Chapter 19 Chapter 2

Gesar stood by the window, looking at the dimly lit city under the night, silent.He put his hands behind his back, his fingers trembling constantly, as if weaving a particularly deep spell. Neither Olga nor I spoke.It can be said that we have neglected our duties. Here comes Garico.He stood hesitantly at the door. "How is it?" Gesar asked with his back to us. "Fifty-two in total," Garico replied. "What do the appraisal experts say?" "Three bodies were examined. They were murdered in exactly the same way. They were all killed by biting their throats and sucking their blood dry. Boris Ignatievich, can you stop doing autopsies here? The stench is unbearable. Bear with it, the spell doesn't work at all... Besides, the... sewers around the house seem to have been dug out..."

"Did you call a car?" "Called a covered truck." "Okay, take the body away," Gesar said. "Transport it to a remote place, far away from the city, and conduct the appraisal there." "and then?" "Then..." Gesar said thoughtfully. "And bury them." "Not returned to their relatives?" Gesar was lost in thought.Suddenly he asked me: "Anton, what do you think?" "I don't know," I told the truth. "Missing or dying ... I don't know which is more acceptable for loved ones."

"Bury them," Gesar ordered. "There's still time, let's think about it. Maybe we'll quietly exhume them and return them to their loved ones. Make up a story for everyone...do they have papers?" "All of them. The documents are stacked together one by one. It's very neat and careful..." The word carefully stings me deeply. Yes, he has always been a careful person.When drilling holes in the walls, he lays down polyethylene pads.Floors are carefully swept after drilling. "How did we not find out?" Gesar said sadly. "How did you let him go? The vampire killed more than 50 people right under our noses!"

"They are all...outsiders. From Tajikistan, Moldova, Ukraine..." Gariko sighed. "They are all hardworking people who come to Moscow to work and earn money. They are illegal workers, so of course they won't be registered. They have temporary residences along the road, and they will be hired after staying for a day or two. That man is an architect. Right? He knows everyone, and everyone knows him. He can run and say he needs five men. He's sort of picking...animals and taking them away. Come back in a week looking for new targets..." "Is there such a person who specializes in wandering around the world?" Gesar asked. "More than fifty people have disappeared so far. Has no one thought of looking for them?"

"Nobody," Garico sighed. "Pervert scumbag... probably didn't kill them all at once... kill one, kill another, and the others lined up - one day, two days, three days... in this very room, he put The drained blood was put in two polythene bags and piled up in the corner so it wouldn't stink. The radiators were off in there. Apparently in the winter he started to..." "I really want to kill someone," Gesar said vaguely. "Preferably a vampire. But any dark emissary will do." "Then let me do the surgery." Zaburon casually pushed Gariko away and walked into the living room of Shoshkin's house.He yawned and sat down on the sofa.

"Don't force me," Gesar said in a low voice, still looking out the window. "Otherwise, I can regard your words as a duel book." The room was dead silent.Zawulong frowned and became serious.He was still wearing his usual suit, but no tie.For some reason, I think he chose a black suit and white shirt on purpose to show his condolences. Looking at these two elderly others, Olga and I could only wait silently.The power of life and death of everything on one-sixth of the earth's continents is in their hands. "Gesar, this is just a way of talking," Zaburon said, leaning back on the sofa and squinting his eyes. "Do you think I know much about this... this extraordinary event?"

"I don't know." Gesar replied firmly.But it was clear from his voice that Zaburon had nothing to do with it. "Then let me tell you," Zaburon said calmly. "I am no less angry than you, maybe even more than you. All members of the Moscow Vampire Association are extremely angry, and they strongly demand that the murderer be severely punished." Gesar chuckled.Ke Zhawulong still continued to say sarcastically: "You know, they have a negative attitude towards blowing up the blood supply station..." "I'll let them know what kind of supply station this is," Gesar said in a deep but powerful voice. "The embalmed blood is enough for them to drink for five years."

"Do you think the Inquisition will support you?" Zaburon was clearly concerned. "I think so." Gesar finally turned around and looked straight into Zaburon's eyes. "I think so. You'll support me, too." The dark emissary lost the game of cross-eyes.Zawulong sighed, turned around, looked at me, and spread his arms, meaning, what can I do with him?He took a pack of rose-colored cigarettes out of his pocket—a frivolous color.Light one, and say: "Vampires can go berserk like beasts..." "It's okay, you keep an eye on them, don't make them go crazy."

"You know that vampire children cannot grow and develop without drinking fresh blood. Their sexual maturity also depends on fresh blood." Of course, Zaburon is not worried about the fate of the vampire child.He just wanted to taunt Gesar as much as possible. "Child? We will agree to provide fresh blood to the child," Gesar said after thinking for a moment. "We don't need to control the thirty...Anton, thirty or so?" "Thirty-two." "We don't need to control these thirty-two blood-sucking fur kids. We will provide blood. But, it must be from the blood bank! We will stop issuing licenses within five years."

Zawulong sighed and said: "Okay. I also think it's time to strictly discipline them. I once asked the secretary of the association to monitor the Shoshkins... I didn't expect this to be a depraved family." "Seven years of surveillance should be in place," Gesar said. "You shouldn't just agree to five years of monitoring lightly." "Is there any way, it's already agreed." Za Wulong took a puff of smoke.He asked me: "Anton, didn't you go to see Gennady after Kostya's death?" "No." I said. "How could this be? As an old friend and neighbor, I should... oh..."

I do not want to answer.If it was eight years ago, I would have answered immediately without thinking. "That's it," Gesar said.Looking at the corridor, he frowned.There the bodies had already begun to be removed.Entire units are under a spell that dissuades residents from peeping out their doors or windows.However, no one came out of the house after hearing the harsh screams of the female neighbor. From this, it can be judged that the residents here have no curiosity, which is very enviable. I think it's getting harder and harder to love them.Something should be done to change this situation. "Is there anything else?" Zawulong asked. "As for your wanting our patrol to help bring down Shoshkin, there's nothing wrong with that. My men are already on the hunt. I'm just worried that they've already ripped him apart before bringing him in." "You look bad, Zaburon," Gesar said suddenly. "Go to the bathroom and wash your face." "Really?" Zaburon asked curiously. "Well, since you let me..." He stood up and paused at the door for a while to give way to two patrolling members.They were carrying half-decomposed bodies in plastic bags on stretchers.In addition to blood, there is a lot of water in the human body.If the bloodless body is left to rot in a plastic bag, the consequences are extremely unbearable. However, this scene did not scare Zaburon. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he said, making way for the body.Then he walked into the bathroom with his head held high. "Are there any women among the victims?" Gesar asked. "Yes." Olga answered briefly. Gesar never asked any more questions.It seems that the old man is also deeply stimulated, he is a guy with an iron will. Those colleagues who moved the corpses must be drunk tonight.Although this is against the rules and regulations, I will not interfere.Better to leave me on patrol alone. Zaburon came back soon.His face was wet. "The towels are so dirty, they dry in a while," he said with a smile. "How about it?" "What do you think?" Gesar asked. "I know a woman who likes to paint a Christmas tree on a mirror with toothpaste on New Year's Eve and write 'Happy New Year' and the year on it." "It's ridiculous," Gesar said in disgust. "Have you heard anything about these guys?" "About the last guardian?" Zawulong emphasized the words "last". "My dear enemy, even among the Darkbringers there are sects and cliques, even clubs of interest, some of which I have never heard of. Some of which I have. All names! Anything 'Children of the Night', 'Spatrons in the Moonlight', 'Children of the Wind'. By the way, I am reminded of a children's organization. They are children of ordinary people, but they like to play vampire games. Bring them here To show them that a vampire is not an imposing gentleman, nor a black cloak leading a beauty into an old castle, and the castle cannot be Gothic." "Zabulong, have you heard about the last guardian?" "No." "Gorodetsky thinks..." Gesar looked at me. "The three others who stole the magical equipment in Edinburgh should be the Dark Emissary, the Inquisitor, and the Emissary of Light." "The Dark Messenger-Shoshkin, the Inquisitor-Edgar." Zaburon nodded. "Then who is the Lightbringer?" "I don't know. We have investigated all the senior light emissaries, and they are all innocent." "Koshoshkin is not a high-level vampire..." Zaburon shrugged. "Though it's easier for vampires. How's Edgar? Gorodetsky?" "I don't have time to study his bioelectric field thoroughly," I replied. "There was a battle going on at the time... Besides, he was covered with talismans from head to toe. If I were allowed to stay quietly for five minutes, I could learn all about him..." "But you failed to do it after all," Zawulong said stubbornly. "I know what happened on the Devil's Plateau. I know a little about it. You can talk about it later." "During the battle, Edgar behaved exactly like a high-level magician," I looked at Gesar at this point, and he nodded reluctantly. "There are three of us... oh, if you don't count Alfonki, there are two, although he has tried his best. We have a set of amulets given by Gesar, which are very suitable. But Edgar didn't give in at all. . I even think he can keep fighting and have a chance to win. But after Rustam is gone, Edgar doesn't want to continue fighting." "So, we have some others who can level up on their own," Zaburon said. "This still needs evidence. Dear Gesar, don't you think that the Inquisition has already obtained the book "Fu Alan?" "No, I don't think so." Gesar said resolutely. "If Kostya survived," Zaburon reasoned aloud. "We can assume that he memorized all the spells in the book. It is also possible to create something... um... similar to the book. Maybe not so powerful, but it can still help Edgar rise to the highest level. Advanced. If so, it is entirely possible that the unknown Lightbringer had a similar experience." "Then we can suspect any Lightbringer," Gesar concluded. "We're so lucky that Kostya is dead, and he can't tell anyone the secret of Fualan." "Has he had time to tell his father what's in the book?" "No," Gesar said firmly. "This is a magical book. It cannot be retold over the phone or photographed." "Unfortunately, such a good idea was in vain." Za Wulong snapped his fingers. "A witch showed me that mobile phones have a function called MMS! Photos can be sent over the phone." At first I thought it was another wisecrack.It is especially comical that Zawulong, with his face of a smart man, is talking about the multimedia messages that children love to send to each other in class. Then I realized he meant it.It's just that I often forget their age.For Zaburon, the mobile phone is magic. "Fortunately that's not possible," Gesar said. "He might be able to remember something and restore it... no, absurd. That's not possible either. The characteristics of a vampire are not the same as those of a witch. It would be possible to make a copy of Fu Aran - even if only in part The power of "Fu Alan" can only be experienced by experienced witches..." I looked at Gesar and asked: "Boris Ignatievich, may I ask... is it possible for a witch to become a Lightbringer?" The happiest time in the life of the parents of young children is from 8:45 to 9:00 in the evening.Fifteen minutes of bliss, when children happily watch commercials for yogurt and chocolate on TV (though it's not good for children), then they keep their eyes on Khryusha, Karkusha, Stepashka and other characters on Goodnight, Kids. "Good Night, Kids" could stretch to half an hour, or even an hour, if those who decide how long children's programming runs are allowed to bring their own children at night, rather than pushing them to highly trained nannies. By the way, this works great for increasing fertility.Fifteen minutes is too short anyway, but after all, you can drink tea leisurely and enjoy a moment of peace. I did not give Svetlana a detailed description of what we saw at the Shoshkins' house.Although I only mentioned it briefly, she understood everything.Sveta was not put off by this, she continued drinking her tea.We've seen a lot on the Patrol.But she looked gloomy. "We have a rumor about the Lightbringer," I tried to change the subject. "Gesar has checked all the high-ranking Lightbringers, and no one is suspected. Edgar wears many amulets. This is a common trick used by witches, I think..." "Alina changed her identity?" Svetlana looked at me. "possible." "You got her under control then," I said. "You should be able to feel her inner activities. What do you think, is it possible for her to become the Lightbringer?" "It's impossible for an ordinary Other," says Svetlana. "Or it's almost impossible...for the High Other...for Alina..." She was silent, she was remembering.I watched the TV screen, waiting for the result.A pensive teenage girl on TV drags a glove by a string and imagines it to be a puppy.too terrifying!All the gloves in our house are gone.Of course Nadya couldn't turn them into puppies, any magic had a limit.But there are a lot of toy dogs in the house all of a sudden. It seems that a puppy must be bought for her, otherwise the family will have no peace. "It's possible," Svetlana said. "She may become the Lightbringer. Her heart is very strange, many things are mixed together, but she has no extremely cruel thoughts. But Alina swore to me, she promised not to kill anyone in her life, never to kill others .She can't break her promise." "She didn't kill anyone," I said. "As for providing Edgar with talismans to enhance his energy...you haven't mentioned this matter at all. Alina is extremely smart, and it's entirely possible for her to take a detour to understand your prohibition." "Anton, let's stop talking about this." Svetlana moved the teacup away. "Whether it's Alina who became the Lightbringer... or some other witch, it doesn't matter. What matters is their purpose? What binds them together? Trying to destroy the entire world? Nonsense! Only Only in a boring movie do you see a gang of thugs trying to destroy the world just for the thrill. For power? Anton, this is also ridiculous! They already have extraordinary power. There is no magical machine that can obtain absolute power , not even the magical equipment created by the irrational magician 1,500 years ago. We still don't know what they long for, what they want to find in the deepest part of the twilight world, isn't it Arina , whether she has become the Lightbringer, or is disguised so that Thomas can't see through her, it doesn't matter." "Sveta, do you have any guesses?" I pretended not to notice that she used the word "we."Truth be told, no one ever leaves the Patrol forever. "The 'Crown of All Things' can eliminate the barriers between the layers of the Twilight Realm..." After speaking, Svetlana fell silent. "Mom, the cartoon is over!" Nadya called out. "Try to compare 'Crown of All Things' with 'White Mirage'. They obviously have the same origin..." Svetlana stood up and walked towards Nadya. "Go to sleep." "You haven't told the story yet!" said Nadya coquettishly. "Not today. Dad and I have something to talk about." Nadya looked at me aggrievedly, and kept pulling on the thin thread on the turquoise necklace. "You always have something to talk about... Daddy isn't home all the time." "That's the nature of dad's job," Svetlana explained calmly, holding her daughter in her arms. "You know, he's fighting against dark forces." "Like Harry Potter." Nadya looked at me suspiciously.Maybe I lost a pair of glasses and a scar on my forehead, so that it fits the tall image. "Yes, like Harry Potter, Fett Froomes and Luke Skywalker." "Like Skywalker," Nadya said to me with a smile.It seems that I am most like this character in her eyes.If there is any way, that would be great. "I'll be right over..." Svetlana and Nadya walked into their daughter's room.I sat there looking at a chocolate candy with a bite out of it.It's a layered candy with alternating layers of dark and white chocolate.I counted a total of seven floors, so I laughed.This is the most striking example of twilight tectonics. The "White Mirage" divides the twilight into different layers, and turns the other who is attacked by it into stone.Well, leaving aside the course of the battle, what happened next?I close my eyes and start remembering. Then the twilight realm unfolded.The layers of the Twilight Realm have been restored to their original appearance. Why do we suddenly assume that the "Crown of All Things" will forever connect the Twilight Realm to the real world?Did you listen to Rustam?But how did he know that... the twilight world must be divided for a long time.The energy from our world is bound to separate the layers.It's like an extremely strong spring, you can squeeze it tight, but it will still stretch out. That's where it gets interesting.I don't believe that Merlin created world-destroying magic bombs just for fun.Because he is an other.It would be easy to believe that Merlin was a common man, keen to experiment, who came up with new pastimes but didn't dare to try them. What happens to the brief connections between the layers of the Twilight Realm and the real world? Will the other be extinct? not necessarily. Merlin will never let go of the opportunity to show off his power. But he came up with a message with a different meaning. Looking at Svetlana who was slowly walking into the kitchen, I read softly: "Are you going to find out?" Svetlana sat down beside me. "That's what I thought, why did we assume that the Twilight will be connected forever? It's likely to be back to normal." "I think so too," I said. "It's the same thing with 'White Mirage'. But what does it cause? Moss growing on our world?" Svetlana smiled. "The botanist will be delighted! This is a new species of plant, and it can sense human emotions. Hundreds of papers can be written on it..." "Open a moss processing factory," I agreed. "Use it to weave cloth and make jeans..." Svetlana suddenly said gravely: "What will happen to those who live in the Twilight Realm?" "The dead others?" I added more precisely. Svetlana nodded. "Life and death," I said. "I don't know. Do you think they can... resurrect? Regenerate in our world?" "Why not? We know they exist. I saw one on the fifth floor of the Twilight Realm when I was fighting Alina." "You didn't tell me," I said. "You understand, it's best not to talk about this kind of thing. If you can't enter that level yourself, it's best not to know. I'm not sure if all others can enter that level... Only the most powerful , For example, only the most advanced others can enter. There is no need to let other others know that they have lost the opportunity to continue to exist after death.” "Thomas Rivermarch said that in the depths of the Twilight there are magical cities, and dragons and unicorns... are things that our world does not have, but they can exist in the Twilight." Svetlana shook her head and said: "I think Thomas is a good man, but he's a romantic musician. It's incorrigible, Anton. He's in the twilight when he tells you this, and he's looking for unicorns, fairies, magical Cities, yearning for others to build a world of their own, no longer parasitic on the human world. If it were me, I would not desire these so strongly. There may only be some shacks and cabins. There are no fairies and unicorns at all .” "That's a lot," I said. "Many would rather give up heaven for eternal life in a hut in the wild, because they dare not hope to enter heaven. There are trees in the twilight." "I feel that the others I see are not happy," Svetlana said. "He's fuzzy and can't see clearly. If his usual living environment is the seventh floor of the Twilight Realm, it's understandable. But he's apathetic. He ran towards me, as if he wanted to tell me something. You understand , I didn’t care about that at all.” "I met a previous other in the first layer of the twilight world," I suddenly remembered. "A long time ago. We were hunting down the crazy Lightbringer Maxim. He also helped a little by whispering where to go." "It happens," Svetlana said. "But very rarely, I've heard it a few times. You just said..." We were silent for a moment. "Maybe, they can really return to our world," Svetlana said. "That's what Edgar, Gennady and Alina are doing together. It's not just Shoshkin, they may all have lost someone they love. Maybe such an opportunity can put any bereaved guy on the road Astray." "To lead anyone astray," I said. We looked at each other uneasily.Thankfully we are now under constant protection.What worries us about the potential enemies are the three high-ranking magicians. "I'm going to use a couple of new protection spells tonight," Svetlana said. "Don't call me a coward." "You can force your way to the 'Crown of All Things,'" I said. "It's possible to break into the seventh floor through the twilight. But I didn't succeed. Maybe Nadya can. If I know how to use my wit... to trick it, maybe I will use this magic weapon myself. It will be very lively Yes. The Lightbringer is almost on par with the Darkbringer, and we can handle it." "What if we're wrong and it's just a world-destroying bomb?" "So I don't think there is any need to think about how to get this magic weapon. Let Gesar and Zaburon worry about it." "Go to bed," Svetlana said. "When you wake up, your mind will be clearer in the morning." But we didn't go to bed right away.First Svetlana cast several protective spells around the house.Then I did the same thing.

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Notes: described in the second part of the book. ——Author's note