Night had fallen.
Following the task's guidance, Daniel arrived at a bar in the Bronx.
Investigation? Completely unnecessary—the task directly pointed out the clues.
Following the noticeable red line in his sight, Daniel quickly spotted a flashy-dressed, brown-haired man with slicked-back hair. The man was hitting on a girl whose arms and neck were covered in runes. As he spoke, he casually flashed a fake gold watch on his wrist. The girl's eyes instantly lit up. She put down her half-finished beer and leaned toward him, clearly drunk.
The brown-haired man smiled, wrapped his arm around the girl's waist—which was as thick as an Iron Monger helmet—and headed out of the bar.
"This guy really isn't picky…"
Daniel watched in amazement, then quietly and quickly followed them.
The man and girl turned into a narrow, dark alley and stopped in front of an unremarkable iron door. He knocked, and a large, burly man opened the door quickly.
The brown-haired man whispered a few words. The burly man nodded, stepped aside to let them in, and the iron door immediately shut.
Seeing this, Daniel mimicked their actions and knocked. The burly man reappeared, frowning at the unfamiliar face.
"What do you want?"
"I just saw my friend being taken in by a stranger. I need to get in and find her!"
"This is a members-only place. You can't enter."
The burly man stared coldly at Daniel and refused decisively.
Daniel snapped angrily, "Damn it! That's my friend! She might drink, have tattoos, and hook up, but she's a good girl! What if that guy tricks her?"
The corner of the burly man's mouth twitched. Really, who would even care about rune-covered Poppy?
"If you don't let me in, I'll call the police!"
At that, a faint crimson glint flashed in the burly man's eyes.
"Fine, I'll make an exception."
He opened the door, looking at Daniel as if he were staring at a corpse. Daniel walked in without hesitation.
Inside was a long, dark corridor, lit only by a few scattered lamps. At the end stood another iron door.
This time, a bald bouncer blocked Daniel's way, holding up a fluorescent stamp. Luckily, Daniel wasn't allergic like Zhang Wei, and allowed the stamp to be pressed onto the back of his hand.
Pushing open the final iron door, he was immediately hit by the smell of alcohol mixed with marijuana, and the heavy beat of electronic music pounded his ears. A massive dance floor dominated the space, dazzling colored spotlights flashing above in rhythm. Countless people twisted and writhed, lost in the moment.
At the edges, in the booths, the lighting was even dimmer and hazier. Men and women guzzled hard liquor, inhaled and exhaled smoke from slender cigarettes, some engaging in blatantly inappropriate acts that shocked Daniel's innocent heart.
Daniel noticed the red line from the task had disappeared—it seemed the clue was here, in this underground bar.
A tall, wavy-haired redhead noticed the fluorescent stamp on Daniel's hand. Her eyes lit up, and she swayed her hips over to him.
"Hey handsome, want to get to know each other?"
Daniel looked down. His gaze met a dizzying abyss, and awe filled him.
"Of course, I love making friends."
The red-haired woman sniffed, puzzled. "You smell like blood. What do you do for work?"
"A doctor." Daniel replied calmly, expression unchanged.
"Oh? Perfect!" Her eyes brightened further. Her fingers lightly traced his chest, body pressing subtly against him. "I've been feeling a little unwell lately. Could you help me figure out what's wrong?"
Daniel wasn't a doctor, but he could tell immediately what the symptom was. This was definitely a classic… fever.
Daniel tried to appear reserved. "It might not be convenient to examine you here."
"No problem, we can find somewhere private for a full, slow examination," she whispered in his ear.
The fever was serious!
Daniel was shy and didn't know how to refuse, so he allowed her to pull him toward a restroom in the corner.
Once inside the stall, she immediately locked the door.
"Doctor, where should we start the examination?" Her eyes glinted predatorily, lips licking in anticipation.
"Wherever it hurts," Daniel replied.
Feeling the astonishing pressure against his arm, Daniel glanced at the red dot on his mini-map, wondering if he should pretend to resist.
"Well… my stomach. Right now, I'm… starving!"
Her voice suddenly became hoarse, distorted. Her eyes burst into terrifying crimson, and her lips curled back to reveal two sharp, monstrous fangs! Her once-beautiful face twisted into a terrifying visage as she lunged at him!
Daniel felt bored. "Muay Thai warning!"
Just as her fangs neared his skin, Daniel channeled his core strength and delivered a powerful elbow strike straight to her face!
Bang!
A muffled thud accompanied the faint sound of breaking bone. The redhead's cheekbone exploded with unimaginable force, fragments of teeth and blood sprayed. She didn't even have time to scream. Her body flew like a broken sack, slamming against the stall wall, making it vibrate.
She slumped to the ground, dazed. Half her face was sunken, her crimson eyes filled with confusion.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Daniel stepped closer, elbow ready, and demanded sharply, "Speak! What kind of monster are you?"
The woman looked horrified. His strength completely exceeded her comprehension—he had rendered her powerless with a single strike. Was this humanly possible?!
"Not talking, huh?"
Daniel had no mercy. He grabbed her and unleashed a storm of elbow strikes! Whenever she tried to speak, each word was ruthlessly crushed by another strike.
With relentless blows, her head felt like it would be flattened. Summoning her last strength, she screamed hysterically,
"Stop! I'll talk! I'm a vampire! I'm a vampire!!"