At a distance of fifteen meters.
Fire erupted from the chamber of Matt's automatic revolver, aimed straight at his face.
In the instant the flame lit up, Red Gloves's complexion drastically changed, and he instinctively dodged. But he was too slow. In an instant, the bullet pierced flesh, sending up a spray of blood.
Hit! Huai Shi's eyes lit up. Immediately after, he heard a roar. It was Red Gloves.
He wasn't dead yet, but a ghastly hole had already appeared in his mouth. The bullet had shattered half of his face. After nearly destroying half of his cheekbone, it spiraled and crushed his right ear to pieces.
Torn muscles hung from his face, dragging down the half-suspended piece of cheek.
Severely wounded!
Damn, just a little off! Huai Shi gritted his teeth, feeling like he was about to die from frustration. He had prepared for so long for this moment, only to be thwarted by the recoil.
He had been mindful of it, but the trajectory was still off by a negligible half-centimeter. The result was worlds apart from a headshot.
To a regular person, such a wound would cause instantaneous fainting. But for the now half-zombified Red Gloves, it was nothing. Yet, it enraged him beyond control.
He had been fully focused and prepared for a bloody battle, but he never expected to be met with such an unseemly, farcical ploy. The formidable enemy he anticipated hadn't appeared at all; instead, out popped Little Peiqi. Damn Little Peiqi! To be toyed with to this extent by a rookie! In his current fury, he actually felt an urge to laugh, to laugh at himself for being 'once bitten, twice shy'—he had unknowingly developed a phobia of birds. If that group found out, they'd surely laugh themselves silly, wouldn't they?
Missing with one shot, Huai Shi didn't even waste time feeling dejected. He stepped forward, stabilized the gun again, and pulled the trigger at Red Gloves once more.
But this bullet hit only air.
In that instant, as Red Gloves retreated, his figure suddenly blurred in the downpour.
It was as if a drop of ink had fallen into water, instantly spreading, thinning, and dissolving into the blurry rain.
This was the inherent skill brought by Stigmata·Taxim after reaching the Third Stage. Aside from the semi-zombified physique that was nearly indestructible, it was this eerie, fear-inducing 'invisibility' Ability.
—Melting.
In Eastern European legends, the true form of Taxim is a revenant, or a spirit of vengeance, crawling out of its own grave. It is precisely due to this special origin, buried deep beneath the earth, that he possessed this trait, undetectable to any observer.
This wasn't a form of invisibility that could be detected by any thermal vision, Eye of Illusion, or Eye of True Knowledge Stigmata skill. Once his Melting skill was activated, no one would be able to detect him, even if he were tap-dancing right in front of a Sublimator specializing in investigation.
In the subconscious mind, people would simply block him out and forget him.
In that moment, Huai Shi suddenly felt puzzled: Why am I here?
If he were an ordinary person, he might even forget why he had come here in the first place.
But just as he came to his senses, his vision blackened, and he involuntarily lunged forward, falling to the ground, face-planting like a dog.
A sharp pain shot through his back.
Shot in the same spot again.
Even with a bulletproof vest, the pain nearly stopped him from getting up. What was more agonizing was that the still-unhealed wound on the inside had torn open. Wet blood poured out beneath the waterproof shell, amplifying the unease and fear in his heart.
He knew that just moments ago, Red Gloves had been standing behind him, leisurely observing his confused state, and then raised his hand and fired.
Just like a cat playing with a mouse.
Observing his pathetic struggle.
But when he turned his head, he saw nothing clearly.
Where was he?
He strained his eyes, focusing on his surroundings. He saw the ripples in the rainwater on the ground, the containers around him, and even a man slowly walking past in front of him, but he couldn't see Red Gloves anywhere!
Just now, he had been right behind him, yet he hadn't sensed any sign of him beforehand.
Even if he were within arm's reach, Huai Shi would probably look right through him.
This terrifying concealment ability sent a chill down his spine.
Raven's intelligence stated that Red Gloves's Stigmata·Taxim influences human subjective consciousness. Its flaw was that it didn't work in videos and photos, and its presence could be detected through a medium like reflections.
But the rain was so heavy now. Pulling out his knockoff phone would only cause it to short-circuit, and all mirrored surfaces were blurred by the rainwater, making it impossible to see any reflection!
Wait, videos and photos... A bold idea suddenly struck him.
He hastily summoned the Book of Fate. The pages turned on their own, without any wind, flipping straight to the latest entry—the line about him having a bold idea.
His eyes darted between the text on the page and his surroundings, alertly searching for traces of Red Gloves.
"The relentless downpour rained from the sky, the sounds of thunder and falling rain merging into a roar. A thunderbolt struck, lightning flashing, illuminating Huai Shi and, to his right, the man who was leisurely observing his frightened expression."
To the right? The moment these words surfaced, Huai Shi, without thinking, fired to the right.
BANG!
Hit! Huai Shi was ecstatic. He saw a spurt of blood from a man's chest, but he still couldn't find any trace of Red Gloves. Where had he hidden again? Gone again?
Huai Shi warily scanned his surroundings, then looked down at the book's pages. Amidst the stinging pain of blood loss, rain obscured his vision, and he was oblivious to the figure in front of him raising a gun.
BANG!
Huai Shi pulled the trigger once more. Another spray of blood burst from a man's arm, yet Huai Shi still saw no one, nor did he notice the angry curse. All he saw was the handgun falling to the ground.
Huai Shi sighed in relief and looked down to see:
"The man rapidly retreated, dodging the muzzle of Huai Shi's gun. He seemed to find it incredible that Huai Shi was aware of his presence, his complexion turning ashen with fury. Then, he opened his mouth in a roar, and Huai Shi heard the sound of a lion's roar."
The sound of a lion's roar? Huai Shi was amused again. The descriptions from this damn thing are truly uncanny! But then, he really did see a lion...
A real lion!
In the torrential rain, an astonishingly huge lion leaped down from a container, landing in front of Huai Shi and roaring towards the sky.
It even had a tag from a South African zoo around its neck. Within its empty eye sockets, a goldfish swam quietly, casting an indifferent glance at Huai Shi.
What is this, a hallucination? Huai Shi couldn't believe it. He instinctively stepped back two paces and heard Raven's voice, "Little brother, what are you standing there dazed for? Shoot! This is a lion from South Africa sent for an exhibition at Jinling Zoo! The real deal! Are you planning on becoming its fresh meat?"
In the pouring rain, the massive wild lion slowly advanced, its wet mane hanging around its neck like a noose, swaying with each step.
Can the Sneering Fish Tank even control animals?
Though disbelieving, Huai Shi dared not hesitate. He aimed at the lion in front of him and pulled the trigger frantically, but after two shots, the chamber fell silent.
No more bullets! Damn it! Huai Shi fumbled to open the cylinder, ejecting the casings. He grabbed a handful of bullets from his pocket and clumsily began to load them.
He hadn't even loaded a few before the lion pounced.
With one roar, the heavy curtain of rain was shattered by the man-eating beast. Its terrifying weight slammed down like a cannonball, claws swiping at Huai Shi's face. In his haste, Huai Shi could only raise his right hand to shield himself.
Immediately after, he heard a SNAP! His right hand was cleanly broken. Blood sprayed from the claw marks, spreading a shocking crimson across the puddles on the ground.
The handgun dropped into a puddle, its hot barrel hissing as it vaporized the water.
And he was pinned to the ground.
Jaws wide open, the lion bit towards his neck.
Get lost!
In that instant, Huai Shi roared. He tossed the Book of Fate from his left hand; the heavy tome reverted to its Source Substance form in mid-air and returned to his Soul. Then, his left hand ignited as if aflame, engulfed by pure white Source of fire.
Hand of Confinement, activated!
In that instant, Huai Shi's burning left hand shot forward, as if grabbing hold of something.
He grasped an invisible handle.
The next second, the Invisible Axe fell upon the lion, which was now right in front of him. It cleaved into its skull, splitting flesh and embedding itself in the bone.
But the lion's skull was too hard; the weight and edge of the Invisible Axe couldn't penetrate it completely.
It didn't matter. Huai Shi's Soul Ability wasn't just about creating invisible weapons to hack at people. The most important thing wasn't the blade, but what had forged it...
The fury and killing intent accumulated over seven years, now made tangible!
In an instant, a dark Source Fluctuation erupted from the blade. Flames of rage and icy killing intent transformed into a black tide that surged into the lion's skull.
Instantly, the fishbowl behind its eyes was dyed pitch black.
The goldfish trembled violently and then burst. The invisible killing intent and fury traveled along the Sneering Fish Tank's 'bridge' into Red Gloves's mind, detonating in an instant.
A pained scream. Thick blood seeped from his eyes, nostrils, and ears.
As if his soul had been struck head-on with a hammer, the fish tank in his hand suddenly trembled, and a crack split open...
Amidst Red Gloves's agonized cries, Huai Shi seized the lion's momentary stiffness. He reached out, grabbed the handgun from the ground, forcefully jammed the barrel into the lion's eye, and then repeatedly pulled the trigger.
After three shots, the hastily loaded bullets were spent. Thick brain matter sprayed from the hole in the back of the lion's head.
It was dead.
Huai Shi mustered all his strength to push the lion off him, his broken right hand throbbing with excruciating pain. When he climbed to his feet, he finally saw Red Gloves leaning against a container, gasping for breath, exhausted.
The violent impact made it impossible for him to maintain his Melting state. Thick blood flowed from his mouth and nose. He no longer possessed the lofty demeanor from their first encounter, looking as wretched as if he were about to die.
But as he looked at Huai Shi, his maimed face twisted into a vicious smile. "You think this is over?"
In that moment, Huai Shi felt something winding around his legs. It was heavy and cold, silently climbing upward. In a flash, it coiled around him, layer by layer, then suddenly tightened. It squeezed his broken hand, causing Huai Shi to scream in agony.
When he looked back, he finally saw what was wrapped around him... cold scales, an elongated body, and a constantly flicking forked tongue.
It was a giant python.
The snake's head, larger than Huai Shi's fist, stopped in front of him. It opened its mouth and exhaled a fetid breath. In its hollow eyes, the goldfish persisted.
There's a snake too...?