At dawn, as Kanoru fastened the bracers on his forearms, a faint knock echoed at his door. His hands stilled. Glancing toward the bed where Asuna and Mingzhu slept, he quickly crossed the room and eased the door open before the noise could wake them. A servant stood outside, hunched slightly, eyes wary in the dim corridor.
"What?" Kanoru whispered.
The servant leaned in. "The two lords summon you."
Kanoru's brow furrowed. Did they discover another corpse? he wondered. His voice was low but firm. "Where?"
"At the mansion gate."
Kanoru gave a sharp nod. "Inform them I'll be there shortly."
He shut the door softly and returned to his room. Without a sound, he exchanged his indoor garb for fitted, dark attire more suited for travel. Adjusting the belt at his waist, he slipped out, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
Minutes later, he stepped into the mansion's courtyard. A carriage stood waiting, its lacquered surface catching the faintest glimmer of the morning light. From the window, Yun Ming's head poked out. His eyes were shadowed, his expression tense.
"Quickly, come," Yun Ming urged.
Kanoru picked up his pace, vaulted into the carriage, and took the seat opposite his second brother, who sat alone inside.
"Where is Elder Brother?" Kanoru asked.
"He's already gone ahead," Yun Ming replied, voice clipped. "To where the victim was found."
Kanoru's gaze narrowed. "Where?"
"The market," Yun Ming said simply.
Kanoru frowned. The city had hundreds of small markets. Which one?
"Which market?" he pressed.
"Red-no 16," Yun Ming answered.
Kanoru's eyes flickered with recognition. The outer cities encircling the capital were distinguished by colors, and the streets numbered accordingly. Red was the district they were in—it wouldn't take long to reach their destination.
True enough, within ten minutes, the carriage rolled to a halt. Stepping out, Kanoru saw a ring of guards clad in black robes and light blue armor forming a barricade around the scene, blocking onlookers. Only members of the Black Ice Guard were permitted past the cordon.
Kanoru followed Yun Ming into the secured area. His eyes swept over the crowd, then locked onto Yun Feng, who stood near the body, speaking with a few of the officers. Kanoru's gaze dropped to the ground. The corpse lay sprawled on the cold earth—a young woman, no older than thirty by his estimate. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her closed eyes were framed by lashes brittle with frost.
He and Yun Ming approached the body, crouching beside it.
"Anything?" Yun Ming asked.
Yun Feng shook his head grimly. "Nothing. Same as the others. No wounds except the two punctures between the neck and collarbone. And just like before..." he trailed off, his expression hardening. "It looks as though she let the killer take her life."
Kanoru's eyes narrowed as he examined the twin wounds. The skin around them was ghostly pale, drained of color. His fingers hovered near the marks. I've seen these before... not in this life, but in another. Images flickered in his mind—films from his past life. Creatures of legend, pale as the moon, with fanged mouths and crimson eyes. Vampires.
He stared at the wounds—the precision, the depth, the eerie absence of struggle. It can't be… Yet the evidence lay before him, undeniable.
From beside him, Yun Ming's voice broke the silence. "Brother, I still think it's a bat demon," he said grimly. "One that sneaked into the capital to drink blood."
Yun Feng shook his head. "In the current situation, no demon would be so bold."
Yun Ming's brows drew together. "There are outliers among humans. Surely, there must be among demons as well."
Yun Feng's voice was steady. "Demons below the Great Demon realm couldn't remain hidden from us this long. And if a Great Demon slipped in, the formation around the capital would have triggered an alarm."
Yun Ming exhaled sharply. "Then what else could it be?"
Kanoru had his suspicions, but no proof—nothing that could explain the existence of a creature that belonged only to fiction. A monster that shouldn't exist in this world.
His thoughts turned to the missing victims whose bodies were never found. That could only mean three things: they were either discarded in some hidden place, used as a blood supply, or transformed into vampires themselves.
No, Kanoru dismissed the first possibility. The killers were already displaying their victims publicly—one or two more corpses wouldn't make any difference in the chaos. That left the final two options, and he believed both could be true.
The living captives must be held somewhere—a hidden stronghold large enough to contain them. And they can't be kept in one place alone. The murders were scattered across the eight outer cities, with sporadic cases even in the inner city. There must be multiple bases surrounding the capital.
His eyes lingered on the pale, lifeless woman. The puzzle was slowly taking shape.
They must have bases scattered around the capital.
He heard Yun Ming's voice cut through his thoughts. "Brother Kanoru, did you find anything?"
Kanoru's mind was already forming a plan, but he shook his head. "No."
Yun Ming sighed. "Yes, what could you find on the first encounter?"
Kanoru glanced at the body again. "In the past four months, many people must have disappeared, only to return a day or two later."
Yun Feng, catching the remark, turned and called out, "Lei, come here."
A man approached them briskly. "Lord."
Yun Feng repeated Kanoru's inquiry. Lei frowned, thinking for a moment. "Yes, there are such cases."
Kanoru's eyes narrowed. "Can I know who they are?"
Lei nodded. "There are records in the guard headquarters—cancelled reports."
"Can I see them?" Kanoru asked.
Lei shook his head. "Only members of the city guard or Black Ice Guard can access them."
Yun Feng's gaze sharpened. "Why do you want to see them?"
Kanoru met his eyes. "I need to confirm something. It might help us solve the case."
Yun Feng nodded. "Second Brother, go with Kanoru and check together." He turned to Lei. "Will that be fine?"
Lei considered briefly, then replied, "I'll grant him temporary city guard status. With Lord Ming accompanying, no one at the guard office will object."
He turned to Kanoru, his eyes narrowing slightly. "But I still want to know—what did you find?"
Kanoru couldn't explain that the murderers might be creatures from the fantasy stories of his past life, or something eerily similar. Instead, he simply said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. You'll only believe if I show you."
Lei stared at him for a moment, then exhaled sharply. "Four months, and I've found nothing. Let's see what you can find."
Without another word, he turned and walked off. Yun Ming followed, and Kanoru fell in step behind them.
After some time, they reached the city headquarters, descending into the basement. There, they entered a room filled with stacks of old case files.
Kanoru scanned the shelves. "I need the records from the past four months—cases where people disappeared but returned the next day or later."
Lei moved swiftly, retrieving a stack of papers and placing them on a table. "Here. Fifty-seven such cases."
Kanoru flipped through the reports, then glanced at Lei. "I also want to know if their family members are still alive after they returned."
Lei frowned, still unsure of what Kanoru was trying to uncover. "We'd have to check the death records of the past four months. That means going to the household registration office. But I doubt they'll let us access it."
Yun Ming crossed his arms. "Then we'll send our men to inquire."
Kanoru grabbed the stack of cancelled reports. "Then let's not waste time. Let's go."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode out of the room.
Yun Ming and Lei exchanged puzzled glances, still unsure of what Kanoru was searching for. But with no other leads, they had no choice but to follow.