"Let's go."

Marcus lowered the brim of his hat, the lantern in his hand already extinguished.

In this night full of eyes, any light source would become a moving target.

Fortunately, they had William.

This veteran with [Zulu's Gaze] walked at the front of the group. His vision pierced through the rain curtain and darkness, the residual emotional trails pointing the squad towards a safe path that avoided the patrols.

Lin Jie walked in the middle of the group, his fingers lightly stroking the roll of [Librarian's Seal].

Whenever they had to cross areas with open sightlines where exposure was extremely likely, he would tear off a small piece of tape and stick it onto a wind gap or rock along the necessary route.

In that instant, the surrounding sounds of wind, footsteps, and even breathing would be eerily "sealed."

They moved like a group of incorporeal ghosts, silently infiltrating this wilderness covered in thorns and swamps.

Two hours later.

The terrain began to turn rugged.

They had left the relatively gentle coastline and entered the hilly terrain that was the only way to Tintagel Castle.

The rocks here showed an ominous black-brown color, like clotted blood scabs.

Suddenly, William, who was walking at the very front, stopped.

He raised his right fist, making a "halt" tactical gesture, then quickly crouched behind a massive granite boulder.

"Situation."

William's voice was lowered to a minimum, conveyed to his teammates behind him through a kind of lip-reading only understandable through long-term cooperation.

"There's the sound of a firefight ahead."

"And... the spiritual reactions are intense."

Lin Jie immediately activated the "Spiritual Sonar" module on his [Cursebreaker Vambrace].

Although in this Spiritual Blind Zone and high-pressure environment, the sonar's detection range was extremely compressed, he still captured a wave of extremely chaotic fluctuations.

That wasn't ordinary gunfire.

The air was filled with the smell of scorching, the distinctive sulfur scent of alchemical gunpowder, mixed with a sharp, mournful, yet strangely rhythmic flute sound.

Flute sound?

On this battlefield bristling with killing intent, someone was actually playing a flute?

"Let's check it out."

Lin Jie made a hand signal.

The five-person squad, using the cover of night and rocks, silently moved towards the source of the sound.

Climbing over a low ridge, a brutal, asymmetrical hunt was taking place on the rocky beach below.

The one being besieged was a single person.

It was a man dressed in a tattered sheepskin coat, looking like the most common wandering shepherd on this wilderness.

His figure was thin, somewhat hunched.

But at this moment, he was desperately protecting a huge, long, rectangular crate behind him.

The surface of that crate was covered with a layer of dark gray lead sheeting, on which complex runic symbols were drawn in blood. Even in the heavy rain, those symbols still emitted a faint red light.

Besieging him was a squad of fully armed men in black, each with a red identification band tied around their left arm.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Dense steel nails poured down like a rainstorm.

The alchemically hardened steel nails were enough to penetrate steel plates within a hundred meters, striking the rocks and sending up dazzling sparks.

That shepherd seemed to be at the end of his rope.

At least three steel nails were embedded in his abdomen and thigh, blood staining his already filthy sheepskin coat.

Normally, such injuries would be enough to put any creature into shock.

But he didn't fall.

He didn't even tremble the hand holding the flute.

He brought that ghastly white long flute, which looked like it was polished from a leg bone, to his lips and blew out a sharp, disjointed series of notes.

As the flute sounded, something eerie happened.

In the void around his body, several translucent hounds, with ghostly green flames burning in their eye sockets, suddenly materialized.

These hounds let out agonized howls as if they had suffered heavy blows.

"Pop!"

One hound's abdomen inexplicably exploded open with a bloody hole.

Immediately after, that hound dissipated into a puff of blue smoke.

And on the shepherd's body, the wound on his abdomen that should have been fatal had eerily stopped bleeding, the muscles at the wound's edge faintly writhing. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"That's Silas, the Shepherd."

Marcus lay behind a rock, his voice carrying a trace of shock.

"Ranked forty-first on this year's Hunter Leaderboard."

"He's one of the top freelance hunters in the Nordic region. It's said he keeps a flock of invisible 'sheep.'"

Lin Jie stared at that figure.

"Interesting. As long as his 'flock' isn't dead, he seems to be immortal."

"But he's about to break."

Evelyn adjusted her glasses' focus. The structural perspective vision allowed her to see something deeper.

"The number of those hounds is decreasing, and the Gardeners' firepower is still intensifying."

"That crate..."

Lin Jie's gaze fell on the crate Silas was desperately protecting.

That crate was heavy.

Even during the intense fight, Silas hadn't loosened his grip on the crate for even a second.

Lin Jie's Round Table badge grew hot again, this time the heat pointing very clearly—towards that crate.

There was an aura there that shared the same origin as the badge.

Lin Jie sharply pulled back the hammer of [Serene Heart].

"Move."

"We can't let them get that crate."

This squad, newly formed yet already tempered through several life-and-death situations, displayed astonishing coordination.

Without any unnecessary words, William fired first.

"Bang!"

The first bullet traversed the rain curtain.

It accurately struck the steam backpack valve on the back of one of the heavily armored gunners.

"Hiss—Boom!"

The high-pressure steam instantly went out of control.

That backpack, like a punctured balloon, spewed out scalding steam, directly blowing that gunner off his feet.

Excruciating pain and chaos broke the Gardeners' encirclement.

"Ambush! Nine o'clock direction!"

The Gardeners' captain reacted extremely fast. He immediately swung his gun muzzle, trying to suppress the ambushers.

But he didn't get the chance.

Because a shadow like a chariot had already crashed in from the flank.

That was Marcus.

This burly man wasn't using any fancy techniques at this moment.

The M1887 lever-action shotgun in his hand roared like thunder.

He was using specially made slugs. These large-caliber lead blocks possessed terrifying kinetic energy at close range, capable of shredding any light armor.

"Boom!"

A Gardener trying to block him was directly blasted away, the bulletproof steel plate on his chest caving in like paper.

Marcus then swung the heavy combat axe on his back, using the momentum of his charge to viciously chop at another enemy's cover.

Rocks shattered.

The savage force caused the well-trained Gardeners to waver for an instant.

And that instant of hesitation was the opportunity Lin Jie had been waiting for.

Utilizing the shadows at the battlefield's edge, he silently cut into the enemy's rear.

The [Gravity Dancer] leather boots on his feet were currently emitting a faint gray light.

During his high-speed sprint, Lin Jie didn't feel heavy.

On the contrary, whenever his sole touched the ground, the "kinetic energy absorption" property of the sole would instantly activate.

The slipping that should have occurred due to the wet and slippery conditions was completely absent.

Each of his steps was like a nail hammered into the ground, storing the kinetic energy of the run in the sole, then converting it into even more explosive force for the next step.

Stable.

Fast.

And silent.

A Gardener sensed something strange behind him and was about to turn.

Lin Jie was already there.

This time, he displayed a brand new kind of violent artistry.

Lin Jie leaped high.

He adjusted his posture mid-air, his right leg raised high like a battle-axe, then came down heavily.

The target was that Gardener's shoulder.

The moment the boot sole made contact with the other's shoulder, all the kinetic energy stored in the sole, the gravitational potential energy, and the muscular explosive force were converted into mass within a thousandth of a second.

That was no longer a foot.

That was an anvil falling from the sky.

"Crunch!"

That was the sound of a shattered scapula.

That Gardener crumpled as if flattened by a hydraulic press, instantly kneeling, half his body collapsing.

This was the attack form of [Gravity Dancer]—"Battering Ram."

Having succeeded with one strike, Lin Jie used the reaction force the moment the sole hardened to exert force again, his whole body bouncing towards the next target like a rubber ball.

This bizarre mobility completely disrupted the Gardeners' formation.

"Damn it! It's that wanted criminal!"

The Gardeners' captain finally recognized Lin Jie.

That iconic black trench coat, that silent pistol, and that ruthlessly cold killing method.

"Concentrate fire! Kill him first!"

The captain roared, his rapid-fire nail gun aiming at Lin Jie.

But before he could pull the trigger, a cloud of golden mist suddenly exploded at his feet.

That was the "Blinding Mist" Julian had thrown.

This alchemical poison gas refined from belladonna and mercury vapor, while incapable of causing direct harm, could greatly irritate the optic nerves and tear glands.

The captain only felt his vision go white, tears uncontrollably flowing, his sight instantly blurred.

"Ah! My eyes!"

Taking advantage of the chaos, Lin Jie had already rushed to the center of the besieged area.

He grabbed the tottering shepherd.

"Can you still walk?"

Lin Jie's voice was hard and cold.

Silas struggled to lift his head.

His face was pale as paper, his lips already turned bluish-purple.

The bone flute was covered in blood. Only two of the spiritual hounds remained around him, and their forms had faded to the point of being almost invisible.

But he still desperately clutched that crate.

"You are... that rookie?"

Silas recognized Lin Jie.

Although they had never met, on the internal intelligence network of the moderate faction, this name had become a symbol of some kind of hope.

"Take the crate."

Silas's voice was as weak as a candle flame in the wind.

"I... I can't walk."

"This is... the last gift for Merlin."

After speaking, he wanted to let go, to use his last strength to blow the flute, to buy time for Lin Jie and the others to retreat.

This was a standard, tragic, heroic ending.

But Lin Jie didn't like this kind of ending.

He reached out and pressed down on Silas's hand that was preparing to blow the flute.

"If it's a delivery, then deliver it yourself."

Lin Jie's tone brooked no argument.

"William! Cover!"

"Marcus! Help carry that crate!"

Lin Jie bent down and hauled Silas up.

He could feel this man was terrifyingly light.

That was a sign of massive loss of life force.

The pain "distributed" away hadn't destroyed his body yet, but the essence of the damage was still eroding his soul.

"Don't do anything stupid."

Lin Jie whispered in his ear.

"Your dogs aren't all dead yet. As long as one is still alive, you don't have the right to die."

Marcus rushed over.

He lifted the heavy lead-sheeted crate with one hand as if lifting a handbag.

"This way!"

Evelyn's voice came from the flank.

Using the structural perspective function of her [Echo Goggles], she had discovered a hidden, dried-up riverbed at the edge of the rocky beach.

"That's a blind spot for shooting!"

"Retreat!"

Dragging Silas, Lin Jie, under the covering fire of William and Julian, sprinted towards the riverbed.

The Gardeners behind tried to pursue.

But that cloud of blinding poison mist that hadn't yet dispersed, and that burly man wielding a giant axe covering the rear, became an insurmountable obstacle for them.

Ten minutes later.

They finally shook off their pursuers, hiding in a wind-sheltered spot located in a mountain hollow.

The rain here was lighter.

Lin Jie placed Silas on a flat rock.

This high-ranking hunter, ranked forty-first, was now semi-conscious.

The wound on his abdomen was still bleeding. Although not fast, without treatment, hemorrhagic shock was only a matter of time.

"His injury is troublesome."

William checked the wound, his brow furrowed.

"The steel nails have barbs and are coated with anticoagulants."

"If we don't pull them out, the wound won't heal. But if we pull them out, massive bleeding will kill him instantly."

"I have a way."

Lin Jie drew [Silencer] from his waist. The blade of this knife carried the nerve toxin of the Ghost Jellyfish.

"Hold him down."

Lin Jie said to William.

"I need to sever the nerve conduction around his wound."

William nodded, firmly pressing down on Silas's shoulders.

Lin Jie took a deep breath.

His wrist was extremely steady.

The tip of [Silencer] lightly traced the edge of the wound.

No new blood flowed out, because in that instant, the anti-magic property attached to the blade forcibly disrupted the alchemical laws contained within the anticoagulant.

Simultaneously, the nerve toxin rapidly permeated, paralyzing the surrounding pain nerves.

Silas's tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

Lin Jie quickly pulled out the steel nails, then used the hemostatic powder and bandages Julian handed over to dress the wound.

The entire process took less than a minute.

But for Silas, this was a minute snatched back from the gates of death.

"Thank you."

After a while, Silas finally caught his breath.

He looked at Lin Jie, who was wiping his blade, his expression complex.

"I thought... you would take the crate and leave."

"We're not bandits."

Lin Jie put away the knife, pointing at the crate placed to the side.

"This is what you were delivering? What's inside?"

Silas struggled to sit up, his hand stroking the cold lead-sheeted crate.

"This is ashes."

"What ashes?" Julian leaned over, very interested in the runic symbols on it.

"The ashes of the Round Table."

Silas's voice carried a solemn tone.

"Fifty years ago, that Round Table was shattered in the civil war. Most of the fragments were destroyed or sealed away."

"But this largest remnant was secretly preserved by us."

He lifted his head, looking towards that cliff castle hidden in the rain and mist in the distance.

"Merlin is hiding in a spatial rift at Tintagel."

"That space isn't fixed. It constantly shifts with the fluctuations of the mineral veins, like a phantom island on the sea."

"There are no markers; no one can find the entrance. And this crate of ashes..."

Silas patted the crate.

"It shares the same origin as the part of the Round Table's power Merlin carries."

"It's the compass."

"As long as we ignite it, the smoke produced will guide us to that door."

Lin Jie looked at the crate, the ashes of the Round Table.

This was indeed an entrance that only "history" could open.

"Do the Hawks know about this?" Lin Jie asked.

"They know."

Silas sneered.

"That's why they sent Gardeners to intercept and kill me."

"That lunatic Ackerman, he doesn't want to enter through the door. He wants to get this crate, determine the coordinates, then use those Kingdom-class heavy weapons he brought to blast that space open directly."

Lin Jie stood up and looked towards the direction of Tintagel.

The sky there showed an abnormal dark red, as if something was burning there.

"We need to hurry."

Lin Jie fastened the buttons of his trench coat.

"Ackerman's main force must have already blockaded the castle perimeter."

"Charging through with this crate is impossible."

He looked at Marcus and Silas.

"Marcus, Silas, can you move?"

"As long as I have a breath left, I can swing my axe." Marcus grinned.

"My sheep aren't all dead yet." Silas gripped his long flute tightly.

"Good."

Lin Jie shook out his trench coat.

"Rest for a bit, then prepare to move out."