Chapter Sixty-Eight: Trapping the Enemy

The circuit breaker in the black market had been sabotaged by Prism, using means unknown to the others. Only a sliver of light from the main gate provided the faintest illumination, casting the entire scene—especially the depths of the black market—into near-complete darkness.

“Gentle Uncle, could you please seal off the exit completely!”

Prism’s voice echoed through the gloom. Qi Chen watched as Gentle Uncle swiftly pulled the door shut behind them, then activated his warmhearted abilities to harden the entrance, making it impossible for anyone to break through and escape.

A moment later, Prism’s instructions reached Qi Chen as well.

“Rookie, help me out—stand in the center of the market. See if you have any light source on you and hold it up high!”

Puzzled, Qi Chen couldn’t decipher the meaning behind Prism’s request, being unfamiliar with her abilities. It was common knowledge that Bizarre Walkers possessed formidable night vision; darkness posed little challenge to their combat effectiveness. So why, after plunging the place into darkness, did Prism now want him to provide a light source?

Suppressing his questions, Qi Chen sprinted to the middle of the black market, pulled out his phone, and switched on the flashlight, raising it high above his head.

Instantly, he became the sole source of light in the entire space.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out. With all the ordinary people cleared away, this time the bullet flew straight toward Qi Chen—more precisely, toward the phone in his hand!

In the blink of an eye, Overlord materialized and with a sweep of his massive hand, batted the bullet to the ground.

Their unseen enemy continued to try and probe, but none of the attacks could touch Qi Chen—not with Gentle Uncle’s hardened barrier shielding him, nor could the bullets break through the buffer.

The only target left… was Prism.

Yet at that moment, Qi Chen realized Prism herself had vanished, just like their enemy—her figure unseen, her eerie aura almost undetectable.

This girl’s supernatural ability could render her invisible!

Suddenly, a streak of light blossomed in the darkness. Qi Chen looked up, noticing that the light from his phone should have scattered softly, but instead focused into a sharp beam—like a laser—sweeping in a tight arc across every corner of the market.

Unexpectedly, the laser froze midair, as though something unseen was blocking its path.

“The enemy’s right there!”

Prism’s voice rang out by his ear. Qi Chen had already deduced the significance of the laser phenomenon. Overlord let out a thunderous roar and, seizing a heavy crate nearby as if it were no more than a pebble, hurled it straight at the spot. The crate whistled through the air and struck something invisible!

A cry of pain split the silence, followed by several fragmentation grenades materializing out of thin air and arcing through the air.

Qi Chen acted at once, and Overlord’s reflexes were even faster: all the grenades were snatched up and crushed in his massive pale hands, the fiery blasts and shrapnel contained utterly within his grip. As he released his hold, smoking shards clattered to the ground, and a grotesque smile flickered across the tragic face of Overlord’s mask.

“Roar!”

By now, Qi Chen had a good guess as to Prism’s ability.

“Changing the refractive index of objects?” he murmured, staring at his phone, which was now emitting a laser. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. By altering the refractive index, Prism could make herself invisible and also focus light into a laser!

No wonder Fu Ying had said Prism was the best candidate for undercover reconnaissance—her ability was simply tailor-made for spying.

Now, against this invisible enemy, Prism’s talent was proving its worth, yielding even more intelligence.

“The enemy is only invisible to our eyes; he still has a physical body!” Prism’s voice—coming from somewhere in the darkness—quickly revealed the truth. She, who could also become invisible, had seen through their foe’s technique: not some advanced spatial concealment, but more akin to an enhanced transformation—an ability known as the Invisible Man.

And as long as his body remained, there was no escaping a laser’s detection. Every tangible body had its thickness.

“Mask! I’ll keep tracking his movements—take your chance and finish him!”

With Prism’s call, the flashlight in Qi Chen’s hand began to weave and gather, even altering the refractive index of the air itself. In an instant, a three-dimensional net of light spread throughout the market.

Within that dense lattice, a faint human outline appeared.

“You black-skinned dogs!”

A hoarse male voice, thick with hatred, rang out. Realizing he’d been exposed, the Invisible Man finally spoke—using the term some factions within the Mist used to insult the Alliance’s armed forces, whose uniforms were all black.

Tat-tat-tat!

Gunfire exploded as the blurry silhouette darted and twisted, bullets spraying like water in all directions.

Intelligence was one of the most critical factors in battles between Bizarre Walkers, and the enemy had now all but lost that advantage, even though he’d more or less figured out the abilities of Qi Chen and Gentle Uncle.

But what good did that knowledge do? Knowing Overlord excelled at close combat didn’t make hand-to-hand any less suicidal.

Now, the Invisible Man could only mount a scorched-earth assault, and the only viable target left was Prism—the girl he’d first taken for an ordinary intelligence officer, but who turned out to be his executioner.

“Severe intelligence deficit!” He glared with burning hatred, realizing his partner might not have been as honest as he’d believed.

The Invisible Man fired wildly into every corner, running and dodging the objects Overlord hurled his way.

But soon, a chill washed over him—a despair he could not resist. He’d been driven into a corner.

In that moment, all the light in the room bent as one, forming beams that converged on him. The blinding brilliance made it impossible for even a Bizarre Walker to keep his eyes open.

The next instant, a searing pain exploded in his abdomen, boring through his flesh like a drill to his very core. With a strangled retch, the Invisible Man collapsed to his knees, his form instantly revealed.

He was a man bearing all the marks of the Mist: even among Bizarre Walkers, long exposure to the Mist left traces—coarser skin, odd features no ordinary person possessed.

“Qi Chen! Take him alive!” Gentle Uncle, still guarding the main door, shouted in alarm.

Qi Chen dashed toward the Invisible Man, Overlord’s fist swinging to cripple his arms and eliminate any chance of resistance.

But the man only grinned savagely, his body convulsing as black liquid dripped slowly from the corner of his mouth.

His eyes, wide and wild, swam with hatred and grim satisfaction—a gaze no sane person would possess.

Qi Chen froze in his tracks.

Beside him, Prism’s petite form shimmered into view. He heard her sigh softly:

“A deathsworn…”