The concept of hunting commissions was something Li Wei was familiar with, as it was the most common job for serious hunters. Since the apocalypse, the world had become infested with various monsters, extending beyond the simple zombies and mutated creatures of a Resident Evil scenario. Drawing from the memories of his previous life, Li Wei discovered that the world was teeming with mythical creatures, such as demons and spirits, not to mention creatures from legends like werewolves and vampires.
Five hundred years ago, a catastrophic event had devastated the world, wiping out human civilization. The current society had emerged from the ruins, but the living conditions were far from ideal. Beyond the cities and large human settlements lay wild territories filled with strange and dangerous creatures.
Even within human society, many of these creatures had managed to infiltrate. Vampires were among them, adapting well to human society due to their humanoid appearance. In normal circumstances, apart from their slightly paler skin, they were almost indistinguishable from humans.
In such a scenario, the profession of "hunter" emerged to safeguard humanity. However, the idea of protecting humans was more of a side effect, as hunters were primarily driven by the desire to earn money, utilize materials obtained from monsters, evolve themselves, and become more powerful. The Hunter's Guild, aptly named, served as the organization for hunters.
Li Wei's predecessor was involved in the "bounty hunter" profession, which, despite sounding appealing, was essentially a group of hunters who couldn't make it as monster hunters. They could only take on some gray-area commissions.
After his reincarnation, Li Wei harbored a strong desire to become a monster hunter. He genuinely wanted to witness and understand the legendary creatures that roamed this world. His adventurous spirit and disdain for an ordinary, dull life were evident.
However, it was not a simple matter. Li Wei couldn't overlook the "Challenge Level: C" mentioned in the commission. In the past, bounty hunters dealt with commissions that were, at most, at the D-level, involving relatively mundane creatures. C-level tasks were considered challenging and required hunters who had undergone rigorous training. Moving up to B-level tasks required unlocking genetic locks, making one an evolved hunter eligible for such missions.
For Li Wei, handling a C-level commission was a significant challenge. In the past, accepting such a commission would have been a death sentence. But today was different.
After his rebirth, armed with the Book of a Thousand Arts, Li Wei possessed the Sharingan, the ability to change his appearance, and the newly acquired skill, Steel-Cutting Flash. Although his physical strength was still relatively weak, not surpassing that of an ordinary person, tackling a C-level commission was no longer a guaranteed death sentence – there was a considerable chance of success.
Of course, the risks were substantial, but in this world, what lucrative endeavor didn't come with significant risks? Moreover, this matter concerned his life and the relentless pursuit of information about Zhang Xi.
Taking on a C-level commission, obtaining information about Zhang Xi, and gaining a substantial reward to enhance his own abilities seemed like a reasonable plan. If things went south, there was always the option to escape.
After stowing away the commission letter, Li Wei spoke, "I've accepted the task. I believe you won't deceive me in this matter. However, regarding the information, I hope you will tell me everything, whether it's about Zhang Xi or this lower-level vampire."
"It's the same thing," replied Eileen.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Li Wei asked.
Eileen raised an eyebrow and casually said, "Zhang Xi is Kandorff."
"Unbelievable!" Li Wei was genuinely surprised. "You're telling me that the leader of the Skull Gang in District Seventeen is a vampire?"
"Exactly."
"Heh." Li Wei's expression changed. "Eileen, you've deceived me!"
A lower-level vampire was already a formidable adversary, let alone a gang leader. Li Wei had heard about blood slaves. People bitten and fed upon by vampires would either die or become blood slaves – resurrected creatures with human-like appearances. Although they lacked the vampire's bat-transformation ability and were unable to withstand sunlight, they retained their intelligence, memories from their past life, and were bound to obey their vampire master.
Li Wei couldn't help but think of the implications. After becoming the leader of the Skull Gang in District Seventeen, who knew how many people had turned into Kandorff's blood slaves?
Eileen wore a somewhat amused expression. "How did I deceive you?"
Li Wei was speechless for a moment. After a pause, Eileen spoke as if comforting a child, "Alright, alright. Sister knows this mission is quite challenging, but in our District Seventeen, there aren't many experts. You're considered outstanding. Help sister deal with this trouble, and you'll see – I've even paid you in advance!"
As she spoke, Eileen embraced Li Wei tightly, pressing her chest against his face.
Li Wei broke free from her embrace, angrily saying, "Don't give me lofty titles. There may not be many experts because the mission is too dangerous, and no one wants to take it on. You just dumped the mission into my lap!"
Eileen shrugged, "Anyway, you're going to cause trouble for Zhang Xi. I don't care. You've taken the commission, and I've given you the information. Now, go fetch the two fangs of that little vampire. Consider the mission accomplished."
"No, you blatantly set me up. Since you claim to pay the reward in advance, show it to me first. Forget about the information – for a hunting commission, you should provide details about the target, right? What kind of advance payment is this?"
After some consideration, Eileen said, "Fine, fine. Just to prevent you from dying inside, and if you mess up the commission, it won't look good. Come here, and I'll give you the reward."
Li Wei approached, receiving a small cardboard box from Eileen. Weighing it, he heard a jingling sound emanating from the box.
"Bullets?"
"Yeah, but not ordinary bullets. Open it, and you'll see."
Li Wei, still skeptical, opened the box.
After counting, there were less than thirty bullets inside, all of them 9mm universal handgun bullets. This type of bullet could be used in the SN97 handgun he had confiscated from Hu Wei's bald thug earlier.
He picked up one of the bullets and carefully examined it. Soon, he noticed something different.
"What are these patterns?"
Li Wei was referring to the strange engravings on the bullets. These weren't decorative; he could feel a peculiar power within the intricate patterns.
The power of light.
"Magic engravings. They imbue the bullets with special abilities, specifically designed to harm certain supernatural creatures, such as vampires. Ordinary bullets won't harm vampires," explained Eileen.