R Batman Incident (I)

Blade looked up at the terrifying monster in midair. He slowly took two steps back, swallowed, then pulled out his phone and said to the person on the other end, "They’re planning to declare war on humanity!"

At S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick strode swiftly down the corridor, agents following behind him. As rapid footsteps echoed, the office lights flickered on one after another. Holding a phone, Nick said quickly, "Jack! Pull up the Queens defense deployment map immediately! Fiona, contact the Vampire Hunters in New York and find out what’s going on!"

Nick turned a corner, and the agents assigned their tasks left the group for their respective offices. Even more people remained behind him as Nick continued, "Who’s responsible for liaising with the Daywalker?"

"Coulson, sir. It’s always been Coulson."

"Transfer that responsibility to Sharon. Have Coulson contact Stark immediately. If the vampires really declare war on humanity, we must organize the strongest resistance force as quickly as possible."

Natasha emerged from one of the offices and hurried alongside Nick. Both of them moved quickly as the female agent said, "It’s been confirmed that the Daywalker’s intelligence is accurate. That monster is currently above Queens…"

"The Daywalker is currently showing a strong willingness to cooperate. Should we bring him here?"

"Send him to the underground level of Area 2. He’s refused to cooperate with us for all these years, so this change in attitude must mean something major."

"I’ll arrange it right away." Natasha said, "There’s another issue. The Captain has already headed to the battlefield to make an initial response to that monster, but the follow-up battle plan still needs to be arranged."

"Have the combat team prepare to deploy immediately. No matter what the vampires are doing, we have to deal with that monster first."

Natasha took out her phone and said, "Clint, how are you and Daisy doing with preparations? The helicopter departs in twenty minutes. Report back immediately once you reach the destination!"

Nick assigned tasks as he walked. By the time he reached his office, Coulson was already waiting there. Coulson said, "I’ve contacted every combat force we can reach."

Before he could continue his report, Hill entered and said, "The vampires have indeed been acting strangely, Director. I pulled their activity ranges from the past six months. Vampire groups across the entire East Coast have been deliberately moving toward New York…"

As Nick’s most capable assistant, Hill spoke decisively. She hurried to the screen, turned on the projector, and explained, "About a week ago, a shootout broke out between vampires and police at the border of Queens and the Brooklyn District. The vampire group involved had only arrived in New York a month ago."

"Furthermore, in all fifteen recorded vampire attacks on humans this month, none of the perpetrators were local New York vampires."

"Who was responsible for monitoring this group’s movements?" Coulson asked.

"Now isn’t the time to assign blame." Nick said. "S.H.I.E.L.D.’s permissive attitude toward vampires isn’t without reason. If possible, I’d like to drag them all into the sunlight too, but we all know that isn’t possible."

"But this time is different." Coulson said. "The basis for tolerating vampires was that they remained scattered and only carried out isolated attacks at most. If they truly intend to wage a full-scale war against humanity, then we’ll strike back hard!"

At that moment, Nick’s phone rang. He picked it up and said, "The Daywalker has arrived? Fine, don’t make any rash moves. Calm him down first. I’ll be right there…"

Then he said to Coulson, "Keep a close eye on Stark… No, Hill, you go. Go to Stark Tower and speak with Pepper first. Phil, go to the psychological clinic in Hell’s Kitchen."

"Schiller probably won’t be willing to act. He’s always publicly claimed that he has no special abilities."

"I’m not asking him to go out and fight vampires directly. Coulson, haven’t you realized it yet? We recruited him not for his special abilities, but for his brain."

"You don’t need to do anything. Stay there and await my instructions. If the situation changes, I’ll tell you how to negotiate with him."

After Coulson left, Nick quickly activated the elevator and headed for Area 2 to meet Blade.

After he left, the lights throughout S.H.I.E.L.D. came on rapidly. Countless agents who had received orders sprang into action. This massive intelligence agency reached full operational capacity in just a few dozen minutes.

Faced with an invasion by another race, S.H.I.E.L.D., whose talent management system welcomed all kinds, still stood united. After all, regardless of which faction they belonged to, if the vampires truly went to full-scale war with humanity, they would have to resist.

In a dim underground reception room, Blade, Erik, heard footsteps approaching from afar. When Nick opened the door, Erik stepped forward and shook his hand. Nick said, "Time is short, so let’s keep this brief. First, we’re not here to interrogate you, but…"

Erik said, "Cut the crap. I’ll tell you everything I know."

"Listen, that enormous bat monster has a major background. You should know that vampires can transform into bats. That ability doesn’t come from nowhere."

"I won’t go into the occult knowledge related to the origins of vampires, but there are disputes within vampire society itself. They’ve always argued over their origin story…"

"Just as you humans say, some believe vampires originated from the Bible and are creations of God."

"But there’s another group, which I call the Bat Followers. They firmly believe that deep in the universe, there is a Bat Totem. It was the Bat Totem that granted vampires the power to become bats and drink blood."

"The God Worshippers and the Bat Followers have always been at odds. Naturally, the God Worshippers have traditionally been closer to humans, and most of the vampires who deal with your human upper class are moderate God Worshippers."

"They believe humans and vampires are both creations of God, that we ought to be brothers and sisters. They have always been the restrained faction among vampires, following many rules. They oppose killing, are willing to accept refrigerated blood, and prefer to live in seclusion among humans while participating in human society."

"We have records on all of them." Nick said. "Some moderate vampires even come to us voluntarily to register. Quite a few of them work in hospitals or blood banks. That’s also why humanity is unwilling to wipe out vampires on a large scale. Some of them are too deeply connected to human society. If handled improperly, it could cause widespread panic…"

"That’s right. But where there are moderates, there are radicals. There has always been an extremely radical faction among vampires—the group I mentioned, the ones who worship the Bat Totem."

"They believe that followers of the Bat Totem are inherently superior to ordinary humans. As part of the Bat God, they are naturally meant to rule humanity."

"I’ve heard of this." Nick walked over to the table and sat down. He poured himself a glass of water, then said, "I know vampires have always been trying to infiltrate human society. Can you tell me more about the Bat Totem? I’m guessing this bat monster is connected to that totem, isn’t it?"

Blade Erik folded his arms. "You should know my background. I can’t be considered a complete vampire. All the intelligence I have came from my Vampire Hunter mentor, but I also have a few moderate vampire friends. They bring me the latest news from within their kind…"

"One of my friends works for the famous Count Dracula. The information he recently sent me is that the radical faction led by my enemy, Deacon, is preparing to make a move."

"They seem to have received a prophecy through some kind of ritual. The power of the Bat God will descend upon the New York area, and whoever obtains that power will become the new vampire leader."

"You know, at first everyone thought it was just a lie they had fabricated to fight for power. Things like that are common enough…"

"Of course. Make up an ambiguous prophecy, then organize a few little actions, and that’s enough to put pressure on your opponents."

"But now, it seems the situation isn’t that simple." Erik also walked over and sat down. He and Nick sat at opposite ends of the table, with only a flickering lightbulb overhead.

He said, "In fact, the prophecy isn’t entirely a lie. According to my investigation, they do have a ritual that can summon a bat-like Shade. This Shade can greatly empower vampires, but the price is that it turns them into crazed bat monsters."

"It was through that ritual that they heard a voice telling them to come to New York. I’ve been trying every possible way to uncover the exact contents of the prophecy, but I haven’t gotten anything yet. Still, one thing is certain: that terrifying bat monster in the sky should be the so-called descent of the Bat God’s power."

"Fine, I understand the background now. The question is, how do we deal with it?"

Nick took out a projection device and played it for Erik. On the display, Steve was chasing the bat monster.

Nick said, "It’s daytime. This bat isn’t afraid of sunlight, and it seems to possess Superhuman Strength and some special abilities. More importantly, it seems to know quite a few tactics. Its intelligence is probably no lower than a human’s."

"I suggest you don’t use methods meant for ordinary vampires against it. If it really is a creation of the Bat God, then it definitely won’t have a vampire’s weaknesses. You’d better treat it as a colossal monster."

"And more importantly…" Erik frowned. "This is a signal. It’s a signal that they intend to launch a full-scale war against humanity. They want to welcome the descent of the Bat Totem and then rule the world. You may be able to handle this monster, but you must prepare for the vampires’ massive assault that comes next."

After saying that, he stood up. "I’m going to contact every Vampire Hunter I know, as well as moderate vampires unwilling to participate in this invasion. We’ll do our best to form a united front. At least for now, we stand with you. To hell with those crazed bat monsters!"

Nick stood as well. The two shook hands, and Nick said, "The destruction of human society benefits no one. You can use that to persuade them. If they still want a prosperous society to live in, they’d better not let those Beasts invade."

Erik nodded. Two black hands clasped together, marking the official beginning of this bat invasion incident.