[Twenty-One] The Plan to Turn Defense into Offense

73
Inside Room 504 of the Paradise Hotel, under the dim yellow light, around the round table sat John Chen, Wilson, Adorno, Lin Xiaoyang, and Huang Lihua. On the table lay an ancient map, on which several obvious markings pointed toward the Swiss border. John Chen’s finger traced along the border line, his expression focused, his tone low: “According to the information sent by the Dragon Knight and my junior brother Stron, they have been trapped by Anderson’s Black Bear and White Wolf. These two’s Black Bat Army are pressing them tightly. In this situation, Anderson is very likely to personally lead the main force across the border into Switzerland.”

Wilson furrowed his brows, the corners of his mouth slightly downturned, and asked with concern: “Father, if our headquarters faces an attack by Anderson’s main force, can we hold it?”

John Chen gave a slight smile, his gaze piercing through Wilson’s doubt, his tone full of confidence: “With Lin Xiaoyang stationed here, even if the Demon King Anderson and the Great Magician Rufus join forces, they might not be able to shake Xiaoyang.”

However, Lin Xiaoyang did not feel comforted. He furrowed his brows slightly, his eyes flickering with unease, and his tone was somewhat uncertain: “Father, I have never fought this group of vampires. How can we be so confident?”

John Chen placed his palm flat on the table, his gaze deep as he looked at Lin Xiaoyang: “It is not confidence born of underestimation, but this group of vampires is not easily able to contend with you. You have a pure Yang body, and you have self-taught superb Chinese martial arts. Against Anderson and Rufus, your odds of victory are very high.”

Lin Xiaoyang shook his head with a bitter smile, lightly massaging his own forehead, his tone a bit self-mocking: “Father, hearing it put this way, I feel the pressure on my shoulders even heavier.”

John Chen said nothing further, only smiled lightly. Then, his tone became serious, and a trace of mystery appeared in his eyes: “I have a surprise attack plan that requires Adorno and me to execute together.”

Adorno, without hesitation, cupped his fists, his tone firm: “Father, please give your orders.”

John Chen’s gaze turned to him, and he said calmly: “We will wait at the border checkpoint for Anderson’s main force, then proceed to intercept them.”

Huang Lihua furrowed his brow, speaking with doubt: “Just the two of you, how can you stop Anderson and Rufus’ main force of over a thousand Black Bat soldiers?”

John Chen gave a slight smile, a glint of confidence flashing in his eyes: “Of course, we cannot directly stop the entire Black Bat Army. But we will proceed in two steps. First, we will strengthen the combat power of the border police and give the Black Bat Army a frontal blow. Second, Adorno and I will secretly mix into their ranks, kill several commanders, and cause their morale to collapse, making them unable to command effectively.”

Wilson frowned after hearing this, still harboring doubts: “What if your actions are exposed and you are surrounded by Anderson and his subordinates?”

John Chen smiled slightly, his gaze directly at Adorno, a mysterious smile appearing on his face: “That is exactly why I am taking Adorno with me.”

Adorno immediately understood, his mouth lifting slightly, a fearless tone in his voice: “Father, although this is a dangerous move, if it can disrupt the enemy’s deployment, I will go through fire and water.”

Huang Lihua turned his gaze to Adorno, raising a brow, asking curiously: “Adorno, has the princess already taught you the Phantom Arts?”

Adorno nodded, smiling slightly, a trace of confidence in his eyes: “Yes, boss. The princess also taught me mind-reading. She said that these two techniques will definitely be very useful in the future.”

John Chen looked at the five people before him, his expression becoming more resolute. His tone was low and powerful as he said: “This mission is primarily to weaken the enemy’s strength. During this period, all preparations and engagement operations in the hotel must follow Wilson’s command and coordination.”

Wilson took a deep breath, his expression becoming even more solemn: “Rest assured, Father. I will arrange all the work properly.”

As John Chen finished speaking, the atmosphere in the conference room became extremely tense. Everyone knew that the upcoming battle would not only involve fighting the Black Bat Army, but could also determine life or death for all of them.

74
In the great hall of the Sky Castle, Princess Maria received the couple of humans and ghosts, Rona and Case.

Rona bowed and said: “Thank you, Princess, for giving us both a chance to start over, to live under the sunlight.”

Maria said earnestly: “Indeed, you are starting over. You must cherish it!”

Case cupped his hands in salute: “We will certainly cherish the grace given by the Princess. If in the future the Princess has use for us, we will always follow your orders.”

Maria said: “There is a mission at hand that requires your assistance.”

Rona said: “Princess, please give your command.”

Maria said: “Father John Chen plans to go to the border to wait for Anderson’s main Black Bat Army and launch a surprise attack at the right moment to break the enemy’s morale. However, they are few in number, so I would like you two to go together to assist.”

Case said: “We will give our all for the mission entrusted by the Princess!”

“Hmm, please wait at the hotel entrance for a short while to meet Father John Chen. Here are two weapons for you to carry, to be used in urgent situations.” A nearby guard brought over two strangely shaped items, one an invisibility cloak, the other a traversal ring, and handed them to Rona and Case.

75
Father John Chen and Adorno picked up their backpacks. Xiaoyang escorted them out of the hotel entrance and saw Rona and Case standing under the shade of a tree. The two waved toward Xiaoyang and Adorno as they approached.

Rona cupped her hands and said: “The Princess instructed us to accompany Father Chen on this mission.”

John Chen reminded them: “Both of you abandoning darkness to embrace the light is commendable, but this mission is quite dangerous!”

Case said: “We are mentally prepared. The Princess has shown us grace by giving us a second chance. To serve the Princess, even at the cost of our lives, we are willing without regret.”

Rona said: “Case and I plan to go ahead first, infiltrate Anderson’s camp, and take the opportunity to support the actions of the two of you.”

Lin Xiaoyang cautioned: “Then, you two must protect yourselves well!”

“We will. If anything happens, we will send information via text message.” Rona and Case immediately set off, and John Chen and Adorno watched their figures depart.

John Chen asked: “Adorno, can we rely on these two friends of yours?”

Adorno said affirmatively: “Father, they have sincerely submitted to the Princess. I understand them.”

76
Rona and Case put on human skin masks, disguising themselves as an elderly couple. Inside the station, the two supported each other and boarded a long-distance bus heading for Italy.

As the bus approached the border checkpoint, the driver stopped at the gate for inspection. A police officer led a fully armed soldier wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a short-barreled submachine gun onto the bus. The driver handed the passenger list to Officer Bass.

Bass said: “All passengers, please present your passports or ID cards.”

The driver asked: “Bass, what’s going on? They didn’t check before.”

Bass said: “We recently received orders from higher-ups; passenger identities must now be checked.”

The driver curiously asked: “What happened, Bass?”

Bass said: “Official business, cannot disclose.”

Passengers took out their documents one by one; the officers verified each identity. An officer approached Case’s seat. Case handed over both of their passports. The officer glanced at them and returned them to Case. After the officer and the soldier completed the inspection and got off the bus one after another, the barrier was raised, and the bus passed the checkpoint.

Rona whispered into Case’s ear: “Judging by this situation, it seems the governments of Italy and Switzerland have received intelligence. Anderson’s main force will cross the border within these few days.”

Case said: “Hmm! Then we will wait in the nearest town for Anderson.”

77
Case and Rona got off at a small town called Da Vinci, the closest town to the border. The town appeared empty and quiet. On the streets, besides the armed police patrolling in pairs, there were no other pedestrians.

The two immediately sensed an unusual atmosphere, as if a storm were about to strike. They then checked into a small inn. An elderly clerk at the front desk kindly reminded them: “Stay inside after nightfall and try not to go out. Things outside have been very unsettled recently.”

Case and Rona entered their room, deliberately turned on the bathroom tap, and discussed in low voices while in the bathroom.

Rona analyzed: “From this situation, it seems the towns along the route have entered a high alert state. Anderson’s main force likely will not blatantly massacre their way across the border, but may instead adopt an avoidance strategy to preserve their strength.”

Case said: “If that is the case, the situation for John Chen and Adorno lying in ambush at the border checkpoint might be dangerous…”

“Time is of the essence. We should inform Father immediately.” Rona took out her phone and sent the message.

78
On the bus, John Chen received the text from Rona, his expression grave. Adorno, concerned that there might be too many eyes on the bus, did not dare to ask questions.

When the bus arrived at the border checkpoint, John Chen and Adorno proactively requested to use the restroom from the inspecting officers. Once inside the checkpoint, John Chen immediately sought out Station Chief Officer Marin: “Are you the station chief here?”

“Yes, my name is Marin. How may I assist you?” Marin scrutinized John Chen and Adorno.

John Chen immediately presented his official credentials, identified himself, and explained the purpose of his visit.

John Chen spoke clearly: “I am Father John Chen of the Vatican Security Department. The Vatican has received intelligence that within the coming days, a vampire force numbering in the thousands will cross the border from Italy into Switzerland. I am here on orders to organize border police and militia to resist this vampire force…”

After listening, Marin’s face became very serious. He said with concern: “Our station only has police personnel, plus a single squad sent from the military—less than twenty people. How could we possibly resist thousands of vampires?”

John Chen spoke with firm resolve: “I have a method to resist the enemy!”

Marin said: “Please tell me!”

John Chen took a map from his backpack and spread it on the table: “We will first concentrate on the two neighboring towns near the border. Those who can fight will participate, while evacuating the elderly, weak, and women. Then, we will use the steep terrain of the border to defend.”

Marin asked: “If the vampires attack the elderly, weak, or women, what can we do? We cannot sacrifice them, right?”

John Chen analyzed: “Based on the intelligence I have, this batch of vampires is moving very covertly. Their purpose is to preserve their strength, and they aim to cross the border as quickly as possible. It is unlikely they will harm the elderly, weak, or women along the way, which would attract attention from both countries’ military and police.”

Marin nodded in agreement: “Then I will quickly notify the mayors and police chiefs of nearby towns and gather them here for an emergency meeting.”

John Chen reminded him: “The notification process and post-meeting actions must be kept strictly confidential, to prevent leaks and detection by enemy scouts.”

“Of course!” Officer Marin immediately began making calls, contacting the relevant personnel one by one.

79
The mayors and police chiefs of neighboring towns, having received Officer Marin’s call, rushed to the border checkpoint for the meeting.

“Due to the urgency, we invite you all here to discuss how to resist this group of vampires.” Marin began, then handed the explanation over to John Chen.

“Everyone, facing this fierce group of vampires, no one can stay out of it. We will hold the pass, wait for the right moment, and strike the vampires head-on!” John Chen’s tone was passionate and inspiring, moving all the attendees.

The mayor of Da Vinci, Paul, looked worried.

Paul said: “I heard vampires are not afraid of knives or guns. I am concerned we are not their match.”

John Chen said: “The vampires’ weakness is in their head and neck. We must aim at these areas when shooting. If they break through our defense line and engage in close combat, we will use broadswords and long swords to fight them hand-to-hand.”

The meeting quickly reached three conclusions:

1. Evacuate the elderly, weak, and women in advance, completely clearing the towns.
2. Able-bodied men will organize defense teams, supported by the police with long and short firearms and explosives/kerosene, each assigned to defend critical passes strictly.
3. During nighttime, all personnel will follow the combat sequence and remain on standby at all times.