Barghest Intervenes

Reid was certain no one could keep up with his speed—not even those genetically enhanced Arasaka operatives.

As he twisted through the air and leaped toward the second floor, shards from the broken window frame pierced his palm. Sharp pain surged up his arm like an electric current, but he ignored the familiar sensation completely. He pushed himself upward, his muscle fibers groaning as if on the verge of tearing under the explosive strain.

But all of it had been seen.

In a dimension where time had nearly frozen, a pair of eyes tracked every movement he made. They belonged to Mingshi.

The instant Reid's body flipped in midair and his back was fully exposed to Mingshi's line of sight, time seemed to stretch out. That fatal opening was reflected clearly in Mingshi's eyes, like a signal light suddenly shining in the night.

"You were careless, Mr. Reid."

Mingshi's gaze was as still as a pool of dead water, without the slightest ripple.

His pupils narrowed slightly, precisely locking onto Reid's trajectory, while his expression remained frozen like a mask. There was neither triumph nor contempt in it—only mechanical calm.

Reid vanished from Mingshi's view with that explosive leap, yet Mingshi's gaze remained fixed where it was. Even his eyelashes did not twitch. He stood utterly still, as though everything had gone exactly as expected.

"Likewise, Mr. Reid, your hopes of killing my subordinates will not be fulfilled."

Mingshi's nearly imperceptible voice was quiet, yet carried an unshakable certainty.

He was surrounded by the wreckage of collapsed buildings. Only through several cracks in the concrete could he see the shattered sky above. Beneath the gray canopy, there was nothing but drifting gun smoke and the occasional passing drone.

But his ears had already caught it.

A sound Reid had overlooked—a