"We're not pursuing pleasure; we just want to survive," Nysha whispered, already feeling pessimistic about the conversation.
"They also want to survive!" Zhou Yi raised his wine glass, his bright eyes fixed on the humans who had been lured here as food.
Some of these people were already bled dry, while others desperately clung to life. Most were held firmly by the Vampires, unable to make a sound, only able to watch Zhou Yi, the intruder, with naked, pleading eyes. Zhou Yi understood that look; it was the primal, deep-seated human desire to survive.
"We have an agreement with the human authorities; they are mostly criminals, drug addicts, and people who couldn't resist temptation. Their lives have been abandoned by the human authorities; no one cares about them." Nysha had seen the longing in the people's eyes, but she didn't care about them.
She cared only about Zhou Yi's reaction, hoping to persuade him to abandon these societal parasites. She believed no one would go to great lengths for such discarded people. This was the foundation of the Vampires' peaceful coexistence with human elites: they were seen as scavengers, clearing the necrotic tissues of society.
"The third step of friendly communication!" Zhou Yi drained his glass and stood up. "I think I should let you know my thoughts."
"I don't care who the trash to be cleared is; I only care about one thing: whether I'm happy. And what I want to tell you now is, I'm very unhappy!" Watching the grotesque yet cowering Vampires, Zhou Yi spoke his mind coldly. "Creatures that can't even face the brilliance of the Sun are not qualified to look at me, let alone discuss who should survive with me!"
A blinding light suddenly erupted in Zhou Yi's pupils. In an instant, bright, concentrated rays shot from his eyes, slashing through the darkness like a light saber.
Even for just a moment, the consequences were devastating.
The Vampires struck directly by the rays instantly turned to ash. Those merely touched by the scattered light wailed, fell to the ground, and their bodies were engulfed in flames. After a futile struggle, they too turned to dust.
Only Nysha remained. An invisible light barrier in front of her had blocked the scattered rays, leaving her unharmed.
In just a few blinks of an eye, the Vampire-filled bar was suddenly empty, leaving behind only the bewildered humans who had been saved, Nysha, the sole surviving Vampire, and Zhou Yi, the instigator.
Looking at the smiling man, the fear in Nysha's heart surged exponentially. She finally understood the source of her instinctive dread: a human who could manipulate light and possessed Superman-like power was the absolute natural enemy of Vampires. Facing a natural enemy, fear was inevitable.
Ignoring the still-dazed humans, Zhou Yi merely smiled at Nysha. "You should be glad you protected my sister; otherwise, you wouldn't still be standing here. So, it's best not to let me hear any rumors about me. Otherwise, I don't mind making the Vampire species disappear from New York."
Nysha nodded stiffly. She knew Zhou Yi's meaning: no information about him could be leaked, not only among Vampires but also to humans. But she didn't understand why, with so many humans present, he only demanded her silence.
Soon, she understood.
A terrifying aura suddenly spread—ancient, sacred, majestic, and dreadful. This spiritual majesty, a power Zhou Yi had learned from his Daoist spiritual visualization training in China, permeated the space.
Nysha, as an ancient pure-blood Vampire, felt her body functions slow. Her muscles trembled, and her brain felt paralyzed. As for the ordinary humans, most of them rolled their eyes, foamed at the mouth, and immediately fainted.
The powerful psychic impact would ensure they wouldn't remember what had happened, only a crippling sense of fear. While this power was harsh, it was far better than being silenced permanently.
Having tied up all the loose ends, Zhou Yi waved dismissively at Nysha and flew out of the bar. A piercing shriek immediately echoed in the sky, indicating Zhou Yi had gone far away.
Nysha surveyed the surroundings, forced herself to recover, and quickly disappeared into the shadows, leaving only the ground full of unconscious humans. For the humans, this was already the best possible outcome.
Less than ten minutes after Nysha left, groups of armed personnel stormed in. They systematically surrounded the bar, searched every corner, and quickly set up instruments at key positions. They carefully carried all the fainted humans out on stretchers.
No one spoke of their purpose, but their actions suggested an official operation. It wasn't until a middle-aged man with a noticeably receding hairline, deep eyes, and a gentle smile walked in that a black man, the apparent leader of the armed team, approached him.
"Officer, we have secured the area. But it seems we arrived too late; nothing suspicious was found here, only these unconscious people, and a ground of dust and blood," the black man reported regretfully.
"Collect some samples and send them directly to the central laboratory. Also, arrange for personnel to treat and question them." The middle-aged man walked to the bar counter, looked up at the massive hole in the ceiling, and asked, "What do you think? How did this big hole appear?"
The black man looked up, scrutinized it for a moment, and said with an uncertain tone, "It looks like it was pierced by a huge armor-piercing shell, Officer!"
The middle-aged man patted his shoulder and said with feigned regret, "Pal, take some time to read more science fiction. Seriously, your imagination is truly disappointing!"
The middle-aged man walked past him, and the black man could only awkwardly scratch the back of his head.
The middle-aged man, at the bar counter, carefully surveyed his surroundings. His cell phone rang.
"Agent Coulson, have you found anything?" The voice on the phone belonged to the cold Commander Hill.
"Unfortunately, I haven't found any suspicious individuals here. Apparently, our Superman is no longer here! However, I have already sent some samples to the center."
"Phil, try to collect anything useful. Also, Director Fury wants to see you!"
"I understand, Hill—" Agent Phil Coulson's voice suddenly became vague, startling Commander Hill on the other end.
"Phil? Phil? What's wrong over there?"
"I think I've found something useful!" Phil Coulson gently picked up a wine glass using a handkerchief. On the rim of the glass, a clear, intricate pattern was visible.
At the Long Island Villa, Zhou Yi, having slowed down from his high-speed flight, landed softly on his balcony.
He secretly glanced at the brightly lit living room, where Ororo, already dressed, was sternly scolding Charisse and the two other girls. Estimating that no one had noticed his arrival, Zhou Yi quickly changed his clothes, which were tattered and singed from atmospheric friction. High-speed flight was constantly burning his clothes, a minor but annoying logistical problem.
After changing, Zhou Yi grabbed a few bottles of milk from the refrigerator and walked into the hall.
"Ororo, they've been through enough today. I think it's better if you say less." Placing the milk in front of the girls, Zhou Yi poured two glasses of whiskey from a bottle on the coffee table and offered one to Ororo.
Ororo took the glass, gave Zhou Yi an annoyed look, and said, "I still don't understand what happened, and you think I've said too much to them?"
Shaking the glass, Zhou Yi paused before explaining, "I found them in a Vampire bar. Fortunately, they weren't hurt."
"Vampire?" Ororo's voice rose sharply; clearly, she knew much more about them than Zhou Yi did.
She immediately softened her tone, speaking to the girls. "Children, are you alright? I mean, did you have too deep a contact with those Vampires?"
The three girls, already stressed from being scolded, were overwhelmed by the sudden care. They foolishly replied, "We're fine, Ororo. No one touched us."
"That's great!" Ororo remained highly nervous. "But I still need to check your bodies. We're going back to the school now! Immediately!"
"Do you want me to open a portal?" Charisse asked ingratiatingly, constantly looking for ways to reduce her impending punishment.
"No!" Ororo firmly refused. She stared at Zhou Yi. "We'll drive back."
Zhou Yi shrugged. "Take my car; the keys are on the garage wall. Although, I don't think they'll have any problems!"
"In any case, we must check!" Ororo's attitude was firm.
Zhou Yi knew he couldn't object. "Alright, alright. I won't object, but give me two minutes; I want to talk to Charisse."
Ororo nodded seriously. "Hurry up. I don't want these children to have any problems!"
Leading Charisse to the balcony, Zhou Yi looked at his sister, who was bowing her head, ready for a lecture. He smiled faintly.
"Well done!"
"Ah?" Charisse clearly didn't understand.
"But it's not enough," Zhou Yi explained, patting her head. "I'm talking about you protecting your companions today. You did very well in that matter. But it's not enough, because you're not strong enough."
"Before, when I sent you to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, it was because I wasn't strong enough. In this world where Mutants are treated unfairly, I couldn't protect you from the disturbances of ill-intentioned people, so Mom and I chose the School. We hoped you could grow up healthy there, and we achieved that goal."
"And now, you've grown up and have your own thoughts. I don't want to instill any concepts in you like Professor X and the others. I just want to tell you, remember today. You didn't choose to run away alone, but you also couldn't protect your friends. So, when you don't have enough power, make your choices carefully. You must always bear the consequences of your own decisions."
Charisse bowed her head, lost in thought. After a while, she looked up. "I understand, big brother. But I want to know what happened later?"
"I let that woman go," Zhou Yi didn't hide anything. "But as for the remaining Vampires, I didn't leave a single one."
"Thank you, big brother!" Charisse looked up, her emerald eyes filled with tears of gratitude. Only now did she realize how much her brother, only eight years her senior, had sacrificed and done for her.
Zhou Yi smiled and stroked her hair. "Go. Ororo is still waiting for you."