Chapter 70

Chapter 70

The kitten, sitting on the ground, froze, its raised paw retracting slightly, its golden eyes timid.

"This..." The companion hesitated but dared not object, turning to the others and saying, "Get a cage."

Are they really going to catch it?!

Xue Zhao panicked a little, not expecting to be caught within half an hour of arriving in this new dimension.

Soon, another person came forward, holding an iron cage.

The cage was relatively small, perhaps used for bats or similar creatures, and was just the right size for a kitten.

The previous companion took the cage, secretly glanced at Xiu Jixin, and then looked at the kitten on the ground, which was almost curled into a ball.

Although the kitten was covered in dust, it was clear that it had pure white fur and a pair of round golden eyes.

It was unusual for a kitten to appear alone in such a place, but a creature like this was unlikely to be associated with vampires.

Even if it were a vampire's pet, they would usually choose exotic pets like snakes or rats, or dark-colored ones.

In short, the kitten in front of them looked like an ordinary cat.

However, it was better to be cautious, and no one dared to defy Xiu Jixin's orders.

The companion thought for a moment, took a towel from his backpack, and spread it at the bottom of the cage.

Xue Zhao turned to escape, but just as he took a step, he was picked up and placed in the cage.

With a "click," the cage door was shut tight.

The kitten inside shivered, its eyes wide with unease as it looked around.

"Don't be afraid, Host," the system comforted, "the Second Form is very stable. Just pretend to be a cat, and you won't be suspected."

The Second Form was like Xue Zhao's other body, with no time limit, allowing for free transformation without consuming health points or exposing his aura.

No one would have thought that such a kitten's true form would be a vampire.

If he hadn't transformed into a cat and had been discovered by this group of people, it would have been even more dangerous.

Although Xiu Jixin was also here, he now had a completely new consciousness, and it was uncertain what kind of person he was, with companions by his side.

The previous dimension had such a huge bug, and fortunately, Xue Zhao was there to successfully prevent the situation from worsening.

The system felt that it couldn't let its guard down against any Xiu Jixin, lest he become a "protagonist" who could turn into a "villain" at any time.

Upon seeing the message, Xue Zhao calmed down slightly.

Through the thick iron mesh, the kitten looked outside, its gaze unconsciously following the familiar figure.

The team in front of them consisted of five people, with Xiu Jixin clearly being the leader.

They spread out, holding flashlights and a detector, searching everywhere in the abandoned house.

Another person was responsible for guarding the door, keeping a constant eye on the outside, and also watching the cage.

Xue Zhao observed silently and also noticed that they all wore a silver mechanical tool on their waists, similar in shape to a crossbow but only palm-sized.

The mechanical tool gleamed with a metallic luster, which inexplicably made him feel afraid.

While these people were searching the house, the system was also scanning them.

[System]: These people... are vampire hunters.

Xue Zhao curled up tightly: "...Vampire hunters?"

[System]: Yes, the relationship between vampires and vampire hunters is similar to that between vengeful spirits and Heavenly Masters, or demons and priests.

Xue Zhao was silent for a moment: "Okay..."

That meant that in this dimension, he still couldn't reveal his identity to Xiu Jixin casually, at least not at first.

Fortunately, he had transformed into a cat at this moment, and as long as he wasn't suspected, he was temporarily safe.

They shouldn't... do anything to a cat, right?

Xue Zhao shrank further to the edge of the cage, continuing to read the messages sent by the system.

The dimension's mission had not yet officially started, and the system was flipping through its database, explaining some of the situation here to Xue Zhao.

For example, vampire hunters were also called blood hunters, who made a living by hunting vampires, requiring very high physical and psychological qualities, and a fearlessness of death.

Vampire hunters were humans, but there were also rumors that they were descendants of witches, not ordinary people, and because of their special bloodline, they were destined to walk this path.

Vampires were ancient creatures that fed on human blood, were ugly, cruel, and evil, usually acted alone, had long lifespans, and strong combat power, but would die directly when exposed to sunlight and could only appear at night.

If they consumed enough blood, vampires could briefly disguise themselves as humans, and liked to transform into their Second Form, bats, when resting.

Such creatures also had another name: Blood Kin.

However, there were also rumors that vampires were not Blood Kin, but merely servants cultivated by Blood Kin.

True Blood Kin, in their original appearance and in all aspects, were more like humans, would not die when exposed to sunlight, but would only be burned, and when their power was strongest, they could even walk directly in the sun.

However, True Blood Kin seemed to have all died out, and now all that could be encountered were vampires.

While sending messages, the system couldn't help but open Xue Zhao's data again.

It suddenly felt that Xue Zhao might be True Blood Kin...

But Xue Zhao's situation was different, and his previous identity setting also differed from reality, so it seemed normal for him to have a special appearance.

The data stated that he was a vampire, not Blood Kin.

The system did not delve deeper for the time being and continued to flip through the database.

[System]: Most vampires are very powerful in combat, and besides sunlight, what they fear most are vampire hunters.

Vampire hunters would make special daggers and silver bullets, constantly search for the whereabouts of vampires, and also set traps to capture them.

Under normal circumstances, vampire hunters would capture vampires alive, seal them with daggers, drain the remaining blood from their bodies, transport them to the Anomalies control agency, and then kill them to earn commissions.

It was said that after the vampire's corpse was taken away by the agency, it would be used as material for some medicines or special products...

The system spoke vaguely and indirectly about this part, fearing it would scare Xue Zhao.

And currently, it seemed that Xiu Jixin and his companions were searching for a certain vampire's traces.

Vampires liked such abandoned houses the most and would transform into bats during the day, hiding in dark corners to sleep.

[System]: Don't be afraid, let them search.

[System]: When they confirm that the Host is not dangerous and let down their guard, then sneak away.

It had just confirmed that Xue Zhao's Second Form was a hidden reward, different from other vampires. When hungry, he could also eat some normal food in his Second Form, but it wouldn't increase his health points.

In other words, he seemed to have truly become a cat.

Xue Zhao responded, "Mhm."

He still looked at Xiu Jixin in the distance, a hint of curiosity hidden in his secretly observing gaze.

He hadn't expected that Xiu Jixin would really be here... and that he would encounter him so quickly.

If this Xiu Jixin would also like him...

Xue Zhao quickly suppressed the thought in his mind. He had to complete the mission and couldn't keep thinking like this.

In the previous dimension, it was only because things were so difficult in the early stages that he stayed by Xiu Jixin's side.

Otherwise, Xue Zhao originally hadn't intended for him to be a mission target.

Moreover, the mission in the previous dimension was relatively simple and easy, but it might not be the case here.

But even with such thoughts, Xue Zhao still couldn't help but feel an urge to get close to Xiu Jixin.

Soon, the search party came upstairs.

One of them entered a room, carefully inspected it, and immediately found Xiu Jixin.

"Chief Captain," he reported immediately, "there are traces here, but they don't quite look like they were left by a vampire."

Then, Xiu Jixin came to the room he indicated.

The room was full of dust, and besides the footprints left by the team members, there was a clear set of tracks.

It seemed to be... that kitten.

It had walked out of this room and then seemingly fallen down the stairs.

And at the end of the trace, it didn't look like a kitten could have made it at all, and it seemed to appear out of thin air.

The few people looked at the trace, their expressions somewhat solemn.

Could there be something wrong with that kitten?

Was it a vampire's pet? Or...

Xiu Jixin squatted down, examining the imprint on the ground.

A moment later, he said in a low voice, "Take the cat back first."

The team member responded, "Okay."

Aside from here, no other anomalies were found, nor were any lingering vampire auras.

Night was almost upon them, and they still had to return to the trap placement area for their shift.

Soon after, the few people followed Xiu Jixin downstairs.

When they looked at the kitten in the cage again, their eyes held a subtle expression.

But this kitten looked truly harmless, making it impossible to feel disgust or much caution towards it.

Perhaps it was captured by a vampire... Upon hearing someone approach, the vampire abandoned the kitten and transformed into a bat to escape alone.

It hadn't lingered for too long, so it didn't leave any aura.

The kitten curled up in the cage, its clear golden eyes looking at everyone.

Xue Zhao was completely oblivious to what had just happened, silently curling up and remaining still.

He followed the system's advice and tried his best to act like a cat, pretending not to understand human speech.

What was the Familiar that used to follow Xiu Jixin like?

It would meow and rub its head against his hand.

However, an ordinary cat should be a bit dumber than a Familiar.

The kitten looked dazed and softly meowed.

Xiu Jixin's gaze fell on it, then quickly shifted away, and he walked quickly out the main door.

The rest of the people followed him, leaving together.

Not far from the house, there were two black cars.

The five people split up, and the team member carrying the cage rode with Xiu Jixin, sitting in the back seat of one of the cars.

Once in the car, the cage was placed between the two of them.

As soon as Xue Zhao looked up, he could see Xiu Jixin's profile.

He couldn't help but move forward, wanting to get closer.

Xue Zhao didn't forget to maintain his disguise and let out another "meow."

The sound was very soft, like a whimper.

As the car started moving, Xiu Jixin looked over sideways.

His face was expressionless, his brows and eyes always appearing very cold, and his entire being exuded an aura that kept people at a distance.

The kitten in the cage met his gaze, its golden eyes innocent and obedient.

Xiu Jixin lowered his eyes and observed it for a while, then opened the cage and picked up the kitten inside.

The kitten was small and light, easily held in one hand, a ball of fur, timidly curled up in his palm.

Xiu Jixin examined the kitten's body, looking for any signs of being bitten by fangs or any vampire-borne skin diseases.

The kitten was initially well-behaved, as if it knew he wouldn't harm it.

However, when its tail was pulled away from its leg to check underneath, the kitten's golden eyes widened, and it struggled frantically, raising its paws to push Xiu Jixin's fingertips hard: "Meow..."

Xiu Jixin's eyes narrowed slightly, and he gripped the tail even more firmly, his gaze sweeping over it.

The kitten whimpered with shame and anger, lowered its head and bit his finger.

Its teeth were too dull to break the skin at all, but when it bit hard, a slight pain could still be felt.

Xiu Jixin looked down and watched, letting it bite.

His expression remained cold, and he didn't seem angry, simply observing the kitten's weak resistance.