Chapter Twenty-Four: A Rescue

Cheng Feng recognized the female student the two vampires had captured—it was Lin Xiaoqin, a classmate from Aoye First High. Relying on the original host’s memories, Cheng Feng had a faint impression of this girl. She was short, timid to the point where a careless word could make her cry, and had such a weak presence in class that her absence would likely go unnoticed.

Having no close friends, she came to school only to read, spending most of her time immersed in books in the library—a typical literary girl. Yet in the eyes of her classmates, she was nothing but a dull bookworm. For such a gentle, harmless girl to be dragged here by vampires as their meal—it was unacceptable!

Crouched in the underbrush not far away, Cheng Feng continued to use her clairvoyant ability to survey the wooden house. The man in the baseball cap and his accomplice dragged the unconscious Lin Xiaoqin inside, entered a room, and took out a key to unlock the door. Cheng Feng focused her vision, peering through the cabin and its inner rooms. In the corner, she saw three more girls—disheveled, their school uniforms covered in dust.

Her heart skipped a beat. There were three more hostages.

The difficulty of the rescue had just increased dramatically.

The girls, terrified by the opening of the door, shrank into the corner, trembling like frightened rabbits, unable to even meet the vampires’ gaze. The man in the cap tossed Lin Xiaoqin carelessly to the floor. Seeing the girls’ abject terror, his thirst was piqued. His scarlet tongue flicked over his fangs as he considered whom to drain first.

His companion, the man in sunglasses, suddenly interjected, “Wesick is coming to inspect the goods tonight. If there’s a problem with the merchandise, we’ll be in trouble.”

“You’re right,” the other replied, giving up his urge to feed. Together, they left the room, locking the door behind them. Only the girls’ faint sobs remained.

Cheng Feng, hidden behind the shrubs, witnessed everything, unsure how best to proceed. Four hostages in the hands of vampires—this was going to be tricky.

After some thought, she decided to tell Liu Shiyu about her clairvoyance and share everything she’d just seen, letting the professional determine their strategy.

Liu Shiyu frowned upon hearing this. As a demon hunter for the Association, she knew that when hostages were involved, their safety was paramount. No matter the mission, the lives of innocents must come first.

She rested her chin thoughtfully on her hand, then raised an odd question. “Wait… You said you have clairvoyance? Doesn’t that mean you’ve seen right through all the girls on the street?”

She even took a step away, studying Cheng Feng with suspicion, clutching her collar as if she herself were at risk.

“Is that what matters right now?” Cheng Feng rubbed her forehead in exasperation, not even bothering to defend herself. “Shouldn’t we be focusing on how to rescue them?”

“Hmph.” Liu Shiyu narrowed her eyes, letting it go for now. “There’s only one way—wait.”

Wait?

Cheng Feng was momentarily stunned, but quickly understood. For reasons unknown, the two vampires seemed in no hurry to harm their captives, which meant the girls were safe for the time being. They could afford to wait for the vampires to leave on another hunt—then they’d have a chance to rescue the hostages. Afterwards, they could simply ambush the unsuspecting vampires when they returned.

So the two waited in silence for hours, until the golden glow of dusk stretched across the earth. Cheng Feng was nearly dozing off when Liu Shiyu nudged her, “Look!”

The two vampires emerged from the cabin, climbed into their black car, and drove off toward the city.

It appeared they were off to hunt for new prey.

It was curious—the vampires collected their victims but did not feed, instead keeping them alive, suggesting a deeper plot. Cheng Feng noticed this, but dismissed the thought; their only concern was rescuing the girls, whatever the vampires’ scheme.

With the vampires gone, the cabin was unguarded. It was the perfect moment.

Cheng Feng and Liu Shiyu exchanged a glance, mutual understanding passing between them without a word. When the black car was out of sight, they made their move.

Night was falling fast. The two approached the large, decaying cabin. The gray-green grass rippled eerily in a sudden gust of wind, producing a sinister rustling. From the depths of the woods, a few crows burst into flight, and it seemed as if demons lurked among the writhing shadows.

Liu Shiyu paused, glancing warily around, a chill of foreboding creeping up on her.

Seeing the girl hesitate, Cheng Feng, a few steps ahead, turned and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing… Let’s go.” Liu Shiyu shook off her unease and followed.

Inside, the cabin was spacious and empty, several rooms branching off the main hall. From one, the faint sound of weeping drifted. “It’s in here,” Cheng Feng said. She had already seen through the layout and knew the hostages were inside, though the door was secured with a curious lock.

She stepped forward, trying to twist it open with her [Super Strength], only to find it wouldn’t budge. It was specially made, incredibly tough. Clearly, the vampires attached great importance to their prisoners.

“I’ll handle this.” When Cheng Feng’s efforts failed, Liu Shiyu pressed her pale hand to the lock. A wave of chill radiated outward, freezing the lock solid. With a squeeze, it shattered into icy shards.

All Cheng Feng could think was: even a sparrow can give a buffalo a hard peck—truly formidable.

To avoid frightening the girls further, Cheng Feng gently and slowly pushed open the door.

But the sound of the door opening sent the students inside into a panic, their screams echoing as they curled even tighter in fear, convinced the vampires had returned.

Cheng Feng entered and quickly surveyed the room. There were four girls in all, all high school students—clearly, the vampires had targeted this age group. Their uniforms were different, suggesting they came from various schools. On a nearby table lay several unopened bags of food, likely left by the vampires. But the girls, paralyzed by terror since their abduction, hadn’t touched a thing.

Disheveled, faces streaked with tears, the girls looked as though they’d suffered unspeakable torment. The fear the vampires instilled had broken their will to resist or escape.

“It’s alright now,” Cheng Feng said, crouching to make her tone as gentle as possible. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to rescue you.”