Chapter 15: Three-way confrontation

The Mist Walker's final assault, concentrated with all its resentment and power, instantly bridged the gap between life and death.Lin Jie's pupils contracted at the extreme speed, and he could even see his own astonished face reflected in the obsidian-like bone spikes.

The shadow of death had never felt so real and chilling as it enveloped him at this moment.

His body's reaction couldn't keep up with that supernatural speed at all. Dodging had become wishful thinking, and he didn't even have time to raise his Webley Revolver again.

At this critical moment, a gunshot—completely different from Lin Jie's old-fashioned revolver, much more muffled and powerful—suddenly exploded from the entrance of the alley!

A bullet burning with ghostly blue flames, trailing a visible spiral airflow, arrived later but struck first, accurately hitting the Mist Walker's solidified arm.

"Boom!"

The blue flames weren't scorching;instead, they rapidly spread the moment they touched the Mist Walker's body, accompanied by cracking sounds.

The shadow-constructed body was visibly "frozen" at a speed discernible to the naked eye!

A thin layer of frost shimmering with a blue halo covered half of its body, bringing its desperate charge to an abrupt halt less than half a meter from Lin Jie, transforming it into an eerie ice sculpture filled with hatred and unwillingness.

Immediately after, another figure shot out from the shadows at the alley entrance like a tiger pouncing down a mountain.

It was the burly man, Marcus.

He held a uniquely shaped weapon in his hand—resembling a shotgun but with a shorter barrel—its muzzle aimed directly at the temporarily frozen Mist Walker.

"Aether Restraint!" Marcus roared and pulled the trigger.

No flames, no loud blast.

The peculiar weapon's muzzle emitted an invisible force field that rippled outwards.

The force field instantly enveloped the Mist Walker's entire body. The air around its newly frozen form twisted violently, and the entire space was compressed and restrained.

The UMA, bound by both frost and the force field, let out a piercing wail that resonated only on the mental plane.

Finally, a calm and unhurried figure slowly walked out from the alley entrance.

It was the top-hatted Barton.

He held an exquisite Mauser pistol in his hand, smoke still curling from its muzzle.

Without even glancing at the completely suppressed UMA, his sharp gaze immediately locked onto the stunned Lin Jie deep in the alley.

"It seems we arrived at just the right moment," Barton's voice was as calm as ever.

After the wild rollercoaster from the brink of death to a miraculous escape, Lin Jie's brain finally started working again.

He immediately understood the current situation.

The I.A.R.C. investigators had been monitoring him nearby all along.

They had let him use himself as bait to deal with this terrifying UMA, only revealing themselves in a "savior" manner—calm and composed—to reap the final rewards after he had broken the monster's invisibility and severely injured it.

What a perfect case of "when the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits."

In the face of absolute strength and sophisticated equipment, his previous self-satisfied "cunning" seemed so laughable and naive.

They had toyed with him as easily as a cat playing with a mouse.

"Purify it, Marcus," Barton commanded, his gaze never leaving Lin Jie's face. "Our guest seems to have a lot to say about tonight's 'performance.'"

Marcus grinned grimly, took a small silver vial from his waist, unscrewed the cap, and carefully poured the mercury-like viscous liquid onto the restrained Mist Walker.

The moment the liquid touched its body, it rapidly spread like a living creature. With every flow, it dissolved part of the Mist Walker's shadowy form.

The entire process was silent, yet filled with a chilling eeriness.

Then, as if experiencing a final rally before death, the nearly vanquished Mist Walker suddenly unleashed one last powerful mental assault.

All glass objects in the alley—including several windows in nearby apartment buildings and shards of liquor bottles on the ground—simultaneously shattered without warning!

"Careful!" Barton's expression shifted slightly as he immediately raised his gun in alert.

However, the target of this final assault wasn't Marcus, who was purifying it, nor the most threatening Barton.

Its target was the one who had cracked its perfect disguise, making it taste the greatest humiliation of its existence... Lin Jie!

Lin Jie felt as if his brain had been struck hard by a heavy hammer. His vision went black, and countless images and sounds of hatred and curses drilled into his mind.

This was the UMA's final act—condensing all its negative energy into a mental curse not meant to harm the enemy but to drag them down together in mutual destruction!

Just as Lin Jie's consciousness was about to be overwhelmed by this malicious energy, a sudden inspiration flashed through his mind. Driven by instinct, he roared out a phrase he hadn't even thought of, originating from a memory fragment deep within the :

"Mirrors! It's afraid of reflections!"

He blurted this out completely subconsciously.

Among the countless information surges before, a faint fragment about the Mist Walker's weakness had been hidden deep in his subconscious.

And now, under this final mental assault, this fragment was unexpectedly "activated"!

While shouting this, he also used his last bit of strength to horizontally block the only "reflective object" he had—his now empty Webley Revolver—in front of his eyes!

Barton's reaction was inhumanly fast.

The moment Lin Jie shouted "mirror," without even considering the truth of the statement, his body had already executed the most professional response.

He abandoned using his gun and, with a nearly magical motion, drew a palm-sized round silver mirror from inside his coat!

With a flick of his wrist, the silver mirror reflected the dim yellow light from a nearby gas lamp at a tricky angle, precisely casting it onto the dissolving Mist Walker!

When that not-strong-but-extremely-pure reflection shone upon it, its dissolving body evaporated and vaporized at a rate ten times faster than before!

Finally, under everyone's watchful eyes, this terrifying phantom that had haunted London for nearly two months and left Scotland Yard helpless transformed into a wisp of smoke, dissipating into the filthy air of the White Church District.

Only a fingernail-sized black crystal condensation and a lingering sulfur smell remained on the spot.

The alley returned to deathly silence once more.

Marcus stared dumbfounded at everything, then looked at the purification liquid in his hand, then at the small mirror in Barton's hand, his face filled with disbelief.

They had prepared the highest-grade purification method, yet what ended up being most effective was the most primitive reflection?

Barton slowly put away the silver mirror, and the look in his eyes when he regarded Lin Jie changed.

The previous scrutiny, curiosity, and amusement had all vanished.

Replaced by a complex mix of appreciation and extreme vigilance.

"You... how did you know about this weakness?" Barton's voice carried astonishment. "This intelligence isn't even recorded in the highest-level 'Black Book' at the Association headquarters."

Lin Jie gasped for breath heavily. The recent mental assault had left him with a splitting headache, but he still forced himself to stand straight.

He knew the moment of reckoning had arrived.

He could no longer show weakness, nor could he display even a hint of fear.

In front of these professional "hunters," only by demonstrating irreplaceable value could he win himself a chance of survival and equal respect.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he met Barton's probing gaze and slowly raised the German diary belonging to the Cartographer Karl that he carried in his coat.

"All the answers are here," Lin Jie's voice was hoarse but exceptionally clear. "And I know far more than you imagine... much, much more."

The night wind blew, sweeping up the red pigment powder on the ground, creating an eerie crimson mist in the narrow alley that enveloped all three people in the standoff.

A negotiation concerning secrets, value, and survival was about to begin.