Chapter 24: The Keeper of Secrets

Maria fled all the way from the Bronx sewers to Manhattan. Along the way, she did not encounter any pursuers, nor did she sense anyone tracking her.

She was currently hiding in the shadows between buildings, her entire body burning with heat. Lynn's modification clearly had intense side effects; while it restored her human senses, it also brought back a measure of suffering. Having changed her clothes, she was drenched in sweat, feeling as if a fire were raging within her, and her mind was beginning to drift into delirium.

Maria had only one thought: get back quickly and find Lynn to save her life. She still wanted to enjoy this long-lost lifestyle for a little while longer. Once she had reclaimed human perception, the life she had lived as a vampire felt as dry and unpalatable as hay.

Wandering through the shadows of Manhattan, she finally returned to the familiar lair of her memory. The building had been thoroughly renovated; the ground floor was now partitioned into various storefronts, and looking up, dark, light-absorbing glass obscured the interior structure, hiding what lay within. Yet, Maria knew that inside were her own armed subordinates, along with the person who filled her with dread and yet remained her only hope for survival. She could not muster a shred of resentment; over the past month, she had come to realize that Lynn was a man beyond her comprehension.

"Almost there, just one more step."

Sweat dripped from her chin onto the pavement as she crawled and stumbled back into the building. The cold, stagnant air inside brought her some relief. She stepped into the elevator, pressed the button for the top floor, and finally collapsed onto the floor, closing her eyes in a moment of respite.

***

At that moment, Lynn had returned to the top floor of the building. Just as he closed the concealed elevator leading to the underground laboratory, he sensed something unusual.

"She has returned, Doctor, and she has brought some guests with her."

"Kara, go arrange some men. There are quite a few guests; we should treat them well."

"I will prepare."

"Good."

Maria exited the elevator and stumbled to the ground, panic-stricken. She could feel her entire body swelling with unbearable pain. She scrambled toward Lynn's room like a refugee fleeing for her life.

She threw open the door. Lynn was sitting at his desk, observing Maria’s disheveled state.

"Where are the subordinates you took with you?"

"They... they must all be dead, Doctor. Please, save me! I feel like I'm going to explode."

Maria felt as though her body had reached a breaking point, ready to collapse into a mass of dark energy at any second.

"Come here. Hmm, the flaws are indeed significant. After all, it was a specialized modification to adapt to dark energy; the instability was within my estimations."

Maria scrambled over and collapsed at Lynn’s feet. As Lynn placed his palm, pulsing with purple energy, against her cheek, the restless dark energy within her finally began to dissipate. It felt as if her painful consciousness and spirit were being drawn out along with it. A soothing, cloying sweetness filled her mind. Seconds later, Lynn withdrew his hand and patted her cheek.

"Stand aside."

With a trace of lingering reluctance, Maria retreated. Lynn closed the booklet he had been reading and spoke aloud.

"I am quite grateful that you didn't cause any unnecessary losses to my staff. Now, why don't you come out and talk?"

Lynn had naturally sensed someone tracking Maria; it would have been strange if she had managed to escape back in that state without leaving a trail. However, no one appeared at first.

"Sigh..."

Lynn sighed. It seemed they thought he was bluffing, but he had no such intention. Since they were unwilling to show themselves, he would have to invite them out personally.

Purple flames suddenly erupted throughout the room, igniting the void. Several figures instantly materialized as black mist. One of them attempted to retreat through the doorway, but a purple psionic barrier instantly blocked his path.

"Well? Shall we talk?"

"..."

Seeing there was no escape, the vampires in their form-fitting fiber combat suits drew their weapons and aimed at Lynn, still remaining silent.

***

"Truly stubborn. It seems there are no key figures among you."

"Proceed."

At Lynn's command, the battle broke out. The vampire soldiers hidden in Lynn's room pulled their triggers simultaneously. The barrage of gunfire formed a terrifying web of fire, but these vampire special forces were clearly no amateurs. They flicked their wrists, and the ring-like artifacts they wore flashed with dark magical light. Sparks danced in the air, instantly forming magical inscriptions that deflected the lethal bullets while simultaneously buffeting themselves.

At the same time, the invaders launched a swift counterattack. Beyond their firearms, some drew long blades from their backs. These crimson blades were charged with magical energy; they could not only parry bullets but, in the hands of these agile invaders, could effortlessly slice through the bodies of Lynn’s vampire guards. Their bulletproof fiber armor was as fragile as butter.

Lynn shook his head in frustration. While his vampire guards were serviceable, they were no different from common fodder when facing the elites of these factions.

"Maria."

Amidst the hail of gunfire, Lynn issued an order. He didn't want to intervene himself every time. He stood up, preparing to leave the room and return once the matter was settled.

"Remember to leave two alive."

But the invaders clearly understood the principle of capturing the leader to end the rebellion. Once the battle stabilized, one of them suddenly transformed into a chaotic red mist, flashed to Lynn’s side, and reached out to seize him.

He was destined to fail.

A flash of purple light flickered, and he was struck by a powerful force that interrupted his movement, causing him to stumble backward before being sent flying. Before he could react, psionic flames were already rapidly spreading across his body. The vampire felt his strength rapidly draining, as if something were siphoning his vitality. Without giving him any chance, a barrage of specially crafted bullets struck him, causing him to burn from the inside out until he was reduced to a pile of ash.

After that, no one could stop Lynn.

Maria had manifested her true form once more. Her massive, long tail swept out with a resonant hum, and she, indifferent to her own subordinates, cut through the invaders and several of her own guards alike, before swiftly piercing their hearts. The invaders turned to ash upon death, leaving no corpses, while Lynn's guards, though sliced in half, continued to squirm on the ground, as their heads and hearts had not been destroyed.

After receiving the energy extraction from Lynn, Maria seemed to be in excellent condition. The bright blue blades extending from her arms hummed incessantly as she harvested the invading vampires with lightning speed. Their black magic defenses seemed remarkably fragile when encountering energy of the same tier, failing to show the strength they had used to defend against bullets. They were mown down by Maria like wheat.

Lynn had already closed the door. Kara stood outside, where a large number of vampire soldiers remained—evidently, Lynn had made multiple preparations. These, however, were clearly the only invaders. Kara handed him a wet wipe, and as Lynn cleaned his hands, he said to her:

"Prepare the implants."

"I understand, Doctor."

Maria’s violent harvest lasted only five minutes. Once the initial stalemate passed, only screams remained in the room. When the invaders' modern weapons, magical blades, and defensive spells proved useless—especially against a monster they could not hope to overcome—their psychological defenses inevitably crumbled.

Finally, when only two invaders remained, they dropped their weapons, removed their tactical helmets, and shouted:

"Commander Zoya wishes to speak with you! Please, stop! Stop!"

As they spoke, they performed the universal gesture of surrender.

"Why should we talk?" Maria asked, her voice echoing with the eerie resonance of chaotic, disordered energy.

"Because she has intelligence on Brutus. If you wish to destroy Nosferatu, you will surely need this information."

Maria reverted to her human form. Kara opened the door and signaled for Maria to put her clothes back on.

"The Doctor is willing to spare your lives. Bring your commander to the prepared room."

In another room Kara had prepared—the same conference hall where Deacon had previously killed the other ruling vampires of his clan—a massive round table sat in the center.

Zoya and Lynn sat on opposite sides of the table.

"I am willing to talk, but first, how about I hear your explanation?"

"You have designs on Nosferatu, don't you?"

"Whether I do or not is beside the point. I want to see why you are betraying your master."

"There is no betrayal. I was never one of Brutus's people. If my two clever subordinates hadn't happened to be the last ones standing, I wouldn't have bothered to save them."

With that, Zoya took a crest from her waist pouch and continued:

"This is the Crest of Secrecy. My subordinates and I are not Brutus's people. Your loyal hound belongs to the Blood Covenant; she naturally recognizes the crest."

Lynn signaled for Maria to examine it. She nodded quickly.

"Interesting. However, I am still not satisfied. Tell you what: let your subordinate speak with me privately. I have ways to verify if your words are true."

Zoya looked at the survivor behind her and nodded. She was confident in her own ability to escape, but she could not bear to abandon the two she had raised since childhood.

"Herman, go with him."

"Please."

A short while later, Lynn brought the male vampire named Herman to the adjacent room. As the vampire trembled, wondering what would befall him, several psionic tentacles locked him in place.

"Now, let me see if you are telling the truth."

Lynn’s psionic tentacles pierced through his skull, caressing his brain to extract the necessary information.

"Herman Heinrich, vampire spy for the Secret Covenant, hmm..."

Lynn quickly found the knowledge he needed, but his method of extracting memories was clearly brutal. Without any precise, energy-efficient control, the vampire began to convulse uncontrollably.

"So that's how black magic works. Interesting. You are stealing power from the Dark Dimension and Chthon to avoid the pursuit of your creditors, and thus you need to prevent the convergence of the Darkhold. Let me see what else... So that's how magic works. No wonder I couldn't understand how magical artifacts were created before. It seems a few minor adjustments are needed to adapt to this world. Some memories are sealed and unclear... ah, some of this is beyond me."

Lynn decisively ended his exploration. The vampire collapsed to the floor, vomiting a mass of internal contents, clearly in agony. But what terrified him most was that he had absolutely no memory of what had transpired during that time. He looked at Lynn in fear, but could only see the man's retreating back.

"I have confirmed that what you said is true. So, what is it you want to say?"

"You want to deal with Nosferatu, right?"

"Indeed."

"Then our interests align. The Sovereign Elaine of the Secret Covenant does not wish to see Nosferatu progress too far in the magical arts, so I can offer assistance. I know the location of Brutus's crypt and the methods to undo the magical seals. As long as you let my subordinates leave safely, I can tell you now."

Lynn had confirmed her honesty. At this point, the vampire named Herman returned to Zoya's side, though he was in a state far worse than before.

"Tell me a part of it first, and I will decide."

"First, the location of the crypt is in the Bronx. The primary function of the seal at the entrance is..."

Zoya discussed a portion of the intel, which Lynn cross-referenced with Herman's memories. It matched perfectly.

"Very well, I agree. You may let one of them leave."

"Herman."

Zoya nodded at Herman, and the male vampire immediately left the conference hall, disappearing into the Manhattan night shortly after.

"Now, tell me everything you know."

Lynn glanced at the other vampire beside her.