"Take this!"
"Courting death!"
Seeing the female lead Zhao Honghua suddenly rush in and insist on fighting him to the death, Qin Ming—never known for his patience—wasn't about to back down.
The two sides instantly clashed in the middle of the street. Seeing this, Angel and Kasamoto Eiri immediately jumped in to help.
If it were a one-on-one fight, Zhao Honghua—whose attributes were by no means weak—might not have lost to Qin Ming.
But now it was three against one, and Zhao Honghua quickly began to struggle.
Angel's heavy punches and kicks, Kasamoto Eiri's relentless machine gun fire, and Qin Ming's blood attacks combined into a relentless assault that forced Zhao Honghua into constant retreat.
Even when she tried to swing her sword and summon a Thunder Dragon, Qin Ming used his blood manipulation to smash the spell head-on.
Just as the fight grew more intense and Qin Ming was about to lift a nearby abandoned car to give Zhao Honghua a "face massage," a strange clatter of hooves suddenly echoed through the air.
The sound was rapid yet unnaturally light—eerily out of place on the empty street.
Everyone turned toward the source, only to see a gorgeous, semi-transparent carriage floating in midair speeding toward them from a distance.
With a dramatic drift, the ghostly warhorses brought the spectral carriage to a halt right in front of them. The next second, the carriage door swung open, and out stepped a man dressed in refined Western formalwear, exuding elegance as he adjusted his collar.
Leaning on a gentleman's cane with one hand, the man looked over the group. His gaze landed first on Zhao Honghua—and a flicker of red flashed unmistakably in his eyes.
Then he looked to Qin Ming, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"My friends, that was quite the lively skirmish. Might I join the festivities?"
When Zhao Honghua got a good look at the man, her expression suddenly darkened. Even when facing the combined assault of Qin Ming's trio earlier, she had managed to stay composed—but now, her face grew serious.
"Count Dracula!"
This man who had arrived out of nowhere in a ghostly carriage was none other than the very target Zhao Honghua had been chasing—the Vampire Count Dracula!
A powerful enemy the likes of which Zhao Honghua had never encountered before!
Upon hearing her hissed declaration, Count Dracula's smile remained warm. He even removed his top hat and bowed slightly with impeccable grace.
"Miss Zhao Honghua, it's been days since we last met. You are as beautiful as ever."
"Damn vampire! You—!"
"I, the filthy, savage, bloodthirsty monster... will surely pay for my past blood debts, correct?"
Straightening up, Count Dracula kept his radiant smile.
"Miss Zhao, I must say, your vocabulary is truly limited. You keep repeating the same lines over and over again. Perhaps you should consider furthering your education? Shall I recommend a noble academy to you?"
"You—!"
"Alright, alright, judging by your fondness for violence, I doubt you're the academic type. I won't press the issue, my beautiful lady."
His gaze slowly shifted toward Qin Ming. Suddenly, Count Dracula's face lit up with joy, and he placed a hand over his chest in a graceful salute.
"My fellow kin—how delightful to find one of our own in such a remote and uncivilized place. Truly, what a stroke of luck. Might I ask, what is your rank?"
Dracula's question left Qin Ming blinking in confusion, completely dumbfounded.
"What the hell? Rank?"
"If your rank is low, that's perfectly fine. You don't need to feel embarrassed about it. Although you can't compare to someone like me—born of a noble bloodline— even the lowest-level vampire still stands above all other creatures."
"Vampire? I'm not a vampire!"
Seeing that Count Dracula obviously misunderstood something, Qin Ming quickly explained.
But just as he finished speaking, two voices shouted in unison:
"You're not a vampire?!"
"Yeah, I'm not a vampire."
"Then how do you suck blood?"
"Mosquitoes suck blood too! Are mosquitoes vampires as well?"
"Not a vampire but still able to suck blood? Then what kind of monster are you?"
"I am… I warn you not to judge by appearances! I was once a hero! A great hero who saved the world!"
As soon as Qin Ming finished, the street suddenly fell into complete silence.
Qin Ming, Count Dracula, and Zhao Honghua all looked at each other dumbfounded.
Zhao Honghua had attacked because she saw Qin Ming crazily draining blood from corpses and assumed he was a vampire.
Count Dracula arrived after hearing the commotion. Noticing Qin Ming's ability to control blood and recognizing him as a fellow vampire, he stepped forward.
One side thought Qin Ming was an enemy, the other thought he was one of their own—but now Qin Ming claimed he wasn't a vampire, and…
After calming down and observing closely, Zhao Honghua suddenly realized there really wasn't any evil power inside Qin Ming.
Though he looked a bit older, had a fierce appearance, a rough tone, and strange abilities—
At first glance, he was a bit intimidating.
But on closer inspection, he still seemed quite human.
No longer holding hostility, Zhao Honghua's favor toward Qin Ming rose sharply, influenced by his title and abilities.
However, as a Taoist disciple with extraordinary mental discipline, Zhao Honghua did not become confused or infatuated. Instead, she quickly shifted her weapon to face Count Dracula.
Seeing this, Count Dracula, who realized he had made a mistake by mistaking a human for one of his own, looked very displeased and deeply embarrassed.
He took a small step back without saying a word, then suddenly transformed into black smoke and slipped back into the ghost carriage behind him.
As the carriage door closed, the semi-transparent ghost carriage floated up into the air.
With a whoosh, the carriage shot straight off into the distance.
Zhao Honghua dodged the rush, gritting her teeth hard and quickly gave chase.
Only Qin Ming and the others remained on the spot, exchanging glances. After a few seconds of silence, they nodded in agreement.
A moment later, while Zhao Honghua was desperately running after the carriage with her bare legs, she suddenly heard a sharp sound from behind.
Startled, she turned to see a gigantic triceratops—thought to be extinct for millions of years—charging forward like a tank. On its back sat three figures: Qin Ming and the others!
The incredibly fast triceratops quickly caught up to Zhao Honghua.
Watching the woman sprinting desperately beside him and glancing back, Qin Ming shook his head helplessly and reached out his hand to her.
Seeing this, Zhao Honghua's expression brightened and she quickly grasped his palm.
…Then Qin Ming swung her forward and threw her backwards.
Watching Zhao Honghua disappear into a roll, Qin Ming wiped his hands on his clothes and pursed his lips hard.
"You attacked me for no reason and still expect a free ride? What are you thinking?"
Seeing this scene, Angel and Kasamoto Eiri, sitting behind Qin Ming, suddenly raised their hands and clapped hard, cheering.
"Another one trapped!"
(End of chapter)