Huh?
At this exact moment, just as Vanya Egorov felt his entire soul about to leave his body, drawn inexorably toward the gates of the underworld, what did he suddenly perceive?
*Drip.*
It felt as if a single drop of freezing liquid had fallen upon his lips. His entire body was currently so numb that he could barely register any sensation, yet this feeling was incomparably distinct.
In the next second, Egorov struggled to open his eyes. His cracked lips brushed against the moisture, and he gave it a slight lick. Instantly, his primal desire for survival surged. He parted his mouth, frantically swallowing the fluid that seemed to fall from the heavens.
It didn't take long before his desperate swallowing turned into a ravenous, insatiable gulping. In an instant, the six senses that had just been stripped away rushed back into his body, expanding and sharpening to an unprecedented degree.
He could hear the bodyguards downstairs in the security room telling crass Russian jokes. He could hear the driver parked at the entrance, smoking a cigarette and grumbling about him. In fact... he felt as though his hearing could stretch even further.
'What happened to me?' Egorov quickly gathered his wits, the thought flashing through his mind. Then, with a sudden *thud*, his eyes snapped open. His body rose straight up from the floor without a single bend in his joints, standing upright like a reanimated corpse.
Just then, Locke's voice drifted over from a short distance away.
"Awake?"
Egorov looked at Locke, who appeared extraordinarily elegant and exceptionally noble bathed in the streaming moonlight. He opened his mouth, his voice raspy.
"My Lord!"
Wait. What did I just say? Egorov froze instantly on the spot.
Locke, however, curled his lips into a smirk.
...
[Name: Locke Broughton (The Sole Player!)]
[Identity: Vampire Progenitor (Capable of switching to Witch form and Assassin form)]
[Achievement Points: 250,000]
[Potential Points: 270,000]
[Supreme Talent: Dazzling Brilliance (Gold Quality / Level 2): Your energy will be boundless and inexhaustible. In fact, your energy is currently surging restlessly, as if preparing to carve out a pocket dimension of your very own.]
[Supreme Talent: Steel Physique (Gold Quality / Level 1): Your physical form is as resilient as reinforced steel. Standard firearms have essentially lost all efficacy against you.]
...
[Embrace (Exclusive to Vampire Progenitor Form):
Vanya Egorov: Fledgling!
(Hierarchy: Progenitor, Prince, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Fledgling. Fledgling is the lowest tier and cannot convert humans into vampires.)]
[T/N:- i swear this author keeps changing his vampire form name one to another. I'll lock it as Vampire progenitor from now on.*
...
Indeed. He hadn't killed Egorov. Instead, he had granted him a profound stroke of fortune. Locke had transformed him into a vampire, binding him as a member of his lineage. In a certain sense—actually, in every literal sense—this was a textbook example of returning good for evil.
Tsk tsk. Egorov had hurled insults at him, plotted to slaughter Gwen's entire family, and intended to abduct him. And how did Locke repay him? He converted Egorov into a vampire, bestowing upon him eternal life. Look at that—if this didn't qualify as returning good for evil, what possibly could?
At most!
Locke focused his mind, mentally grasping a single drop of the core blood essence he had used during the transformation within his Progenitor form.
He squeezed!
Standing before him, Egorov instantly looked as though he had been forced into a mask of pure agony. With a heavy *flop*, he collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest. He could feel his heart—it was beating, yes, but it felt as though it no longer belonged to him.
A true vampire was entirely different from those lesser leeches. Even though Locke had converted Egorov into the lowest tier—a Fledgling—he was still a pure bloodline vampire, utterly free from the numerous defects plaguing common vampires.
To put it into perspective, if he were to face those common vampires encountered at Lake Carrico, Egorov as a Fledgling could easily handle a one-against-two fight.
As for that vampire named James whom Locke had killed later on? Er... James could have torn Egorov apart with his bare hands without breaking a sweat.
But that wasn't the point. The point was that even as the lowest tier of Fledgling, he didn't possess an absolute vulnerability to sunlight. Extended exposure to the sun would make him highly irritable, but at the very least, he wouldn't start sparkling like a diamond under the daylight.
Egorov looked up in agonizing pain, the words forced through his clenched teeth.
"What... what did you do to me?"
Locke released his mental grip on the blood essence that now held the man's absolute life and death in his palm. His smirk widened.
"I granted you a grand evolution."
Frankly speaking, when Locke first infiltrated the room and overheard Egorov's deployment orders, he had intended to butcher him on the spot. But then... Locke suddenly realized something.
As he had noted earlier, the KGB was targeting him. Butchering Egorov wouldn't prevent the next wave of operatives from arriving to disrupt his life.
Unless Locke chose to completely eradicate the entire KGB.
That method was viable, yes, but entirely unnecessary. At present, he hadn't yet achieved the absolute strength and status required to flip the global chessboard on the entire planet. Yet, Egorov had genuinely provoked his wrath.
Ending him with a swift slash felt entirely too merciful, but leaving him unpunished left an eternal thorn in his side. Then, Locke suddenly focused on Egorov's specific station. Deputy Director of the Directorate for American Intelligence.
While he wasn't among the absolute top tier within the leadership of Lubyanka, he was easily a prominent figure ranking within the top twenty of the entire organization.
Locke recalled Nobody, who seemed intent on recruiting him. And so... Locke made a decision that technically went against his usual policy of absolute elimination, yet would allow him to resolve this matter silently while securing a steady source of quest generation for the future.
It was the same principle. Locke didn't object to recruitment. Becoming an intelligence operative simply meant acquiring an additional source of quest generation, didn't it? On that premise, Locke wasn't opposed to becoming an operative, nor did he care which specific department he belonged to—in fact, the more, the better.
He could clear quests for Langley, and then pivot to clear quests for Lubyanka. If possible, adding MI6 by the River Thames to the roster would be even more ideal. Mossad wasn't out of the question either.
In his eyes, nothing took precedence over quests!
Therefore, he transformed Egorov, granting him his first Embrace—a Fledgling vampire, a thrall whose very existence remained entirely at his mercy!
Locke looked down at Egorov kneeling before him, his tone ice-cold.
"Mr. Egorov, you should count yourself exceptionally fortunate. To this day, you are only the second person who has offended me and managed to walk away alive."
As he spoke, a crimson moon seemed to manifest within Locke's blood-red pupils.
"Do you know where the first person who offended me and lived is currently located?"
Egorov remained silent, not daring to speak.
Locke's tone became hollow and ethereal.
"I transformed him into a massive sewer rat. Right now, he is pinned to a wall inside the basement of the New York Police Department. His soul, his consciousness, remains trapped entirely within that rat's body. That was my very first act of mercy."
A human soul... inside a massive rat? Egorov shuddered involuntarily, a cold sweat breaking out across his back.
Seeing his reaction, Locke let out a soft chuckle.
"So, Mr. Egorov, shouldn't you feel profoundly grateful? You haven't been turned into a rat; instead, I have bestowed upon you a lifespan that stretches into absolute eternity."
Egorov raised his head. In the next second, he let out a choked gasp as his eyes flew open. In an instant, his pupils shifted into the distinct, crimson hue unique to vampires, and his skin gradually faded into a pale, porcelain complexion.
His beating—yet distinctly foreign—heart unleashed a massive wave of vampiric power, washing over his consciousness and staining his mind blood-red. Then, a unique brand manifested within his soul, displaying a name comprised of characters he couldn't read, yet whose profound meaning he understood instantly.
Cain! His Progenitor! His Lord!
After a long silence, Egorov seemed to instinctively master the ability to suppress his vampiric traits. He retracted the manifestations, staring blankly at his cold hands. Then, with absolute willingness, he bowed toward Locke.
"My Lord!"
He had died, yet he had been reborn as a vampire—an entity possessing a limitless lifespan from this moment forward.
Egorov didn't know whether he should be ecstatic, wild with laughter, or reduced to tears. But at the very least, a profound surge of pleasant surprise and raw joy dominated his heart.
What did serving a master matter? This was eternal life. What was a master in exchange for that? Even if he was ordered to sell out Lubyanka entirely, he wouldn't hesitate for a fraction of a second.
Locke was fully aware of every single emotional ripple within Egorov's mind. He was the Progenitor! This world possessed no other pure bloodline vampires, only common leeches.
As long as they belonged to his lineage, he as the Progenitor could perceive the thoughts of every single vampire under his bloodline whenever he pleased.
Locke's expression remained neutral.
"Rise."
Egorov rose from the floor. Instantly, a series of sharp, popping sounds echoed through his body as his bones expanded and adjusted.
Incredible comfort! Only now did Egorov truly comprehend the staggering scale of the transformation his physique had undergone. His stamina, his senses, and his physical strength had been completely restored and substantially magnified.
If a mere Fledgling could achieve this level, what about a Viscount? An Earl? Or even a Prince? Egorov's mind burned with fanatical ambition.
Perceiving how this freshly converted thrall had instantly discarded his original allegiances, Locke let out a silent sneer of disdain. He spoke calmly,
"I will not treat you unfairly." A tool, after all, required proper maintenance whenever it was needed.
Egorov was overjoyed. "Thank you, My Lord."
Locke followed up smoothly, "I assume you are fully aware of what I require you to do."
Egorov nodded respectfully.
Locke gave a slight nod in return. Just then, Egorov's personal phone suddenly rang out. Locke's expression remained entirely blank. Egorov immediately answered the call, very tactfully switching it to speakerphone.
"Dominika?" The person calling was his subordinate—and his nominal niece—Dominika Egorova, who bore a striking resemblance to a prominent film actress. Egorov said in a heavy tone,
"Return to base immediately. We need to—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Dominika interrupted from the other end of the line.
"Sir, I have located Lorraine Broughton's trail. I am currently tailing her. Repeat, I have confirmed visual contact with Lorraine Broughton."
Egorov froze slightly. Nearby, Locke also raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Egorov's face darkened, and just as he was about to bark a fierce reprimand, he caught Locke's subtle hand gesture, instantly comprehending his master's intent.
"What is your current location?"
Dominika: "..."
***
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