"There are two opposing forces in the mortal world—you can probably guess them: light and darkness."

"Wait, wait," I raised a hand. "Um… are there really supernatural beings in this world?"

An Li frowned and shot back, "Do you think your current state came from swallowing some sci-fi pill and mutating?"

"I don't think so…"

"Then that's settled. If you don't believe it, don't listen."

"I believe, I believe!" I nodded vigorously. "I'm listening."

This beautiful young lady with a cold aura didn't seem in the best mood. I decided to play it safe and stay a little more cautious.

After all, she was the type who could lop off a head with one clean swing—seriously ruthless.

An Li stood, walked over, poured herself water from the kettle, took a sip, and continued, "Both light and darkness are fractured into countless factions of varying sizes. That was the status quo—until one person appeared and united all our forces for a joint operation."

I glanced at her cup. "Uh… has that water been sitting in the kettle for a while…?"

"I boiled it fresh last night," An Li cut in flatly.

"Oh." I nodded. "Please go on."

Worried for nothing. Honestly, this girl really makes herself at home—

took my keys, unlocked my door, brought me back, boiled water, found food, ate her fill, then crashed in my bedroom. Meanwhile, I—the actual owner—got dumped on the sofa.

No idea how she even found my place. Probably used some… unscientific methods.

"Anyway," she continued, "a powerful entity suddenly emerged from the dark side. Her growth was terrifyingly fast. No one knew where she came from—as if she rose from the shadows overnight."

I tilted up my petite, doll-like face. "How strong?"

"Obviously."

"How *exactly* strong?"

"Even if I told you, would you understand the ranking system?" she countered.

"Well… if I don't get the terms, just describe it! Like—how many fingers to flatten a mountain or something?"

"This woman's name is unknown. We call her the 'Queen of Night'."

"Her power is immense, but what truly terrifies everyone is her potential and growth speed. We learned through certain channels that her next major evolution requires her to… mate with a female vampire."

An Li took a sip to moisten her throat and added casually, "These cookies at your place are crazy dry."

"Sorry! Whole-wheat ones are filling and cheap," I apologized quickly, then added in a trembling voice, "Also… sorry, did you just say… *mate*?"

"Mm." An Li's expression stayed perfectly neutral—

as if she'd just mentioned the weather.

"I—I'll just ask… what exactly do you mean by 'mate'?"

Without a word, An Li raised both hands: formed a circle with her right, extended the index finger of her left, and slowly moved it in and out.

My head spun. "But… you said she's the 'Queen of Night'—isn't she a *woman*?"

"Yes, she's a woman," An Li countered calmly. "Problem?"

Her utter certainty made me doubt myself.

…Was *I* the weird one?

"Never mind, skip it. Please continue," I sat up straighter. "How does this relate to me ending up like this?"

An Li popped another whole-wheat cookie and went on:

"Upon learning this, major factions united for the largest operation in history: the Vampire Extermination Campaign."

I froze for seconds. "You… wiped out *all* the vampires?"

"Yes."

Got it. They couldn't touch the Queen of Night, so they eliminated her "evolution material." But—

"Didn't you take final precautions? Like… what if she's not picky and just grabs a female vampire's *corpse*…?"

I trailed off under An Li's increasingly icy glare. "You… didn't specify it had to be *alive*, right?"

She said nothing—just pinned me with a gaze cold enough to freeze blood.

"Ah… so it doesn't work that way," I bowed my head. "Sorry. Continue."

She drank water to steady herself. "Even I didn't realize the one we killed last night was the very last. Your transformation proved it—you became female."

Only animals get called "female." Hearing it about myself sent a chill down my spine.

"Because I turned into a *girl*," I corrected firmly, "that's how you knew she was the last vampire?"

"The bloodline is an ancient race with deep mythic roots—they possess racial consciousness. When the final vampire died, you were the only living host of the virus."

An Li cupped my face, applying slight pressure.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!"

She pried my mouth open. "The inferior virus would've turned you into a half-dead low-grade dark creature. But the racial consciousness, recognizing you as the last vessel, forcibly elevated and purified your bloodline to preserve the lineage… This fang's decent—shape shows noble blood."

"Wait wait wait!" I finally pulled free. "Turning into a vampire is one thing—but why—*why* did I turn into a *girl*?!"

An Li shot me a disdainful glance. "Can men give birth?"

I thought hard. Shook my head. "No."

"Any other questions?"

"…"