As soon as the words left his mouth, Messy Hair's expression froze for a moment. He seemingly hadn't expected Daniel to speak so disrespectfully.
Although the Werewolf Race revered strength, under such a system of customs, each Wolf King ruled with an iron fist and would never tolerate insubordination from his subjects.
Messy Hair's eye twitched for a moment before he gritted his teeth and said:
"You must have a death wish. I—"
Before he could finish, the ground suddenly shook beneath everyone's feet!
It felt like an earthquake, the entire foundation of the research institute trembling unsteadily.
Daniel reflexively grabbed Qin Huaibei's arm to steady himself, cursing under his breath before saying:
"An earthquake?"
Chloe's hand remained steady as a rock. Even during such violent shaking, the dagger in her grip hadn't accidentally grazed Messy Hair.
She extended her senses to the outskirts of the research institute and saw a sea of people.
Chloe was very familiar with these individuals—they were the Vampire Royal Guards!
Chloe withdrew her senses, the corners of her lips curling up slightly.
She gestured for Qin Huaibei to come help untie Katherine's ropes:
"My father's here. I don't think you'll be able to hold out much longer."
"Let's make a deal. Give me the eye medicine, and I promise the people outside won't harm a hair on your head."
Just as she finished speaking, the outer wall of the research institute was blasted open by artillery fire, creating a gaping hole. Through the opening, one could see the lush green trees outside the institute.
Large swathes of Werewolf territory lay within dense forests. While their technology was advanced, the environment remained primitive.
The shouts of Vampire soldiers could be heard from outside.
Chloe estimated that it wouldn't be long before Xavier made his way up.
That would make things much easier for her.
With this thought, she loosened her grip on Messy Hair slightly.
But this small relaxation gave Messy Hair the opening he needed.
In a blur of motion, a thin needle shot out from a corner, embedding itself precisely into Chloe's skin!
Chloe's hand, which had just loosened slightly, instantly tightened again. She sensed something was amiss and slowly reached for her arm.
Just now...
Before she could finish the thought, Qin Huaibei and Daniel rushed over.
Qin Huaibei kicked Messy Hair, slamming him hard to the ground, then followed up with several punches. Meanwhile, Daniel grabbed Chloe's arm, anxiously examining it.
"Are you... are you alright? I saw earlier, there was a needle, do you feel dizzy?"
It took Chloe a moment to react.
She instinctively covered her arm. "I'm fine."
As she spoke, Chloe looked down and noticed an extremely tiny needle mark on her arm, barely visible to the naked eye. Fortunately, Chloe had used her heightened senses to detect it.
With this realization, Chloe suddenly jolted, discovering that she could see again.
She blinked, staring at Daniel in front of her for a good while, until he began to feel uncomfortable. Finally, she murmured:
"I can see now. Could this have been the antidote for my eyes?"
As soon as she spoke, Messy Hair's voice came from beside her:
"No... how is that possible!"
Hearing this, Chloe immediately turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing:
"Not possible? What's not possible?"
Messy Hair trembled all over, as if he had seen something terribly frightening. In the end, he desperately tried to break free from Chloe's grip.
Chloe, thoroughly annoyed, finally knocked him unconscious with a chop to the neck and hoisted him onto her shoulder.
At the same time, the Vampire soldiers had climbed up the exterior of the research institute.
Xavier appeared outside the wall, his wings spread. His eyes immediately locked onto Chloe with the person slung over her shoulder. He was about to walk over when he saw Chloe quicken her pace and run towards him.
Seeing this, Xavier stopped and waited for Chloe to reach him.
As soon as she was close, Chloe raised her arm to show Xavier:
"They injected me with something."
Upon hearing this, Xavier's pupils constricted sharply.
Chloe couldn't clearly remember what happened next.
Her vision began to blur again, and her head started to spin.
In her hazy state, Chloe thought she heard an angry roar:
"Get the young miss back home! Quickly!"
...
Silence.
Chloe found the quietness of this place somewhat frightening.
She found herself once again in a void, surrounded by a sea of white, unable to hear any sound.
She couldn't even hear the sound of her own movements.
It was just too quiet here.
Chloe felt a bit irritated, knowing that she must have fallen into unconsciousness again. How else could she end up in such a situation?
The last time she dreamed of a deity taking a snake from her chest, it was in a similar environment.
Chloe waited and waited, almost dozing off, when finally a disturbance came from the distance.
She forced her eyes open, looking at what appeared before her.
It was a snake, a venomous one.
It had a triangular head, vibrant patterns, and was about the length of Chloe's arm.
"A venomous snake?" Chloe murmured to herself, then, as if possessed, reached out a hand towards it.
The venomous snake didn't come empty-handed; it held an apple in its mouth.
The apple was a very rich red color, of excellent quality. Seeing the outstretched hand before it, the snake slithered up Chloe's arm, then continued along her arm to her neck.
The snake's cold scales grazed Chloe's bare neck, occasionally sending a chill through her.
It was a bit itchy, but tolerable.
Chloe didn't make any sudden movements.
The snake coiled around her neck once, then touched the apple to Chloe's lips. Only then did she stir slightly.
After a moment's consideration, Chloe opened her mouth and bit into the apple.
But she didn't swallow, just held it between her teeth.
After all, it was something brought by a venomous snake, not to be consumed lightly.
Seeing Chloe accept its offering, the snake was visibly pleased.
Its slender, red forked tongue flicked in and out, making a hissing sound tinged with excitement.
Then it extended its cold tongue and licked Chloe's face twice.
Chloe felt uncomfortable and tentatively tried to pull the snake off her.
She succeeded.
The moment the snake was pulled away, Chloe awoke from this bizarre dream.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a white ceiling.
Chloe was stunned for a moment, then struggled to sit up in bed.
Here at the Ancestors' Manor, Chloe recognized this room. She had been here before when she had her medical examination.
Chloe vaguely sensed something wasn't quite right around her. Looking down, she discovered a familiar figure keeping vigil by her bedside.
She was momentarily surprised:
"...Anderson?"
In the past, if Chloe had called out like this, Anderson would have surely awakened.
But not this time.
Chloe's brow furrowed slightly as she leaned closer to Anderson, quickly noticing that his complexion seemed unusually pale.
She turned her gaze around the room, and sure enough, spotted specialized blood-drawing equipment.
Chloe pressed her lips together in a thin line.
