Phew—
The sound had been extremely faint, but facing the orderly interior of the bar, the old man still seemed to relax a little.
Before opening the door, he had apparently prepared himself for a mental shock. This scene was already a relief.
Still, he hadn't turned on the lights. As he peered into the gloom, he remained cautious and kept his gun raised.
Click!
Not only that, the next moment he stepped inside and even shut the door behind him.
There was still no movement. Hake's pace wasn't fast, but it was steady, and he searched his way inside.
Fu Qian knew the bar's layout by heart. He could even work out that after a few more steps, the old man would reach the spot where the Old Hunter had been sitting.
Phew—
Hake let out another soft breath and finally stopped. He looked at the crowded but empty corner and the nearby door, so rotten its original color was impossible to make out, but said nothing.
That was right. The Old Hunter wasn't there. He hadn't hidden, nor had he become part of Hake's subconscious, temporarily merging with him.
Fu Qian was certain of that last point because, from his perspective, the Old Hunter was still sitting in the same place, his face the only thing showing surprise.
The instant Hake entered, the two worlds, which had been drawn close together, suddenly separated into layers. It felt as if they had slipped out of alignment across time and space.
And that wasn't the only change. As the Old Hunter's ability failed, Fu Qian seemed to hear the walls cracking.
Everything quickly grew fragile and brittle, then began to fade into illusion.
The Inner World was disintegrating.
He really was a Tool Person. It looked like he hadn't