Lord of Cinder in American Comics

The base had already been mobilized, and military equipment was being driven out of the base one after another.

In order to counter vampires, all vehicles have been modified to have no external firing positions, so that all soldiers can fire from inside the vehicles.

But this is only a temporary solution; the soldiers will still need to disembark and clear out the buildings later.

The convoy departed from the base. Without knowing Blade's exact location, they could only proceed by clearing the area one by one, following the locations provided by Martha.

Today, New York residents witnessed something novel: armed vehicles painted with unfamiliar departmental insignia pulled up in front of a bar.

The vampires at the entrance tried to stop them, but as underlings of the vampires, they were already utterly unrestrained. No matter who they were, anyone who entered the bar would not leave alive. The vampires had given them the courage to repeatedly confront law enforcement.

However, this time the Ha Gui tribe's plan was thwarted. Several armed men got out of the vehicle and shone ultraviolet searchlights at them.

"Hagui Clan, take control."

A brief order was given from the squad leader, and two Taser guns struck the two guards at the gate. They convulsed and collapsed in front of the soldiers from the electric shock.

They bound the men together with cable ties to prevent them from doing anything else. As the lead assault team, the soldiers began their attack.

A breaching grenade exploded directly on the bar's main door, shattering the two massive solid wood doors into fragments that sprayed into the bar's interior.

Shrapnel doesn't care if it's metal or wood; as long as it's fast enough, it can even pierce a human body, even if it's just a noodle.

Inside the bar, which had been struck by shards of debris, came a series of wails and screams.

Some clever vampires, realizing the situation, began to call upon other vampires to take up advantageous positions, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to those who entered.

However, after waiting for a long time, they only saw two round projectiles thrown in, which they guessed were grenades. The fearless vampires didn't care about the damage from such weapons; at worst, they would only feel a little pain.

However, once the two round objects stopped rotating, they extended four tiny claws, fixing themselves to the ground, while a bright lamp head emerged from them.

All of this was completed in just one second; the lamp head extended, and purple light instantly filled the entire room.

All vampires exposed to ultraviolet rays wailed as they burned from their exposed skin until they turned to ashes.

The purple light emitted by these ultraviolet lamps remained, providing cover for the soldiers entering through the door.

"Prepare to drop the garlic extract bomb."

Upon receiving the order, the soldier at the very back took several bombs from the backpack of his comrade in front of him, pulled the pin, and threw them out.

These garlic bombs, like smoke bombs, release the garlic extract into the air within seconds.

Those vampires who had initially hidden behind the bar and other cover, cautious and timid, were now truly unable to bear the pervasive garlic smoke.

Seeing the various sizes of blisters constantly appearing on their bodies due to the stimulation of garlic essence, these vampires couldn't bear the pain and rolled on the ground trying to alleviate the sensation.

If they show themselves, they'll be exposed to ultraviolet rays; if they hide, they'll be harmed by garlic smoke. These vampires are truly experiencing what it means to be caught in a dilemma.

Just as they were howling and rolling on the ground, the soldiers who heard the noise raised their weapons.

Whether Ash taught them or the soldiers learned it on their own, almost everyone had fully automatic, high-capacity, rapid-fire weapons. Those who didn't get a light machine gun could only try water-spraying attacks with their rifles and drum magazines.

If accuracy is lacking, they make up for it with ammunition. These soldiers really don't skimp on Ash's resources. A vampire, looking at the hundreds of wounds on its body, turned to ashes in resentment.

"Clear, safe confirmed!"

After the squad leader confirmed that the environment was safe, he reported the situation on the scene into his headset. After that, Ash walked in from outside.

It's safe to say that after those few minutes of fighting, no ordinary vampire could have survived. However, according to Whistler's intelligence, every vampire bar has a blood bank to store humans as a reserve food for the vampire trash.

Ash scanned the area but couldn't find anything there. There wasn't even a trace of human presence or soul.

Something's fishy going on. We need to clear out other vampire territories to find out what's going on, and we must capture a member of the cult to question them.

Back in the command vehicle, Ash relays the situation to the Ghost in charge, instructing him to handle the matter. However, there's a commotion outside Ash's command vehicle.

The operation was originally a hasty action taken in a moment of urgency. The purpose of clearing out this kind of place was to reduce the vampires' territory. No roadblocks were set up beforehand. It is human nature to watch the excitement, so some citizens stood outside the police line to observe.

But why would anyone be foolish enough to charge into the army's blockade line? Isn't that just suicidal?

However, these soldiers strictly followed Ash's pre-battle orders, using ultraviolet searchlights to identify everyone around them. Those who were not vampires were dealt with using Taser guns. Of course, they would later be transferred to the District Attorney's office and prosecuted for crimes against humanity.

Amid the chaos, Ash vaguely heard something like, "Taser guns are ineffective! We can't hit them effectively."

NY is truly a place where hidden talents abound; you can encounter anyone who can overwhelm even well-trained soldiers.

Ash got out of the command vehicle and looked in the direction of the riot. A man who was clearly of Chinese descent was running, jumping and leaping among the soldiers, dodging each of their attempts to capture him with agility but a stiff demeanor.

While evading arrest, the Chinese man saw Ash in person and shouted, "Hey, over here! I need to talk to you. Mr. Clark Davelin is looking for you!"

Davey, the director of the Bureau of Investigation, was the one who led Forborough's agents to build the first line of defense on the east side of Long Island during the dimensional invasion incident.

At the subsequent seminar on the establishment of the Bureau of Control, this former ally did not appear, but only sent his subordinate Russell as an assistant.

It's worth noting that fewer than thirty people in the world know the real name of the Director of the Bureau of Investigation. And now, a complete stranger of Chinese descent can actually name Davey.

This is getting more and more interesting. The soldiers stopped their arrest and let in this uninvited guest who had broken into the blockade.

“Uh, hi, I’m Mr. Defferin’s driver. My name is Jimmy Don, you can call me Jimmy. Mr. Defferin was in a car accident and he’s in the hospital right now. He only barely woke up yesterday, and he sent me to find you as soon as he woke up…”

Jimmy rattled off the above words in one breath, somewhat awkwardly, and waited anxiously for Ash's response.

Ash looked at Jimmy's well-fitting black suit, which was clearly part of the same series as Davelin's. Even his subordinate Russell didn't have this kind of gear, and could only embezzle public funds to do so-called private customization.

"You're Davey's driver? And you're even wearing his tuxedo?"

"Yes, this was given to me by Mr. Davelin before he fell into a coma after the car accident."

Jimmy explained the origin of his painting and showed Ash the wristwatch on his wrist, which was the controller for the entire tuxedo.

Which hospital is he in now?

"At the Long Island Jewish Medical Center."

Ash was somewhat surprised when Jimmy mentioned the name, as the hospital belonged to Northwell Health Center and was part of NY's largest healthcare system.

This hospital handles most of the public healthcare needs, and all the doctors and nurses are working non-stop. Considering that Davelin hadn't been seen since the Control Bureau meeting, Ash could imagine what Davelin's situation was like at this hospital.

However, judging from Jimmy's condition, he definitely doesn't have the money to transfer Davelyn to another hospital. Davelyn is probably in some corner of the emergency room observation ward right now, with doctors only coming to check on him occasionally.

"Jimmy, right? Get in the car and take me to see Davelyn."

Ash opened the door of the command vehicle and pointed to the back seat, indicating for Jimmy to get in.

Since he was leaving, he had to hand over command of the operation. As the former vice-captain of 141 and one of the most capable fighters in the entire Call of Duty series, he was the best candidate.

But Ghost has one downside: he always follows the mission procedures strictly. When faced with situations requiring improvisation, he's slower and thinks less than the old smoker.

However, the primary task now is to clear these locations occupied by vampires, find out their headquarters location, and locate Blade.

Even with characters like Wolverine Logan and Gunslinger Roland who are both tanky and powerful, Ash still felt that having an extra layer of insurance would be safer.

Ash found Swagger, who hadn't appeared in several chapters, and handed him a gleaming bullet in front of him.

“This bullet has been blessed by the Holy Light for decades. It’s a last resort, Swag. Just in case, it’s up to you.”

Before Swag could react, Ash threw the bullets that had been tricked by the Holy Light to Swag and urged the driver to leave.

Silently making the sign of the cross in her heart, and thinking of the paladins in Azeroth who had been misled by the Holy Light, Ash silently prayed, "My friends, may the Holy Light deceive you!"

Chapter 181: Darkness Under the Lamp

In the hospital, the situation was not much different from what Ash had expected. Davelin was indeed in the observation room of the emergency room, occupying a bed but nothing else.

Fortunately, the command vehicle was escorted by a small combat unit, and under the threat of guns and uniforms, the area was quickly cleared.

“Jimmy, can you turn around? I need to ask him something.”

Ash spoke to Jimmy, who was standing by the bed. Although Jimmy was very curious about how Ash was going to question someone who was obviously unconscious, he obediently turned his back.

A miraculous light belonging to the Church of Kalim appeared in Ash's hand. This kind of miracle, which teaches without discrimination, was perfect for an agent like Davelin who did the dirty work.

In the milky white light, Davelin, who had been unconscious for an unknown period of time, finally regained consciousness.

Ash had observed the movement of Davelin's eyeballs under his eyelids, but he couldn't see Davelin open his eyes.

"Alright, it's me. Now that you're awake, open your eyes. There's no one else here."

Upon hearing Ash's words, Davelin slowly opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.

Moving a short distance towards the headboard, Davelyn leaned against it and asked, "How long have I been unconscious?"

Ash pointed at Jimmy, who had turned away and was listening intently to the conversation, and said, "I don't know! It wasn't until today that your little brother found me, and that was only because of his reckless act of breaking through the military blockade."

Seeing Jimmy's ears twitching as he tried to stay upright but kept turning around to hear the gossip, Ash said helplessly, "Alright Jimmy, you can turn around now. Davelyn has something to ask you."

"Mr. Davelin has been in a coma for thirty-two days, up to today."

Jimmy has been counting the days since the day of the car accident until today.

When Defferin saw Jimmy's clothes, he asked, "Jimmy, are you wearing my clothes?"

Upon hearing Davelin's question, Jimmy was somewhat embarrassed and at a loss for words. He lowered his head and said, "Yes, Mr. Davelin, I'll take it off and return it to you right away."

"No, Jimmy, do you remember what I told you? The remaining ten percent is in your heart. I left a matching outfit in your closet. Can you bring it to me?"

Jimmy Tang, upon hearing Davelin's words, said with delight, "Okay, Mr. Davelin, I'll bring it to you right away. Don't worry, I drive very fast."

After saying that, Jimmy rushed out the door, causing quite a commotion at the hospital.

"You just gave it to him like that? You know Lasseter has been eyeing your gear for ages."

Ash's words were full of sarcasm. When he heard Ash defend Russell, Davelyn smiled and shook his head, saying, "I gave Russell a set, but he's always kept it hidden and never wears it."

After saying that, Deaverin asked Ash in a serious voice, "Ash, I've found out something big. Do you know about vampires?"

Vampires? Aren't those the things Ash is cleaning up? Why is Davelyn mentioning them again?

"I found out that a group of vampires, with their Hag tribe underlings, are planning to release some kind of virus into drinking water, but I haven't found out the reason why."

Upon hearing Davelin's intelligence, Ash was somewhat confused. Release a virus? Wasn't it supposed to be summoning the Blood God? How come this contradicts his own intelligence?

"You mean, the vampires are planning to put a virus in the drinking water?"

Seeing Ash's uncertain skepticism, Davelin hurriedly explained, "Yes, they bypassed the CDC's detection system and used water striders to release them at the end..."

Deaverin's eager explanation prompted Ash to interrupt him, saying, "Stop, I understand what you mean, but my message is that the vampires are preparing to use their vampire bible, the Book of Erebus, to summon the Blood God..."

Ash briefed Davelin on what he had discovered, and after exchanging information, they found that the other side's intelligence was completely different from their own.

The only point of intersection between these two matters is that the subjects of the investigation are vampires.

"And I've reached the final stage; the vampire may have obtained the last fragment to summon the Blood God."

After explaining her actions to Davelyn, Ash wondered if she, too, had forgotten something.