Hearing Aiven’s implication, although he had anticipated it, Anthony was still somewhat disappointed.
"I knew his special ability wouldn’t be so easy to break. But if we can’t even trace his whereabouts, how can we talk about hunting him?"
If we were to say who among them had the greatest motivation to hunt the "Killing Ghost," it would definitely be Anthony. The hotel under his name had been visited by the "Highly Poisonous Bluebells," damaging the family’s reputation, despite dispatching many private soldiers with no success.
Yet, last night, he as the eldest young master "led" the hunt against the "White-Faced Dancer" and "Highly Poisonous Bluebells," garnering significant attention. Even the Governor visited personally amidst his busy schedule to express gratitude, solidifying Anthony’s status as the heir.
After all, the Kramer Clan’s ruler wasn’t the only member in the family; even among his siblings, Anthony wasn’t the only one.
Having resolved the family’s trust crisis, many family members expressed their approval of this heir.
Anthony naturally wanted to keep up the momentum and expand the battle results.
However, the current situation was making him very angry!
Initially, the major forces were exchanging intelligence, with various clues being summarized and shared daily. But when only the last two "Killing Ghosts" remained, they started holding back, hiding information for fear of others stealing their glory.
If the major forces could cooperate fully, perhaps they wouldn’t have to wait till today, as all seven "Killing Ghosts," except the "Random Host" who has yet to show up, would have been eliminated.
How terrifying is a sniper that others can’t even detect?
These people were eager to send out all their own, simultaneously pulling others’ legs, thinking humanity’s side had already secured victory? Truly ignorant!
"What if we change our approach and start with the victims?" Just then, Delis, who had been deep in thought, suddenly came up with an idea.
"The Demon’s Disciple relies on his sniper firearm to kill; his line of sight constitutes his hunting range. As long as we can find his victims, we can reverse deduce his approximate location based on the effective range of the sniper firearm, then go in to defeat him!"
"Hmm, that’s a useful way of thinking, I will give it a try."
In fact, when searching earlier, besides trying to seek the "Demon’s Disciple’s" figure on high buildings, Aiven had already been observing the streets whether any victims showed up but found nothing.
But Aiven got inspired by Delis’s words that as long as the victims were within the "Killing Ghost’s" sight, they could be sniped, yet a sniper musketeer’s visual range differs from ordinary people.
As a "Sniper Musketeer" himself, Aiven knew well that even hiding inside a room might not stop a powerful sniper’s attack. Passing unconsciously by a window could even offer an opportunity for him.
Moreover, this "Sniper Musketeer" himself was an Extraordinary level Evil Spirit and could accomplish more enigmatic acts.
Just then, the real-time scenes scattered across "New Inn Port" flowed again through his heart.
Fully armed City Guard troops walk in groups through streets and alleys... Crowman squads of three roaming in desolate areas on the city outskirts... Mixed teams of Priests and Iron Wall Knights delve into residential zones to investigate abnormalities... "Classmates" from the Royal Navy Academy have also divided the patrolling areas among them, Aiven even spotted Kelson Augustine, who didn’t get along with Krell...
The streets remained peaceful.
Shifting his sight, Aiven concentrated more attention inside buildings without needing to dispatch Sea Birds to investigate. Even Evil Spirits have their limits; merely emulating a sniper’s observational view, swiftly passing by a window with an appropriate height can reveal if there are victims behind the window.
Sure enough, after changing his thinking mode, Aiven quickly made a discovery.
In the southern business district of the city, outside a three-story hotel, Aiven saw a broken stained glass window, with warm yellow gaslight leaking from the rupture, making it somewhat conspicuous in the night.
Through the breach, Aiven indeed saw a middle-aged man already lying dead on the floor; possibly due to the room’s excellent airtightness, his blood had already begun coagulating and hadn’t been discovered by others.
Very quickly, following this line of thought, Aiven found a second, third...eleventh victim. Some victims were neglected without anyone taking care, while others were surrounded by people wailing loudly.
Of course, Aiven also saw the little boy already torn to pieces by the potent kinetic energy of a bullet, blurred into a mass, alongside a nearly maddened young mother...
Hearing and witnessing are entirely different concepts, especially considering that humans are more inclined to sympathize with young members of their species. The scene so tragic and desperate almost to the point of vomiting blood stabbed deeply into Aiven’s heart like a dagger.
Aiven’s molars were grinding tightly, blood was rushing. Now there wasn’t any notion of merit in his heart, just the desire to drag this "Killing Ghost" out and let him experience the taste of despair!
Mark all the victims’ positions on the map, connecting them with lines to form an irregular gear shape. Seeing the location of the gear’s center, Aiven said coldly:
Step...step...step...
Three silhouettes darted swiftly between buildings, leaping like phantoms, leaving only their backs before disappearing once more.
"Speaking of which, why isn’t Aiven coming along with us? This guy is mysterious and enigmatic all the time." Anthony was somewhat puzzled by Aiven’s arrangements before departure.
"Just focus on our own task, Aiven is far more reliable than you." Still sprinting alongside, Delis glared at him.
"Aiven is surely finding a place to cover us." Only Krell speculated, speaking in a firm manner.
"Certainly, don’t you know Aiven is also a ’Sniper Musketeer’?"
Krell’s natural retort made Anthony and Delis exchange glances again.
Aiven wasn’t intentionally trying to act alone.
But he knew very well that in combat at a lower Extraordinary level without magical intervention, the superb performance of an Alchemy Firearm meant that the only one who could match a "Sniper Musketeer" was another "Sniper Musketeer"!
This was especially true when the four of them were only Tier 2 Official Knights, with magic professions at most at the Wizard Apprentice level. If he had the strength of a Great Knight, Aiven would be the first to charge ahead...
Climbing to the rooftop of a large casino, Aiven took out his alchemy firearm "Thorned Gold Rose", assuming a prone shooting position. Through the scope, he looked into the distance.
Eight hundred meters away was the highly suspected location of the "Demon’s Disciple" at the Ancalia Grand Theater. Three swift figures had quietly crept to a street away from the theater, carefully hiding themselves in the dead angles of the buildings.
If they moved any closer, it was highly likely they would be discovered by the sniper’s keen senses.
Aiven exhaled gently and whispered to the identity card of the "Violet Eye": "Hide, wait for my signal!"
The tactics had long been established, with Anthony, Krell, and Delis acting as the sharp attackers tasked with breaking through unexpectedly, but the most critical aspect was whether Aiven’s side could suppress this "Killing Ghost".
The unique ability of the "Demon’s Disciple" was a highly advanced presence reduction, rather than invisibility or void, so even if he couldn’t be perceived, he was actually there.
The solution wasn’t complicated either; a wide-range attack covering the area he was hiding in would do it.
"Commence operation!"
A squadron of five White Seagulls suddenly swooped down from the dark sky, dropping five red spheres from thirty meters above the Ancalia Grand Theater.
Even in a sniper state, the Demon’s Disciple maintained a seasoned veteran’s vigilance, easily detecting the subtle movements in the wind and, as a precaution, staying well clear of the falling "high-altitude projectiles".
But they were not merely simple projectiles.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Five explosions sounded in succession as large orange-yellow flames burst forth with fire oil, covering most of the theater roof in no time.
Upon receiving a direct attack, the interference effect on the "Demon’s Disciple" was immediately broken. Presence reduction is essentially a skill to make others ignore oneself, sometimes even more effective than direct invisibility.
As long as no big moves are made or loud noises are produced, any traces may be subconsciously overlooked by others. But while it can deceive others’ senses, it cannot deceive the world.
An old soldier, dressed in a tattered uniform with a rugged, unshaven face, was suddenly exposed to Aiven’s gun barrel.
Even the flames he had not completely avoided were burning at his trouser cuffs.
Without hesitation, Aiven pulled the trigger.
With the correction of Data Visualization, all factors like wind speed, wind force, gravity impact, and distance were under Aiven’s control; he was confident this shot couldn’t miss!
The specially crafted alchemy bullet carried Aiven’s greeting, traversing the 800-meter distance in less than a second.
The next instant, it was about to pierce through the "old soldier’s" chest.
Aiven raised his head in shock. At a critical moment, the old soldier seemed to unconsciously lean slightly, managing to dodge Aiven’s seemingly inevitable shot.
The bullet merely grazed his coat, slicing it open!
There are indeed things in this world that surpass the computing power of "Data Visualization", and clearly, a seasoned veteran’s well-honed combat "intuition" is one of them!
In truth, until the bullet left the gun barrel, the old soldier hadn’t realized he had become someone’s prey. Yet, his formidable combat instincts allowed his body to move faster than his mind, subconsciously sidestepping the attack, like some advanced form of reflex.
This is the gap between Aiven, this "Pseudo: Sniper Musketeer", and a genuine Sniper Musketeer!
At the same time, having missed his shot, Aiven had also exposed himself.
The old soldier’s counterattack was swift and fierce.
The flame from the opponent’s gun barrel flashed almost imperceptibly, and the bullet flew faster than the sound of the gunshot.