A few days later, the date for the Vampire star Lestat's underground performance arrived.
Countless thrill-seeking youths and the "Half-Vampire" gathered in the damp, cramped underground venue in the South District.
As night fell, when Lestat appeared on stage in full costume, the entire venue instantly erupted.
Being able to see the legendary Vampire with their own eyes made many people shout and scream in excitement.
What's more, some of the Half-Vampire, in order to have close contact with the Vampire, directly cut open the blood vessels on their hands and rushed onto the stage after Lestat finished performing a song.
This was a traditional segment of Vampire concerts: after Lestat finished each song, fans who chose to offer him their blood could go directly onto the stage, and no security would stop them during this time.
It was a carnival, belonging to both the Half-Vampire and the Vampire.
Gradually, attracted by the taste of blood, other Vampires hidden in the crowd also squeezed to the front of the stage.
Whenever Lestat finished enjoying the fans' blood, these Vampires, who were just there for the excitement, would enjoy the "leftovers" Lestat left behind.
Lestat on stage also noticed this, but not wanting to cause trouble by interacting with other Vampires, he did not react at all.
During the more than two-hour concert, Lestat performed seven or eight songs, and by this time, his face and clothes were covered in blood.
The blood offerings from over a dozen fans had already filled him up.
"Thank you all for your support, see you next time!" On the blood-splattered stage, Lestat, with a hint of melancholic charm, waved goodbye to his fans.
"Lestat, many people are reporting your concert now, the company hopes you can keep a low profile for a while…"
In the backstage corridor, a middle-aged celebrity agent was explaining the situation to Lestat, who was preparing to leave.
People died at every concert, and even though Lestat generated considerable economic benefits for the company, the pressure from the public and relevant departments was more than an ordinary agency could withstand.
Therefore, Lestat's agency planned to "freeze" him for a period of time.
They would observe the situation after this period of intense scrutiny passed.
"I have no objections. Also, I'm not interested in money." Lestat understood the meaning behind the middle-aged agent's words and replied indifferently.
"Okay, the company will convert your shares into blood bags and deliver them to you in installments. When this period of scrutiny passes, someone from the company will contact you again…" The middle-aged agent also shrewdly stated the company's arrangements.
In fact, this agent didn't want to have too much contact with Lestat.
If it weren't for the salary, who would put themselves in a dangerous position for no reason?
"Help… help…"
Just then, a girl's intermittent cries for help came from around the corner outside the corridor.
Lestat frowned, sensing the scent of his own kind. After a moment of thought, he stepped towards the corner.
The truth was, Lestat would not drain his fans' blood in one go at a concert. The reason those fans died from excessive blood loss was entirely due to the other Vampires below the stage.
Although he didn't care much about the deaths of his fans, the feeling of being blamed for others' actions still made Lestat very unhappy.
Therefore, he decided to take this opportunity to warn the other Vampires.
Backstage, the middle-aged agent also heard the cries for help, but for his own safety, he chose to leave in the opposite direction from Lestat.
"Don't pretend, everyone who comes here just wants to interact with Vampires, don't they… We are Vampires… Offer your blood…"
Around the corner outside the corridor, a dozen Vampires with bared fangs surrounded a young girl, their faces twisted into wicked smiles.
"No, you misunderstand. I came to investigate Vampire history, not as a Half-Vampire member…" Jesse Reeves, a mystic enthusiast, desperately tried to defend herself.
Newly graduated from university, she had stumbled upon a story about the Queen of Egypt Vampire in the library and had been captivated.
Then, after consulting many sources, she tracked the story all the way to Lestat.
Who knew that upon leaving, she would be targeted by a group of Vampires.
"Vampire history? We can tell you…"
The Vampires, who had only been able to eat leftovers at the concert and were still hungry, didn't listen to what the girl said; they only knew that they craved fresh blood now.
As the encirclement tightened, Jesse, trapped in the middle, huddled on the ground, covering her head in fear.
She buried her head in the sand like an ostrich…
After a long time, the scene of being bitten by Vampires that the girl had imagined did not occur. To understand the situation, she carefully opened her eyes and looked up.
Then, she was met with a handsome face, exuding a melancholic charm.
"Alright, beautiful lady, you're safe now." Lestat smiled and extended his hand to the poor, helpless, and weak girl.
To have captivated the Queen of Egypt a century ago, although the violin played a part, Lestat's own appearance was actually quite outstanding.
"Thank you—" Jesse recognized the man in front of her but still couldn't help but be captivated by the tenderness in his eyes.
Lestat, smiling, pulled the girl up from the ground and then protected her in his arms. He then turned to the fallen Vampires around them and warned, "Don't ever appear before me again, or next time I will kill you."
To add conviction, he bared his fangs as he spoke, his face momentarily contorted into a grimace.
Compared to those wild, miscellaneous Vampires who could only eat leftovers, Lestat, with his special skill and Viscount-level strength, indeed possessed more oppressive power.
"Where is your home? I'll take you back." After warning the other Vampires, Lestat returned to his gentlemanly demeanor when he turned back to the girl in his arms.
"On South District street, not far from here…" Jesse felt a long-lost sense of security in the man's arms, and her cheeks even flushed red.
"South District street, then let's go!" Lestat also found the girl's appearance very cute, so he had a lot more patience.
Immediately, the girl, half-embraced by the Vampire, left the underground venue.
"Um, can I ask… In the historical records, was the person who played the violin for the Queen of Egypt you?" On the South District street, shrouded in night, the evening breeze slightly cooled Jesse's flushed mind.
Then, she remembered the occult studies she cared about.
Yes, it was a remarkable coincidence; Lestat's playing the violin at the Rocky Mine a century ago was likely witnessed by passersby and compiled into a poignant love story that has been passed down to this day.
The girl was precisely captivated by these stories.
"The Queen of Egypt?" Lestat, of course, had also seen the exaggerated stories based on him. After a laugh, he said, "That person, perhaps it was I!"
"Then can you take me to see the Queen of Egypt's tomb? I heard she isn't dead, just in a deep sleep." Jesse asked excitedly.
"A hundred years have passed, and I don't know if the Queen of Egypt you speak of is dead or not. But if you insist, I can take you to see it when I have time…" A hundred years had significantly changed Lestat's mindset. Looking at the pure-spirited girl beside him, he felt that perhaps he too could have a beautiful love story.
Under the moonlight, this Vampire, who had once killed the girl he loved, once again showed a gentle smile to another girl.
"Damn Lestat, who does he think he is? Why can he suck blood freely, but not let us…"
"Exactly, he even has the nerve to pretend to be a good person…"
In the underground venue, the downed Vampires were grumbling about Lestat behind his back.
The fact was, as Vampires who all consumed human blood, who could be nobler than whom?
The Vampires, growing increasingly agitated, eventually shifted from condemning Lestat to cursing him.
"Who gave you the audacity to curse the man I fancy!"
Just as the Vampires were in a frenzy, a overbearing declaration interrupted their conversation.
Then, a beautiful woman dressed in elaborate ancient Egypt attire appeared before the Vampires.
"You, you're the Queen of Egypt, the legend is true…"
Among the Vampires, naturally, some had also read stories about the Queen of Egypt. Now, under the woman's powerful aura, someone recognized her identity.
"Impudent, do you worms dare to look directly at me—" Akasha, swaying her slender waist as she walked, instantly petrified several of the miscellaneous Vampires who were staring at her into statues.
"And you all," With a wave of her hand, the Queen of Egypt took half of the vital essence from the remaining Vampires around her: "This is your punishment for cursing Lestat."
"Next, I want you to inform the other Vampires to pledge allegiance to Lestat. Then tell Lestat to come to my palace and marry me."
Clearly, this overbearing Queen of Egypt, even when meeting her lover, wanted him to "voluntarily" come to her.
Fortunately, she arrived a little late tonight, otherwise, if she had seen her long-missed "little lover" just now "fall in love" with another girl, this Queen of Egypt would very likely have gone mad on the spot.
"Did you all hear clearly?" After stating her demands, Akasha looked with dangerous eyes at the trembling Vampires around her.
"Heard clearly—" The Vampires didn't dare to lift their heads, but their answers were exceptionally uniform and loud.
They looked as if someone had a knife to their throats.
After a long time, finally no longer hearing the Queen of Egypt's demonic voice, a Vampire cautiously peeked up.
Then they discovered that the Queen of Egypt was no longer in the underground venue.
"Phew, that really scared me to death…"
The Vampires, relieved to have survived, sighed and slumped onto the ground one by one.
Then, a Vampire asked, "What do we do now? Do we really have to do as she says?"
"What else can we do? Lestat caused this, he definitely can't escape…"
"Also, we shouldn't be the only ones to suffer. Everyone try to find as many companions as possible…"
Subsequently, the Vampires' discussions grew quieter and quieter.
"Maybe, if we have enough numbers, we can directly counterattack the Queen of Egypt. Then, we can share her vital essence…"
"Mike, it seems there's a big movement on Lestat's side." A few more days passed, and Tina, having gathered enough information, once again arrived at the luxurious villa.
"Oh? Tell me the details." Mike lay on the sofa, enjoying Lina's attentive massage while inquiring about the news.
"According to the peripheral members of the X Squad who are tracking Lestat, many suspicious individuals have appeared around Lestat recently. And they plan to go to the Rocky Mine in the West District…" Tina revealed the information collected by the peripheral members of the X Squad during this period.
It must be said that among the peripheral members, which included professionals from FBI, CID, and others, there were indeed many talents in surveillance and eavesdropping.
Even Lestat and Jesse's private chat records were thoroughly uncovered by those people.
"Continue to monitor, and once Lestat and the others go to the Rocky Mine in the West District, immediately return and notify me." Mike deliberated: "Also, call John and Needy and the others back; try to keep them from going on missions during this time."
"Next, we are going to catch a big fish."