Unknown Enemy

Alicia showed no surprise on her face when Jay directly exposed her disguise. She chuckled softly, put a little distance between them, and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before asking, "So, you really noticed."

"My memory isn't that bad, X-Sight, remember?" Jay shrugged. "I saw your face back in the underground. Your pretty mask didn't do much."

"I thought so, but I wasn't sure if you had X-Sight before. Now I'm certain," Alicia said. She glanced around, then stood up. "This isn't a good place to talk. Come with me, I have something I need to discuss with you."

The match was nearing its end, and the fans' excitement had reached its peak. Spectators stood up one after another, shouting loudly towards the arena. Their voices layered on top of each other, like a muddy, booming thunder, making it impossible to discern any content. Jay struggled to push through the hyped crowd and followed Alicia down to the empty, lower-level parking lot.

"So," Jay asked as they leaned against a support pillar in the parking lot, "what should I call you? Calling you Huntress or Alicia sounds pretty stupid."

"Just call me Helena," she smiled. "That's my real name—I can guarantee that."

Jay knew at least this part wasn't a lie, which was a good start.

"Do you work for the government?"

"Something like that. I work for a special operations department, a new organization formed after the Apocalypse Invasion, specifically to recruit agents with special abilities for special missions," Helena said.

"So, I'm assuming you haven't told anyone about me yet?"

"Not yet," Helena replied. "I omitted your part when reporting to my superiors."

"Then thank you. I guess I owe you one now," Jay said, pausing before asking, "So, you definitely didn't come here just to hear a 'thank you', did you?"

Helena dropped her charming smile, revealing a serious expression for the first time since Jay had met her.

"Yes, I have some very important information that I think you need to know," she said. "Two days ago, my superior informed me that a member of a certain Assassin Organization was found near Metropolis. As far as we know, it's a massive network, and their assassins are brutal, dangerous, and covered in blood. Our agents have clashed with them multiple times, but we still know very little about them."

"Like those black-clad figures in some comic book named after alcoholic beverages?"

"I'm being serious, don't interrupt."

Jay wisely shut his mouth after Helena's stern reprimand. Helena continued composedly, "I was assigned to investigate. Based on a tip, I confirmed one of their temporary hideouts and conducted a raid last night. Unfortunately, they were quite cunning, and I couldn't catch anyone. However, I managed to retrieve some data from their computer equipment that might be related to their mission in Metropolis. Then I found... this."

As she spoke, she operated a watch-like device on her wrist for a moment, quickly projecting a small, floating screen. Jay had only seen such advanced technology in spy movies before and subconsciously started calculating if he should find a way to get one of those cool gadgets.

A photo quickly loaded in the center of the screen. When Jay saw his own close-up appear in the middle, he couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"Is that... me?"

"Quite obviously," Helena said.

Jay frowned. "Are you saying I've been exposed?"

"Otherwise, can you find another reason why a target of an international terrorist organization would be a high school student?" Helena said, pausing and spreading her hands. "Before you ask again, I'll answer: it wasn't me. I haven't reported a single word about you to my superiors, and I certainly haven't contacted any terrorists."

Then where did he get exposed? The incident in the Underground Mall was the first time Jay had used his abilities outside, and he was pretty sure Helena was the only one who witnessed it. Otherwise, these people must have had some connection to the original owner of his body before he transmigrated to this world.

That seemed like the most plausible explanation.

"I can't determine the specifics of their mission or what exactly they want," Helena said. "But I can confirm one thing—they are coming for you."

After a long period of thought, Jay said, "Alright, regardless, thank you for warning me. I'll be careful."

Helena asked, "Do you mind if I ask how you plan to handle it?"

"Handle it?" Jay gave a wry smile. "What else can I do? If it's confirmed someone is targeting me, the worst-case scenario is I have to say goodbye to my current life. I'll have to abandon this identity, leave far away, and avoid anyone connected to me getting involved."

Helena blinked her eyes. "Are you prepared for that?"

Jay fell silent for a long time.

"I don't know," he finally said. "But I guess I have no choice."

"Alright, then I sincerely hope things don't escalate to that point," Helena said, patting his shoulder. "I'll be going then. I'll notify you if I find anything else."

"Thank you anyway."

Jay said goodbye to Helena, his mind a mess. He suddenly had a strange premonition, as if everything had been stirred into his life like an unseen dark cloud over the past two days, shattering his long-held delicate balance.

Helena also turned to leave. She strode towards her parked car, and as her fingers just touched the door handle, a cold blade was placed against her neck. An overwhelming killing intent seemed to be released from behind her out of nowhere, instantly enveloping her entire body, making her hands and feet go cold. Her intuition told her she couldn't resist the enemy behind her, because he far surpassed her.

Jay's keen super-senses realized something was wrong just as the Black Figure silently appeared behind Helena and subdued her. He was completely wrapped in a tight, all-black combat suit, with white goggles mounted on his mask. His gaze, sharp as steel, pierced through them. He gripped Helena's throat with his elbow, pressing a gleaming, sharp knife against her skin as white as snow. His sharp eyes seemed to warn Jay not to act rashly.

Jay was horrified. He possessed microscopic-level super vision and the powerful hearing to detect the rustling of grass miles away. He was confident that no one could lurk around him without his awareness—at least, that was before today. Because this black-clad figure in front of him had managed to do just that. He was like a ghost; Jay couldn't hear his breathing or heartbeat. He had appeared out of nowhere like a phantom.

The enemy had arrived, much faster than he had anticipated.