Chapter 127: Sudden Encounter

Jobri and Bain, as the detectives who first encountered this case, were not the overall commanders of the operation, but they were key personnel responsible for the on-site tactical "breach."

This was a high-level raid, and it certainly went far beyond what was covered in the preliminary briefing. The specific tasks and areas of responsibility for each team were detailed by the team leaders to their members only after the groups had been finalized.

The NYPD could not actually determine how many members this "blood-draining gang" had in total, but they were certain that the core figure must be the aforementioned Dr. Hoffman. Pressured by their superiors, the police department decided to take him into custody first before proceeding with the rest of the investigation.

The scientist owned a private laboratory near the outskirts of New York. In recent months, he had secured significant investment and had been conducting some form of pharmaceutical research. According to the conclusions drawn from the NYPD’s investigation: The police had reason to believe that Dr. Hoffman was involved in a series of blood-draining cases, and that his experiments were related to blood, which provided a motive. Years ago, he had worked for Barton Biopharmaceuticals, controlled by financial tycoon Wellman Barton; his sudden resignation suggested a possible falling out with his former boss. Furthermore, the death of his ex-wife from exsanguination made it hard not to draw a connection to the current cases.

Despite the lack of concrete evidence, the NYPD issued an arrest order. When all is said and done, they simply had "reason" to act. Yes, there was no sufficient evidence—one could even say there was no evidence at all—but the arrest mission was a go. In China, this would be unimaginable, but American police can be quite willful under certain circumstances. Once suspicion reaches a certain level, that is enough. As for the possibility of a wrongful arrest, it didn't matter; the scientist was not entirely clean to begin with, and his past skeletons could be dug up to justify the action, or at worst, the case would simply fizzle out.

On the eve of the operation, the dozen or so police officers in Jobri’s team were putting on their protective gear: standard-issue uniforms, bulletproof vests, and helmets. The lone-hero archetype—wearing a trench coat and wielding a revolver during a tactical raid—only exists in two situations: either in private, accidental encounters, or in the movies.

"Bain, we are going into a laboratory. Do not touch anything, okay?"

Bain checked his pistol and flicked his cleaning cloth. "Oh, understood, Mother Jobri. I definitely won't run around." He dragged out the final word.

"I truly hope your vital parts get corroded by acid. I’ll be watching you, and then I’ll pour disinfectant all over that mess."

...

The Vital Rhythm Research Institute was a private laboratory located on the outskirts of New York. Despite its location, the land was worth its weight in gold; owning such a facility was a testament to one's financial power. Recently, the laboratory had been operating until midnight.

It was now 9:00 PM inside one of the labs. Dr. Orbia Hoffman was observing changes under a microscope with his newly hired assistant. The female assistant was exceptionally striking, with a figure so hot that even a white lab coat could not conceal her curves.

"Oh, my God, it’s truly miraculous. The efficacy of this blood-dissolving agent is simply incredible."

"Daisan, hurry and record this: Fat hemolysis experiment, 23rd attempt, dissolution rate exceeding 60%."

The beautiful assistant stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, which were bright and vivid despite being devoid of lipstick. "Doctor, the video recorder is still running." As she spoke, her hands never stopped recording data into a notebook on the side.

...

Outside the laboratory, a dozen police cruisers had arrived at the entrance. Following a command of "Operation start" over the radio, the institute's power was instantly cut, plunging the entire facility, including the laboratory, into darkness. Everyone inside was startled by the sudden blackout.

Thirty seconds after the lights went out, the backup power system kicked in, and the institute regained its illumination. By then, however, the institute's perimeter security had already been disarmed by the police. In the surveillance room, a guard looked at the police cars and officers suddenly appearing outside and was about to reach for his radio to alert the other systems.

*Bang.*

The door to the surveillance room was kicked open. "Don't move! We’re the police! Put your hands on your head!"

One officer stepped forward to handcuff the guard, while another monitored the feeds from various locations. Skipping over other rooms and personnel, he quickly located the doctor and the female assistant, who looked somewhat bewildered in the laboratory. He spoke into the microphone on his collar: "Surveillance room secured. He is in Lab 3."

Just as he finished his report, the officer noticed the beautiful assistant in the lab looking up at the surveillance camera. But, mesmerized by her beauty, he failed to report it. At the same time, in several other feeds he hadn't paid attention to, two male researchers were also looking up at the cameras.

Was this a case of stumbling upon the truth? The investment Dr. Hoffman had recently secured actually came from vampires. His research was essentially preparation for the vampires to undergo a transformation to a higher plane of existence. In a short time, by utilizing abilities like neural control, many vampires had already obtained legitimate identities, integrated into society, and gained control of considerable resources. They possessed terrifying organizational skills and efficiency. They had even begun to address issues of long-term visas and talent recruitment, planning to enter China under legal identities to become overt employees under Wu You.

Inside Lab 3, the assistant, Daisan, said to the doctor, "Doctor, if anything happens in a moment, please stay calm."

Orbia Hoffman was still wondering why his assistant would say that to him when the bulletproof glass door of the laboratory suddenly swung open. Four or five heavily armed police officers rushed in with their guns raised. The two in the lead were Jobri and Bain.

"Police! Hands up! Put your hands on your head and let me see your body!"

Most of the officers’ vigilance was focused on Orbia Hoffman, as beautiful women easily inspire a sense of goodwill. A woman’s scream erupted.

"Ah! What are you doing?"

The female assistant appeared panicked and even tripped over herself.

"Oh, miss, be careful. We are just police officers conducting an investigation; you’ll be fine." Seeing that the situation was easily under control, Bain immediately stepped forward to help her up. Daisan huddled in fear but cooperatively extended her arm for Bain to pull her up, whispering a shy "Thank you."

At the same time, her peripheral vision caught that the guns held by several of the officers had lowered slightly, their attention diverted toward her. From her mouth, an ultrasonic frequency, inaudible to human ears, was emitted.

*Patta, patta, patta...*

The lights went out once again, but this time, it was not the doing of the police. Bain suddenly found himself staring into a pair of scarlet eyes.

"Ugh..."

Before he could make a sound, his mouth was covered. He felt a sharp pain in his arm, and within seconds, his mind began to drift into a daze.

*Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat...*

Before the officers in Lab 3 could react, the sound of police submachine gun fire erupted from outside.