Chapter 55: Preparing for a Rainy Day

In the end, Chen Mo couldn't hold back—he made his move.

Of course, Chen Mo never did anything that was all risk and no reward. The reasons he chose to act were twofold. First, once Ye Wenbin died, the Intellect Fragment in his mind would fly out, and if Chen Mo didn't show up in time, it would disappear. Even though Ye Wenbin's Intellect Fragment was rather useless, Chen Mo had just obtained the "Vampire's Fangs" from Liu Zijun—a treasure he had coveted day and night. If it never appeared again, Chen Mo would never complete his vampire set. The thought of missing out on this drove him to take the risk.

Secondly, Liu Zijun belonged to the Intellect Fragment Legion and was a core member of Star City's largest evolution organization. Chen Mo understood the principle of balancing power; if he saved her now, she would certainly be useful in the future.

But more importantly, Chen Mo already harbored a mad scheme in his heart—a plan so distant as to seem almost a fantasy for now. He intended to plant a seed in Liu Zijun, and whether this plan could one day take root would depend on her.

The captain of the Shadow Squad frowned, his voice booming, “Good, luring the snake out of its hole. How many more of you are hiding? Come out now—stop skulking in the shadows!”

Chen Mo, eager to conceal his true identity, was more than happy to let them believe he belonged to the Nirvana Phoenix organization.

Hissing sounds sliced through the air.

Chen Mo bared his teeth, playing the part of a vampire as he lunged at Liu Zijun’s lifeless body. In reality, he simply swallowed the Intellect Fragment—disguised as a firefly—that had flown out.

[Intellect Fragment +1]

[First Intellect Component (4/10)]

Intellect data acquired.

[Ye Wenbin; Game ID: GentleWenbin]

[Warrior Apprentice]

[Constitution: 20]

[Mental Strength: 1]

[Skills: None]

[Equipment: Novice Set]

[Dungeon Record: 800 meters]

So weak! Just as Chen Mo suspected, Ye Wenbin was a complete weakling.

But where was his equipment? Chen Mo saw only the novice set in Ye Wenbin’s equipment list—no sign of the Vampire’s Fangs. Ah, the storage space!

Chen Mo’s consciousness searched the Intellect Fragment’s storage, and sure enough, he found the "Vampire’s Fangs."

[Vampire’s Fangs]

[Quality: Grade C, Excellent]

[Attribute: Strength +20]

[Special: Blood Conversion—extract 5% of target’s life (immune to bosses), replenishes your own health; cooldown: 30 seconds]

At last, he had truly become a vampire! With this skill, he now had an endless supply of health—he could absorb his enemies’ life force to continually heal himself. The only drawback was the long cooldown, but perhaps his meditation skill could shorten it.

For now, Chen Mo dared not equip the Vampire’s Fangs. If he did, Liu Zijun would surely notice, and then, even if the Shadow Warriors didn’t kill her, Chen Mo would have to do it himself.

At this moment, Liu Zijun gazed at Chen Mo in astonishment. As a core member of her organization, she knew nearly everyone in it, but she’d never seen anyone dressed like this. Could he be a new recruit? Major guilds and organizations posted recruitment notices on the Evolution Forum every day, so newcomers were constantly joining. She couldn’t be sure who Chen Mo was, but since he’d risked his life to save her, he was certainly no enemy.

“Friend! Though I don’t know your name, I thank you for risking your life to save mine. I’m too badly wounded to escape—if you stay, you’ll only be dragged down with me. Go! To feel a touch of warmth before I die—I have no regrets!”

Seeing Liu Zijun face death with such composure only strengthened Chen Mo’s resolve to save her. Only those unafraid of death, those driven by faith, could grow an organization into greatness. He must ensure a powerful rival rose around Star City—this was one of his future plans.

“Liu Zijun! You carry a vital mission for the organization. You cannot die here! By the authority of the organization, I order you to retreat immediately. Leave this to me!”

“No! If we die, we die together. If I fled and left you here, I’d spend the rest of my life in misery!”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The Shadow Captain applauded, sneering, “Touching. The more sentimental you are, the more dangerous I find you! An organization unafraid of death—who knows what you’ll do? I’ll request authorization to wipe you out, root and branch! Enough with the modesty—neither of you will leave here alive!”

“Oh? Is that so?” Chen Mo’s voice turned icy.

A metallic clatter rang out.

Blood-red claws sprang from Chen Mo’s fingertips, glowing ominously—terrifying and strange.

“I advise you all to stop. My friend is gravely wounded and may not live much longer. Why press us so hard?” Chen Mo’s voice was calm and unhurried.

The Shadow Captain grew grim at the sight of those crimson claws. He could sense that the masked vampire before him was a formidable foe. But the Shadow Legion’s duty forbade retreat—even in death, a warrior’s honor was to fall on the battlefield.

Raising his right hand high, the Shadow Captain declared, “All you so-called guilds and organizations are scourges upon the nation. As a guardian of our country, I will not let a single enemy go! Open fire!”

Gunfire erupted—a six-man squad riddling Chen Mo with bullets.

“Watch out!” With her last ounce of strength, Liu Zijun threw herself before Chen Mo, trying to shield him with her body.

Yet the speed of these bullets was nothing to Chen Mo anymore. In hell mode, the deadly piranhas moved as fast as bullets, and Chen Mo had handled fifty of them biting at once. His reaction speed was now extraordinary.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He caught every bullet in his sight, weaving his blood claws into a net that intercepted each one with a crisp, musical sound as they dropped, twisted and deformed, to the ground.

Liu Zijun’s eyes widened in disbelief. She could block bullets too, but only with great effort and often in a sorry state. This man, though, swatted bullets away as if they were mere flies—so effortlessly, it was almost absurd.

Chen Mo grinned. “Now you can escape without worry! Leave this to me!”

Liu Zijun still hesitated, but Chen Mo’s confident smile gave her inexplicable strength.

“Thank you!” All her emotions condensed into those two words. Courage to survive ignited within her once more—she could not die yet. She had to bring the gene enhancement serum back!

She scooped up the black case lying beside Ye Wenbin’s body, gritted her teeth against the pain, and fled into the shadows.

The Shadow Captain barked, “Don’t let her escape—fire!”

Bullets rained like a storm toward Liu Zijun.

Chen Mo swept left and right with his blood claws, blocking every bullet he could. One or two, distorted mid-air by collision, slipped through and struck him.

Chen Mo expected the bullets to tear through his body, but instead, they struck his vampire cloak and vanished instantly, like water drops lost in a vast sea.

Of course! Chen Mo suddenly recalled—even the F-grade novice armor was bulletproof. How much more the C-grade gear he now wore!

With a casual flourish of his cloak, bullets thudded harmlessly into it, dissolving to dust without a trace.

Stunned—utterly stunned!

The twenty or so Shadow Warriors were so awed by Chen Mo’s supernatural prowess that they hesitated, unsure whether to attack or flee.

The Shadow Captain ground his teeth. “Quick! Notify White Cloud and Fleeting Shadow! We need backup!”