My Life in Wednesday With a Vampire System

In the Boys' hideout, the mood was poor. After all the effort they had put into tracking A-Train, their chance to get Compound V had slipped away.

The bottle was empty before they could get their hands on it.

Frenchie sat in his chair smoking while Mother's Milk looked through their notes again, hoping he had missed something. Butcher stood near the table studying a map.

"Well, you three keep watch on that noodle shop Popclaw mentioned. A-Train was movin' that Compound V inside containers from there. If the bloody stuff is still passin' through, somebody's bound to show up."

Mother's Milk looked up. "You think the shop is involved?"

"I think it knows somethin', and right now that's more than we do."

Frenchie exhaled smoke. "So we sit and watch?"

"That's generally how surveillance works, mate."

Frenchie rolled his eyes.

"Where are you going?" Mother's Milk asked as Butcher grabbed his coat.

"I'm gonna make a few calls and see what turns up."

"You got another lead?"

"Not exactly."

"Then what are you lookin' for?"

"Anythin' connected to Compound V. Whatever this stuff is, Vought's hidin' it for a reason. A-Train's riskin' his neck for it, and people don't do that unless somethin' big is at stake."

"I'm gonna find out what the bastards are hidin', and when I do, the whole bloody world is gonna see what these supe wankers really are."

Mother's Milk nodded. "That sounds fair enough. Until we know what Compound V actually is, we're runnin' around blind."

Frenchie took another drag. "Let's hope somebody makes a mistake."

"People always make mistakes." Butcher headed for the door, then glanced back. "Try not to do anythin' stupid while I'm gone."

Mother's Milk immediately looked at Frenchie.

"Why do you always look at me?"

"Because it's usually you."

Butcher snorted and walked out into the night, heading toward a meeting with an old contact inside the CIA. If anyone could dig into something as heavily buried as Compound V, it would be someone with access to government intelligence and classified files.

The problem was convincing her to get involved. Still, Butcher wasn't exactly known for taking no for an answer. For now all he could do was hope the Deputy Director found Compound V interesting enough to lend him a hand.

***

The next day, Mother's Milk, Frenchie, and Hughie sat inside the surveillance van parked across the street from Noodle Palace on Division Street.

According to the information they had gathered, the location was somehow connected to the movement of Compound V — whether as a distribution point, a meeting place, or simply a cover operation, none of them knew. That was why they were here.

The three watched the storefront through binoculars while customers came and went through the morning. So far, nothing looked unusual. Just people buying noodles.

"Ummm, I have a question," Hughie said. "How are we supposed to recognize the people connected to Compound V?"

Frenchie didn't look away. "We will know."

"That doesn't really answer the question."

"Criminals always think they are clever. Then they do something stupid."

"He's got a point," Mother's Milk said.

"So our plan is basically waiting until somebody does something suspicious?"

"More or less."

"That sounds incredibly unreliable."

Frenchie smiled. "You would be surprised how often it works."

The van fell silent as they continued watching. A delivery truck stopped near the restaurant. Several employees carried boxes inside. An elderly couple entered. A businessman left carrying takeout.

Nothing stood out.

Nothing looked connected to a secret drug operation — which, according to Mother's Milk's experience, usually meant they simply hadn't been watching long enough. Sooner or later somebody would make a mistake. The only question was whether they would notice when it happened.

Then a man walked out of Noodle Palace carrying two takeout bags. The moment Frenchie saw him he sat forward. "There he is. Our guy."

"How?"

Frenchie pointed through the windshield. "You see how he is carrying the bags?"

"He's carrying food."

"No. He is carrying something inside the food."

Mother's Milk lowered his binoculars and took another look. The man wasn't swinging the bags naturally as he walked. He was holding them carefully, keeping them steady and level, almost like he was worried about damaging whatever was inside.

"If that was normal takeout, he would not care so much."

The man reached the sidewalk and instinctively adjusted his grip when one of the bags tilted slightly.

"See that? People carrying lunch don't do that."

"Yeah. That's strange."

"You figured all this out from the way he carries noodles?"

Frenchie looked offended. "Of course."

Frenchie opened the van door. "Come."

Mother's Milk followed immediately. Hughie sighed and climbed out after them, not sure whether Frenchie was a genius or completely insane. Knowing Frenchie, it was probably both.

The three followed the man from a distance, Frenchie taking the lead while Mother's Milk and Hughie stayed several steps behind. None of them wanted to get close enough to attract attention.

The man never looked back. He continued through the streets with the two takeout bags in his hands. After several blocks he turned onto a quieter road and headed toward a small general store squeezed between two older buildings.

"A general store?"

"Keep moving," Mother's Milk said quietly.

The man entered through the front entrance. The Boys waited a few seconds before following. Inside, everything appeared normal — shelves filled with snacks, cleaning supplies, magazines.

The man walked past the aisles without stopping, then headed toward the back of the store.

The three watched from behind a shelf. He stopped in front of what appeared to be a storage door, glanced around once, then opened it and disappeared inside. A few seconds later the door closed behind him.

Frenchie smiled. "Our guy."

"Normal employees don't sneak into hidden rooms carrying takeout bags."

"Especially when that room is clearly not for customers."

Hughie looked at the storage door. "You think that's where they're moving Compound V?"

"I think we are about to find out."

Mother's Milk carefully checked the store. The cashier wasn't paying attention. The few customers inside were busy shopping. Nobody was watching them.

"Alright. Let's take a look."

***

A/N: And on Patreon, The Boys arc started.

The Patreon version is already updated with 46 advanced chapters. If you'd like to read ahead of the public release schedule, you can join here:

👉 /JamesA211