A huge thank you to Phiak_Yu, Purp_Panda, Jalapeno_Jelly, David_Lewis_4670, Jenine_Beckford, and JentzschMob808 for the Golden Tickets! Your support truly ans a lot and keeps motivated to continue writing and improving the story. Thank you for being part of this adventure!
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After all twelve Team Captains had entered the eting hall, the noisy atmosphere gradually quieted down.
The eting room was massive. Dark tallic walls enclosed the space, while countless digital screens displayed battlefield reports, casualty lists, Vampire movent routes, and Hunter Territory maps.
At the center stood a long black conference table, with each seat representing one Hunter Team. At the head of the table sat Mist King himself.
The mont everyone settled into their seats, the atmosphere grew heavy. Even the usually playful Carol stopped joking around. She leaned lazily against her chair, twirling a pen between her fingers.
Vikram sat beside Isha, still trying to sort through the chaos in his mind. However, unlike before, he forced himself to focus on the eting. Inside a Legendary Ruin, every piece of information could prove crucial.
Mist King slowly scanned the room before speaking in a calm, asured tone. "We’ll begin the monthly strategic eting now."
The massive digital screen behind him lit up, displaying the rankings of all twelve Hunter Teams.
[Monthly Hunter Team Rankings]
[1st Place — Team 3] [Captain: Clark Kent]
[2nd Place — Team 7] [Captain: Bruce Wayne]
[3rd Place — Team 10] [Captain: Carol Danvers]
[4th Place — Team 1] [Captain: Diana Prince]
[5th Place — Team 4] [Captain: Barry Allen]
[6th Place — Team 12] [Captain: Arthur Curry]
[7th Place — Team 6] [Captain: Hal Jordan]
[8th Place — Team 2] [Captain: Victor Stone]
[9th Place — Team 5] [Captain: Oliver Queen]
[10th Place — Team 11] [Captain: Isha Rajput]
[11th Place — Team 9] [Captain: Selina Kyle]
[12th Place — Team 8] [Captain: Lex Luthor]
The mont the rankings appeared, several Team Captains subtly glanced toward Isha. Team 11’s tenth-place ranking was considered quite low given Isha’s actual abilities. Many knew she was exceptionally capable. The main reason for Team 11’s consistently low ranking was Vikram.
Even now, several captains quietly looked in his direction. So showed mockery, others curiosity, while the rest simply ignored him.
Carol leaned back proudly in her chair after seeing her team ranked third.
"Hmph. At least my team still has competent people," she said, deliberately glancing toward Vikram again.
Isha’s expression instantly darkened.
Before another argunt could erupt, Mist King calmly continued, "This month’s rankings were calculated based on Vampire extermination records, mission completion efficiency, civilian rescue rates, casualty percentages, and resource acquisition."
A new screen appeared, displaying the casualty statistics. The atmosphere in the room grew even heavier.
[This Month’s Hunter Casualties]
[Total Hunters Dead: 187]
[Missing Hunters: 42]
[Confird Vampire Attacks: 19]
[Destroyed Human Settlents: 3]
Several Team Captains clenched their fists. Especially Lex Luthor, Captain of Team 8. His expression was particularly grim, one of the destroyed settlents had been in his operational zone.
Mist King continued, "Vampire activity around Caron City has increased by 37% compared to last month. Several Vampire Nobles have also begun appearing near the outer districts."
The expressions of many captains changed imdiately. Vampire Nobles were far more dangerous than ordinary Vampires. Each possessed terrifying regenerative abilities and unique bloodline powers. Even experienced Hunters could die easily against them.
At this mont, Bruce Wayne spoke up. "Do we know why the Vampire movents have suddenly increased?"
Mist King remained silent for a brief mont before replying, "We suspect the Vampires are searching for sothing."
The room fell into complete silence.
Searching for sothing?
That statent made many people uneasy.
Clark Kent then asked seriously, "Do we know what it is?"
Mist King’s eyes narrowed slightly. "No. But according to intelligence reports, several Vampire Lords have personally left their territories. That alone is enough to prove the situation is abnormal."
The atmosphere in the room beca much heavier. Vampire Lords rarely moved personally unless sothing extrely important had appeared.
At this mont, Carol suddenly crossed her arms and asked, "So what exactly is today’s main topic?"
Mist King slowly swept his gaze across the eting table before speaking in a calm yet heavy tone:
"The Vampire movents near Caron City are no longer ordinary territorial conflicts. We’ve confird that several Vampire Barons have recently tightened their control over the human settlents surrounding the outer districts."
As he spoke, the massive screen behind him changed once again. A detailed regional map of Caron City appeared, with several areas marked in ominous blood-red.
Mist King pointed to the first marked location.
"Black Hollow Settlent. Currently controlled by Vampire Baron Vincent Mori. Estimated surviving human population: twenty-three thousand."
The screen imdiately displayed horrifying images, humans chained inside cages, blood extraction facilities, and mountains of corpses piled together.
Many Hunters in the room instantly darkened their expressions.
Mist King continued, "Vincent Mori has recently expanded his Blood Farms in this area. According to intelligence, over three thousand civilians have disappeared there in the last month alone."
The map shifted to the next settlent.
"Frostmoon Settlent. Controlled by Vampire Baroness Elena Dracula. Unlike Vincent Mori, Elena specializes in psychological domination. She converts humans into long-term blood servants rather than killing them outright."
Several Hunters quietly clenched their fists. Becoming a blood servant was often considered a fate worse than death.
Mist King then pointed to the third settlent.
"Grimshade Settlent. Controlled by Vampire Baron Lucien Crow. This location has recently beco one of the largest Vampire military supply points near Caron City. Large quantities of blood crystals and human captives are transported here daily."
The room grew increasingly silent.
However, Mist King was not finished.
One after another, additional settlents appeared on the map:
Ashveil Settlent — Controlled by Vampire Baroness Seraphina.
Silent River Settlent — Controlled by Vampire Baron Markus Vale.
Red Grave Settlent — Controlled by Vampire Baron Dorian Blackwood.
Each settlent represented the sa grim reality: enslaved humans, blood farms, missing Hunters, and rapidly expanding Vampire influence.
After a few seconds of heavy silence, Mist King spoke again:
"The Federation has issued direct orders. This month, all Hunter Teams must prioritize rapid rescue operations. Your primary objectives are to rescue surviving humans, destroy Vampire-controlled settlents, eliminate their forces, and weaken the influence of the Barons surrounding Caron City."
The expressions of the Team Captains turned serious. Everyone understood what this ant — a direct assault on Vampire Baron territories was essentially an act of war.
Mist King continued, "Normally, we would avoid provoking multiple Vampire Barons at once. But the current situation no longer allows for delay. The Vampires are gathering resources too aggressively. If we continue waiting... Caron City itself may eventually be completely surrounded."
The atmosphere in the room beca suffocatingly heavy.
Mist King then began assigning the operations:
"Team 3, led by Clark Kent, will assault Grimshade Settlent."
"Team 10, led by Carol Danvers, will handle Frostmoon Settlent."
"Team 1, led by Diana Prince, will support operations at Black Hollow Settlent."
"Team 7, led by Bruce Wayne, will investigate the Vampire transportation routes."
"Team 11..."
Mist King’s voice paused slightly. His gaze lingered briefly on Isha before shifting toward Vikram.
"Team 11 will investigate Ashveil Settlent."
The mont those words left his mouth, several Team Captains reacted with subtle surprise. Among all the Vampire-controlled settlents ntioned earlier, Ashveil was considered the weakest.
Its ruler was only a lower-ranked Vampire Baroness, Seraphina. Compared to the likes of Vincent Mori or Lucien Crow, she was far less threatening.
Lex Luthor frowned and spoke coldly, "So Team 11 gets the easiest mission again?"
Several captains exchanged glances. Even Barry Allen raised an eyebrow. This was hardly the first ti Team 11 had received a relatively safe assignnt.
Carol narrowed her eyes suspiciously, glancing between Mist King and Isha.
Before the atmosphere could grow awkward, Mist King replied calmly, "Ashveil Settlent may appear weak on the surface, but several strange incidents have occurred there recently. Hunters sent near the area occasionally disappear without explanation. No battle traces. No corpses. No confird Vampire activity. Until the situation becos clearer, we cannot lower our guard."
Hearing the explanation, several captains nodded slowly. The reasoning was acceptable.
However, many in the room silently understood the real reason behind the assignnt. Mist King was protecting Team 11, or more accurately, protecting Isha and Vikram. After all, everyone knew the truth: Isha was his daughter, and Vikram was the son of Isha’s elder sister, making him Mist King’s actual grandson.
No matter how cold and strict Mist King appeared in public, favoritism still existed within the Hunter Federation, especially when family was involved.
Although Team 11 consistently ranked low and contributed little each month, their survival rate remained exceptionally high. Unlike other teams engaged in deadly battles, Team 11 rarely suffered major casualties.
Seeing Vikram sitting lazily beside Isha, most captains quietly accepted the arrangent. With soone as unreliable as him on the team, assigning them a dangerous mission would only create more problems.
Soon after, the eting ca to an end. The Team Captains began leaving one by one, discussing their upcoming operations.
Just as Isha prepared to leave with Vikram, Mist King spoke again.
"Isha."
His voice was calr this ti. "Have dinner with tonight. There are so things we should discuss."
The surrounding atmosphere turned slightly awkward. However, Isha’s expression barely changed.
"No need," she replied coldly. "We have a mission to prepare for."
Carol imdiately walked over, looking helpless. "Sis... Dad has always tried to help you. Why are you still so rude to him?"
Isha’s eyes turned even colder. She looked directly at Carol and said calmly, "If he truly wanted to help... then he should have helped our elder sister too."
A brief, heavy silence fell over the room. Even Carol’s expression stiffened. Mist King quietly closed his eyes for a mont.
Isha showed no intention of continuing the conversation. "There’s nothing left to discuss."
With that, she turned around and left the eting room with Vikram.
Once outside, they rejoined the waiting mbers of Team 11. Isha’s expression gradually returned to normal as she calmly began explaining the mission details.
"Our target this ti is Ashveil Settlent. Although it’s considered the weakest Vampire-controlled area, we still cannot lower our guard."
She then assigned responsibilities one by one: scouting, supply preparation, route investigation, ergency retreat plans, and civilian evacuation strategies.
anwhile, Vikram stood nearby, listening in silence. However, his attention was not fully on the briefing. One question kept echoing in his mind, ’What exactly happened to his mother, Isha’s elder sister?’
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Dear Readers,
Please be patient. The ruin-related details may start a little slowly, but the story will gradually beco far more thrilling and exciting as it progresses.
So if you find the beginning slightly boring, please bear with it for a while. The upcoming developnts, mysteries, and events will make the journey worth it. 🔥
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