Chapter 1566 - 87: Blood Tax Officers_2

The Auditor shook his head in disappointment, "We’ve already given you a chance."

Brie began to get hysterical, "What do you expect me to do! I’m human too, my blood production is limited!"

"That’s not our concern, we’re only responsible for collecting taxes, as for the blood... we don’t care where it comes from."

The Auditor didn’t want to waste more time with Brie, they had many debts to collect today.

He said to the Blood Thief, "According to the tax amount... we need seven hundred milliliters of fresh blood."

"Seven hundred milliliters?"

The Blood Thief glanced at the trembling Brie. Like many blood citizens, he lacked sunlight, his skin had turned pale, and living in dark, damp places for extended periods had given him a certain skin disease, accompanied by a stench.

Most importantly, Brie’s body was hunched and emaciated like the majority of exploited blood citizens, entirely unlike someone who could part with seven hundred milliliters at once.

The Blood Thief looked at the Auditor, who said nothing. Debt collectors had no reason to consider the debtors’ plight. In this Land of Eternal Night, useless compassion would only lead to one’s downfall.

"Be still."

The Blood Thief harshly grabbed Brie’s wrist, revealing it to be covered with dense needle marks, bruised from repeated injections and blood draws.

After a careful examination, the Blood Thief couldn’t find a vein in Brie’s arm suitable for injection.

"Switch to the other hand."

The Blood Thief forcefully manipulated Brie, who continued to wail incessantly.

Brie kept pleading, "Take... take me to the Blood Tax Station! Blood Tax Station, I’ll pay my taxes there!"

The three exchanged glances, seemingly moved by Brie’s plea. The Auditor then looked at the Blood Thief, apparently seeking his opinion.

"With his physical condition, extracting seven hundred milliliters directly would likely kill him here," the Blood Thief said, "but if taken to the Blood Tax Station, it may take some time, but he could yield more than seven hundred milliliters of blood profit."

The Auditor glanced at the ledger and continued to ask, "How long do you estimate it will take to refill the owed Blood Tax?"

"It depends on his blood production rate, how much he can produce daily," the Blood Thief hesitated, then continued, "Optimistically, about a week?"

The Auditor quickly calculated and said to Brie, "You’ll need to serve at the Blood Tax Station for two weeks."

Brie’s face turned pale, sweat soaking his collar. He knew well what a place the Blood Tax Station was, surviving two weeks there would be a nightmare, but... but if he didn’t accept this nightmare, he would likely die here.

"I agree, I agree!"

"Very well."

The Debt Collector lifted Brie, shackling his hands, dragging him like a prisoner.

Once they disappeared into the mist, Melissa cautiously emerged from a gap, recalling the conversation among the four. Melissa couldn’t help but feel sad for Brie’s upcoming fate.

The Blood Tax Station was far from a gentle place; rather, it was a brutal execution ground. Those who owed Blood Tax always thought they could clear their debts there, but as interest accrued, the Blood Tax they owed would only increase, until they were drained dry in that cage.

When she was young, Lucy’s father died in the same way at the Blood Tax Station; it was said his body was covered in blood extraction needles, as if pierced by countless arrows.

Melissa never saw her father one last time; to save costs, her mother sold his corpse directly in the Blood Tax Station. Though the body, like a mummy, had little meat, even less blood, through repeated compression and extraction by machines, it could still yield a little fresh blood to repay the Blood Tax.

As for the remaining meat residue, it was fed to those savage Bloodthirsty creatures, whose presence was so terrifying that Melissa never dared to meet their gaze.

"Mother..."

Thinking of this, Melissa touched the silver necklace at her chest.

This was a relic her mother left her, aside from her own fresh blood, it was the second most valuable thing Melissa owned.

Soon after her father’s death, her mother realized she would not recover from her illness. She accepted her death calmly, or perhaps under the weight of this dark world, had fallen into despair long ago.

To better Melissa’s life, her mother tread her father’s old path, voluntarily going to the Blood Tax Station to donate blood. After passing from excessive blood loss, Blood Tax officials crushed and drained her body, extracting every usable value like they did with her father.

Her mother dedicated all the blood tax she produced to Melissa. Though a portion was deducted for inheritance tax, gift tax by the Blood Tax officials, the amount that finally reached Melissa’s hands was still considerable. It was this considerable sum that allowed Melissa to officially start paying Blood Tax this year.

Melissa was a shrewd and intelligent child, the considerable inheritance didn’t let her grow complacent. On the contrary, as her body matured a little more, Melissa began trying to draw her own blood, little by little, continuously accumulating.

Initially, due to improper storage, the blood Melissa accumulated turned rotten and congealed, causing her heartache for quite a while. Later, Melissa became more like an adult, adeptly drawing her blood, preserving it with anticoagulants and low temperatures.

Through astute calculations, Melissa’s debt situation was very healthy. She once believed, she had a chance to grow up into adulthood.

The mist gradually retreated, and blurred silhouettes became clearer. Melissa wrapped herself tightly in her cloth spores, smelling the increasingly intense scent of blood in the air. Eerie low growls rose and fell.

Under the gloomy sky, a twisted cluster of buildings stood on the desolate horizon with their exotic and terrifying beauty. Composed of various materials and forms, these buildings seemed to adhere to an incomprehensible logic, fusing grotesqueness with order, chaos with beauty in an intricate union.

Blood citizens queued as if on a pilgrimage beneath these structures, while the bizarre buildings appeared to consume them one by one like a monster.

The Blood Tax Station, the core structure of the old city, was intertwined with every blood citizen’s life.

Melissa inquisitively observed the Blood Tax Station, the shapes of these buildings were peculiar and ever-changing, slender and twisted, like countless stacked layers, dizzying to behold.

Silently passing through the crowd, Melissa saw the towering figures surrounding the Blood Tax Station. They were terrifying creatures known as Bloodthirsty, immensely powerful, blood-hungry, clad in indestructible Iron Armor, wielding supreme power capable of quelling any possible rebellion in the old city.

Melissa made an effort not to look at these monsters, instead scrutinizing the Blood Tax officials weaving through the station. Finally, she found a familiar face, heading over nervously.

"Devon!"

Devon heard the familiar call; he stopped and turned around in confusion, seeing a small figure wobbling through the mist.

"Devon! Devon!"

Melissa shouted incessantly.

"Quiet down."

Devon hushed her, pulling Melissa aside, trying to get her to hush.

"Why are you here?" Devon looked around, ensuring Melissa hadn’t attracted others’ attention, "Are you crazy? Other Blood Tax officials aren’t as good-natured as I am."

Melissa chuckled softly; indeed, compared to other Blood Tax officials, Devon’s good nature was almost saintly, which was why Melissa dared to interact with him.

"I’m here to pay Blood Tax."

Melissa said as she took out a bulging blood pouch from her bag.

Devon asked in confusion, "You already paid this month, didn’t you?"

Melissa smiled cheekily, "Paying in advance. I don’t want to be bogged down by debt."

Devon glanced at Melissa’s thin frame; he wanted to say something caring but remembered this was the Land of Eternal Night. Any kindness seemed so pale, so he swallowed his words.

"Follow me to collect food later, it’s your due reward."

Blood wasn’t just a tax but a means of equivalent exchange, allowing large amounts of supplies to be obtained within the Blood Tax Station.

"No, more than food, I want to exchange for something else," Melissa’s eyes glimmered, "I want to hear stories from outside, Devon."

"About your homeland, the Land of Secrets."