Volume 5, The Angel Falls One: Reach Out Your Hand; Sharp Metal Claws (1/2)

Volume 5, The Angel Falls Chapter One: Reach Out Your Hand; Sharp Metal Claws

Translator: XianBang (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia)

“Gē, guess what…”

Wait, Luo Lun. I have to finish going over the model info first. If we still can’t find a satisfactory model, our ads will be ruined.

“That’s what I was just gonna say! I’m telling you, a super beautiful customer came to our store today. Even Olga praised the customer’s refinement!”

Oh? Even Olga? Is it a girl?

“No, it’s a guy.”

A pretty guy? Ha! Look at all these male models I have here. Which one isn’t pretty?

“Hey! They can hardly compare to Ah Ye! Anyways, if you see him, you’ll understand. You’d better come!”

Don’t scream, there’s nothing

Night is only the haunt of darkness gone mad

“OK, perfect! That’s perfect, let’s take a rest before we start to record the next part.”

My anxiety finally settled a little when the sound engineer uttered this phrase. The sound engineer was really strict. We recorded from one to six, and only then did we finally finish recording a single part of the song.

Although I had initially thought that the sound engineer was intentionally making things difficult for the young master, I saw the ecstatic expression he had on right now, and he seemed genuinely happy.

After the young master exited the studio, the sound engineer patted his shoulder and said, “Drink some water and take a break.” He then turned to talk to the other staff members.

The sound engineer was intently discussing with the others, and was even loudly arguing about the details of the song production. This made me feel sincerely apologetic. He had truly only cared about chasing perfection, not about making things difficult for the young master.

I picked up the kettle and poured a cup of warm milk. Handing it to the young master, I said, “Young Master, you have worked hard.”

After drinking three cups of milk nonstop, the young master released a long, satisfied breath. He turned around to look at the clock on the wall and said, “Charles, I planned to eat dinner with Poseidin at seven today, but it looks like I won’t be able to be there on time. Go to N/H and tell him that I’ll be late.”

“Understood.” I nodded in reply and asked, “Young Master, shall I first prepare some nourishment for you for now?”

“It’s okay, I’ll eat when I get there.” While rubbing his stomach, the young master said, “I ate a lot for breakfast and lunch today!”

I smiled and said, “Indeed.”

“Ah Ye, let’s record the last part!” The sound engineer waved his hand, so excited that his eyes were shining.

The young master waved to me, signaling that I could leave. I bowed and watched the young master walk into the studio before I turned and left.

Walking down to the street from the studio building, I could only describe the crowd as a violent wave. The studio was located at the most prosperous western district of Sunset City. It was rush hour, so the crowds were not surprising. What was surprising was that besides the humans walking on the street, non-humans were also walking about without disguises, revealing their true faces.

The sky occasionally flashed with multi-colored lights, belonging to nature’s “nymphs.” They were like miniature women, some with wings and some with tails. What was similar was that they all glowed, despite their different types due to their different residences.

Nymphs living by the sea are known as sea nymphs; ones living in the forest are known as tree nymphs; but ones living in the city… This made me hesitate. Could they be city nymphs?

A few “wolfmen” leaned against a wall. Wolfmen were also a type of mythical creature, with the appearance of a wolf but without the ability to change into a human like a werewolf. They were an intermediary race between humans and werewolves.

But compared to werewolves, whose bloodthirstiness was unavoidable, wolfmen were rather harmless. As long as they were not provoked, they would not provoke any others. In reality, all they ever did was use their hind legs to prop themselves up against a wall and doze. If one did not look closely, they were hardly any different from the stray dogs on the streets.

I even saw a “nightwalker” holding a horn while walking past me.

Nightwalkers usually lived by the sea. They were a type of creature that could predict storms; every time a storm approached, they would sound a horn to warn the fishermen.

But nowadays, nightwalkers were almost extinct, since fishermen today could just turn on the television to watch the weather forecast. They did not need nightwalkers at all, and many types of mythical creatures would gradually become extinct when not needed.

Humans appeared unaccustomed to non-humans walking openly on the roads, but they were not afraid. Rather, they were like people in a zoo coming across ferocious animals—their eyes widening in curiosity and surprise. Although most people only dared to steal glances out of the corner of their eyes, on occasion, some people openly, even provokingly, stared at them.

In just this past year, the existence of non-humans had become far more widely known.

On the way to the studio, the young master had explained to me that after the conflict between non-humans and the Church at the plaza, non-humans were no longer a secret. After this year, it was clear that the situation was even more public, especially since Sunset City was one of the few base cities for non-humans.

A year ago, my feelings were less clear in regards to the human race knowing the existence of non-humans. It was probably because the majority of non-humans would not appear in the daylight, and chose only to come out at night. But nowadays…

It was dusk, the setting sun shining from the west. The sky was still bright, with crowds coming and going. There were many non-humans in their midst. Although they would still attract human attention, they were just stolen glances from a distance. The screaming, panicked, and fleeing humans of the past were all gone without a trace.

Perhaps one day, there will truly be no difference between humans and non-humans.

I waved down a taxi. When I entered the car, I realized that the driver was a nightwalker. He took a glance at me and said, “I have no blood for you to drink. I don’t take cards, credit, or human blood either.”

“…”

I took out a one thousand yuan bill. “Head for N/H.”

The nightwalker took the cash and then turned on the engine.

He drove the car smoothly down the road the entire way, without racing in the streets or driving on the sidewalk. Even when the car was stopping, the seatbelt did not suddenly dig into my chest. This made me involuntarily ask for his business card, in the hopes of often riding such a safe and trustworthy vehicle in the future.

People living in cities definitely need taxis. Perhaps this is why nightwalkers chose this job; they need “to be needed” to live.

Looking downwards at the driver’s business card, I saw the name “Nitewalker” on it. I smiled.

At this moment, the driver turned around and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Charles Endelis.”

Nitewalker nodded and said, “I’ll remember it. Do you need me to pick you up later?

“Oh, I will be fine,” I smiled. “If I have need of you, I will call you.”

He simply nodded without speaking. But this was not surprising. Quietness and loneliness were characteristics of nightwalkers.

Getting out of the car, I looked up. N/H’s sign was still a nondescript wooden one. The surroundings were very dim. This was a desolate street, not suitable for stores.

Swiping the card and entering, I walked through the long, dim staircase and climbed up to the lobby. In the dark lobby, only the bar was illuminated. The most important thing was that there were still only non-humans here. No humans were present.

N/H was still N/H.

I sighed in relief. Although I did not fear change, I did not want it to be too fast and abrupt, especially since I had just woken up.

This also reminded me that I should email X to ask how he was doing. He would have even more difficulty adapting to this fast-changing world than I would.

X always asked angrily: Couldn’t this world just remain the same?

“Long time no see, Charles Endelis.”

This voice belongs to Poseidin… or perhaps “Poseidynne”?

He… She was wearing a white dress with an aqua color spreading from the bottom up, identical-colored sandals, and light makeup on her face. Her aqua hair was tied and brushed meticulously.

One year ago he was androgynous, but now she looked completely like a girl. A very elegant, beautiful girl in her twenties.

Is Poseidynne’s change related to the young master? Although I questioned it, I felt that I already knew the answer.

Poseidynne had always liked the young master, and the young master was even having dinner with her. Most importantly, the young master was a man, so of course his partner would be a woman. Perhaps that is the reason why Poseidynne became feminine?

“Where’s Ah Ye?” Poseidynne asked.

I immediately explained, “The young master is still at the recording studio. He asked me to come over to tell you that he will be late.”

Poseidynne thought for a little and nodded. “Oh, right. Last time he mentioned that he was going to sing a song for a commercial. I haven’t heard him sing yet. Can Ah Ye sing well? You’ve heard him before, right?”

I nodded. “The young master has a clear voice, but he still needs practice.”

“Talented but still inexperienced. Your young master has always been like that.” Poseidynne smiled. Her smile was gentler than it had been one year ago. She asked softly, “Want some fresh blood?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Poseidynne smiled and started preparing the drink.

After seeing the non-humans mixed in the crowds of humans and Poseidynne’s current change, I could not help but say, “It has only been one year, yet humans have already accepted the existence of non-humans. What a huge difference.”

Poseidynne handed me a goblet full of red liquid and answered, “It’s not that huge. It just changed from a few confirming the existence of non-human to the majority of people confirming it.”

“Confirm?” The word was used strangely.

“With so many stories about werewolves, mermaids, and vampires around, do you think humans really don’t believe that non-humans exist?” Poseidynne mischievously said, “They can’t even say ‘there are no aliens in the universe’ with certainty, let alone us non-humans who reside on the same Earth as the humans!”

“You are right.” I was suddenly relieved. Actually, one year ago many people, including Mr. Bramble, May, Dell, and even Father Yue from the church, had already accepted me, a vampire. Right now, it was just that some more people knew of our existence, so the change was not that big.

The phone in my chest pocket started ringing. Perhaps a call from the young master? I immediately picked up the call, but the moment the line connected, I heard some yelling and screaming. “Charles, have you really woken up?”

I paused for a second and realized that it was Yue Gang’s voice. I quickly answered, “Yes.”

“Which hospital are you in? Or are you back in Sunset City?”

“Hospital?” I was a bit confused.

“Yeah! Is your ‘light allergy’ cured? Your little bro worried about you so much this past year. He kept on saying, ‘What if the treatment failed?’ and frequently prayed in the church. Even my dad felt pity for him!”

Could it be that Yue Gang still thinks I am allergic to light? And he also thinks that I went for therapy this past year? I remember being exposed under the sun in front of him many times. Right now the public already knows about the existence of vampires as well, but Yue Gang still thinks I am a human?

Is it because I really resemble a human too much? Or he is just too slow?

“Hello? Why aren’t you speaking? Is your illness cured?”

I could only answer, “It has been cured.”

“Are you back in Sunset City?”

“Yes, I am back.”

“Great, I’ll visit you in a few days. Can’t chat right now! I need to go do my work. Xie Wei is glaring at me!”

Xie Wei? I wanted to ask, but there was only beeping left over the phone. The speed at which Yue Gang had hung up the phone was as swift as it had been a year ago.

It seemed like I could only ask the young master about the circumstances later when he came; otherwise, I might fail to cover the lies successfully.

“Ah Ye probably won’t make it to dinner. It’ll have to be a midnight snack.”

I paused and turned to look at Poseidynne. She was staring at the television suspended from the ceiling. Her expression displayed her unhappiness.

The television was showing a news piece about a mental patient who had escaped from a psychiatric hospital in the suburbs and was suspected to have fled toward Sunset City. Both the police and the heroes were currently in pursuit, and it was advised not to go to a certain street in the western district.

I felt a bit doubtful, muttering, “A convict from a psychiatric hospital? The heroes should not need to act for this kind of criminal, right?”

Poseidynne disapprovingly said, “It is publicly being referred to as a psychiatric hospital, but the escape was probably from P29. P29 isn’t far from Sunset City, so it certainly is in the suburbs.”

“P29? What is that?” I asked in confusion.

“You don’t know about P29?” Poseidynne replied in surprise.

I honestly admitted, “I have only heard that Area 51 is the place where the government studies aliens, but I have never heard of P29.”

Poseidynne laughed, explaining, “Although humans didn’t acknowledge the existence of non-humans, it was inevitable that they would capture some not-quite human creatures, or some ‘humans’ with unique abilities. These people were criminals that couldn’t be contained by normal prisons, so the National Psychiatric Hospital #29 prison was specially built to contain these abnormal convicts.”

At this point, she looked at me and said, “The majority of non-humans know about P29, since it’s the only prison that has non-humans locked inside. But very few know about Area 51, since non-humans certainly don’t often go to the theaters to watch alien movies.”

I do not either. To be honest, I prefer superhero films.

“At least, in the past non-humans didn’t go to the movies often,” Poseidynne added.

But in the future, perhaps more non-humans will hear of Area 51, right? However, the most important thing for now is not Area 51, but P29.