Chapter 625: Rooftop Mayhem and Citywide Chaos

The person on the rooftop listened and immediately froze in place, waiting for the law enforcement officers to question him.

“If you resist or try to escape, you’ll face overwhelming force…”

……

Just as he began to feel completely disoriented, a helicopter swooped in overhead. Its loudspeaker blared through the air, and amidst scattered lights, a long sniper rifle emerged from the cockpit. On another helicopter below, a cluster of dark, menacing barrels hung visibly, long since locked onto their target.

At the same time, distant shouts rang out from below: “Suspect of ultra-serious criminal offense and his accomplices have been spotted…”

“Initiate Level 1 emergency procedure. Arrest them immediately…”

……

Above, a helicopter’s piercing searchlight cut through the night; below, waves of law enforcement forces converged—clearly following the trail of Dracula’s dumped body. Farther off, fully armed special emergency units had arrived, likely drawn by the suspicious circumstances surrounding Dracula dragging him into the city. Meanwhile, inside a hotel room, a team from the Flame unit of the Security Hall was busy investigating counterfeit money.

“I only breached a sentry post — how did I end up labeled as a top-tier criminal accomplice?”

Lu Xin, nearly driven to madness, glared at Dracula, desperate to ask, “How did you manage to summon half the city’s police force and an entire military unit amid all this chaos?”

But before he could, he saw her dragging a case and bolting away.

She ran with her blonde hair streaming wildly, showing no sign of hesitation.

“You…”

Lu Xin was at a loss for words when a booming voice from above commanded, “Cease your escape immediately, or we will open fire…”

“Still running?”

“Fire!”

……

“Bang…”

A bullet hurtled toward Lu Xin’s forehead.

“Crack…”

Under the relentless glare of the helicopter’s searchlights, Lu Xin didn’t even see the bullet approach. Even as his brain lagged, his body reacted instinctively, tilting sharply and pressing his head against his left shoulder.

“Smack”

Gunfire erupted; a bullet grazed right past his head before embedding deeply into the rooftop’s rubble.

“Why did they fire so suddenly?”

Lu Xin’s head swayed back in shock and anger, and he almost wanted to reason with the sniper in the helicopter.

“Shouldn’t they have ordered surrender first — told you to drop your weapon?”

“Besides, if it’s her who’s escaping, why not target her?”

……

Then, in a terrifying moment, his head jerked into an unnatural angle before snapping back into an enraged expression that clearly startled those in the helicopter.

Before he could speak, the clatter of gun mechanisms filled the air as a barrage of bullets swept across the rooftop, sending stones and debris flying as if he were standing on a boiling cauldron.

“There’s no time to explain this…”

Lu Xin could feel the crisis intensifying as bullets tore through the air around him.

Despite the relentless hail of gunfire, he had no choice but to clutch the case and chase after Dracula.

Yet a bitter grievance simmered within him: “I only breached a sentry post…”

……

……

In the same city, at a different time, countless events unfolded.

A graceful woman in a red dress stood in dim light inside a room, her long, fair legs accentuated by the soft glow. Cradling a glass of red wine, she reclined lazily against a sofa, her gaze fixed on the well-dressed young man opposite her as she smiled gently.

The young man crossed his arms and looked at her with adoration. “From the moment I first saw you, I was captivated. No, I was utterly infatuated. I may not know where you’re from or who you are, but your aura and beauty mark you as a true princess. I believe my decision to bring you here is the one choice I will never regret…”

The woman in red chuckled softly and covered her mouth before replying:

“With words that sweet, I simply must have this glass of wine, right?”

……

The young man eagerly raised his glass, lightly tapping her cup before smiling, “Of course. It may seem improper to mention the price of this wine in front of a lady, but I must say that it’s one of the last bottles in the world — even before the Red Moon incident, it was among the most exclusive auction items…”

“This is my cherished collection. Only a wine this exceptional can complement your status…”

……

The woman’s eyes glittered as she looked at him tenderly. “What do you think will happen after we finish this glass?”

The man’s smile grew warmer. “I promise, it will be quite the adventure.”

The woman laughed, then gracefully stood. Her skirt swirled as she moved toward the hotel window, the city’s vibrant lights forming a dazzling backdrop as she cast an almost hypnotic glance his way.

Then, raising her glass, she downed it in a single swift gulp, her eyes soon growing dreamy.

“Perfect…”

The man smiled and rose, clapping his hands lightly.

Standing by the window, the woman bit her red lips gently as her eyes hinted at something different.

Temptation, madness, and silent suggestion danced within her gaze.

Growing more excited, the man removed his suit jacket and loosened his belt. With a conspiratorial smile, he emptied his own glass of red wine, feeling its potent effect taking hold. With a long sigh, he strode toward the window where the most stunning woman he had ever seen stood, his heart pounding fiercely.

He even forgot how long it had been since he had seen such an irresistible ‘prey.’

Her elegant figure and perfect features…

As that thought crossed his mind, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, about to speak.

“Shh…”

The woman pressed her finger to her lips to signal silence, then draped her delicate arm over his shoulder. Just as the man reveled in the fairytale moment, she suddenly shifted aside and flung him out…

The half-open window buckled under his weight, and a sudden sensation of weightlessness seized him.

After falling more than ten meters, the man finally reacted, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.

The graceful woman at the window listened for seven or eight long seconds until a dull “thud” echoed from below.

A satisfied smile spread across her face.

She glided over to a table, picked up a wine bottle, and poured herself a modest glass.

She inhaled the wine’s fragrant aroma and shook her head slightly, “Such a fine wine—it’s a pity to spike it…”

“Mr. Zhu, is something wrong?”

“Open the door quickly…”

……

Suddenly, heavy knocks reverberated down the corridor as the man’s fall had alerted the bodyguards outside.

The woman drained the tainted wine in one gulp, feeling a subtle warmth rise within her.

Fanning herself with her hand, she murmured, “The drugs are strong… seems it’s time to let off some steam…”

At that very moment, the room was forcefully breached by a swarm of armed bodyguards.

Seeing the empty room with only the woman left and the wide-open window, they instantaneously realized something was amiss.

Faces contorted with terror and anger as countless guns were drawn and aimed at her.

Someone yelled, “Quick, notify the Chairman…”

In the midst of the panic and chaos, the woman swiftly spun around and revealed two handguns from beneath her skirt.

With a captivating smile, she aimed at the bodyguards and said, “Shall we dance?”

Bang bang bang bang…

She fired both guns and gracefully advanced toward the door, moving down the corridor and toward the elevator.

Her guns continued to blaze; once her own bullets ran dry, she snatched the bodyguards’ weapons and kept firing.

She rampaged downward from the 99th-floor hotel, her figure darting amid flashes of light.

Her skirt twirled in the air, as if she were dancing.

……

……

Elsewhere in the city, a sharply dressed man exploited the chaos of a blackout to slip through several locked doors.

He arrived at a secret lab and paused, noticing that the facility was already on high alert. At the final door leading inside, a large contingent of security personnel had gathered, guns and flashlights at the ready as they fixed their gaze upon him.

“Security measures this tight?”

The man surveyed the row of dark gun barrels and smiled, “This must mean I’ve come to the right place…”

As he spoke, his head suddenly split apart into nine pieces.

Each fragment transformed into a slender neck crowned with a serpent-like head covered in red scales.

From these nine snake heads, eighteen tawny eyes burst forth, all gleaming with a bizarre excitement.

……

……

“Is the bag ready?”

“Have you finished your homework?”

“Later, your teacher will drag me in for a dressing down — just wait until I lay into you…”

……

At the front of a towering truck, a man in a white tank top and black suit drove while questioning a little boy, barely six or seven years old, seated in the front passenger seat. Though his tone was harsh, his expression betrayed the concern of a caring father.

“Not done yet, almost finished.”

The little boy, clutching a submachine gun and fidgeting impatiently, retorted, “I knew you’d be unreliable… you little brat.”

The man grumbled. In a sudden turn, he swerved, floored the accelerator, and slammed into the road. In an instant, the modified truck collided head-on with a bank whose metal shutters were drawn down. The impact collapsed half of a glass display case, leaving the night-shift manager and staff utterly stunned.

“Work faster!”

The man threw a plush mask over his face and then did the same for the young boy.

He barked, “I got you out here to teach you how tough life can be.”

“Remember, study hard or you’ll end up a robber like me…”

“Get it done quickly and head home early!”

“I brought you out here to show you just how harsh life is.”