Chapter 7: The Battle for Survival

They were caught up in a fierce battle with the Blood Slaves. They were outnumbered, but Jin's sharp reflexes and the young lady remarkable skills kept them alive.

"To your left!" Suddenly, a deafening shot echoed as the voice shouted.

BAM!

The bullets pierced through a splatter of blood, hitting the head of a pallid-skinned creature, causing it to burst like a melon.

Simultaneously, a game screen materialized within the attacker's vision.

[You have successfully killed a Tier 0 - Level 0 Blood Slaves!]

[Your high Luck has begun…]

Their fleeting moment of bliss was abruptly interrupted as numerous crimson orbs with pallid countenances, lacerated digits, and mangled extremities emerged from the inky depths like quadrupedal beasts, one after the other.

…

On the second level of the Luminous Sky Lounge nightclub, Jin battled fifty Blood Slaves. Sparks of fire, accompanied by faint grey smoke emanating from the gun barrels filled the air.

A shadowy figure darted around the room, firing her gun and exterminating the ferocious blood-sucking creatures with a single shot. It was none other than a young lady who used her skills with remarkable proficiency.

The young lady stood in complete darkness, periodically glancing at Jin's condition before smiling with malice.

While the remaining Blood Slaves sauntered about, endeavoring to evade the luminous beam shining upon Jin, numerous cadavers littered the ground.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtain, yet she did not step into it to prevent the Blood Slaves from ambushing her.

Instead, she gazed upon the light with a sense of longing and regret that flickered in her almond-shaped eyes.

Meanwhile, Jin's black jacket was completely drenched in the dark liquid blood that splashed on him every time he locked his narrowed pupils onto each lurking creature.

BAM!

With swift and rapid motion, Jin fired the Mossberg 930 in his hands. His hands moved like a flash, taking out another shotgun shell and reloading it into the magazine tube.

In the next moment, another trigger released, causing another head to explode like a watermelon.

A cry and a horrifying growl were heard, but along with that, a game screen appeared before his view.

[You have successfully killed a Tier 0 - Level 0 Blood Slave!]

With the last shot fired, the continuous and exhausting battle finally came to an end.

Jin, who had confirmed that the situation was safe, was now lying on the warm floor, his muscles twitching in pain, especially his palm that had burn marks due to holding the overheated barrel.

"H...haa... t...that...w...was amazing," Jin said with ragged breathing and sweat covering his body, then turned his head to the side.

"Mmm," the graceful young lady, who was sitting with her legs crossed, exposing her long, curved legs, simply nodded in response.

Appearing to be busy sorting out her gains, Li Mei's eyes were fixed on the empty air before her.

After a moment of silence, the young lady suddenly introduced herself. "My name is Li Mei," she said, teasing Jin with a glance before focusing her attention back on her gains.

"I'm Jin Tianyi," Jin replied, nodding at her before shifting his focus back to the game screen before him.

[You have successfully killed a Tier 0 - Level 0 Blood Slaves!]

[You have successfully killed a Tier 0 - Level 0 Blood Slaves!]

[You have successfully killed a Tier 0 - Level 0 Blood Slaves!]

[Your high Luck has begu….]

…

The long list of notifications filled Jin's vision as he immersed himself in his gains. He turned to look to his left, where a creature resembling a human lay in the darkness, beyond the reach of the sunlight.

Unlike the Vampiric Bats, these Blood Slaves required two rounds from his shotgun before they were finally killed. They were stronger and faster than the bats, and as a result, it had taken him and Li Mei more than an hour to clear out the fifty Blood Slaves on the second floor.

Due to their speed, some of his bullets missed their vital organs completely, so the battle had already consumed 100 shotgun shells.

But luckily, Jin's instincts had taken over and he had grabbed the ammo pouch that was still fully stocked. If he had used his old stock, he would have probably run out of ammo.

After the battle was over, Jin made a discovery that left him with a deep frown and black lines on his face.

"These Blood Slaves were once humans who had their blood sucked dry by the Vampiric Bats," he muttered.

This was not good news. Dealing with the bats alone was already giving him headaches, but now the fact that dead humans could turn into Blood Slaves meant that his chances of wandering outside had been reduced by almost 50%.

"Thanks to this battle, I now know that there are other creatures besides the Vampiric Bats that pose a danger, and I have also assessed her combat power,"

Jin muttered to himself as he glanced at Li Mei, who was diligently collecting the magic crystals.

She was hardworking, and it appeared that his previous impression of her taking advantage of her comrades was just a delusion. Moreover, her mana capacity was definitely higher than his own.

"But why does she keep avoiding the sunlight?" Jin wondered inwardly.

Whenever Li Mei collected the magic crystals, she would instantly jump away from the sunlight seeping through the curtain gaps.

He was suspicious of her motives, but if she was a Blood Slave, she wouldn't have the intelligence to think or even converse with him.

"The only possibility is that her rewards are related to her aversion to sunlight," he mused, his gaze intense and focused, causing Li Mei to turn around and flash her usual teasing smile at him.

He wasn't trying to deny her existence as a creature similar to the Blood Slaves, but after their life-or-death battle, he secretly hoped that they were on the same side.

Not because he was in love with the pretty lady or had feelings for her, but because her ability to jump from shadow to shadow was too terrifying!

He was confident he could kill her, but in the current situation where both parties knew each other's abilities, the fight could drag on for hours.

"What? Have you finally realized how beautiful I am?" Li Mei, who was collecting magic crystals, saw Jin gazing at her deeply and chuckled.

She couldn't help but tease him upon seeing his cute dazed expression.

This man surely had never interacted with women! He was the type who would work hard for money and die alone in old age.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," thinking about this, Li Mei felt pity and cast a look of condolence on him for a moment before continuing to collect the magic crystals.

Jin felt mocked and was speechless upon seeing her gaze. He was just thinking about the possibility of her becoming an enemy, yet this woman kept provoking him!

"Is there any dropped scroll skill?" Ignoring her previous remark, Jin asked, secretly hoping for more than one scroll skill.

Knowing her personality, even for a brief moment, Jin was confident that she was not the type of person who would willingly give away a precious item. He was too tired of responding to her weird behavior.

"Do you think it's like buying cabbage at the market, thinking that a scroll skill would drop that easily?" Li Mei mocked while raising her lips.

She was actually speechless at Jin's question and positive thinking. Did he think she didn't realize the look in his eyes?!

Just like Jin, Li Mei also knew that he was not the type of feeble and naive prince who would willingly give away precious items like scroll skills.

He had even kicked her the moment they met. However, as her slim hands rummaged between the Blood Slaves' organs, she surprisingly found two gold-looking parchments shining like an otherworldly aura before her eyes.

"What…" Li Mei was dumbfounded. All she knew was that Jin had a high luck point.

"HA!" Jin, as if he expected this to happen, grinned and let out a taunting laugh.

However, just as he laughed, Jin spotted a pair of red eyes glowing beside Li Mei, who was still in shock and staring at the skill scroll.

"A familiar encounter!" Jin, already used to the Blood Slaves' attack pattern, reached for his shotgun, only to realize it was still overheating.

He could only helplessly watch as the shadow lunged toward Li Mei. But in the next moment, something shocking happened.

"Ahh,"A soft and alluring scream resonated, coinciding with a gushing fountain of blood from Li Mei's goose neck.

Her complexion turned pallid as the surging blood on her body was slowly drained. Visible wrinkles appeared on her once-fair skin, while her almond amber eyes suddenly emitted a crimson glow, signaling a transformation occurring within her body.

A thick bloodlust permeated the surrounding air, transforming it into a viscous and redolent fluid.

In the darkness, the red glow from her eyes intensified as her fingers' nails grew into sharp claws. In the next moment, she unleashed her full power, driving her long nails into the Blood Slave behind her.

With a sprout, another fountain of blood spurted forth, but this time, it came from the pierced holes in the Blood Slave's body.

Li Mei, with her nails impaled into the creature, pivoted and raised her other hand, wielding her sharp claws like a lethal weapon.

With a resounding splash, the entire body of the horrifying Blood Slave was torn apart, as if mauled by a bear's claws.

The decaying organs of the creature scattered on the floor, while its twitching eyes were ruthlessly crushed under Li Mei's feet

As soon as the notification screen appeared before her eyes, the thick blood lust surrounding Li Mei suddenly sucked back into her body. The three-meter-long claws that had grown from her hands shrank into beautiful-looking nails.

Li Mei's red eyes emitted a glow, turning into teasing and curious gazes as she looked at Jin with a complicated expression. However, Jin had already raised his shotgun towards her with a distant and cold tone.

"What are you?" his unsympathetic look made Li Mei sigh.

"Don't you have to ex--" she tried to explain and avoid the topic, but Jin cut her off with a scowl.

"Your appearance bears similarities to these disgusting creatures, not to mention the fangs you displayed just now."

If he had been hesitant and unsure about whether Li Mei was the same as the bats, his doubt vanished after witnessing her gruesome and merciless killing of the Blood Slaves.

Her level of danger had now escalated in his mind, and he could no longer act carefree or relaxed around her.

Who knew that the next moment it would be his turn to be bitten and have his blood sucked dry by her?

"Should I kill her? If she becomes stronger, I'll have trouble in the future," Jin thought, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He didn't realize the irresistible hunger was slowly changing his vision.

"Hooh? Do you want to kill me?" On the other hand, Li Mei, who had a helpless and tired expression, turned it into a frown and looked with a cold gaze, sensing the thick murderous intent from Jin.

"So what? Should I be afraid?" Jin responded, unaware that his sanity had been consumed. The next moment, his consciousness suddenly went black as his body lunged forward at a fast speed.

Li Mei, who was looking at Jin, suddenly frowned as she realized that the Jin she knew had become a stranger.

"Grrr!" A low growl like that of an animal sounded in his last moment, and only then did he realize that he had messed up.

"Ah, this shitty passive skill, I messed up." Knowing that his body was now controlled by his instincts, there was no way he could control it like before; he would really act like an animal.