The cold wind from the subway entrance was like an invisible scraper, raking across William's cheek.
He pulled up the collar of his jacket, trying to block out the chill.
The night wind in Queens, carrying the stench of rust and garbage, was unlike the well-dressed Manhattan; the desolation here was ingrained, unashamedly displayed.
Only 30 points left.
Anxiety, like the deep night's cold, seeped into every pore, making him instinctively tighten his jacket, yet still unable to ward off the chill emanating from his heart.
He exhaled a puff of white air, watching it dissipate into nothingness.
William didn't like this feeling.
He preferred to weave through crowds, building his safety net with smooth talk and smiles.
Suddenly, his steps faltered slightly.
An inexplicable shiver crawled up his spine.
It wasn't due to the cold, but a feeling of being watched.
It was sinister and carried undisguised malice.
He could even feel the gaze seemed to be evaluating him, like a butcher appraising livestock.
He casually stretched his neck, his peripheral vision quickly sweeping behind him.
No one.
Only a deep alleyway, like the gaping maw of a monster, with darkness churning within.
A delusion?
He quickened his pace, his leather shoes tapping a hurried 'da, da, da' on the concrete.
Yet the feeling of being spied on lingered like a Shadow, even intensifying.
A faint scent, a mix of dust and a certain decaying sweetness, wafted over, barely perceptible; the sweetness carried a hint of metallic fishy.
William's heart lurched.
He instinctively moved sideways, pressing himself against a row of tightly shut storefront gates.
The moment he moved, a dark Shadow, like a ghost, swept past where he had just stood, stirring a faint but icy wind, and the decaying, sweet, bloody smell in the wind grew stronger.
Too fast!
William's pupils constricted sharply.
The dark Shadow stopped not far ahead, the streetlight outlining a tall, slender humanoid figure.
But it wasn't human.
At least, not an ordinary human.
Pale skin glowed with an unhealthy bluish-gray in the dim light.
Its eyes, however, were terrifyingly bright, flickering with hungry red light, like burning embers.
Its lips were slightly parted, revealing not a friendly smile, but two sharp, overly elongated fangs, reflecting a cold light under the streetlamp.
Vampire.
The word exploded in William's mind like a thunderclap.
The monster he had only seen in movies and novels before his transmigration was now standing alive before him, less than ten meters away.
Fear, like an icy hand, clutched his heart, squeezing it hard, instantly draining the air from his lungs, causing a suffocating sensation and cold goosebumps to erupt simultaneously.
Ding! Detected a potential customer, "Luren Jia."
William: "???"
No, buddy!
I'm about to be physically transcended; what are you popping out for now?
To chant a rebirth mantra for me, or to perform a 'corpse value assessment' while I'm still warm?
Target characteristics: Vampire, undead creature, possesses supernatural powers (Novice Brute Strength, Agility Enhancement, Low-level Self-healing), currently in a highly aggressive state, with a strong desire to feed (target: host).
William internally ranted: "Nonsense! I know that better than you! Its desire to feed is practically dripping on my face!"
System suggestion: You can try to promote "Undead Creature Accidental Sunlight Exposure Insurance (Trial Version)" or "Fang Care and Blood Product Quality Assurance Package."
William's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
If it weren't for the inappropriate timing.
He would definitely point at the Vampire's nose and roar at the system:
"You call this thing a 'potential customer'?
Does its 'eat clean, wipe clean, no responsibility' expression look like it would pay for insurance?
And sunlight exposure insurance?
Is it afraid it won't die fast enough?!
Fang care?
Is it going to use my carotid artery to grind its teeth?!"
Run!
This was the only thought in his mind.
William sharply turned and sprinted towards the subway entrance he had come from.
"Ho ho…"
Behind him, a low, raspy laugh, like sandpaper rubbing, full of mockery and cruelty, each syllable like an ice pick piercing his eardrums.
The Vampire followed unhurriedly, yet its speed was astonishing; each step seemed to shorten the distance, rapidly closing in.
It moved silently, as if its feet didn't touch the ground.
William could clearly hear his own heavy breathing and his heart pounding like a drum, but the inhuman footsteps of his pursuer were eerily light, carrying the rhythm of death.
His lungs felt like they were about to explode, his throat filled with the taste of blood.
Just then, a foul wind assaulted him.
The Vampire had already caught up, a pale hand with sharp, glinting claws lightning-fast reaching for the back of his neck.
William's scalp tingled; in that moment of life and death, he lunged sideways.
"Rip—!"
The sound of tearing cloth.
Immediately after, a burning, stinging pain erupted on his back shoulder.
He felt an unusual toughness in his skin, as if it had absorbed some of the force; the pain from the wound, though intense, was shallower than expected.
It was Resilient Skin! This passive ability had activated at a critical moment.
He rolled clumsily on the ground once, then quickly scrambled to his feet.
His back shoulder's clothing was torn in several places, and a few streaks of blood seeped out.
Pain! A burning, stinging pain!
But he had no time to ponder, for the Vampire was already closing in again.
In those red eyes, greed and mockery intensified, as if it were savoring the futile struggles of its prey.
"Interesting prey… your flesh and skin are tougher than they look."
The hoarse voice seemed to come directly from hell, carrying a hint of playfulness.
William's gaze frantically scanned his surroundings.
The subway entrance was too far; he couldn't outrun it.
The alley?
That was a dead end.
His gaze suddenly fixed on a rusty electrical junction box nearby.
The box was somewhat damaged, with several wires exposed, occasionally flashing a faint electric spark.
A crazy idea surged into his mind.
His Mechanical Induction talent gave him a vague insight into the box's internal structure; those complex circuits, rusted components, seemed to transform into translucent blueprints in his eyes, and he could "see" the unstable flow of electricity within them.
If… if he could use Novice Energy Tuning to guide this unstable energy… William suddenly charged towards the junction box, simultaneously pulling out the metal-cased ballpoint pen from his pocket—this was the only thing he could find that might serve as a conductor.
The Vampire seemed not to have expected him to advance instead of retreat, pausing slightly, a flicker of surprise in its crimson eyes.
But it was only a momentary pause.
The next second, it pounced with even greater speed, stirring up a foul wind.
William couldn't afford to think about anything else.
His concentration was absolute; the abilities of Mechanical Induction and Novice Energy Tuning were pushed to their limits, instantly locking onto the weakest and most unstable node within the box.
He fiercely thrust the metal tip of the ballpoint pen into it!
"Sizzle—CRACK!"
A blinding flash of electricity erupted, accompanied by a pungent smell of burning.
Tiny currents instantly shot through William's arm, bringing a violent numbness and stinging pain.
The Vampire, struck by the sudden bright light and electrical shock, let out a sharp shriek, instinctively stepping back, shielding its eyes with its arm, its movements momentarily sluggish.
Opportunity!
William endured the numbness and intense pain in his arm, turned, and ran.
But he had overestimated the power of that small current and underestimated the Vampire's recovery speed—as well as the chilling, overflowing murderous intent in those red eyes.
It was only a brief pause.
"You… have angered me!"
Behind him, the roar was no longer hoarse but sharp enough to tear eardrums, every word laden with an unyielding murderous intent and bone-chilling cold, as if to crush his very soul.
William felt a tremendous force strike him from behind; he was sent flying forward as if hit by a speeding truck.
"Pfft—"
He crashed heavily to the ground, a sweetness in his throat, and a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out.
His internal organs felt dislodged, and the intense pain made his vision darken.
The slight damage reduction provided by Resilient Skin was utterly useless against this brutal, unreasonable blow, like paper.
He struggled to get up.
But the Vampire had already pressed down on him like a mountain, its cold, earthy-smelling hand clamped tightly around his throat.
The air in his lungs was instantly sucked out, and a desperate sense of suffocation completely engulfed him like a tide.
William's hands futilely clawed at its arm, but it was like grabbing steel, unmoving.
He could clearly see its bloodshot red eyes, now burning with brutal rage, and those two glinting, rapidly enlarging fangs.
The God of Death's scythe was practically against his neck, the icy touch making every hair on his body scream.
"Don't… don't be in such a hurry to eat!"
William used his last ounce of strength, squeezing out a few garbled words through gritted teeth, sounding like a leaky bellows,
"There's… there's room… for negotiation!"
His will to survive and that damn insurance salesman's professional instinct were bizarrely welded together in an unprecedented way at this moment; his brain spun faster than a high-speed CPU fan!
"B-Brother! You… you see your fangs, how much does it cost to maintain them a year? We… we have packages here!"