“Useful.” Logan Carter began to explain: “The herb just now is a low-level exorcism medicine. It can’t dispel the blood mark magic, but it can greatly suppress its aura. Each use lasts for three days. The biggest feature of blood mark magic is that it spreads rapidly through blood. By mixing my blood with the horse’s, the blood mark magic will be transmitted to the horse. This way, the magical aura the horse emits will be very strong, like a candle in the dark. With one bright and one dim, we can temporarily evade Gavin Clark’s tracking.”

This blood mark magic sounded mysterious, but its characteristics were very much like an infectious disease on Earth, specifically one transmitted through blood. The infected showed no symptoms, but emitted a special scent. Ordinary people couldn’t smell it, but vampires were extremely sensitive to it and could easily track it.

Annie frowned. “Then what if Lily is found by Gavin Clark? He’ll find Lily very soon. Besides, Lily is a good horse.”

She was a bit reluctant.

Logan Carter could understand Annie’s feelings. In this world, horses were highly intelligent, and it was only natural for Annie to feel attached. But given the circumstances, there was no time to worry about that.

He said urgently, “Lily isn’t the only bait. Look, there are forests on both sides of the road, with plenty of animals—rabbits, wolves, bears, deer—all can be used as bait. With so many baits, Lily might not die. After all, she’s just a horse, and vampires aren’t so desperate yet, right?”

Hunters had trouble dealing with monsters, but when it came to wild animals, it was no challenge at all.

“That’s right!” Annie blurted out, her eyes lighting up. The more she thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed. She couldn’t help but clap her hands. “Ah, how are you so clever, little one? Even this kind of trick you can come up with. This way, the vampire will be running around in circles.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get moving!” urged Logan Carter.

“Of course! Of course!”

Annie unloaded all the packs from the horse’s back, slung them all onto herself, and gave the black horse Lily a hard slap on the rump. The horse neighed in pain and immediately bolted down the road.

“Follow me.” Annie waved to Logan Carter, then darted into the woods beside the road.

Logan Carter was still a bit weak, but he wasn’t carrying much, and Annie would wait for him from time to time, so he managed to keep up behind her.

The two of them dashed through the forest.

Along the way, relying on her exceptional senses as a mutant hunter, Annie caught three sika deer and a lone wolf. The wild animals were terrified; after being infected with the blood, they fled from Annie as fast as they could and quickly disappeared.

After releasing the last lone wolf, Annie let out a slight sigh of relief and asked, “Are we safe now?”

Logan Carter was exhausted, gasping for breath. It took him half a minute to catch his breath before he shook his head at Annie: “These animals run fast, but it’s the middle of the night. After being frightened, they’ll stop once they reach a place they think is safe, so they won’t go far... By my estimate, we only have about three hours of real safety. After that, if we don’t keep setting up bait, the vampire could find us at any time.”

Annie immediately said, “Then let’s keep going!”

Logan Carter waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no, I can’t. If I keep running, I’ll die of exhaustion. I need to rest.”

“I’ll carry you!”

With that, Annie came over and forcibly hoisted Logan Carter onto her back.

Logan Carter hurriedly patted Annie’s shoulder. “No need, put me down. I’m telling you, running like this isn’t a solution either. I’m not in good shape, and you’re seriously injured too. If we keep running, we’ll both be worn out. The number of baits only determines whether we die sooner or later.”

Annie sensed something in his words and turned her head slightly to look at Logan Carter on her back. “Do you have another idea?”

“There is a way, but we have to rest first. In my current state, I don’t have the energy to do anything.”

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Chapter 9: Nitroglycerin

Annie was quite experienced in wilderness survival. Not long after entering the mountains, she found a dry, warm cave. There was a bear sleeping inside, but she quietly crept in and stabbed the bear through the head with a single sword.

Aside from the strong animal smell, the bear’s den was otherwise perfect, and the dead bear provided a warm bearskin.

By this time, Logan Carter was so exhausted he could barely walk, his head spinning, almost unable to think, his eyelids drooping. After making sure the area was safe, he lay down next to the still-warm bear carcass and fell asleep in less than half a minute.

He had a dream.

In the dream, he slept soundly, and when he woke up, he found himself lying on the soft bed in his apartment. Golden sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the balcony, shining onto the quilt and making the bed warm and cozy—so comfortable.

The quilt gave off a fresh, clean scent. His mother had just changed it for him when she visited a couple of days ago. Thinking of his mother, Logan Carter’s mind conjured up her nagging voice.

‘You’re already an adult, how have you still not learned to tidy your room? It’s such a mess. I wonder what girl would ever like you.’

‘Why are there so many takeout boxes? I’m telling you, eating this stuff all the time isn’t good for you!’