The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

Whoosh!

The dagger pierced out like a venomous snake, but before that, Morian had already calmly turned his body to the side, causing the seemingly fatal attack to miss. He took several steps back, not in a hurry to launch a counterattack.

Seeing that his first attack missed, the man flicked his right hand and threw out his weapon.

The dagger twirled briefly in mid-air before being caught by the left hand and swung horizontally to the side.

Morian leaned back, and a cold glint flashed overhead, slicing across the wall.

*Crack!*

Dust and debris fell.

The relentless punches came one after another, but this time Morian didn't bother to dodge. He simply raised his arms to block and let the attacks fall.

Only when those slender fingers are loosely clenched into claws will they occasionally avoid its sharp edge.

In the brief exchange, he made a rough assessment of the man's strength.

They are faster and stronger than ordinary people, but that's about it.

Most importantly, the other party behaved nothing like a free agent, but rather like an enhanced ordinary person.

No matter how you look at it, this guy doesn't meet the standards of an "ancient species," since the strength of many species is determined by their lifespan.

The longest-living "first generation" naturally possesses the highest strength, followed by the "second generation" and other descendants.

While there are examples of people who catch up later in life, such individuals are ultimately a minority.

After silently assessing the situation, Morian suddenly clenched his fist and punched the other man's pale jaw.

Boom!

The impact caused the bald man to stagger backward, knocking over a wooden crate.

"Damn it!" The smile on the man's face instantly faded, and he touched his chin, which had been hit hard, and felt a sharp pain.

Not only that, but I even felt a little dizzy.

Only now did he fully realize that the opponent before him was significantly different from his previous prey.

Realizing this, the thought of backing down immediately arose.

Just then, without warning, Morian opened his mouth and let out a shrill scream.

"ah--!"

A piercing shriek rang out, but Charlotte beside him remained completely unaffected.

Instead, the man was struck dumb, frozen in place, and the silver dagger slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

When I regained consciousness, a fist suddenly loomed larger in my field of vision...

Boom!

The bald man staggered to the side after being hit, and before he could regain his balance, a hand like an iron clamp gripped the back of his neck.

Immediately afterwards, a tremendous force slammed his head against the wall.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

One, two...

The dull thud echoed through the alley.

Morian, without changing his expression, gripped the man's nape and slammed his face against the wall again and again, increasing the force with each strike.

For a moment, only a monotonous sound remained in the deep alley.

When he released his grip, the vampire who had committed multiple serial murders had already collapsed like a rag doll, lying motionless on the ground, unconscious.

Morian was stunned for a moment, not quite reacting.

Although the original intention was to capture him alive, this guy is far too weak and too easily defeated.

They're so weak they don't seem like vampires at all.

He had anticipated a fierce battle, and he had expected a fierce resistance from the other side, but he never imagined it would be this simple...

In the end, it turned out that I had overestimated the danger of this matter?

Morian looked up at Charlotte, who was still clutching the badge. The girl looked equally confused, the light reflecting on her face and revealing a bewilderment that didn't quite match her expression.

The two of them had the same idea.

Is that all?

"Is he... a vampire?"

Charlotte looked at the unconscious bald man, put away the glowing badge, and leaned closer to check on him.

"It should be the weakest kind," Morian said with a wry smile.

If the criteria of an ancient species are not met, not only will all the efforts of the past two days be wasted, but we will also have to search for another vampire.

After saying that, he quickly squatted down to check.

The man's face was smashed and bloodied, his nose collapsed, but fortunately he did not die, but fell into a baby-like sleep.

Judging from this state, without external stimulation, he won't wake up for at least a few hours.

His fangs were indeed sharper than those of ordinary people, as were his fingers and nails, which were long and sharp at the tips. Combined with his pale, bloodless skin, it was almost certain that he was a vampire.

Morian then picked up the fallen silver dagger. A faint glint of blood shimmered on the blade, and the hilt was engraved with some intricate patterns.

A silver weapon, containing no extraordinary elements.

"Did you see anything?" Charlotte leaned closer and asked, puzzled.

Morian shook his head:

"No, my limited understanding of vampires mostly comes from books."

There are also various movies... He thought to himself, but even if he said it out loud, the girl probably wouldn't understand.

The world had not yet developed a projector, and the only similar form of entertainment was theatrical performance.

"But this doesn't look like something that vampires would own."

"It's more like someone else gave it to him, isn't it?" Charlotte added at the opportune moment.

The two exchanged a glance and, without prior arrangement, came to the same conclusion.

"Sir, perhaps we can interrogate them to find out their true purpose?" she asked uncertainly.

"A good suggestion," Morian agreed with a smile. "But the interrogation can only be conducted here. Taking him out would be too conspicuous, and there's no guarantee he won't wake up during the interrogation."

Charlotte nodded and stepped back to make room for her.

Seeing this, Morian took out a piece of rope from his coat and quickly tied the vampire up.

This rope has been simply processed with alchemy, enough to bind some weak but extraordinary creatures, and it's effortless to use it to restrain the guy in front of me.

……

After an unknown amount of time, a violent thumping sensation roused the vampire from his unconsciousness.

Snapped!Snapped!

A sharp pain, accompanied by the force of the impact, shot through his cheek, and the pale-faced man slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing that catches the eye is a young face, both unfamiliar and strangely familiar, as if we had just met not long ago.

A moment later, memories flooded back, making him suddenly realize an undeniable fact.

I've been captured alive?!

As the thought arose, a strong sense of humiliation also surged forth.

The bald vampire instinctively tried to struggle, only to find himself already bound hand and foot.

Not only that, but something sharp seemed to be pressed against the skin of the throat.

Holding a short sword that emitted a soft glow, Morian coldly stared at the man before him.

He applied a little more force, making the "radiance" almost pierce into that pale skin, and asked coldly:

"I'll ask, you answer, understand?"

Upon hearing this, the bald vampire who was slumped on the ground twisted and turned as if he hadn't heard, trying to break free of his restraints.

Immediately, a piercing scream echoed in the confined space.

"ah--!"

The bald vampire looked down at his left hand, where his little finger should have been, now only a bloody stump remained.