Chapter 17
The unfinished Black Light Virus was even more brilliant in color. Lucius looked at the brilliant color and asked the System, "Are you sure this is real?"
In the end, the System only replied. [Please don't judge the item by its appearance.]
The System threw sarcastic remarks at him.
"Never mind." Lucius squeezed the glass vial with an injection needle in his hand, which held only a tenth of the ordinary dose from the Black Light virus. Just two injections would immediately expire the content. "Let the virus find their hosts first."
Lucius leaned against the wall outside the door and threw this glass tube with the injection needle into the sky.
"System…" with his word, a black light suddenly surrounded the glass vial. After that, two harmless-looking bees appeared in front of Lucius instead of the vial. Their abdomens bulged from carrying the destructive Black Light virus.
[Poison-carrying Stinging Bees]Summons bees from the underworld with the ability to suck up toxins from the outside world and convert them into their ability
Consuming Despair Points: 100.
"There's really a lot of good stuff in the Underworld."
Lucius made use of the System's power to skip the troublesome injection process to these bees. So he didn't have to do it himself. If Lucius stabbed a thick syringe into Yuri's body, all disguised effort would be in vain. So, Lucius chose a discreet way.
There were a lot of bees in Wenhan City, even in winter. Sometimes a few of them flew inside houses. No one would suspect such tiny bees would contain something dangerous inside their body.
The two Poison Bees were under Lucius' sole control. But they still had their fierce and vigilant instinct. After Lucius returned to the room, the two stinging bees followed. As soon as he gave the attack order, the two bees immediately rushed to attack.
But to his surprise, the first target the stinging bees sought wasn't Yuri. Instead, it didn't hesitate to sting the young American man in front of Yuri, the other one also behaved the same. All bee species could sting once in their lifetime, just once, and they will die. After the first disobedient bee attacked the young man's neck, Lucius immediately ordered it to sting Yuri's neck.
"Huh?"
"It hurts…"
The scream of the American-born young man was simultaneous with Yuri's cry of pain. The bodies of the two bees fell to their feet. They had done their job.
[System, why won't these two summoned creatures listen to me?]Lucius was deeply concerned about what had just happened! If he hadn't stopped it in time, the unfinished Black Light Virus, which had the price five times higher than the ordinary virus, would be wasted on the man's body. Then he would lose his plan to wipe out the Exorcist Squad!
[The host's control over the summoned creature is absolute. But just now, the host's command was too vague. So the summoned creature chose to attack whom the virus in their body desired the most to infect.]The one… that the virus in their body craved the most?
Lucius carefully inspected the young American man wearing a black jacket with white lines and a gray sweatshirt with a hood. There's absolutely nothing special about him. He wasn't an Esper or Exorcist, so why did it happen? Lucius questioned himself.
"It's just ordinary bees…" Lucius walked up to the two confused men. Yuri was holding his wound. Lucius then took out a band-aid from his pocket and handed it to Yuri. "Bee is not common in this season, Mr. Exorcist. If it still hurts, please take this!"
"Ah… yes…" Yuri, after receiving the band-aid from Lucius, stared blankly at Lucius. He was a really gentle person. His gentle smile made Yuri flustered and lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Lucius. This was the first time he was treated by someone else when he was hurt.
"Is everything okay?" Lucius gave another sheet of Band-Aid to the young man's sister, Dana.
"Whew, thanks a lot!" Dana received the band-aid and went to care for her brother's injuries.
Lucius glanced at the young man, who showed no signs of turning into a zombie. Was it the real unfinished Black Light virus? It takes so long to even infect a normal human…what part of this human does the Black Light virus-like? But Lucius lost his interest after looking at them. These guys won't survive long.
The day will come when he will need his full strength! Lucius watched as the stiff purple skin radiating from Yuri's back disappeared. The Black Light virus was now dormant inside his body. The seeds of despair had been planted, waiting to take root and sprout! What Lucius was going to do next was to add a little ‘catalyst' to make the seeds sprout even faster!
"What's wrong, Mr. Exorcist?"
Lucius realized that Yuri had been staring at him. Did he figure it out?
"Ah… it's nothing." Yuri tore off the band-aid and put it on his wound after he took a long breath.
It's almost time. The night was the vampire's reign, the day was the human's time to walk the Earth. It's the perfect time to hunt down vampires after the sun rises.
"Um… About that… "Yuri seemed to have remembered something and wanted to continue talking to Lucius. But suddenly.
Boom!
Crash!
Suddenly, a sound of shattered glass was heard above the balcony. The silver-haired girl looked at Stein and just shook her head before turning around and walking into the room.
"Oh captain, won't you even tell me your name? Am I not qualified enough or…"
"Mission comes first." She pointed at the rising sun, ignoring Stein.
"…….."
Stein's shortsword slashed the balcony as a way to vent his anger. Looking at his back, he suddenly put up a malicious smile.
"Yuri!"
Hearing Stein's cred out his name, Yuri hurriedly got up from the couch and ran out onto the balcony, looking at him in deference. Stein was still smiling, and the view of the sunrise behind him gave Yuri a sense of peace.
But in the next moment, Stein raised his hand to slap Yuri hard on his face. The impact caused his body to fall to the ground, blood spilling out of the corner of his mouth and leaving a bit of blood down his cheek. Yuri fell to the ground, without resisting, and looked fearfully at Stein standing before him.
"Now… it's not the time for a break, right?"
Stein's narrowed eyes opened a little, revealing yellow eyes just like those of a beast. It felt like a sword was pressed against your neck.
"Little Yuri, as a cleric, I'll be troubled if you get too close to those commoners and forget your duty. You're so weak, you're not good enough to qualify as a hero."
Yuri covered his beaten and swollen face, not daring to look directly at Stein, his eyes kept darting into the room.
I'm not a hero…not a good exorcist. I'm… a burden. I am too proud of myself. All eyes were on Yuri's body, making Yuri felt as if a thousand needles were piercing him.
He was just a clown. That silver-haired girl never even looked back at Yuri. Of course, he was still too weak. Yuri gritted his teeth if he were stronger… if only he were stronger.
A shortsword was pointed in front of his face.
"The look in your eyes was disrespectful to God. That's not something a qualified cleric should show, right?"
Stein was aware of the look in Yuri's eyes. He had succumbed and faltered.
"I…"
But in the next second, Stein kicked Yuri in the chest, Yuri's body flew backward and fell into the room. With his usual smile on his face, Stein looked at Yuri, who had fallen to the floor.
"Have you forgotten what I used to teach you? What should we do now? I'll get angry if you forget it." Stein swung his sword and stared at Yuri, who was struggling to get up.
"No… Mr. Stein… "Yuri covered his chest, where he had just been kicked. The pain was unbearable, but he had to endure it! If he showed any discontent, the man would continue to torment him. Yuri was powerless and could only endure.
Powerless…
In a trance, Yuri felt his heart beating violently, and a scarlet light crossed his eyes. What… was this feeling? Yuri didn't understand the dangerous thought that had just flashed through his mind for a moment. Jill Stein…
Is that possible? No, it's impossible…
Yuri shook his head.
He stood up and walked over to the dead woman's body and began examining her wounds with special means to determine the direction of the attacker's escape route.
Just like an obedient dog. Lucius smirked at the scene. The seeds he had planted were now sprouting. Lucius was looking forward to the moment where the flower bloomed.
But on the other side, Stein noticed Lucius' suspicious smirk.
"Civilian…"
"Mr. Stein!" At this moment, Yuri, however, suddenly spoke out, "I've found the clue. The vampire is nearby! We can still catch up if we leave now."
"Really? Well done, little Yuri. You're qualified as a loyal dog. It's about time we go hunting that creature that tainted God's glory. Everyone follow me. And don't get separated! I won't guarantee your safety."
Stein retracted his intention to tease Lucius after being interrupted and headed out the door with the silver-haired girl.
"Whew…" Yuri breathed a sigh of relief as if he was relieved to have saved Lucius' life.
Yuri could still Lucius' kindness, he touched the band-aid on the back of his neck.
"That…" just as he was about to continue his conversation with Lucius, he was stunned. Lucius turned around and followed Stein's lead without even looking at Yuri, just like a stranger.
Dana held hands with her brother and followed Stein. Leaving Yuri alone in the room.
This is the reality.
The reality…
Of a powerless man.
In this cruel world.
With no companion, abandoned and forgotten…
Deep down, Yuri understood, it's only natural for both of them to follow someone strong that could protect them. Like Stein.
Whereas he was a bottomfeeder, useless. Yuri already knew the reality, but tears couldn't stop falling from the corner of Yuri's eyes.
‘Do you want power?' The eerie, seductive voice kept echoing inside his mind.
Yuri lifted his head to scan the room…and found no one there. Now was not the time to think of such strange things.
He wiped off his tears and followed the team. Obediently walked at the end of the line, not daring to talk with the others.
And Lucius?
He bit his lip hard, to the point he almost bled his lips. Just because he tried his best to hide his excitement inside.
The next thing that would happen, when Yuri's fear converted into hatred, would be the day this squad disappeared from this world!