Abyssal Wanderer.

The moment the god pulled the trigger, the pharmacist, seemingly sensing something, suddenly turned around.

In an instant, a fist-sized hole exploded in the pharmacist's chest, splattering purplish-black blood and shattered bone fragments. Then, the heavy, muffled gunshot finally followed, albeit belatedly, the bullet whizzing past.

But at the very moment the Heavenly God Path fired his gun, the surrounding situation suddenly changed!
The Hayashibara samurai who had previously escaped returned at this time.

A zombie warrior suddenly burst out of the shadows behind Jim.

He wielded a plasma katana, its blade crackling with blue-white arcs of electricity.

Another gunshot rang out. The zombie warrior's head was shattered before he could swing his sword, and the headless corpse lunged forward two steps before crashing to the ground.

Then two more gunshots rang out. The two zombie warriors who had flanked them from the side fell almost simultaneously, each shot hitting them precisely between the eyebrows, blowing their heads into the shape of watermelons.

These samurai from the Hayashibara family had been lying in ambush for a long time.

These suddenly appearing zombie warriors posed no threat to Jim, but their sudden appearance caused the Celestial Path to miss their best opportunity to completely kill the apothecary.

No, perhaps that's their real purpose in lying in ambush here all this time.

"The mortician!"

After hearing the gunshot, the pharmacist practically spat out the code name through gritted teeth.

Has this guy already gotten in touch with Jim Ritter? When? How did he do it?
And...why?
Countless questions flashed through the pharmacist's mind, but his body didn't falter at all—he turned and rushed toward the nearest building, intending to use it as cover to deprive the Celestial Path of their firing angle.

That guy still has a weapon of mass destruction; we can't get bogged down here. We need to think things through more carefully...

While fleeing in panic, the pharmacist kept making up various excuses for himself.

But Jim didn't see it that way.

"Don't even think about escaping!"

Jim knew this was his last chance. If he let this guy run into the sewers, who knew how many symbiotes the other guy would bring with him the next time they met... No, this guy might not even let his main body show up in person!
I've already said it, I must kill him!

The image of Bai Rao being beheaded kept flashing through Jim's mind, and he rushed forward.

But at this moment he was unarmed—the "Persuader" had fallen under the car, and one of the two disintegration point rapiers had been destroyed and the other had fallen upstairs.

Furthermore, his body was riddled with holes, and the loss of blood had caused his vision to become blurry, like snowflakes.

But his legs could still run, his heart could still beat, and his night marrow was still faithfully carrying out its mission.

So, without hesitation, he leaped up and hugged the pharmacist from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around the man's neck.

The Alder crossbow had enough power to crush steel bars, and Jim unleashed its maximum power directly onto the prosthetic arm. His fingers dug into the apothecary's neck muscles, compressing the trachea and carotid artery.

The pharmacist wasn't going to fight him any longer, so he struggled and thrust his claws out from behind, making two holes in Jim's abdomen.

The excruciating pain momentarily blurred Jim's consciousness, but he didn't loosen his grip even a millimeter.

Another gunshot rang out from afar.

This time, the bullet struck the pharmacist's left knee, shattering his kneecap, and his body tilted violently to one side.

The pharmacist struggled frantically, trying to shake Jim off, but Jim's arms were locked in a position that would continue to suppress him even if he died.

"Are you crazy?! Do you really want to die like this?!"

The pharmacist, unable to shake off Jim, roared.

"Didn't I already tell you? I'm going to kill you!"

Jim also yelled in the pharmacist's ear.

But as the pharmacist struggled, he finally found cover—not enough to stop the Gauss sniper rifle bullets, but enough to block his view.

He just needs to stay here, take care of that annoying slug Jim Ritter first, and then...

Just as the pharmacist was making these calculations, a speeding car suddenly sped out from the end of the street in the distance.

With its engine roaring and headlights blazing, it hurtled toward the pharmacist at an almost suicidal speed.

That was the flying car Jim had driven when he arrived.

It's Kiki!
She somehow obtained the vehicle's certification program and used her shikigami to remotely control the vehicle.

The pharmacist naturally saw the car, but he wasn't alarmed.

Calculating speed, distance, and impact angle, even with Jim's interference, he could jump up at the last moment to avoid it, and then...

"Bang!" Just before the pharmacist jumped up, a sudden gunshot rang out from the apartment door.

"I wish you a good death."

About twenty meters from the apartment entrance, Wang Ying was kneeling and aiming her gun.

Her bullet struck precisely the ankle of the leg the apothecary was using for leverage. Although the bullet did not cause significant damage to the apothecary's enhanced body, it merely disrupted his jumping posture, causing a momentary stun, which was enough.

The car crashed into the pharmacist's body, the huge impact sending him and Jim flying, rolling several times on the ground.

When the two finally stopped, Jim was still straddling the apothecary. His hands were still gripping the other's neck.

His consciousness was already blurred at this moment, his body was covered with wounds caused by the pharmacist's bone spurs, and blood was constantly gushing out from the wound in his abdomen.

But he didn't let go.

"Then die, you..."

The pharmacist glared at Jim with a ferocious expression. At the same time, multiple sets of combat genes within him were activated, and he intended to twist the guy's head off.

"Defective product!"

This is the last chance!
The moment the pharmacist's large hand grasped Jim's head, his consciousness, relayed through Jiang Zhou, echoed in Tian Shen Dao's mind.

From their current angle, while not perfect for the Celestial Path, it was still enough to smash the alchemist's head—though it would cost them both their hands.

It was a very worthwhile deal.

Jim thought to himself.

After all, if this shot can shatter the apothecary's head, then the battle will be over.

And he fulfilled his promise.

The Heavenly God Dao pulled the trigger.

The bullet from the Gauss sniper rifle leaves the barrel at eight times the speed of sound, leaving an ionized blue trail in the air.

Even as he felt the trigger being pulled, Jim continued to grip the pharmacist's neck tightly.

The bullet pierced the pharmacist's... hand in the second of its flight.

Yes, although it could have been a headshot, the final shot from the Celestial Path was indeed aimed at the apothecary's hand that was about to twist Jim's head off!

For some unknown reason, the Heavenly God Path actually gave up their last chance to kill the alchemist.

The pharmacist's face lit up with a joyful smile the moment he felt the intense pain.

"you……"

The pharmacist jumped up, ducking back into the bunker, and used his other good hand to pull the already powerless Jim off his neck.

"It seems the helper you hired isn't very smart?"

The pharmacist mocked, looking at Jim who was about to lose consciousness.

But no sooner had he finished speaking than a rapier gleaming green was precisely plunged into the apothecary's spine from behind.

The Narcissus Pathfinders use armor-piercing rapiers as weapons, not because the weapons themselves are particularly effective, but because the needle-like structure allows them to easily inject daffodil pollen into their enemies' bodies.

With the implantation of the virtual persona, the pharmacist's body instantly stiffened.

In his daze, Jim could only see through his blurred vision the smooth, long silver hair and eyes as clear as cat's-eye stones.

"Long time no see, Jimmy."

The moment Jim collapsed, the man drew the rapier from the apothecary's spine, stepped forward, and helped him up.

"Don't worry, I'm back."

That humane.

Leaning on her shoulder, Jim felt that her voice and breath were exactly the same as they had been many years ago.

"Welcome back..."

Jim said this before he completely lost consciousness. (End of Chapter)