The Last Werewolf in History

Chapter 3

The roar of the engine dropped to a low growl. Qin Lie sat in the back seat, a black tactical bag spread open across his knees. The rasping sound of the zipper teeth interlocking rang out jarringly within the cabin.

Su Hongxiu gripped the steering wheel with one hand while the other slid rapidly across the central console screen. Streams of green code cascaded down the display like a waterfall.

"The surveillance loop has been closed. Every camera within a three-kilometer radius of the factory is currently looping footage from ten minutes ago." Su Hongxiu kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead, never easing up on the speed. "However, the signal blackout can only be sustained for another thirty minutes."

Qin Lie offered no verbal response. Instead, he drew a dagger from his bag. Its blade was a matte black, completely devoid of any reflective sheen. Etched into the pommel was a tiny silver cross, encircled by a pattern of interlocking gears.

His fingertips traced over the gears; the raised ridges and recessed grooves felt distinct beneath his touch.

"Standard-issue gear," Qin Lie remarked, tossing the dagger back into the bag before picking up a communicator. "Encrypted frequency—civilian modifications simply can't replicate this level of precision."

"The Silver Cross Society's regular squads wouldn't be issued equipment like this," Su Hongxiu observed, glancing at Qin Lie in the rearview mirror. "This is standard kit for the squads operating directly under the Cardinal Council."

Qin Lie's finger hovered over the communicator's power button.

"The direct-command squads."

"Mm. They're typically deployed only to handle 'High-Threat Aberrants.'" Su Hongxiu steered the car onto an elevated highway; the sweeping beams of the streetlights washed across her profile. "For a run-of-the-mill werewolf awakening, dispatching two Hunters is usually sufficient. The fact that they've mobilized a direct-command squad tells us they've had their sights set on you for quite some time."

Qin Lie pried open the back cover of the communicator. Embedded within the battery compartment was a miniature chip, glowing with a faint blue light.

"It's not me they're after," Qin Lie said, prying the chip free and holding it between his fingertips. "It's this sword."

He tapped the short sword sheathed at his waist. The scabbard remained warm to the touch—a searing heat that could be felt even through his clothing.

Su Hongxiu fell silent for a moment. Then, she pressed the accelerator a little deeper. "It is highly probable that the Archbishop personally authorized this." She pulled up an interface; a red waveform graph was spiking violently. "Just before the signal from the factory cut out, a high-frequency encrypted transmission was sent toward the European sector. It went straight to the Cardinal Cathedral."

Qin Lie stuffed the chip into his pocket and leaned back against the seat. The wound was on the outer side of his thigh; with every jolt of the vehicle, the seeping blood soaked through the gauze.

It hurt. Yet his mind felt sharper than ever.

"They want me alive," Qin Lie said.

"What?"

"If they merely wanted to neutralize a threat, their direct-action squad would have brought solidified silver rounds." Qin Lie pointed to a few unspent rounds tucked into a corner of his tactical pack. "Those are tranquilizers. Specialized for biological extraction."

Su Hongxiu tapped her fingers against the steering wheel.

"The werewolf gene." Her voice grew several degrees colder. "The very thing they failed to secure during the Purge a century ago—they believe they can find it in you."

Outside the window, the city's nightscape flew past in a blur. The towering skyscrapers gradually gave way to lower, older residential blocks. The neon signs grew scarce, and the streetlights took on a dim, yellowed glow.

Qin Lie closed his eyes. Images from the factory flashed through his mind—the expressions on the faces of those demon hunters as they fell. It wasn't fear he saw, but rather a kind of programmed numbness.

Like machines.

"How much longer?" Qin Lie asked.

"We're on the edge of the Old Quarter now. Just two more alleyways to go." Su Hongxiu flicked on her turn signal. "Old K's shop doesn't have a signboard; a brass padlock hanging on the door serves as his 'Open for Business' sign."

"Is he really there?"

"The brass padlock is unlocked," Su Hongxiu replied. "I remotely disengaged the lock ten minutes ago. If he weren't inside, the lock would have triggered an alarm."

Qin Lie opened his eyes, his hand resting on the hilt of his short sword.

***

At that very moment, across the ocean...

Deep within the Silver Cross Society's Cardinal Cathedral, the air was as frigid as an ice cellar. Beneath the colossal dome, hundreds of candles hovered in mid-air, their flames burning motionless.

The Archbishop stood upon a raised platform. His crimson robes cascaded to the floor, the deep shadow cast by his hood obscuring his entire face.

Before him stood a holographic projection screen. A red light flashed, displaying the words: "Signal Lost."

"Cleanup Squad: All Signals Lost." A mechanical voice emanated from the shadows.

The Archbishop remained motionless. Only his fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.

"The Memorial Zone," the voice intoned—low and resonant with a metallic timbre. "Whatever lay dormant at that location has awakened."

"Initiate Purge Protocol?"

"Purge?" The Archbishop raised his head. Beneath the cowl of his hood, two points of spectral light glinted. "A century ago, we failed to completely eradicate that bloodline because the samples were lost. Now, the samples have delivered themselves right to our doorstep."

He raised his hand. A holographic map of the globe materialized in the air. Countless red dots began to light up, spreading like a plague.