AITAMITB Chapter 9

Under the protection of the shield, the six-person team cautiously entered the parking lot.

This shield was a lesson learned by the Night Watchers of the Huaxia Nation when facing supernatural forces in combat. It was the result of countless hard-fought battles against supernatural entities.

Specialized leather boots landed soundlessly, and the few individuals closely pressed against the wall had solemn expressions, their eyes filled with vigilance.

Unexpectedly, there were no sudden attacks, no scenes of blood splattering everywhere. Apart from the people lying on the ground and a humanoid ash heap not far away, the entire parking lot was so serene it couldn’t be more peaceful.

“Safe.”

…

“It’s a vampire.” Zhang Hongyi stood in front of the humanoid ashes and said, “Did anyone bring a shovel? Scoop up this pile of ashes, and collect the clothes too. Send them to the Night Wardens.”

Someone asked, “The Dark Council?”

“It shouldn’t be members of the Dark Council. Huaxia has just signed an agreement with the Dark Council. All entering members of the Dark Council must undergo registration and supervision. They wouldn’t make things so obvious.”

Not making things obvious.

Doesn’t mean not doing.

Regardless of how many peace and mutual assistance treaties were signed openly among the major forces, infiltration between them had almost become an unspoken rule.

As the captain of the Night Watchers team, Zhang Hongyi was well aware of this.

He didn’t say much, handed the task to the team members, and went to check the situation in other locations.

The woman known as Hong Ying, standing up from the ground, looked towards Zhang Hongyi as he approached and said, “Death due to excessive blood loss.”

Zhang Hongyi asked, “What about the others?”

Someone replied, “They’re just unconscious, nothing major.”

Zhang Hongyi breathed a sigh of relief.

Only one person died.

It’s not that he was indifferent, but in supernatural events happening in the city, having only one casualty was already quite fortunate.

“There’s been another supernatural being here. They dealt with the vampire, took someone back for questioning, and found out what happened.”

Zhang Hongyi pressed his earpiece and said, “Lin Bai, did you find the surveillance footage? What’s the situation?”

“Captain, we have good news and bad news. The bad news is that the surveillance was turned off two hours ago, before midnight. So, we can’t use the surveillance to figure out what happened in the parking lot after it was turned off. The good news is that I identified the vampire’s identity— the clothes the vampire was wearing in the photos you sent me happened to appear in the previous surveillance footage.”

“Shi Xinde, the head of the Shi family, the owner of this office building, male, sixty-two years old. He happens to be able to shut off the parking lot cameras.”

…

When they got out of the car, Shen Zhifei noticed that Zhao Xiaokui wasn’t wearing shoes.

She walked up to Zhao Xiaokui, who looked puzzled, and asked, “What’s going on?”

Then, Shen Zhifei unexpectedly picked her up horizontally.

Zhao Xiaokui was momentarily surprised but then comfortably nestled into Shen Zhifei’s arms.

Being carried was much more comfortable than walking on her own.

Shen Zhifei placed Zhao Xiaokui on the sofa, then returned to the garage and took out the late-night snacks she had bought from the trunk.

Spicy crayfish, garlic-flavored oysters, charcoal-grilled eggplant, lamb chops…

Zhao Xiaokui had never had such a lavish late-night snack in her life.

In the past, it was either unaffordable or unavailable—a real-life series.

This was the first time Zhao Xiaokui had the privilege of enjoying a table filled with such delicious food. She couldn’t help but wish to throw herself onto the table and embrace all the delicacies.

“Wow, this is too blissful.”

What kind of heavenly days were these?

Zhao Xiaokui didn’t want to think about it. After leaving Shen Zhifei, she would have to figure out how to live with a bank balance not exceeding five digits.

Anyway, for now, let’s eat and enjoy every second of happiness.

Pure and simple joy is something that easily infects people.

Shen Zhifei had never eaten such greasy food at night, and seeing Zhao Xiaokui with oil all over her mouth, she surprisingly felt an appetite.

However, when she put a peeled crayfish in her mouth, she didn’t find it as delicious as she had imagined.

She looked at Zhao Xiaokui, who was eating while watching TV, and suddenly realized—

She didn’t really want to eat; she was just savoring the lively atmosphere that Zhao Xiaokui brought.

While Zhao Xiaokui was busy eating, Shen Zhifei stood up, went to the kitchen to wash her hands, and then brought two frozen bottles of mineral water from the fridge.

Sitting next to Zhao Xiaokui, she gently placed the mineral water against the swollen area at the corner of her mouth.

“Hiss—”

Zhao Xiaokui took a small breath of cold air. “Actually, there’s no need to apply anything. My self-healing ability is strong; I’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

Shen Zhifei remained silent, and Zhao Xiaokui continued eating.

She wasn’t lying about her strong self-healing ability.

On the way back, she had already repaired three broken ribs and five shattered internal organs caused by the vampire she dealt with tonight.

The external injuries were left until now because she focused her self-healing ability on more severe internal injuries.

These bruises may look serious, but they were actually harmless.

However, she could understand Shen Zhifei’s feelings, so even though the cold sensation from the ice was a bit uncomfortable, she didn’t refuse her kindness.

The table full of takeout was quickly devoured by her. As the variety show entered the advertising time, Zhao Xiaokui let out a small burp. She glanced at the messy and greasy table, completely inconsistent with the restrained and cold atmosphere of Shen Zhifei’s home. A hint of guilt flashed across her face, but soon she regained her confidence—

All of this was her reward for saving lives tonight. Eating with confidence was only fair and justified.

She stood up, ready to wash her hands. The mineral water, no longer very cold, slipped from her cheek, rolled along the sofa, and fell to the floor, making a rattling sound as it rolled away.

Shen Zhifei’s hand also fell naturally.

Zhao Xiaokui turned around, only to find her leaning on the sofa with her eyes closed.

However, the sleeping Shen Zhifei had a furrowed brow, indicating that her sleep was not peaceful.

“Wake up, wake up.”

Zhao Xiaokui’s gentle call couldn’t awaken her, so she pushed the coffee table aside and stood up stealthily.

The clock on the wall showed that it was almost four o’clock. After washing her hands, Zhao Xiaokui turned off the TV, picked up Shen Zhifei, and left the room.

Shen Zhifei’s bedroom was on the second floor and wasn’t difficult to find. When Zhao Xiaokui came during the day, she roughly understood the layout of the entire villa.

After adjusting the air conditioner temperature, covering Shen Zhifei, who had taken off her outerwear, with a blanket, Zhao Xiaokui left quietly.

…

“Ah—”

With a scream, Shen Zhifei sat up abruptly from the bed.

She gasped heavily, her hair sticking to her face, her entire back soaked with sweat, and even the bedsheet had a large water stain.

4:54.

The fluorescent alarm clock at the bedside displayed the numbers dimly.

It’s been less than an hour since Zhao Xiaokui helped her onto the bed.

Shen Zhifei fumbled to turn on the bedside lamp. The warm and dim light quickly dispelled the darkness around, and she curled up her legs, leaning against the bedside table, her gaze vacant.

It was the first time she realized she was afraid of the dark.

“Knock, knock, knock—”

A knocking sound came from outside the door. Shen Zhifei abruptly turned her head, her pupils shrinking dramatically, her expression and posture resembling a startled small animal.

“Click—”

Shen Zhifei instinctively pulled the blanket back and shrank backward, her gaze tightly fixed on the direction of the sound.

Zhao Xiaokui reached out and pressed the switch for the main light. The sudden brightness overshadowed the bedside lamp, causing Shen Zhifei’s eyes to squint uncontrollably.

“Zhao Zijin?”

“Not Zhao Zijin, it’s Zhao Xiaokui.” Zhao Xiaokui raised the item she was holding, “I heard your voice and thought you might need a glass of milk.”

She walked over, sat on the bedside, and handed the glass of milk to Shen Zhifei.

“Drink it, it’ll make you feel better.”

Taking the glass into her hands, Shen Zhifei realized the milk was surprisingly warm.

This was obviously not something prepared for upon hearing her waking up.

She didn’t ask much, just held the cup and sipped the milk in small sips.

Her manner of drinking milk was somewhat docile. It was quite different from her mature, elegant, and composed image during the day, inadvertently hitting Zhao Xiaokui’s cute side.

With the warm milk settling in her stomach, Shen Zhifei let out a long breath, feeling as if her soul had finally returned to her body.

“Thank you.”

Zhao Xiaokui took the glass without asking much. She understood that some fears needed to be overcome on one’s own, just like when she had just crossed into the mermaid world—

At that time, she couldn’t sleep for nights, aimlessly wandering in the water. Each day felt more like a wandering soul than a living being.

She went through the edge of a mental breakdown before coming back to life.

“You should go to sleep. It’s still early. I’ll leave first.”

As she spoke, she was about to get up.

Just as she was getting up, she felt a tug at the hem of her shirt. She looked down to see a hand tightly gripping the fabric.

“… I’m scared.”

After uttering these words, Shen Zhifei tightly pursed her lips, as if afraid of revealing more embarrassing sentiments.

However, in her gaze towards Zhao Xiaokui, there was a cautious expectation.

Zhao Xiaokui hesitated, “Um… then, should I stay and keep you company?”

Shen Zhifei made room for her.

Zhao Xiaokui lifted the covers and lay down, reminding her, “If possible, please try not to touch me.”

Her residual pain from growth hadn’t completely subsided.

However, it turned out that the restless one was her.

Even Shen Zhifei, who usually had a precise biological clock, couldn’t withstand the ups and downs of the night and succumbed to exhaustion, sleeping soundly until dawn.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a glow on the two figures entwined together.

Shen Zhifei, feeling a bit breathless, opened her eyes. As she lowered her gaze, she saw Zhao Xiaokui’s head resting on her chest.

The person who had emphatically instructed not to touch was now peacefully sleeping on her.

Suddenly, a smile uncontrollably played on Shen Zhifei’s lips.

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