novelraw Chapter 170: The Funeral
Chapter 170: The Funeral
A corroded, barely recognizable I.A.R.C. standard-issue bullet casing lay quietly in Lin Jie's palm.
Its cold touch contrasted sharply with the burning information it carried, assaulting his mind. However, now was not the moment to delve into this secret.
The massive pulsating body, the Root of Sorrow, after a brief period of chaos, seemed to have broken free from the interrupted "cycle of sorrow."
The rhythm of its pulsations changed once more, this time into a confusion born from losing its reason for existence.
It no longer attacked, nor did it defend. It simply hung suspended in the center of the vast cavity, like a star about to be extinguished.
The dark green glow on its surface was visibly dimming at a speed discernible to the naked eye, and the spiritual energy maintaining the entire digestive space was rapidly draining away.
The rhythm of its pulsations changed once more, this time into a confusion born from losing its reason for existence.
The astute Julian discerned the truth from the UMA's abnormal state.
"We took its 'root,' the skeleton of Lina, which it considered its core! The foundation of its existence has been pulled away! Now it's like a beehive that has lost its queen! Its existence has lost all meaning!"
"We might not need to do anything. We just need to wait, and it will die on its own.""No."
Lin Jie's voice rang out with determination.
He carefully placed the enigmatic bullet casing into his pocket, then solemnly handed the suit jacket wrapped around Lina's remains to Julian beside him.
"Please help me protect her."
Then, he raised his eyes, which had regained their calmness, and his gaze fell upon the massive dark green heart that was dying.
"We cannot wait."
He drew 【Serene Heart】 from his waist.
"I will grant it a pure purification, completely erasing it from this world."
This was the "hunter's first lesson" taught to Karl by that mysterious Mentor.
To clearly separate the exquisite "work of art" from the "lethal threat" that only needed to be purified by bullets and fire.
The UMA before them might have fused with human nature, but it had also consumed countless innocent lives. Its very existence was a desecration of "order."
As the inheritor of Karl's legacy, Lin Jie had the responsibility to personally draw the final period on this decades-long symbiotic relationship of sorrow and distortion.
His mind flashed back to the scene two days ago in the underground safe house in Freiburg. The three of them were gathered around a dim kerosene lamp, conducting a "tactical simulation."
Julian was analyzing a hypothetical diagram of the UMA drawn based on available intelligence.
"...According to Karl's description, the 'Swamp Tree Fiend' is a swamp creature somewhere between plant and animal."
"And all UMAs in the Association archives related to the concepts of 'plant' or 'decay' share a common 'weakness'."
William, wiping his gun with its newly recalibrated sights, chimed in without looking up. "Fire?"
Julian shook his head.
"Fire is effective, but it cannot eradicate it. Fire can destroy its physical form."
"But for spiritual beings, as long as the spiritual energy doesn't dissipate, it will eventually 'grow' back from this land."
Lin Jie asked the crucial question.
"Then how can it be eradicated?"
Julian's eyes sparkled with confidence as he answered.
"It's energy that is completely opposite to it on the 'attribute' level."
"For example, the high-purity salt that decomposed that worm, or..."
He paused, then gave the final answer.
"...high-concentration holy water capable of purifying evil entities!"
"Julian!" Lin Jie's thoughts returned to the present. "Remember what we discussed before we came? The most effective weapon against plant-type UMAs."
Julian instantly understood Lin Jie's intention.
His superfluous sentimentality was replaced by the rationality and professionalism of a Master-level scholar. He immediately placed the "holy relic" wrapped around Lina's remains in a relatively safe corner.
Then, from his marching backpack filled with alchemical tools and ancient texts, he retrieved a small silver vial wrapped in a thick layer of lead, engraved with complex purification runes.
Inside the vial was the high-concentration "holy water" specially issued by the Association to Investigators for purifying UMAs at critical moments.
The mercury-like viscous fluid Marcus used when purifying "Jack the Ripper" was this very substance.
This holy water was not like the ordinary blessed water from church ceremonies recorded in Christian scriptures.
It was created by the Association's alchemists through a complex process, fusing and purifying water from "holy sites" around the world—such as the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Fountain of Saint Peter in the Vatican—with the bodily fluids of several gentle-type UMAs possessing the concepts of order and life, ultimately obtaining a crystal of pure energy.
It was non-toxic and harmless to humans, but for any inner world creature rooted in chaos, disorder, decay, or negative emotions...
This was a more terrifying "natural enemy" than aqua regia or strong acids.
"Lin! Catch!"
Julian threw the silver vial towards Lin Jie, who caught it steadily.
He could feel a warm, pure aura seeping from the bottle, refreshing his slightly fatigued spirit.
Then, he made a move that caught both William and Julian off guard from a distance.
He did not splash the holy water directly onto the massive Root of Sorrow as they had imagined.
He feared that superficial purification might not achieve his desired effect, just like when dealing with the Petrification Worm.
So, he ejected the cylinder from the 【Serene Heart】 in his hand, then poured all the remaining spare bullets into his palm.
He intended to modify the bullets.
He poured every last drop of the precious, mercury-like, high-concentration holy water from the vial into his hand, soaking those five brass bullets.
"Sizzle—!"
A faint sound of water and fire merging came from his palm.
The high-purity alchemical bullet casings and the even higher-concentration holy water, two alchemical materials, fused within the confined space of his hand.
Lin Jie could see a faint, pure white halo swirling around the five small bullet tips in his palm.
These were no longer ordinary bullets.
These five "Sanctified Rounds," infused with the purifying power of holy water, were born as exclusive weapons to purify the UMA before them.
Lin Jie reloaded these five "super purification rounds," whose power had been elevated by several levels, one by one back into the cylinder of the 【Serene Heart】.
Then he raised the muzzle, aiming once more at the dark green heart slowly withering in the distance after losing its core.
"Rest in peace."
He softly uttered the final eulogy.
"All sorrow should come to an end."
"Bang!"
A gunshot transformed into a funeral bell toll, echoing through this dead, silent digestive space.
The first "Sanctified Round," trailing a sacred white streak, shot into the very center of the heart.
A gentle white light spilled forth from the point of impact.
The white light spread rapidly outward from the bullet's impact point like a drop of ink dispersing in water.
All the dark green root tendrils touched by the white light quickly lost their original color, purified into a pure ivory white.
Immediately after, the second shot, the third, the fourth, the fifth!
With a steady rhythm, Lin Jie sent all the remaining "Sanctified Rounds" into different parts of the massive heart.
Five pure white beams of purifying light blossomed simultaneously within the heart. They intertwined and merged, ultimately forming a sacred "sun" that illuminated this space.
That massive "tumor" constructed from sorrow and obsession, entrenched in the forest for decades, silently dissolved and crumbled under the radiance of this "sun."
In the moment before its complete dissipation...
A soft sigh of a little girl, carrying the weariness and relief of decades, echoed deep within the minds of Lin Jie and everyone present.
"Thank you..."
"Big brother..."