Chapter 62: Visiting the Settlement

Night descended as expected, and the chill of late autumn could already be felt in the air. Liu Yiming drove Shen Xin toward the city, and soon they arrived at a street lined with bars, parking in front of one whose entrance was rather modest.

“Come on, get out. We’ve reached the latest gathering spot,” Liu Yiming said.

Shen Xin glanced at the sign above the bar, its name glowing in bright red LED: Blood Moon Bar.

Two burly security guards stood watch at the door. They didn’t stop Liu Yiming, but they held Shen Xin back.

“He’s new. I brought him here to show him around, let him see the world.”

The guards sniffed, catching Shen Xin’s scent, then lowered their arms and let him in.

The bar was underground. Despite its small entrance, after descending a dozen steps, the space opened up dramatically. Inside, raucous rock music blared, and many patrons swayed along to the rhythm.

Shen Xin looked around; Blood Moon Bar seemed much like any other bar. He leaned close to Liu Yiming’s ear and shouted, “Are all the people here vampires?”

Liu Yiming nodded, leading Shen Xin to a booth. A waiter brought them two glasses filled with a crimson liquid.

“Heh, this is blood wine. Try it. It’s quite good—there are several kinds mixed in, and it’s nourishing.”

Shen Xin took a small sip. The metallic tang of blood was overpowering; though there was a faint taste of alcohol, it couldn’t mask the strong scent. Still, fearing he might give himself away, he forced himself to swallow.

Liu Yiming chuckled, raised his glass, and called for the waiter to bring some food. Soon, their table was laden with dishes made entirely from blood.

The pungent scent was overwhelming, but Liu Yiming ate with relish. Shen Xin tried a few bites; most were barely cooked, flavorless, and nearly inedible.

After finishing his meal, Liu Yiming lifted his glass of blood wine and grinned, “Relax, little brother. The girls here are very open—easy to get along with. I’m off on the prowl.”

Shen Xin nodded. “Go ahead.”

Once Liu Yiming left, Shen Xin sat alone in the booth, quietly observing the bar. He wanted to see what this crowd of vampires would get up to.

If not for the risk that some of these vampires might be high-level, he would have wiped them out. But he couldn’t take that gamble—his current strength was enough to handle low-level vampires, but if he ran into a few high-level ones, the outcome was far from certain.

He remembered clearly that when he had used spatial distortion, He Xuantong was completely unaffected.

Not long after, a quirky, energetic young woman with a glass of blood wine plopped down next to Shen Xin, smiling. “Hey, handsome, here alone?”

“Yeah,” Shen Xin nodded.

“Then let me keep you company.”

Shen Xin sized her up. She looked to be in her early twenties, with bleached blonde hair, heavy makeup, scanty clothing, and multiple nose rings. As she spoke, a tongue stud glinted in her mouth.

In the past, Shen Xin would have found such a person distasteful, not even worth a second glance.

But now, he smiled warmly. “Alright, it’s too noisy in here. Shall we go for a walk outside?”

“Handsome, you’re wicked. But I like it. Come on, take me to a hotel.”

The two of them left Blood Moon Bar. After passing through the street, Shen Xin asked, “Sis, how did you become a vampire? Were you forced?”

The energetic girl laughed. “Of course not. I volunteered. Being a vampire is great—never sick, never hurt, always full of energy, can party as much as I want.”

Shen Xin shook his head and took out a yellow gemstone. “This is for you. Hope you like it.”

“Wow, a gemstone? I love it—must be expensive. Darling, I love you! Give me a kiss!”

She puckered her fiery red lips and leaned in, but Shen Xin dodged and asked, “Can I ask you something? How many places like Blood Moon Bar are there in Niu City?”

She pouted at his avoidance, but the gemstone mollified her. “I know of three. What, you want to check out the others?”

“Could you tell me more?”

“Sure. There’s also Bliss Garden and Eternal Night Bar. The locations are…”

Shen Xin listened carefully and marked them on his phone map. Then he smiled, “I’m new and want to blend in quickly. That’s not unreasonable, right?”

The energetic girl threw an arm around his shoulder. “From now on, I’ll look out for you. No one will dare mess with you.”

Shen Xin asked, “Sis, do you regret becoming a vampire?”

She paused, then laughed. “Of course not. There are so many benefits and so few drawbacks—totally worth it.”

“But I heard that high-level vampires have absolute control over low-level ones?”

She replied, “Do they? I don’t know about that. Anyway, it’s all the same—we’re at the bottom, whether human or vampire. Is it strange to be exploited? Ordinary people aren’t controlled? Aren’t they drained by the elites?”

Shen Xin fell silent, then said, “But we vampires are outcasts.”

She shrugged. “That’s simple—just assimilate more people. If everyone’s a vampire, we’ll be mainstream. Hospitals would go out of business, and everyone could save money.”

They were clearly worlds apart. Shen Xin didn’t want to continue the conversation. “It’s late. I need to go home.”

“Don’t even think about leaving, little brother. I haven’t drained you yet. I’ve got plenty of tricks—come on, try me…”

Before she finished, Shen Xin struck, knocking her out. He found a hotel and dropped her off, then continued his search for Bliss Garden and Eternal Night Bar.

He first visited Eternal Night Bar, finding it much like Blood Moon Bar. After confirming its location, he left.

Then he headed for Bliss Garden.

He discovered Bliss Garden was a sprawling manor, nestled in a vast valley on the outskirts—a veritable tourist town.

Shen Xin intended to enter, but the gate guards stopped him; only members could go in.

He asked about membership requirements and learned that ordinary members had to verify assets—only those with over one hundred million qualified. Black gold members, however, could bring guests.

From his conversation with the guards, he learned there were ordinary, bronze, gold, and black gold memberships.

Of course, Shen Xin couldn’t accept asset verification—not because he lacked a hundred million, but because he didn’t want to expose himself.

Though he had a vague sense that he’d already been exposed—thanks to the vampire toxin in his body, high-level vampires could track him at any time.

Still, speculation wasn’t certainty. He opted for a different approach, climbing the mountains above the valley to survey the area.

After watching for a while, he suddenly felt a surge of dread, as if something terrifying was watching him.

He quickly activated his teleportation, jumping a dozen times until the sensation vanished.

“Bliss Garden is no ordinary place! Niu City truly hides dragons and tigers!”