After a minute of staring at his mess, Hei Bao entered the bathroom and take a bath.
Before entering the shower, however, he first took off the blood-stained robe and threw it in the trash.
He set the temperature to a comfortable level and turned on the faucet. Feeling the gentle caress of the water, he tilted his head and closed his eyes, letting the coldness run down his whole body, washing away the things he had done.
Stepping out in his new robe, the pact leader then went to the dimly lit mini kitchen, while his other hand hold a towel.
Wiping his hair dry, he glanced at his wine collection, feeling thirsty.
He flipped the switch beside him, and the darkness of the room quickly vanished, replaced by bright light that filled the entire space.
Hei Bao stepped closer, and his gaze fell on the red wine. He walked over, twisted off the lid, and poured himself a glass of wine halfway.
After taking a sip, he stared ahead with a blank expression, looking as if something had crossed his mind.
It took a moment before he blinked and entered back his office. He glanced at the scene ten steps away before heading to his black swivel chair.
Sitting down, he held the wine and sipped it occasionally. The heat of the liquid seared from his heart down to his stomach as he swallowed, satisfying him.
The atmosphere was serene, but was abruptly interrupted by the loud ring of the telephone on his desk that connected directly to the lobby.
He answered the call and heard Chu Yan, the human receptionist, on the other end.
"I apologize for the intrusion, Director Bao. Sir Cheung Qi is here and requesting to see you." She paused, awaiting his response.
"Tell him to bring at least three cleaners," he replied, then ended the call.
"He said you can go up now and bring three cleaners," Chu Yan said, offering a shy smile.
Cheung Qi thanked her and immediately headed for the elevator without delay. He pressed the button for the 10th floor, where the pack leader's office was, and waited.
After a minute, the elevator doors opened. Cheung Qi walked down the dimly lit hallway, and when he reached the office door, he pushed it open.
The sight that greeted him made his eyes widen in shock.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!" he half-shouted, cursing, eyes wider than the legs of all women's he slept with.
He swore to the heavens that his cousin was ruthlessly shocking beyond words.
Cheung Qi hastily slammed the door behind him, his heart pounding as he approached the scene.
With each step closer, his curiosity and anxiety intensified. When he finally saw the full extent of it, he gasped, his breath catching in his throat.
How the hell...?
The closed door behind him suddenly creaked, making him flinch.
He turned and saw it was the three young cleaners he'd called. Their faces went pale as they glimpsed the horror inside.
Within seconds they bolted out, their terror so intense they threw up outside, leaving the door open.
Hei Bao strode over to the commotion, and glanced at the three young men outside, still shaken and trying to compose themselves.
Cheung Qi's eyes locked on him. A glass of wine dangled from his fingers.
"You arrived a minute late," He said.
Cheung Qi didn't reply. Instead, he turned back to the ghastly scene, his face contorted with disgust as he crouched beside Fei Nian's body.
The stench of vampire blood was truly far worse than that of any other creature. It was so overpowering and putrid that it churned his stomach.
"Want to take her home?" Hei Bao half-joked, sipping on his wine with a sly smirk.
But seeing that his cousin showed no interest, he kept talking. However, Cheung Qi still remained silent, staring at the lifeless body, which irritated him.
Despite being ignored, he still pressed on with his speech, inching closer to Cheung Qi.
His thoughts grew bolder by the second, and a smirk returned to his face. He now stood beside him and patted his shoulder twice.
"She's still fresh. Although her body is cold, her insides are still warm. You can still-"
Cheung Qi couldn't take it anymore and raised one hand, stopping him from saying anything more.
"Please, blech, you're making me want to puke," he said, covering his mouth with his left hand.
After that, he stood up and faced his psychotic elder cousin head on.
"You're truly something you know that?"
Hei Bao merely shrugged before walking over to the couch. Just as he was about to sit down, his gaze landed on his phone, still lying where he had left it, its screen and casing smeared with dried blood.
The color drained from his face almost instantly.
His expression twisted with undisguised revulsion, his stomach lurching as he fought back the urge to gag.
He instinctively took a step back, as though the sight alone was enough to make his skin crawl.
"Where are those three cleaners? Tell them to get in here. Now," he muttered irritably, shaking his head before clicking his tongue in annoyance.
Behind him, however, Cheung Qi remained rooted to the spot.
His eyes were still fixed on Fie Nian's lifeless body, sprawled across the cold floor in a widening pool of blood.
Sensing the unusual stillness, Hei Bao glanced over his shoulder.
Seeing his cousin standing there without moving, his brows drew together.
"What are you standing there for? Having second thought?" His voice was cold, edged with unmistakable impatience.
Cheung Qi didn't respond, his gaze remained glued on the corpse for another brief moment before he finally blinked, as though pulling himself back to reality.
Hei Bao's patience wore thinner by the second. Just as he opened his mouth to speak again, a firm knock sounded from the door.
The sound broke the tense silence.
Both men turned toward it almost simultaneously before their eyes met for only a fleeting second, yet it was enough for Cheung Qi to catch the silent instruction in his gaze.
He gave a faint nod before heading toward the door
When Cheung Qi reached the door, he found the three familiar young men already waiting outside; the pact's so-called cleaners.
All three were dressed in black from head to toe, and one of them carried an extra-large black plastic bag slung over his shoulder.
"Oh." A genuine smile spread across Cheung Qi's face.
"Hello again. Already sobered up?"
The three were Gou Feng, Shen Jiu, and Huan Zhan, the youngest members of the pact, all of whom had yet to manifest their wolf forms.
"Don't mind him," Cheung Qi said with an amused smile as he stepped aside to let them in.
"He's had a terrible morning. You know how he is with his temper."
His gaze shifted to the youngest of the three.
"A-Feng, how are you?"
Gou Feng returned the smile, though it looked a little strained.
"I'm doing fine, Cheung-ge... Just... my stomach's been feeling a little unsettled lately."
Cheung Qi let out a soft chuckle and gave his shoulder an encouraging pat.
"I know exactly what you need. Once we're done here, I'll treat you all."
He punctuated the offer with a playful wink.
Without a second thought, the three young men nodded in unison, their eyes instantly lighting up with excitement.
"Cheung Qi."
Hei Bao's cold voice drifted over from the living room.
"If you keep holding them up, I'll have you clean this mess yourself."
Cheung Qi shot his cousin a sideways glance before clicking his tongue.
"Tsk. You're unbelievably impatient."
Turning back to the three younger men, he waved them inside.
"Go on. Get to work."
He quickly instructed them on what needed to be done before returning to his cousin's side.
Together, they watched as Gou Feng, Shen Jiu, and Huan Zhan carefully lifted Fei Nian's lifeless body and placed it inside the oversized black plastic bag with practiced efficiency.
"Why, you..."
Cheung Qi suddenly broke the silence.
Without taking his eyes off the three young men at work, Hei Bao responded with a quiet hum.
"Hm?"
Cheung Qi hesitated for a moment before letting out a small sigh.
"No... it's nothing."
Whatever had crossed his mind wasn't worth bringing up.
The three cleaners continued working with remarkable coordination.
While Gou Feng meticulously wiped away every trace of blood from the floor and the windows, Shen Jiu headed into the bathroom to scrub away the remaining stains.
Huan Zhan stayed beside the body, securing the heavy plastic bag before checking that nothing had been overlooked.
Once every visible trace had been erased, Gou Feng carefully picked up Hei Bao's bloodstained phone from the couch, slipping it into a separate evidence bag before rejoining the other two.
After giving the room one final inspection, Gou Feng nodded in satisfaction.
Only then did the three of them step forward together.
In perfect unison, they lowered themselves onto one knee before Hei Bao, their heads bowed with unquestionable respect.
It resembled less a formal greeting and more an act of reverence, as though they stood before someone far beyond an ordinary Alpha.
"Greetings, my Lord."
Gou Feng spoke first. With his head lowered, his long white eyelashes cast faint shadows across his pale face, while the other two remained kneeling silently beside him, awaiting their leader's command.