Chapter 1727: Talk It Out The tension in the room snapped as the rest of the vampires began rushing down the stairs. Some of them didn’t even bother with the steps, leaping through the jagged remains of the shattered glass balcony to land on the main floor with heavy thuds. They moved with a predatory hunger, their eyes locked onto the three intruders standing in the center of the control room. Even the vampire that Olivia had smashed onto the ground with her whip was struggling back to his feet. He snarled, baring his fangs, though the way he winced and clutched his side showed he was in a significant amount of pain. The Howler group stood their ground, looking at the circle closing around them. They were ready to transform at a moment’s notice, their muscles tensing for a bloody brawl, until a new presence entered the room. A man who was bulkier and broader-shouldered than the others began to descend the steps with a slow, measured pace. “Would you guys not rush so much into the situation?” his voice rang out, calm yet carrying an undeniable authority. In the middle of the standoff, one of the younger vampires—far too focused on the enemies in front of him and fueled by the scent of fresh blood—couldn’t help himself. He let out a hiss and leapt forward, claws extended. The man walking down the steps, his dirty blonde hair falling down past his shoulders, didn’t even break his stride. He simply flicked his finger toward the leaping vampire. A single droplet of blood flew from his fingertip like a bullet. When the droplet crashed into the vampire mid-air, it didn’t just splash; it caused a small, violent explosion of kinetic energy. The force sent the vampire’s body flying backward, crashing into a wall before he landed in a heap on the ground. “You act like we have to actually worry about whether there are intruders or not,” the blonde man continued, as if he hadn’t just swatted an ally away. “If they are regular people that have stumbled onto this situation, then we can always just clear their memories. Not everything has to end in the death of others.” The man reached the edge of the broken glass window on the balcony. He looked down at the three people present, and it only took a single sniff of the air for him to figure out exactly what he was dealing with. “I guess they aren’t normal people, though,” the man said. He jumped over the railing, landing silently on the floor below. Seeing how all of the other vampires had instantly stopped their advance, and the fact that this man had just attacked one of his own without a second thought, Xin gathered that he had to be the leader of this group. While it looked like they were in for a fight, Xin saw a narrow path to get out of the situation without bloodshed, and she decided to take it. “We are from the Howlers,” Xin explained, her voice steady. “So you can probably guess what we are. It took us by surprise when we found the place like this, but what took us even more by surprise was being attacked the moment you walked in. Do you plan to do something about that?” The man stared directly at Xin for a bit, his eyes scanning her as if weighing her worth. Finally, he spoke. “First, let me apologize for their rude behavior. It seems that I was given a few subordinates that are quite jumpy on their feet, but that is my fault for not reining them in,” the man said. “Let me start from the beginning. My name is Kun Talon, from the 4th family.” Kun bowed his head, but only slightly, a small gesture of respect before lifting it back up. “As I said, this was our mistake. We have no intention of fighting against the Howlers. Our King and your leader have met, and the King has made the order quite clear: we are not to attack your group. I wish to stick to that order.” He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. “But I do have to ask... what are you doing here, exactly?” “What are we doing here?” Xin replied. She knew she needed to be firm. If she acted as if they were backing away or making excuses, it would only make them seem guilty of something. “I think you have it the wrong way around. This dam is located right next to Slough territory. We had a report that something was up in our backyard, so we came to investigate.” She stepped forward, gesturing to the bodies. “The question is, what are you doing here, and are you the ones responsible for this? The fact that you are here right now to clean up... there has to be a reason for that, right?” Kun couldn’t help but smile. He could hear their hearts. Despite being surrounded and outnumbered, the three hearts in front of him were beating with a steady, rhythmic thud. They weren’t afraid. Maybe it was just the foolish nature of Werewolves to act like this even when outclassed, he thought. “Yes, it was us. Well, technically not my specific team,” Kun replied. “We are the clean-up crew. It seems the initial team made quite a mess, and the guys stationed here were stronger than our scouts thought. They had to leave for some emergency healing, so we were sent to finish the job.” “Why have you done this?” Xin asked, still trying to keep the focus on the Howlers’ interests. “Why have you attacked people so close to our territory? Are you planning to move against us next?” “No. It seems you’re not aware, but these aren’t regular citizens. This was a base run by the Dark Guild,” Kun explained, his tone dismissive. “A group that has been influencing the world from the shadows for too long. There is no need to explain our actions further, but know that we do not just attack ordinary humans. You have nothing to worry about.” He gestured to his men to stand down. “We will let you leave now. Let us clean up this place and be on our way.” “No,” Xin replied instantly. The word hung in the air, causing the vampires around them to hiss. “This is our territory,” Xin continued firmly. “And we will be conducting our own investigation. You’re worried about this getting out to the public? We will make sure that doesn’t happen. As you said, it is not in our interest to go against you. But we will handle the cleaning here. We have the resources and the connections to do such things in Slough.” Xin had to stay firm. She was terrified that if the vampires started a professional sweep of the building, they would eventually find Marcus hiding. If a member of the 4th family found a member of the Dark Guild under their protection, this peaceful talk would end immediately. Kun stared at her for a long moment, the silence in the room becoming suffocating. Then, he let out a short laugh. “The dead can’t speak,” Kun said, turning around and snapping his fingers for the rest of his team to follow him back toward the stairs. “So I doubt you will be able to find anything useful anyway. We have nothing to hide. If you want to scrub the floors and dispose of the bodies, be my guest. We will leave.” Kun stepped onto the first stair, then stopped and turned his head back one last time. “Oh, and one more thing,” Kun said, his eyes glinting. “I hope your leader is found safely. It would be a shame for the Howlers to lose their head so soon.” ***** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below. Instagram: jksmanga *Patreon: jksmanga When news drops about My Vampire System, My Werewolf System, or any other series, you’ll hear it there first. Feel free to reach out; if I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.