第80章：吸血绑架达汕 黑汀

The beauty has departed, leaving only her graceful silhouette behind. Lin Xiao felt an inexplicable emptiness in his heart, his mood suddenly plummeting, and he wished he could rush out and pull back that witch. In truth, he didn’t mind Zoe’s level of mastery—in fact, due to certain selfish motives, he even hoped she wouldn’t invite another witch to come. Unfortunately, Zoe was decisive and left without a word, giving him no chance to persuade her otherwise.

Number Eleven didn’t understand his feelings; she ran up excitedly to boast, describing her learning process. According to Zoe, the Phantom Shift spell could only be performed by intermediate witches, which meant Number Eleven had now officially stepped into that rank, becoming a figure comparable to a vampire marquis.

In just a few days, her advancement had been astonishing. On one hand, Zoe’s guidance was certainly effective; on the other, Number Eleven had always lacked systematic training, preventing her potential from being fully realized. This time, under Zoe’s tutelage, her abilities blossomed, and her progress soared. Zoe was likely startled by her rapid improvement, prompting her to report the situation and request a more advanced witch as a teacher.

Lin Xiao felt both joy and worry about this outcome; a faint melancholy welled up within him as he grew concerned for Zoe’s safety, fearing she might encounter danger. This strange sensation was something he’d never experienced before.

Was this the taste of love? Or merely the pain of unrequited affection, much like Barbara’s feelings for him?

Joey invited Dustin to stay for dinner, but not having secured the right to host the party, this friend was furious and refused to remain, insisting on cycling home alone. Lin Xiao intended to see him off, but Number Eleven clung to him, eager to display her newly acquired skills, so he let Dustin go by himself. Dustin was just an ordinary boy; there shouldn’t be any danger.

Murphy’s Law, rule number one: never underestimate your own jinx—bad omens come true, good ones rarely do.

While they were dining, the phone in the living room suddenly rang. Joey ran to answer it, and upon hearing the caller, her expression changed dramatically.

“No, he left half an hour ago—how could he not have arrived home yet?” Joey said anxiously. Lin Xiao’s heart skipped a beat, sensing something was wrong; from Joey’s tone, the call was likely from Dustin’s family.

“Please don’t worry, Mrs. Matalov. Dustin may have been delayed on the way; he’ll be home soon, so try not to panic.” Joey forced herself to sound calm as she reassured the caller. Lin Xiao immediately understood: Dustin was in trouble.

He looked at Number Eleven, who nodded, closed her eyes, and began searching for Dustin’s whereabouts. After a moment, she opened her eyes again, anxiety written across her face.

“I can’t find him. Once again, I’ve lost track of where he is.”

After all she’d been through, she was no longer as helpless as before, nor overly nervous. Perhaps it was also because her relationship with Dustin wasn’t as close as with Michael.

Lin Xiao remained silent in contemplation. Though Dustin was close to them, he was just an ordinary person. Even if someone captured him, it would hardly threaten them—who would be so bored as to target a child with such intention?

Lucien the werewolf? He doubted it. Nick had mentioned that although Lucien was brutal, he wouldn’t go so far as to attack a child. After all, he was a leader of his kind—he possessed at least that much dignity.

As for Mind Flayers, it didn’t seem likely either. If they were around, Will would sense them. Excluding those two, only one answer remained.

Dermont the vampire.

Don’t be fooled by his talk of noble spirit; in reality, those who speak most of noble values are often the most shameless and unscrupulous, bound by no taboo—a fact well documented throughout history.

“Dustin hasn’t come home. His mother called, damn it—something’s happened again.” Joey said angrily, slapping the table. Just when life was improving and everything was settling into place, their peace was shattered once more, trouble arising.

“Mom, don’t worry. Dustin might not be in trouble—maybe he’s playing on the way, or visiting Michael and the others at the hospital.” Though he knew things were dire, Lin Xiao didn’t reveal the truth, not wanting Joey to be frightened.

Hearing this, Joey gradually calmed down. Police Chief Hope added, “Let’s wait a bit longer. If Dustin hasn’t returned in ten minutes, I’ll immediately send out a search party.”

Before he finished speaking, the phone rang again. Without hesitation, Lin Xiao darted from the dining room and answered in the living room.

“Hello, who is this?”

“Hello, have you forgotten me, Mr. Byers? Your lightning strike last time still aches at my wound—I’ve been ‘thinking’ of you.”

Dermont the vampire!

Lin Xiao thought, as expected—it was Dermont, a so-called noble vampire.

“You’re going to tell me you’ve captured someone dear to us and want to negotiate terms. Go on—what’s your demand?” Lin Xiao lowered his voice. Joey and the others emerged, worried, standing nearby.

“Mr. Byers, you’re refreshingly direct—I enjoy dealing with people like you. Simple: I want your blood, as much as possible. Satisfy me, and I’ll release your little friend; otherwise, he’ll take your place as tonight’s feast. Children’s blood tastes quite delightful, you know.”

“Jonathan, help me!”

Dustin’s voice came through the receiver, sounding once before abruptly cutting off—clearly, the phone was snatched away.

“Did you hear that? I know you aren’t particularly close, so you wouldn’t risk your life for him. All I want is your blood—at least a thousand milliliters. For every milliliter less, I’ll make up for it with this brat.”

Dermont’s voice sounded again. He was no fool; he understood simply capturing someone wouldn’t threaten Lin Xiao, so he set his demand at a level Lin Xiao would accept.

A thousand milliliters of blood wasn’t a major problem for Lin Xiao now—he’d just feel a bit dizzy, nothing serious. But this was not about the quantity; it was something much more grave. What was Dermont really after?

“When and where?” Lin Xiao asked calmly, his mind racing for a solution. He could not simply comply.

Growing up watching countless films and dramas, he understood one principle:

Never negotiate with villains—their appetite is never satisfied.

The best method is to turn villains into corpses, for corpses never make demands.

“Tonight at eight, the ferry landing north of Campus Lake. I don’t like people being late, so you’d better be on time. And don’t draw the blood too early—the taste suffers the longer it sits.”

Dermont laughed heartily and hung up.

“What happened, Jonathan? Who was that?” Joey hurried over to ask. Lin Xiao knew he couldn’t hide the truth, but he didn’t reveal everything—instead, he said someone had abducted Dustin and was demanding money for his release.

Chief Hope’s eyes narrowed; with his experience, he didn’t believe Lin Xiao’s explanation. It couldn’t be so simple.

He didn’t press the issue, understanding Jonathan didn’t want Joey to worry. He too hoped Joey wouldn’t be frightened—whatever happened, let the men handle it.

Joey was about to call Dustin’s mother to inform her, but Lin Xiao asked her to wait. If Mrs. Matalov called again, Joey should say Dustin and Will had gone to the hospital to visit Michael, and Lin Xiao would bring him home.

Then Lin Xiao summoned Number Eleven upstairs, instructing her to protect Joey and the others at home, lest Dermont try a diversion and target them—a disaster if that happened. He also told her to stay in contact at all times; if he was outmatched or something happened, she was to use the Phantom Shift spell immediately to come to his aid.

He couldn’t help but feel immensely relieved—Number Eleven’s new skill had come at just the right time. With this ability, her mobility had greatly increased, finally allowing her to share some of his burdens.