. Beaten down and broken, they slumped at Xu Mo's feet.
He lifted one by the collar.
"Where's your lair?"
The vampire spat blood and sneered, "You—"
Shhhk!
Xu Mo drove his silver-edged blade into the creature's chest. The vampire shrieked once before collapsing into ash.
Xu Mo turned to the second.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" the vampire babbled, panic in his glowing eyes. "The base—it's beneath this bar!"
Before Xu Mo could press further, the vampire scrambled to the elevator panel. He tapped the buttons in a strange sequence. A hidden compartment slid open, revealing a new button—marked B2.
At that moment, Hill caught up. She caught the tail end of the confession.
"Seems I'm late," she said dryly.
"No—you're just in time," Xu Mo replied, and without another word, he plunged his knife into the vampire's chest. It dissolved into ash at Hill's feet.
Xu Mo pressed the concealed button. The elevator lurched violently, plunging downward for a full thirty seconds. The descent told them that the so-called "negative second floor" lay hundreds of meters underground.
When the doors finally creaked open, a dimly lit chamber stretched before them.
Hundreds of figures filled the hall. Tied to the center were young women, wrists slit, their blood dripping into basins. Vampires circled them methodically, feeding in turns. A few girls already lay motionless, drained beyond saving.
Hill's face hardened. The stench of blood and death turned her stomach. And yet, the creatures remained so engrossed that they didn't even register the elevator's arrival.
It wasn't until half a minute later that two vampires—a man and a woman—noticed Xu Mo and Hill. Their eyes flared with hunger. With a snarl, they lunged.
Hill reacted instantly, drawing her SHIELD-issue pistol. Two sharp reports rang out. Both vampires collapsed, silver rounds burning them to ash.
The gunfire echoed through the cavern.
Every head turned.
The entire hall of vampires roared and surged forward.
Xu Mo stepped in front of Hill, shielding her. His voice was cold, furious.
"A pack of vermin. Your filth ends here."
He palmed an ultraviolet grenade, thumbed the switch, and tossed it casually into the horde.
A second later—
Boom!
The chamber blazed like the sun. Screams filled the air as dozens of vampires combusted instantly. When the light faded, the vast hall was empty—save for a few who had managed to shield themselves behind stone pillars.
Hill exhaled shakily. "After this… I'm going to need therapy."
"Or maybe just a little stress relief," Xu Mo said, handing her his silver blade.
Hill didn't hesitate. She charged the weakened survivors. Their skin was blistered, their bodies smoking, and in less than five minutes, all of them were reduced to ash.
Xu Mo moved on, leading them through the blood-soaked hall. Another elevator waited at the far end.
"This place is locked down tighter than a Hydra base," he muttered.
Instead of waiting for controls, Xu Mo drew his adamantium-forged sword and tore the doors open. Without hesitation, he dropped into the shaft, landing lightly atop the car below. A few swift strikes carved an opening, and he slipped inside.
Beyond the elevator was a short corridor ending in a heavy metal gate. As he approached, it slid open with an ominous hiss.
Inside, a ritual chamber sprawled out, its walls pulsing faintly with black energy. Dozens of pale vampires sat in a circle, chanting in an ancient tongue. At the center, bound to an altar, was a girl—barely seventeen or eighteen.
Xu Mo froze. The resemblance was unmistakable. She looked exactly like the girl he had rescued from the castle.
Her sister.
The chanting rose. Xu Mo realized he had walked in on a ritual—one straight from SHIELD's classified files. A Blood Moon Ascension, designed to awaken a "True Vampire" by sacrificing a blood relative.
He didn't wait. His pistol barked in rapid bursts. Silver rounds screamed across the chamber.
But these were no fledglings. The vampires moved with superhuman speed, twisting aside from the barrage. They were elders, seasoned predators with status in the coven.
They bared their fangs and rushed him.
Xu Mo extended his right hand. The bullets he had fired curved midair, arcing back toward the vampires with twice the speed.
They never had time to react. Screams echoed as the silver tore through their hearts, reducing them to ash.
Xu Mo advanced on the altar. He flicked a throwing knife, slicing through the girl's bindings. Her limp body slid off the stone as Xu Mo caught her gently.
Her eyes fluttered open in confusion. "Who… who are you?"
"I'm here to save you," Xu Mo answered firmly. "Your sister sent me."
But at his words, her expression clouded.
"…Sister?" she whispered. "I'm an only child. My parents never had another daughter."
Xu Mo's eyes widened. His grip tightened. "No…!"
Before he could act, black energy surged across the chamber walls.
From the shadows, a second figure descended slowly—a girl identical to the one in his arms, her eyes glowing with unholy power.
Her voice was cold, mocking.
"Too late to run now."