The cool breeze from the alley entrance rushed into his collar.
This chill, instead of sobering him, instead drew away the last bit of warmth from his body, leaving only a feeling of emptiness.
His body was like a lemon squeezed dry of its juice, every muscle fiber limp and drooping.
Especially his right arm.
The tingling sensation was like countless ants building nests in his bones, both itchy and painful.
He tried to straighten his back.
To make himself look no different from the usual well-dressed insurance salesman.
Except for the noticeable tear in his cuff.
The street was empty, with only the sporadic sound of distant traffic.
He just wanted to call a car and escape this damn scene now, but as one foot was about to land, his toe seemed to be nailed down, suspended in mid-air.
That feeling again!
From behind him, a chill came.
No way?
Again?
Another master?
He slowly, extremely stiffly, turned around.
Just opposite the alley entrance he had just exited, on the edge of the rooftop of an old building, stood a figure.
A figure entirely in White.
The pure White hood, trench coat, and mask made him look like a bone thrown into an ink bottle.
In the dim night of New York, that White itself exuded a sense of oppressive distance.
In the deep shadow of the hood, two pinprick-sized White lights lit up, like two cold stars, fixed on him without any emotion.
Moon Knight.
William Rodriguez's mind short-circuited instantly, countless thoughts exploded, then immediately became an incomprehensible mess.
Only the words 'Moon Knight' echoed repeatedly in his mind.
What he feared most had come true.
He had just blamed someone else, and then he was caught red-handed by the actual person.
In the silence, his own heartbeat boomed in his ear canal.
Run?
Don't be ridiculous.
The other party stood on a rooftop several stories high, and he was currently physically exhausted, his right arm numb, and the after-effects of the Palm Arc Pulse had not yet passed.
The likely outcome of running was being pinned to the ground from behind by a Crescent Dart.
Calm down, William Rodriguez, calm down.
He secretly bit the tip of his tongue, using the stinging pain to force his chaotic thoughts to refocus.
Who are you?
You are William Rodriguez.
A gold-medal insurance agent, New York's most professional risk management consultant.
You are just an innocent citizen who worked late and happened to pass by here.
Yes, that's it.
Just as the 'innocent citizen caught in a battle' narrative in his mind was being rehearsed for the second time, the White figure on the rooftop moved.
He didn't take the stairs, nor did he use any grappling hook.
He just took a step forward and leaped directly from the rooftop!
The White trench coat filled violently in the night wind, making him look like a pale, sharp blade descending from the sky, about to pierce the ground.
"Boom!"
With a muffled thud, the asphalt road seemed to shake.
Moon Knight landed steadily in front of him.
His knees slightly bent, fully dissipating the impact of several stories into the earth beneath his feet.
He slowly stood upright, his White battle suit glowing with a cold, hard luster, similar to porcelain, under the dim streetlights.
It was so clean it seemed not to belong in this dirty alley, completely out of place with the oil stains and trash on the ground.
William Rodriguez smelled the faint scent of blood in the air.
Besides that, there was an even stranger scent.
Like a freshly opened ancient tomb, carrying the coldness of stone and the stillness of dust.
"What are you doing here?"
William Rodriguez's throat was dry.
He forced himself to squeeze out a professional yet slightly apologetic smile, raising his hands in a "I'm harmless" gesture.
"What a coincidence, Mr. Knight, we meet again. I just finished visiting a client and was about to go home."
As he spoke, he used the most natural movement to pull out his business card holder from his pocket.
Moon Knight didn't respond.
Those glowing eyes behind the mask simply scrutinized him silently.
Like an idol in a temple judging a sinner.
Cold, indifferent.
"Something died in the alley."
Moon Knight spoke again.
"Not human."
"Is that so?"
William Rodriguez's eyebrows raised just right.
His pupils also widened slightly in cooperation, and a perfectly appropriate hint of lingering fear appeared on his face—an expression he had practiced countless times when dealing with difficult clients.
"Oh my goodness, that's too dangerous! Luckily, I didn't go in. The public safety in New York is getting worse and worse, sir, vigilantes like you… uh, I mean, heroes like you are truly a blessing to us citizens."
He skillfully flattered him with his words.
But in his mind, he had already pulled out a risk checklist and began to assess the probabilities of escaping, playing dumb, and being killed on the spot.
Moon Knight took a step forward.
William Rodriguez's heart sank a notch, and he blinked, feigning confusion.
His thick skin, honed over years in sales, was already comparable to a city wall.
As long as he didn't admit it and the other party had no evidence, they couldn't do anything to him.
Right?
William Rodriguez was confident that his expression changes were absolutely seamless.
But Moon Knight's two White lights seemed to flicker, as if they had caught something.
"What are you thinking?"
He asked in a deep voice.
"I'm thinking…"
"I'm thinking, a great hero like you, fighting every night to protect ordinary people like us, must face enormous risks."
"Have you ever considered arranging a comprehensive protection plan for yourself? I'm a professional; I can tailor one for you, covering everything from combat injuries to… uh, to compensation for public facility damage."
William Rodriguez even admired himself.
Even at a time like this, he could still bring his business instincts to their peak.
He felt that if he could go home alive today, he should award himself "Employee of the Year."
"Did you forget? I gave you a business card last time!"
Moon Knight was silent.
William Rodriguez's words didn't stir any ripples.
But they did crack open a absurd gap in that deadly oppressive silence.
After a full five seconds.
Moon Knight's glowing eyes moved back and forth between him and the dark alley entrance.
Finally, his gaze settled on William Rodriguez's right foot.
William Rodriguez followed his gaze and looked down.
His heart instantly sank to rock bottom.
On the edge of his leather shoe was a tiny, extremely fine speck of black ash.
It was accidentally blown up by the night wind during the final purification of that female Vampire.
That speck of ash was as small as a grain of sand.
But at this moment, against the backdrop of Moon Knight's pure White, it was more conspicuous than a searchlight.
It's over.
This was the only thought in William Rodriguez's mind.
"This ash…"
Moon Knight's voice grew even deeper, filled with a sense of oppression.
"It smells… like it's been judged."
He slowly raised his hand, pointing at William Rodriguez.
"Who exactly are you?"
-------------------------------
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