I Explore Urban Legends - Chapter 126: Vampire Assassination (Patreon)

After confirming that the young man wasn't in any danger, the two continued upstairs.

"Mr. Liam, that was seriously dangerous back there. But your toy really is incredible. It saved my life.

"Too bad it ran out of power at the end. I had to fight my way out on my own."

Dylan was still talking nonstop.

The close call hadn't frightened him in the slightest. If anything, he'd found the whole thing incredibly exciting and wouldn't have minded doing it a few more times.

When the two reached the fourth floor, however, the sight before him left Dylan stunned.

All the crazed Blood Servants from earlier had turned into pools of blood that now covered the floor.

"I didn't realize you were that good. You really did fight your way through all of them."

Liam teased him, though he had already expected something like this.

Once these people realized they'd been exposed, their first priority would be to silence anyone who knew too much. If they failed to do that, they'd destroy themselves instead.

That way, every lead would be cut off. They might suffer some losses, but that was still better than exposing themselves.

Liam handed Dylan the camera he'd brought with him, and the two carefully photographed everything around them.

Once Dylan had finished telling Liam everything he'd seen and heard, he finally asked what had been bothering him.

"Liam, anyone willing to do something like this has to belong to a huge organization. Can we really take them down?"

Liam knew exactly what he was doing, but the people working with him didn't.

If he wanted them fully committed to following him, they needed to understand that working with him wouldn't just make them money. It would also give them a sense of purpose, while keeping them safe in the end.

"If you were doing this alone, you'd be right. One person really can't accomplish much against them. They might even twist things around on you and turn you into a laughingstock."

Dylan looked disappointed for a moment because he knew Liam was right.

But Liam's next words immediately lifted his spirits.

"But you have me. I'll keep leading you against those giants, and we'll keep winning until you're sick of winning."

Dylan nodded firmly.

Coming to work here had definitely been the right decision.

A little later, Liam looked over the information they'd gathered with satisfaction.

The evidence wasn't enough to expose the Vampire organization itself, but it was enough to bring one of their research facilities into the public eye. Even that would deal them a decent blow.

The two returned to the TV station.

The moment Dylan walked through the door, he hurried over to his girlfriend and started telling her all about his heroic exploits.

Susie looked at the wounds covering his body, both worried and proud, and the two soon became absorbed in each other.

Dylan was the kind of person who never carried his worries into the next moment, even after barely escaping death.

That was something even Liam envied a little.

Afterward, everyone gathered for a short meeting to discuss how they could make the most of the evidence they'd collected.

James suggested taking a softer approach first. They could focus on exposing the widespread problems with drug trials throughout the city, which would help conceal their true objective.

Taylor thought they should conduct an exclusive interview with one of the main victims. Using a specific case would make the story more convincing and help earn the public's trust.

Dylan, meanwhile, suggested making an entire special about him and how he'd stormed in alone and uncovered the evidence.

Liam wrote down each suggestion.

James's and Taylor's ideas were both practical.

As for Dylan's proposal, Liam decided to let him have his fun.

Just as they were close to reaching a decision, someone knocked on the door.

Liam glanced around.

Everyone from the TV station was already in the room, which meant whoever was outside was a visitor.

It was almost time to leave for the day. Who would show up now?

Liam stood and motioned for everyone to stay quiet.

When he opened the office door, he found Vlad standing outside.

He was still dressed in his old-fashioned gentleman's clothes, with an apologetic smile on his face.

"Vlad? Is something urgent? We're in the middle of a meeting about the TV program. I'll think about our cooperation some more later."

Vlad shook his head and gave an embarrassed smile.

"That's not why I'm here. It's rather embarrassing to admit, but I've made a bit of a mess of things."

A mess?

Liam frowned, unsure what he meant.

Vlad continued.

"I heard about what happened today. I have to admit, you did something I've wanted to do for a long time. Those senseless drug experiments do nothing but taint our bloodline."

He paused and let out a long breath.

"Sorry. I got a little carried away.

"The real problem is that the Elders feel you've challenged them. After all, you destroyed one of their bases."

Liam wasn't particularly surprised.

"So what? They're coming over to argue with me?"

"Worse. They're planning to assassinate you at your RV campground. It cost me quite a bit to get that information."

Liam raised an eyebrow.

He hadn't expected them to be quite that bold, though it fit their temperament.

They were stubborn and traditional. The moment anyone challenged their authority, their first instinct was to lash out and tear them apart.

Still, Liam had never been one to rely on luck.

He had prepared long ago for the possibility of an attack.

With news like this, there was no point continuing the meeting.

Liam said goodbye to everyone and prepared to head back.

To his surprise, Vlad followed him.

As soon as the car door opened, Watson caught the scent of blood on Vlad and immediately covered his nose before moving to the back seat.

Vlad, meanwhile, calmly settled into the passenger seat.

As Liam drove, he asked with a slightly malicious edge to his voice,

"Are you planning to help me fight off the assassins? I figured you'd rather hide somewhere and wait until the Vampires and I tore each other apart, then come in afterward and collect the spoils."

Vlad gave an awkward laugh.

"It seems I didn't make a very good first impression on you.

"But you're right about one thing. I can't help you openly fight the Elders. Blood itself binds me to them.

"If I openly rebelled, my body would explode the very next second."

Liam glanced sideways at him.

"Then why are you coming with me?"

Vlad answered frankly.

"First, as a show of sincerity, I won't meet your friends alone.

"Second, I hope we can work together more closely against the Elders in the future."

"I'd say we're already working together in practice."

Vlad shook his head.

"No. I've shown too little sincerity so far, and that's not good for our partnership.

"To strengthen our relationship, whenever you come to Boston Hospital in the future, I'll offer you my knowledge in return."

Liam studied him for a moment.

This Vampire was more interesting than he'd expected.

It was as if Vlad carried a set of scales in his mind. Everything had a corresponding price, and even if no one asked him to pay it, he would do so anyway.

"Fine. That's more than enough sincerity."

"Good. Then I should leave."

Vlad was just about to get up when he suddenly noticed Janice inside the car.

The fact that he, a Vampire, had only just noticed her immediately struck him as strange.

Something wasn't right.

He didn't say anything about it, though.

He simply memorized her scent, transformed into a bat, and flew away.