48: Demon Gatling vs. Vampire 1

[Current World Mission Background Introduction]:

The Original Owner's world was divided and ruled by ten SSS-class vampires—Count Blood Orchid, the Queen of the Dark Night, the Soul-Devouring Marquis, and seven other existences.

With absolute power, they reduced humanity to a mere 10% of their original population.

Humans were no longer the masters of all things, but mobile blood bags kept in 'Blood Feeding Zones.'

The female lead, Memlisse, is the recognized leader of the Resistance Forces. Her silver hair is as white as frost, and her battle blade, 'Daybreak,' has tasted the blood of dozens of high-ranking vampires.

She once broke into the vampire stronghold, Bloodfang Fortress, all by herself.

She saved three hundred human children who were about to be drained of their blood and is known as the 'Human Saintess' among all survivors.

The Original Owner is now the captain of the Resistance Forces' Third Squad and has followed Memlisse on twenty-seven raids on strongholds.

But every time, it felt like punching cotton.

Either the intelligence was mysteriously leaked,

Or the camp was empty by the time they arrived.

In the most tragic instance, the squad lost eighty men in a raid on the 'Blood Mist Mine,'

Only to blow up an insignificant blood storage tank in the end.

"Something's not right,"

The Original Owner rubbed his calloused palms, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Only Lady Memlisse knows the full route before every operation, yet the vampires always set up defenses in advance..."

He didn't dare say these words out loud.

Memlisse was everyone's spiritual pillar.

To question her was to question the resistance itself.

It wasn't until the seventh time he tracked a vampire messenger,

That the Original Owner, beneath the dome of an abandoned church, stumbled upon a scene that froze his blood... Memlisse had shed her usual battle armor,

And was wearing a lace dress he had never seen before.

Her fingertips gently caressed a man's pale cheek.

The man wore a dark-patterned blood-silk suit, with silver hair and red eyes, and a gemstone shaped like a blood orchid hanging from his left ear.

He was one of the ten SSS-class vampires, Count Blood Orchid!

He raised his hand to pull Memlisse by the waist, his lips whispering into her ear.

And Memlisse's smile was a gentleness the Original Owner had never seen before, completely devoid of the determination she showed her human compatriots... The Original Owner held his breath, his nails digging into his palms, letting blood drip through his fingers.

He saw Count Blood Orchid raise his hand, and a blood-colored light pattern appeared on Memlisse's neck. It didn't harm her; instead, it turned into an exquisite blood seal.

He heard Memlisse whisper, "Wait a bit longer, there are still some stubborn elements in the Resistance Forces."

He heard Count Blood Orchid chuckle, "My princess, once all the rats are lured out, I will use the blood of a hundred thousand people to pave your path to transformation."

That night, the Original Owner hid in the shadows of the church,

Stumbling back to the Resistance Forces' hidden stronghold, 'Ash Valley,' just before dawn.

He didn't say a word. Instead, he searched through the dusty ancient books in the stronghold and found the truth from three hundred years ago in a yellowed Incomplete Manual.

Three hundred years ago, although there were conflicts between humans and vampires, they were not yet on the brink of extinction.

Back then, Count Blood Orchid was not yet SSS-class.

He was seriously injured during a civil war with other vampires and was saved by a passing girl, Memlisse.

At that time, Memlisse didn't understand the cruelty of vampires. She fed him her own blood, bandaged his wounds,

And even lured away his pursuers to protect him.

It was this 'kindness' that made Count Blood Orchid remember her and also allowed him to see the 'weakness' of humans.

An ordinary human could actually sacrifice so much for a stranger.

In the hundred years that followed, Count Blood Orchid used the information about human strongholds that Memlisse had unintentionally revealed to gradually devour other vampire factions.

Finally, he joined forces with nine other powerful beings to launch the 'Crimson Purge,' destroying 70% of human defensive works overnight.

And the beginning of all this was simply because he wanted to 'become strong, strong enough to keep her by my side.'

"A few dead humans are nothing,"

The Original Owner recalled what Memlisse had said in the church, his heart feeling as if it were gripped by a cold hand.

"As long as I can be with him, everyone else is just a stepping stone..."

...The Original Owner found the five people he trusted most in the Resistance Forces.

A Che, the sniper who had escaped Bloodfang Fortress with him; Xiao Man, a girl proficient in mechanics;

Old Zheng, a former military instructor; Luo Luo, an ability user who could sense vampire auras; and Old Zhao, the uncle in charge of logistics.

In the deepest air-raid shelter of Ash Valley, he tremblingly revealed everything he had seen and discovered.

Finally, he slammed that yellowed Incomplete Manual onto the stone table:

"She is no Saintess; she is a traitor who is pushing us all into Hell!"

"Impossible!"

A Che stood up abruptly, his gun instinctively pointing at the Original Owner.

"How could Lady Memlisse..."

"It's true,"

Luo Luo's face was pale, the sensory patterns on her fingertips flashing incessantly.

"I've long felt a faint vampire aura on her, but I just thought it was picked up during battle..."

"So, she's been colluding with Count Blood Orchid all along!"

Old Zheng was silent for a long time before drawing the military knife from his waist. The blade glinted coldly in the dim light:

"We can't let her destroy everyone."

"Tomorrow's operation, she's taking us to the 'Crimson Wasteland' to intercept a vampire transport team,"

"That's a trap. We have to restrain her before she sets out and tell everyone the truth!"

The five of them spent the night making a plan, but they didn't expect that Memlisse's perception had already surpassed that of humans.

Early the next morning, just as the Original Owner was loading the anesthetic into the syringe, the iron door of the air-raid shelter was kicked open.

Memlisse stood at the door, her silver hair fluttering without wind, her eyes turned crimson.

Thick blood mist gathered at her fingertips—the signature vampire ability, 'Blood Energy Manifestation.'

"Traitors deserve a traitor's end."

Memlisse's voice was cold, without a trace of warmth, completely different from her usual self.

She raised her hand and waved, and five blood blades shot out instantly. Old Zheng reacted the fastest, raising his knife to block,

But the blood blade snapped his knife and sliced off his shoulder blade along with it.

A Che pulled the trigger, but the bullet was blocked by the blood mist as it neared Memlisse and was deflected toward Luo Luo, piercing her chest.

Xiao Man cried as she activated a mechanical trap, and a steel cable snagged Memlisse's ankle.

But with a gentle tug, Xiao Man was pulled by the cable and slammed into the stone wall, coughing up blood.

Old Zhao tried to sneak attack from behind, but Memlisse turned and grabbed him by the throat. With a slight squeeze, the sound of bones shattering was clearly audible.

Finally, only the Original Owner was left. He charged at Memlisse with the syringe, but she easily grabbed his wrist, and the syringe fell to the ground and shattered.

"You should thank me,"

Memlisse leaned close to his ear, her voice carrying a hint of cruel tenderness,

"At least you died at the hands of the 'Saintess' instead of becoming a snack for Lord Blood Orchid."

Cold blood energy pierced the Original Owner's heart. As he collapsed, he saw Memlisse turn and walk out of the shelter.

Sunlight fell on her, but it no longer held its former warmth, leaving only a bone-chilling crimson... After the Original Owner's death, no one in the Resistance Forces could question Memlisse anymore.

Following her plan with Count Blood Orchid, under the guise of 'finding the vampire's main nest and

fighting to the death with Count Blood Orchid,' she issued a mobilization order to all human survivors.

Small groups of resistance fighters scattered everywhere, escapees from the underground Blood Feeding Zones,

and even the remaining elderly and children from remote villages all gathered at the Crimson Wasteland with a final glimmer of hope.

When a hundred thousand human survivors stood on the wasteland, waiting for Memlisse to lead them to the dawn, the sky was suddenly covered by blood-colored clouds.

Count Blood Orchid descended with the nine other SSS-class vampires. Ten crimson pillars of light surrounded the humans, forming a massive 'Blood Cage.'

"My princess,"

Count Blood Orchid flew to Memlisse's side and raised his hand to caress her cheek. "The game is over."

Memlisse looked at the panicked humans below. There was no trace of guilt on her face, only anticipation:

"You promised to let me stay with you forever."

Count Blood Orchid chuckled, bit his wrist, and fed Memlisse blood containing the SSS-class vampire Origin.

During the violent transformation process, Memlisse's pupils turned crimson, and a pair of massive blood wings grew from her back.

She completely transcended the human realm, becoming the first SSS-class vampire in history to be transformed from a human.

There was no resistance, no miracle.

The hundred thousand human survivors were locked in the 'Eternal Blood Feeding City' built by Count Blood Orchid.

From then on, they became tools for mass-producing blood. Every day, people died because their blood was drained,

Yet no one could take up arms to resist anymore,

Because their 'Saintess' had become the new king ruling over them.

The eternal night continued, and the crimson moon illuminated this massive cage.

Memlisse leaned into Count Blood Orchid's embrace, standing at the highest point of the Blood Feeding City,

Looking at the humans below like ants, a satisfied smile curled on her lips.

"This way, we can be together forever."

"Yes,"

Count Blood Orchid kissed her forehead, his eyes filled with inseparable tenderness,

"Forever."

...The history of human resistance came to an end here.

The world completely became a paradise for vampires, and that pair of 'truly in love' lovers

would enjoy their so-called 'happy life' in the eternal crimson until the end of time... [Plot introduction finished]

[Original Owner's Wish: Kill all vampires]

[Golden Finger for this mission: 10,000 demon god gatling guns, zero recoil, infinite ammo, infinite durability, and bullets with Holy Fire enchantment]

"Oh, interesting. You're finally willing to give out a Golden Finger."

These gatling guns were optional for Qin Jiuge, but they would be fun to play with... "Let's begin."

...Qin Jiuge stretched his unfamiliar neck, his bones making a 'click-clack' crisp sound.

Having just received the Original Owner's residual memories, his gaze passed through the hole in the dome, accurately locking onto the two embracing figures.

Memlisse, with her frost-white hair, was standing on tiptoe, her fingertips stroking Count Blood Orchid's neck.

That appearance, tender enough to drip water, was a world apart from the determined image of the 'Human Saintess' in his memories.

And Count Blood Orchid's hand, resting on her waist, still had wet bloodstains between the fingers, clearly having just sucked human blood.

"Wait a bit longer, there are still some stubborn elements in the Resistance Forces..."

Memlisse's voice drifted over with the night wind, sickeningly sweet.

"My princess, once all the rats are lured out, I will use the blood of a hundred thousand people to pave your path to transformation."

Count Blood Orchid's low chuckle carried the characteristic charm of the vampire race, but it made Qin Jiuge's stomach churn.

He sneered, too lazy to continue watching this pair of scumbags act out their deep affection, and turned to walk out of the church.

His footsteps stepped on the dusty stone slabs, making a 'rustling' sound, causing the two above the dome to snap their heads back.

The gentleness on Memlisse's face instantly froze, and a trace of imperceptible panic flashed in her eyes.

While Count Blood Orchid frowned, a dangerous blood-light flickering in his silver hair and red eyes.

"Who's there?"

Count Blood Orchid's voice carried the mental pressure of a vampire; an ordinary human would collapse to the ground just from hearing it.

Qin Jiuge didn't stop, didn't even turn his head, just raised his hand and waved, leaving behind a light sentence:

"You two seem quite well-matched. Are you ready for your funerals?"

As the words fell, he had already disappeared from the church entrance.

Memlisse's expression changed drastically, and she abruptly pushed Count Blood Orchid away:

"It's the captain of the Third Squad! He saw us!"

The tenderness in Count Blood Orchid's eyes faded, replaced by bone-chilling coldness:

"It's fine if he saw. The game should end anyway."

"Pass down the order: tomorrow's trap at the Crimson Wasteland is to be activated ahead of schedule."

"No!"

Memlisse hurriedly grabbed him.

"He knows my identity; he'll definitely tell the Resistance Forces!"

"It's not time to close the net yet; the hundred thousand people haven't gathered!"

Count Blood Orchid sneered and raised his hand to pinch her chin:

"My princess, human resistance has always been a joke."

"A squad captain can't make any waves."

"Even if he talks, who would believe him? You are their Saintess."

Memlisse thought about it and agreed. Over the years, she had used her identity as the 'Saintess' to control everyone tightly. Even if someone questioned her, they would only be treated as a madman.

But the unease in her heart grew stronger. That back view just now clearly had a familiar outline,

But that casual aura made her feel an inexplicable fear, like... facing a true Devil King.

Meanwhile, Qin Jiuge was quickly weaving through the ruins of the eternal night.

In the Original Owner's memory, the Resistance Forces' hidden stronghold, 'Ash Valley,' was in an underground air-raid shelter three kilometers away.

Nearly five thousand human survivors were gathered there, along with the core combat power of the Resistance Forces.

A cruel smile curled on Qin Jiuge's lips.

Three hundred years. These vampires had treated humans like blood bags.

Today, it's their turn to taste what it's like to have a gun pointed at them.

In less than ten minutes, Qin Jiuge returned to Ash Valley.

The entrance to the air-raid shelter was disguised as an abandoned subway entrance. Two Resistance Forces soldiers on sentry duty saw him and immediately came forward:

"Captain! Weren't you tracking the vampire messenger? Why are you back so soon?"