Chapter 2128 - 2126: Vampire

"This is really miserable......"

Staring at Tokyo before them, devastated by a nuclear blast, everyone couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. Although many of them had heard that nuclear war could bring about the end of the world, the sight in front of their eyes still made their hearts turn cold.

"You all know the situation."

Fang Zheng didn’t look at the ruined city outside, wrapped completely in falling snow, but instead turned his gaze to the girls before him. This time, after leaving the shelter, he had called a team over to help. Besides Shihou Souki, there were also Eiriri, Asuna and Black Cat, and Little Hei and Illya, who as usual followed him without fail.

Aside from them, Fang Zheng had also called Feli and Saya.

After all, the current state of this world looked as if Chaos had blasted it once. Although the Origin had been sealed and cleansed by Fang Zheng, he wasn’t sure if there were still Chaos remnants elsewhere. He called Saya over because, as an Enchanted of an Ancient God, she was quite sensitive in this regard and could more easily detect anomalies.

As for Asuna and the other two, it was because they had learned from Fang Zheng that Nanami had been found, so they made a fuss about coming over to see her. Considering these three had followed him for a long time, had fought plenty of Creatures, and were rich in combat experience, Fang Zheng brought them along as well.

By the way, the day before departure, Eiriri was still grinding away to draw illustrations for the Fairy’s new light novel. Fortunately her speed was fast enough, otherwise they might have been short one person.

So in total, the combat unit heading to Tokyo this time, including Fang Zheng, numbered ten people. Fang Zheng was in the lead, followed by Asuna, Black Cat, Eiriri, Nanami Chiaki, Saya, Little Hei, Illya, Feli, and—Celestia.

"I assume you’ve all read the battle reports on the way here, and what’s right in front of you doesn’t need much more commentary."

Fang Zheng reached out to open his personal terminal, then pulled up a map.

"Here’s the situation: in this area we’ve detected signs of life activity. Combined with previous reports, we can determine that these life signals are very likely survivors of the nuclear blast, current status unknown. But to put it simply, it’s easy: search, rescue, gather. For you lot, this should be business as usual."

At this point Fang Zheng glanced at Asuna and the others, who nodded slightly. Back in the Mech World they’d rescued survivors who’d been attacked by Reapers; in that regard, they were indeed quite experienced.

"First, Celestia, Feli, and Saya, you three go secure a gathering point. Remember, the requirements are warmth, sanitation, and ample space. A gymnasium would be a good choice; if that’s not possible, a hospital will also do......"

Fang Zheng pointed at the three, then turned his gaze to Nanami Chiaki.

"The rest of you will move in pairs. Feli will be responsible for maintaining communications. Everyone remember to bring all necessary gear, and... summon your Heroic Spirits."

"Don’t worry, Mr. Fang Zheng!"

Eiriri cheerfully raised her hand and waved the Command Seal in her hand.

"Of course we wouldn’t forget!"

"Good, that’s what I wanted to hear."

He glanced at the Command Seal on Eiriri’s hand and nodded. Naturally, he had considered improving the combat power of these little girls under his command. The Hard Light Armor was enough to defend against any external environmental changes or influences, but in terms of combat strength, the more the better. So after careful consideration, Fang Zheng bestowed Command Seals on everyone except Saya, giving them the ability to Summon Heroic Spirits.

And the Heroic Spirits they summoned were all rather interesting.

Asuna had Summoned a Caster-class Tamamo-no-Mae.

Black Cat had Summoned a Lancer-class Elizabeth Bathory.

Eiriri had Summoned an Assassin-class Osakabehime.

Nanami Chiaki had Summoned a Saber-class Nero.

As for Celestia—considering she had no combat ability but was top-notch when it came to reading the battlefield, Fang Zheng had also given her the ability to Summon a Heroic Spirit for self-protection. The result was that she Summoned a Rider-class Mary Antoinette......

Anyway, it was more than enough for self-defense.

"Lastly, remember this: according to the previous report from Togami Byakuya, there is currently a group of Vampires active in Tokyo. Their goal seems to be capturing survivors of the nuclear blast as food. Once you encounter these bastards, don’t think about taking them alive—if you can kill them, kill them on the spot. I’ve given the Swarm the same order. Of course, if you spot anything, you can report it to the Swarm."

"Understood."

At this, the girls’ faces grew much more serious. They had read the records regarding this incident as well. Although there was no concrete evidence so far, it was... better to err on the side of caution.

"Very good. No time like the present—move out!"

With that, Fang Zheng snapped his fingers. A Light Beam shone down from above, enveloping everyone including Fang Zheng, and in the next instant, they all vanished without a trace.

Snowflakes howled in the wind, the icy air slamming into their faces.

Fang Zheng stood on a shattered street, gazing at the ruins ahead, and couldn’t help but frown. Then he took out his personal terminal, swept it around, and quickly moved forward.

Originally, Fang Zheng had wanted to investigate what had become of China in this world, but he helplessly discovered that for some unknown reason, almost all landmasses had already sunk into the sea. Not only Asia, but even Europe and North America were the same; only some Plateau regions had survived.

Japan wasn’t much better. Now, Japan had basically turned into something like an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, much like those Island Nation chains.

The feeling it gave wasn’t like a nuclear scorched earth at all, but more like 2012.

However, Fang Zheng also understood that under the current circumstances, there probably weren’t many humans left alive. The reason was simple: whether by intent or by accident, two nukes aimed at America had hit Yellowstone Volcano......

It was definitely on purpose; he just didn’t know who did it.

Forget it, now’s not the time to think about that. Better to save people first.

With that thought, Fang Zheng waved his hand, and soon, a Wormhole opened again. Countless Jumping Bugs, Aliens, and Flying Dragons poured out, screeching as they scattered in all directions—hmm, he had to admit, paired with the ruined cityscape, this scene really did have that "Creatures coming to destroy the world" vibe.

Looks like he really ought to consider creating a somewhat cuter species in the Swarm......

Actually, Filo Birds weren’t bad, but sadly, being that fat was a fatal flaw......

While turning over such random thoughts in his head, Fang Zheng darted quickly through the streets. Before long, he arrived in front of an Advanced Rank villa located in Shibuya Ward. Fang Zheng walked straight up to the Daimon, then pushed it open.

The house was steeped in Deathly Silence. If not for the terminal’s scan showing bio-signals here, it would probably have been written off as an empty house.

Very soon, Fang Zheng found the source of the signal.

"This really is miserable."

Looking at the girl curled motionless under a blanket in the corner of the basement, Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow. Although this building itself hadn’t been directly hit by the nuclear blast, the excessive radiation levels and brutal cold were more than enough to kill a child. In fact, this girl wasn’t in much better shape now. She was so skinny that she was practically skin and bones, looking about the same as an Africa refugee. At this moment she was curled into a ball under the blanket, gasping for breath.

The purple hair that had once been fairly smooth and silky was now dry and yellowed, like a clump of weeds.

From the look of her, she was obviously on her last legs.

"Come, let me take a look, hmm... radiation way over the limit, malnutrition, large-scale organ failure all over the body..."

Fang Zheng took out his personal terminal and carefully scanned the girl from head to toe, quickly reaching a conclusion.

But... this really was strange.

Looking at the girl in front of him, barely clinging to life, Fang Zheng rubbed his chin. By all rights, at her age, receiving this level of excessive radiation plus the double blow of the extreme cold, she should have been dead long ago. Yet the fact was that although she looked like she was about to die at any moment, there was a strange power in her body still keeping her going.

However, that power was also about to dissipate.

Thinking of this, Fang Zheng shook his head, then opened his personal terminal and fired a shot of Medical Gel at the girl. Very soon, the wounds on her body caused by excessive radiation healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. After that Fang Zheng bathed her in a Holy Light, and her previously rapid breathing slowly became much steadier. She was still a bit haggard, but had clearly stepped away from the brink.

"Mm, this will do for now."

Fang Zheng casually grabbed a coat and wrapped the girl up, then cast a Spell on her to maintain her body temperature and shield her from the environment, after which he carried her out of the villa and continued forward.

Come to think of it, just now he had seen two moving bio-signals on his personal terminal, hadn’t he?

"Haa... haa..."

In the dark corridor, two thin, small figures were sprinting ahead, and soon they rushed into a room. Then the red-haired girl with a high ponytail in the lead shoved the brown-haired boy behind her under the bed.

"Hide, quick! No matter what happens, don’t make a sound!"

"Sis...!"

The boy pushed under the bed wanted to say something, but the red-haired girl had already shaken her head, then straightened up. At the same time, the door that had been locked from the inside was effortlessly opened, and a figure in a white cloak walked in.

"——————!"

Seeing that figure appear, the girl’s body trembled, but she did not waver. She just stared fixedly at the other party. Facing the girl before him, the young man in the white cloak grinned, revealing sharp fangs. Then he grabbed the girl, yanked her up, opened his mouth, and bit down hard on her neck!

At the same moment, a streak of black light flashed past.

"Swhhh—!!"

A sharp Greatsword shot out from behind the girl, piercing straight through the head of the man in white, carrying his body as it smashed through the door and nailing him firmly to the wall.

"...Eh?"

Seeing this, the red-haired girl stared, eyes wide with shock. At the same time, a voice sounded from behind her.

"I see, so you’re that rumored Vampire."

With that voice, Fang Zheng, carrying the purple-haired girl on his back, stepped out from behind the red-haired girl. He had come here following those two moving bio-signals, only to unexpectedly discover yet another guy—since he couldn’t detect any bio-signal from him, this was clearly not a living human.

Fang Zheng walked up to the young man nailed to the wall and examined him carefully. Sure enough, unlike normal humans, this young man had triangular, animal-like ears and blood-red eyes. He looked like a delicate young man, except... even with his head pierced, he still glared at Fang Zheng, struggling desperately.

"You... you... bastard... you’re nothing but a mere human, just our livestock..."

"Livestock?"

Hearing this, Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you talking about? Kid, you’ve picked the wrong road..."

As he spoke, Fang Zheng gripped the hilt of the Pitch Black Greatsword. A spark of fire suddenly flared up, quickly turning into searing crimson flames that completely engulfed the Vampire before him.

"Aaaah—aaaaaaah!!!"

Under the ruthless scorch of the Primordial Fire, the Vampire in the white cloak let out a shrill scream. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Fang Zheng caught another figure appearing at the far end of the corridor.

"Laxus, you bastard, how dare you do that to Laxus..."

Seeing his companion wrapped in flames, the man froze for a second, then immediately drew his weapon and turned into a whirlwind lunging straight at Fang Zheng. He moved so fast his silhouette was almost invisible. Yet Fang Zheng just glanced at him from the corner of his eye and casually swatted out with his left hand as if swiping at a fly.

"Bang!!"

The next second, the man was sent flying, smashing through two walls in a row before finally crashing down in the rubble.

"All right, now tell me—what the hell are you things, and where’s your lair?"

Fang Zheng yanked out the Pitch Black Greatsword and walked step by step toward the Vampire buried in the debris. With just one glance he had already noticed this Vampire was wearing the same uniform as the one he had just killed. In other words, these Vampires weren’t what Fang Zheng had originally thought—mutants born from radiation and nuclear blasts. Clearly, they had already existed in this world long before... they had just taken the opportunity, after human society was completely destroyed, to crawl out and make trouble.

"Im... possible..."

The Vampire struggled to lift his head from the rubble, staring in disbelief at Fang Zheng walking toward him. That slap earlier had looked as casual as swatting a fly, but for the one who took it, it was a completely different story. At this moment his bones were shattered, his organs torn apart. If not for the Vampire’s powerful Regeneration Ability, he would have been dead already.

"You... what on earth... are you?"

"Looks like you don’t want to answer my questions? Fine, actually, it’s better if you don’t."

Looking at the Vampire before him, Fang Zheng shrugged, then reversed his grip and plunged the Pitch Black Greatsword into his body.

Soon the flames rose again, and in the blink of an eye this unlucky Vampire was burned to ash as well.

Next up...

Watching the Vampire’s corpse burn to nothing in the flames, Fang Zheng finally turned his head and looked at the red-haired girl behind him, and the boy crawling out from under the bed, trembling.

In any case, better get them out of here first.