Chapter Sixty-Three: The Plan

According to Gu Zhongyan’s speculation, Dracula’s immortality might have been granted by Sothorn. After all, the origin of vampires lies in the Dark Tome, and Sothorn himself possesses power enough to rival the Goddess of Death. If he used his strength to influence the Goddess and create this bug of immortality, it wouldn’t be impossible. In any case, whether Sothorn was meddling behind the scenes or Dracula was simply a unique existence, neither was a problem Gu Zhongyan could resolve. Eliminating the vampires in the New York area—out of sight, out of mind—was already the best he could do.

Perhaps, when he finally found the Dark Tome, he could try using the Montes Formula to eradicate Dracula. However, if Sothorn truly was the culprit behind all this, the so-called Montes Formula might not even work. After listening to Gu Zhongyan’s explanation, the group fell silent.

If things were truly as he said, then vampires could never be fully destroyed. Their only option was to make New York a forbidden zone for vampires, ensuring the people here would not be threatened by them.

“Alright, we understand what you mean. What do you want us to do?” Matt asked in a low voice.

Gu Zhongyan replied, “First and foremost, we must recognize that this cleansing operation will not be easy. Vampires are not only numerous, but they can also hide among the population, making them difficult to detect.

“Therefore, Jessica, your task is vital. We need you to use your skills as a private investigator to uncover the vampires hidden throughout the city, as well as their gathering places.”

As he spoke, Gu Zhongyan picked up his wand and gently waved it, carving a special symbol in the air.

“What’s this?” Jessica asked.

“This is the symbol of the vampires. Every organized vampire has a similar mark on the back of their neck.

“Each mark represents a vampire faction. Vampires with the same symbol belong to the same leader.

“This particular symbol is tied to a vampire named Deacon Fays. He’s a hybrid vampire, a rising star among their kind.

“They emerged in the eighties, never having experienced the war between humans and vampires. Unaware of the depth of this world, they’re arrogant and dissatisfied with the pureblood vampires who control most resources.

“These hybrid vampires haven’t lived as long as the purebloods and lack control over hospitals and blood banks. They frequently hunt ordinary people in the streets, causing much of the chaos.

“Deacon Fays even attempts to establish a vampire-ruled world, seeking to transform himself into what he calls the Blood God through a conversion ritual.

“Your mission is to find vampires with this mark on their necks, track them, and investigate their backgrounds. Usually, once you determine their numbers, you can locate most of the vampires.”

Hearing the words ‘Blood God’ and ‘ritual,’ Matt frowned, instinctively recalling Black Void and the Beast, and couldn’t help but ask, “Blood God sounds formidable. Is there anything we should watch out for?”

Gu Zhongyan shook his head, a dismissive smile on his lips. “Don’t worry. It only sounds impressive. The so-called Blood God is just another name for the ancient vampires—modern vampires simply don’t understand its true meaning because their lineage is broken.

“Other than being immune to silver, garlic, and sunlight and possessing extraordinary healing, the Blood God isn’t much stronger in combat than Lady Gough and her peers. Of course, he has no weaknesses, so he’s not easy to deal with.

“But don’t worry—with me here, he won’t cause any trouble.”

Since obtaining the Vampire Bible, Gu Zhongyan wouldn’t claim to be the world’s foremost expert on vampires, but he certainly understood them better than any modern vampire.

According to the records in the Vampire Bible, vampires can actually be divided into three categories: ancient vampires, pureblood vampires, and blood slaves.

Those so-called hybrid vampires were known in ancient times as blood slaves—literally, slaves to vampires. They possess vampire traits, but their bodies remain essentially human; this is why, as depicted in the Blade movies, vampires can be ‘cured.’

Only pureblood vampires are true descendants of vampires.

In theory, any pureblood vampire can awaken their own potential and become a Blood God—an ancient vampire.

Blood slaves, on the other hand, must undergo the Eternal Night Ceremony and absorb the potential of twelve pureblood vampires to become ancient vampires.

Ancient vampires are called Blood Gods because they directly inherit the powers of the great sorcerer Varna and Dracula, possessing strength far beyond ordinary mortals, as well as shape-shifting and dark magic.

To ordinary people, such vampires are akin to gods, hence the title Blood God.

However, after millennia of war between humans and vampires, the ancient vampires gradually perished. The purebloods retreated into the shadows, barely surviving within human society.

Vampires who stopped developing their powers became little stronger than humans, and ancient vampires faded into legend, leaving only the title of Blood God.

Formerly lowly blood slaves gradually gained a voice and became hybrid vampires.

Seeing Gu Zhongyan so confident, Matt and the others felt reassured.

“So what about us? What do we have to do?” Matt asked again.

Gu Zhongyan replied, “Your task is equally challenging. Vampires are ageless and immortal, and centuries of accumulation have given them control over vast wealth.

“Many financial institutions on Wall Street are actually controlled by vampires. If we eliminate them, the entire financial system of Wall Street could collapse.

“So, before we act, I need you to stabilize Wall Street as much as possible.

“Danny, start with the Rand Group. Use it as a springboard to steady the market before the operation.

“Matt, prepare all legal documents in advance—make sure nothing goes wrong.

“But even with preparations, the Rand Group’s scale isn’t enough to stabilize Wall Street. Luke, I need you to organize protests to disrupt Wall Street, disturb the financial order, and buy us time.

“Similarly, Stick, consolidate the underground forces and target those financial tycoons—don’t give them a chance to react.”

“But won’t this destroy not just New York’s, but the entire global financial system?” Danny exclaimed. After serving as CEO for a while, he was no longer the naive fool he once was.

“Relax, we still have S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Gu Zhongyan replied with a deep smile.