Ye Wen’s words were naturally nonsense, and from the subsequent phenomena Claire revealed, Ye Wen could basically confirm that the so-called biting madman should be the vampire often appearing in the same novels or film/television works as the werewolf.

Tommy’s input confirmed Ye Wen’s guess: “His whole body was like a mummy, as if all the moisture had been sucked dry!” And as everyone knows, the part of the human body containing the most moisture is blood. However, one thing puzzled Ye Wen: although vampires in his memory were said to drink human blood, they didn't seem to be so ferocious as to suck people dry into mummies, right? Most of them showed no external abnormality; it was just that all the blood was sucked dry, not all the water.

“Could it be a vampire driven mad by hunger?”

Ye Wen couldn't be sure. He had only seen a werewolf once, and vampires were too far beyond his current understanding. Even if he had extensive novel knowledge, it didn't mean that real-life vampires had to be the same as those in fiction.

Besides these points, Ye Wen was even more curious about...

“Is your brother really named Chris Redfield?” What an amusing coincidence. A pair of siblings, the brother named Chris and the sister named Claire. This in itself was nothing unusual, as both are very common names, but the fact that they are siblings, and both share the surname Redfield—when all these details connected, it was hard for him not to think in that direction: “Too bad you aren’t red-haired; perhaps you could consider changing your hair color and tying it up in a ponytail…”

Claire’s expression became terrible. She shouted at Ye Wen in the passenger seat: “I’m not that magical girl riding the motorcycle, and I’ve never fought zombies! Stop forcibly imposing the image of a video game character onto me, okay?”

Ye Wen shrugged: “Fine! But I thought you might look even prettier that way!” Claire glanced at Ye Wen, then continued staring ahead: “Are you flirting with me?” Claire suddenly let out a cold laugh: “I remember one of the two girls in your apartment just now was your girlfriend, right?”

“No!” Ye Wen smiled: “She’s my wife!” “Aren’t you afraid I’ll go tell your wife?” Claire glanced at Ye Wen a few more times. She noticed this time Ye Wen was focused only on the outside of the car, his gaze fixed somewhere distant, a faint smile playing on his lips.

It was a smile stemming from the depths of his heart, like someone recalling the happiest moment of their entire life.

The car fell instantly silent. Only Tommy, sitting in the back seat, occasionally hummed a few notes, then a rapid series of rap lyrics burst from his mouth. No one knew what he was singing, but judging by the F- and B-starting words occasionally popping out, it certainly wasn't mainstream music.

Perhaps the sudden quiet environment made Claire notice the Black man sitting in the back seat of her car. The sight through the rearview mirror left Claire feeling helpless: “Can… can you please stop constantly holding that thing!” Tommy, still carrying the UPS, was nodding his head. After a moment, he realized the officer was speaking to him: “Hey, Officer! You guys are going to investigate a very terrifying incident; I must bring along something to ensure my personal safety! American law grants me this right, and I also have a concealed carry permit!” “American law does not permit civilians to carry automatic weapons; that thing in your hand is clearly contraband!” Claire felt a throbbing pain in her temples and began to doubt whether her choice had been right or wrong.

Tommy glanced at the UPS in his hand, finally shrugging: “Who cares?”

“I care!” Claire’s anger began to flare up. Perhaps Ye Wen’s gentle and harmless demeanor had made her forget that the person sitting next to her was an “extraordinary” individual.

“Alright, Tommy only needs to sit in the car later. As long as he doesn’t get out, no one will see him carrying that thing around, and you won’t get into any trouble either… Honestly, the moment you insisted on getting involved in this matter, it was destined that you would run into big trouble!” The car stopped. Claire stared at Ye Wen and said firmly: “I won’t regret it!” Then, she reassembled her Glock pistol, chambered a round, and got out of the car.

“Ooh~ Cool!” Ye Wen said to Tommy, who was whistling: “Wait in the car. If you see anyone with malicious intent approaching this car, just pop them with that thing in your hand!” Since it wasn't his car, he wasn't afraid of things escalating.

“I like that word. Don’t worry, if anyone has no eyes, I’ll definitely pop them!” Tommy seemed very excited now. The UPS he’d swiped from the men in black rattled loudly with the series of movements he performed, and then he held the gun, looking left and right.

Ye Wen got out of the car and caught up with Claire, who was waiting for him at the mouth of an alley. The two then walked into the pitch-black alley, whose interior was completely invisible from the outside.

The alley was cluttered with junk, which made the already severely limited field of vision even worse. Claire could only frown helplessly at the sight and began to walk forward slowly. After walking a while, she suddenly spoke to Ye Wen behind her: “The crime scene is up ahead!” As soon as she spoke, she saw Ye Wen’s expression turn solemn as he gestured for her to be silent, mouthing the word: “Someone!” Claire was astonished. She didn't understand how Ye Wen had spotted someone ahead, because that area required making another turn further in before anything could be seen, and their current position offered absolutely no view inside. Just as she was about to ask, she remembered Ye Wen’s strange methods: ...Maybe this guy sensed it through some other weird means! In reality, Ye Wen had simply relied on his powerful hearing to catch a subtle sound—a sound that, if he wasn’t mistaken, was caused by the slight friction of leather shoes against the ground. At the same time, Ye Wen vaguely sensed an energy fluctuation ahead. This fluctuation was different from the True Qi fluctuation he was familiar with; it gave him a feeling of warmth and sunlight.

The last time he dealt with those werewolves, Ye Wen noticed that due to the scarcity of Yuan Qi in this world, the strange and fierce aura emanating from those werewolves was extremely distinct. He could feel the strange energy contained within them even without opening his Domain.

Ye Wen guessed that perhaps because the general scarcity of Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi made the energy contained within these special humanoids with special abilities or bloodlines appear more obvious and prominent, like colored spots on a sheet of white paper—instantly noticeable.

Later, to confirm his judgment, Ye Wen specifically asked Hua Yi and Ning Ruxue. Their answers were similar, though the two women didn’t sense it as strongly, perhaps because the characteristics of his cultivation method made him more sensitive to such things.

The energy contained within the unknown body ahead gave Ye Wen a completely different feeling from the energy of the werewolf. If Ye Wen were to use a familiar term to describe this energy, the most fitting would be: Holy Light?

“Could it be a Paladin?”

Before he could move forward, Claire had already jumped out, gun raised, and shouted: “Stop right there, Muttering!” Ye Wen rubbed his forehead: “Please, use a different line!” Then he walked to Claire’s side, looked up into the even darker recess of the alley, and saw an unbelievably handsome man with a head of dark, curly hair standing there, watching the nervous Claire with an amused expression.

His relaxed posture suggested that Claire’s appearance didn't surprise him at all. The man raised a hand, revealing a smile so dazzling it could blind people: “Beautiful officer, please don't misunderstand; I am merely a tourist!” At that moment, Ye Wen appeared behind Claire. And in that instant, Ye Wen could clearly see the other man's pupils contract sharply the moment he materialized, his eyes scanning Ye Wen up and down in disbelief. It seemed Ye Wen's arrival was completely unexpected by him.

The two men sized each other up for a moment, completely oblivious to Claire, who had been implicitly ignored. She let out two cold laughs, pulling her attention back to herself: “A tourist? Touring a dark, dismal alley like this?” Finally, perhaps recalling Ye Wen’s earlier words about “European werewolves!” Claire pressed further: “European?”

“Italian!” The dark-haired, curly-haired man introduced himself gracefully: “My name is Alessandro Flores, from Rome, Italy! Beautiful officer, I am willing to offer a reasonable explanation for my actions, but could you please put away your weapon first?”

“I won’t put away my weapon until you provide a reasonable explanation!” Claire was unwilling to be so easily deceived, though deep down she wondered if the thing in her hand could even affect the man in front of her—if he really was the kind of monster Ye Wen had suggested.

Flores shrugged, adopting a look of helplessness: “Fine! Although I hate to say it, to prove I am not some suspicious character, I must confess the embarrassing thing I just did…”

Claire swallowed, her hands involuntarily gripping the Glock tighter.

“I… I had drunk far too much just now, and there was no public restroom nearby, so I had to find a secluded spot where no one could notice…”

“Alright, Mr. Alessandro Flores from Rome, let’s stop this clumsy joke. If this continues, we won’t reach a conclusion even if we talk until tomorrow!” Ye Wen, who had been watching from the sidelines, could no longer bear it. It seemed these guys were richly experienced in concealing their identities. If he let Claire confront him alone, who knew how long it would drag on.

“I want to know, you’ve been inspecting this area for so long, did you discover anything? A vampire? Or a werewolf?”

Flores’s expression shifted slightly, but overall he maintained his smiling demeanor: “Sir… have you had too much to drink?”

“Oh?” Ye Wen saw that this guy was the type who wouldn't confess until the coffin lid was closed. He knew that without presenting something concrete, he wouldn't get anything useful from him: “I didn’t want to say anything, but the energy radiating from you is as dazzling and eye-catching as a beacon in the dark; it’s impossible to ignore… Alternatively, Mr. Flores, could you explain why you ignored the warning sign placed right there and insisted on coming to the scene of a recent homicide to relieve yourself!” Since a murder had just occurred, it was normal to post a notice warning people not to enter such dark alleys at night. This Italian guy couldn’t possibly be blind enough to miss such a large sign.

“I told you… I drank a little too much!” Flores still wouldn’t admit it, but his expression began to turn serious, his gaze towards Ye Wen now filled with vigilance.

Seeing that the man refused to tell the truth, Ye Wen stopped wasting words. He simply waved his hand, and a white lotus formed in his palm. The lotus subtly revealed a hint of purple flowing light, enveloped by wisps of white smoke—it was the Heavenly Heart Lotus Ring, manifested using his White Cloud Pure Qi.

The White Cloud Smoke Qi is Yang-aligned, quite harmonious with the Heavenly Heart Lotus Ring technique. When manifested now, the overwhelming power emanating from the lotus made Flores’s eyes widen. He immediately retreated two steps, adopting a fighting stance: “An Eastern Cultivator? Is this thing what you call a Dharma Treasure?”

Ye Wen was surprised that his Qi was being mistaken for a Dharma Treasure, but he wasn't in the mood to explain. Holding the slowly rotating white lotus with one hand, he tilted his head: “I think, Mr. Flores, you are now interested in telling the truth!” He then pointed to Claire beside him: “If you don’t tell the truth now, this female officer will mistake you for a werewolf or a vampire and attack you…”

As he said this, Ye Wen maliciously added in his heart: “Although those attacks won’t have any effect... Oh wait, the only effect will be this female officer losing her life!” Flores looked at Ye Wen, then at the lotus in Ye Wen’s hand—the lotus was now spinning faster, and it faintly emitted a white radiance. In Flores’s understanding, this Dharma Treasure had already activated and was ready to launch a fierce attack on him at any moment.

He didn’t know the true power of this white flower-like object, but he could clearly feel the formidable might radiating from the lotus. Coupled with the fact that the other party seemed to share the same objective as him, he saw no reason to offend a powerful potential ally.

“Fine, fine! I’ll tell the truth. I am a Paladin from the European Holy See. I came here because I have a mission to execute!” “Paladin?” Claire was completely confused, then looked at Ye Wen.

Ignoring Claire, Ye Wen was focused on what mission this guy had: “Are you also here for the Nine Tripods like those werewolves?” Ye Wen looked Flores up and down one last time and asked: “What mission?”

“To track the Dark Mage Adam Mudrak and uncover whatever conspiracy he is planning; if possible, to execute him directly!” Flores hid nothing about his mission, perhaps having some agenda of his own in mind.

“Dark Mage?”

Ye Wen and Claire exchanged a look. This situation was somewhat beyond his expectation. He had initially assumed it was a crazed vampire, and he had come only to see if he could find any lingering traces of the murderer or any clues. He never expected the matter to involve a Dark Mage.

“Tell me, how is your European power structure distributed? Besides werewolves, vampires, and the Holy See, what else is there?” Ye Wen currently had very little knowledge of these forces lurking in the darkness. Since a Paladin had delivered himself to his doorstep, it would be foolish not to inquire thoroughly.

Flores didn't know what Ye Wen was plotting. He had heard that Eastern cultivators generally needed to start very young, but mastering powerful skills required many, many years—sometimes centuries of study.

And Eastern cultivators who focused solely on practice were rarely interested in outside affairs, so Flores was not surprised that Ye Wen was ignorant of European affairs.

“There isn’t much more. The so-called vampires and werewolves are one race; although vast, their influence is very complex. Dark Mages, however, are fallen humans who have dedicated their hearts and souls to demons. Everything they do causes tremendous panic and harm to humanity; they are a group that troubles us even more than werewolves and vampires.”

From Flores’s explanation, Ye Wen understood that the European power distribution was simple! While he still didn't know the internal workings of the Holy See, for now, he would treat it as one faction. Vampires and werewolves were one species, so perhaps there was internal conflict? The only surprise was the existence of Dark Mages, who seemed more like a collection of lone operators? But precisely because of this, they felt even harder to deal with.

Afterward, Flores gave a general overview of Mudrak and recounted his own recent discoveries.

“To put it simply, a madman researching black magic has come to America and is conducting a truly terrifying experiment! Is that correct?” Ye Wen moved his hands back and forth continuously; the faintly glowing white lotus flew between his hands like a ball. “Then, what kind of experiment is it?”

Flores took a deep breath and finally gave an answer that left Ye Wen stunned: “That evil fellow is trying to transform a normal human into a vampire using the power of magic…”

“If… if he succeeds, what benefit does he gain?” Ye Wen hadn’t expected this answer and found the guy's motive strange—was he just bored?

Flores, however, looked grim: “This way, he can become the patriarch of an entirely new vampire lineage, gaining infinite life while being able to expand his clan without limitation. In the end…” Flores took another deep breath: “He can make all humans his subjects!” “Good heavens! This guy has the textbook template of a Demon King! But the problem is, this old man isn't a Hero!” Ye Wen had zero interest in saving the world, but that didn't mean others felt the same way.

Claire beside him seemed completely oblivious to how dangerous this situation truly was. The female officer, bursting with a sense of justice, raised her fist and shouted: “We absolutely cannot let this evil guy succeed!” Flores raised his fist alongside her: “That’s right, we absolutely cannot let him succeed!” Ye Wen: “…”