The general was standing in front of the wall with some of his commanders and Zhan and Yibo. They were thinking about how to get rid of the vampires in front of the wall without causing much noise. Still they refuse to just burn the vampires alive. And firearms are also out of the question, because of the noise that gunshots make.

They also can't send anyone out there as bait to lure them away. They have tried. But of the now more than 100 vampires, only two vampires followed the two baiters who played the lure. The others just kept scratching stubbornly at the wall.

The scouts still outside and nearby even tried to set a fire and make noise so that the vampires would be drawn to it. But, that didn't work either. Which made it clear to the General and everyone else that the vampires know very well that inside the wall and the hotel, there is far more prey for them to make.

There was even the idea of a scientist to poison blood and offer it to the vampires in bags. But there are hardly any blood reserves in the infirmary, and the little that is there, is needed for emergency surgeries. So as a surgeon, Zhan was strictly against it.

Zhan and Yibo tried it the previous night, unnoticed by the others, with their magic weapons, the flute and the zither. But apparently these weapons only work in the magical world. Because when the two of them tried, no melody sounded from the flute, which affected the vampires. And also the zither had no effect. It didn't let itself be played any more than the flute did.

"Guys think about it. We are in a state of siege. Any weapons that are loud are ineffective. Killing the besiegers while they are still alive is also impossible. Since their screams could attract even more. So we should resort to weapons that do not make noise. We need archers and swordsmen." Said a young soldier who was well known to Zhan and Yibo. He was also part of the group of soldiers who accompanied Zhan and Yibo on their last journey. Even then, this soldier stood out for his great knowledge and quick thinking.

"Bow and arrow is not a problem. The archers can do it from above the wall. But swords? They have to leave the protective wall for that. How is that going to work?" Asked the general.

Zhan and Yibo looked at each other and nodded. "With the UV lamps. We killed a vampire in an old school with the help of a UV lamp. It burns their skin like the sun does. Only the UV light is just a lot weaker, so they don't scream out when it hurts either. The vampires avoid the light beam. So you can push them in a desired direction." Explained Yibo.

"But how many swords and those who know how to use them are here anyway? I'm not sure I've seen any swords here at all." Replied the general.

"Mhhh, we don't have any swords. But we do have good iron bars. We can bash their heads in with those. And we can make spears too. Long poles to which we attach our knives." Explained the young soldier.

"Then gather all the material we can find. Bring the archers here and let them practice again. We must prepare and perfectly." Said the general in a strong voice and everyone followed his order immediately.

Only Zhan and Yibo stayed with him. "I want you two to go inside and prepare inside in case there are any injured. Zhan, take your mom to your apartment along with Yibo and his parents. I want them to watch over A-Yuan. We don't want our new family member to be scared and distracted." He ordered the two of them.

Immediately, Zhan and Yibo rushed inside. They picked up A-Yuan from the children's group, went to find Zhan's mom and Yibo's parents, and then took the three of them to the apartment. A-Yuan cried briefly as his new dads explained that unfortunately they couldn't stay with him and had to go help. But the grandmothers and his grandpa, quickly distracted him and so Zhan and Yibo could leave without worry.

Although the three have only been a family for such a short time, little A-Yuan is already very attached to them. It has only been a week since the three of them became a little family. And yet, it seems like it has never been any different.

The two rushed to the infirmary and prepared everything there. They hoped, of course, that they would not be called into action, because what could they do if the soldiers were bitten? Still there is no antidote or something that neutralizes the poison. So they could only make sure that the wounds are taken care of and that the bitten have a few more nice hours until their transformation.

Yibo stays by Zhan's side in case one of the bitten, should there be any, turns. He would then redeem this with a head shot.

Sometimes it annoys Zhan and Yibo that the two are not involved in the fighting. After all, they are not beginners and have even managed to fight their way to the hotel on their own twice. And they did it without getting hurt.

Besides, Zhan was at the military academy and not at a normal school. And Yibo is a good cop and went through extensive training as well. And that makes the two of them into men who would be quite capable of fighting if necessary.

Nevertheless, the two are also somehow relieved. Especially now that they are newly married and have a 4 year old son. Of course they don't want to put themselves in danger unnecessarily. Whereas Yibo would never let his Zhan go out there and fight anyway. Just the thought of Zhan getting hurt is unbearable for Yibo.

For Yibo it doesn't matter that Zhan is 6 years older than him and was in the military academy. Because he has made it his mission, in their marriage, to preserve and protect his husband from all dangers!

Over a radio Zhan and Yibo can follow the events from outside. Already more than two hours the fight between humans and vampires continues. So far there have been no injuries on the human side, but many deaths on the vampire side.

However, the ongoing battle is tearing at the soldiers' strength and more than 10 soldiers have already had to return to the hotel because they simply couldn't take it anymore. The vampires, however, do not tire easily. Their persistence is amazing. Zhan suspected that since they are so starved, they are even harder to defeat.

Confident of victory, the soldiers fought on and on. They pushed their own bodies beyond their limits. Still, there seemed to be more and more attackers. Where did they all suddenly come from? How were they going to be able to win now, with more and more vampires coming from all sides? Couldn't the weather be on their side at least once? It would be enough if the thick cloud cover would break just a little and let the sunlight through.

After another half hour, the soldiers retreated back to the grounds and the safety of the high wall. They were able to kill many vampires. But as it seemed, for every killed vampire, there were two new ones.

Since there were no injured, Zhan and Yibo retreated to their apartment. Zhan went with the words, "I want to work a little more." to the apartment's private office. When he was briefly in the surveillance room to get batteries for his radio, he had seen something on a monitor. A camera pointing at the vast landscape had captured something that looked very familiar to Zhan.

He only saw it for a moment, but to him it looked like a black wing. Could it be that the black creatures were back? Zhan wanted to check this by going back to the office and looking at the saved footage on the network again. He had let Yibo know about it. But as long as they are not sure if it was really a black creature or not just a black bird, they don't want to tell anyone.

That's why Zhan and Yibo came to an agreement. Zhan would just say he still has work to do. Reports writing for his work, to be more specific. And Yibo would make sure Zhan could watch the videos unhindered. He would keep the family from disturbing Zhan.

When Zhan found the right video file, they are saved hourly, he clicked play. His heart beat very fast as he did so, since he was nervous. If this really was a black creature, then a new and much bigger problem would be coming their way. 

True, they would be safe inside the hotel. But they would not be able to go outside. And once the black creatures realize that there are humans in this hotel, they, like the vampires, will not leave again.

But at the same time, Zhan also wondered, if it really is the black creatures, are the gray ones back too? Could the family of gray creatures that Zhan and Yibo have grown so close to be back, or at least on their way?

Zhan fast-forwarded to the right part of the video and then let it play. He stared at the monitor, not even daring to blink. And then he saw it and almost screamed. They are back! The black creatures, are back!

As loud as he could, he shouted for Yibo and the general. Both came rushing into the office. With a trembling hand, Zhan pointed to the monitor and said, "There are a lot of them."

Yibo and the general looked at the monitor and froze. The recording showed a large swarm of black creatures. So many at once, they had never seen before. And, they had flown directly toward the hotel! Perhaps they were already up on the roof of the hotel?

The general punched a few codes into the keys of Zhan's computer and a live video of the roof was displayed. There they were, the black creatures! Those monsters that look like monstrous bats. Only much more dangerous with their teeth and claws!

"Lock all doors and windows! From now on it is forbidden for everyone to go outside! No one goes on the roof anymore! All commanders to my office!" Roared the general into his radio. He then stormed out of the office and then out of the apartment. Zhan and Yibo ran after him. They ran together to the general's office, where a few commanders were already waiting.

As soon as all the commanders were there and the general caught his breath, he said, "They're back! The black creatures are back. And right now they are right above our heads, on the roof."

The men groaned and stared at the general in horror. "What do we do now?" Asked one of the commanders.

"I don't know." Replied the general.

They are all in shock! More and more starved vampires are gathering in front of the hotel. And on the hotel roof the black creatures are gathering. And not only there. What's worse is that none of them knows what to do now.

With an opponent like the vampires, it was hard enough. But now the black creatures are back. And against them, they had no chance even at the first attack.

Zhan and Yibo held hands and Yibo said, "If the black creatures are back. Then, and I'm very sure of this, so are the gray creatures! That means we have allies! We may not be able to communicate with them. But Zhan and I have seen the gray creatures attacking the black ones. And I'm absolutely sure this time will be no different!"

"I have a suggestion. From now on, the surveillance room will have to be manned around the clock. And as soon as one or more gray creatures are seen, you'll let us know. Me and Yibo! And then he and I will go through the maintenance tunnel and look for them! We'll get them to help us!" Said Zhan.

"And how can you be sure they would help us?" Asked a commander.

"Because they have saved our lives more than once! Unlike the black ones, the gray creatures are social, curious and open-minded. They even fed us apples, played with us, and even protected us from rain. They also showed us how they neutralized the poison of a black creature." Replied Yibo.

"That means, if what you say is true, they could really be on our side?" Asked the same commander as before.

"Exactly! And my husband and I, will bring them here and they will fight with us, side by side!" Yibo replied.

Zhan's father was indeed worried about his son and son-in-law. But he knew that if anyone could do it, it would be them. Even if he doesn't say it or show it often, he knows the two of them have more ability than many a soldier. The two of them managed to survive. And they were even able to make friends with gray creatures. Therefore, the general is convinced, Zhan and Yibo can make it!