AHumanMadeMOFO
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Chapter 215: World's Most Powerful Vampire (2)
🕑 Added 2025-02-08 16:04:18 +0000 UTCTheir group was quite large, so Austria had arranged a whole convoy for them.
Their next stop was the nearest airport, where they would catch a direct flight to Schwangau, home to Neuschwanstein Castle.
The distance was just over 500 kilometers, and with a private jet, the trip wouldn't take long.
Josh and his family shared a car, and Carter obviously wasn't going to squeeze in with them.
Mar-Vell, after being lectured by Carter, just shrugged and followed her into another vehicle.
No one noticed that just as the convoy started to move, a dark figure flashed by in the shadow of a tall tower that overlooked most of the port.
"Josh, what's going on?" Margaret asked curiously, noticing his furrowed brow in the car.
"I don’t know why, but I just felt like someone was watching me," Josh said.
"Really? Should we ask Vito and the others?" Margaret suggested after listening to him.
"I already did. Vito and the security team checked everything and found nothing unusual. Even Carter and Mar-Vell didn't seem to notice anything. Maybe I'm just overthinking it," Josh shook his head.
Josh was well aware of his own abilities. Like Margaret, he had drunk Elixir from the Pool of Eternity but apart from extending his lifespan, it did little to improve his physical strength or senses. It was much less effective than the Super Soldier Serum.
So if even he could sense someone following them, there was no reason Vito or Carter wouldn't notice.
What Josh didn't realize was that his Five Elemental Technique, even though it was only basic manipulation rather than true magic, had actually sharpened his awareness of his surroundings.
In terms of fighting ability, he was still no match for Vito or Carter.
But when it came to pure instinct, he was even sharper than them.
So his gut feeling had been right—someone had indeed been watching him.
However, the observer was so far away that he was completely beyond the range of normal human vision. All Josh could feel was a vague sense of being watched, but he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.
As the trip continued, until they boarded the plane, Josh never felt this presence again. Eventually he dismissed it as just his imagination.
The distance from Trieste to Schwangau was just over 500 kilometers, which meant a flight time of about half an hour.
Josh’s plane wasn’t some DC-3 or C-69.
Those were models made by other aviation companies. As the head of Boeing, flying a competitor's plane would be a joke.
And because he had introduced advanced second-generation fighters like the Mirage III and MiG-21 ahead of their time, global aviation technology had taken a giant leap forward.
While many companies were still developing better jet engines, they had also begun to adapt jet technology to commercial airliners.
With Josh's influence, Boeing was naturally leading the way.
A few months ago, Boeing had successfully test-flown its first jet airliner—the Boeing 707.
The plane they were now flying was a specially modified version of that model, officially named the Boeing C-137.
This plane was famous not only in Josh's previous universe, but also in the world of Red Alert.
The reason for its fame was closely tied to Raymond Loewy, who had a personal grudge against Josh.
It was Raymond Loewy who made the design of this plane the symbol of the U.S. presidential plane, "Air Force One".
Over the years, "Air Force One" had used many different models, but they all followed the design of the C-137.
However, in this world, Josh had introduced this plane ahead of time.
Not only did he have one for himself, but he also gave one to Truman—though not as a direct gift, since that would be bribery.
Instead, Boeing officially "donated" it to the White House, which made it perfectly acceptable.
"We've arrived! Look, it's Neuschwanstein Castle!" Josh pointed out the dreamy-looking castle perched atop a mountain as the plane began to land.
"It's beautiful! Even better than the pictures!" Margaret's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at the castle.
Even Carter and Mar-Vell couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at that moment.
After all, they were women as well.
"You can't see it clearly from here. There’s a helicopter at the castle—we’ll take it to get a closer view. It'll look even more breathtaking!" Josh smiled and put a hand on Margaret's shoulder.
Since the castle was hidden deep in the forested mountains, the best way to admire its full beauty was from the air.
Jet planes were too fast to get a proper view, but helicopters were perfect for the job.
To make travel easier and sightseeing more enjoyable, Josh had even built a helipad at the castle.
At the same time, a well-dressed figure appeared on the streets of Schwangau, watching "Air Force One" land from afar.
"Hey! Stop right there! Show me your ID!" A patrolling officer quickly noticed the stranger and stepped forward to question him.
Although Josh hadn't been in Austria much in the past two years, his growing influence through the Ouroboros organization had only deepened his control over the country.
To maintain security and privacy, he had designated the entire Schwangau area—stretching dozens of kilometers—as his private territory.
Instead of driving out the townspeople, however, he kept them there to provide services and a place for his castle staff to relax.
Local law enforcement had long since been taken over by Josh's people.
This officer knew everyone in the town well. With Josh's wedding still over a month away, guests wouldn't be arriving this early.
So when a new face appeared, it was bound to stand out.
Especially when that person looked wealthy, well-dressed, and strikingly handsome—there was no way he was a local.
"Officer, I'm just a tourist. Do I really need to show ID?" The stranger smiled calmly.
"A tourist? Ha! Schwangau is closed now. No one is allowed in without an invitation. And you say you're a tourist? Yeah, right. Come with me to the station!" The officer scoffed and reached for his handcuffs.
"Officer, look, I have an invitation." The man remained unfazed, pulling out what appeared to be an official invitation and handing it over.
"Prince Vlad Dracula... I see. My apologies, Your Highness. Welcome to Schwangau and enjoy your stay." The officer, suddenly dazed, nodded and stepped aside.
The mysterious visitor was none other than the world's most powerful vampire, Dracula.
It was he who had been watching Josh from Trieste.
Despite the hundreds of kilometers between the two places, this vampire had somehow arrived even faster than a jet plane—an unbelievable feat.
Even more amazing was that he was still standing while the sun was shining brightly in the sky!
And if an observer were watching from a third-person perspective, they would notice that what Dracula had handed the officer wasn't an invitation at all, just a withered leaf.
For the progenitor of the vampire, manipulating a mere human was child's play.
