Chapter 14: Phantom in the Crimson Mist

Time stretched and solidified in the absolute darkness and deathly silence.Lin Jie could clearly hear the heavy, oppressive beating of his own heart within his chest, the sound abnormally conspicuous in the utter silence, making him worry it might betray the vitality hidden beneath his disguise.

That inhuman sensation of being watched still enveloped him. The patience of the Jack the Ripper UMA exceeded his expectations;it was like the most meticulous connoisseur, carefully examining its prey, unwilling to overlook even the slightest flaw.

Lin Jie knew with absolute clarity that he was walking the line between life and death. He maintained his mental focus, relaxing every muscle in his body to mimic the state of deep unconsciousness, not even altering his breathing rhythm.

The cold grip of the gun was his only tangible connection to the real world at this moment.

He didn't know how much time had passed when that suffocating sensation of being watched finally changed.

It was no longer a static observation but began slowly advancing toward Lin Jie.

The darkness grew thicker, and the smell of sulfur became distinctly perceptible.

Lin Jie could feel the temperature around him dropping at an unnatural rate, as if all the heat in the alley was being sucked away by the approaching entity.

He could hear a rustling sound, like silk rubbing against a wall—the precursor of the UMA moving its body, preparing to attack.

Now!

Lin Jie's mind roared like thunder, but he continued to wait.

Waiting for the perfect moment, that unique instant when the positions of hunter and prey would reverse.

The thing was now perilously close.

Lin Jie could feel a wave of cold air brushing against his cheek.

At precisely 0.1 seconds before it launched its fatal strike, Lin Jie's eyes snapped open!

Those eyes, having gathered strength in the darkness for so long, held no trace of drunkenness or confusion—only a razor-sharp, utterly calm intensity!

"BANG!!!"

The Webley Revolver hidden in his sleeve fired decisively at nearly point-blank range toward the source of that chilling aura!

The deafening gunshot exploded within the narrow alleyway. A massive burst of flame instantly tore through the despairing darkness, illuminating the spectral figure lurking in the shadows with perfect clarity!

It was not humanoid at all!

It more closely resembled a "three-dimensional shadow" given life, capable of freely altering its form.

When clinging to walls, it could become a two-dimensional picture, but now, preparing to attack, it had condensed into a twisted, unstable three-dimensional shape.

Its main body was slender and pitch-black, but the so-called "trench coat" and "top hat" were merely disguises simulated by constantly churning, shifting mist at its edges.

Its limbs bent backward like those of an arthropod, ending in several bone spurs sharper than surgical scalpels, gleaming with an obsidian-like luster.

This was the true face of "Jack the Ripper"!

The searing flame from the muzzle and the whistling bullet clearly took this UMA by complete surprise.

It had never imagined that a lamb seemingly ready for slaughter could harbor a starving wolf daring enough to fight back.

Its entire form trembled, and it drifted backward in a manner defying inertia, precisely evading the bullet's direct trajectory.

However, although the bullet missed, the alchemical power contained within it burst into a faint silver halo upon striking the wall behind the creature.

This halo seemed to inflict some kind of mental impact, causing the UMA's "body" to momentarily disperse and destabilize.

Lin Jie didn't hesitate for a second.

Having missed his first shot, he immediately rolled on the spot, creating distance between himself and the UMA.

He knew perfectly well that pitting his marksmanship and this old revolver's rate of fire against such an incredibly fast monster in a stand-up shootout would be suicide.

He needed to use the environment, create chaos, and most importantly, he needed "eyes" that could see it clearly.

While rolling, he pulled out another weapon prepared in advance from his coat—a small bag of extremely fine red pigment powder he had found at the printing workshop.

This was lead-based pigment from the 19th century used for printing color illustrations—dry and easily dispersed.

After its brief astonishment, the UMA was utterly enraged by this "food's" audacity.

Its unstable form coalesced once more, a slit opening on its pitch-black body resembling a mouth silently sneering.

It abandoned stealth, transforming into a true black phantom, shooting toward Lin Jie with a sharp sound cutting through the air!

Lin Jie watched the approaching black shadow coldly. The instant it was about to enter attack range, he violently hurled the bag of pigment forward with all his strength!

"Whoosh—!"

The crimson powder billowed out like a sudden blood mist, instantly filling the narrow alleyway.

This action seemed meaningless on the surface, but it was the biggest gamble Lin Jie had placed in this high-stakes game.

He was betting that although this UMA could merge with shadows, its true body was still material.

It could deceive light, but it couldn't make suspended microscopic particles pass directly through its form!

The gamble paid off!

As the black phantom charged into the crimson mist, a wondrous sight unfolded.

The fine red pigment particles came alive, drawn by an invisible force, adhering to the originally indistinct outline.

A slender, twisted monster outline, composed purely of red particles, was precisely "outlined"!

It was no longer an untargetable ghost, but a vividly conspicuous moving crimson target in the darkness!

"Hssss—!!!"

The Mist Walker emitted a shriek of fury and terror.

It couldn't comprehend why its perfect camouflage had been so easily broken by this mundane method.

It frantically twisted its body, trying to shake off the red powder clinging to it, but it was all in vain.

Perfect timing!

Lin Jie's eyes locked onto the crimson outline darting and weaving in the darkness. He raised his Webley Revolver once more.

This time, he wasn't shooting based on feeling;he had a crystal-clear target.

"Bang! Bang!"

With cold precision, he pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession, as fast as he could manage.

The first bullet grazed the Mist Walker's arm, striking the wall and sending up a shower of sparks.

Its speed remained frighteningly fast.

But the second bullet, after Lin Jie made a slight adjustment based on the prediction aided by the cool focus emanating from the gun's grip, finally found its mark!

The bullet accurately pierced the "chest" area of the red outline.

The mysterious power within the alchemical bullet erupted once more. Silver light exploded inside the monster's form, like igniting a tiny sun within a pot of ink.

"Screeeech—!!!"

An ear-splitting, agonized shriek erupted from within the creature.

Its shadow-constructed body convulsed violently. Large amounts of red pigment flaked off its form, which grew increasingly unstable, on the verge of complete disintegration.

It was wounded.

Grievously wounded.

However, before Lin Jie could feel any sense of triumph, a lethal sense of crisis surged from the depths of his heart.

He saw the dying UMA gathering all its remaining power into its bone-spur-like claws.

The originally pitch-black areas serving as its "eyes" ignited with two points of crimson, blood-red light.

Abandoning all defense and evasion, it transformed into a red-and-black lightning bolt of mutual destruction, launching a final, desperate all-or-nothing attack at Lin Jie with speed surpassing its previous limits!