Shrouded Seascape-Chapter 1040: Toll

Magnus gazed at the others in the great hall before him. They were his deathsworn warriors, and they would accompany him in five days to challenge the IMF, the absolute authority within the world of anomalous organizations.

The performance of these individuals was, for all intents and purposes, tied to Magnus' survival. Thus, he had to ensure that they were satisfied. "Brothers, we can't just drink these, right? Kruder! Bring out my collection and let everyone enjoy the freshest blood there is to enjoy!"

Soon, ten humans with terrified faces were forced into the great hall. The eyes of the Blood Clan members lit up with undisguised greed at the sight.

Screams and the sound of flesh being torn apart pervaded the grand hall. The thick stench of blood filled the air as well. Magnus stood atop a round table, looking down at the gluttonous feast before him.

"Everyone, once we've succeeded in our plan, we will be able to consume as much blood as we want!"

The crowd cheered at that; they were so rowdy that it seemed like the combined volume of their cheers would blast the ceiling away.

Meanwhile, Anna and Gao Zhiming were in a luxurious suite upstairs. They couldn't hear the screams and cheers down below due to the superb soundproofing of the room.

Once Anna had removed all the surveillance devices in the room, she assisted Gao Zhiming in tearing off the bandages on his face. The process wasn't exactly pleasant, and Gao Zhiming's face was left bright red from the black tape.

"I'm sorry for putting you out, but we have to keep up the act. I can't show myself for now," Anna said and gently stroked Gao Zhiming's face.

However, Gao Zhiming couldn't care less about the pain. Instead, he looked at Anna with a horrified expression, asking, "What... are they? Why do they have fangs?"

Truth be told, everything he had experienced so far was beyond his comprehension. The fact that Gao Zhiming had somehow endured until now was already an extraordinary feat from him.

"Don't worry about them. They're trash. No need to pay them any mind. Anyway, I'll tell you what you need to do in five days..."

Although it seemed that Gao Zhiming was inside a prison cell, Anna could actually take him away and leave at any time. Thus, she waited calmly for the five days to pass.

Aside from talking about the plan, Magnus refrained from disturbing them any further. Surprisingly, they catered to their every request, and Magnus kept his word, providing Gao Zhiming with a treatment that far surpassed what a five-star hotel could offer.

However, Anna didn't eat any of the various delicacies that they had sent over, as she was worried that they could be laced with drugs.

Anna chose to make Gao Zhiming consume only food and water from outside.

"Is she a robot? Five whole days without eating or drinking… even robots need oil to function," Magnus muttered with a frown as he stared at the blood servant taking away the untouched food by the door.

Magnus had done his due diligence as well, sending people from his family to investigate the mysterious Bandages' background, but they found a big pile of nothing. ꞦåΝö𐌱Ê𝙎

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Magnus walked up to the door and gently rapped on it. "Miss Bandages, it's almost time."

The door opened, and Gao Zhiming wrapped in black tape walked out of the suite.

Gao Zhiming followed Magnus to the great hall down below and saw that everyone was ready to set out. For some reason, however, they stood still and were quietly staring at the brass grandfather clock in the corner.

The majority of them carried black cases on their sides; those cases most likely contained their weapons. A massive wall was hung on the wall next to them, and the arrows on it represented the flow of their upcoming attack.

An elderly vampire with a white beard stood before the map, endlessly lecturing the people in the hall about what they would do and the backup plans in case they had to abandon the original one.

Anna saw that one of the paths marked on the map had her alias—Bandages—written above it.

"Wait, why is it only the east side? What about the other directions?" Anna asked, detecting something unusual.

Magnus patiently explained, "Don't worry. As I said, we're not alone here. The other families are responsible for everything else."

As time ticked, everyone's faces became solemn, and the atmosphere grew thick to the point of suffocating. They all knew what outcome awaited them if the plan ended up failing.

A young woman on Gao Zhiming's right even took out a cross from her bosom and pressed it strongly against her forehead before muttering something to herself.

Sensing that it was about time, Anna turned to Magnus and said, "I'll go first. You guys follow later."

Anna pulled Gao Zhiming's feet, and the latter melted into the ground.

The scene startled everyone present. They had no idea that Gao Zhiming had such a "special" way of leaving the scene. Magnus' expression was strange as he walked over and stomped a few times on the floor where Gao Zhiming was standing.

Gao Zhiming's special ability meant that he could leave whenever he wanted to do so. In other words, Magnus' efforts over the past few days were useless.

Just then, the brass clock struck twelve, and the bell within it tolled. As soon as the tolling of the bell pervaded the grand hall, everyone present transformed into black bats, and they flew toward the door like a tidal wave.

Anna brought Gao Zhiming to the top of a tall building, and they watched as a large swarm of black bats converged on midair before advancing toward the specific locations on the map earlier.

Soon, gunshots and explosions sounded in the distance.

The city that was supposed to be falling asleep was startled awake by the commotion, and the dark skies were soon illuminated by the lights coming from the windows of the nearby homes.

"Sister, are we not going with them? I thought we had a deal with him?"

Anna gently held Gao Zhiming in her arms. She rested her chin on his soft hair before answering, "Remember this—sometimes, you must keep your word, but sometimes, you have to ignore it completely.

"Don't let others lead you by the nose. Before doing anything, you must think carefully about your goal. You must think whether what you're about to do aligns with what you want to achieve or not.

"For example, our goal is to find two things inside, not to fight the IMF to the death alongside those vampires. For now, just watch them carefully. If the IMF easily wipes them out, then we'll turn around and run.

"If they happen to be in a stalemate or the vampires end up having the upper hand, then we can go ahead and reap some profits."

Gao Zhiming was like a sponge, readily absorbing Anna's teachings.

The harsh, discordant mixture of noises in the distance grew louder and louder.

Anna urged Gao Zhiming to slowly move forward to take a closer look at what was going on. The vampires couldn't be compared to a well-trained army at all. They left many corpses on the streets, with blood completely drained from them.

Gao Zhiming's face distorted upon seeing the corpses, who died with wide eyes. His breathing quickened, and he shut his eyes tight as he shrank in fear. The sight was truly too much and too soon for a nine-year-old child.

"Open your eyes. You must get used to this sight as soon as possible. You'll find it handy in the future."

"Big Sis, why do so many people have to die tonight? Tomorrow, many children will be left with no fathers and mothers."

"Have you forgotten what I called them? They're trash. Heh, it's normal for trash to do trashy things."