While three of the strongest vampires in existence continued to watch over the apartment block from the inside, Jessica was still having somewhat of a mental breakdown. Her back was against her front door, and she was slowly sliding to the bottom with the white envelope held in her hand.
"Why did I bring this back with me?" Jessica said to herself. "I thought I was just going to ignore it all. I even said that I wouldn't accuse those guys, and yet..."
She thought back to how she had acted after lunch. Jessica had subtly asked the new recruits questions non-stop while they were doing work. Questions about what city they were in before this, why they wanted to become part of the vampire corps, and so on.
She had even been watching their every move, but they were good at their job, and they didn't seem to be interested in her, at least not in a way where they would be dropping white envelopes.
"Argh, fine!" Jessica stood up and ripped the top of the envelope open. "It's not like it's going to change anything, and the curiosity is just going to kill me."
She read the words slowly, and it wasn't what she had expected. Then again, what was she expecting?
"This will be the last letter you will be receiving."
"What does that mean... I mean, at least I know this is definitely a new letter, but why bother sending a message like this?"
Later, when she was trying to get some sleep, she realized the effect the words of the letter had on her. The words, it was almost as if someone was after her life. Stating that it was the last letter tormented her.
Waking up the next day, which now felt like the second day in a row with a horrible sleep, Jessica felt irritated. Although she didn't need it, living the way she had been doing for a while, she swung her pillow into the wall when getting up from bed. It was harder than she thought, as it burst into feathers.
Jessica and her squad had met up in the office first, but they quickly changed into the vampire corps uniform. It was all black in color, tight-fitting leather close to their bodies but made in a way where there were variations in black, so it looked somewhat similar to a police uniform.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThis was so the members of the public knew that the vampire corps were trying to help them and create a better image. Once everyone was changed, they met outside of the building for a few words.
"On our forearms, there is a communication device linked back to headquarters. They will alert us if there is any case that we need to go to in our area. Usually, you would respond, but you guys haven't had time to learn the proper codes or ways of responding," Jessica explained. "So you can leave that bit to me.
"Usually, if you are chasing any type of suspect - and trust me, I use the word 'chasing' because for some reason, vampires always run thinking that they are faster than us - but if you do end up in a chase or there are multiple people to chase, then you must do so in pairs no matter what.
"Due to the current situation with the new recruits, I will now announce the following pairings. Galanar, you have the most experience, so I am putting you alone with Edwood.
"Stacy and Gabe, the two of you will be with Hikel, and I will be taking Bake under my wing."
Galanar looked like he wanted to say something, protest, but he bit his lip.
All of them had entered the main part of the city. They weren't directly together, walking down the same streets, but they were in the same area. If anything came in, they would be contacted and try to come in together.
"Come in, come in, Squad 0014. We have an emergency at the Reflector factory. It appears that members of the Black Swans have appeared. Squad 0008 is dealing with them, but they need help immediately."
The message came through on her communication device as she stated it would. Quickly, she sent out the message to all the others, for them all to meet at the Reflector factory. It wasn't far from where they were, and they would get there quicker by running at full speed.
"Sorry, Bake, this is an important one, so I'm going to go ahead without you!" Jessica said as she sprinted off at full speed.
Quinn had been warned about this during their lunch break. They stated Jessica often got heated in the moment while out in the field, and she would dart off on her own. She was faster than everyone else, so even though Galanar was meant to be her partner, he would always arrive at the scene and the job would be done.
He stated that he was worried that one day it would be her on the ground instead of the enemy due to her rash-headed decisions.
Jessica was originally running through the alleys, but jumping from side to side, she had quickly made it to the rooftop of the buildings. It was easy to travel this way, so she wouldn't get caught up in traffic or in the way of the public.
"Tell me, what are the Black Swans?"
Turning her head, Jessica was surprised to see Bake right there next to her. "He can keep up with me? I guess he really is talented."
"The Black Swan are a group of thieves. We're not sure of their size, but they are quite proud of themselves, to the point where they have even publicly named themselves the Black Swan.
"They aim for areas with high-level crystals. The factories usually have demi-god-tier crystals or two that are used for helping build certain equipment. They can be sold for a lot of money. Of course, doing what they do, they are quite strong, so it's no wonder another squad is having trouble."
It didn't take long for Quinn and Jessica to arrive at the scene, and they managed to catch the tail end of the fight with the other squad. They weren't doing so well, with the others injured.
Running ahead, right outside the front of the factory through the gates, Jessica lifted her hand and unleashed a powerful blood swipe. One of the Black Swan members saw this and created a blood swipe of his own, but Jessica's attack was far more powerful, breaking through it. The man managed to avoid the strike and continued to move.
In total, there appeared to be six Black Swan members with masks over their faces.
"Everyone, we got what we came for, let's get out of here!" The man who had blocked Jessica's attack said, and they started to run away along with the others.
"Go after them," the other captain said. "We only have light injuries, it will be fine. We need to at least get those crystals back."
Jessica and Quinn chased after the group, but that was when they split up. Two of them, the leader and another member, went into the factory, while the others split up, running around the side of the factories.
"The Black Swan group has split up, intercept them in these areas!" Jessica ordered.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe others in Jessica's squad weren't far behind, and they followed the order. At the side of the factory, Hikel, Stacy, and Gabe landed, blocking the path of two members.
"We have you now!" Stacy said.
However, from the sides, behind crates and walls, around five more members appeared.
On the other side of the factory, the same thing happened. Edvard and Galanar managed to intercept two vampires, but soon two more appeared, making it four. Galanar, knowing they were part of the Black Swan, felt a little nervous.
"Hey Edwood, I thought you said you were the lucky one, so what kind of lucky situation is this?" Galanar asked.
"I am the lucky one," Edvard replied. "So I'm guessing all the others are in a worse situation."
The inside of the factory had been cleared out of workers when the Black Swan group arrived. Surprisingly, while giving chase, the leader turned around with his partner.
"Hahaha... you, I know you, Squad Leader Jessica," the man said. "You have been a pain in our backside for a long time. I was waiting for you to come so I could finish you off today."
Multiple members of the Black Swan emerged from the machinery and the sides. There seemed to be around fifteen vampires in total.
Even Jessica looked nervous due to the situation, but she felt her strength increasing from within.
"I'm sorry, Bake, for getting you into a situation like this on your first day," Jessica said.
A sneak attack came from above as one of the men dropped from the ceiling, launching blood swipes. Quinn quickly moved, using his arms to block and break the blood swipes. As the man continued to fall before he could do anything, Quinn grabbed his neck and slammed him into the ground, knocking him out.
"I told you already, I am reliable. Don't worry about me."
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