The Fourth Step towards the End: Devil, the Dance of the Devils—translated by Translator
This night race is too strong!
I felt myself losing heart. I still wanted to properly research the habits of these creatures. In this book, there were so many interesting creatures listed, many of which could be matched with a corresponding non-human race. There must be a link between these!
But this link was one I could possibly never find in this lifetime.
What a waste of the opportunity of finding this book. If Charles were to know that this book caused my death, he probably would think that it was worth it?
Oh, that’s not right. If I died, then most likely Ezart would go down with me. That butler who values his young master so much would probably rather I continue to live on as long as I don’t drag Ezart to his death.
“Even at this point, you’re molesting the book?” Ezart looked at me in shock.
Book? Oh, you mean the one in my hand?
Book… Wait! If the ones in front of us truly are the night race!
They claimed this race was the failure closest to perfection. The night race were absolutely strong and they had eternal life, but what came with it was a lack of reproductive abilities and a strong weakness to sunlight, in which even the slightest bit of exposure would turn them to ashes…
“Sunlight! We need sunlight!”
“… We’re underground.”
Aren was sitting in the living room, reading a book. The moment he saw me return, he stood up and politely called, “Charles-gē.”
I had not imagined that it would be Aren at home. Mr. Bramble had truly planned an excellent arrangement, as Aren’s identity was the easiest one to explain.
I turned to tell the person behind me. “This is Aren. He is the young master’s friend and lives just next door.”
“Aren, this is Mr. Luo Ye.”
Aren looked at him and greeted him politely, “Luo Ye-shūshu, nice to meet you.”
Mr. Luo Ye looked at him gently, clearly happy to meet the young master’s friend.
“Mr. Luo Ye, please make yourself at home. I will be going ahead to cook. If there is anything that you need, please feel free to call me.”
“Go quick, Ah Ye said he’s hungry,” Luo Ye urged.
I walked into the kitchen to start the food preparation. As I was arranging the cold dish of smoked salmon, I abruptly heard a loud shout from outside.
“Charles-gē! I’m going out for a while!”
Huh? I slide stepped and got to the living room in an instant, but only managed to catch Aren rushing out the door, extremely flustered to the point he didn’t even close the front door.
There was only one person left in the living room. I could only ask him, “Mr. Luo Ye, may I ask what has happened?”
The other replied in shock, “I don’t know either. We were watching the news, and just reached an exciting point when he suddenly stood up and yelled that he was going out.”
I turned to look at the television and nearly cried out, too.
On the screen, Dark Sun was currently confronting four people. Three of them had rather peculiar appearances, but what was most important was—Dark Sun’s left arm was drenched in blood.
Young Master!
Translator: Ugh, another fight scene this month? Just how many fight scenes are there? Let me try this time machine again… This time, it has to work!
…
Ready, go!
To my astonishment, the television turned dark. However, this was not an old television set, as it had only been purchased after the previous one was smashed with a remote controller, so it should not be malfunctioning like this.
How am I supposed to know what has happened to the young master if the television is not working?
Although I knew I should keep up appearances for Mr. Luo Ye, that what I should be doing was returning to the kitchen and pretending that the news held none of my interest, I could not help but rush forward toward the television. I pressed the power button several times, but nothing happened, completely forgetting that I could also watch the news on my phone.
Just as I was considering heading next door to borrow the television there, Mr. Luo Ye walked over and gave the television a whack.
The screen came back on.
Both Dark Sun and his opponents were scrutinizing a man who had not been present at the scene before the television went dark. He had his hair tied in a ponytail and was oddly wearing a jacket over another one, despite the weather not calling for so many layers. He, in turn, was studying both sides.
Where did this man come from?
Dark Sun was the first to take action, seemingly ignoring the strange person who had suddenly appeared for the moment. Instead of using a gun or some other weapon, he charged forward at a tall and skinny middle-aged man on the opponent’s side. Then, he threw a slow punch, his movements sluggish and nowhere close to his usual standards.
The tall man did not even dodge, as Dark Sun’s hand froze before the punch even landed.
They must have ability users, like Josh! I suddenly realized. It might even be that tall man, which was why Dark Sun had thought to take him out first, even if he had to punch him instead of using a weapon.
With Dark Sun frozen, he temporarily posed no danger. The tall and skinny middle-aged man then looked back at the strange person who had appeared out of nowhere and said, “Did the boss send you as reinforcement? If your ability is to teleport, then go deal with Solitary Butterfly over there! I already have my hands full here!”
Solitary Butterfly has arrived! I felt a lot more relieved. Though she had many clashes with Dark Sun before, I believe she would still help Dark Sun with no second thoughts.
However, before Solitary Butterfly reached Dark Sun, she also froze on the spot.
With her out of the picture, two others and a woman with bone like spikes poking out of her all turned to glare at the man with the ponytail.
“He must be one of the heroes’ reinforcements! We don’t need to capture small fry like him! Kill him!” the woman shouted as the spikes began to transform.
A hero? I have never seen this hero before.
The man, however, was clearly not on their side, so perhaps he was indeed on the heroes’ side. He pulled out a dagger that looked to be made of ice. Blades of ice even began forming at his feet. But before he did anything, Dragon Peace burst into the scene with a deafening roar.
He scooped up Solitary Butterfly and leaped away with her. Then, he rushed over and snatched the frozen Dark Sun as well, but of course, the other side gave chase.
How dare you chase him!
Translator: Okay, this isn’t how it should go. Let me turn this dial thingamabob….
Even though it was terrible manners of me, I grabbed hold of the television, not wanting to miss a single moment. All of a sudden, I fell through the television set!
Translator: …Whoops.
When I stood up, I was right at the scene I had just been watching. Without thinking further, I rushed out and formed a shield out of my blood ability to block the oncoming attacks, giving Dragon Peace time to escape with Dark Sun and Solitary Butterfly.
As I left, I heard someone on the other side snarl, “If we can’t bring back a hero, we’ll have to settle for you!”
I looked back just in time to see the enemy lunge at the man with the ponytail, about to stab him…
Translator: Uh, nope, no way, I can’t have you dying here, Jiang Shuyu! Let’s try this again…
But then the man vanished into thin air, as if he had never been there before.
Translator: There! He should be back in his own series now. Wait… you’re telling me he’s not? What? Is this machine broken? Can I have Luo Ye give it a magical whack?
As I ran behind Dragon Peace, I wondered just how I had fallen through the television to arrive here on the scene. Is this perhaps a skill of vampires I never knew about?
It could very well be why vampires could never be filmed if we had mastery over televisions!
The Fourth Step Toward the End: Devil, the Dance of the Devils—translated by Raylight (proofread by Trespasserby; C/E edited by Taffygirl13 & lucathia)
This night race is too strong!
I felt myself losing heart. I still wanted to properly research the habits of these creatures. In this book, there were so many interesting creatures listed, and many of which could be matched with a corresponding non-human race. There must be a link between them!
But this link was one I could possibly never find in this lifetime.
What a waste of the opportunity of finding this book. If Charles were to know that this book caused my death, he would probably think that it was worth it, too?
Oh, that’s not right. If I died, then most likely Ezart would go down with me. That butler who values his young master so much would probably rather I continue to live on as long as I don’t drag Ezart to his death.
“Even at this point, you’re molesting the book?” Ezart looked at me in shock.
Book? Oh, you mean the one in my hand?
Book… Wait! If the ones in front of us truly are the night race!
This race is claimed to be the failure closest to perfection. The night race were absolutely strong and they had eternal life, but what came with it was a lack of reproductive abilities and a strong weakness to sunlight, in which even the slightest bit of exposure would turn them to ashes…
“Sunlight! We need sunlight!”
“… We’re underground.”
All of the main players involved nodded their heads. Following that was the discussion of the details. Of course, we had to wait until all the reporters were invited to leave, before we then moved to the conference room to discuss.
“At least two-thirds of the movie needs to be filmed in Daystar City, and a fifth of it must show the Church or Church-related properties. Moreover, the Church must not have a negative image in the movie…”
“This movie isn’t a promotional film for the Church!”
Melody and the priest started bargaining with one another. This was simply a scene that I would have never dared imagine before. In the past, if a vampire and priest were to cross paths, it would result in either the former biting the other to death, or the latter shooting the other to death with silver bullets. Even though the current atmosphere could not be called friendly, just the fact that neither of them made a move to kill the other was already considered a type of peace.
The young master had completely no interest in the argument over the fine details, and was currently engaged in a conversation with Father Alex. He asked, “Why is it that among so many non-humans, you guys hate vampires the most?”
Alex gave a faint smile and answered, “Our Lord says every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”
The young master pondered for a while, and then wondered, “Then, does eating medium-rare steak that’s a little bloody count?”
“That point has been disputed over, but the most important message in it is to respect life.” Alex gently offered, “If you are willing to listen to the Bible, then in the future, please allow me to share some of it with you. How about it?”
The young master scratched his face, answering, “Listening to it is fine, but I probably wouldn’t believe in religious stuff.”
“It’s fine whether you believe it or not. Just treat it as if you are listening to a story.”
The young master nodded and said, “Okay, then in exchange, you should promise me one thing too. Don’t touch Charles or Melody, or I will be really mad, and I mean seriously mad!”
Alex looked a little troubled as he said, “I am but a mere priest, who incidentally became the representative figure of Daystar City. That has also been troubling me, as it has been many days since I could hold a Sunday sermon properly. What you ask for is not at all for me to decide, for I was merely just sent here.”
The young master frowned. It was unclear whether he believed him, but he did not force the other to make the promise.
Even if Alex had a flawless appearance, it would have been impossible to become the city representative without any sort of publicity or campaigns. The fact that Alex did become the city representative meant that the Church must have intervened with their power. Would it be possible for the Church to spend so much effort to help an ordinary priest become the city representative?
I had my doubts regarding that.
Ultimately, after Melody and the others finished their negotiations, the final decision was that half of the movie must be filmed in Daystar City, and a sixth of the scenes must feature the Church or their related properties. With that, Alex agreed to film the movie.
On the other hand, the Church also compromised on some matters, such as agreeing to Melody and my accompanying the young master to go in and out of Daystar City.
For some unknown reason, both sides were extremely hurried about this, and the planned date of the filming was agreed to be only three days away. Moreover, it would not start in Sunset City, but in Daystar City. It seems that I will have to pack our luggage immediately once we arrive home. Thankfully, since the young master had originally planned on going out to capture the criminals, we have already packed a portion of it.
“Your cross is fairly unique…”
I was pondering over what to pack into the luggage, and though I had heard him, I did not think that it was related to me in any way. It was only when the young master called out to me, “Charles, Alex is talking to you,” that I regained my senses. I quickly apologized, “My sincere apologies, I was not quite present just now. May I inquire what is it about the cross you were talking about?”
“Charles frequently zones out. It’s really interesting!” explained the young master to Alex with a laugh.
Alex gave a faint smile as he answered, “Your cross has a rather elegant appearance, and it seems that it has seen quite a number of years. I have some interest in researching ancient relics such as these, so if you are only using it as an accessory, may I ask if you are willing to transfer it to me?”
I froze, and then quickly explained, “My apologies, this is a gift from a friend. It is extremely important and so I would not be able to transfer it to you.”
Alex shook his head and said, “The one who should apologize is me, for it appears I have been rather impertinent.”
This priest was indeed extremely amiable. Even though I was a vampire, he still remained gracious and polite toward me. However, I felt that the other could not possibly have come with good intentions, though that was unrelated to Father Alex as a person, but more of the fact that the Church was bound to have some kind of scheme behind sending him here.
On the topic of crosses, I could not help but notice the cross hanging at Father Alex’s chest. It was an ordinary looking golden cross, its shine a little lackluster. It seemed to also be quite aged. What was different was that it was slightly larger than average, almost as thick as a person’s pinky, and approximately over twelve centimeters in length. A cross of this size was rarely seen, but at the same time, it was not too peculiar.
“Are you looking at my cross?” asked Alex.
“Indeed.”
Alex raised his cross, and said with a smile, “This is also considered an antique. It has been passed down since my grandfather, and has a history of over a hundred years.”
“It is very well maintained.”
At this moment, the young master abruptly stood up and said, “We should get going. Melody, can I leave first?”
Melody seemed a little shocked, and so was I. I had thought that since the young master was having a rather enjoyable conversation with Alex, he would have wanted to stay a little longer.
“Of course you can, Young Master, take care.”
Melody waved her hand and then gave me a look. As of now, we had reached a mutual understanding with one another. With just one look, I could more or less guess what her intention was, though this applied only to matters regarding the young master.
What Melody was telling me was that regardless of whether I knew what was going on with the young master, I had better go and find out immediately. Later on, if she were to question me and I could not answer her, there would be a very high possibility of a pair of hands with colored nails piercing through my chest.
The young master and I immediately left. To that, Father Alex said “May God bless you” with his usual smile, though the other priests were clearly displeased by the fact that the young master was leaving first.
On the way to the parking lot, I gave a call, “Nitewalker, the young master is leaving. Please drive the car over.”
“Understood. We are nearby. It should take about ten minutes.”
After the call, I turned and reported, “Young Master, the driver will take about ten minutes to come. We could walk slower, or perhaps if you have any plans…”
“Oh, okay.”
… It was very evident that the young master was absent-minded as worry was written over his entire face. Initially, I was unable to comprehend the reason, but following that, I recalled that there was a person waiting for the young master, someone who had called the young master “son.”
The young master did not seem happy to see his “father,” but at the same time he made no efforts to reject him.
“Young Master, do you not wish to see that man, Mr. Luo Ye?”
The young master looked at me, and then replied in distress, “It’s not that I don’t wish to. It’s just that actually, h-he’s not my father! But he doesn’t seem to know that, and I don’t know whether I should tell him.”
The Ri family indeed deserves its reputation as the richest and most powerful family. Though there were few descendants, their relationships were so complex that I found myself struggling to comprehend if the young master was truly the master’s brother.
“Young Master, may I ask if the exact nature of the kinship between you and the master is something that I may inquire about?”
The young master nodded, and even admitted directly, “We are brothers with the same mother but different fathers.”
So that was the case. I had harbored such guesses before, and as expected, the master and the young master were not full siblings. This would explain why even though they were both from the Ri family, the master inherited all the family assets while the young master was forced to undergo harsh modification operations from a young age.
“Charles, do you know the name Ri Ji Yan?”
I immediately replied, “I do. He is the previous head of the Ri family and the Sun Emperor’s father.”
Technically, from my point of view, Ri Ji Yan could be considered a youngster after my time. However, in that case, all of the big shots in the business world right now would be considered youngsters after my time. After all, sixty years had already passed since I left my position as family head.
“Luo Ye and Ri Ji Yan are brothers with the same father but different mothers. But Luo Ye is an illegitimate child and follows his mother’s surname, which is why they have different surnames.”
So that’s how it is. Two brothers with the same father but different mothers contested over a single woman, who then gave birth to the master and young master who share the same mother but different fathers? As expected, it is truly quite complicated!
At this point, the young master hesitated for a moment, before he continued, “Luo Ye thinks that he is my father, but he actually isn’t.”
… Did this woman have an affair with a third person?
Wait a moment, if the young master is Luo Ye’s child, then he would be the child of the family head’s brother, and would still be a branch family member. However, since he is not Luo Ye’s child, that would mean—the young master does not have any blood ties to the Ri family at all! He just happens to share the same mother as the master.
No wonder the young master doesn’t have any share in the Ri family inheritance, and all his assets are given to him by the master.
“I wonder what will happen after Gēge finds out?” The young master sighed, and then said, “Let’s go!”
After conversing all this time, Nitewalker had already driven over. Mr. Luo Ye was even standing outside the car waiting for us, and immediately broke out into a large smile upon seeing the young master. His resemblance to the master made me feel as though I had just seen the master smile without restraint, which was an extremely alarming image.
“Ah Ye.” Luo Ye asked him smiling, “Have you finished with your business? Are you hungry?”
The young master tilted his head to one side, his expression a little uncomfortable as he answered, “I’m a little hungry.”
“What is your favorite food?”
Without even thinking, the young master answered, “Charles’s cooking.”
I was nearly unable to stop the corners of my mouth from going upwards.
“Oh? Are his culinary skills that good?” Luo Ye gave me a look, but did not say anything. Returning his attention to the young master, he smiled as he said, “Then, let’s go back and cook dinner at home, if you aren’t very hungry.”
The young master nodded with an “okay.” If not for the fact that the young master had just mentioned this person was not his father, this conversation would truly sound just like a chat between family members.
We got in the car, and this time, I sat in the front passenger seat.
“Your butler is from the Elysees family, right? You picked a pretty good chauffeur too,” Luo Ye said in a satisfied tone. “The current generation doesn’t seem to be very mindful about the quality of their attendants. Employed butlers even steal things. What an outrage!”
“Yup, Charles is Elysees all right. But my chauffeur is still in probation and might not stay.”
“I advise that you keep him. He is very silent, and that is a basic quality of a good chauffeur.”
Mr. Luo Ye seem to have misunderstood something. The one who was hesitating was the chauffeur, not the young master.
“Yeah! I really hope he stays with us as well.” The young master nodded his head as he said this, and even snuck a few glances at Nitewalker, thinking that he would not be discovered. He did not realize that his every action could be seen clearly from the rear-view mirror.
I tilted my head slightly to look at Nitewalker. He remained expressionless, but the car that had always been remarkably stable just made a gentle bump.
“Nitewalker, drop me off here first,” the young master suddenly said. Then, he turned to Luo Ye and asked, “I’m going off to buy something and will be home in a bit. Can you wait for me at home?”
Luo Ye lightly nodded and did not inquire further. The impression that he gave off to others was that of an aristocrat of the past, appearing extremely refined. Even his faint smiles gave people the feeling that he was not one to be trifled with. This was a temperament even the young master did not possess, though the master did, giving a monarch-like impression.
“Charles, help me take care of… him.” The young master still seemed uncertain regarding how to address the other person.
“As you wish, Young Master.”
The young master got out of the car and headed toward the alleys with extremely swift movements. The young master’s excuse was that he was going to buy something, but the young master rarely bought anything by himself. Even with street snacks, he would usually ask me to go and buy it for him. That was one of the few ways the young master actually behaved like a child from a rich and powerful family, though it could possibly be because the young master often forgot to bring his wallet with him.
It should be a hero-related matter. I wonder what kind of incident has happened. Though I really wanted to know, Mr. Luo Ye was right here. I could not call Mr. Bramble to ask either, for I had to be cautious not to let this person know too much before the young master returned.
Mr. Luo Ye coolly said, “Butler, remind Ah Ye that he can just call me Uncle, Shūshu.”
“As you wish.” I looked at him through the rear-view mirror. Mr. Luo Ye was looking out of the window, his demeanor indifferent and controlled so that it was impossible to discern his mood. This made him look even more like the master.
No wonder Ah Ye was so quick to confirm that this person was the “Luo Ye” that he knew. Be it in appearance or demeanor, Mr. Luo Ye was extremely similar to the master. This person must have looked nearly identical to his paternal half-brother, the master’s father, which led to such a bizarre scene—a person who looked so much like the master addressing the young master as his son.
We got out of the car once we arrived at the apartment. Just as I was about to excuse myself for a moment and turn to talk to Nitewalker, Mr. Luo Ye looked upwards and asked me in shock, “Ah Ye lives here?”
“Indeed, the young master is living on the twenty-third floor.”
Although the apartment looked like it was on the twenty-third floor, judging from the size of the young master’s workshop, it was likely that the entire building and the building next door all belonged to the young master. It was simply covered up very well, and there were even some fake residents arranged on the other floors to disguise it as a regular apartment.
Luo Ye lowered his gaze, and he flatly said, “It appears that Ri Xiang Yan is really like my brother.”
Though he did not use any definite adjectives, it sounded as if Mr. Luo Ye was extremely displeased with the young master’s residence.
A residence as such would certainly seem shabby for someone like the Sun Emperor’s younger brother, but that was because the master did not originally wish for the young master’s identity to be exposed. Moreover, the decorations within the apartment could definitely match up to the young master’s status—and even excessively at that.
As I recalled, the time Aren went into a frenzy, the only main damage was the door. The other areas were not damaged badly despite being subjected to Dragon Peace’s violence and Mr. Bramble and the others’ gunshots. For that matter, even a missile bombing the building would likely not be a major issue.
“Mr. Luo Ye, please forgive my rudeness and wait for a moment. I must give the chauffer some instructions.”
After my explanation, I walked to the driver’s seat. Nitewalker had already gotten out of the car to wait, and was even standing another two steps further. Evidently, he had known that I did not wish to let our guest know too many details. I could not help but add more points to my evaluation of him.
“I would like you to move into the young master’s apartment, so that it would be convenient for the young master to go out anytime. Even though it is still the probation period, I still hope that you can come over first. As for the place you were originally staying at, you do not have to cancel the apartment lease yet. We will just reimburse you for the rent.”
Nitewalker nodded. He did not object, and merely answered with “okay.” Following that, he asked, “Later on, am I to fetch the young master home?”
I gave it some thought. The young master was operating under the guise of Dark Sun, so it simply was not quite possible for him to take a taxi. Letting DSII go instead might be better.
“There is no need, but please look out for incoming calls on your cell phone at all times. Should the young master require your services, I will inform you again.” I paused for a moment, and lowered my volume as I instructed, “When you get in the car again, immediately call Mr. Bramble and let him know that I will be bringing a guest up very soon. Ask him to leave one person in the living room to help me keep an eye on our guest.”
Nitewalker nodded.
I walked back, and said with a faint smile, “Mr. Luo Ye, please follow me.”
Aren was sitting in the living room, reading a book. The moment he saw me return, he stood up and politely called, “Charles-gē.”
I had not imagined that it would be Aren at home. Mr. Bramble had truly planned an excellent arrangement, as Aren’s identity was the easiest one to explain.
I turned to tell the person behind me, “This is Aren. He is the young master’s friend and lives just next door.”
“Aren, this is Mr. Luo Ye.”
Aren looked at him and greeted him politely, “Luo Ye-shūshu, nice to meet you.”
Mr. Luo Ye looked at him gently, clearly happy to meet the young master’s friend.
“Mr. Luo Ye, please make yourself at home. I will be going ahead to cook. If there is anything that you need, please feel free to call me.”
“Go quick, Ah Ye said he’s hungry,” Luo Ye urged.
I walked into the kitchen to start the food preparation, and at the same time I pondered over this chaotic mess.
The fact that the young master and the master only shared the same mother but different fathers sounded extremely serious, and the fact that the young master was not of the Ri bloodline was even more so. However, upon thinking it through, both the master and the young master knew about this, and they did not seem to mind. If that was so, then it was simply not a big deal.
If one were to strike out the affection and emotions at play, the biggest thing that involved one’s family bloodline would be the family inheritance. However, the young master was never capable of fighting the master for the family inheritance in the first place, so it did not matter whether he was part of the Ri family or not.
At this moment, Aren walked in and took a tea bag of black tea.
“There is milk in the fridge.” I quickly reminded him, “Heat it up in the microwave first.”
Aren nodded. As he brewed the tea, he said, “Ah Ye might be a bit late coming back. Things seem to have gotten a little troublesome. There’s several fellows this time, and they don’t seem easy to pursue.”
I nodded and told him, “I will bring out some appetizers for you all first.”
“Who is that Luo Ye?” Aren asked, seeming puzzled. He added on, “He seemed really interested in Ah Ye and asked a lot of questions. I really don’t know what I can say and what I can’t.”
“You can treat him as the young master’s uncle for now. It’s fine to talk to him about trivial matters, but you definitely must not tell him about hero affairs. As for others such as matters regarding the master, if he were to ask, you can just say that you do not know.”
Aren nodded and asked out of curiosity, “So he’s Ah Ye’s uncle? He looks a lot like the Sun Emperor.”
“I am not too sure myself,” I answered as I shook my head.
“Ah Ye’s family history is sure complicated! Are all rich people like this?” Aren shook his head, put the warmed milk and the black tea on the tray, and then walked out of the kitchen with the tray.
Indeed, it was a little complicated. If Mr. Luo Ye truly was not the young master’s father, then why did the young master not clear things up with him? Or perhaps, was he intending to tell him after he arrived home?
As I was arranging the cold dish of smoked salmon, I abruptly heard a loud shout from outside.
“Charles-gē! I’m going out for a while!”
Huh? I slide stepped and got to the living room in an instant, but only managed to catch Aren rushing out the door, extremely flustered to the point he did not even close the front door.
There was only one person left in the living room. I could only ask him, “Mr. Luo Ye, may I ask what has happened?”
The other replied in shock, “I don’t know either. We were watching the news and just reached an intense point when he suddenly stood up and yelled that he was going out.”
Watching the news and just reached an intense point? I turned to look at the television and nearly cried out, too.
On the screen, Dark Sun was currently confronting four people. Three of them had rather peculiar appearances, but what was most important was—Dark Sun’s left arm was drenched in blood.
Young Master!
My eyes were glued onto the screen. Even though I knew that whether it was being a responsible butler, or putting up a good pretense in front of Mr. Luo Ye, the correct choice of action was to go back to the kitchen to cook, I was unable to do so despite clearly understanding this.
Dark Sun stood in the center of the four people, blood dripping down from the upper portion of his left arm all the way to the ground. I could not tell how long he had remained in that pose, for there was actually a small puddle of blood on the ground.
“So the strongest hero only has this much to offer!”
One of the four people surrounding him was a woman. What she was wearing was very revealing, just a short athletic tank top with hot pants. Tattoos covered her entire body.
The woman was the closest to Dark Sun. With a strange, shrill shriek, she charged in headon. Facing the unarmed woman, Dark Sun instead retreated and pulled out a gun to fire at her. However, even multiple shots were unable to graze the target. I had never seen Dark Sun with such terrible marksmanship.
After he fired a few more times to no avail, Dark Sun simply just threw the gun away. He charged in with a few strides, his target not the woman attacking but the tall and skinny middle-aged man among the other three. At this point, the woman caught up with him. Though she was still unarmed, she managed to force Dark Sun to retreat to the sides. From the looks of it, he did not dare to remain near her in the least bit.
However, his retreat was too slow! I had just realized that Dark Sun’s movements were sluggish and nowhere close to his usual standards. Regardless of the reason he had been forced to retreat, he was now already within the other’s attack range.
Suddenly, long spikes burst out of the woman, making her look similar to a porcupine. The spikes were white, and when they pierced into Dark Sun’s already injured left arm, fresh blood flowed down the white spikes, making it look even more horrifying.
This kind of grayish-white color looks rather familiar. It looked extremely similar to the bones that Mr. An Te Qi had taken out to replace while he was fixing DSII.
Dark Sun slid backwards for a bit, allowing himself to completely remove himself from the spikes’ attack range. The woman retracted her spikes, but when they returned to her body, they did not vanish. Instead, they changed form, covering her entire body until she looked like a knight of the past wearing white-colored plate armor.
Those are definitely bones! When the television image zoomed in on her, I could even see that there were ligaments still attached to the joints. She had actually worn her bones on the outside as armor!
The tall and skinny middle-aged man suddenly shouted, “Surround him!”
The remaining two began to close in from the left and right of Dark Sun respectively. Dark Sun seemed like he wanted to retreat, but the woman behind him was eyeing him like prey. He then moved to his left, but with just one step, all his movements suddenly stopped for a moment. Following that, the enemy had somehow already appeared at the young master’s left. All of my attention had been fully focused on the young master, and so I had not seen him approaching at all. However, judging from the distance he had traveled, he most likely possessed an astounding level of speed.
The circle surrounding him had been completed. Dark Sun froze in his tracks. Though his pose looked like he was on guard, he did not extend his metal claws, which was his most basic “portable” weapon.
The tall and skinny middle-aged man looked at Dark Sun, seeming deep in thought as he said, “I thought that out of all the heroes, Dragon Peace and you would be the hardest to deal with, for you two are just as strong while fighting bare-handed. Who knew that your entire body is full of metal!”
He gave a sigh, and lamented, “Someone like me who has the power to control metal is practically your nemesis. Why even bother fighting me?”
As per usual, Dark Sun did not utter a single word. He stared at the four, not making a move, yet not leaving.
The ability to control metal, and a woman who can wear her bones on the outside. What kind of abilities are these? Are they non-humans? However, I had never heard of any sort of non-humans having such powers.
No wonder Dark Sun would be injured and even caught in this predicament of being surrounded by these four, seeing how just the tall and skinny middle-aged man alone was able to restrain Dark Sun. Is it possible that that Dark Sun did not bring out his metal claws because of this?
Control metal… I had only heard of non-humans who could control water, blood, or the like. Truly, a non-human who could control metal was unheard of. Could it be that he is not a non-human?
“Can we start to capture him now?” The woman asked with excitement in her voice.
The man on the right side of the circle surrounding the young master ridiculed her, “Capture? Aren’t you always screaming to kill? Why is it different now that it’s a handsome guy?”
The woman snarled, “What the f*** are you saying? Didn’t the boss tell us to capture him?”
The man seemed to be aware that he was in the wrong, and looked awkward for a moment. However, the woman continued swearing at him, and he got fed up and growled, “Who knows if you are secretly happy that we don’t have to kill him?”
“You—” The woman’s face was twisted in anger.
Dark Sun still did not move, merely watching them quarrel in silence.
The tall and skinny man felt that something was amiss and shouted loudly, “Stop bickering. He’s waiting for reinforcements; capture him now!”
His answer was the sound of gunfire, followed by more gunshots. From time to time, the sound of an energy gun firing rang out. Finally, a purple silhouette came dashing in from afar.
Solitary Butterfly has arrived! I felt a lot more relieved. Though she had many clashes with Dark Sun before, I believed she would still help Dark Sun with no second thoughts.
“Are you all right?” Once she reached a certain proximity, she yelled, “Dark Sun, I’ll assist you, so hurry and break out of the circle—”
Dark Sun instead roared at her, “Leave!”
Solitary Butterfly’s expression changed. In the next second, she raised her gun with the muzzle pointing straight at Dark Sun and mercilessly fired. Dark Sun tilted his head, but the bullet still grazed past his cheek, and even his protective visor had been chipped off a little. Thankfully, this visor was specially made and was extremely sturdy, or the glass would have completely shattered.
Something was definitely amiss here. Despite their past grievances, or the fact that she was yelled at, I did not think that Solitary Butterfly would fire at Dark Sun. The friendships between the heroes were a lot stronger than an outsider would imagine it to be.
“I-I…” Solitary Butterfly seemed flustered for a moment, but she quickly regained her calm as she shouted, “Dark Sun, my legs can’t move either!”
Dark Sun growled in rarely seen irritation. He burst out of the circle surrounding him recklessly, and snatched both of Solitary Butterfly’s guns and threw them far away. Following that, he yelled, “First Wind, don’t come! Dragon Peace!”
“What do we do? Boss, there’s another one. How should we deal with her?” asked the woman as she turned with a blank look.
The tall and skinny man immediately said, “Capture her together! Quick, before Dragon Peace gets here!”
First Wind’s weapon was an energy whip, so it was inevitable for it to have metal as well. Dragon Peace was the only one who fought with bare hands, and that was why Dark Sun needed him. However, Aren had just left not too long ago, and most likely would not arrive that soon. I was extremely anxious, yet had no way of helping. I could only watch as Dark Sun dealt with four enemies by himself, while protecting Solitary Butterfly who was unable to move…
I blurted out, “Mr. Luo Ye, I believe you must be getting a little hungry, right? I will go and bring out the cold platter.”
Mr. Luo Ye seemed dazed for a moment, for he was deeply engrossed in watching the scene, and nodded his head as though he could not care either way.
I walked into the kitchen and arranged the cold platter with one hand, the other hand holding my phone as I called and asked, “Nitewalker, is your current location far from where Dark Sun is fighting?”
“I am watching them fight from the window.”
That is really close…
“Could I please request that you head over to the scene and bring Solitary Butterfly to safety?” As for Dark Sun, I believed that he would not leave, so there was no need to do something so superfluous.
Nitewalker seemed a little bewildered as he asked, “Is this also part of the job scope of a personal chauffeur?”
“Yes.” I reminded him, “Remember to disguise yourself and make sure nobody can see your true appearance, but please hurry.”
“Understood.”
I walked back to the living room and put down the cold platter. Mr. Luo Ye was still watching the television, and they had officially started fighting. What made me relieved was that though Dark Sun was unable to do anything to those four, they were not able to cause much harm to Dark Sun either. It seemed that other than the woman, the rest of them did not have much offensive power.
Mr. Luo Ye frowned as he asked, “Why haven’t the police arrived yet?”
“The police most likely will not be going over.” As I arranged the plate, I explained, “The equipment on the policemen are all made of metal too, so if they were to go over, they will only land into the same predicament that Solitary Butterfly is in. Dark Sun should have already informed them not to go over.”
Mr. Luo Ye said in disapproval, “If the police don’t maintain the peace and order of the place, then what do we need them for?”
“Do you not live in Sunset City?” I was a little shocked, for residents of Sunset City would already be used to the cooperation between the police and the heroes.
“I live in Daystar City.”
So that is the case. “Does the Church of Daystar City not intervene in affairs of public security?”
Mr. Luo Ye froze for a moment, and he replied, “They will intervene.”
I did not comment any further. Daystar City had the Church, and Sunset City had their heroes. This was the inevitable workaround that had been developed after criminals had modified themselves to become stronger and stronger.
“Hm?” Mr. Luo Ye lamented, “Sunset City is sure full of extraordinary things.”
On the television screen, a taxi leapt off a building and used itself to force both parties in the battle to back up. It made a large screeching sound as it braked, and then pompously landed between them.
Everyone was stunned at the situation, but Dark Sun was the first to move. He grabbed Solitary Butterfly and shoved her into the car in one go. As he shut the car door tightly, he roared, “Go!”
The taxi immediately kicked into high gear, making sounds akin to a race car’s engine, and drove off abruptly.
“That taxi’s instantaneous acceleration capability is even better than a race car’s. Its speed three seconds after starting is probably over a hundred kilometers per hour…” Mr. Luo Ye’s expression seemed a little odd.
I did not have a very good understanding of race cars, but I too knew that this speed was abnormal. Though previously, the taxi could even manage to traverse between buildings, so speed was not an issue for it.
“She ran off!” The woman yelled in frustration, “Why didn’t you stop the car?”
The tall and skinny middle-aged man flatly answered, “Hard to say I could have. Something’s weird about that car. Have you seen a car that can charge off a building and still not receive a single scratch? Also if I get too distracted, you’re going to be killed by Dark Sun.”
“Didn’t you say that Dark Sun’s entire body was metal?” The woman seemed displeased as she complained, “Can you be serious and restrain him properly?”
The man fell silent, and then said, “Under normal circumstances, he should have already committed suicide under my control.” He rubbed his chin as he said, “He truly lives up to his reputation of being the number one hero. I didn’t even dare to distract myself and make Solitary Butterfly attack him with her legs.”
Roar—
Finally, the sound of Dragon Peace’s roar rang out loudly, and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
“Sigh, so we didn’t make it in time afterall. Let’s retreat.” The tall and skinny man quietly said, “Otherwise, if the people from P29 were to come too, that would be really terrible.”
Once he said that, the woman still obediently turned to leave despite the unaccepting expression on her face.
Dragon Peace dashed out from somewhere not too far off, his footsteps thunderous. Upon seeing the four flee, he was about to give chase right away before he was stopped by Dark Sun. “Don’t pursue them; it’s too dangerous by yourself.”
“By myself? You should still be able to move, right?” Dragon Peace turned around, and shock could be heard in his low and rough voice, “We really aren’t going to chase after them?”
“We aren’t. I’ve been poisoned.” Dark Sun firmly said, “Bring me back.”
Dragon Peace seemed to have genuinely received a shock, as did I.
Dark Sun raised his arm. The blood flowing out was actually somewhat black. However, given that it was nighttime, it was hard to tell without looking closely.
Dragon Peace did not say anything more. He hefted Dark Sun on his shoulder, and then jumped up the building and left.
I heaved a sigh of relief. On the whole, the incident had been resolved in a peaceful manner.
“This really is a city where devils dance. What kinds of people are these?” Mr. Luo Ye shook his head, but he did not seem especially concerned. Instead, he asked in confusion, “Why isn’t Ah Ye back yet? Didn’t he say he was coming back for dinner?”
“That is…” I was uncertain as to how to answer him. Coincidentally, my cell phone rang at this time. I said, “Excuse me,” and answered the phone.
“What? Understood.”
I hung up the call, and showed a concerned expression as I said, “The young master has been in a car accident and is now in the hospital.”
Mr. Luo Ye abruptly stood up, his face completely pale. He urged, “Hurry, let’s go!”
The Fourth Step towards the End: Devil, the Dance of the Devils—translated by Translator
This night race is too strong!
I felt myself losing heart. I still wanted to properly research the habits of these creatures. In this book, there were so many interesting creatures listed, many of which could be matched with a corresponding non-human race. There must be a link between these!
But this link was one I could possibly never find in this lifetime.
What a waste of the opportunity of finding this book. If Charles were to know that this book caused my death, he probably would think that it was worth it?
Oh, that’s not right. If I died, then most likely Ezart would go down with me. That butler who values his young master so much would probably rather I continue to live on as long as I don’t drag Ezart to his death.
“Even at this point, you’re molesting the book?” Ezart looked at me in shock.
Book? Oh, you mean the one in my hand?
Book… Wait! If the ones in front of us truly are the night race!
They claimed this race was the failure closest to perfection. The night race were absolutely strong and they had eternal life, but what came with it was a lack of reproductive abilities and a strong weakness to sunlight, in which even the slightest bit of exposure would turn them to ashes…
“Sunlight! We need sunlight!”
“… We’re underground.”
Aren was sitting in the living room, reading a book. The moment he saw me return, he stood up and politely called, “Charles-gē.”
I had not imagined that it would be Aren at home. Mr. Bramble had truly planned an excellent arrangement, as Aren’s identity was the easiest one to explain.
I turned to tell the person behind me. “This is Aren. He is the young master’s friend and lives just next door.”
“Aren, this is Mr. Luo Ye.”
Aren looked at him and greeted him politely, “Luo Ye-shūshu, nice to meet you.”
Mr. Luo Ye looked at him gently, clearly happy to meet the young master’s friend.
“Mr. Luo Ye, please make yourself at home. I will be going ahead to cook. If there is anything that you need, please feel free to call me.”
“Go quick, Ah Ye said he’s hungry,” Luo Ye urged.
I walked into the kitchen to start the food preparation. As I was arranging the cold dish of smoked salmon, I abruptly heard a loud shout from outside.
“Charles-gē! I’m going out for a while!”
Huh? I slide stepped and got to the living room in an instant, but only managed to catch Aren rushing out the door, extremely flustered to the point he didn’t even close the front door.
There was only one person left in the living room. I could only ask him, “Mr. Luo Ye, may I ask what has happened?”
The other replied in shock, “I don’t know either. We were watching the news, and just reached an exciting point when he suddenly stood up and yelled that he was going out.”
I turned to look at the television and nearly cried out, too.
On the screen, Dark Sun was currently confronting four people. Three of them had rather peculiar appearances, but what was most important was—Dark Sun’s left arm was drenched in blood.
Young Master!
Translator: Ugh, another fight scene this month? Just how many fight scenes are there? Let me try this time machine again… This time, it has to work!
…
Ready, go!
To my astonishment, the television turned dark. However, this was not an old television set, as it had only been purchased after the previous one was smashed with a remote controller, so it should not be malfunctioning like this.
How am I supposed to know what has happened to the young master if the television is not working?
Although I knew I should keep up appearances for Mr. Luo Ye, that what I should be doing was returning to the kitchen and pretending that the news held none of my interest, I could not help but rush forward toward the television. I pressed the power button several times, but nothing happened, completely forgetting that I could also watch the news on my phone.
Just as I was considering heading next door to borrow the television there, Mr. Luo Ye walked over and gave the television a whack.
The screen came back on.
Both Dark Sun and his opponents were scrutinizing a man who had not been present at the scene before the television went dark. He had his hair tied in a ponytail and was oddly wearing a jacket over another one, despite the weather not calling for so many layers. He, in turn, was studying both sides.
Where did this man come from?
Dark Sun was the first to take action, seemingly ignoring the strange person who had suddenly appeared for the moment. Instead of using a gun or some other weapon, he charged forward at a tall and skinny middle-aged man on the opponent’s side. Then, he threw a slow punch, his movements sluggish and nowhere close to his usual standards.
The tall man did not even dodge, as Dark Sun’s hand froze before the punch even landed.
They must have ability users, like Josh! I suddenly realized. It might even be that tall man, which was why Dark Sun had thought to take him out first, even if he had to punch him instead of using a weapon.
With Dark Sun frozen, he temporarily posed no danger. The tall and skinny middle-aged man then looked back at the strange person who had appeared out of nowhere and said, “Did the boss send you as reinforcement? If your ability is to teleport, then go deal with Solitary Butterfly over there! I already have my hands full here!”
Solitary Butterfly has arrived! I felt a lot more relieved. Though she had many clashes with Dark Sun before, I believe she would still help Dark Sun with no second thoughts.
However, before Solitary Butterfly reached Dark Sun, she also froze on the spot.
With her out of the picture, two others and a woman with bone like spikes poking out of her all turned to glare at the man with the ponytail.
“He must be one of the heroes’ reinforcements! We don’t need to capture small fry like him! Kill him!” the woman shouted as the spikes began to transform.
A hero? I have never seen this hero before.
The man, however, was clearly not on their side, so perhaps he was indeed on the heroes’ side. He pulled out a dagger that looked to be made of ice. Blades of ice even began forming at his feet. But before he did anything, Dragon Peace burst into the scene with a deafening roar.
He scooped up Solitary Butterfly and leaped away with her. Then, he rushed over and snatched the frozen Dark Sun as well, but of course, the other side gave chase.
How dare you chase him!
Translator: Okay, this isn’t how it should go. Let me turn this dial thingamabob….
Even though it was terrible manners of me, I grabbed hold of the television, not wanting to miss a single moment. All of a sudden, I fell through the television set!
Translator: …Whoops.
When I stood up, I was right at the scene I had just been watching. Without thinking further, I rushed out and formed a shield out of my blood ability to block the oncoming attacks, giving Dragon Peace time to escape with Dark Sun and Solitary Butterfly.
As I left, I heard someone on the other side snarl, “If we can’t bring back a hero, we’ll have to settle for you!”
I looked back just in time to see the enemy lunge at the man with the ponytail, about to stab him…
Translator: Uh, nope, no way, I can’t have you dying here, Jiang Shuyu! Let’s try this again…
But then the man vanished into thin air, as if he had never been there before.
Translator: There! He should be back in his own series now. Wait… you’re telling me he’s not? What? Is this machine broken? Can I have Luo Ye give it a magical whack?
As I ran behind Dragon Peace, I wondered just how I had fallen through the television to arrive here on the scene. Is this perhaps a skill of vampires I never knew about?
It could very well be why vampires could never be filmed if we had mastery over televisions!
The Fourth Step Toward the End: Devil, the Dance of the Devils—translated by Raylight (proofread by Trespasserby; C/E edited by Taffygirl13 & lucathia)
This night race is too strong!
I felt myself losing heart. I still wanted to properly research the habits of these creatures. In this book, there were so many interesting creatures listed, and many of which could be matched with a corresponding non-human race. There must be a link between them!
But this link was one I could possibly never find in this lifetime.
What a waste of the opportunity of finding this book. If Charles were to know that this book caused my death, he would probably think that it was worth it, too?
Oh, that’s not right. If I died, then most likely Ezart would go down with me. That butler who values his young master so much would probably rather I continue to live on as long as I don’t drag Ezart to his death.
“Even at this point, you’re molesting the book?” Ezart looked at me in shock.
Book? Oh, you mean the one in my hand?
Book… Wait! If the ones in front of us truly are the night race!
This race is claimed to be the failure closest to perfection. The night race were absolutely strong and they had eternal life, but what came with it was a lack of reproductive abilities and a strong weakness to sunlight, in which even the slightest bit of exposure would turn them to ashes…
“Sunlight! We need sunlight!”
“… We’re underground.”
All of the main players involved nodded their heads. Following that was the discussion of the details. Of course, we had to wait until all the reporters were invited to leave, before we then moved to the conference room to discuss.
“At least two-thirds of the movie needs to be filmed in Daystar City, and a fifth of it must show the Church or Church-related properties. Moreover, the Church must not have a negative image in the movie…”
“This movie isn’t a promotional film for the Church!”
Melody and the priest started bargaining with one another. This was simply a scene that I would have never dared imagine before. In the past, if a vampire and priest were to cross paths, it would result in either the former biting the other to death, or the latter shooting the other to death with silver bullets. Even though the current atmosphere could not be called friendly, just the fact that neither of them made a move to kill the other was already considered a type of peace.
The young master had completely no interest in the argument over the fine details, and was currently engaged in a conversation with Father Alex. He asked, “Why is it that among so many non-humans, you guys hate vampires the most?”
Alex gave a faint smile and answered, “Our Lord says every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”
The young master pondered for a while, and then wondered, “Then, does eating medium-rare steak that’s a little bloody count?”
“That point has been disputed over, but the most important message in it is to respect life.” Alex gently offered, “If you are willing to listen to the Bible, then in the future, please allow me to share some of it with you. How about it?”
The young master scratched his face, answering, “Listening to it is fine, but I probably wouldn’t believe in religious stuff.”
“It’s fine whether you believe it or not. Just treat it as if you are listening to a story.”
The young master nodded and said, “Okay, then in exchange, you should promise me one thing too. Don’t touch Charles or Melody, or I will be really mad, and I mean seriously mad!”
Alex looked a little troubled as he said, “I am but a mere priest, who incidentally became the representative figure of Daystar City. That has also been troubling me, as it has been many days since I could hold a Sunday sermon properly. What you ask for is not at all for me to decide, for I was merely just sent here.”
The young master frowned. It was unclear whether he believed him, but he did not force the other to make the promise.
Even if Alex had a flawless appearance, it would have been impossible to become the city representative without any sort of publicity or campaigns. The fact that Alex did become the city representative meant that the Church must have intervened with their power. Would it be possible for the Church to spend so much effort to help an ordinary priest become the city representative?
I had my doubts regarding that.
Ultimately, after Melody and the others finished their negotiations, the final decision was that half of the movie must be filmed in Daystar City, and a sixth of the scenes must feature the Church or their related properties. With that, Alex agreed to film the movie.
On the other hand, the Church also compromised on some matters, such as agreeing to Melody and my accompanying the young master to go in and out of Daystar City.
For some unknown reason, both sides were extremely hurried about this, and the planned date of the filming was agreed to be only three days away. Moreover, it would not start in Sunset City, but in Daystar City. It seems that I will have to pack our luggage immediately once we arrive home. Thankfully, since the young master had originally planned on going out to capture the criminals, we have already packed a portion of it.
“Your cross is fairly unique…”
I was pondering over what to pack into the luggage, and though I had heard him, I did not think that it was related to me in any way. It was only when the young master called out to me, “Charles, Alex is talking to you,” that I regained my senses. I quickly apologized, “My sincere apologies, I was not quite present just now. May I inquire what is it about the cross you were talking about?”
“Charles frequently zones out. It’s really interesting!” explained the young master to Alex with a laugh.
Alex gave a faint smile as he answered, “Your cross has a rather elegant appearance, and it seems that it has seen quite a number of years. I have some interest in researching ancient relics such as these, so if you are only using it as an accessory, may I ask if you are willing to transfer it to me?”
I froze, and then quickly explained, “My apologies, this is a gift from a friend. It is extremely important and so I would not be able to transfer it to you.”
Alex shook his head and said, “The one who should apologize is me, for it appears I have been rather impertinent.”
This priest was indeed extremely amiable. Even though I was a vampire, he still remained gracious and polite toward me. However, I felt that the other could not possibly have come with good intentions, though that was unrelated to Father Alex as a person, but more of the fact that the Church was bound to have some kind of scheme behind sending him here.
On the topic of crosses, I could not help but notice the cross hanging at Father Alex’s chest. It was an ordinary looking golden cross, its shine a little lackluster. It seemed to also be quite aged. What was different was that it was slightly larger than average, almost as thick as a person’s pinky, and approximately over twelve centimeters in length. A cross of this size was rarely seen, but at the same time, it was not too peculiar.
“Are you looking at my cross?” asked Alex.
“Indeed.”
Alex raised his cross, and said with a smile, “This is also considered an antique. It has been passed down since my grandfather, and has a history of over a hundred years.”
“It is very well maintained.”
At this moment, the young master abruptly stood up and said, “We should get going. Melody, can I leave first?”
Melody seemed a little shocked, and so was I. I had thought that since the young master was having a rather enjoyable conversation with Alex, he would have wanted to stay a little longer.
“Of course you can, Young Master, take care.”
Melody waved her hand and then gave me a look. As of now, we had reached a mutual understanding with one another. With just one look, I could more or less guess what her intention was, though this applied only to matters regarding the young master.
What Melody was telling me was that regardless of whether I knew what was going on with the young master, I had better go and find out immediately. Later on, if she were to question me and I could not answer her, there would be a very high possibility of a pair of hands with colored nails piercing through my chest.
The young master and I immediately left. To that, Father Alex said “May God bless you” with his usual smile, though the other priests were clearly displeased by the fact that the young master was leaving first.
On the way to the parking lot, I gave a call, “Nitewalker, the young master is leaving. Please drive the car over.”
“Understood. We are nearby. It should take about ten minutes.”
After the call, I turned and reported, “Young Master, the driver will take about ten minutes to come. We could walk slower, or perhaps if you have any plans…”
“Oh, okay.”
… It was very evident that the young master was absent-minded as worry was written over his entire face. Initially, I was unable to comprehend the reason, but following that, I recalled that there was a person waiting for the young master, someone who had called the young master “son.”
The young master did not seem happy to see his “father,” but at the same time he made no efforts to reject him.
“Young Master, do you not wish to see that man, Mr. Luo Ye?”
The young master looked at me, and then replied in distress, “It’s not that I don’t wish to. It’s just that actually, h-he’s not my father! But he doesn’t seem to know that, and I don’t know whether I should tell him.”
The Ri family indeed deserves its reputation as the richest and most powerful family. Though there were few descendants, their relationships were so complex that I found myself struggling to comprehend if the young master was truly the master’s brother.
“Young Master, may I ask if the exact nature of the kinship between you and the master is something that I may inquire about?”
The young master nodded, and even admitted directly, “We are brothers with the same mother but different fathers.”
So that was the case. I had harbored such guesses before, and as expected, the master and the young master were not full siblings. This would explain why even though they were both from the Ri family, the master inherited all the family assets while the young master was forced to undergo harsh modification operations from a young age.
“Charles, do you know the name Ri Ji Yan?”
I immediately replied, “I do. He is the previous head of the Ri family and the Sun Emperor’s father.”
Technically, from my point of view, Ri Ji Yan could be considered a youngster after my time. However, in that case, all of the big shots in the business world right now would be considered youngsters after my time. After all, sixty years had already passed since I left my position as family head.
“Luo Ye and Ri Ji Yan are brothers with the same father but different mothers. But Luo Ye is an illegitimate child and follows his mother’s surname, which is why they have different surnames.”
So that’s how it is. Two brothers with the same father but different mothers contested over a single woman, who then gave birth to the master and young master who share the same mother but different fathers? As expected, it is truly quite complicated!
At this point, the young master hesitated for a moment, before he continued, “Luo Ye thinks that he is my father, but he actually isn’t.”
… Did this woman have an affair with a third person?
Wait a moment, if the young master is Luo Ye’s child, then he would be the child of the family head’s brother, and would still be a branch family member. However, since he is not Luo Ye’s child, that would mean—the young master does not have any blood ties to the Ri family at all! He just happens to share the same mother as the master.
No wonder the young master doesn’t have any share in the Ri family inheritance, and all his assets are given to him by the master.
“I wonder what will happen after Gēge finds out?” The young master sighed, and then said, “Let’s go!”
After conversing all this time, Nitewalker had already driven over. Mr. Luo Ye was even standing outside the car waiting for us, and immediately broke out into a large smile upon seeing the young master. His resemblance to the master made me feel as though I had just seen the master smile without restraint, which was an extremely alarming image.
“Ah Ye.” Luo Ye asked him smiling, “Have you finished with your business? Are you hungry?”
The young master tilted his head to one side, his expression a little uncomfortable as he answered, “I’m a little hungry.”
“What is your favorite food?”
Without even thinking, the young master answered, “Charles’s cooking.”
I was nearly unable to stop the corners of my mouth from going upwards.
“Oh? Are his culinary skills that good?” Luo Ye gave me a look, but did not say anything. Returning his attention to the young master, he smiled as he said, “Then, let’s go back and cook dinner at home, if you aren’t very hungry.”
The young master nodded with an “okay.” If not for the fact that the young master had just mentioned this person was not his father, this conversation would truly sound just like a chat between family members.
We got in the car, and this time, I sat in the front passenger seat.
“Your butler is from the Elysees family, right? You picked a pretty good chauffeur too,” Luo Ye said in a satisfied tone. “The current generation doesn’t seem to be very mindful about the quality of their attendants. Employed butlers even steal things. What an outrage!”
“Yup, Charles is Elysees all right. But my chauffeur is still in probation and might not stay.”
“I advise that you keep him. He is very silent, and that is a basic quality of a good chauffeur.”
Mr. Luo Ye seem to have misunderstood something. The one who was hesitating was the chauffeur, not the young master.
“Yeah! I really hope he stays with us as well.” The young master nodded his head as he said this, and even snuck a few glances at Nitewalker, thinking that he would not be discovered. He did not realize that his every action could be seen clearly from the rear-view mirror.
I tilted my head slightly to look at Nitewalker. He remained expressionless, but the car that had always been remarkably stable just made a gentle bump.
“Nitewalker, drop me off here first,” the young master suddenly said. Then, he turned to Luo Ye and asked, “I’m going off to buy something and will be home in a bit. Can you wait for me at home?”
Luo Ye lightly nodded and did not inquire further. The impression that he gave off to others was that of an aristocrat of the past, appearing extremely refined. Even his faint smiles gave people the feeling that he was not one to be trifled with. This was a temperament even the young master did not possess, though the master did, giving a monarch-like impression.
“Charles, help me take care of… him.” The young master still seemed uncertain regarding how to address the other person.
“As you wish, Young Master.”
The young master got out of the car and headed toward the alleys with extremely swift movements. The young master’s excuse was that he was going to buy something, but the young master rarely bought anything by himself. Even with street snacks, he would usually ask me to go and buy it for him. That was one of the few ways the young master actually behaved like a child from a rich and powerful family, though it could possibly be because the young master often forgot to bring his wallet with him.
It should be a hero-related matter. I wonder what kind of incident has happened. Though I really wanted to know, Mr. Luo Ye was right here. I could not call Mr. Bramble to ask either, for I had to be cautious not to let this person know too much before the young master returned.
Mr. Luo Ye coolly said, “Butler, remind Ah Ye that he can just call me Uncle, Shūshu.”
“As you wish.” I looked at him through the rear-view mirror. Mr. Luo Ye was looking out of the window, his demeanor indifferent and controlled so that it was impossible to discern his mood. This made him look even more like the master.
No wonder Ah Ye was so quick to confirm that this person was the “Luo Ye” that he knew. Be it in appearance or demeanor, Mr. Luo Ye was extremely similar to the master. This person must have looked nearly identical to his paternal half-brother, the master’s father, which led to such a bizarre scene—a person who looked so much like the master addressing the young master as his son.
We got out of the car once we arrived at the apartment. Just as I was about to excuse myself for a moment and turn to talk to Nitewalker, Mr. Luo Ye looked upwards and asked me in shock, “Ah Ye lives here?”
“Indeed, the young master is living on the twenty-third floor.”
Although the apartment looked like it was on the twenty-third floor, judging from the size of the young master’s workshop, it was likely that the entire building and the building next door all belonged to the young master. It was simply covered up very well, and there were even some fake residents arranged on the other floors to disguise it as a regular apartment.
Luo Ye lowered his gaze, and he flatly said, “It appears that Ri Xiang Yan is really like my brother.”
Though he did not use any definite adjectives, it sounded as if Mr. Luo Ye was extremely displeased with the young master’s residence.
A residence as such would certainly seem shabby for someone like the Sun Emperor’s younger brother, but that was because the master did not originally wish for the young master’s identity to be exposed. Moreover, the decorations within the apartment could definitely match up to the young master’s status—and even excessively at that.
As I recalled, the time Aren went into a frenzy, the only main damage was the door. The other areas were not damaged badly despite being subjected to Dragon Peace’s violence and Mr. Bramble and the others’ gunshots. For that matter, even a missile bombing the building would likely not be a major issue.
“Mr. Luo Ye, please forgive my rudeness and wait for a moment. I must give the chauffer some instructions.”
After my explanation, I walked to the driver’s seat. Nitewalker had already gotten out of the car to wait, and was even standing another two steps further. Evidently, he had known that I did not wish to let our guest know too many details. I could not help but add more points to my evaluation of him.
“I would like you to move into the young master’s apartment, so that it would be convenient for the young master to go out anytime. Even though it is still the probation period, I still hope that you can come over first. As for the place you were originally staying at, you do not have to cancel the apartment lease yet. We will just reimburse you for the rent.”
Nitewalker nodded. He did not object, and merely answered with “okay.” Following that, he asked, “Later on, am I to fetch the young master home?”
I gave it some thought. The young master was operating under the guise of Dark Sun, so it simply was not quite possible for him to take a taxi. Letting DSII go instead might be better.
“There is no need, but please look out for incoming calls on your cell phone at all times. Should the young master require your services, I will inform you again.” I paused for a moment, and lowered my volume as I instructed, “When you get in the car again, immediately call Mr. Bramble and let him know that I will be bringing a guest up very soon. Ask him to leave one person in the living room to help me keep an eye on our guest.”
Nitewalker nodded.
I walked back, and said with a faint smile, “Mr. Luo Ye, please follow me.”
Aren was sitting in the living room, reading a book. The moment he saw me return, he stood up and politely called, “Charles-gē.”
I had not imagined that it would be Aren at home. Mr. Bramble had truly planned an excellent arrangement, as Aren’s identity was the easiest one to explain.
I turned to tell the person behind me, “This is Aren. He is the young master’s friend and lives just next door.”
“Aren, this is Mr. Luo Ye.”
Aren looked at him and greeted him politely, “Luo Ye-shūshu, nice to meet you.”
Mr. Luo Ye looked at him gently, clearly happy to meet the young master’s friend.
“Mr. Luo Ye, please make yourself at home. I will be going ahead to cook. If there is anything that you need, please feel free to call me.”
“Go quick, Ah Ye said he’s hungry,” Luo Ye urged.
I walked into the kitchen to start the food preparation, and at the same time I pondered over this chaotic mess.
The fact that the young master and the master only shared the same mother but different fathers sounded extremely serious, and the fact that the young master was not of the Ri bloodline was even more so. However, upon thinking it through, both the master and the young master knew about this, and they did not seem to mind. If that was so, then it was simply not a big deal.
If one were to strike out the affection and emotions at play, the biggest thing that involved one’s family bloodline would be the family inheritance. However, the young master was never capable of fighting the master for the family inheritance in the first place, so it did not matter whether he was part of the Ri family or not.
At this moment, Aren walked in and took a tea bag of black tea.
“There is milk in the fridge.” I quickly reminded him, “Heat it up in the microwave first.”
Aren nodded. As he brewed the tea, he said, “Ah Ye might be a bit late coming back. Things seem to have gotten a little troublesome. There’s several fellows this time, and they don’t seem easy to pursue.”
I nodded and told him, “I will bring out some appetizers for you all first.”
“Who is that Luo Ye?” Aren asked, seeming puzzled. He added on, “He seemed really interested in Ah Ye and asked a lot of questions. I really don’t know what I can say and what I can’t.”
“You can treat him as the young master’s uncle for now. It’s fine to talk to him about trivial matters, but you definitely must not tell him about hero affairs. As for others such as matters regarding the master, if he were to ask, you can just say that you do not know.”
Aren nodded and asked out of curiosity, “So he’s Ah Ye’s uncle? He looks a lot like the Sun Emperor.”
“I am not too sure myself,” I answered as I shook my head.
“Ah Ye’s family history is sure complicated! Are all rich people like this?” Aren shook his head, put the warmed milk and the black tea on the tray, and then walked out of the kitchen with the tray.
Indeed, it was a little complicated. If Mr. Luo Ye truly was not the young master’s father, then why did the young master not clear things up with him? Or perhaps, was he intending to tell him after he arrived home?
As I was arranging the cold dish of smoked salmon, I abruptly heard a loud shout from outside.
“Charles-gē! I’m going out for a while!”
Huh? I slide stepped and got to the living room in an instant, but only managed to catch Aren rushing out the door, extremely flustered to the point he did not even close the front door.
There was only one person left in the living room. I could only ask him, “Mr. Luo Ye, may I ask what has happened?”
The other replied in shock, “I don’t know either. We were watching the news and just reached an intense point when he suddenly stood up and yelled that he was going out.”
Watching the news and just reached an intense point? I turned to look at the television and nearly cried out, too.
On the screen, Dark Sun was currently confronting four people. Three of them had rather peculiar appearances, but what was most important was—Dark Sun’s left arm was drenched in blood.
Young Master!
My eyes were glued onto the screen. Even though I knew that whether it was being a responsible butler, or putting up a good pretense in front of Mr. Luo Ye, the correct choice of action was to go back to the kitchen to cook, I was unable to do so despite clearly understanding this.
Dark Sun stood in the center of the four people, blood dripping down from the upper portion of his left arm all the way to the ground. I could not tell how long he had remained in that pose, for there was actually a small puddle of blood on the ground.
“So the strongest hero only has this much to offer!”
One of the four people surrounding him was a woman. What she was wearing was very revealing, just a short athletic tank top with hot pants. Tattoos covered her entire body.
The woman was the closest to Dark Sun. With a strange, shrill shriek, she charged in headon. Facing the unarmed woman, Dark Sun instead retreated and pulled out a gun to fire at her. However, even multiple shots were unable to graze the target. I had never seen Dark Sun with such terrible marksmanship.
After he fired a few more times to no avail, Dark Sun simply just threw the gun away. He charged in with a few strides, his target not the woman attacking but the tall and skinny middle-aged man among the other three. At this point, the woman caught up with him. Though she was still unarmed, she managed to force Dark Sun to retreat to the sides. From the looks of it, he did not dare to remain near her in the least bit.
However, his retreat was too slow! I had just realized that Dark Sun’s movements were sluggish and nowhere close to his usual standards. Regardless of the reason he had been forced to retreat, he was now already within the other’s attack range.
Suddenly, long spikes burst out of the woman, making her look similar to a porcupine. The spikes were white, and when they pierced into Dark Sun’s already injured left arm, fresh blood flowed down the white spikes, making it look even more horrifying.
This kind of grayish-white color looks rather familiar. It looked extremely similar to the bones that Mr. An Te Qi had taken out to replace while he was fixing DSII.
Dark Sun slid backwards for a bit, allowing himself to completely remove himself from the spikes’ attack range. The woman retracted her spikes, but when they returned to her body, they did not vanish. Instead, they changed form, covering her entire body until she looked like a knight of the past wearing white-colored plate armor.
Those are definitely bones! When the television image zoomed in on her, I could even see that there were ligaments still attached to the joints. She had actually worn her bones on the outside as armor!
The tall and skinny middle-aged man suddenly shouted, “Surround him!”
The remaining two began to close in from the left and right of Dark Sun respectively. Dark Sun seemed like he wanted to retreat, but the woman behind him was eyeing him like prey. He then moved to his left, but with just one step, all his movements suddenly stopped for a moment. Following that, the enemy had somehow already appeared at the young master’s left. All of my attention had been fully focused on the young master, and so I had not seen him approaching at all. However, judging from the distance he had traveled, he most likely possessed an astounding level of speed.
The circle surrounding him had been completed. Dark Sun froze in his tracks. Though his pose looked like he was on guard, he did not extend his metal claws, which was his most basic “portable” weapon.
The tall and skinny middle-aged man looked at Dark Sun, seeming deep in thought as he said, “I thought that out of all the heroes, Dragon Peace and you would be the hardest to deal with, for you two are just as strong while fighting bare-handed. Who knew that your entire body is full of metal!”
He gave a sigh, and lamented, “Someone like me who has the power to control metal is practically your nemesis. Why even bother fighting me?”
As per usual, Dark Sun did not utter a single word. He stared at the four, not making a move, yet not leaving.
The ability to control metal, and a woman who can wear her bones on the outside. What kind of abilities are these? Are they non-humans? However, I had never heard of any sort of non-humans having such powers.
No wonder Dark Sun would be injured and even caught in this predicament of being surrounded by these four, seeing how just the tall and skinny middle-aged man alone was able to restrain Dark Sun. Is it possible that that Dark Sun did not bring out his metal claws because of this?
Control metal… I had only heard of non-humans who could control water, blood, or the like. Truly, a non-human who could control metal was unheard of. Could it be that he is not a non-human?
“Can we start to capture him now?” The woman asked with excitement in her voice.
The man on the right side of the circle surrounding the young master ridiculed her, “Capture? Aren’t you always screaming to kill? Why is it different now that it’s a handsome guy?”
The woman snarled, “What the f*** are you saying? Didn’t the boss tell us to capture him?”
The man seemed to be aware that he was in the wrong, and looked awkward for a moment. However, the woman continued swearing at him, and he got fed up and growled, “Who knows if you are secretly happy that we don’t have to kill him?”
“You—” The woman’s face was twisted in anger.
Dark Sun still did not move, merely watching them quarrel in silence.
The tall and skinny man felt that something was amiss and shouted loudly, “Stop bickering. He’s waiting for reinforcements; capture him now!”
His answer was the sound of gunfire, followed by more gunshots. From time to time, the sound of an energy gun firing rang out. Finally, a purple silhouette came dashing in from afar.
Solitary Butterfly has arrived! I felt a lot more relieved. Though she had many clashes with Dark Sun before, I believed she would still help Dark Sun with no second thoughts.
“Are you all right?” Once she reached a certain proximity, she yelled, “Dark Sun, I’ll assist you, so hurry and break out of the circle—”
Dark Sun instead roared at her, “Leave!”
Solitary Butterfly’s expression changed. In the next second, she raised her gun with the muzzle pointing straight at Dark Sun and mercilessly fired. Dark Sun tilted his head, but the bullet still grazed past his cheek, and even his protective visor had been chipped off a little. Thankfully, this visor was specially made and was extremely sturdy, or the glass would have completely shattered.
Something was definitely amiss here. Despite their past grievances, or the fact that she was yelled at, I did not think that Solitary Butterfly would fire at Dark Sun. The friendships between the heroes were a lot stronger than an outsider would imagine it to be.
“I-I…” Solitary Butterfly seemed flustered for a moment, but she quickly regained her calm as she shouted, “Dark Sun, my legs can’t move either!”
Dark Sun growled in rarely seen irritation. He burst out of the circle surrounding him recklessly, and snatched both of Solitary Butterfly’s guns and threw them far away. Following that, he yelled, “First Wind, don’t come! Dragon Peace!”
“What do we do? Boss, there’s another one. How should we deal with her?” asked the woman as she turned with a blank look.
The tall and skinny man immediately said, “Capture her together! Quick, before Dragon Peace gets here!”
First Wind’s weapon was an energy whip, so it was inevitable for it to have metal as well. Dragon Peace was the only one who fought with bare hands, and that was why Dark Sun needed him. However, Aren had just left not too long ago, and most likely would not arrive that soon. I was extremely anxious, yet had no way of helping. I could only watch as Dark Sun dealt with four enemies by himself, while protecting Solitary Butterfly who was unable to move…
I blurted out, “Mr. Luo Ye, I believe you must be getting a little hungry, right? I will go and bring out the cold platter.”
Mr. Luo Ye seemed dazed for a moment, for he was deeply engrossed in watching the scene, and nodded his head as though he could not care either way.
I walked into the kitchen and arranged the cold platter with one hand, the other hand holding my phone as I called and asked, “Nitewalker, is your current location far from where Dark Sun is fighting?”
“I am watching them fight from the window.”
That is really close…
“Could I please request that you head over to the scene and bring Solitary Butterfly to safety?” As for Dark Sun, I believed that he would not leave, so there was no need to do something so superfluous.
Nitewalker seemed a little bewildered as he asked, “Is this also part of the job scope of a personal chauffeur?”
“Yes.” I reminded him, “Remember to disguise yourself and make sure nobody can see your true appearance, but please hurry.”
“Understood.”
I walked back to the living room and put down the cold platter. Mr. Luo Ye was still watching the television, and they had officially started fighting. What made me relieved was that though Dark Sun was unable to do anything to those four, they were not able to cause much harm to Dark Sun either. It seemed that other than the woman, the rest of them did not have much offensive power.
Mr. Luo Ye frowned as he asked, “Why haven’t the police arrived yet?”
“The police most likely will not be going over.” As I arranged the plate, I explained, “The equipment on the policemen are all made of metal too, so if they were to go over, they will only land into the same predicament that Solitary Butterfly is in. Dark Sun should have already informed them not to go over.”
Mr. Luo Ye said in disapproval, “If the police don’t maintain the peace and order of the place, then what do we need them for?”
“Do you not live in Sunset City?” I was a little shocked, for residents of Sunset City would already be used to the cooperation between the police and the heroes.
“I live in Daystar City.”
So that is the case. “Does the Church of Daystar City not intervene in affairs of public security?”
Mr. Luo Ye froze for a moment, and he replied, “They will intervene.”
I did not comment any further. Daystar City had the Church, and Sunset City had their heroes. This was the inevitable workaround that had been developed after criminals had modified themselves to become stronger and stronger.
“Hm?” Mr. Luo Ye lamented, “Sunset City is sure full of extraordinary things.”
On the television screen, a taxi leapt off a building and used itself to force both parties in the battle to back up. It made a large screeching sound as it braked, and then pompously landed between them.
Everyone was stunned at the situation, but Dark Sun was the first to move. He grabbed Solitary Butterfly and shoved her into the car in one go. As he shut the car door tightly, he roared, “Go!”
The taxi immediately kicked into high gear, making sounds akin to a race car’s engine, and drove off abruptly.
“That taxi’s instantaneous acceleration capability is even better than a race car’s. Its speed three seconds after starting is probably over a hundred kilometers per hour…” Mr. Luo Ye’s expression seemed a little odd.
I did not have a very good understanding of race cars, but I too knew that this speed was abnormal. Though previously, the taxi could even manage to traverse between buildings, so speed was not an issue for it.
“She ran off!” The woman yelled in frustration, “Why didn’t you stop the car?”
The tall and skinny middle-aged man flatly answered, “Hard to say I could have. Something’s weird about that car. Have you seen a car that can charge off a building and still not receive a single scratch? Also if I get too distracted, you’re going to be killed by Dark Sun.”
“Didn’t you say that Dark Sun’s entire body was metal?” The woman seemed displeased as she complained, “Can you be serious and restrain him properly?”
The man fell silent, and then said, “Under normal circumstances, he should have already committed suicide under my control.” He rubbed his chin as he said, “He truly lives up to his reputation of being the number one hero. I didn’t even dare to distract myself and make Solitary Butterfly attack him with her legs.”
Roar—
Finally, the sound of Dragon Peace’s roar rang out loudly, and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
“Sigh, so we didn’t make it in time afterall. Let’s retreat.” The tall and skinny man quietly said, “Otherwise, if the people from P29 were to come too, that would be really terrible.”
Once he said that, the woman still obediently turned to leave despite the unaccepting expression on her face.
Dragon Peace dashed out from somewhere not too far off, his footsteps thunderous. Upon seeing the four flee, he was about to give chase right away before he was stopped by Dark Sun. “Don’t pursue them; it’s too dangerous by yourself.”
“By myself? You should still be able to move, right?” Dragon Peace turned around, and shock could be heard in his low and rough voice, “We really aren’t going to chase after them?”
“We aren’t. I’ve been poisoned.” Dark Sun firmly said, “Bring me back.”
Dragon Peace seemed to have genuinely received a shock, as did I.
Dark Sun raised his arm. The blood flowing out was actually somewhat black. However, given that it was nighttime, it was hard to tell without looking closely.
Dragon Peace did not say anything more. He hefted Dark Sun on his shoulder, and then jumped up the building and left.
I heaved a sigh of relief. On the whole, the incident had been resolved in a peaceful manner.
“This really is a city where devils dance. What kinds of people are these?” Mr. Luo Ye shook his head, but he did not seem especially concerned. Instead, he asked in confusion, “Why isn’t Ah Ye back yet? Didn’t he say he was coming back for dinner?”
“That is…” I was uncertain as to how to answer him. Coincidentally, my cell phone rang at this time. I said, “Excuse me,” and answered the phone.
“What? Understood.”
I hung up the call, and showed a concerned expression as I said, “The young master has been in a car accident and is now in the hospital.”
Mr. Luo Ye abruptly stood up, his face completely pale. He urged, “Hurry, let’s go!”
