Chapter 133

"Alright, let's go over our objective again." Peter crouched on the roof of a skyscraper, Pikachu perched on his shoulder, its ears flapping wildly in the wind.

"After preliminary reconnaissance, we've confirmed that the command center of those bats is located beneath this street."

"It's daytime now—they're definitely hiding in some room and won't dare show themselves. We need to coordinate with the vampire hunter called Daywalker and try to take out their command post in one strike."

Peter's gaze locked onto the street below the building, where a bar stood, closed during daylight but concealing something far deeper within.

This was a liaison point for high-ranking vampires, selected as the command base after the invasion began.

"Soon, Daywalker will cause a commotion at the entrance to draw their attention. I'll rush in for the decapitation strike, and you wait for the right moment to unleash your ultimate move..."

"Don't worry." Pikachu patted his chest. "I've stored enough energy for one Ten Thousand Volt attack. But it's only one shot—you've got to maneuver them into a tight group so the damage is maximized."

Peter shot a strand of webbing onto the wall of the building across the street, swinging down as he said, "Watch me."

At that moment, a car outside the bar suddenly exploded, its debris shattering the bar's windows—the noise was unmistakable. Within minutes, several figures burst out of the bar.

But they dared not show themselves on the street, instead hugging the wall of the building, sheltering in its shadow. The Blade Warrior crouched behind a nearby truck, observing. He muttered to himself, "These rats are still so cowardly—afraid of even a speck of sunlight."

Without hesitation, he stepped out, brandishing a submachine gun and opening fire. A few vampires, caught off guard, panicked and retreated into the bar—but quickly recovered, teleporting into the shadows behind Blade.

Blade was all too familiar with this trick—he was half-vampire himself. He swung his other hand's cleaver, slashing straight through the vampire's arm.

This vampire clearly wasn't a native of New York; he had no idea how Blade fought. After the cut, he screamed and transformed into a bat, trying to flee.

But it was exactly what Blade wanted. He hurled his cleaver away, dropped the machine gun, and swiftly drew a strange pistol from his waist. A blue ice spike shot from the barrel, striking the bat's wing and instantly freezing it solid into a block of ice.

The other vampires rushed to assist, completely unaware that two figures had already slipped stealthily through the bar's back door.

Spider-Man had originally planned to smash through the window, but under Pikachu's detective advice, he chose to pick the lock instead—making almost no noise as he and Pikachu appeared on the bar's ground floor.

But this level was just a facade; their real location was two levels below. Peter crouched and peered down the stairs. "I counted five patrol vampires here before. Four just left. One must be guarding the entrance to the second floor—we need to deal with him."

"Use the freeze gun." Pikachu jumped off Peter's shoulder and grabbed the freeze gun hanging from Peter's belt. "I'm small—I can move along the blind spots without being seen. I'll shoot him, freeze him solid. Before the ice block hits the ground, you catch him—no noise."

Spider-Man gave him an OK sign. Pikachu, struggling slightly with the oversized freeze gun, slowly descended along the corner of the stairs.

As planned, the vampire guarding the entrance, having just finished a fight the night before, now hung upside down from the ceiling beam in bat form, resting.

Pikachu reached right in front of him—and the vampire still didn't notice. Pikachu found it boring, raised his hand, and fired. No need for Peter to act—the freeze gun instantly encased the bat in ice, stuck to the beam, silent and still.

Peter crept down quietly, crouched outside the door, and peered through the window. Two figures were inside. He was about to enter when loud arguing erupted from within.

"You actually believe those humans' nonsense? Why can't you understand? It's all a lie they made up to split us apart!"

"You're the stubborn one! Don't you know what's spreading among them now? They say our blood contains something that grants humans immortality—do you realize how dangerous that is?" A woman's voice came from inside.

"So what? These weak humans think they can hunt the great Bloodline? What power do they have to do it? These fragile ants were meant to be food for higher life forms!"

"Deacon, your arrogance shocks me. Those 'weak' creatures you speak of fought your elite troops on the bridge for an entire day and night!"

"Why won't you admit it? It's not thousands of years ago anymore. Do you still think humans are monkeys fighting with sticks and stones?"

"They haven't changed at all!" Deacon sneered. "They've only swapped sticks and stones for guns and cannons. This race has an inherent flaw—they only know how to fight each other, never understand unity, and their weapons always turn on their own kind!"

"I've spent years bribing countless human politicians. These people have no morals—not even loyalty to their own race. As long as they stand with us, we can destabilize human society. By tonight, we'll take over all of Brooklyn."

"This is the most populous district in all of New York—meaning my troops and I will have endless food. Our power will reach its peak."

"Stop dreaming," the woman's voice cut coldly. "Can't you see yet? Humans are finally uniting. Do you know why?"

"They say our blood contains a factor that extends life. These short-lived creatures will do anything to live longer! You have no idea how serious this is!"

The woman seemed to lose patience. "I'm here as the last warning from the Elders. If your reckless actions bring destruction upon our entire race, you will become our enemy."

"You spineless cowards with no ambition!" Deacon roared. "We could rule this world! Turn all humans into our slaves! Why do you hide in corners like frightened rats?"

"We do want to control human society—but for comfort. Only they can build such a prosperous world. We need only manipulate from the shadows."

"But you—you idiot obsessed with war—you're destroying our plan! Don't you realize how much your stupid prophecy has disrupted the Elders' next steps?"

"We planned to unite and influence the next election. We've already recruited many—not just professors from several East Coast universities, but also medical staff led by the Elder Council's hospital doctors, and Wall Street financiers!"

"That power alone won't let us choose the president—but it can control a state legislature!"

"That will be our stronghold. Sebastian Elder has already planted deep influence in Brooklyn's Hell's Kitchen. We'll control human society from both top and bottom. Your stupid plan has exposed too many too soon! Now, whether you win or lose, the Elder Council won't spare you!"

"What infiltration plan? That's just your excuse for indulgence!" Deacon's voice grew angrier. "Centuries ago, our race was glorious!"

"We could openly snatch humans off the streets, dine wherever we pleased!"

"But since you cowardly appeasers negotiated with humans, we've been forced to hide. Even your cowards now drink refrigerated, stale blood—I won't tolerate this anymore!"

"The final battle is tonight. I will win! You have no idea how powerful the Bat God is!"

"You're insane. You've been blinded by that myth. You actually believe some Bat God will come to help you?"

"Hmph." Deacon sneered. "If I didn't have absolute certainty, do you think I'd dare launch this war against the entire clan's opposition?"

His certainty made the female vampire hesitate. "I advise you not to entertain delusions. Earth isn't a place where just anyone can come and act like a god. You haven't lived nearly as long as the Elders. They warned me: be wary of all foreign beliefs..."

"Their cowardly words will be carved on their tombstones," Deacon said finally.

"Are you truly certain the Bat God's power will descend?"

"Not only that—the Bat God will send his most loyal guardian to come here personally. At the moment of the fullest moon tonight. And these foolish humans don't know—the guardian's arrival requires no ritual. Their defenses are useless!"

"We will share this world with Him!"

Peter stood outside, drenched in cold sweat. He hugged Pikachu, sprinted upstairs, and quickly retreated from the bar. Blade had already dispatched the vampires attacking him. Seeing Peter emerge, he asked, "What's wrong? You finished them off already?"

Peter looked directly into Blade's eyes. "About the Bat God—what else do you know?"

"What's going on?" Blade noticed Peter's grim expression.

"I just overheard the vampire leaders talking. One of them—the one leading this war—said the Bat God's power will descend at the moment of the fullest moon tonight."

Peter's tone was certain. Blade frowned. "Impossible. That prophecy and the Bat God are just fabrications."

Seeing Peter's skeptical look, Blade insisted: "You know I'm half-vampire. Unlike them, my mother was turned—but during my upbringing, I was part of their inner circle. The Bat God is a belief that only emerged in the last few centuries."

"It starts with a negotiation that happened centuries ago, in Kunlun."

Then Peter learned from Blade the hidden past of this race.

Centuries ago, vampires once waged war against humans—but unlike this time, their enemies were supernatural humans. The battlefield was on the Eastern continent; Europe saw some fighting too, but the entire Americas remained untouched, so few here knew of that war.

The details need not be recounted, but the radical vampires of that era were nearly wiped out by supernatural humans. Only the immortal Count Dracula intervened, negotiating peace with humans—at Kunlun.

Since then, the vampires' isolationist policy has been strictly enforced. In Asia and Europe, specialized surveillance agencies ensure hidden vampires don't cause major damage to human society.

But ambition exists everywhere, in every age. The new generation of vampires resented this humiliating treaty. Their representative? Deacon.

In short: never been beaten, thinks he's invincible.

Blade told Peter: "The Bat God faith emerged alongside the rise of this new radical faction. It's a fabrication to justify their aggression—there was no such belief before."

"If such a god truly existed, he wouldn't have appeared only a few centuries ago with such power. I've heard from veteran vampire hunters that mysterious forces protect Earth—no creature dares claim divinity here without consequence."

Finally, Blade concluded: "I think they've been deceived by some immensely powerful supernatural being. This entity may call itself a god and show them miracles. They foolishly agreed to summon it. It's extremely dangerous—they're walking straight to their deaths."

"The question now is: will this god truly descend?" Peter's face was grim. "Those mad bats will launch a full assault at night. If some powerful being arrives then, humanity won't stand a chance. The losses will be catastrophic."

"Humans are willing to sacrifice everything to resist these monsters. But our job is to minimize those losses." Peter's tone was firm. "I think we need to investigate further."

"I plan to kill Deacon. If he's dead, no one can perform the summoning ritual—the so-called god won't be able to appear." Blade said.

Spider-Man slipped back into sharp tactical thinking. He stopped Blade. "No. The radicals aren't just Deacon. Even if we kill him, his subordinates will do the same. You said there are many of them—we can't wipe them all out before nightfall."

"From what I heard, that woman might be the moderate faction's representative. They mentioned secretly controlling humans—what's that about?"

"It's normal," Blade scoffed. "Vampires were never meant to be subservient. Their temporary hiding was only because they got beaten centuries ago—they just switched tactics."

"Is the conflict between radicals and moderates deep?"

"Of course. As you just heard—the moderates want to build strength and slowly control human society from the shadows. But the radicals keep causing chaos, sabotaging their plans. Human vigilance grows stronger, endlessly delaying their goals."