Chapter 113: Green Tea Tactics
Jasmine’s reason for choosing a woman was simple: she preferred women. She couldn’t help it. She just didn’t like men.
She was a lesbian now. Cut her some slack.
Back to the matter at hand, there was another reason why Jasmine had chosen this particular woman: her eyes. They were bright, filled with hope, unlike those who had lost all hope, their eyes dull and lifeless, focused only on their work.
Jasmine had seen this woman’s profile in the documents provided by the vampire traitor. The information on each researcher was limited, only mentioning their background, how long they had been working at the institute, their accomplishments, and their contributions to vampire society.
Based on her inventions, Jasmine could tell that she was intelligent, meticulous, and worthy of respect. But whether she still sided with humanity was unknown.
To be safe, Jasmine observed her for three days, even testing her loyalty. She altered her appearance slightly. She wasn’t very skilled at this, but she could make simple changes. After transforming her face, she styled her hair into a medium-length bob, donned a maid uniform, and appeared before the woman.
During her observation, Jasmine had learned from others that the woman’s name was Barbara. After disguising herself as a maid, she knocked out Barbara’s usual maid and took her place, cleaning Barbara’s room.
Barbara and her maid must have had a good relationship because she immediately asked, “Why is someone else here?” She called out her maid’s name, asking where she was. Jasmine lied without flinching, her ice queen persona fully activated.
“She’s not feeling well. I’m covering for her today.” As she spoke, she pretended to stumble and collapse on the floor. Hearing the commotion, Barbara rushed out of her study and saw Jasmine’s pitiful state.
Barbara was startled. “Are you alright?” she asked, rushing to her side.
Jasmine sobbed softly. “I… I’m not feeling well either…” She subtly revealed a bandage on her neck. Barbara frowned, sensing that something was wrong. “Were… were you bitten?” she asked.
—Yes, before leaving, Adele had insisted on a little “snack” to appease her. Just a little. Jasmine wouldn’t give her more.
But she hadn’t expected it to come in handy now. However, she couldn’t just admit it. She had to play the game, going back and forth a few times before finally confessing. She shook her head vigorously. “No! I wasn’t bitten!” But her voice sounded weak and shaky.
However, only her voice sounded like she was crying. If Barbara had looked at her face, she would have seen that there wasn’t a single tear. After a few rounds of this, as Jasmine had planned, the bandage on her neck “accidentally” fell off, revealing two puncture wounds.
The evidence was undeniable. She had been bitten.
Barbara’s anger flared. “Who was it? Who bit you? There are rules against vampires harming humans! I’ll report this! They’ll be expelled from the institute!”
Jasmine grabbed Barbara’s sleeve, shaking her head. “It’s no use! Please don’t do that! They’ll… they’ll expel me too!”
Barbara was furious. “Are you just going to let them bully you like this?!”
If this had been a normal situation, Jasmine would have remained silent, simply continuing to cry. Barbara was already prepared to be frustrated by her inaction. But then a cold voice said, “But that’s how it is for all humans.”
“How far are you willing to go for humanity?”
Barbara felt her sleeve being released. She turned to look at the maid, who was standing gracefully, her black hair covering her neck, her eyes cold and piercing.
Barbara wasn’t stupid. Stupid people couldn’t survive in this institute. She realized that this wasn’t just an ordinary maid. She swallowed hard and asked, “Who are you?”
“I don’t think you’ve heard my name, but you must have heard my codename.” Jasmine curtsied elegantly, her hands holding her skirt. “Dawn, of the Human Resistance Army, at your service.”
The Human Resistance Army had been quiet in recent years, but they still occasionally attacked vampire strongholds while testing their new weapons, reminding the vampires of their existence. And Dawn Lady, due to her power, had become the number one target on the vampires’ wanted list.
Barbara never expected to meet the infamous Dawn Lady in her own room. But her first reaction wasn’t to report her. Instead, she said anxiously, “You shouldn’t be here! There are magic stone surveillance devices! They’ll catch you!”
“I know about the surveillance.”
Jasmine wasn’t stupid. She was a modern woman. She knew what magic stones were capable of. And the latest inventions were always shared with the thirteen clans. Even Blake Castle had recently installed surveillance equipment. But it was useless. Finding blind spots was easy for Jasmine. If necessary, she could even use her threads to adjust the cameras’ angles.
She said confidently, “If I couldn’t even detect these things, I would have been captured long ago.” How could her wanted poster have remained on display in vampire banks for so long? Even the Hunter’s Association had a bounty on her head.
She occasionally visited the Hunter’s Association. Some reckless otherworldly beings actually thought they could capture her and collect the reward. But… they had always ended up being robbed by Jasmine.
The members of the Hunter’s Association were a bunch of spendthrifts, their pockets emptier than their faces. Jasmine always scoffed at their meager earnings. She was now well-provided for by Adele, who, besides funding the Human Resistance Army and purchasing magic stones, enjoyed spoiling Jasmine. She would hire renowned chefs and buy all sorts of things that vampires didn’t need, like various spices.
With a comfortable life, delicious food, and a loving partner, Jasmine’s quality of life had improved drastically. She no longer cared about the paltry rewards offered by the Hunter’s Association.
Sometimes, she regretted not revealing her identity to Adele sooner. If she had, the burden of funding the Human Resistance Army wouldn’t have fallen on her shoulders. This was very important for someone who valued laziness.
But it was just a fleeting thought. She couldn’t bring herself to burden Adele with everything.
Hearing Jasmine’s words, Barbara calmed down. She was intelligent, and her mind quickly grasped the situation. “What do you want me to do?” she asked.
Jasmine raised a finger. “First, become our informant. If you learn anything important about the vampires’ plans, write it down and leave it at a safe location. I’ll pick it up every full moon. Just leave it there a few days beforehand. Don’t sign your name, and change your handwriting. No one will suspect you.”
This posed no risk to Barbara, and she was clearly on humanity’s side. She nodded without hesitation.
Jasmine raised a second finger. “Second, I need you to tell me about the flaws in the vampires’ current social structure. I want to know how to disrupt their system effectively.”
Barbara nodded again. This was no problem for her. She had spent her entire life studying this. If Jasmine wanted, she could compile the information and deliver it to her immediately.
Then Jasmine raised a third finger. “Third, I want to take a few people who are willing to contribute to the human cause. We have some projects that require skilled researchers.” To be honest, although the Human Resistance Army had researchers, they were all self-taught, lacking formal training and experience in independent research.
They had been following Jasmine’s instructions, relying on her knowledge from her previous world. And the things they had created were… unstable. The current firearms were only functional because Jasmine had acted as a living test subject, experimenting countless times. Even so, there were still many problems. Having dedicated researchers would significantly improve the situation.
Only Jasmine could act as a living test subject, using these experimental weapons. If ordinary people had tried… they would have been killed or maimed. They wouldn’t even need the vampires to intervene. Their own weapons development would have been enough to cripple them.
Jasmine was once again grateful for her cheat abilities, which had given her superhuman resilience. Even when firearms misfired in her hands, only her clothes were damaged. She herself was unharmed. Well… there was the issue of the smoke, which was quite irritating. Even if she tried to fan it away, she would still end up coughing.
So, having dedicated researchers was essential. Moreover, Jasmine wanted to improve the firearms by incorporating magic stones, increasing their power. Without professional researchers, this would be impossible.
Faced with this request, Barbara frowned, unsure if she should agree. It wasn’t about the risk. From their brief conversation, Jasmine could tell that Barbara was a genuinely good person who cared about humanity.
Barbara was probably struggling with: who could she trust?
After a moment of contemplation, she answered, “I have a few people in mind. But this is a serious matter. I might need a few days to…” To find an opportunity to recruit them.
She didn’t finish her sentence, but Jasmine understood. She nodded, indicating that she knew.
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