Since last night's visit to the Weston residence, London's sky had remained heavy and overcast, like a sheet of lead-gray felt soaked with rainwater.

A continuous drizzle of cold, fine rain enveloped the industrial city, washing the streets into muddy conditions and making the dim gaslight appear flickering and weak.

The next morning, before the autumn rain could intensify again, Lin Jie went alone to the Underground City.

He went directly to the logistics supply area guarded by the one-eyed veteran Tom.

He deducted twenty points from his hunter's manual and exchanged them not for powerful weapons or deadly potions, but for an inconspicuous low-level alchemical item typically only issued to non-combat clerical or logistics personnel within the Association for calming purposes.

It was a "Serene Talisman" crafted from pure natural Alpine white crystal polished into a small hexagram shape.

The core of this talisman wasn't the crystal itself, but a drop of diluted neural sedative fluid sealed inside through exquisite alchemical techniques, sourced from a certain gentle jellyfish-type UMA in the Mediterranean.

It possessed no physical defense or attack capabilities—its sole function was to continuously emit a gentle spiritual field within a small range, capable of nourishing the spirit, soothing anxiety, and effectively resisting weak mental contamination and nightmare intrusions.

After completing this, he once again visited Weston's apartment.

The door was again opened by the radiant little girl Lily, whose sapphire-blue eyes immediately sparkled with joy upon seeing Lin Jie.

"Mr. Lin! Are you here to continue telling me the rest of the story about Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?"

"Perhaps next time, Miss Lily." Lin Jie smiled as he crouched down to meet the innocent child at eye level.

He took out an exquisitely packaged small velvet box from his pocket and gently opened it.

The "Serene Talisman" emitting a soft halo under the kerosene lamp instantly captured the girl's complete attention.

"Wow... so beautiful..."

"This is a 'protective charm' from my distant homeland." Lin Jie's voice became very gentle as he crafted a beautiful lie with Eastern mystical elements for this small gift.

"Where I come from, people believe that this 'hexagonal snowflake' carved from the purest 'ice soul' atop high mountains can protect every kind and pure child, keeping them safe from nightmare disturbances and allowing them to sleep as peacefully as a princess every night."

He personally fastened the silver chain bearing the talisman around Lily's slender, pale neck.

The cool crystal touched the girl's warm skin, and that faint spiritual field detectable only to Lin Jie formed an invisible, gentle embrace that slowly enveloped this innocent young girl.

This talisman might not be able to withstand powerful malice, but at the very least, it could temporarily and effectively block out those pervasive weak mental contaminations like a spiritual barrier.

After politely declining the Westons' enthusiastic lunch invitation, Lin Jie bid farewell to this warm family.

For the next two days, Lin Jie didn't disturb the Weston family again.

Without a clear solution, any rash contact could accelerate the situation's deterioration.

He had already provided Lily with a basic layer of protection, and what he needed to do next was find the true enemy hiding in the shadows.

Lin Jie devoted all his time to the Underground City's library.

He consulted all archives related to "spatial distortion," "cognitive interference," "mental contamination," and "cursed artifacts," attempting to find records related to that eerie nursery rhyme or the distorted sixpence from old documents.

However, the results were unsatisfactory.

Although I.A.R.C.'s Black Book and Karl's diary recorded numerous UMAs with bizarre abilities, none of their modus operandi matched this incident.

On the morning of the fourth day, just as Lin Jie had returned to his Baker Street apartment from the Underground City and removed his coat carrying the musty scent of the archives, a letter delivered by the concierge made his heart leap into his throat.

The envelope was ordinary in texture—common beige stationery available at any stationery store—but the handwriting was all too familiar to Lin Jie.

It was a precise yet slightly hasty script, unmistakably from Arthur Weston himself.

Lin Jie's fingers felt an abnormal coldness as he broke the wax seal.

His worst fear had ultimately come true.

The handwriting on the letter was exceptionally messy and rushed, some words even distorted by the writer's inner anxiety.

Between the lines seeped a father's panic and despair that seemed ready to overflow from the paper.

"Dear Mr. Lin,

I apologize for disturbing you again, but circumstances leave me no choice.

I don't know who else to turn to—in this city, you're the only friend I can think of who would listen to an old policeman's ramblings.

It's Lily, my Lily is in trouble.

Just yesterday, her body began rapidly weakening without any warning.

Her face has lost all color.

She's no longer active and lively, spending entire days lying in bed drowsy and listless to the extreme.

We called the best physician in White Church District to conduct a thorough examination of Lily, but he couldn't find any cause.

He could only comfort us with ambiguous terms like 'excessive fatigue' and 'possible infection with some unknown flu.'

But, Mr. Lin, I know things are absolutely not that simple!

How could a child who was lively and energetic just the day before weaken to this state overnight?

This defies reason and contradicts all medical knowledge I possess!

And what terrifies me most isn't her physical changes, but her behavior.

Starting three days ago, Lily began frequently talking to her empty room.

She would sit alone by her bed, smiling happily at thin air.

When I asked who she was talking to, she told me she was playing with her 'new friend.'

She said her new friend is a very interesting 'Twisted Man.'

At first, my wife and I thought this was just a child's delirious talk during illness, hallucinations caused by high fever.

But last night something happened that chilled me to the bone.

I was sitting by Lily's bed tucking her in, and she appeared to be asleep with her eyes closed.

But her lips were moving, so I leaned down to listen.

Then I heard her say in a happy tone: 'Okay, Mr. Twisted Man... tomorrow... let's play hide-and-seek... you hide me... so Mommy and Daddy... can never find me... okay?'

That wasn't a child's delirious babbling—it sounded more like a response, like she was having a real conversation with some 'presence' none of us can see!

I'm going mad.

Could this be... could this be the Ripper's revenge?!

Now I can't even share my complete fears with my wife, because I don't want her to break down along with me.

I beg you, Mr. Lin, I know you're no ordinary man.

Please come see Lily.

Your most helpless friend,

Arthur Weston"

After reading the letter, Lin Jie slowly placed the paper that felt "heavy" with Weston's immense fear on the table.

Raindrops pattered noisily against the window glass outside.

His face showed no extra expression, but his eyes had become like deep lakes.

That damned UMA had finally revealed the fangs hidden beneath its mocking mask.

And what most alarmed Lin Jie in Weston's letter was that phrase "can never find me" from the conversation.

This proved the UMA's erosion had entered a new dangerous phase—it was no longer satisfied with merely draining Lily's vitality.

It was luring Lily's soul to willingly separate from the real world and enter its "Twisted Home" together with it.

Once Lily truly "agreed" to this game on a spiritual level, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Immediate action was necessary!

Lin Jie made his decision at once.

He threw on his coat, grabbed the gun case containing Serene Heart and Cursebreaker Vambrace, and rushed out of his apartment.

He didn't go directly to the Weston residence—going alone now would be useless, as his personal combat abilities weren't particularly strong.

Facing such a bizarrely capable enemy, he needed assistance—a "colleague" who could provide solid physical protection and combat deterrence while he conducted "interpretation" and planning.

Sergeant William was undoubtedly the best candidate, but he had just left two days earlier to perform other Association tasks—distant water couldn't quench a nearby fire.

And Julian, who had already returned to Paris, was even further beyond reach.

Another face immediately surfaced in Lin Jie's mind—one marked with ruggedness and heartiness, along with a burly figure.

Marcus.

As a senior investigator in the field operations department, Marcus might have a straightforward and bold approach, but during critical moments he was a reliable, excellent hunter with extreme loyalty to commands and comrades.

Moreover, through their cooperation during the previous Gremlin incident, Lin Jie had become somewhat familiar with him.

Most importantly, Lin Jie knew that as an investigator permanently stationed at the London branch, as long as Marcus wasn't away on long-term missions, there was a ninety percent chance he was currently somewhere in the Underground City.

He was either maintaining his precious shotgun in the equipment area or boasting and drinking with other hunters at the "Old Captain" bar.

Being a freelance hunter, Lin Jie couldn't directly request official assistance.

So he decided to bypass the cumbersome application procedures.

That would be too slow and would also expose the Weston family's information in Association archives, potentially bringing future troubles and surveillance to their lives.

This time, he would resolve this crisis using a more personal, more direct approach.