The armored vehicle’s engine emitted a deafening roar as it sped through the already ruined, deathly silent streets of the human city, crushing everything in its path. The headlights illuminated the thick darkness ahead, as well as the massive silent remnants standing on both sides of the road.
The air was filled with lingering dust and a scent decayed by time and darkness.
This had once been a human metropolis; now, it was merely a conquered and selectively abandoned wasteland by the vampires, serving as a buffer zone between the penned district and the human survivor zones.
Klal’s gaze swept indifferently over this ruin of civilization through the narrow window, her blood-red eyes holding no sentiment—only an eternal, icy indifference.
In her hand, she toyed with a metal syringe, its faint metallic sheen appearing especially insignificant yet strikingly glaring against the backdrop of this boundless darkness and ruins.
She examined it closely, the metallic surface reflecting her blood-red eyes that flickered with an unusual luster, as if she were pondering something.
“How stubborn…” she murmured to herself, her fingertips slowly tightening.
“Even with their civilization collapsed and destroyed, their race scattered and annihilated, reduced to rats barely surviving in dark corners, they’re still persistently digging for hopes long buried… Foolish, yet… somewhat intriguing.”
Tiana gripped the steering wheel tightly, driving the vehicle steadily over the rugged, broken streets.
Hearing the Queen’s murmur, she hesitated for a moment before asking.
“Your Majesty, what should we do…”
“What? Are you concerned about what that human said?” Klal asked with a disdainful scoff.
Tiana’s gaze remained fixed on the darkness-shrouded road ahead, her eyes showing a bit more worry.
“A little… The development speed of the human survivor zones has far exceeded our expectations. At first, we all thought their huddling together was just prolonging their demise, but in such a short time, they’ve already found… methods to harm vampire bodies, and moreover…”
She paused, her eyes unconsciously glancing at the syringe in Klal’s hand a few times before continuing to stare at the road ahead.
“‘Container’… If there really is what those humans are looking for in the blood livestock penned district, the so-called ‘container.'”
She took a deep breath and suggested.
“I believe we should act first, find that ‘container’ ahead of time, and… thoroughly destroy it.”
“Destroy it?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Tiana’s tone was firm and decisive.
“The humans’ will to resist is stronger than we anticipated. This ‘container,’ whatever it specifically is, for them to value it so much—willing to pay any price, sending so many high-rank operatives, even provoking a slaughter just to infiltrate the penned district and search for it—must have special significance, perhaps even something that could pose a threat to us.”
Her voice lowered a few notches.
“Rather than waiting for the humans to find and use it, it’s better for us to strike first and erase it completely, cutting off their delusions.”
The vehicle interior fell into a brief silence, broken only by the engine’s roar and the sound of tires crunching over gravel, the headlight beams swaying over the ruins ahead.
Klal slowly turned her head back, looking once more at the metal syringe in her hand. Its indicator light was already shattered, unable to function normally. Tiana’s suggestion was correct.
But…
In the depths of her blood-red eyes, something stirred slowly—not wariness, but rather… a bizarre interest.
“Erase it? Cut off their delusions?” Klal repeated softly, the corners of her mouth slowly curling into a smirk.
“Tiana, don’t you think… that would be too boring?”
Tiana was slightly stunned and glanced sideways at the Queen.
“Boring?”
“Yes, hehehe… Humans like rats underground, sniffing the scent of food, lurking desperately, searching—as if all their efforts, all their sacrifices, all their hopes are pinned on this tiny ‘container.'”
Her voice gradually took on a layer of cruel coldness.
“If we find it now and crush it as easily as stepping on a bug… what expressions would be on their faces? Despair? Collapse? Or… even more frenzied unwillingness?”
She set down the syringe, her blood-red eyes gazing at the building ruins speeding backward outside the window.
“But that way, the game ends too quickly, too simply. I prefer… watching them approach their goal full of hope, watching them think they’re about to touch that hope, then personally snuffing out that light bit by bit.”
As she spoke, her pale fingertips lightly tapped the syringe’s metal casing, producing a crisp echo.
“Let them search.” Klal stated indifferently.
“Not only let them search—we’ll help them search.”
“Your Majesty?” This time, Tiana truly felt surprised.
“This syringe is a locator, right?” Klal shook the item in her hand.
“Pointing to a specific ‘container.’ Since the humans want it so badly, we’ll deliver it right to them…”
A calculating gleam flickered in Klal’s blood-red eyes. She chuckled lightly and suddenly commanded Tiana.
“Turn around.”
Upon hearing this, Tiana was stunned for a moment and asked.
“Eh? But District 3 Penned District is just ahead not far away. The captured humans there are awaiting your judgment. Are we heading directly back to District 2 Penned District?”
“No…”
The smile on her face grew even more cruel as she said slowly.
“Back to Eternal Night City…”
——————
At this moment, in Utia’s room.
The scarlet, soft bedding, with its slightly cool silky luxury, enveloped Sylvie’s rigid body.
She lay on her side, her body curled into a ball, trying to occupy only the edge of this overly spacious bed.
From behind came a rustling sound of fabric rubbing faintly, followed by the light steps of bare feet on the carpet, gradually approaching her.
Sylvie’s heartbeat couldn’t help but speed up a few beats, tension making her unconsciously clench her fists.
When the mattress beside her sank slightly, a scent mixed with faint blood fragrance and Utia’s unique cold, rich body aroma wafted over.
Sylvie only felt the bedding beside her being lifted at one corner, cool air rushing in, followed by a slender, cold body lying down behind her.
The distance was neither far nor close, without direct contact, but it made Sylvie’s body lie even more stiffly.
So what was the situation now?
She was actually, truly just making her “accompany for sleep”!
She didn’t accept the offer of service, but instead had her simply lie on the bed like this, then obediently sleep for a while?
This simply left Sylvie unable to comprehend.
There were no further invasive actions, no anticipated cold touches or teasing whispers—only steady breathing from behind, and a bit of coolness transmitted through the bedding from Utia’s pale, cold skin.
This abnormal calm made Sylvie feel more uneasy than any direct threat.
A strange silence spread through the room, quiet enough to hear the faint crackle of the candle flames burning.
Sylvie said nothing, pretending she was already asleep, but she could clearly feel the scorching gaze from behind locked on her.
Until Utia’s voice, carrying amusement, came from behind.
“Your heart is beating so fast, hum hum hum…”