Twenty-three feathers
“Hmm…Hmm…”
In an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city, Yao Qingluan was tied to a chair, her forehead covered in sweat, her hair sticking together, and a piece of black tape on her mouth, so that she could only make vague whimpering sounds.
She didn't know why she was here. She clearly remembered that she had been organizing information at the Investigation Bureau, and then she seemed to have fainted. When she woke up, she found herself in this ghost place.
The factory was very dark, with only a few beams of light shining through the narrow iron windows, creating mottled shadows on the ground. There was a pungent smell of chemical reagents mixed with mildew, and everything was dilapidated.
Yao Qingluan struggled hard, trying to break free from the ropes, but her whole body was weak, and even though it seemed like she had used all her strength, it seemed so insignificant.
She stared at the man in front of her.
"Don't look at me like that, I'll be scared~" Duan Jiu looked sarcastic, with a mischievous smile on his lips, and walked towards Yao Qingluan step by step.
His fingers slid down Yao Qingluan's stained and sweaty cheek.
"What a beautiful face." He murmured softly.
Yao Qingluan turned her head away in disgust, keeping as much distance from him as possible, her eyes full of disgust.
Duan Jiu raised an eyebrow, chuckled, and pulled his hand away, "Alright, if my little beauty doesn't like it, then I won't touch it."
"I've already sent Ye Linghan the location. Guess when he'll be able to find this place?"
Duan Jiu left Yao Qingluan's side and sat down on a chair beside her with his legs stretched out. He casually took out a cigarette, held it between his fingertips skillfully, and was about to put it to his lips when he suddenly remembered something and put it down.
"Hey, pretty girl, do you mind if I smoke a cigarette?"
Yao Qingluan said nothing and turned her head away without looking at him.
Duan Jiu angrily threw his cigarette on the table. "Why are you doing this? I didn't mean to embarrass you. I just wanted to ask you to tell Ye Linghan to stop interfering in these matters. Why didn't you listen?"
Duan Jiu looked at Yao Qingluan for a moment, walked up to her and tore off the tape on her mouth.
"Sorry, no wonder you were silent. I forgot to tear it for you."
The tape was torn off, breathing became smoother, and Yao Qingluan took a deep breath.
She glared at Duan Jiu fiercely, "Bah! Ling Han is free to do whatever he wants. What right do you have to interfere? Or is it that you, the vampires, have done something bad and are feeling guilty?"
Duan Jiu heard this and pretended to be very panicked and waved his hands repeatedly, "Hey, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say anything you want. Besides..."
He instantly flashed behind Yao Qingluan, and before the latter could react, her throat was strangled. Duan Jiu was pinching Yao Qingluan's neck, not enough to suffocate her, but it was not comfortable either.
"Ye Linghan and I have no grudges against each other, so there's no need to harm him. If you want to blame someone, blame him for offending his superiors. I was only following orders, so it's not my fault~"
Yao Qingluan's breathing was rough, and the foreign body sensation in her neck made her very uncomfortable. She gritted her teeth and smiled, "Then tell me, who is your superior?"
Duan Jiu's expression was clearly surprised, and the strength in his grip loosened a little. "Aren't you a Blood Hunter? Don't you know this?"
Yao Qingluan shook her head. From her observation, it seemed that the person who tied her up had no intention of hurting her, so her tense nerves relaxed a little.
"Then you don't need to know. I'm just an insignificant little guy anyway."
Duan Jiu withdrew his hand and loosened his grip on Yao Qingluan.
"Tsk, it seems I overestimated their abilities. I should have found a place closer. Why haven't they come for so long?"
He left without saying anything else after saying this.
The person above him... who else could it be? Looking at his back, Yao Qingluan thought silently, could it be that a vampire of his strength is not considered high-level, then his boss is simply so terrifying.
But this person said that the people above didn't want Xiao Ye to live. Could it be that he had offended someone? But wasn't he with that vampire boss? Who else could it be?
Suddenly, a terrible thought lingered in Yao Qingluan's mind.
Could it be that... Yin Chen wants him to die?
She was extremely confused at the moment. Although she wanted to know the truth, she thought that her life would be in danger if Ye Linghan came, so she secretly prayed that they would not come.
Same time period.
Ye Linghan was forced to hang up the phone. He gripped the phone tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. "Fuck." He cursed under his breath.
He originally thought that the last accidental encounter was actually premeditated, but he didn't know when he became their "prey".
Ye Linghan turned around, his eyes filled with determination, "Brother Mo, I'll go alone. They want to see me, and I promise to bring Sister Luan back safely."
He decided to go alone, but there was still some unrealistic fantasy in his heart that perhaps Yin Chen would not let him die.
But Su Mo didn't understand these things. He only thought about not letting his teammates take risks alone. He couldn't do that.
He shook his head and said resolutely, "How can that be? Since you are one of us now, there is no reason to trade your life for A-Luan's."
"But the opponent is a vampire. There's no chance of winning, but there's no need to sacrifice another person!"
He suppressed the anger in his heart.
"You are a noble Blood Hunter, and I am just an ordinary person. It doesn't matter if I die!" Ye Linghan growled in a deep voice.
"Hello, Dad."
A weak voice came from behind the two of them.
Who is Dad? Who should I call?
Ye Linghan and Su Mo stopped arguing and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see that Liao Xihe had made a phone call without them noticing.
The two looked at each other for a moment.
Liao Xihe also noticed the reactions of the two and made a "hush" gesture.
"Dad, can you help us get a gun?"
He said he wanted his dad to give him a gun? Who is this guy?
The two of them were thinking about it in their minds at the same time.
Because the three races coexist, humans who are at a disadvantage are allowed to be equipped with guns, but only prominent figures can show them off openly, and the lower-class people are simply turned a blind eye.
So Liao Xihe’s background must be complicated.
Although ordinary guns are not fatal to vampires, if they are really hit, they will still feel uncomfortable for a while.
I don't know what was said on the other end of the phone, but Liao Xihe's tone became faster and more anxious, "Oh, Dad! Human life is at stake! My boss has been kidnapped by the vampires. It's urgent!"
As Liao Xihe spoke, he raised his hand to signal to Su Mo that his claim that his boss was kidnapped was just an excuse.
The person on the other end of the phone spoke again, and this time the anxious expression on Liao Xihe's face eased.
After hanging up the phone, he looked at the two of them and said, "Send me the address. I'll go get my dad's gun and then meet up with you guys!"
"You..." Su Mo hadn't finished speaking when Liao Xihe dragged him downstairs. "I'll explain it to you guys when we get back. Saving people is more important."
They hurriedly followed Liao Xihe downstairs. Ye Linghan no longer argued with Su Mo about who would go first. After all, the ones who kidnapped Yao Qingluan were vampires, who were extremely cruel. They were afraid that if they went too late, Yao Qingluan would get into an accident.
Arriving at the parking lot, Su Mo was about to take out the key to open the car door when Ye Linghan grabbed his arm and said, "Brother Mo, drive my car. It's durable."
I think a big battle is inevitable, or he will be chased by someone on the way, or after rescuing Yao Qingluan, he will be pursued by the enemy. In short, it is probably not going to be smooth.
Ye Linghan pressed the electronic key of the G-Class.
Besides, the car is not his anyway, so he won’t feel bad even if it breaks down. On the contrary, if something happens to him, he will definitely help solve it.
Su Mo agreed without hesitation and followed Ye Linghan into the car.
Although Ye Linghan looks obedient on the surface and acts weak and pitiful in front of outsiders, he is actually very wild at heart. He has done almost anything without others knowing, and is completely different from his appearance.
After getting in the car, Ye Linghan stepped on the accelerator and drove straight to where Yao Qingluan was imprisoned.
The iron gate outside the factory was not closed, as if it was specially opened for Ye Linghan. He did not hesitate and broke in directly.
Fortunately, the positioning was accurate and they quickly found the house where Yao Qingluan was imprisoned.
As soon as he parked the car, Su Mo couldn't wait to get out.
Ye Linghan, who was standing by, grabbed his arm and said, "Wait a minute!"
Su Mo looked back at him in confusion.
Ye Linghan took out the soul-viewing mirror from the gap between two pieces of clothing, opened it and scanned around.
"There's still some time left. Let's take a picture in case any of their people are around."
There was nothing in the area where the Soul Mirror swept through. Ye Linghan tried his best to maximize the use of the magic items he had.
"Brother Mo, you sit in the car. I will definitely bring Sister Luan out safely. If anything happens to me..." He paused, and a sour emotion suddenly came back, blocking his heart and making him feel uncomfortable.
"Take Sister Luan and leave quickly, and..."
He took the ring off his hand and placed it on Su Mo's hand, "Help me give this to Yin Chen."
He didn't know the meaning of this ring or where it could be used, but he had a vague feeling that Yin Chen would not give it to him for no reason, but he might not have the chance to know the truth.
Ye Linghan thought, since he gave it to me, I will return it to him.
He didn't know if he could get out alive, and felt that his hope was slim. Although there were no other vampires around, Duan Jiu seemed to be of middle to high level. He was just an ordinary person without any magic weapon, so he probably had little chance of winning.
However, even if he couldn't escape unscathed, he was 80% sure that he could get a one-for-one exchange.
At the same time, he was making his final bet, betting that Yin Chen would know about this and that he would come to save him.
Love is a huge gamble. Either you win everything or you are out.
And he wants to win.
"You..." Su Mo stared at the ring in his hand, his throat tight.
Ye Linghan patted his shoulder and said with a wry smile, "Don't worry, if I don't go in, I really won't stand a chance of winning."
"Okay, be careful."
Ye Linghan got out of the car and walked straight into the factory without hesitation.
"Oh, it's okay, you're not too slow." Duan Jiu's voice sounded.
Ye Linghan looked around and didn't see the person who was talking. He only saw Yao Qingluan tied to a chair at the other end.
Just as he was about to take a step forward, he saw a wisp of black smoke coming towards him. After circling around him, it turned into a human form and stood beside him.
The last time I saw it from the surveillance camera, I didn’t have a clear impression of Duan Jiu’s appearance, but this time I finally saw him clearly.
He has delicate eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and a jawline that gives his face a three-dimensional look.
However, his voice, which occasionally smacks of mockery, is somewhat disjointed from his face.
"Can all of you vampires become invisible?" Ye Linghan pretended to be calm and tried to calm the other party down first.
"Of course not. Every vampire has different abilities, but invisibility is pretty common, at least among high-level vampires."
Duan Jiu crossed his arms, looking relaxed as if he was chatting with a friend.
Ye Linghan didn't expect that this guy was such a chatterbox.
"So, you are a high-level one?"
He was trying to get a feel for the situation, trying to assess his chances of winning if a fight broke out.
Duan Jiu shook his head, "Oh~ Of course not, I'm only at the intermediate level."
"But don't try to trick me, and don't harbor any illusions that anyone will come to save you, or save yourself."
"Yeah." Ye Linghan's reaction was very calm.
Duan Jiu actually felt a little uneasy in his heart about his calmness. It was like a psychological game to see who was more determined.
"Ling Han, please leave now. You don't have to save me."
Hearing the conversation, Yao Qingluan raised her head and met Ye Linghan's gaze. She looked around and found that he was the only one there, so she felt a little relieved.
Because then we only have to convince him to leave.
"Sister Qingluan, I'm here to replace you." He said, turning his head to look at Duan Jiu, "As a vampire of at least mid-level, you should be a little honest in your words, right?"
Duan Jiu raised his eyebrows, "Of course~"
I didn't expect that he would be so honest.
Hearing him say this, Ye Linghan loosened his fists that were clenched due to nervousness. His palms were full of sweat at this time.
Duan Jiu pushed Ye Linghan's shoulders and walked in front of Yao Qingluan. He probably thought that Ye Linghan was no match for him, so he didn't do anything to him.
"But... you also said you have some integrity. Of course, whether it's more or less is up to me, so I can also not let it go."
"You dare!" Ye Linghan glared at Duan Jiu.
As expected, we can't think of these people as being so kind. How could the cunning vampires keep their promises?
In this case, we have no choice but to fight to the death. I just don’t know when Liao Xihe will arrive.
Ye Linghan was thinking in his mind.
"Oh~ Of course, if it's a beautiful girl, I can make an exception." Duan Jiu said, raising his hand to dissolve the rope tied around Yao Qingluan.
Just when a glimmer of hope was rekindled in Ye Linghan's heart, he saw Yao Qingluan fall to the ground and faint as if she had been drugged the moment she stood up.
"What did you do to her?" Ye Linghan clenched his fists instantly and glared at the person next to him.
Duan Jiu spread his hands out with an innocent look on his face. "It's nothing. This is just another one of my special abilities. It's just a little trick that can make people sleep well. But don't worry, it'll be fine."
Although Ye Linghan was skeptical, as a hostage at the moment, he had no right to question the other party.
As if he could see Ye Linghan's worry, Duan Jiu said calmly, "Don't worry, after I kill you, I will let your companions take her away." He glanced at Yao Qingluan who was lying on the ground.
Ye Linghan was a little surprised when he heard this. How did he know that he had brought a companion?
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