Chapter 109: Escape from Death

Chapter 109: Escape from Death

The vampire creature suddenly felt a sharp sting, like the bite of a tiny insect. Looking down, it saw Ellie clamping onto its heel with her teeth. Enraged, it lifted its foot and stomped down hard, but Ellie clung on like a persistent gadfly, refusing to let go.

Forced to divert some attention to Ellie, the creature slowly bent down and reached out with its other hand, palm open, aiming to strike Ellie off its heel.

At that moment, the clothes draped over Ellie’s head and body were swept aside, exposing her to the direct sunlight. Instantly, bubbles formed on her skin, which began to burn and smolder, releasing wisps of blue smoke. Yet she refused to release her grip, even as the creature’s palm came down on her, because she saw Xia Zheng already drawing his bowstring.

The Blazing Ice Sword!

Summoning all his strength, Xia Zheng fired an arrow at close range with blazing speed. The icy blade pierced the creature’s forehead and tore through, freezing its entire body in an instant, turning it into an ice sculpture—still frozen mid-motion, bent over as if still trying to strike Ellie.

Xia Zheng felt as if he had been pulled from water. Seizing the last reserves of his strength and will, he quickly wrapped Ellie tightly in cloth, hoisted her onto his back, and sprinted away at full speed.

Behind him, a deafening roar shattered the air—a last, desperate struggle filled with bitter unwillingness.

At the same time, Xia Zheng was astonished to see the blood-red barrier sealing Peijie gradually dissolve. With the death of that blood creature, Peijie’s seal was lifted. Whether this was good or bad, Xia Zheng could not be sure. For now, he was powerless and could only rush back to report to the investigation team, delivering all the information and evidence he had gathered. Though he knew Eternal Night City was doomed to fall, he felt unable to change the course of fate.

After running some ten kilometers, Xia Zheng could run no further. He found a cold, shaded spot, carefully settled Ellie down, and hastily used his mental energy to conjure a simple shelter. Taking some healing potions from his storage bag, he checked his watch: 4:37 p.m. Three hours had already passed in the instance. Then, hugging his knees, he fell into a deep sleep.

Upon waking, Xia Zheng felt a warm, soft weight in his arms and immediately understood. But he sensed no danger. At his most vulnerable, Ellie had risked her life to save him. If he doubted her now, who could he trust? If it was a deception, so be it.

Looking again at his watch, it was 5:45 a.m.—he had slept for over an hour, thankfully.

“I have less than 72 hours to complete this instance. If I waste too much time here, won’t I miss the competition?” Xia Zheng grew anxious. He hadn’t even cleared the first chapter of the four-part instance.

Ellie, apparently just waking as well, murmured, “Benefactor, you’re awake?”

“Ellie, how are your injuries? You seemed to have been burned by the sunlight earlier, with blisters forming,” Xia Zheng asked worriedly.

Ellie smiled. “Benefactor, it’s fine. My skin has healed. Maybe because I just transformed, I couldn’t endure the direct sun. But I found my recovery is excellent. After a nap, my skin was completely fine. Don’t believe me? Touch it.”

Xia Zheng’s hand was taken by Ellie and placed on a soft, raised spot. He felt the softness and elasticity—it was genuine.

“Cough, cough…” After a few touches, Xia Zheng quickly withdrew his hand, fearing he might embarrass himself. “Ellie, stop calling me benefactor. Just call me Benson.”

“Okay, Brother Benson…” Ellie added the “brother” herself, her tone so sweet it was impossible to resist. Damn it—she was just a girl, yet so alluring. Perhaps it was a trait of her vampire nature, but Ellie exuded a unique charm that stirred Xia Zheng’s desires.

Fortunately, his willpower as a mentalist was strong. He lifted Ellie, wrapped her securely in cloth, then dispelled the mental shelter, which dissolved instantly. Outside, dawn had already broken.

“That can’t be right. My watch said I only slept a bit over an hour, but it’s already morning? Does time move differently inside the instance compared to the real world?” Xia Zheng pondered and asked Ellie.

Ellie felt she had slept at least ten hours, and Xia Zheng deduced that the watch showed real-world time, while time inside the instance passed roughly ten times faster. In other words, nearly three days in the real world equated to about a month inside the instance.

Moreover, time within the instance wasn’t linear but jumped between moments. The four chapters might span even longer periods.

Relieved, Xia Zheng realized he didn’t need to rush too much, though time still pressed overall.

Carrying Ellie, Xia Zheng headed back toward Eternal Night City. With her on his back, he ran full speed, nearly as fast as a car. In less than ten minutes, they reached District 47 of the city, where the atmosphere had clearly shifted.

He took Ellie to a chain hotel near the police station and prepaid a week’s rent. Single officers were required to stay in dormitories, so this was an exception.

After asking Ellie what she usually ate, Xia Zheng bought a large supply. Though now a vampire, Ellie’s diet was mostly like that of a normal person, except she required raw blood. Without it, she might become feral. While human blood was best for her, Xia Zheng couldn’t provide that, so he settled for live animals.

His actions technically violated police regulations, but he believed Ellie wasn’t a typical vampire. She retained her humanity and was nearly indistinguishable from humans. From what he knew, Ellie didn’t attack humans proactively; she only defended herself when threatened, just like any normal person.

Without Ellie, he would have died at the hands of that vampire monster. Though it was just an instance, dying there meant an early end to his journey and the death of “Benson.” The instance’s rules forbade saving or reloading—only one life to clear it.

Ellie wanted to return home, but Xia Zheng urged her to be patient until he could gather more information before going back together. Besides, now that she had changed, it was uncertain whether her family would accept her. If she were reported and captured, her life could be in grave danger.

Determined to prevent such a tragedy, Xia Zheng persuaded Ellie to stay in the hotel for the time being. It was the safest place, unlikely to attract unwanted visitors. If he told others Ellie was his girlfriend, no one would suspect a thing.

Carrying the intelligence he had gathered, along with the evidence left by his uncle Dirot—a storage card—Xia Zheng headed to the police station to report. The special squads Alpha and Beta had been nearly wiped out, leaving only him alive. Xia Zheng knew this debriefing would not be easy.