CRIMSON NOCTURNE

CHAPTER 32: Silver Meteor

As soon as they reached the hotel, Van Helsing grabbed his battered blade and went out for a stroll through the streets, whistling a jaunty tune as he disappeared around the corner. Yi Fei, meanwhile, soaked in the hotel's hot spring, letting the warmth ease the fatigue of the long night. He floated in the pool, letting his thoughts drift to Chen Jing — wherever she might be. But to his own surprise, Camilla's face flashed through his mind even more often than Chen Jing's. Sometimes he found himself involuntarily recalling every little moment they had shared. From the initial suspicion and caution, to her wholehearted support later on. Every stage of it was vivid, and every memory of Camilla touched him deeply.

And what if what Rusfan had said was true — that she hadn't drunk any human blood in months? The thought gnawed at him. She had been starving herself for him.

It struck Yi Fei then how little attention he had paid to Camilla. Aside from handing over the money he earned from odd jobs and buying her the occasional snack from street vendors, they had barely spoken. He had never asked about her life, her feelings, her dreams. He had been so consumed by his own problems that he had never once stopped to consider what she might be going through. Yet despite how coldly he had treated her, she had still cared for him, looked after him, and in the end, given up her chance to escape. She had chosen to be captured rather than let him die. The guilt weighed on him like a stone.

From where nobody else could see, Yi Fei's hand clenched, crumbling a piece of the pool's stone edge into dust. The fragments washed away in the swirling water.

Just then, Van Helsing returned. He changed into a bathrobe, laid his blade conspicuously by the water's edge, and plunged into the hot spring with a splash that jolted Yi Fei out of his tangled thoughts.

"Hey, kid. What are you brooding about in here? Careful you don't soak yourself into a prune." Van Helsing teased Yi Fei while simultaneously explaining to the hotel staff that he had simply slipped and fallen in, apologizing profusely with a sheepish grin.

After finally getting rid of the concerned staff, Van Helsing drifted over to Yi Fei and lowered his voice. "I was followed. A few of them. Probably Karl's men, here to scope us out. Get some rest. When it gets dark, we'll head up to the rooftop and wait for them. No sense scaring the civilians in the hotel."

"Got it." Yi Fei nodded and sank back into his own thoughts. There was still plenty of time before nightfall. After the hot spring and a delicious meal of roast suckling pig — the meat was tender and perfectly seasoned — Yi Fei pocketed some money he'd swiped from Van Helsing and decided to explore the streets on his own. Spending the whole afternoon cooped up in the hotel room would be unbearable.

Segovia was an ancient city, but that didn't diminish Yi Fei's interest in it. The medieval European architecture and the tranquil atmosphere of the city put him at ease. Cobblestone streets wound between centuries-old buildings, and the air smelled of history and fresh bread. Having money in his pocket gave him the confidence to browse through every little shop he passed. It was a wonderful feeling, being able to buy things without worrying about every penny.

Just before dusk, Yi Fei returned to the hotel carrying three small boxes, each wrapped carefully in colored paper. Van Helsing caught a glimpse of the names written on them — Chen Jing, Camilla, Cheng Yao — and shook his head slightly. Truth be told, he didn't have much hope of finding those three women. The world was a big place, and vampires were good at hiding. "Hurry up, hurry up. Finish dinner and then come upstairs with me to look at the moon. Looks like it's a full moon tonight."

"Ah, it's a full moon again?" Yi Fei realized he had been away from his home country for a long time now. He wondered how everyone back there was doing. His parents, his friends — were they worried about him?

Back in C Country, it was already two in the morning. Zeng Dan and Wu Lei were both still awake. Zeng Dan was, as always, preparing her interview outline and research materials for the next day, surrounded by scattered papers and photographs. Wu Lei, on the other hand, was on the phone with Chen Hua, Chen Jing's uncle. The two vampires had been inseparable ever since Yi Fei had introduced them, and their relationship had grown so intense that even Zeng Dan sometimes found it a little too affectionate. But despite her teasing, whenever she saw their happy faces, she couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy. Wu Lei had found her Prince Charming — even if he was a bit older — but Zeng Dan still had no idea where hers was.

Tonight, though, she didn't have time to dwell on such things. Tomorrow's interview was extremely important, both for her career and for Yi Fei. Given the recent surge in vampire activity, special police forces from around the world were joining together for a large-scale crackdown. C Country had dispatched a special agent named Cheng Pengwei, who specialized in werewolf issues relating to vampire activity. Since his sister had been abducted by vampires, and since Yi Fei was his sister's classmate, Zeng Dan had taken a particular interest in him. "I wonder what he really thinks about vampires and Yi Fei. I need to ask him clearly tomorrow."

Back in Spain, Yi Fei and Van Helsing had already finished dinner. Yi Fei had no problem eating roast suckling pig two meals in a row, but Van Helsing was sick of it. He chewed piece after piece of gum with increasing desperation, and even Yi Fei began to feel a little guilty. "Brother Van... how about you decide what we eat from now on? As long as there's meat, I'm good."

"You should have said that earlier! Now I'm going into battle tonight with reduced combat effectiveness. You take point — if you really can't handle it, I'll step in." Van Helsing popped another fresh piece of gum and started counting the stars from the rooftop. "It's strange... why do the stars seem brighter and more numerous here than back home?"

"It's because this ancient city has no pollution. Even a kid knows that." Yi Fei curled his lip.

Van Helsing shot him a glare. "Oh, of course. You're so smart. From now on, to reduce pollution, you can carry me everywhere on your back."

"..."

"Hmph." Seeing that Yi Fei dared not respond, Van Helsing hummed a smug little tune.

Even though it was pure noise that sounded like a dying cat, Yi Fei didn't dare complain. If he really ended up having to carry this guy around, he'd be dead from exhaustion. Better to just bear it.

"You two are quite relaxed, humming a tune while you wait for us." A*** voice echoed from the rooftop entrance, cold and amused.

"They're here." Yi Fei and Van Helsing exchanged a glance and sprang to their feet, ready for battle. They turned to face the man emerging from the stairwell. It was Karl. As they took in his appearance, both of them froze for a moment. "They look way too similar." The man before them seemed to have been stamped from the same mold as the imposter they had killed the night before. The only difference was that the fake Karl had looked dim-witted, with a slack jaw and dull eyes, while this one exuded authority and confidence. This was the aura befitting a regional leader.

Karl ordered a few of his men to guard the entrance, lit a cigarette with deliberate slowness, took a long drag, and said, "You didn't have to parade through the streets with that blade. After the job you did last night, I wouldn't have had trouble finding you. The Guild talks, as I'm sure you know."

Van Helsing glanced at Yi Fei and muttered, "See? I told you the Guild was compromised. But at least this saves us the trouble of hunting him down." To his surprise, Yi Fei didn't respond as usual. Instead, his features were slowly shifting into a werewolf's, fur sprouting along his arms as his body grew.

"Brother Van, I don't know why, but I'm really in the mood for a fight tonight." Yi Fei's eyes gleamed with rare battle lust, a feral hunger burning in his gaze. "I'll take Karl. You deal with the small fry. I don't want the whole world knowing my true form."

Seeing Yi Fei brimming with fighting spirit, Van Helsing drew his long blade. The steel sang as it left the scabbard. He nodded in agreement. "Don't die, kid."

"Here I go!" Yi Fei stamped his right foot against the ground, cracking the tiles beneath him, and launched himself high into the air before diving straight at Karl. A silver meteor streaking across the night sky, leaving a trail of light in its wake...

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[END OF CHAPTER 32]