NAPE - 101

Side Story 12

“You’ve roughly surveyed the terrain, right? There’s a river at the end. It’ll be advantageous to fight with our backs to it. I’ll take the lead.”

“Okay. I’ll cover the rear.”

As soon as Doyoon and Namwon’s roles were set, they moved in perfect coordination. Bibi swiftly climbed up a tree. With a clear view, the number and location of the pursuing hounds were accurately identified.

“4 o’clock direction, 3 people.”

Bibi, in a low voice, informed those below about the closest hounds approaching from the rear. Doyoon immediately changed direction and fired.

Bang, bang, bang!

Before they could even scream, the hounds’ heads had bullet holes. Their bodies quickly turned to ashes and scattered. The faces of those following showed signs of panic. At the same time, their movements became much faster. Bibi’s eyes darted around, identifying the figures sprinting like leopards.

“6 o’clock direction, 5 people! Within 1 meter!”

Bang! Bang, bang, bang, bang!

“Bibi, you’re more useful than I thought!”

Namwon shouted, sounding pleased. Bibi was encouraged by being helpful. She glanced down at Doyoon; he was leading the way, expressionless, firing his gun. He seemed not to need her help. For now, it seemed she only needed to support Namwon.

Bibi moved between the trees like a monkey, calling out directions, distances, and numbers. Thanks to her, Namwon provided smooth cover and followed behind Doyoon. As they moved forward, a wind began to blow. They had reached the edge of the forest.

Bibi, swiftly moving between trees, found her vision suddenly clear. The dense trees instantly disappeared, and a cliff appeared as if the ground had abruptly dropped off in the middle. Looking down, she saw a large valley directly below. Despite the scolding rain yesterday and today, the rocky riverbed was almost entirely exposed.

“Senior, it seems like everything’s pretty much sorted out.”

“Indeed.”

Doyoon looked up at Bibi, who was perched on a tree. Their movement had been easier than expected because Bibi, sitting up high, had given warnings beforehand, allowing Namwon to react quickly. Seeing her follow instructions well and find her role in her given position showed she was highly adaptable.

In Doyoon’s eyes, Bibi had only ever seemed like a child... but it turned out she was a vampire who could hold her own. He had been consistently cold towards her, so now he should give her some praise. Tell her she followed instructions well and took good care of herself.

He gestured for her to come down. Bibi, with a joyful expression, quickly moved from branch to branch and shifted her body to the ground.

At that very moment, something pitch black shot out from the air and covered Bibi’s head. It was a net.

“Ah!”

Caught off guard, Bibi was startled and struggled. In her struggle, she let go of the tree trunk. As her body tilted towards the ground, she felt herself being pushed and floating in the air. Ah, below me is a cliff... no way...

Thwack!

A gunshot echoed, and the smell of gunpowder filled her nostrils. She felt a heavy body temperature. Bibi, battling the strong wind, barely managed to wave her arms and remove the net covering her head. The brilliant moon and night sky came into view. When she turned her head, the widely spread valley water seemed to touch her back.

Only then did Bibi realize that when she fell from the tree, she had been pushed by a hound and plunged over the cliff. As she struggled to fully grasp the situation, someone’s long arm reached out. Doyoon had thrown himself after her to protect her.

“Duck!”

Doyoon wrapped his arm around Bibi’s head.

Splash!

They hit the hard water surface headfirst. Underwater, Bibi was momentarily dazed.

The cliff itself wasn’t very high, so the impact wasn’t enough to cause serious physical damage, but it still hurt. Her whole body ached as if she had been severely beaten by a trainer. Her head felt fuzzy, and her soaking wet clothes dragged her heavily downwards.

Through her muffled ears, someone’s desperate shout reached her. She barely managed to flail her limbs and poke her head out of the water. Doyoon stood a little distance away.

Even with the moon behind him, his expression was clearly visible. His eyes, which had been only dark in Thailand, now shook wildly. It was ‘that’ face she knew so well. The one that worried about her and poured affection into her.

“Bibi, are you okay?”

“Doyoon! I’m fine...”

Bibi, about to say, I’m fine, so stay there, I’ll climb up, stopped abruptly, feeling something strange. Something else was approaching.

Roooooar!

It wasn’t a hound. It was something more inorganic... yet much more powerful. Something closer to a fundamental force that even vampires couldn’t easily resist.

Turning around, she saw a massive, rapid current surging towards them at incredible speed. It looked like a scene of volcanic pyroclastic flow. The water, swollen upstream from days of continuous squalls, had chosen this moment to reach the dry downstream area. It raged like a tsunami.

The valley water overflowed in an instant. Doyoon was already swimming towards Bibi. Bibi frantically tried to run towards him, but her legs wouldn’t obey. She must have sprained her ankle when she fell.

“Bibi!”

“Ugh!”

Having primarily trained for human hunting in the mountains, Bibi had never properly learned to swim. From ankle to waist, from waist to neck in an instant. She was already unable to control her body against the typhoon-like surge of water. Being short, she was submerged much faster than Doyoon.

She heard a shout to grab his hand from nearby, but it was impossible to see clearly in the muddy water. Bibi could do nothing but be swept away.

________________________________________

Carried by the current, Bibi remained submerged for a long time, then fortunately caught on a log and reached the riverbank. Unconscious, Bibi coughed and vomited the water from her stomach. There was no strength left in her body.

Had she been an ordinary human, she would have surely drowned as soon as she was swept away by the rapids. The tenacious vitality of a vampire shone through.

“Ugh...”

A groan escaped her lips naturally. She couldn’t even twitch a finger. Moving her limbs was difficult, just like when Choi Haejin had forcibly given her medicine. Come to think of it, it had been a while since she had consumed iron supplements and blood packs. She hadn’t even been able to drink Doyoon’s blood... her stamina was at rock bottom.

Still, she had to get up. She had to get up and quickly assess the situation. If she didn’t think and figure out how she ended up in this state... she wouldn’t be able to return to her family.

Yes, family.

Doyoon and Namwon’s faces flickered before her eyes. The people she loved most in the world, who would never abandon her. Thinking of them, her heavy eyelids were forced open.

Groaning, she propped up her upper body. Wildly grown reeds, muddy soil, and murky stream water came into view. It seemed she had fallen from the tree, plunged into the valley below the cliff, and then been swept into this wide river. Hopefully, it wasn’t too far from their lodging.

The Golden Triangle borders three countries. If she didn’t figure out the direction and simply walked anywhere, she could end up wandering Laos or Myanmar. Becoming an international orphan was definitely something she wanted to avoid.

She pulled out her phone from her back pocket and tried to turn it on. Unfortunately, the power was off. Ah, if only it hadn’t run out of battery. If only the GPS function could be turned on, it would be easier for Doyoon to find her. Doyoon must be desperately searching for her by now.

Oh... or not...?

She paused for a moment. Bibi remembered Doyoon, who had been as cold as a different person throughout their time in Thailand. When he acted as a hunter, he moved coldly and calculatingly. Perhaps he would prioritize dealing with the remaining hounds and scouting for the factory owner rather than looking for her...

When this thought crossed her mind, she decided it would be better to go looking for them rather than wait. Bibi sniffed her nose, trying to catch any scent that might be a clue. But soaked as she was, all she could smell was the stale water. Anxiety washed over her. She wanted to figure out where she was and quickly reunite with Doyoon.

Without a weapon and her body not fully recovered, she stumbled around, tripped over a stone, and ended up tumbling. Thanks to her robust body, she wasn’t seriously injured beyond a few scrapes, but the psychological impact was quite significant.

“Eyo-”

Unable to overcome her sorrow, Bibi let out a mournful cry, then quickly covered her mouth. Crying in this situation was crazy. When she lived with the trainer, she didn’t even know she was hurting when she was in pain... It was true, having someone to accept her had turned her into a spoiled child. She shouldn’t be like that!

Crunch, crunch.

Unfamiliar footsteps could be heard from somewhere. The tall weeds around her head were rustling. They were getting closer. She reached into her pocket to pull out her hunter’s gun, but found nothing. She must have lost it in the water.

Bibi quickly smeared mud on her face to erase her scent and glared ahead defensively. If necessary, she would rush forward and attack their vital points with her fangs. She still had enough stamina for that.

Finally, someone emerged, pushing through the weeds. Bibi’s eyes widened, staring ahead. A human form, but with fierce, animal-like eyes... a creature. And he wasn’t alone.

There was a group of at least twenty. Each wore tattered rags full of holes and dripping with grime. They spotted the soaking wet Bibi, sniffed, and exchanged glances among themselves. They were surprisingly silent. Only guttural, animalistic sounds escaped their throats.

Bibi was certain. These were hybrid vampires, hounds just like she used to be.