titled: Underworld, Death Dealers

  … ??

  Howard returned to the hotel room and sat on the sofa.

  His empty eyes showed that he still wasn't freed from the bloody picture on the hotel wall.

  The omens that once warmed people's hearts instantly turned into a pool of sticky minced meat composed of organic and inorganic substances and carbohydrates.

  It was a heavy blow to Howard, who was going to show his glory and welcome a fierce battle.

  It was a big question whether he could 'rise to the occasion' again for the rest of his life.

  It was time for Stark Industries to begin a transition into the pharmaceutical industry.

  Otherwise, the family legacy would be broken in his own hands.

  Howard lowered his head, stared at the motionless lower body, and revealed a sad expression on his face.

  New York's most recognized Casanova, a man of romance, was now a thing of the past.

  "Um… do you want to get something to eat?"

  Luke touched his stomach and ignored Howard's sad feelings.

  After a boring day's meeting, he didn't even have time to eat dinner.

  How could he fill his stomach with just those bits of fruit from earlier?

  "Let's eat … ugh!"

  Howard's throat rolled twice as the urge to vomit surged again.

  "So fragile, it's a pity that there's no survival program featuring Bear Grylls in this era; now that's a real meal."

  Luke shook his head. When he was painting his house in Brooklyn, he shot someone's head and saw the muddy brains mixed with red and white flowing out. Afterward, he could eat pizza and listen to songs as if nothing had happened.

  The experience taught him to accept a lot of things.

  "I ordered a lobster pasta. Are you sure you don't want some, Howard?"

  Facing Luke's 'kind' questions, the sound of vomiting in the bathroom became even more intense.

  "That's too bad. An unsuccessful date left you with a heavy price that's difficult to pay."

  Luke not only had no sympathy for Howard's tragic experience but also gloated over it.

  After this lesson, he probably wouldn't be interested in women who take the initiative to send themselves to his bed.

  Ten minutes later, room service rang the doorbell. Luke's lobster pasta and Howard's black coffee were delivered to the door.

  "Can you stop slurping … so much! I just came out of the toilet, and I feel like I've thrown up everything. I don't want to experience it again."

  Howard held the bitter coffee with both hands, and an envious look appeared in his eyes.

  He really couldn't look at any sticky sauce or red things right now.

  "So this is my fault? Your mental capacity is too fragile. As an arms dealer and someone who has been to war, those things like severed limbs, flesh, and blood shouldn't even move you."

  With an innocent look on his face, Luke rolled the noodles with his fork, added a thick clump of lobster meat, and continued to feast on it, making 'slurping' noises.

  "No one said an arms dealer had to test out his weapons on a human body himself! My limited moral conscience wouldn't allow me to witness how quickly the weapons I've created could kill! To be honest, it would keep me awake, never sleep again, and be deprived of the happiness in life."

  Howard was honest and spoke with conviction.

  Although he had a clear understanding of the fact that Stark Industries made money from war.

  But as long as he didn't take the initiative to understand, he could comfortably spend his money like water.

  Perhaps many rich people were keen to contribute to charity after their business success.

  Apart from reasonable tax avoidance and earning a good reputation.

  A small part of the reason was also removing the guilt they felt.

  Of course, a capitalist who felt uneasy about making enough money for himself was certainly not a qualified capitalist.

  "I can't believe you have a moral conscience… I thought highly of you, Howard. A decent capitalist shouldn't have these thoughts."

  Luke wiped his mouth with a napkin and made fun of him.

  "Then again, there are so many hot and sexy dancers at the Moulin Rouge, you didn't even look at them and had to pick a wild vampire who was out on the hunt. What? Do you have some kind of fetish?"

  Luke had enough to eat and drink and started talking about the main topic.

  "Wait, I'll call Peggy later and have her contact the New York Sanctum."

  "Oh, no, the Europe area should belong to the London Sanctum."

  Howard's face was stunned when he heard the latter sentence.

  He felt like a kindergarten student, facing quantum mechanics.

  It was no longer a question of being superior or not!

  It was about to turn his worldview upside down!

  "The Sanctum…what organization is that? And, is Rania really a vampire?"

  Howard asked hesitantly.

  "Eh? You could accept this world had big-breasted, leggy female warlocks and a thousand-year-old family of demon hunters but can't believe the real existence of vampires?"

  Luke couldn't help but spit out the words.

  "You still think that … Rania is a porphyria patient? Howard, don't lie to yourself. How could there be such a beautiful porphyria patient in the world?"

  Howard was speechless for a while.

  His thoughts were tangled in a mess, and he couldn't pull out the thread for a long while.

  "But …why do they exist? I mean, if there are vampires in the world, why haven't humans discovered them?"

  After a long while, Howard finally gave up thinking and began to ask questions instead.

  "Like mutants … the true nature of this group was confirmed long ago. But vampires only appear in movies."

  Luke went to the wine cabinet and poured himself a glass of whisky.

  He clicked his fingers and smiled, "That's a good question. The answer is simple because there are three major sanctuaries, as well as a group of muscle-loaded masters who like to use hammers, flails, and swords."

  "They are responsible for maintaining order in the dark world, avoiding vampires, werewolves, and hell demons invading this world!"

  "What? And werewolves? Wait, so Hell really exists? Devil, demon … I always thought it was just an adjective for swearing."

  Howard was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, causing his brain to malfunction a bit.

  "In just one night, the world view I had built up for over 30 years was instantly reduced to rubble…"

  Luke looked at Iron Man's father's dull appearance and couldn't help handing him a glass of wine. He comforted him insincerely, "What if I tell you that the guys of the Nordic mythology are indeed based on characters who live in Asgard. If you can study the Einstein-Rosen bridge theory, you may find them."

  "By the way, there is also the Lord of Hell, Mephisto, an old liar. Lucifer operates a bar with good sales next door, and God is probably a black man … Eh, Howard, what's wrong with you? You look like someone with early indications of Alzheimer."

  "…"

  Howard only felt his brain buzzing, and Luke's voice came and went, as if it came from the horizon, whispers from an ancient god.

  His only remaining reason, as well as his thinking ability, was completely shattered.

  "Can't you give me some time to digest? Asshole!"

  Half an hour later, Howard, who drank half a bottle of whisky, finally returned to normal.

  In a short time, his world was destroyed and rebuilt.

  Almost accepting that the planet he lived on- vampires, werewolves, hell demons, and devils were all normal.

  Even if Luke now said that he came from Nebula M78 of the universe, Howard wouldn't be surprised.

  "It's your poor acceptance ability."

  Luke said with contempt.

  "Today, let me open the door to a new world for you and increase your knowledge."

  Howard burped, and a strong smell of wine came out.

  Then he listened quietly with his ears open.

  "According to the records of the Sanctum, Dracula is the first vampire in human history. He is recognized as the 'ancestor' in later generations. He isn't afraid of sunshine, has super regeneration ability, and is a very difficult guy."

  Luke took on the role of a teacher, bringing the world's top scientist to another world.

  "But his descendants are divided into many factions, and those factions are then scattered into dark families with different names."

  "With the inheritance passed on from generation to generation, those vampires became much weaker and began to fear the sun and couldn't come out in the daytime."

  "As mentioned, they belong to the normal blood clan, and their numbers aren't large. They live in Eastern Europe and follow the three sanctums' regulations and are basically captive animals."

  Luke paused, took a sip of his whisky on the rocks, and continued, "And the female vampire you saw, her name is Rania, right? She doesn't belong to the orthodox blood clan."

  Howard held back his stomach and asked curiously, "Are there any unorthodox vampires?"

  "Of course. Around the 14th century, the Black Death swept through Europe, and a guy named Alexander Corvinus survived."

  Luke reminisced about the past and explained it.

  The Sanctum's library wasn't open to outsiders, but he was about to go to Kamar Taj to study magic and was handpicked by the Sorcerer Supreme herself, so it was okay to open the back door once in a while.

  "This guy is very fortunate, but also unfortunate. Fortunately, he survived the Black Death plague; unfortunately, he met the Hydra."

  Luke shrugged. 'There must be something wrong with the timeline of this world.'

  'Otherwise, why would 'Underworld' get mixed in?!'

  'In the end, I have to say that Hydra in the Marvel World is the omnipotent scapegoat. They could even get involved with vampires!'

  Luke, whose heart flashed with a series of spiteful words, continued, "Hydra believed that Alexander Corvinus must have some kind of special physique since he was able to survive the Black Death."

  "Then he was injected with a mix of vampires' and werewolves' blood. As a result, they created a monster that wasn't afraid of sunlight and possessed the explosive power of werewolves."

  "To some extent, this was a low-quality version of Dracula."

  Howard was fascinated. He didn't think he could learn this secret of the human world in his lifetime.

  "Did the Hydra already exist at that time?"

  He asked doubtfully.

  "The history of this organization is much older than you might think."

  Luke said flatly.

  "Facts have proven that any experiment and any plan of Hydra would always end in disaster."

  "Alexander Corvinus, who successfully transformed, ran away. He had three sons, two of whom were named William and Marcus. One of them became a werewolf, and one became a vampire."

  'This almost sounds like the origins of those pupils in Naruto.'

  "And then?"

  Howard was like a reader catching up on the story and couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

  "Very conventional plot. The two brothers turned against each other, vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies, and no possibility of reconciliation between the two parties."

  Luke glanced out the window and gently said, "The vampires have the upper hand. They reached cooperation with the human nobility and set up a team of elite warriors called 'Death Dealers'."

  "Am I right? The lady hiding outside."

  …