NAPE - 107

Side Story 18

“It’s not that Lord Schauer betrayed us... but perhaps he lost the seeds and plant cultivation methods to the trainer a long time ago. If he handed them over willingly, there’d be no reason for him to be imprisoned and then escape.”

Doyoon spoke calmly.

“That’s true...”

“Well, the rest will become clear once we catch the factory owner.”

“Do you have anyone in mind?”

At Namwon’s question, Doyoon quietly nodded.

“Last time, when Bibi and you took refuge at the London branch of the Association to deceive the trainer. Now that I think about it, it’s strange. How did the hounds penetrate the security so quickly and break in?”

“That’s...”

“It’s a good thing no one knew Bibi was there except you and River, otherwise, she almost got taken.”

Now Namwon fell silent. He was busy untangling the complicated threads in his mind. Doyoon called the Volpithon commander standing at the entrance.

“Bring me a human.”

“A human, sir? Please instruct me.”

The Tudor family’s loyal subordinate bowed his head trustingly.

“Bring the London Vampire Hunter Association President.”

“Yes, sir. Understood.”

“I’ve been stirring things up since yesterday... so he’ll probably be fleeing by now.”

“Can I kill him?”

“Deliver him alive if possible. I have a lot to ask that bastard.”

The Volpithon commander retreated without a word, going to follow his master’s order. The London Association President, of all people. Namwon was astonished.

“Senior, you’re not seriously thinking the factory owner is the London Hunter Association President, are you?”

“Yes.”

Doyoon nodded calmly, assured. It made no sense, yet it did. The trainer’s hounds quickly breaching the London Hunter Association, the commemorative fountain pen, which was distributed to only a select few, being here, the British accent, and a person with the capacity to manage various vampires.

“Would that Claireval fellow have cooperated with a human?”

“The London Hunter Association President had been discontent for a long time. He continuously requested the Elder Council to share the silver bullet manufacturing method. He’s also one of the humans who knows vampire society in detail. It’s possible Claireval realized he had the seeds and approached him first.”

“So, Senior, you’re saying... the London Association President and Claireval teamed up and have been cultivating the hound factory with the seeds they took from Lord Schauer, right?”

“Exactly. Assuming Lord Schauer didn’t betray us.”

“Then why didn’t Lord Schauer say anything when he met Bibi...?”

“Given the circumstances, Claireval probably stole the seeds by himself in the past. He wouldn’t have known about a collaborator appearing recently. He likely thought everything was resolved after knowing the bastard was dead and kept silent. If it were revealed that he failed to properly guard the Corpse Flower seeds and cultivation method, his honor would be tarnished, and he’d also be executed for violating the protection taboo.”

It made sense. The more Doyoon spoke, the more everything fit together plausibly.

“Of course, I’m not 100% certain yet.”

“But then what are you going to do next? Is finding Bibi the priority, or crushing the Association President?”

At Namwon’s question, Doyoon frowned as if it were a ridiculous query.

“Are you kidding? Of course, finding Bibi is the priority. But I have a feeling that if I find Bibi, the other problems will naturally resolve themselves. I’ll search the Thaiban area thoroughly. The place that bastard vehemently denied having an island, but then finally admitted to it.”

“Bibi must have been swept downstream to that area... so there’s a high probability she’s detained on the island where the hound factory is.”

Life returned to Doyoon’s eyes, which had been lifeless for two days.

________________________________________

The hound factory started its mornings early. Everyone was up and about even before the sun had fully emerged from the darkness. Not a single person lagged. News of the owner’s visit had spread throughout the factory, and everyone was tense and watchful. The managers were on edge, agitated as if preparing for a homework inspection.

They worked the hounds even harder and ate all the captured humans. They consumed not only blood but also human flesh and organs. Furthermore, hounds who didn’t work properly were immediately shot instead of being whipped, and innocent bystanders were frequently beaten as well.

Bibi, who had hidden the recovering Lau Yuan in the ceiling pipes, diligently gutted fish and removed their entrails. Her clumsy movements from repetitive work had become skilled in just one day. If she continued for a few more days, she could become a team leader. Of course, she had no desire to.

Bibi organized her thoughts throughout the night. She wanted to escape this place immediately, but since she had come this far, she had to see the factory owner’s face. The major clue to the incident was here; she couldn’t avoid it.

After all, that was her purpose in following the hounds in the first place. She felt she wouldn’t be satisfied until she saw with her own eyes whether it was Lord Schauer or not. She would escape after that.

She had a plan. She would sneak back into the office, charge her phone, and then inform Doyoon of the island’s location where the hound factory was. Of course, she didn’t know the exact location, so she just needed to turn on her phone and activate the GPS function. Then, she’d take the factory owner hostage, steal a boat, and head to the mainland. Once she reached the mainland, everything would somehow work out.

“Woo, woo, woo!”

As Bibi’s hands slowed, a hound nearby glared and elbowed her. It then gaped its mouth as if to report her to the manager. Bibi sighed and, for all to see, gutted a fish that had fallen on the floor.

“Ugh!”

The hound snapped, indicating that she wasn’t doing it right. Bibi didn’t understand why it was getting upset when they were going to put drugs in and sew it back up anyway.

“Why is that...”

Bibi, who was about to question, closed her mouth again. She almost forgot that she shouldn’t speak here. How on earth did she live before?

It was so frustrating. Frowning, Bibi threw the fish entrails into a basket and felt the hostile gaze of the hound opposite her. Come to think of it, she wasn’t being watched by just one or two. There were at least four. What was the reason...?

Bibi pondered and realized they were the ones who had tried to eat Lau Yuan. They must be holding a grudge because she stopped them.

“Kya-ruk!”

The fortunate thing was that the leader hound was favorable towards Bibi. He sharply growled at those who were scolding her and chased them away to another spot entirely. Bibi gave him a grateful look and mechanically worked her hands, checking her plan throughout the day.

Around the end of the evening meal, a boat cut through the water and arrived at the island. The managers, who had been hounding the hounds, rushed out.

Bibi swallowed her cheap iron supplements and, pretending to go to the restroom, observed the situation outside the main gate. Through the bushes, managers with guns were bowing and forming a line. Beyond them, someone could be seen disembarking from the boat, protected.

Due to the dense weeds, only a silhouette was visible, and she couldn’t confirm the face. Just the face... she just needed to confirm the face. She just needed to see if it was Lord Schauer or not first... Bibi unconsciously leaned her body towards the main gate. At that moment, a gunshot rang out, and a terrible pain shot through her shoulder.

“Ugh...!”

Her vision tilted, and she fell straight to the floor. Her left shoulder hurt so much that she couldn’t even think.

The smell of blood spread heavily. The smell of her own blood, not another’s. A sensation like a ball of fire piercing her entire body... pain she had experienced before. A silver bullet. The manager, seeing her approach the main gate, had fired without warning.

Vampires, drawn by the smell of blood, began to stealthily gather near Bibi like great white sharks. They, who had barely quenched their thirst with low-quality iron supplements and humans they had eaten overnight, had their eyes rolled back, crazed by the scent of pureblood vampire blood.

Ah, how many vampires must have been eaten this way until now. Tears streamed down her face from the pain, but Bibi clenched her fists and entered combat stance. She had no intention of ending up in someone’s stomach and being digested in a place like this. She would fight to the end, even if the entire river ran red with blood.

Bang!

Another gunshot rang out. The hounds that had been swarming Bibi stopped. It was the manager who had first shot Bibi, belatedly regaining his composure and firing again. He pointed at the group of vampires approaching from outside and shrieked fiercely.

At that, everyone reluctantly returned to their places. The leader hound dragged Bibi, who was sprawled on the floor, and threw her into the pit where the fish guts were piled. A dark aura spread in his eyes. Repeated frustration, the despair of someone whose hopes had been crushed, could be felt.

The silver bullet hadn’t just embedded itself but had passed through, so Bibi wouldn’t immediately turn to ash, but he seemed to think she would die soon. What had he hoped for from her...?

Bibi decided it was better to pretend to be dying and remained motionless in her sprawling position. Surrounded by fish guts, she fixed her throbbing gaze on the ceiling. This was already the third time she had been hit by a silver bullet. Once by the trainer when she was young, once by Doyoon in a graze, and today.

It was an utterly unfamiliar pain, yet strangely, her mind raced even faster. The time it would take for the wound to heal, the purpose of the factory owner who was now arriving with the managers, how to shoot a gun as Doyoon had taught her.

The nauseating stench of fish guts, which had been sickeningly repulsive, now bothered her not at all. Buzzing flies hovered, testing whether to land on Bibi’s shoulder before flying away.

She hoped it would get dark soon. Time was needed for the bleeding to stop and the wound to heal, even slightly. And as night fell, her hunting instincts would also deepen.