"Hey, hey, hey! Something's wrong!"
Inside the car, a pale man sitting in the front seat frantically patted the backrest behind him. In the back seat, another vampire was hunched over, his fangs deep in the neck of a female companion.
The vampire barely acknowledged the panic, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't bother me. It's your turn next."
"No, really! There's a situation!" the man in the front stammered, his voice filled with urgency.
With a sigh of irritation, the vampire in the back seat finally looked up—only to see something terrifying.
A thin, ghostly-white arm had reached in through the driver's window, its fingers coiling around the driver's throat. The vampire behind the wheel thrashed wildly, his nails growing long and jagged in panic, his elongated fangs glinting under the dim car light. His face twisted in agony as pain, suffocation, and sheer terror took over.
Then—
ROAR!
The vampire in the back seat let out an ear-piercing shriek, his own body reacting instinctively to the threat. His muscles tensed, his form shifting into something more monstrous.
Meanwhile, inside a cozy restaurant, Melissa paused mid-bite, frowning slightly. Candlelight flickered across her face as she turned to her husband.
"Honey, did you hear something just now?" she asked.
Across from her, Lin Tian chuckled, shaking his head. "Nope. How could there be? Try this prawn, it's really good."
Unbeknownst to them, outside—
CRASH!
With one hand, Lin Mei lifted the vampire from the driver's seat and hurled him to the ground. The car skidded, slamming onto the asphalt with enough force to crack the pavement.
A gust of wind howled behind her—
Lin Mei spun around just in time, her foot lashing out in a powerful kick. The second vampire, mid-sneak attack, was sent flying, crashing through several thick trees before landing in a heap.
The battle had barely begun, yet both vampires were already in rough shape.
But vampires were resilient. Even after such a beating, the two creatures staggered to their feet, their glowing eyes locked onto Lin Mei.
They lunged.
Lin Mei smirked. "You two aren't even worth warming up for."
With effortless precision, she dodged their attacks, countering with brutal strikes of her own. Every move left the vampires reeling, barely able to keep up.
However, amidst the chaos, Lin Mei noticed something troubling—the woman in the car, the one who had been bitten, was fading fast. Her breathing grew shallower.
Lin Mei frowned. With a sigh, she finally ended the fight, disabling both vampires by ripping off their limbs.
Then, she turned her attention to the woman.
She leaned in, observing the victim's condition. Her skin had begun to pale, dark veins spreading under the surface—a sign of the vampire virus taking hold.
Lin Mei clicked her tongue. "Unlucky woman. Should've stayed home."
"Lin, can we save her?" a voice asked.
Lin Mei turned to see Lin approaching lazily, stretching his arms with a yawn.
"I mean, she's still breathing. Would be a waste to let her die."
Lin Mei hesitated. The woman was weak, but she could still feel her desperate will to live. That feeling stirred something inside her.
Lin, unbothered, gave a shrug. "You have light, space, and wood magic. Healing a small bite should be easy, right?"
Without another word, Lin Mei placed her hands over the woman's wound, channeling her magic. Soft light pulsed beneath her fingertips, knitting the torn flesh back together.
But something was wrong.
The vampire virus inside the woman resisted the healing magic, refusing to be purged.
Lin Mei narrowed her eyes. "Tch. This is a problem. Even if she survives, she'll turn into a vampire. Might be better to just put her down now."
As she said this, the magic in her hands shifted, intensifying into pure light energy—a force deadly to vampires.
The woman's eyes widened in horror.
But then—
"Huh?" Lin Mei muttered.
The virus inside the woman didn't completely vanish—but it was suppressed. The infection halted. For now, at least, she wouldn't turn.
Lin Mei let out a low whistle. "Interesting."
Just as she turned to finish off the vampires—
WHOOSH!
A blur of motion.
By the time Lin Mei reacted, one of the vampires had already been snatched away by a third figure—another vampire, hidden until now.
"Damn it! There was a third one?"
She moved to chase them down—
But the remaining vampire lunged at her, buying time for its companion to escape.
Lin Mei scowled. "Out of my way."
A burst of light exploded from her body, vaporizing the last vampire instantly.
The other two, however, were gone.
She clenched her jaw. This wasn't good. If they escaped, they could come back—stronger, more prepared.
The thought of dealing with persistent vampire nuisances in the future made her sigh. "Great. Just what I needed—another headache."
From behind, the black woman stirred, weakly pulling herself out of the back seat.
Lin Mei turned, watching her with an unreadable expression. "Well then. What to do with you?"
The vampire virus lingering in the woman's body remained unresolved—an issue that could quickly turn into a much bigger problem.
Lin Mei narrowed her eyes. "You. Come with me. Now."
Her tone left no room for argument.
The black woman stiffened, dissatisfaction flickering in her eyes. She didn't appreciate being ordered around like this. But she had seen the way Lin Mei had looked at her back in the car—cold, assessing, as if deciding whether to end her right then and there. That killing intent had been real.
The thought made her swallow her protests. If Lin Mei had a way to fix this, she had no choice but to follow.
Reluctantly, she nodded.
Lin Mei, still irritated about the two vampires who had escaped, clenched her fists. There was no time to waste. He reached for the newly acquired Suspension Ring, twisting it slightly.
A swirling portal tore open before them.
Stark Manor.
Tony Stark was in his workshop, struggling with his damaged Iron Man suit. Thanks to Lin Mei's intervention in his battle with Obadiah Stane, Tony had avoided any serious injuries. However, the fight had left his armor severely damaged—so much so that he was now having trouble taking it off.
The sound of a portal opening interrupted his efforts.
"Sir, Mr. Lin Mei and an unidentified woman have just arrived," J.A.R.V.I.S. informed him.
Tony let out an exasperated sigh. "Tell them to wait in the living room."
"Sir, Mr. Lin Mei is standing right next to you," J.A.R.V.I.S. corrected.
"Ha?"
Tony nearly lost his balance in shock, his center of gravity shifting awkwardly. Before he could topple over, Lin Mei grabbed his arm, steadying him effortlessly.
Tony let out a deep sigh before muttering, "Little wizard, what the hell? How did you even get in here? Do I need to upgrade my security system again?"
"Actually, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. interjected, "Mr. Lin Mei bypassed the security system entirely and appeared directly inside the house."
"Excuse me, what?" Tony blinked.
Lin Mei simply smirked. "You seemed busy, so I let myself in."
Shaking his head, Tony adjusted the parts of his armor that had shifted during the commotion. "Alright, alright. So, what's up? I heard from Pepper that something happened to you—then you just disappeared?"
"I'm fine now," Lin Mei replied. "But I do need your help. More specifically, I need J.A.R.V.I.S."
"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
Lin Mei glanced at the uneasy black woman standing behind him before turning back to Tony. "I don't have much time to explain. But if you're curious, just have J.A.R.V.I.S. review everything later."
Tony frowned at the cryptic answer but shrugged. "Mysterious as always." Then, turning his attention to J.A.R.V.I.S., he gave the go-ahead. "Alright, J.A.R.V.I.S., whatever the little wizard needs—help him out."
"Understood, sir."
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