What It's Like Being a Vampire

After nightfall, Xiang Kun didn’t recklessly start searching everywhere. Instead, he cleared an area of mud, broke off a tree branch, and used it to mark the territories where his exploration over the past three days and the smell had indicated the presence of that mutant’s “branches”.

Xiang Kun put himself in the perspective of that mutant, guessing its possible behavior and activity trail based on its known abilities.

Undoubtedly, those “branches” scattered all over the forest could assist the mutant in staying vigilant and hunting.

So theoretically, the areas with the most “branches” would be the ones where it mostly hunts or around its nest.

However, when it comes to hunting, given the appetite displayed by that mutant and the amount of blood it needs, it should typically hunt large animals or a large number of small animals. The distribution area shouldn’t be that small or concentrated in a particular area. Considering its hunting method, it should lure and swallow wild beasts with the help of plants like the red fruit, then easily kill them. It wouldn’t be challenging and wouldn’t require many “branches” to assist.

Therefore, the places where “branches” are concentrated are more likely to be near its nest.

Xiang Kun recalled the place where the red fruit appeared and attracted the leopard. The “branches” around there were denser compared to other areas.

Although he hadn’t discovered anything special in that area previously, it didn’t mean that his guess was wrong.

So, Xiang Kun wiped off the map drawn on the ground, put on his shoes and bow and arrow, and returned to the area where the red fruit had appeared.

For most people, it would be very difficult to distinguish directions in such a large forest without the help of equipment. However, Xiang Kun could easily find the roads he had taken, places he had visited, and his current position with the help of a few beads used to establish a “Super sensory contact” scattered in the mountain after entry and his superb memory and reasoning abilities.

Constantly switching between night vision mode and infrared imaging mode, Xiang Kun meticulously searched the area where the red fruit had appeared for three hours again, but still found nothing.

Perhaps the multiple “branches” here were just a coincidence and not deliberately arranged by the mutant creature?

Xiang Kun climbed a tall tree and looked around from the top, continuing to put himself in the shoes of the mutant and contemplating its possible behavior.

Then Xiang Kun remembered the form of the “Blue Spot” flying out of the cliff, and his experience when he explored the habitat of the Giant Owl, so he cast his gaze diagonally upwards.

Xiang Kun came down from the tree and started climbing the mountain, but he didn’t directly climb towards the top of his current mountain. Instead, he went to the other side. To reach there, he had to pass through this area where the red fruit had appeared.

Standing on a not-so-high cliff on the side of the mountain, Xiang Kun carefully distinguished and probed with his sense of smell and indeed detected a hint of the scent he was looking for.

He put his shoes on the top of the cliff and, with his quiver on his back, started descending.

There weren’t many rocks exposed on this cliff, most of it was covered by green plants and large swathes of various types of vines.

Xiang Kun, relying on his sense of smell, discovered some “branches” in one of the thickets of vines, and there were many snakes coiled around that area.

It was a cliff cave covered by vines and other green plants!

From this position, Xiang Kun could vaguely smell various scents emanating from the cave, including those of various plants, animals, and the peculiar odor of the mutant.

Xiang Kun was now eighty percent certain that this cave on the cliff was probably the nest of that mutant creature or one of the nests.

Many plans flashed through his mind, such as lurking nearby, waiting for the mutant creature to enter the cave, or even waiting until after it consumed blood to strike, trapping it in the cave, finding a way to capture it alive. Another option would be to hide nearby and unexpectedly shoot it with an arrow when it returned.

But these ideas were quickly dismissed by him because he knew that at this moment, the mutant creature would most likely know that he had found this cave.

That was the purpose of so many “branches” here.

Therefore, Xiang Kun decided to scout the cave first after thinking for a few seconds.

However, thinking of the trap he encountered earlier, Xiang Kun cautiously climbed back up, fetched his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot two arrows towards the vines at the entrance of the cave.

This time, no corrosive liquid appeared, and both arrows firmly stuck into the thickest vine.

Xiang Kun didn’t let his guard down. If that place really was the nest of the mutant, there might still be other traps or defense mechanisms.

He grabbed the vines and crevices in the rocks, cautiously and slowly moving in the direction of the cave.

The venomous snake coiled at the entrance of the cave also noticed Xiang Kun and one of them hissed at him as a warning.

Xiang Kun could tell that it was a venomous snake, but he wasn’t very worried. He didn’t take any action, but directly used “mental deterrence” on the snake that was warning him aggressively. All the snakes near the entrance of the cave immediately scattered and fled.

Xiang Kun found it a bit strange. At this time of year, most snakes in the mountains had already hibernated. Since his last entry into the mountain, he hadn’t encountered a single snake, but here he encountered a whole nest. Did it change their habits? Or do these snakes hibernate late?

Aside from the snake nest, there was also a sizable beehive nearby. Xiang Kun used the same method to drive away the swarm of bees, reclaimed his two arrows, pushed aside the vines and other green plants, and successfully squeezed into the cave.

Although the mutant creature appeared to be about the size of a basin, the cave it resided in was considerably larger. Once inside, Xiang Kun found that even if he raised his hand, he couldn’t touch the top of the cave.

After studying the portion of the vines at the entrance with a distinctively “special smell,” Xiang Kun began to understand the defense strategy of the mutant creature. It seemed that it had modified a section of the branches to attract animals like snakes and bees, and had these creatures instinctively guard the area, essentially serving as free sentries for its cave.

Upon entering, Xiang Kun’s vision rapidly oscillated between night vision and infrared imaging. He carefully surveyed the interior of the cave.

The cave was not deep, he could see the end in one look.

The interior was also filled with all kinds of crawling plants, which had ensnared and restrained six not-so-small avian creatures.

Under Xiang Kun’s infrared vision, the heat radiated from the birds wrapped in vines identified them as still alive, although seemingly in a deep slumber.

With an arrow in hand, Xiang Kun prodded and pricked his surroundings, cautiously checking for additional defense mechanisms within the cave. He was ready to leap out of the cave at any moment, using the vines clinging to the cliff for support.

However, judging from the “special smell” on the vines and other plants around the entrance, it seemed the mutant creature only employed these “branches” to set up defensive arrangements after drinking blood and before sleeping. The same strategy was used for the earlier traps, which seemed cumbersome and unlikely to hold for long periods.

Normally, apart from the “guardian” snakes and bees outside the cave, there seemed to be no other defensive measures.

It made sense, considering this kind of place was generally off-limits to wild animals. Not to mention the presence of venomous snakes and swarms of bees, no game animals would dare approach here. Even if some beasts did venture in, they’d likely end up as meals.

Xiang Kun slowly walked in, inspecting the six incapacitated birds. It seemed they were prepared by the mutant creature as food for its next blood-drinking session?

As for how they were captured, Xiang Kun speculated that the mutant could control its “branches,” to grow some kind of fruit on the cliffside, enticing passing birds. Once the birds ate the fruit, they were brought inside.

However, considering the previously seen dead wild boar Host Xue had filmed, it didn’t seem like the mutated creature brought its prey back to the cave to drink their blood every time.

Could it be doing this to hide from him?

But why hasn’t it drunk the blood yet? Could it be that it sensed that even hiding in this cave wouldn’t be safe after drinking blood and falling asleep?

If that’s how it thinks, it isn’t wrong – after all, Xiang Kun has found the location of this cave…

Xiang Kun realized that the mutant creature has likely reached its Blood-drinking Period and needs to drink blood.

Looking at the condition of those several birds, none should have been captured more than a day ago. The creature has probably been enduring its hunger for a whole day.

With his own experience of resisting blood-drinking hunger, he knows that nighttime is the hardest to bear. Either the creature has given in and hunted other animals for blood outside, or it will be returning to its cave soon.

But now that Xiang Kun is occupying its cave, the creature is probably aware. What will it choose to do?

Xiang Kun walked to the mouth of the cave and gazed at the distant forest, vigilantly searching. He quickly located a small Blue Spot through his infrared vision — it was the mutant creature.

Is it waiting for me to leave?

Probably not. Since it has noticed my presence in its cave, it should already know that regardless of whether I leave or not, it can no longer use this cave as a safe haven for sleep after blood-drinking.

So, what is it up to right now?

Xiang Kun continued to put himself in the mutant creature’s perspective, speculating on its “thinking.”

Of course! It must be feeling agitated, due to its hunger and the nighttime. With its nest occupied by a human-shaped mutated creature, it must be furious, correct?

Finding a random prey outside to hunt and drink blood from, with no safe place to sleep afterward, afraid of being found by the human-shaped mutated creature while defenseless — it must be in a dilemma about whether to attack me or not.

Xiang Kun believed that he wouldn’t come away empty-handed from his adventure in Qinling Deep Mountain. He was fully aware of the effects of the hunger caused by the necessity to drink blood after sundown. The intensity of this hunger, increasing over time and stimulated by external factors, was becoming increasingly unbearable and difficult to control.

No matter whether the mutant was originally a plant or an animal, or how high its intelligence evolved due to its mutation, it was, after all, not human. He, Xiang Kun, in his calmness and with all his strategies, was like a pile of dry firewood that catches fire when a spark touches, under that kind of circumstance, let alone the mutant creature?

Xiang Kun strapped his bow, quickly descending the cliff using the vines and various plants. He scraped several fresh wounds in the process, but he didn’t mind.

He moved through the forest towards the direction of the Blue Spot he had observed earlier. Xiang Kun didn’t underestimate the situation and maintained high vigilance.

After covering some distance, he abruptly stopped, looked up through the gaps among branches at the starless night sky, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

The humidity in the air had significantly increased. It seemed like it was going to rain?