The Last Gentleman

"Gun-Blade Rebound"

This is a special combat technique Edmund mastered during his last mission by killing multiple enemies consecutively.

Although it appears to be a skill granted by his profession, it is actually a result of his continuous accumulation, practice, and realization.

The activation requirements for this technique are extremely stringent, demanding an absolutely perfect angle and timing to exploit the opponent's attack "opening."

If executed flawlessly, it inflicts devastating damage.

Even among some gentlemen in the family who have surpassed their limits, none can guarantee they could pull it off smoothly.

Yet Edmund, at his age, managed to execute it perfectly against such a formidable enemy.

Training, talent, and mental fortitude—all are indispensable.

The single gunshot that obliterated the enemy’s brain left his teammates stunned.

However, this was also an excellent opportunity, and the two teammates would not let it go to waste.

Creak!

A thick branch sprouted from Yi Chen’s palm, extending to the ceiling of the ward’s center, giving him the best "observation point."

A tuft of black fur quickly emerged from the branch's tip, trying to spit out the eyeball in its mouth while observing Mr. Lee's exploded head and analyzing the movements of the rats inside his body.

This was no ordinary observation.

Yi Chen was attempting to "memorize and compare" every rat inside Mr. Lee’s body.

The orderly movements of these rats bore a resemblance to writhing ancient scripts. Through simple transformations in thought, Yi Chen converted the rats’ activities into readable and memorizable text.

The book-shaped emblem at the back of his brain also wriggled rapidly, ensuring memory precision and efficiency.

Compared to Yi Chen's "static observation," Julianna's approach was more of a "dynamic observation."

Her choice of the gentleman's letter was similarly a rare blue, corresponding to her profession as a [Cipherer], a role specializing in information gathering and assassination.

Professional Characteristics:

- "Resonant Hearing": The individual’s auditory capability is scalable, enhanced through training and cochlear modification to perceive a broader range of sound frequencies. It can also translate sound waves into auditory simulations, recreating dynamic activities and spatial positioning within the brain.

- "Silent Steps": Suppresses personal presence, reducing noise generated during movement.

Such specialized reconnaissance gentlemen are exceedingly rare. Having one in a team significantly boosts task efficiency and lowers risks. Even more remarkable, Julianna also possesses formidable assassination skills.

With both Julianna and Yi Chen, two rare, versatile reconnaissance specialists, Edmund’s team was undeniably overpowered.

When Mr. Lee’s head was blown off,

Swish! Swish!

Two daggers, their ends connected to thin wires, were already embedded in Mr. Lee’s upper abdomen and right thigh.

Vibration Sensing.

Julianna attempted to decipher Mr. Lee's internal structure. However, due to the overwhelming number of rats inside his body, she could only derive a rough dynamic diagram in a short time.

“There’s no obvious pathogenic structure. Could it be that the pathogenic core is hidden inside one of the rats? Or perhaps one of the rats itself is the core?”

At that moment, Yi Chen's voice came from the side:

“Miss Anna, could you please focus on monitoring the dynamics of his lower body… Try to pinpoint any rat that seems unusual.”

“Got it.”

As the two divided their tasks for examination, the daggers embedded in Mr. Lee’s body suddenly detected significant rat activity. The swarm rapidly converged toward the head, evidently preparing to repair the massive wound caused by the gunshot.

During this process, many rats gnawed at each other’s skulls, fusing their brains in advance. Once their combined brain mass reached the size of a human brain, it could be directly installed into the cranium.

At this point, Anna stopped using her daggers.

Instead, she retrieved a sword hilt covered in wrinkled old skin from her waist. The hilt, however, lacked a blade.

Dark energy emanating from the hilt wove itself into cursed text mid-air, giving off a deeply unsettling aura.

The hilt originated from a previous mission where they defeated an elderly woman capable of spreading diseases through curses. Her body had been incinerated, and the hilt was forged from the resulting disease crystal.

When Anna gripped the hilt tightly, the curse enveloped her.

At the cost of cursing herself, a slender black blade materialized.

With silent footsteps, she joined forces with Edmund to confront their foe.

It was time! n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Mr. Lee's head was still far from fully repaired.

Dragging the massive rat tail behind him, he suddenly swung it forward with force...

Clang!

A loud metallic sound echoed through the room.

The sharp teeth on the rat tail collided with the blades of two swords, sending sparks flying and forcing both Edmond and the newly arrived Anna to retreat.

Quickly,

the rat's brain fused, and Mr. Lee's head was repaired.

"Ah! That hurts... Even though you two are mere novice gentlemen, your strength is impressive."

As soon as he finished speaking,

the rat-like figure darted forward!

The speed Mr. Lee displayed was faster than any patient the two had faced before.

His bizarre, segmented arms operated with a multi-angle, multi-variation attack pattern.

Combined with the immensely powerful, pet-like conscious tail swinging behind him,

he suppressed the two opponents from the front in an instant.

Edmond and Anna were repeatedly pushed back,

their bodies accumulating scratches of varying depths.

Any attack directed at Mr. Lee's surface wounds would heal rapidly... only strikes targeting his joints or head could slightly slow his movements.

Even when Julianna unleashed a cursed strike,

though it left a blackened wound, Mr. Lee could simply cough out a few dead, blackened rat carcasses to neutralize the curse’s effects.

Whether killed, shot, or cursed,

the rats connected to the silver veins on Mr. Lee's back would transfer vitality, rapidly regenerating within his body.

Under the intense influence of growth hormones, the young rats would grow to the size of adult rats in mere seconds, becoming a crucial part of his flesh structure.

If the pathogenic core wasn’t found soon, as the two accumulated injuries and drained their stamina,

the outcome would be decided in minutes.

At this moment,

Yi Chen was still in [observation] mode.

Leveraging the effective damage dealt by his teammates, he scrutinized the dynamic details of the rats inside Mr. Lee’s wounds,

examining and comparing every single rat until his brain felt like it was on fire.

His bloodshot eyes were accompanied by nosebleeds, trickling down his cheeks… inadvertently dripping into Little Grape’s mouth, which found the taste strangely bitter and metallic. The blood even seemed mixed with fluid from dead brain cells.

With his mind slightly shaken, Yi Chen received a transmitted message.

‘William... I won’t cover for your mistakes anymore! Just this once—only because I can see your will to survive and your determination to slay the target.’

‘I’ll reluctantly provide you with some combat-level support.’

The moment his words ended,

Little Grape, perched on his shoulder, darted toward his left arm, diving straight into the severed wrist.

Simultaneously,

Despite holding the upper hand, Mr. Lee's rat-like instincts sensed a dangerous presence.

"Hmm?"

During the exchange of blows, he glanced toward the source of the feeling, only to realize that Yi Chen, who had been leaning against the wall, was gone.

"Where did he go?"

As he continued dealing with the two in front of him,

a faint sensation came from behind.

"Huh? From behind?!"

Before he could turn around, a sharp, bone-chilling pain shot through his back, forcing him to abandon his overwhelming advantage and retreat by scurrying away at speed.

Turning back, he saw:

The silver veins connected to his back had been completely severed.

At the center of the ward,

an axe that had severed the veins was now in Yi Chen’s left hand, hanging by his side.

"What’s going on... Didn’t I eat this guy’s hand?"

In Mr. Lee’s eyes,

Yi Chen’s left hand—supposedly devoured—had somehow regenerated. Not only that, but it seemed to be wearing a strange glove covered in black fur.

It even felt like something on the back of the glove was staring at him.