The Last Gentleman

Edmund possessed the ability to "Control Bullets."

Though his current status was merely [Human], and he couldn’t yet perform advanced techniques like curving bullets or compressing their power, he could adjust their muzzle velocity to some extent.

This ensured the bullet would lodge in the brain without penetrating through—just enough to stop within the brain tissue.

Moreover, these special silver bullets compressed air upon impact, causing a small explosion that instantly spread silver liquid throughout the cranial cavity, achieving a sort of "Brain Purification."

However…

The old man sitting by the campfire showed no reaction.

Thin streams of silver liquid flowed from his nasal cavity, leaving his brain unharmed.

He continued roasting meat and even fed his pet dog, Mili, between bites.

From his hiding spot, Edmund’s face darkened.

Yet the old man’s attention remained fixed on Yi Chen, as he continued:

“Was I too obvious after all?

I didn’t expect you self-righteous fools to be this cautious, coming to clean up Vinal City again just a week later.

In that case,

I’ll have to kill all four of you weaklings and use you as provisions for my upcoming journey out of the city.”

“Good-boy, Mili! Come help me kill these rats.”

As soon as he spoke, Yi Chen swung a horizontal slash.

Clang!

The sharp axe blade was about to strike but was firmly caught by the old man’s single hand, the silver coating ignored.

Yi Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.

“This guy is stronger than the [Abnormal Pathogen] we fought on the rooftop… Is it due to the physical enhancements from the Moon Disease?”

The old man held the axe with one hand while gently petting his dog with the other.

Suddenly, moon mark on the dog’s back and the old man’s nape glowed with silver light.

Their fur, flesh, and organs rapidly fused.

In less than two seconds,

The Chihuahua, Mili, had completely merged into the old man’s right arm… Muscle fibers and nerve density multiplied, undergoing a terrifying transformation beyond human biology.

His hand tore open, forming a canine head structure:

- Palm as the mouth

- Fingers lined with teeth

- An eye on the back of his hand

His transformed right arm, now a fierce hound, lunged at Yi Chen across the campfire.

At that moment,

a cold, metallic flash struck from behind the old man—a giant sword cleaved downward!

Boom!

The campfire and grill were destroyed, leaving a deep, 10-centimeter gouge in the ground.

The strike came from Dagobert,

but only bits of flesh and cloth were left behind.

Drip…

Foul blood dripped from above.

The old man, with a layer of flesh scraped off his back, clung to the ceiling in a grotesque crawling pose.

“You guys are surprisingly capable… Despite your weak auras.”

As he sought an opening to attack the seemingly weakest, Yi Chen, an extremely dangerous chill surged through the air—silent, yet deadly.

“What?!”

The old man instinctively dodged.

A dagger plunged deep into his back—had his reflexes been slower, his spine would have been severed, leaving him paralyzed.

At the same time,

his sentient right arm lunged at the attacker.

Swish!

Miss Anna’s coat and inner blouse were torn, revealing her flawless abs, though she had evaded injury.

“You lot…”

At this moment, the old man fully realized that, except for Yi Chen, the seemingly young humans in front of him were not easy to deal with.

He decisively abandoned the idea of fighting the group alone. Ignoring the dagger stuck in his back, his lower limbs sprouted white fur, muscles expanded and strengthened, and he quickly climbed along the top of the passageway. His speed was so fast that it left a blur to the naked eye.

Just as the old man thought he could easily shake off this group of young people—

Tap~ Tap!

A light and quick sound of footsteps followed closely behind.

The old man glanced back and saw that the one chasing him was the youth he had deemed the weakest. Yet, this youth’s speed while running was on par with his own.

Not only that, but the woman wielding the dagger was also close behind, not lagging far behind.

"This guy is unexpectedly fast!

Well, if he keeps chasing me at this speed, their formation will break apart... When he’s isolated, I'll kill him directly."

While the old man was thinking about his plan—

Bang!

A gunshot echoed through the passage, loud enough to almost rupture his eardrums.

Unlike the shot that previously hit the old man's head, this one was aimed at his 'right foot'.

The large-caliber bullet pierced through his foot, shattered his calf bone, and exploded at the knee, leaving his right leg a bloody mess.

His climbing was impeded, and he nearly fell from the ceiling.

His rapid crawling stopped. At that moment, Yi Chen, sprinting at full speed, leaped and aimed a knee strike at the injured old man hanging from the ceiling.

But the old man, ignoring his leg injury, suddenly turned his head and glared with silver-veined eyes.

"You brat! You couldn’t even cut my left hand, yet you insist on chasing me… If you’re so eager to die, become my food!"

Slash!

His canine-like right arm extended fully, revealing sharp fangs capable of tearing through a body, locked onto the approaching youth.

At the same time, mid-air, Yi Chen gripped his axe with both hands.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Crunch, crunch~

Plant roots sprouted from his palms, wrapping around the axe handle, and a faint green energy shimmered between the roots.

[Visual Enhancement]

The canine arm, coming in for a bite, appeared slowed down in his enhanced vision.

He pinpointed its weakest spot—the thinnest area near the palm-mouth! He mapped out the perfect strike path.

Yi Chen’s spine bent like a bowstring pulled to its limit... then suddenly released!

Channeling the strength of every muscle into his arms, he delivered a powerful aerial strike!

Slash!

He sliced open the canine mouth!

The blade continued along the arm bone, severing it completely up to the shoulder.

Having executed the perfect strike, Yi Chen positioned himself face-to-face with the old man.

Before the opponent could scream in pain, Yi Chen and the black orb on his shoulder stared directly at him.

Buzz!

A wave of mental force crashed into the old man's consciousness.

His eyes went blank.

Dragging his shattered right leg and severed arm, he fell from the ceiling.

Before he hit the ground, Miss Anna stepped in, mounted his back, and used the dagger lodged there to cut away the layer of skin containing the "Moon Mark" from his neck.

However, when the skin with the Moon Mark was completely removed, the old man’s body convulsed violently. His silver hair fell out, and his silver eyes dimmed.

He was completely dead!

Yi Chen, having landed, crouched beside the corpse, using plant roots to inspect it.

"Removing the skin with the Moon Mark... can that really kill him?"

Of course, Yi Chen had another purpose for his inspection—the brain.

Having tasted it before, he didn’t remove it this time. Instead, he controlled the roots to enter the skull and extract the brain fluid directly, akin to drinking coconut water.

As he absorbed it, his eyes gleamed.

Though his intelligence attribute didn’t increase, he received a series of memory images about the 'Old John Theatre' and information on internal "Moonscar" members.