When that distorted domain collapsed and dissipated, the night breeze carrying the fragrance of earth and damp mist began to sweep across this ravaged wasteland once more.

The raindrops that had been suppressed by the distorted force field and unable to fall now began to drizzle down, washing away the lingering evil aura from this land.

The gray bedrock glowing with molten light beneath Marcus's feet quickly dimmed.

Those heavy [Unshakable Bedrock] combat boots also returned to their appearance as sturdy leather military boots.

Losing the support of the Grotesque Armament, immense exhaustion consumed him.

This iron tower of a burly man could no longer support himself, swaying before plopping down into the muddy ground with a dull thud.

He gasped for breath heavily, his chest heaving violently.

Sweat mixed with rainwater continuously streamed down his bearded cheeks.

Activating [Unshakable Bedrock] to resist the law suppression of an entire domain was no less intense than experiencing a high-stakes life-or-death struggle for him. The muscles throughout his body screamed in protest, and his bones ached unbearably.

Lin Jie's condition was worse than his.

After confirming the crisis had been resolved, his taut will finally snapped.

His vision went black as he pitched forward, falling into brief unconsciousness.

After an unknown period of time, Lin Jie was awakened by a chill that penetrated deep into his bones.

He opened his eyes to find himself lying in muddy water, while Marcus had already struggled to his feet and was pulling him up from the mire.

"Can you still walk, kid?" Marcus's voice had regained some of its steadiness. "We need to leave this damned place before dawn, otherwise when the patrol officers come and see these craters everywhere and us in this state, we'll have to waste effort explaining."

Lin Jie nodded, feeling as if his body was filled with lead, every movement exceptionally difficult.

He glanced at the place where the "Twisted Man" had finally disappeared, where only a small pile of black ashes remained, about to be washed away by the rain.

He didn't approach to try using [Reverberation Touch]. That UMA's core had already been annihilated, impossible to leave behind any valuable reverberations.

Moreover, in his current mentally exhausted state, even the slightest interpretation could turn him into an idiot.

The two men supported each other as they hobbled away from this wasteland, disappearing into the dawn.

The next day at noon, when sunlight pierced through London's thick clouds to bring long-awaited warmth to the city, the door of Arthur Weston's home was knocked on once again.

Weston opened the door to see Lin Jie standing at the doorway, along with a friend whose build was somewhat intimidatingly burly.

Lin Jie's complexion had returned to normal.

He had changed into a clean, appropriate tweed suit and carried a substantial leather case in his hand, appearing like nothing more than an ordinary gentleman visiting a friend concerned about their health.

"Mr. Lin!" The moment he saw Lin Jie, Weston's eyes shone with gratitude and awe.

He grabbed Lin Jie's hand, his voice trembling with emotion. "Lily... Lily has recovered! This morning her fever miraculously broke! Though she's still somewhat weak, the doctor examined her and said she's essentially fine now!"

He stepped aside to make room at the doorway.

Lin Jie and Marcus entered the small apartment, seeing the little girl who had been on the verge of withering away yesterday now quietly sitting at the dining table, sipping the warm milk her mother had prepared.

Her face still carried the weariness of illness, but those sapphire-like eyes had regained their sparkle, curiously observing Marcus, this unfamiliar "giant" guest.

When Lily saw Lin Jie, she revealed a sweet smile, but her eyes held a child's confusion about unfamiliar things.

"Daddy, who is this uncle?" she asked softly.

Hearing this, Lin Jie froze for a moment.

Lily didn't remember him?

Could it be that when that UMA was erased, it also took away part of Lily's memories?

But perhaps this was the best outcome for Lily.

Forgetting was the most powerful and effective self-protection mechanism ordinary people had when facing unknown horrors.

Lily had forgotten him, and along with that would forget everything about the Twisted Man.

"Silly child, this is Uncle Lin," Weston ruffled his daughter's hair, his eyes filled with the joy of having regained what was lost.

The four of them sat in that small living room.

The Westons expressed their most sincere gratitude to Lin Jie. They didn't understand what had happened, but their simple intuition told them that this mysterious Eastern scholar had somehow snatched their daughter back from death's scythe in a way they couldn't comprehend.

Lin Jie exchanged a glance with Marcus, then began to tell the "white lie" they had prepared on the way.

"Arthur, and Mrs. Weston." Lin Jie's expression became exceptionally serious. "After detailed inspection by me and my... well, my friend Mr. Marcus here, who specializes in environmental and building safety, we've basically determined the root cause of Lily's illness."

"It's gas." Lin Jie slowly uttered this word, his voice carrying professionalism and authority.

"The gas pipes in your apartment building have developed extremely minor leaks due to age and poor maintenance."

"These leaks don't have much impact during the day when ventilation is good, but at night when doors and windows are closed, low concentrations of gas can produce continuous mild toxic effects on the human nervous system."

He glanced at Marcus sitting stiffly beside him, struggling to hold back laughter, then continued with a straight face: "Adults, being stronger in constitution, might only experience slight dizziness and fatigue, but for growing children like Lily, the consequences of such chronic poisoning are much more serious."

"It can directly lead to decreased immunity, rapid physical decline, and in some extreme cases, trigger extremely realistic auditory and visual hallucinations."

"So Arthur, don't worry, this isn't anything strange or supernatural, nor is it the Ripper's revenge."

He cleverly attributed the "Twisted Man" and "nursery rhyme" to "symptoms of gas poisoning hallucinations."

This explanation sounded both scientific and reasonable against the backdrop of the 19th century, when awareness of gas safety was generally lacking.

To make this lie more seamless, Marcus even solemnly pulled out some wrenches and pipe tape from the toolkit he'd brought, making a show of tapping and adjusting in the small kitchen before announcing that "the leak point has been repaired."

After hearing this "scientific" explanation, understanding dawned on the Westons' faces. Their previous fear and supernatural conjectures were quickly replaced by belated fear and anger about the poor quality of municipal engineering.

Before leaving, Lin Jie placed the black leather case he'd been carrying on the table.

"Arthur," he said solemnly, "although Lily is out of danger, the damage to her nervous system and bodily functions from gas poisoning will still take time to fully recover."

"Conventional nutritional supplements are important, of course, but I have some highly effective post-recovery tonics specially formulated by Swiss friends here. I believe these should help Lily recover more quickly."

He opened the seemingly plain case to reveal three small brown glass bottles neatly arranged on velvet padding.

The bottles contained a pale golden liquid as viscous as honey, shimmering with a reassuring glow under the sunlight.

This was certainly not "tonic" from Switzerland, but rather precious "diluted low-concentration holy water" that Lin Jie had specifically exchanged for from the medical department of the Underground City before setting out.

This liquid was made from church-blessed holy water mixed with small amounts of mild UMA material powder with purification and soothing properties, diluted through alchemical processes.

It had no supernatural effects on ordinary people, but could gently and effectively clear away spiritual contamination remaining in the human body.

This was to prevent any spiritual residue of the Twisted Man from remaining in Lily's system.

"The usage is very simple—one drop daily in Lily's milk or hot tea. Please make sure to use all three bottles within three days. This is crucial for her to overcome the aftereffects of this incident."

Arthur looked at the three bottles of medicine emitting their peculiar glow. He didn't understand what this was, but he could smell the comforting, soothing scent emanating from the bottles.

He solemnly accepted the three bottles of medicine.

He didn't say any more words of thanks—language felt too inadequate at this moment.

He engraved this heavy debt of gratitude deeply in his heart.

After a moment of silence, Arthur seemed to finally reach some decision.

He looked up at Lin Jie and said, "Lin, after Lily's body fully recovers, I... I plan to take my wife and daughter away from here."

"Leave?" This decision surprised Lin Jie somewhat.

"Yes, leave." Arthur's gaze swept over this small apartment filled with their family's laughter and joy, his eyes carrying reluctance, but more than that, the determination to make necessary sacrifices for his family.

"This incident made me understand that this area, this environment, is simply too unsafe for a growing child."

He was speaking of the "gas poisoning" incident, but in his subtext, Lin Jie heard another deeper meaning—he too had been deeply psychologically scarred by that unexplainable unknown fear.

"I've saved up a modest amount during my years as a police officer, plus the payment you gave me last time." A bittersweet smile of hope for the future appeared on Arthur's face.

"It might not be enough for us to buy a decent apartment in London, but in Richmond in the western suburbs, or further out in the Surrey countryside, it should be enough for us to buy a small house of our own."

"I want Lily to grow up healthy in a place where she can see sunlight every day, smell flowers, and hear birds singing."

Lin Jie extended his hand to Arthur.

"That's a very wise decision, Arthur," he said with a smile. "If you ever need my help in the future, please be sure to write to me."

The two men shook hands firmly.

After leaving the Weston home and walking under the bright sunlight, Marcus couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.

"Gas poisoning! Hallucinations!" He laughed while vigorously patting Lin Jie's shoulder. "I dare say you're wasting your talents not becoming one of those mediums or con artists who specialize in cheating wealthy ladies! I almost believed it myself!"

Lin Jie only smiled without speaking.

White lies were the gentlest barrier separating the surface world from the hidden one.