Chapter 913: Brilliant Stars (Part 1)

A green figure slammed heavily onto the surface of the Brooklyn Bridge; it wasn't surprising to see the Hulk here, but what was surprising was that soon another red figure leaped over as well.

"Hulk??" Matt widened his eyes. "Why is he here? And his movements… what's he looking for?"

"Isn't he a product of military experiments?" Erica hurled a string of shurikens to drive back the nearest bats. "If the military were involved, they'd have shown up already—why now?"

"That suggests he might not have been sent by the military…" Matt narrowed his eyes. "Forget him. Stick to our plan."

Erica glanced back at the still-stable frontline. "Follow me. I've found a sniper position—I'll get you up there."

Minutes later, Matt stood on the roof of a tall building—the tallest in the area—overlooking the entire battlefield. A strangely shaped sniper rifle had been set up here.

Calling it a sniper rifle wasn't accurate—it looked more like a rocket launcher, and its ammunition wasn't conventional ordnance, but enchanted crosses crafted jointly by vampire hunter Eric and other vampires.

Eric, who arrived shortly after, spoke: "We all know Dracula is immortal, but he's still vulnerable to certain enchanted objects, which can briefly paralyze him."

"We can't kill him, but we can seal him. If we successfully drive this cross into his heart, at least we can prevent him from strengthening other vampires."

"His strengthening ability is likely tied to moonlight. I've never seen him use it, but it's undoubtedly powerful—all vampires exposed to moonlight have their physique and attack power multiplied."

"But without Dracula's enhancement, the police have freeze guns, other superheroes have special abilities—holding out until morning, when vampires retreat from sunlight, won't be hard."

Matt had already stepped beside the sniper rifle. "Thankfully we prepared in advance. Decapitation plans are always the most effective."

After adjusting the rifle's position, Matt calmed his breathing and activated his Inner Eye. In the pitch-black field of vision, outlines of objects gradually emerged.

While teaching others, Matt never neglected his own growth. His special ability, "Inner Eye," was countless times stronger than ordinary human vision.

When he focused, he became a living radar—everything within several kilometers unfolded in meticulous detail within his mind.

Time slowed. Frame after frame of frozen images appeared in Matt's mind.

A bat slowly opened its mouth; the wear on its fangs was clearly visible. A flash of light passed over the fang surface, then transformed into a bullet speeding through the air.

The primer strike left a dark mark on the bullet's base, deepening. As black strands of hair fluttered, Jessica swept past midair.

Bat, bullet, and human—all cleared the sniper's line of fire in a single fleeting frame.

Behind the black muzzle, Matt gently squeezed the trigger. The instant the cross shot from the barrel, time slowed—then surged forward.

It skimmed past the edge of bat wings, brushed past a grenade, pierced through the hair of superheroes, and drove straight into Dracula's heart.

A crimson mist descended like falling higanbana. Dracula plunged straight down. In the final second, he transformed into a bat and veered sharply in another direction.

"Chase him!! Don't let him escape!!" Blade Hunter Eric shouted first. "We must seal him—otherwise, the vampires will return!"

Instantly, the battlefield froze. All eyes fixed on the massive bat glowing with red light.

The first to pursue was Otto, closest to Dracula. Then came the Hulk and the Lizard on the bridge surface. Next were the Spider-Men near the human frontline and Jessica, flying midair. Then came Nightingale, the Fungus Man, and other young superheroes mingling with police. Finally, the police themselves.

Because the bat invasion's buildup lasted so long, most people had received warnings and stayed indoors.

Dracula, seemingly too injured to adjust his flight path, flew straight along the highway. Wherever he passed, there were no homes or rugged terrain—leaving ample space for pursuit.

George, driving the police car at the rear, frowned. He leaned out, watching the giant bat soaring above. "What's going on with this Dracula? He's wounded—why is he still glowing??"

"Uh, boss, maybe he can't turn it off? I read in novels—monsters get stronger the more special effects they have…"

"That's because special effects create psychological intimidation during battle," George frowned. "But fleeing and still glowing? That's practically inviting targets."

He shook his head. "Forget it. These big rats never had good brains anyway—his leader couldn't be smarter. Keep chasing!"

"By the way, where's our helicopter? Did it pick up the explosive device? Maybe we can give him a real shock!" George gritted his teeth.

The officer behind him picked up the radio, asked a few questions, then replied: "The lab's explosive device has been successfully loaded onto the helicopter. The pilot is en route—maximum ten minutes at his speed…"

George snorted. "This bat dares to fly along the highway at this altitude? Tell the pilot to flank it from the other side. Once it enters firing range, detonate the bomb midair!"

"Understood!"

After Dracula began fleeing, most bats followed him in the opposite direction. On the ground, only those with poor mobility—those too slow to run and regular police—remained behind. The more agile heroes were all chasing Dracula.

Initially, Otto led, but due to his unusual movement style, his speed wasn't sufficient—he quickly fell behind. The Lizard, having altered his limbs to bipedal form, also lagged behind.

Most Spider-Men couldn't fly and couldn't match Dracula's altitude, so they remained at a distance.

Now, the closest to Dracula were Jessica, who could fly freely; the Hulk, who leaped high with rage; and Venom, who used slime-formed wings to glide.

In short: the experienced, cautious, and thoughtful were left far behind. The young, reckless, and insane surged ahead.

Meanwhile, another pursuit unfolded in the opposite direction, equally massive.

The nitroglycerin-man, his skin dark red, ran while shouting: "Who the hell is chasing us?! Why won't he stop?!!"

"Isn't that the kid called Speedball? That young, stupid superhero who caused an explosion and killed Spider-Man? Hahahaha!!" another replied.

"Looks like he wants revenge for Spider-Man. Nitroglycerin-man, you're in trouble!!" another criminal yelled.

Nitroglycerin-man cursed under his breath, dodging a kinetic ball. He coughed hard twice, feeling pain. "Damn it… the power I stored that day wasn't fully released—I feel fire burning in my chest!"

Suddenly, two golden-haired figures flashed past in the distance.

The Cobalt Man, leading the group, paused. He shook his head violently, as if controlled by something—but quickly returned to normal. "We can't keep running like this—we'll be caught eventually!"

"Then what do you suggest?!" Nitroglycerin-man turned back. "That kid's insane! He doesn't even care about injuries—and his ability's too weird. If I stay in his range, I can't even run!"

"I heard there's a government officials' meeting nearby. If we take hostages, someone will deal with him."

Nitroglycerin-man stared at his teammate. In his memory, Cobalt Man wasn't well-informed—but seeing the seriousness on his face, he narrowed his eyes.

He figured the man had no reason to lie—they were all on the same rope. If caught, they'd all be finished. Nitroglycerin-man gritted his teeth. "Take us there. Those cowardly politicians will save us!"

The speaking Cobalt Man immediately led them in another direction. Surprisingly, his target wasn't Manhattan's center—but a small island closer to the coastline.

Located in Lower New York Bay, it was distant from Brooklyn but not too far. The criminals seized a speedboat and landed on the island. No sooner had they stepped ashore than they spotted a helicopter in view.

The criminals froze. Then Nitroglycerin-man said: "Probably here to pick up those politicians. Ignore it—we storm in and take hostages!"

As they turned to move, they noticed a wobbling bat appearing on the horizon.

The bat glowed with red light, even more visible under moonlight. It flew unsteadily, like a drunkard—but upon seeing the island, it suddenly perked up, accelerating toward them.

The newly landed criminals were stunned, but Jessica, chasing behind, narrowed her eyes. "Wait… those people below… holy shit—are they the ones who killed Spider-Man?!"

Jessica gasped, then felt boundless rage. Spider-Man had always been her idol; her schoolmates adored him.

When she saw the news report of Spider-Man's gruesome death, she swore to bring his killers to justice.

Ignoring everything, Jessica charged toward Nitroglycerin-man. At that moment, George was speaking into his radio: "Target located? Elevate altitude, prepare to release bomb. And watch the ground!"

The helicopter's technicians prepared to drop the bomb—but suddenly, the Hulk leaped high and slammed onto the giant bat, pinning it to the ground.

The bomb, meant to detonate midair, was suddenly seized by a black sticky tendril and flung straight at Nitroglycerin-man.

On the other side, Jessica punched Nitroglycerin-man in the back, sending him flying. Enraged, he felt the same surge of power he'd once received from Spider-Man's punch.

The strike landed. Jessica moved to follow up—but suddenly noticed a massive bomb hurtling toward her.

Though impulsive, this young superhero wasn't stupid. Her face panicked as she slammed on the brakes, pulling sharply upward just before colliding with the bomb.

In her vision, Nitroglycerin-man and the bomb made a horrific, intimate contact.

At the same moment, on the other side of the island, hidden behind a rising hill, the General narrowed his eyes. "Did you hear the helicopter?"

"BOOM—BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

After a tiny pinpoint of light flared, a blinding sphere expanded, followed by an ear-splitting explosion.

When the initial blinding light faded, the entire island shattered and rose into the air.

As fragments streaked with nitroglycerin sparks fell, strange blood, organs, and human tissues danced alongside dazzling fireworks.

Bloody, alluring, grotesque—charged with ritualistic grandeur, like a mad, perverted sacrifice.

Illuminated by fire, brilliant as countless stars.