1888: Memoirs of an Unconfirmed Creature Hunter

Chapter 341: The Battle Without Killing

The bullet carrying the law of inevitable impact drilled straight toward Lin Jie's left chest, aiming for his heart.

Under normal circumstances, facing the [Discipline] in Julian's hand with its lock-on ability, any attempt to evade through conventional tactics or by predicting the bullet's trajectory would become a futile struggle. This was because the bullet fired from this gun was part of a logical closed loop where "hitting the target" had already been established as an inevitable outcome.

But Lin Jie did not dodge.

His eyes reflected the rapidly expanding spark of death. He leaned his body slightly forward, actively meeting the dum-dum bullet capable of piercing steel plates.

"Zzzz—snap!"

An extremely faint friction sound rang out as the bullet contacted the surface of the black trench coat.

The [Black Mercury] trench coat covering Lin Jie's body produced a high-frequency tremor around the impact point. That special force field, existing between solidity and nothingness, forcibly deflected and channeled the massive kinetic energy carried by the bullet, along with the rule-based power attached to the bullet tip, to the side.

The bullet that should have drilled into his heart instead hit what seemed like a hard, curved steel plate coated with lubricant. With a string of dazzling sparks, it slid along Lin Jie's ribs and flew past, finally embedding itself deeply into the massive buttress root trunk behind him.

"A miss?"

A look of extremely incongruous confusion and distortion appeared on Julian's face, which was covered in bulging veins.In his field of vision, standing before him was a terrifying monster over three meters tall, its body flowing with green pus, wielding a huge, rusty hook in its hand.

This monster was trying to approach the pure and flawless "White-Gowned Goddess," wanting to defile this sacred land with its filthy claws.

"No... absolutely not allowed!"

The sense of mission as a "Guardian," forcibly implanted deep within his cerebral cortex, instantly overwhelmed that sliver of doubt about the missed shot. Julian's finger pulled the trigger again, his eyes becoming even more fanatical and vacant.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three consecutive gunshots shattered the deathly silence of the flower sea.

But this was merely the prelude to the storm.

"Die! Demon!"

Nadia let out a shrill, hoarse roar.

This Dayak huntress, who grew up in the rainforest and harbored a deep-seated hatred for all evil creatures, had completely lost her reason. The heavy [Parang] in her hands carved out a silver fan-shaped arc in the air. Utilizing the tremendous momentum from her leap off the rock, she viciously chopped down at Lin Jie's head.

In her eyes, this damned "monster" had just killed her father, burned down her [Longhouse], and even wanted to harm her only remaining emotional anchor now.

This was a hatred that could only be washed away with blood.

This slash was a completely life-risking, ferocious fighting style.

Simultaneously.

"Get away from her! You source of infection!"

Evelyn's voice became sharp and unfamiliar.

All the [Leyden Jars] on her pair of [Tesla Coil Gloves] were activated to overload state at this moment. Several thick blue-purple electric arcs surged from her fingertips, weaving into a dense electric net on the ground, sealing off all movement space to Lin Jie's left and right.

A slash ahead, an electric net behind, a sniper in the distance.

This was a luxurious encirclement and kill lineup that could pose a fatal threat even to a Town-class UMA.

And now, the spearhead of this lineup was entirely pointed at their captain.

Lin Jie's gaze remained icy cold.

The [White Vulture's Mark] within his body was operating frantically. The absolute rationality of a top predator forcibly blocked the pink [Pheromones] trying to infiltrate his brain and alter his cognition outside his consciousness barrier.

Although the edges of his vision still occasionally showed some double images and distorted colors, although that cloyingly sweet fragrance was still constantly tempting him to put down his weapon and embrace that plant, he knew very clearly what was real and what was illusory.

These three people before him, attacking him madly, were not enemies.

They were his comrades-in-arms.

His reliance in this dangerous world.

So he could not draw his blade, could not fire his gun.

He could only dodge.

Could only use the most frustrating, most dangerous, and most technically demanding method to resolve this crisis of certain death.

"Hoo..."

Lin Jie gently exhaled a turbid breath.

Facing Nadia's powerful, momentum-heavy chop, he took half a step forward.

This half-step distance allowed him to precisely enter the inner circle of the Parang's attack range—the dead zone of force application where the hilt and blade connect.

He then slightly turned his body, using the thickest part of the armor on his shoulder from the [Black Mercury] trench coat to forcefully crash into the inner side of Nadia's wrist.

"Slide!"

The slip characteristic activated again.

Nadia felt her blade as if it had chopped into a clump of unresisting cotton. Immediately after, a bizarre lateral pushing force transmitted up the hilt, not only neutralizing all her power but also throwing her body's center of gravity violently off-balance.

She completely lost her balance, stumbling past Lin Jie. That sharp Parang viciously chopped into empty ground, stirring up a large cloud of soil.

But Lin Jie did not press the advantage, nor did he take the opportunity to knock her out.

Because Evelyn's electric net had arrived.

Those electric arcs dancing in the humid air weren't as traceable as swords or blades. They were like countless greedy tentacles seeking conductors; touching even a little would instantly paralyze the entire body.

Lin Jie's feet forcefully pushed off as he leaped backward, narrowly avoiding that deadly electric net.

"Zzzzzz—crackle!"

The missed arcs struck the ground, burning the fleshy red flowers into clumps of charred ash.

"Bang!"

Before he could even steady himself, Julian's fourth shot arrived.

This scholar, who once couldn't even hold a gun steady, had now, under the control of [Discipline], become a shooting machine devoid of any emotional fluctuations. Each of his shots precisely targeted that awkward moment when Lin Jie's old force was spent and new force had yet to be generated.

Lin Jie had to perform evasive maneuvers again.

He couldn't stop.

Once he stopped, he would fall into the cycle of these three people's wheel-tactic battle.

He was like a lone wolf besieged by a pack. Although possessing fangs capable of biting through throats, he had to retract his claws, relying only on nimble footwork to survive in the cracks.

"Damn it... these guys are coordinating too well. I've never seen them put in this much effort before," Lin Jie cursed inwardly.

This triangular tactic centered on melee containment, long-range suppression, and area control was undeniably formidable.

"Can't go on like this."

While using a huge banana tree as cover to dodge Julian's shots, Lin Jie rapidly considered countermeasures.

Although he had [Black Mercury] protecting him, this armament required the consumption of spiritual nature and mental energy to maintain.

Under the high-intensity continuous evasion and phase deflection, his already meager reserves of spiritual nature as a human were dropping at an alarming rate.

Once his spiritual nature was exhausted, the trench coat would lose its miraculous properties and become an ordinary leather coat.

At that point, he would either be chopped to death or be forced to kill.

He had to find a way to break this stalemate.

He had to make these three people, already lost to madness, stop, even if only for a few seconds.

Lin Jie's gaze swept his surroundings.

Although beautiful, this red flower sea didn't offer many obstacles to utilize.

That mimicry plant emitting pheromones stood dozens of meters away, coldly appreciating this gladiatorial spectacle it had directed.

It was clever.

It knew that as long as these two strongest warriors killed each other, the remaining ones would pose no threat.

"Consumption."

This word flashed through Lin Jie's mind.

Although their attacks were fierce, this kind of explosive output was unsustainable.

Especially Evelyn's [Tesla Coil Gloves]. The Leyden Jars on them had limited capacity. Even after modifications, under the continuous discharge intensity from earlier, they would run out of charge in at most two or three more minutes.

And while Nadia possessed astonishing physical stamina, this no-holds-barred, mad-dog fighting style also consumed tremendous energy.

Only that guy Julian was more troublesome. Although [Discipline] consumed mental energy, in this state already controlled by hallucinations, he simply couldn't feel fatigue.

"Then I'll let you... tire yourselves out first."

Lin Jie made a decision.

He stopped merely dodging and began actively weaving through the battlefield.

He completely unfurled the hem of the [Black Mercury] trench coat, spreading it open like a pair of black wings.

As his speed increased, one after another black afterimage began to appear in this flower sea.

In the eyes of his teammates whose senses were controlled by hallucinations, every afterimage was a clone of that "monster" that must be eliminated.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Nadia roared angrily. Like a tireless spinning top, she wildly swung her Parang, chopping at the constantly appearing black shadows around her.

Each slash carried a gust of wind, but each only struck dissipating air.

This continuous series of misses not only greatly consumed her stamina but also made her center of gravity increasingly unstable.

Evelyn's situation was similar.

She tried to use electric arcs to capture that black ghost darting everywhere on the battlefield, but those afterimages were far too deceptive. Each discharge only struck empty ground, wasting precious electrical charge.

"Over there! Left!"

"No! Right!"

"Damn it! They're everywhere!"

Chaos.

Lin Jie successfully turned the originally orderly siege into a disorderly, chaotic brawl.

He darted at high speed between the three of them. Each time he passed near Nadia, he would deliberately reveal an opening to lure her into a full-power attack, then utilize the slip at the last moment to evade.

Each time he passed near Evelyn, he would use the hem of his trench coat to touch those not-yet-fully-released charges, luring her to exhaust her electricity.

Even when facing Julian's shots, he would use his movement techniques to interfere with the other's lock-on, making those inevitably-hitting bullets fly toward wrong targets.

This was an extremely dangerous tightrope walk.

With just one mistake, with even a single judgment delayed by a fraction of a second, Lin Jie would gain another bullet hole or lose an arm.

But he persisted.

His breathing became heavier, but his gaze remained as calm as a deep pool.

He was calculating.

Calculating the decline curve of Nadia's slashing speed.

Calculating the dimming degree of the glow from the Leyden Jars on Evelyn's gloves.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Finally.

When Nadia let out another roar, raising her heavy Parang trying to split an afterimage, her body suddenly swayed. Her footwork became somewhat unsteady—a sign of muscle power failure due to lactic acid buildup.

That lightning-fast blade slowed down.

Simultaneously.

Evelyn's gloves emitted a "zzzz" sound of current depletion. The dazzling blue light turned into weak sparks, then completely extinguished.

Out of power.

Only Julian persisted.

But his continuous shooting also finally reached its limit. [Discipline]'s magazine made the "click" sound of an empty slide lock.

He was reloading.

Although his movements were still mechanical and standard, under this high-intensity mental pressure, even the simple action of reloading was half a beat slower than usual.

This was the opportunity.

Lin Jie's figure stopped.

All the afterimages disappeared at this moment, leaving only the real body wearing the black trench coat, breathing slightly heavily.

He stood amidst his three utterly exhausted teammates.

Though he looked somewhat disheveled, though the trench coat on his body had also become somewhat dull from withstanding multiple energy impacts.

He still stood.

Still controlled the entire field.

"Looks like you're tired."

Lin Jie said softly. His voice held no mockery, only a kind of relief that this farce could finally end.

He glanced at that mimicry plant in the distance, which seemed to have sensed something amiss and was trying to release a new wave of pheromone mist.

That thing was preparing a second wave of assault.

Couldn't delay any longer.

"Sorry, everyone."

Lin Jie's figure moved again.

He charged directly toward the nearest Nadia.

Though physically drained, the huntress still instinctively raised her blade to resist.

But Lin Jie didn't give her the chance.

His body slipped into Nadia's embrace like a slippery loach, avoiding the blade edge. His right hand formed a knife-hand, accurately striking her carotid sinus.

This was a non-lethal strike causing instant unconsciousness by blocking blood supply.

Nadia didn't have time to utter a sound before her body went limp and fell into Lin Jie's arms.

Lin Jie gently laid her on the ground, then turned toward Evelyn.

Without power, Evelyn was now like a cat that had lost its claws, still trying to attack that "monster" with her fists.

Lin Jie used only one hand to grab her wrist, then used the same technique to render her unconscious.

Finally, Julian.

This scholar had just finished changing the magazine and was about to raise the muzzle.

But Lin Jie was already before him.

"Sleep for a while, Curator."

Lin Jie's hand pressed down on Julian's gun-holding hand, forcibly depressing the muzzle. Then, a clean, sharp knife-hand strike landed on the back of Julian's neck.

Julian's body swayed. His glasses slid off the bridge of his nose as his whole person pitched forward.

Lin Jie caught him, laying him flat on the ground.

Thus.

This heart-stopping mutual slaughter finally drew a temporary conclusion.

All three controlled teammates had lost their combat ability and fallen unconscious.

Although this didn't remove the toxins from their bodies, it at least severed the sensory link between them and that plant, making them temporarily harmless.

Lin Jie stood up, looking at the battlefield in complete disarray.

His body felt waves of weakness from excessive spiritual nature and mental energy consumption. The [Black Mercury] trench coat had automatically deactivated, becoming like a heavy, ordinary leather coat hanging on him.

But he couldn't rest.

Because the culprit still stood there.

That massive, human-eating plant disguised as a white-gowned woman now seemed to realize its puppets had failed.

Its closed petals began to tremble violently. An even sharper, more piercing infant's wail emanated from within its body.

"Waaaaah—!!!"

Accompanying this shriek, the ground began to tremble.

Countless thick, dark-red roots covered in barbs emerged from the soil. Like a group of enraged venomous snakes, they madly surged toward Lin Jie's position.

It was entering the fray personally.

Lin Jie drew the [Silencer] that had remained silently sheathed all along.

He took a deep breath of the cloyingly sweet-scented air, then slowly exhaled.

The flame of slaughter reignited in his eyes.

"I'm tired too."

Lin Jie looked at the monster flailing its claws and teeth, saying coldly.

"So."

"Let's quickly end this nauseating... dream."

He tightened his grip on the hilt, taking a step forward to meet those overwhelming tentacles.

Now.

It was a one-on-one round.