Dennis still hadn't realized that falling into this man's hands would make staying alive far more agonizing than dying.
"Tell me your account number... I'll wire you a fortune!" Dennis didn't grasp the horror lurking behind Adam's words. He spoke quickly. "Whatever your goal is, I can help you. I swear on the honor of my blood clan..."
"Enough. Your clans mean nothing to me."
Adam cut him off. Only after the fighting had completely died down did he walk over at a leisurely pace.
Four messenger Xenomorphs against six armed vampires, resulting in only two lightly wounded. The casualty ratio was acceptable, especially since messenger Xenomorphs were among the weakest variants.
They were born from parasitizing lower mammals like cats, dogs, cattle, or horses. They naturally moved on all fours and spent most of their lives doing so. In the Xenomorph hierarchy, they occupied the very bottom rung.
Their offensive power was minimal, though they compensated with higher agility thanks to their relatively smaller frames... standing roughly 2.2 meters tall when upright.
Compared to drones and warriors, which could only drag themselves along by their tails right after chestburster emergence and needed hours to develop enough to stand and move properly, messenger Xenomorphs matured much faster.
Their one notable advantage was the ability to actively spray blood from their mouths... something drones and warriors lacked.
These four had come from ordinary, low-level animal hosts, so Adam wasn't expecting too much raw power from them.
He glanced briefly at the savaged police officer on the ground.
"If I were you, I'd finish him now. Put a bullet in his head."
Adam continued, "The vampire virus is already spreading through his body. He'll gradually turn. It's better to kill him cleanly before the transformation completes."
George kept his gun raised. It was the only source of power he had left.
His younger officers? They were already frozen in shock. This was their first brush with the dark underbelly of the world.
"Vampires… vampires… there really are vampires in this world… and these monsters…" One young officer muttered, staring blankly before doubling over and vomiting.
The vampires that bullets couldn't kill had just been skewered and torn apart by the Xenomorphs in a nightmarish spray of blood and flesh.
"There's far more than just vampires on this planet. Its wonders will surpass your imagination. Whether demons or gods appear, it shouldn't surprise you," Adam replied with a smile. Every movement he made looked casual and completely natural.
If you ignored the terrifying Xenomorphs clustered around him like loyal courtiers attending their sovereign, he had the makings of a charming, approachable guy.
"Thank you, sir... for saving our lives, you and your… companions." George forced his pounding heart to calm. The last few minutes had been overwhelming. He tried to keep his voice steady, but a faint tremor still slipped through. "I'll handle my colleague with care."
"Good. It's easier dealing with someone experienced like you. What's your name, officer?"
"George Stacy."
Adam stroked his chin. That name, that age… yes, this was likely Gwen's father.
"Sir, I still don't know your name. What do you plan to do with these vampires?" George asked, gathering his courage.
The steady dripping sounds continued... vampire blood, Xenomorph blood, all mixing together.
"You'll have the chance to learn my name later. For now, stay away from this area. No matter who gave you the order, don't come back here. Whoever sent you was trying to get you killed."
Adam waved his hand dismissively.
He might not possess the genius-level intellect of someone like Tony Stark, but basic deductive reasoning was well within his grasp.
"Captain, this guy's keeping weird creatures... isn't that illegal too…" One officer finished throwing up, wiped his mouth, glanced at George, and started retching again.
"Well said. I love people with a strong sense of justice. But I'll believe you when you go arrest Tony Stark first."
Adam left with his Xenomorphs, vanishing into the darkness. Only the carnage left behind proved something extraordinary had happened here.
George looked down at his horribly mauled colleague, hesitated for a moment, then fired a single shot into the man's head.
"Captain!"
"Shut up. I know what I'm doing! This isn't over. I'm going to hold whoever's responsible accountable!" George's face was ashen, his expression dark as storm clouds. He hated the bastard who had given the order... it had cost him a promising young officer!
Supernatural incidents like this weren't something ordinary, unprepared people should ever have to face. If they had to deal with them, they should at least be warned in advance and given proper manpower and equipment!
"Captain, you said it was animal rights people who reported it."
"I lied. If it had really been them, the department wouldn't have sent just us."
As for closing the case officially… they could say vampires did it. After all, bloodsucking monsters draining animals made perfect sense.
And that stranger commanding the bizarre creatures was clearly another superhuman individual.
One who had saved their lives from the vampires, no less.
…
For Adam, saving a few cops had been nothing more than a minor side note. The real prize was the six vampires he had captured.
Along the way, he fussed over them solicitously, genuinely concerned they might die.
His oddly caring behavior left the dying vampires bewildered and flattered. One even suggested that if the Xenomorphs put them down, they might still have a chance to recover.
Adam ignored the plea and brought them all the way back to the underground cavern. He directed the Xenomorphs to roughly dump the helpless captives onto the floor.
Dennis frantically looked around. The place resembled the nest of some underground monster, covered in strange, sticky secretions.
A peculiar tube ran through the chamber. Below it, he spotted three odd eggs. Whatever was inside clearly sensed their arrival and grew excited.
Just looking at them sent an instinctive chill through Dennis. He felt as though something terrifying had fixed its gaze upon him.
"Six vampires. We'll do this one at a time."
Adam personally grabbed one vampire by the throat and pressed him in front of an egg.
The egg opened like a flower, its top splitting into four petal-like segments. A spider-like creature burst out.
A facehugger!
"Let me go! What are you... mmph…!"
The vampire's words were cut off as the facehugger wrapped around his face. He felt an unknown substance injected into his body. Soon his consciousness grew hazy, and he slipped into unconsciousness.
"What… what is this?" Dennis watched in confusion. It looked horrifying, but he couldn't understand the purpose.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Adam stayed closely linked to the facehugger through their psychic connection. The moment he confirmed successful implantation, joy surged through him.
This success was significant. It was the first time a facehugger had parasitized a special host.
Now came the patient wait.
Adam was a very patient person... much like the Xenomorphs themselves. They could remain perfectly still for a long time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Finally, the vampire woke up again, looking dazed. He shook his head and easily tossed aside the shed remains of the facehugger.
"What did you do to me? How is this thing dead?"
"Vampire, you should pay for every human you've killed. The good news is that you've offered me your strong body. I'll make excellent use of it."
Under the wide, blood-red eyes of the other captives, Adam raised his hand and pointed a single finger at the vampire from a distance.
What happened next filled the remaining vampires with pure terror.
A grotesque bulge appeared on the vampire's chest. Before he could react, something horrific burst out, brutally ripping through his ribcage in a shower of blood and flesh!
The desperate screams sounded like a beautiful symphony. The violent convulsions were the most exquisite dance.
A new Xenomorph... one that had parasitized a vampire and claimed its finest genes... had been born. It let out its first sharp cry into the world, announcing the arrival of an entirely new and limitlessly promising supernatural lineage.
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