NAPE - 104

Side Story 15

She tilted her head back and looked down; the guard vampires were so engrossed in their drama that they didn’t even notice someone looking down on them from directly above. Bibi lightly leaped down.

One of them heard the whoosh of air and turned around. In that fleeting moment, she positioned her fingers and precisely struck the vital point beneath his neck.

“Ugh!”

One fell. The other, whose gaze had been fixed on his phone screen, belatedly raised his head. Bibi attacked the same vital point. Just like before, he let out a short gasp and collapsed to the floor.

Vampires had a similar body structure to humans, but their recovery was much faster. They would probably wake up in three minutes. She had to find some clue within that time.

Bibi grabbed the rifle that had fallen to the floor and quickly moved towards the office. The door was made of thin iron. She struck the doorknob hard with the rifle, and it easily opened. She was anxious that someone might come running due to the loud noise, but nothing happened. Without time to wonder why, she urgently pushed her way into the office.

The office, reeking of mosquito coils and stale cigarettes, was about five pyeong (approx. 165 sq ft) in size. There was nothing special besides two desks, a computer, and a filing cabinet. Bibi frantically searched the cabinet for clues about the factory owner.

“Oh... this is...”

Something familiar caught her eye.

Cultivation Method for Amorphophallus Titanum Mutant Corpse Flower Fruit

It was the same cultivation method that had been in Lord Schauer’s USB and found in Heeya Forest. The fact that it was here meant... this hound factory was also connected to him. Bibi barely managed to stand firm, her knees threatening to buckle.

Her hands trembled. Frustration surged, uncontrollable. She had trusted him... found great solace in Lord Schauer’s presence, so how... how could this be? Why, exactly?

Confusion washed over her, but this was no time to stand idly by. Bibi looked around the room aimlessly and found a charger. She pulled out her phone from her pocket, wanting to charge it for just ten seconds. But then she heard coughing from outside.

“Cough, cough, COOOUGH! Cough!”

It was the sound of someone squeezing their guts with all their might. Lau Yuan was signaling her. First, she put the documents back and exited the office. Bibi once again climbed the wall and crawled across the ceiling like a lizard.

Looking down, the guard vampires she had knocked out were awake. They were rubbing the parts of their bodies Bibi had attacked, frowning.

“Damn it... what was that just now?”

“I don’t know either. Someone definitely came and hit this place hard...”

The two conversed in English, not Thai. They were clearly from a different origin than the hounds. Seeing them stretch their necks this way and that, she broke out in a cold sweat. If the guards actively moved their bodies and tilted their heads back, Bibi, clinging to the ceiling, would be discovered.

“Hey, where’s my gun? Who the hell attacked us? Must’ve had business in the office. Should we wake up all the sleeping bastards? Or report it upstairs?”

“Just wait a second. The manager just called.”

One of the huffing guards nervously answered the phone. He bowed his waist as if greeting an unseen figure, replying briefly.

“What’d they say, what’d they say?”

As soon as the short call ended, his comrade eagerly pressed him.

“He said to make sure everything’s well-maintained by the day after tomorrow. To clean up the messy stuff and manage the hounds and captured humans properly.”

“Manage? Why?”

“Obvious, isn’t it? The Master must be coming.”

At the mention of “The Master,” Bibi, who was eavesdropping, raised an eyebrow. Lord Schauer’s face automatically came to mind.

“We need to be on edge. Damn it... losing the gun bothers me. If they find out someone broke into the office... they’ll throw us into the pit.”

“Let’s keep this secret for now. We’ll endure until the day after tomorrow, and then we’ll find out who it was. We’ll just beat every last one of them.”

Bibi took advantage of the guards going to fix the broken doorknob, hid the rifle on a protruding rebar on the ceiling, and rushed to where Lau Yuan was.

The area behind the pillar where Lau Yuan had been hiding was empty. Did he go to sleep after doing his part? Bibi looked around, feeling something strange, an odd sense of incongruity. She wasn’t the only one awake this night...

The floor, where the hounds lay packed in a straight line, had empty spots. What is it? There’s only one restroom, so there should be a queue. Did they go out on patrol? But aren’t the patrol teams made up of the leader hounds? He was still lying in a corner, trying to sleep. Then...

Confused, Bibi suddenly twitched her nose. She suddenly smelled blood. Inside this factory...!

A premonition of dread churned in her stomach. Bibi followed the scent of blood, lowering her stance and crawling along the floor. She reached the pit where fish guts were piled up. She hadn’t noticed it when she passed by during the day, but up close, it was so deep and large that she couldn’t see inside without bending down.

“Ugh, ugh!”

Someone’s intermittent moans and the sound of ripping cloth echoed from inside the pit. What on earth was happening? With this much noise and smell, the surrounding vampires must have noticed, but they all stubbornly turned their backs and tried to sleep.

Bibi felt another strange sense of unease and bent her waist to look inside. Vampires were creatures of the night, so their vision was generally good even in the dark. Thus, she could clearly see the horrific sight.

“Ugh...”

For the first time in her life, she felt nauseous and covered her mouth. She had seen everything imaginable and endured most filth, but what was happening before her eyes was beyond disgusting; it was grotesque. Several adult vampires were eating a young vampire alive.

Lau Yuan’s face, arms, legs, and thighs were covered in bite marks. His wrist bones and veins were exposed, and his stomach was on the verge of being torn open.

There were blood-soaked bones and internal organs scattered behind him, suggesting previous victims. It wasn’t just the disgust of seeing her own kind being eaten. Bibi found the entire factory repulsive.

Vampires were beings who seduced and hunted, not like hungry ghosts ravenously tearing at something. The environment was cruel and horrific, trapping vampires in a confined, hot space, driving them to thirst and stress, making them tear apart and eat younger individuals alive.

Her own past experiences with the trainer vividly resurfaced. That time felt like hell, and she felt it keenly again. Her body shuddered as if insects were crawling on her arms.

Bibi wanted to flee this place immediately. But... but how could she get back? She needed a boat, but would they willingly take her? She should have charged her phone earlier... Ah, she missed Doyoon... Was he even looking for her?

“Ugh, ugh-ugh...”

A moan from below brought Bibi back to her senses.

“Lau Yuan... are you alive?”

While being torn apart alive, Lau Yuan groaned as if begging for help. Bibi leaped into the pit in a single bound.

“Grrr...”

Four hounds, intoxicated by the taste of blood and flesh, glared at Bibi. Even in this state, they hadn’t forgotten their training, only making growling sounds to warn her not to touch their prey. As Bibi stared silently, the hounds put Lau Yuan down and stood up. To hunt Bibi.

Bibi calmly watched them. Four emaciated, thirst-ridden hybrid vampires didn’t frighten her at all. It was a confined pit with no place to escape, so there would be a lot of struggling, but she wouldn’t be easily defeated.

Their movements were slow, and they limped from permanent injuries. The moment they got close, she would swiftly bite their necks and subdue them.

In the darkness, Bibi’s red eyes glowed piercingly, fearless. Like a judge who had come to punish sinners.

The hounds, who had been staring silently at Bibi, suddenly became agitated. The hybrids, encountering a pureblood vampire for the first time, felt an inexplicable sense of overwhelming pressure.

“Go away.”

Bibi warned in a low voice. The hounds didn’t understand what she said, but they swallowed hard and exchanged glances among themselves. They looked down at Lau Yuan with regretful eyes, then sighed in resignation and climbed out of the pit. It was as good as them surrendering to Bibi.

“Lau Yuan...! Are you okay?”

There was no time to enjoy the satisfaction of subduing the hounds with just her gaze. Bibi leaped towards the prostrate Lau Yuan. Up close, his condition was even more terrible. His once rather cute cheeks were horribly torn, exposing his teeth inside, and the flesh all over his body was ripped to shreds by fangs.

If left untreated, he would not only suffer permanent damage from decay but could also reach a near-death state. While the bodies of hybrids or ordinary vampires surpassed humans, they were vulnerable compared to purebloods.

“Don’t give your blood to anyone else but me.”

Doyoon’s usual fervent warning came to mind. They were each other’s preferred food and lovers. Giving blood to others was unforgivable. But... but... she couldn’t pretend not to see a child dying.