It was three in the morning.
Aside from the dormitory and hotel areas, all lights across the Academy had gone out.
The hidden security system operated in silence, its net cast over every corner of St. Antiona Academy.
In the basement of the Academic Affairs Building, a beam of infrared from the security system was disturbed.
A shadowy figure slipped inside, dressed in tactical gear to allow for agile movement.
He moved like a thief—no, he was a thief.
Crouching in the corner against the wall to avoid being seen, he pulled out a hand-drawn map he had prepared earlier.
He carefully poked his head out, making sure there were no cameras in the basement, then unfolded the map.
After confirming his position on the map, he drew a revolver from his waist.
To disguise his identity, he had specially chosen a revolver, its serial number and markings on the silver body scratched off.
This revolver had been smuggled in from the Federation.
Unlike the semi-automatic pistols used by the police and found in the market, a revolver was a weapon built for raw violence—favored by collectors and hunters.
It was rarely seen in Hua Country, let alone traced.
Fully prepared, the man still decided to take out his phone.
The moment the screen lit up, the settlement page for the Game of Golden Shovel popped up, along with the sudden burst of background music.
“Damn it!”
The game’s audio wasn’t loud, but in the corridor it sounded like an explosion. His face contorted with shock.
He exited the game as quickly as possible, clutching both phone and gun.
With a slide, he darted across the corridor to the opposite corner, changed position, and then flattened himself to the ground, holding his breath.
For a long while, silence.
“I can’t believe this…”
He exhaled and got up, uninstalling the Game of Golden Shovel in frustration.
It was an auto-chess game, his main pastime.
To calm his nerves before the operation, he’d played a round, but had been so tense that he forgot to close the app afterward.
Fortunately, there was no one in the Confidential Archives Room.
He reopened his phone and accessed a file he’d copied in advance.
The file wasn’t transmitted over the internet, but through a data cable linked to a computer—showing just how cautious the sender was.
The content was all written in a commanding tone.
His expression darkened as he read, frustration etched across his face.
But there was nothing he could do.
He was a nominal Professor at St. Antiona Academy, with nearly ten years’ tenure.
Through hard work, he had become an Acting Professor, and also served as Group Leader in the Intelligence Division, a mid-level officer in the Enforcement Bureau.
But the man had another, hidden identity—a Blood Servant.
Twelve years ago, he had been an ordinary Human, both envious and resentful of Ability Users and their Powers. He spent his days in a dark room with only a computer for company, spreading rumors online.
He thought his life would pass by in a haze—drinking beer, eating instant noodles, making little money, his longing for Power growing so desperate that it nearly twisted him.
Until one night, a Vampire knocked at his door.
Rumor had it that some high-ranking Vampires could bestow Power upon Humans, turning them into kin.
These monsters, disguised as Humans, hunted while seeking out opportunists with darkness in their hearts.
He was just such an opportunist—having dropped out of high school, lazy by nature, convinced he alone saw the world clearly while others were fools.
He liked to bully the weak, and his greatest wish was to one day possess Power, become a winner, and bask in the spotlight.
But he wasn’t stupid.
He was clever, as most people with dark hearts are lazy but smart.
Thanks to his intelligence, he knew the Vampire wanted to use him and accepted the transformation without hesitation.
Thanks to his cunning, he disguised himself as an Ability User and quickly climbed the ranks of the Enforcement Bureau, eventually becoming a Professor at St. Antiona.
But because he was clever, he also knew, as an opportunist, that while he had spent the last ten years as an undercover agent—interfering with the Enforcement Bureau, aiding the Vampires—such things couldn’t last forever.
He’d been looking for a way out for months now. Wasn’t this good enough? If he got greedier, he’d be courting disaster.
He had Power, he had a future—if only he could cut ties with the Vampires, it would be perfect.
And this time, the mission the Vampires had given him was the perfect opportunity.
He needed to use it to draw a certain Vampire into St. Antiona Academy’s sights—while keeping himself hidden.
His assignment was to investigate the background of the new Professor, An Xiaoyi.
All signs pointed to An Xiaoyi being someone to be wary of; the death of that Count-level Vampire was simply too bizarre.
So, the Vampires ordered him to look into Professor An.
If An Xiaoyi were an ordinary new Professor, that would be fine.
But the man found him too strange.
First, he was someone Headmaster Farrow valued greatly—she introduced him to the other Professors and even brought him before the Director of the Enforcement Bureau.
This was the first time in years anyone had been treated so.
Second, his file was odd—too simple.
He had no social experience in any Ability User institution.
That was the strangest part.
He’d never attended an Ability User school, had grown up like a normal person, graduated from an ordinary high school and university, and yet became a Professor at St. Antiona.
He even skipped the Assistant Professor position.
Thus, the Vampire faction suspected he might be a standout from a Hunter Family, placed here by Humans as a wild card—someone meant to lull the Vampires into underestimating him, only to deliver a devastating blow.
Now that they had a theory, all they needed was proof.
An Xiaoyi’s public file couldn’t be trusted, so his real record had to be in the Confidential Archives, in Headmaster Farrow’s private collection in the basement.
After confirming the security system was truly disabled, the man stood and quickly slipped into the innermost room.
He halted, pressing his back to the wall, breath quick.
The door… was open.
Suddenly, he realized someone might have been here already.
Instinctively, he cocked the revolver—then remembered, revolvers didn’t need cocking.
He aimed into the room for a long moment, then lowered his weapon.
Maybe the door was always open.
Only Headmaster Farrow could enter here.
Besides himself, no one in the Academy would dare—she was known as the strongest Hunter.
Even so, he crept inside, hugging the wall as he circled the room.
Finally, convinced he was alone, he stared helplessly at the glass display case.
Then, by chance, he looked up and saw a photo hanging on the wall—a blurry image of a woman.
For some reason, he felt as if the woman in the picture was watching him.
Suddenly, he froze, snapping the gun toward the door, eyes fixed on the dark corridor.
“Looks like someone beat me to it?” A lazy voice spoke—a girl’s.
A tall girl in a St. Antiona Academy uniform, with long golden hair and ice-blue eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that. If anyone should be surprised, it’s us, Professor Chen Wen. Your blood-red eyes are practically glowing.” She laughed softly, exposing his identity.
She deliberately emphasized the word “us.”
Chen Wen, exposed, fell silent for a moment.
Then he pulled the trigger, springing toward her with a speed matching the bullet. His claws and the bullet struck at her head simultaneously.
She leapt back, dodging.
Chen Wen turned, a hint of surprise in his eyes. Now, the girl stood across the corridor from him.
He kept his gun raised but did not fire again. If she could dodge both bullet and claws from that close, the current distance meant he posed no threat. His expression darkened.
“A first-year Transfer Student, right? I remember your name—Farrah Cambray.”
“Professor, you have a good memory. We’ve only met once, and you already remembered me.” Farrah nodded.