Chapter 141 - I Hate That You’re Like A Stone

There was a particular node in Twilight's original memories where he stumbled upon a ruined site in one of his missions and acquired a secret elixir recipe that could induce a state of feigned death. The elixir was so potent it could deceive the mark on a marked-one's hand and even trick the Decaying Knights.

Twilight's mission had brought him to a tourist city nestled between a mountain and a lake where he was supposed to hunt down vampires, as the area seemed to be quite a significant vampire nest.

Cassius's eyes were nearly closed as he sat at the yellow table, deep in thought. He struggled to recall Twilight's hazy memories. From what he could remember, Twilight had undertaken the Black Rain Manor mission in the summer. The city he visited had just celebrated a grand local festival, and it seemed that Mirror Lake City and Bright Mountain City had similar traditions.

On that day, citizens of both cities would gather water from Mirror Lake. Carrying their wooden buckets or basins, they would then fling water onto the streets using a leafy branch. Passersby, regardless of their status, would be warmly greeted so it was best to stay indoors if one didn’t want to get soaked.

The festival, known as the Wood Rain Festival, took place every year on July 1 and seemed to have evolved from being a religious custom. It bore some resemblance to the Holy Bath Festival observed in many southern counties. Residents of Mirror Lake and Bright Mountain staunchly believed the lake’s water had magical properties and sprinkling it on oneself would bring good fortune for the entire year.

While hunting vampires in the mountain forest, Twilight had stumbled upon a dim cave. Inside, he discovered a ruined site where he found the secret elixir. He had intended to explore further but was forced to retreat because he sensed danger.

Cassius strained to recall more, but all he could grasp were vague images and fragmented sequences.

Finding a small cave in the vast mountains based on such little information was going to be near impossible. Moreover, he couldn’t be sure if the ruined site in the cave was indeed the Akaba Ruins that Black Rain Manor had tasked him with finding.

Twilight’s memories were still too blurry, like a dream he couldn’t fully remember. If not for a few key terms coincidentally aligning, Cassius might not have been able to trigger that memory at all.

"I’ll get familiar with the area first before hiring a local guide later and using a map to search for clues in Twilight's memories." Cassius squinted his eyes and downed the last of his milk.

The next day at the Mirror Lake City Police Department, Kenneth was in the chief's office, massaging his temples with a frustrated look on his face. He was about to lose his mind with all of these disappearances in Mirror Lake City. Naturally, as the chief, he was under immense pressure.

He hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Every morning, he woke up to see his already thinning hair falling out. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Kenneth went completely bald. However, there was some relief in the fact that the "specialists" sent from the county had arrived the day before.

The leader of the group had a private conversation with Chief Kenneth in his office yesterday, revealing some shocking and terrifying dark secrets.

An unimaginable underworld, hidden beneath the surface of the peaceful human society, harbored man-eating dark creatures, bizarre and unknown entities, and Mercury Hunters wielding extraordinary powers. And that was just the tip of the iceberg; countless more chaotic and dark phenomena lurked deep in the abyss.

As the saying goes, let professionals handle professional matters. The group who called themselves Mercury Hunters had already begun investigating the string of disappearances in Mirror Lake City. Kenneth could only hope that they could help get this mess resolved as quickly as possible.

Rubbing his eyes with a sigh, he picked up a small stack of files from the right side of his desk and prepared to get to work.

Knock, knock, knock...

The door promptly opened after the three knocks. Kenneth immediately knew who it was: his niece, Cathy. She had just graduated three months ago and had joined the Mirror Lake City Police Department as an intern.

Kenneth sighed. Laying his pen down, he raised his head and asked, "What is it, Officer Cathy?"

A tall, fair-skinned young woman dressed in a deep blue police uniform stood in front of him. Cathy had neat, short hair, clear black eyes, and sharp eyebrows that looked like they had been etched into her face. The expression on her face exuded confidence and composure.

"Chief Kenneth, I would like to request a transfer to the Criminal Investigation Team or the Special Task Force," the girl said as she closed the door behind her.

"What do you want to do in those places?!" Kenneth’s eyes widened in surprise.

"People have been disappearing in Mirror Lake City lately, and I want to work on the front lines with the Criminal Investigation Team to bring the criminals to justice! If not there, then the Special Task Force will do, Uncle." Cathy smiled as she took a few steps closer to the desk.

"Stop joking around! Neither of those things are happening. You better stay put in the office and not do any kind of funny business for the remaining three months of your internship. Go back to your work." Kenneth frowned and waved her off. "And don’t call me 'Uncle' while we’re here."

Cathy visibly deflated. "Alright...Uncle."

"Off you go, don’t disturb me while I'm working." Kenneth shook his head. These were dangerous times, and frontline officers like those in the Criminal Investigation Team and Special Task Force would likely have to cooperate with the Mercury Hunters sooner or later. If they found the vampires that the Mercury Hunters spoke of, even armed officers might not be able to escape unscathed. He certainly didn’t want his niece to return with a missing arm or leg. Not to mention his sister would surely storm the police station with a knife if anything happened to her daughter...

Time flew by, and soon it was past four in the afternoon, almost close to five. Cathy finished up interning at the office for the day. With her uncle being the police chief, she wasn’t assigned too much work, and the moderate pace of the office was just right.

Feeling a bit down, Cathy declined her colleagues' invitation to dinner, and changed into her casual clothes so she could head directly home. She considered talking to her mother over dinner, hoping that her mom could help persuade her uncle, but she had a feeling her mother might side with her uncle and not want her to join the Criminal Investigation Team.

As such, she was feeling torn and distracted, and without her realizing it, she had wandered into the corner of an unfamiliar alley. Cathy came back to her senses and was about to retrace her steps when she noticed a man and a woman strolling down a quiet road on the corner. They both appeared to be tourists.

They didn't seem to know each other and kept a fair distance between them. However, the man walking behind suddenly sped up, and in just a few steps, caught up to the woman. Cathy’s eyes widened, and she was about to rush over when she realized that the man wasn’t trying to rob or assault her. Instead, he gently tapped the woman on the shoulder.

The woman turned around, confused, and froze in place. Cathy was too far away to hear what they were saying, but she did see the man turn and head down an alley, with the woman dazedly trailing after him. Walking hand in hand, they looked like a close and intimate couple.

Is this something I should be seeing at my age?

Cathy was dumbfounded. She thought she had been about to witness a criminal case, only to find herself in the middle of a civil one.

According to Hongli Federation law, such behavior typically resulted in ten to fifteen days of jail and a fine of up to one hundred Federation dollars. For less severe cases, it could go up to five days of jail or ten Federation dollars. If it occurred in a public place, like on the streets, the offender would have to sit an additional three days in jail.

Though a bit taken aback, Cathy thought,

a small catch is still a catch.

Fueled by fifty percent responsibility, thirty percent curiosity, and twenty percent thrill, Cathy began quietly tailing them. She didn't notice that a man in a black coat and sunglasses had peeled himself away from a shadowy corner and was following them as well. The man’s movements were more surreptitious, as if he had professional training.

Somewhere in the outskirts of Mirror Lake City, on an open field near a small town, Cassius squinted and looked up at the distant mountains. Rays of light from the setting sun shone through the gaps between the clouds, transforming the sky into a deep red, like a vast, turbulent ocean.

The evening glow spread from the mountains to the dense forest, giving the mountains a hazy gleam, before finally reaching the lake. It shimmered with a misty light. The sparkling lake surface captured the reflection of the forest foliage and nearby white-walled town, creating a beautiful oil painting. With such a beautiful scenery, it was no wonder people came out in droves to visit Mirror Lake City. Spending the summer here as a tourist would have been delightful.

However, Cassius was not a tourist. He had important business in Mirror Lake City.

Since yesterday afternoon, Cassius had been searching for the cave from Twilight’s memories. He had even hired two local guides and seasoned hunters who frequently ventured into the Alphama mountains who split into two groups to search. Unfortunately, the Alphama mountains were simply too vast; even the forested areas near Mirror Lake and Bright Mountain cities were expansive. Despite having a lead that the cave was somewhere near the lake, Cassius and the others had spent two full days searching without finding any useful clues.

Moreover, one of the guides had accidentally injured himself during the search and had to be sent back to his home in Blue Lake Town to recover. Things were off to a rough start, and Cassius was feeling a bit disgruntled.

He picked up the map and glanced at it again, comparing it with the vague images in his mind. Cassius began walking along the edge of Mirror Lake, and after a few hundred meters, he noticed two figures by the lakeside heading toward the forest.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

A couple? No, both were men. But who else would venture into the woods at this hour? Well, maybe they

were

a couple. Upon arriving at this conclusion, Cassius decided not to interrupt their activities, and continued down his planned route, comparing the map as he went.

As Cassius walked past where the two men had been standing, he caught a whiff of a familiar scent and frowned. Dark creatures. After countless missions where he had personally slain many such beings, his senses were sharp. He reacted instantly, like a wolf catching the scent of prey. It was the perfect chance to blow off some steam by killing something that was never meant to exist. He followed the trail.

Tall trees loomed above. The area was close to the lake and tourist zone, so the trees weren't very dense. Litter occasionally dotted the ground, indicating that tourists often wandered nearby.

Two figures made their way through the uneven clearing. The burly man brought up the rear and asked impatiently, "Is it good enough now, babe? Let's just do it here."

"Don't be so hasty." In the dim light, a slender young man turned around. His face was fair and cute, with curly, soft brown hair that fell to his shoulders. His features were stunning, even more delicate than most girls, and he carried a certain noble elegance.

"Don't worry about it." The burly man walked over, and the two began to act all lovey-dovey.

Under the dappled shadows of the trees, the burly man leaned down slightly, then stiffened. The young man had sunk his sharp teeth into the man's neck, drawing blood. At the same time, a paralyzing toxin flowed through the bite, rendering the burly man motionless. He wanted to struggle, but the venom had already spread throughout his body, leaving him utterly immobilized.

The burly man was now nothing more than a blood bag. Eyes forced wide open, he watched as the small figure sucked voraciously on him. The surroundings grew quiet, the only sound was the gulping noises. In no time, the man's face turned white. A short while later, his eyes rolled back, and his drained body collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Delicious..." the young man said with a sweet smile, licking his lips. In the dim light, his lips were painted a bright, vibrant red and looked like ripe cherries. Blood dripped steadily from his extended fangs. He retracted his fangs in the next moment and the slender figure soon began walking back toward Mirror Lake.

After about a hundred meters, he suddenly noticed a tall figure approaching from the distance. The young man rubbed his stomach; he could still eat. His mouth began salivating again. Smiling, he walked forward to meet the figure. Ten seconds later, the two were in a clearing.

What a muscular man!

The man before him was several times bigger than the burly one he had just drained. The two were like night and day! The young man was secretly startled, but above all, he was delighted. The more muscular the person, the stronger their physique, and the more satisfying their blood tasted, going down like a fiery liquor.

Thirsty for another sip, he didn't bother with any pleasantries and immediately used his mental domination on the man. It was a vampire specialty that sent out waves of fear to the human race. The tall man opposite him stood by a tree. He didn't move.

"

Hehe

, got him~" The young man whistled, his flawless face delighted, and his eyes sparkling like amber. He bounded forward lightly, and as soon as he got close to the muscular man, he leaped up, sinking his fangs into the man's neck. The fangs dug deep into the grayish-white skin.

Ding!

The two sharp fangs snapped off and ricocheted through the air. Blood spurted out from the broken ends.

"

Ah

!" The young man clutched his mouth in pain.

"Hard enough for you?" A voice suddenly came from above.

"It's like stone..." the young man muttered angrily, then froze. "Huh?!" He instinctively tried to leap back, sensing something was off.

A firm, strong hand reached out and yanked the terrified youth back to Cassius's side. A towering figure blocked the rays of the setting sun, casting an enormous shadow that instantly enveloped the young man.

"Tell me something useful—anything that you think is worth your life. You could, of course, choose to struggle and resist, which would entertain me even more. I could use a stress ball today..."