Chapter Eighty-Two: Symptoms of Bloodlust

Seeing Jack, Martha spoke in a tone of disdain, "Really, must you bring this up right now? Let the children go inside first."

Jack gave an awkward smile.

Michael chuckled and said, "Jack probably can't bring himself to do it in front of everyone."

"That's true."

Jack's demeanor quickly shifted, and he was back to his cheerful self.

Martha's dinner was much like Gwen’s family’s, still served individually, each with their own plate.

But Martha would never make something as dreadful as lemon sea bass; instead, she prepared steak and roast pork ribs, served with a vegetable salad.

She even brought out a bottle of red wine, and everyone drank a little together.

Watching Michael eat so heartily, Martha suddenly remarked, "Have you noticed your tastes have changed a lot lately? You’re enjoying meat more and more."

Michael paused for a moment. "Maybe it’s because my health has improved."

"Perhaps."

Martha didn’t suspect anything.

Gwen, however, shook her head and said, "Something’s off. I remember there was a time you ordered medium-rare steak. You never eat that, because you dislike the blood inside."

What is civilization, if not starting from the moment we learned to use fire? Michael had always hated anything half-raw.

Thinking back, Michael realized he’d just been curious about the taste.

"Maybe it was just curiosity. I used to be too unhealthy to eat anything undercooked, and now that I’m better, I wanted to try."

"Maybe," Gwen nodded, not pressing the issue.

Glancing at Susie, Gwen suddenly leaned close to Michael and whispered, "By the way, does your sister dislike you?"

"It’s not that," Michael replied. "Since she met me, her academic pressure has increased a bit."

Gwen nodded, understanding.

There was another reason: Jack had always wanted a biological son, but Martha refused, believing two children were enough.

This left a lasting impression on Susie, and combined with Michael’s overwhelming presence, she grew to resent him.

Martha asked Gwen many questions, to which Gwen responded calmly.

Looking at Gwen, Martha found her increasingly pleasing, wishing she could just pull her into her arms and lavish her with affection.

This girl was so adorable; meeting her was a blessing for Michael.

Martha suggested, "There’s a new film coming out soon, why don’t we all go see it together?"

"Sure," Gwen agreed.

After dinner, the group went to watch the movie.

The film was nothing special; Michael and Jack were nearly asleep, while the three women sat teary-eyed, deeply moved. Martha even tugged Jack along, forcing him to share in the emotion.

After the movie, Michael offered to walk Gwen home, so he didn’t return with the others.

"The moon is so round tonight," Michael said, lifting his gaze to the full moon.

"It is," Gwen replied.

Michael looked at the full moon, feeling his body grow increasingly excited, his breathing heavier.

He glanced at Gwen, and by the moonlight, he could see her fair neck, the veins clearly visible.

Michael couldn’t help but lick his lips, longing to take a bite.

Something was wrong—why did he have such thoughts?

He shifted his gaze elsewhere, but wherever he looked, his eyes landed on people’s necks, and he always noticed their arteries first.

He swallowed hard.

Gwen looked at Michael and said, "Are you hungry again, or do you want another Chinese burger?"

"Hmm?"

Michael was startled; he realized that wherever he looked, there really was a Chinese burger shop.

This so-called Chinese burger was actually roujiamo, something he hadn’t expected to find here.

"Let’s go try it," he said.

"Alright."

They quickly reached the Chinese burger shop, run by an elderly Chinese couple.

Upon seeing Michael and Gwen, they asked, "What would you like?"

Michael glanced at the menu; the fusion of Chinese and Western dishes left him truly puzzled.

He spoke in Chinese, "Do you have a Chinese menu?"

The couple were visibly surprised that a foreign young man could speak such fluent Mandarin.

"Yes," they replied, handing him a Chinese menu.

"Gwen, what would you like?"

"What’s available?"

Michael began explaining, and they eventually settled on two burgers, one half-lean and half-fat, with diced garlic scapes.

As soon as Michael got his food, he devoured it ravenously—not out of impatience, but to conceal his swelling "appetite."

Gwen smiled and tasted hers. "It’s good."

After eating, Michael drank a bottle of water, finally suppressing his intense hunger.

They walked in silence.

Gwen could sense Michael’s mood was gloomy, though she had no idea what was wrong.

Perhaps Michael hadn’t been looking at the food, but she couldn’t be sure what he was seeing.

As they moved away from the commercial district, the streets grew sparse and dim, the moon’s glow more pronounced.

The bloodthirsty urge returned, and Michael felt he was on the verge of losing control.

What was happening?

He was puzzled—he had integrated the genes for a long time, so why now?

"Gwen," he said.

"Yes?" Gwen was puzzled; Michael’s voice was hoarse.

"What’s wrong?"

She looked at him, only to find Michael unable to restrain himself any longer; he drew close, embraced her tightly, and began kissing her.

This kiss was different—Michael’s manner was assertive, aggressive, almost biting.

Yet Gwen felt a thrill; this exaggerated, cinematic style of kissing was common in movies, and girls, conditioned by such scenes, longed for a handsome, dominant boyfriend to share a passionate kiss with.

Gwen, though a top student, was still a young girl; she couldn’t resist.

But soon, she realized something was amiss.

Michael’s kiss traveled from her lips down to her chin, then her neck.

Gwen grew frightened—what was Michael doing? This was a public street.

"No, Michael, not now, it’s too soon," she protested.

Just as Michael was about to bite, Gwen’s voice jolted him awake.

Something was wrong—he’d lost control.

Now clear-headed, Michael hugged Gwen, his gaze elsewhere, trying to distract himself and calm his racing heart.

Gwen sensed something was off and asked, "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I’m fine, I’m fine," Michael said, struggling to steady himself.

He looked at the other people on the street and realized he didn’t feel the same urge toward them.

What was going on?

"I’ll walk you home," he said.

"Alright."

Gwen watched him with concern. "Is it because of the vampire bat genes?"

"Maybe, but I need to analyze it scientifically."

Michael spotted a shop nearby, went in and bought a pair of sunglasses.

With the moonlight blocked, his bloodlust began to fade.

"Don’t worry, I’ll find a solution," he promised.

"Alright," Gwen nodded, trusting him.

Soon, they reached the entrance to her apartment building.

"I won’t go up," Michael said.

"Okay."

Gwen went up alone, and Michael waited until her bedroom light came on before walking away.