She was transformed.

Qiao Wei’s anxiety grew more and more intense. In just these few days together, Xiao Xiao had become like a little sister to her. Nothing must happen to her! Absolutely nothing!

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,” Luo Chen tried to comfort Qiao Wei, though his eyes remained fixed on the thicket ahead. Following his gaze, Qiao Wei suddenly saw a pair of green eyes glinting in the darkness. Luo Chen stepped forward, shielding Qiao Wei behind him, his face twisted with disgust.

A chilling screech burst from the shadows as the vampire lunged at them, bringing with it a suffocating stench of blood. An ominous glint flickered in Luo Chen’s eyes as he prepared to strike, but when he glimpsed the vampire’s face, he stopped short. Instead, he swiftly dodged the creature, pulling Qiao Wei away with him.

“Xiao Xiao!” Qiao Wei stared in disbelief at the monstrous figure. Xiao Xiao’s once rosy, adorable face was now pale and tinged with blue. Her black, pearl-like eyes glowed wolfishly green, her fangs gleamed white and bloody, and her slender little hands had sprouted razor-sharp nails.

Luo Chen, holding Qiao Wei, dodged Xiao Xiao’s attack. Yet Qiao Wei, refusing to give up, called out desperately, “Xiao Xiao, it’s us! It’s your big sister!”

Luo Chen struggled to restrain Qiao Wei as she tried to reach for Xiao Xiao. A sharp, bloody scratch appeared on his handsome cheek from Xiao Xiao’s claws. His brows knit together in annoyance. “Stop it. She’s a vampire now—a soulless ‘Prisoner.’ You can’t wake her.” As he spoke, a chill emanated from the depths of Luo Chen’s dark red eyes, instantly freezing the frenzied Xiao Xiao in place.

“Luo Chen, how could you hurt a child?” Qiao Wei broke free from him and rushed toward Xiao Xiao.

Luo Chen touched the wound on his face, which had already healed. “She’s only frozen for the night; she’ll be fine.” With that, he guided the block of ice toward the encampment.

“Brother Luo Chen, what happened to this girl? Why does she look like that?” Rhein called out in surprise as she saw them return, horrified by the sight of the frozen Xiao Xiao.

“I froze her. She attacked us when we found her. I think...” Luo Chen rubbed his aching shoulder, exhausted.

“She must have been turned by a strong ‘Prisoner.’ She didn’t show any vampire traits during the incubation period, so we didn’t notice. We were careless—not realizing anything was wrong.” Luo Xuan picked up where Luo Chen left off, his tone grim. “Since she’s reached this stage, she must have already tasted human blood. She’s lost her humanity. The only choice is to let her disappear.”

“No!” Rhein and Qiao Wei objected in unison.

“There’s no other way,” Luo Chen replied quietly, his voice devoid of emotion.

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Apologies for the irregular update schedule lately; I haven’t managed the review times well. I hope my dear readers can understand.

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