In the Western District of Eternal Night City, in a dilapidated corner, the wind swirled about.
The air was thick with the familiar chill and the stench of blood.
A somewhat unsteady figure clung close to the shadows along the base of the wall, moving slowly and cautiously.
It was Shiluo.
Her face remained pale.
Although a few days of rest and emergency treatment had made her wounds no longer fatal, her movements were still strained.
Sylvie had not appeared for two days.
That silver-haired girl always looked timid and obedient, but Shiluo did not believe she was the type to give up without a sound.
Especially after hearing about the situation of the penned children, the light that had flashed in her eyes was no act.
Two full days without any news.
Either she had encountered trouble she could not escape from.
Or… something had happened to her.
Shiluo could not pin all her hopes on a child who could barely protect herself.
The whereabouts of the syringe and the Container concerned the lives and deaths of too many people.
She had to take action herself.
Yet all she could do was return to the place where she had previously encountered Utia and those three nobles to try her luck.
Lance and the others’ bodies had naturally already been dealt with.
Even the bloodstains had been cleaned away completely.
Perhaps Utia had not taken the syringe.
It might have rolled aside during the fight.
But just as she lowered her head, intending to start searching some corners,
“Ara, what are you looking for?”
A playful and teasing voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.
Shiluo’s movements froze completely in place.
Her pupils contracted sharply, and her heart stopped for an instant.
She would never mistake this voice!
It was the demon who had taken Lance and the others’ lives in an instant!
Almost in the next moment, Shiluo swiftly drew the dagger from her waist.
Even before her body could fully turn, the sharp blade in her hand thrust toward the throat of the tall figure who had somehow appeared leaning against the wall.
Utia neither dodged nor evaded.
She simply allowed the blade to come at her.
Yet the imagined scene of blood spraying did not occur.
After the blade pressed against Utia’s throat, it could not advance even half an inch further!
The sensation was like stabbing steel—unbelievably hard.
It had not even broken through her defense.
Shiluo was completely stunned, staring at the woman before her.
Utia regarded her fear with contemptuous, indifferent, and even pitying eyes.
“Such an ordinary weapon, and you think to harm a noble? How laughable.”
She did not even lower her head to look at the dagger pressed against her throat.
With two slender fingers, she casually pinched it.
A light snap rang out, and the dagger broke in response.
Before Shiluo could react, an irresistible force suddenly gripped her wrist and shoved her backward viciously!
Her back slammed heavily into the wall, the impact blackening her vision.
Utia’s figure pressed in right after.
The distance between them closed instantly until their breaths mingled.
Shiluo could even clearly see the undisguised interest and mockery deep within Utia’s crimson eyes.
With just one hand, she easily pinned both of Shiluo’s wrists firmly against the wall above her head.
The posture carried absolute control… and an indescribable trace of ambiguity and oppression.
“You damned demon!!! Even if I die, I won’t tell you anything!”
Shiluo gritted her teeth and shouted righteously.
Utia’s cold face leaned in far too close, forcing her to turn her head away as much as possible in an attempt to distance herself from those nearby red pupils.
“Hehehe, don’t be so hasty, little cutie. I came specifically to find you this time.”
Utia’s light laugh carried an icy breath that brushed against the side of Shiluo’s forcibly turned neck, sending a shiver through her.
“I won’t tell you anything!” Shiluo retorted fiercely.
Utia simply smiled.
She pulled out the syringe from behind her and waved it in front of Shiluo’s eyes a couple of times.
Shiluo glared with wide eyes and struggled desperately to seize the syringe or destroy it by force.
But the strength in Utia’s single remaining arm was terrifying.
Even a slight movement made her feel as if her wrist bones were creaking.
“You… You really took this thing!”
“What a pity. Your little companions didn’t know how to hide it properly. It rolled right out after a casual search.” Utia’s tone carried a false note of regret, which only fueled Shiluo’s rage further.
“Bastard!!!” Shiluo twisted her body frantically, trying to headbutt Utia or kick her with her feet, but it was all useless.
“Shh… Quiet now, little cutie.” Utia’s voice held a bone-chilling gentleness.
“See, aren’t we chatting nicely right now? About this little thing here…”
She used the hand holding the syringe to gently tap Shiluo’s forehead.
“Now… tell me, what exactly is this thing? What do you plan to do with it? Or rather, what are you all searching for? If you cooperate obediently…”
Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
She leaned close to Shiluo’s ear and spoke in a whisper only the two of them could hear.
“Perhaps I can even tell you some extra information—things you humans don’t know. Hehehe.”
The sweet yet vicious laugh squeezed from Utia’s throat nearly made Shiluo nauseous.
“The era of terror ruled by you vampires should come to an end.” Shiluo’s expression was icy as she threatened. “I don’t need your charity. I only know that you vampires are truly full of hot air.”
Utia’s eyes narrowed slightly.
There was no anger in her gaze, only an incomprehensible mockery.
“I understand humans much better than you imagine. The things in your hearts and the things you do are not much more righteous than us vampires.”
Shiluo fell silent.
She continued to glare furiously at Utia, but could not utter a single word of rebuttal.
Then, the hand pressing on her wrists suddenly loosened.
Utia actually released her and stepped back.
She held the metal syringe between two pale fingers and shook it casually.
The corners of her mouth curved into a meaningful arc.
“Little cutie… How about we make a deal? You tell me what’s really inside this syringe and exactly what you humans are planning.”
She continued shaking the syringe in her hand and spoke slowly.
“In exchange, I’ll return this thing to you. Of course, I also won’t reveal that I saw you here. How about it? Quite a profitable transaction, isn’t it?”
After hearing this, Shiluo was first stunned and confused.
But then her expression became even more vigilant.
“Besides, I’m not foolish enough to be deceived by a simple and clumsy lie.”
“Don’t be such a killjoy, hehehe. I believe you will be very interested in that information.”