The hunter in the mist

The thick white fog continued to spread at a terrifying speed.

The silhouette of the Star of the Era was already difficult to discern, and the high-rises had vanished entirely. The bank of mist was like a slow-motion tidal wave a hundred meters high, surging forward bit by bit; it wasn’t in a hurry, but its oppressive weight brought a sense of absolute despair.

Xu Feng clutched her chest. Her heart, thumping with increasing intensity, urged her to move.

Suddenly, two tiny versions of herself popped into her mind. One grew sharp horns and prodded Xu Feng’s head with a small pitchfork.

“Run! Are you just going to stand there and wait for death?”

However, the other little person—adorned with a halo—folded her hands in prayer and spoke softly.

“But Uncle Shui said to wait. If she leaves and he can’t find her, won’t that be even more troublesome?”

The two inner voices bickered, but Xu Feng saw the white fog about to slam into her face! She could no longer afford the sunk cost of waiting.

“Xiao Hei! Take me up!” Xu Feng gripped her backpack tight. Xiao Hei immediately shifted from its hairpin form, transforming into wings that carried Xu Feng straight into the sky.

Whoosh!

The wind whistled past her ears. Xiao Hei was working as hard as possible, yet they still couldn’t escape the coverage of that hundred-meter-tall giant mist.

Silently and breathlessly, the massive fog descended. There was no room for negotiation.

Inside the mist.

Xiao Hei continued to fly upward, but strangely, after several minutes, there was no sign of an end. That shouldn’t have been possible; at this speed, they should have broken through the ceiling of the fog long ago.

“Xiao Hei, stop.”

The wings ceased their ascent. Xu Feng floated in this dense world of vapor, with nothing but an abyss beneath her feet where the land should be. The fog was so thick that even though Xiao Hei flapped its wings vigorously, it couldn’t disperse even a fraction of it.

Xu Feng extended her arm to compare and found that even at such a short distance, her fingertips were blurred.

This concentration is practically a smoke grenade. If I’d known, I would’ve listened to Uncle Shui and stayed put.

Xu Feng didn’t know which way to fly anymore; she couldn’t tell where the buildings were. A slow descent was her best option.

“Xiao Hei, fly down slowly.”

The wings began to slow their rhythm. Since her skirt would flutter upward, Xu Feng kept her legs pressed tight together, using both hands to bunch the fabric against her lower abdomen. The sensation of the airflow rushing from bottom to top was far from pleasant.

Xu Feng peered down into the white mass. Her naked eye couldn’t judge the distance to the road, and everything was eerily quiet—not even the sound of a breeze remained.

I hope I don’t run into that monster again the moment I land.

Xu Feng shook her head frantically to clear the intrusive thought.

Impossible! This is the real world. Besides, that monster was killed long ago—personally finished off by the Actor known as “Long” from the Dream Protection Bureau.

Suddenly, the soles of her feet touched something.

Xu Feng jerked in fright, and Xiao Hei hastily carried her a bit higher. No objects flew at her, and no monsters appeared. Xu Feng looked down, squinting to make out the silhouette. She couldn’t help but mutter to herself.

“The Star of the Era?”

It was undoubtedly the plaza statue, but her previous position had been at least several hundred meters away from here!

“Xiao Hei, follow it and descend a bit further.”

Xu Feng began to find a precise landing spot. No enemies appeared during the process, but the silence was terrifying. Only when her soles truly made contact with the ground did Xu Feng’s heart settle slightly.

She glanced at her phone; it was still a no-signal zone.

Xu Feng paced around the statue. Suddenly, as she returned to her starting point, her foot stepped on something hard. Moving her shoe, she saw a cigarette box. Looking further ahead, there were red embers scattered on the ground, their color gradually fading.

“A freshly smoked cigarette butt?”

Xu Feng didn’t know who had been smoking, but it must have been very recently. And that person was definitely nearby!

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of leather shoes striking the ground was approaching. A tiny spark of fire ignited within the white mist in the distance, at roughly the height of an adult.

Xu Feng immediately wanted to unfurl her wings and fly away, but someone spoke.

“Don’t waste your energy, little vampire.”

Like I’d believe you!

Xu Feng ignored him completely, giving Xiao Hei a silent signal to take off.

“Sigh… what a pain.”

Seeing Xu Feng drift upward, the speaker crushed the cigarette butt and raised his right hand. The mist gathered toward his right arm, instantly forming a thick, white limb that lunged toward Xu Feng in a grasping motion.

“Ah!”

Xu Feng was violently yanked from the sky. No matter how hard she struggled, this arm—which looked like it would scatter with a wave—was incredibly hard and powerful. Without question, she was dragged right in front of the speaker.

It was the masked man who had been following her earlier. Seeing that he had captured Xu Feng, the man nonchalantly lit another cigarette and began to smoke in silence.

I can’t give up!

Even as her face turned red from the effort, Xu Feng continued to struggle with all her might.

“Behave yourself. The boss doesn’t want any flaws on you before the hand-off,” the man remarked, sparing her a glance before beginning to lead her away.

“Mph! Let me go!” Seeing that her arm strength was insufficient, Xu Feng opened her mouth and bit the arm made of mist. However, it was like biting steel; the pain made her brow furrow.

“Keep biting. Just don’t break a tooth,” the man said casually, appearing entirely indifferent to Xu Feng’s well-being.

“You’re disgusting! Shameless! Stalker! Kidnapper! You’re going to prison!” Xu Feng resorted to shouting insults, but the man merely waved his right hand and picked at his ear.

Dammit! Wake up, my hidden power!

Xu Feng bit her lip, racking her brain for something to do, but no substantial power manifested in her body.

I’m a member of the Kindred—why am I so weak?!

Refusing to give in, she bit her lip even harder. Her porcelain-white teeth sank into her cherry-colored lips, drawing a tiny bit of red. Her blood flow accelerated, and a surge of battle intent suddenly ignited throughout her body.

The misty hand began to lose its grip.

“Hmm? What are you doing?” The man stopped and turned back. He suddenly noticed that the little vampire’s eyes had grown even more crimson; those pupils were now hauntingly beautiful and seductive, staring deathly at him.

“Blood…” Xu Feng’s self-awareness began to blur. Only one thought remained in her mind: obtain blood.

Snap!

The misty hand suddenly shattered into several pieces. The moment it collapsed, a swift red shadow lunged at the man.

“You brat!” The man tried to reach out and reform the mist, but his shoulders were instantly pinned. His body was forced down into a kneeling position!

Thud!

Xu Feng held him down, her hands possessing an immense, newfound strength.

“Blood…” Xu Feng opened her mouth and moved in to bite. Strangely, the man’s expression didn’t panic; instead, it regained its composure. His lips moved slightly.

“Dissolve.”

The man’s body grew thin, turning into a cloud of smoke that dispersed. Xu Feng bit into thin air.

Immediately after, a cluster of mist solidified behind Xu Feng. The man’s figure reappeared abruptly, raising a hand-blade to strike her directly on the neck.

Bang!

Xu Feng felt her vision go dark. The light in her blood-red eyes faded, and she collapsed to the ground.

“It hurts… what did I just…?” Falling cleared her head slightly; the wound on her lip had already healed.

“If the positions of hunter and prey could be swapped so easily, I wouldn’t have taken this job,” the man said to himself. The mist transformed into chains, binding Xu Feng’s entire body tightly.

“What are you trying to do… Mmmph!” Before Xu Feng could finish, the man pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and stuffed it into her mouth, silencing her completely.

“There. All contingencies handled.”

The man clapped his eyes, stripped the backpack from Xu Feng’s body, tossed away the wings that had reverted to hairpins, and hoisted Xu Feng over his shoulder. He stood up, ignoring her as she struggled like a fish out of water.

“Mmmph… huff!”

Xu Feng twisted her body, desperate to stop the man from taking her away.

Someone save me… I tried so hard not to get caught… Anyone! Save me!

Xu Feng’s desperate mental plea fell into silence, only to be met by a response as sudden as a falling star.

“Waterglow!”

A shout echoed from the mist behind them. A blade of azure water sliced through the fog, flying toward the man at high speed!

“…Teacher.” The man’s body turned to mist to dodge the blade. The water blade missed, carving a half-meter-long gash into the pavement.

Xu Feng tumbled to the ground and rolled. Ignoring the pain, she lifted her head and saw a figure walking out of the mist.

He held a long water-blade and wore a white jacket. Beneath his white hair was a pair of resolute grey eyes.

Uncle Shui!

Xu Feng couldn’t scream it out, but the voice thundered in her heart.

“Fei Guang! Haven’t you done enough for them all these years?!” Uncle Shui raised his blade with one hand, his angry gaze locked onto the man’s face.

“Teacher… it’s been a long time.” The man smiled bitterly, the scar at the corner of his mouth throbbing with a phantom pain.