1888: Memoirs of an Unconfirmed Creature Hunter

Chapter 324: Oily Skin

Su Sanniang gently pried open the seal with the tip of her scissors.

A charred smell, already neutralized by the quicklime, mixed with a strange, cold fragrance wafted out—the distinctive scent of high-grade Spiritual Material.

"Fine goods."

A fanatical and focused light gleamed in Su Sanniang's eyes. She extended two fingers, lightly pinched a corner of the [Oil Ghost Skin], and her fingertips glided over the surface, raising a layer of ripples.

"Originally a filthy, evil thing, yet you burned away its impurities with fire, leaving only the purest slipperiness and evasion."

She praised, "This skin now exists in a state between physical and spiritual. It's alive, yet without consciousness. It's practically heaven-sent fabric."

"Can you craft it into a defensive piece of armament?" Lin Jie asked. "We need assurance to survive in this perilous rainforest."

"Defense?" Su Sanniang chuckled softly. She stood up and circled the skin once. "If I just made it into a rigid suit of armor like a turtle shell, that would be a gross waste of a natural treasure."

She spun around sharply, her scissors snipping the air with a crisp "snip."

"I'm going to make a 'living' garment."She looked at Lin Jie, her gaze radiating an imposing aura.

"Leave your measurements, then get out."

"Come back in three days. The funeral parlor will be closed to visitors during that time."

"No one is to disturb me, otherwise..."

The cold light of her scissors flashed, "...I'll sew them into a paper effigy to guard the door."

...

For the next three days, the gates of the Guangfu Funeral Parlor remained tightly shut.

Occasionally late at night, Lin Jie could hear strange sounds emanating from within the parlor.

Sometimes it was the "rip" of scissors cutting fabric, sometimes the dense "puff-puff" of fine stitches piercing leather, and sometimes Su Sanniang's low, melodious chanting, as if reciting some ancient opera libretto.

That was the core secret of paper crafting—[Spirit Infusion].

In the mystical systems of Asia, paper crafters are not merely artisans; they are Mediums who communicate between yin and yang.

Using bamboo strips as bones, paper as flesh, and ink for the finishing touches, they can grant inanimate objects a temporary "spirit."

What Su Sanniang was attempting was an unprecedented experiment.

She aimed to perfectly fuse this Eastern secret art of imbuing inanimate objects with spirit with that UMA material, which itself possessed powerful supernatural properties.

This was an alchemical experiment performed on the tip of a needle.

Inside the funeral parlor's secret chamber.

The faintly glowing [Oil Ghost Skin] hovered in mid-air, suspended by dozens of red threads.

Su Sanniang's state at this moment was somewhat eerie.

She had changed into a red ritual robe embroidered with the five poisonous creatures, her hair was loose, she held a mouthful of strong liquor, and in her hand she gripped a golden needle half a foot long.

The tail of that golden needle was connected to a "paper thread" she had twisted from special talisman paper, covered in minuscule incantations.

"Paper as the lining, skin as the face."

Su Sanniang murmured the incantation, then sprayed out the strong liquor. The mist of alcohol transformed into a pale blue flame in the air, enveloping the suspended skin.

"Duo!"

The golden needle in her hand became a streak of light, instantly piercing through the Oil Ghost Skin, which could even deflect bullets.

This was not a physical penetration; it was a spiritual suture.

With every stitch, Su Sanniang's face grew a shade paler, for what she sewed in was not just thread, but her own essence, energy, and spirit.

She did not intend to damage the original integrity of the [Oil Ghost Skin]. Instead, following the grain of its surface, she "planted" those talisman papers serving as the lining one by one.

These talisman papers were inscribed with patterns mimicking the special energy circulation circuits within the Oil Ghost's body.

She was reconstructing a miniature, controllable "Oil Ghost force field" within the garment.

This was a monumental undertaking.

For three days and three nights, Su Sanniang did not close her eyes.

She was like a maddened artist, creating upon this skin saturated with the aura of death.

Until dawn on the third day.

Su Sanniang snipped the final Thread End.

"It's done."

Looking at the finished product floating before her, a weary yet proud smile appeared on her pale face.

Then, darkness swam before her eyes, and she collapsed, exhausted, into the master's chair.

...

When the funeral parlor gates opened again, Lin Jie and his two companions saw a Su Sanniang whose face was haggard, yet whose eyes remained sharp as knives.

She pointed to the rack in the main hall, used for placing coffins, where a long black trench coat hung.

"Try it on."

Su Sanniang lit her tobacco pipe, took a deep drag, trying to use nicotine to alleviate her extreme mental exhaustion. "This is the fiercest garment I've ever made in my life."

Lin Jie stepped forward.

It was a classic high-collared trench coat, tailored to be form-fitting with a long hem that reached down to his calves.

Externally, it seemed to be made of some high-quality black leather, understated and restrained.

But under refracted light, the black surface would shimmer with layers of iridescent, eerie, rainbow-like gloss, like an oil slick, creating an illusion where the gaze couldn't quite focus.

It hung there quietly, possessing both the cold texture of metal and the unsettling fluidity of a liquid, like a standing pool of black mercury.

"I've given it a name," Su Sanniang exhaled a puff of blue smoke, her gaze lingering on the flowing black surface for a moment. "Called [Black Mercury]."

"Like mercury spilling on the ground, penetrating everywhere; also like that monster, slippery, insidious, and poisonous, impervious to all methods. Wearing it, you become the most elusive ghost in this world."

This wasn't just a piece of clothing; it was a living piece of armament.

Lin Jie reached out to touch the coat's collar.

It felt icy cold to the touch, and... extremely slick.

His fingers slid uncontrollably to the side the moment they contacted the fabric, unable to gain any purchase or apply force.

"The properties of the [Oil Ghost Skin] have been perfectly preserved, even enhanced."

Julian, standing to the side, adjusted his glasses, his eyes full of awe. "The surface friction coefficient of this material is now infinitely close to zero. Theoretically, this means no physical attack can gain direct purchase."

Lin Jie put on the trench coat.

The leather, which looked somewhat heavy, became light as air once worn. Moreover, it seemed to have a life of its own, automatically contracting to perfectly fit Lin Jie's physique, like a second skin growing on him.

The lining was dark red, faintly revealing countless intricate golden runes. Those were the "skeleton" Su Sanniang had sewn in using paper crafting. They were continuously converting the meager spiritual nature within Lin Jie's body into energy to sustain the coat's operation.

A marvelous sensation welled up in Lin Jie's heart. He felt the air around him had changed.

No more resistance, no more sluggishness.

He found himself like a fish swimming into the deep sea, or a drop of oil entering water, experiencing a subtle "separation" from the surrounding world.

"Go to the courtyard and test it."

Su Sanniang blew a smoke ring. "Theory without practice is useless. Have that bespectacled scholar shoot you."

"Shoot?" Julian was taken aback. "But..."

"Stop wasting words." Su Sanniang interrupted him impatiently. "Use that gun of yours with the wires. Don't use ordinary bullets; use alchemical rounds. Otherwise, you won't even leave a mark."

Lin Jie nodded and strode to the center of the courtyard.

"Come on, Julian." Lin Jie's voice was calm and confident. "I also want to know the limits of this garment."

Julian took a deep breath and drew the [Discipline] from his waist.

Although he had been practicing these past few days, the psychological pressure of firing at a teammate was still immense.

But since Lin Jie requested it, he could only trust Lin Jie's judgment.

"Be careful."

Julian raised the gun, not deliberately aiming for a vital spot, but locking onto Lin Jie's left shoulder.

"Bang!"

A flash of fire erupted from the muzzle.

The bullet engraved with law runes left the chamber, tracing an arcing trajectory through the air with the [Discipline]'s unique causality of guaranteed hit, shooting towards Lin Jie's shoulder.

Lin Jie didn't dodge. He stood there quietly, letting the bullet strike him.

The moment the bullet tip contacted the coat's surface, something bizarre happened.

The high-speed spinning bullet tip, which should have pierced the leather and burrowed into flesh, experienced a violent sideslip the instant it touched that oily, gleaming black surface!

"Zzz—Crack!"

The bullet skidded along the coat's surface for a distance, trailing a shower of dazzling sparks, then was deflected by a gentle yet irresistible force, flying off at an angle and embedding itself deeply into a nearby pillar.

Phase deflection.

Kinetic energy unloading.

This was the core ability of this armament—[Phase Slip].

It didn't rely on hardness to block attacks. Through the surface's characteristic, existing between physical and ethereal, it forcibly deflected, slid away, and unloaded the kinetic energy of all attacks that made contact.

Lin Jie only felt a slight push on his shoulder, as if someone had gently poked him with a finger, not even a hint of pain.

An alchemical bullet capable of piercing steel plate couldn't penetrate this thin layer of skin!

"This is simply... unreasonable."

Evelyn's eyes widened. As a scientist, this phenomenon defying physical laws made her feel both excited and bewildered.

"It's not over yet."

Su Sanniang snorted coldly. "That little trick isn't worthy of my golden needles. Move, kid. Move like that monster did that night."

Lin Jie understood.

He slightly bent his knees, then explosively exerted force.

"Swish!"

His figure vanished from the spot.

Fast.

Too fast.

This speed wasn't because his muscular strength had suddenly increased, but because... resistance had disappeared.

The special force field on the coat's surface acted not only on attacks but also on air and the ground.

When Lin Jie ran, it was as if he were gliding in a vacuum; air resistance was minimized.

He darted through the courtyard at high speed, his movements fluid as flowing water.

When he charged towards a wall and slammed into it sideways, common sense dictated he would be bloodied.

But his coat worked its magic again.

Upon contact with the wall, the impact force was converted into kinetic energy for a change in direction.

Using this force, he rebounded at an even faster speed, tracing a bizarre Z-shaped trajectory in the air.

This was "frictionless movement."

In actual combat, this meant he could use any terrain, any obstacle, to gain leverage and change direction, performing mobile maneuvers that defied the limits of human biomechanics.

Lin Jie stopped.

He looked at the black trench coat on his body, a flash of irrepressible joy in his eyes.

This was precisely the equipment he needed most.

As a hunter who relied on speed and precision strikes, his greatest weakness was his fragile physique and low margin for error.

Once hit, it was often a serious injury.

But now, with this [Black Mercury], his defensive capability had undergone a qualitative leap.

That deflection ability, capable of sliding away bullets and blades, gave him the capital to calmly close in amidst a hail of gunfire.

And that frictionless movement ability elevated his mobility to a new level, truly transforming him into an un-lockable phantom.

"A perfect masterpiece."

Lin Jie walked up to Su Sanniang and gave a solemn bow.

"This is even more powerful than I imagined. Thank you, Senior."

Su Sanniang waved her hand dismissively, sitting back down in her chair. Her face held a hint of unconcealable pride, though her words remained sharp.

"Enough with the flattery."

"Remember, this thing isn't invincible either."

She pointed to the few extremely fine, slowly healing white marks on the trench coat.

"Its deflection ability has a limit. If it's an attack with a huge coverage area, or energy intensity high enough to burn through this skin—like a large-caliber alchemical cannon or sustained high-temperature flames—you'll still be turned to ashes."

"And."

Su Sanniang said seriously.

"This garment has a 'temper.'"

"The runic arrays inside need to consume the wearer's own spiritual nature to maintain. The longer you wear it, the more intense your movements, the more spiritual nature it drains."

"If your spiritual nature is exhausted during battle, it will turn into an ordinary piece of dead skin, and might even backlash, strangling you inside."

Lin Jie nodded. He could feel the strength slowly draining from his body like flowing water.

This consumption was still within his tolerance, but it indeed required constant attention.

"I'll remember."

Su Sanniang stood up, seeming somewhat weary and disinterested.

"Alright, you've got the item, you've tested it. You can get lost now."

"I need to catch up on some sleep too."

She yawned and turned to walk towards the inner hall.

After a few steps, she stopped again, her back to the three of them, and said:

"Although you passed the test and have new equipment, that place, Borneo..."

"It's a place even the gods are unwilling to go. Don't die too ugly."

"Otherwise, this garment I made will become your shroud."

With that, her figure disappeared into the shadows.

Lin Jie stroked the cold, smooth leather on his body, feeling its rhythm synchronized with his own breathing.

He turned to look at his teammates behind him.

Julian had already sheathed the [Discipline] back into its holster. His eyes now held a bit more confidence for this expedition.

Evelyn was still staring at Lin Jie's trench coat, seemingly pondering whether she could install a few micro anti-electricity modules on it.

"Alright."

Lin Jie adjusted the high standing collar, hiding half his face in shadow.

Now, he looked like a true Reaper.

"Equipment upgrade complete."

"Next, it's time to deal with the troubles that have come knocking."

His gaze turned towards the direction of the funeral parlor gates.

Out there, at the end of the bustling streets of Chinatown.

An aura thick with murderous intent was quietly approaching with the midday sun.