In the center of the abandoned factory, Bella finally spotted her target.
A worn-out middle-aged woman with a square face, dry yellowish hair, and exhausted eyes was tied to a chair. She was screaming into the air—cursing the person who killed her sister, cursing the person who destroyed her life, cursing the person who refused to leave her alone.
He's into... this kind of middle-aged woman?
Bella couldn't help shaking her head. The optics doctor sure had a unique taste...
The woman was yelling at her right side, but Bella felt someone on her left.
The damage on the invisible man had vanished—whether repaired or replaced with a new suit, she couldn't tell.
The invisible man wasn't particularly strong. Other than disappearing at will, his combat ability was about the same as Bella's.
His strength was impressive, but agility was his Achilles' heel. Likely the optical lenses couldn't maintain invisibility at high speed, which meant he moved slowly most of the time.
Bella waited a moment. But no matter how fiercely the woman cursed, the invisible man didn't reveal himself.
Since he refused to appear, Bella cautiously backed away the same way she came. Dropping from the ceiling for a one-hit kill was impossible. If she pounced at the wrong moment, she'd be the one in danger.
She returned to her pickup and began contemplating her invisibility technique—then waited for nightfall.
Night wasn't advantageous for her... nor for the invisible man...
But it was advantageous for the Pickup Lady.
Ghosts could extend their activity range significantly at night.
If you have a helper but refuse to use her—that's the real problem.
Bella had no weapons, no offensive skills, no combat training—your classic triple-zero fighter. She couldn't guarantee she could take the invisible man down. So negotiating with the Pickup Lady and persuading her to help was absolutely essential.
Night settled over the abandoned factory, the air cold and stagnant.
Cecilia—dragged from California all the way to Arizona—had suffered horribly. The man wearing the invisibility suit, who stayed hidden even now, terrified her far more than the journey did.
"Just kill me! I'm just an ordinary woman! Please—just kill me!"
"Leave my family alone... don't torture me anymore..."
"Adrian! You coward! If you have the guts, then come out—come out and face me!"
The woman switched between pleading and raging.
The invisible man remained unmoved.
A sudden clink echoed from a shelf behind her. She wasn't sure if she really heard it—her mind was too frayed to tell.
But the invisible man noticed. He had glimpsed a faint, pale shape drifting between the shelves...
It was the year 2000. Creating a full-coverage optical lens invisibility suit was already an incredible achievement. The suit had no AI, no recording or analysis systems. He relied purely on his own eyesight.
Another pale blur drifted past the two of them.
This time, both saw it clearly.
The middle-aged woman's eyes went wide; her worldview was moments from collapsing.
The invisible man, however, stayed calm. His voice echoed from nowhere: "Some kind of projection imaging tech, huh? Trying that trick on me? Pathetic."
Bella, hiding in the shadows, was speechless.
...
She realized all these "somewhat capable" people shared one trait: They insisted on forcing everything to fit their own worldview. They refused to accept anything outside their understanding.
Whatever makes you happy, Bella thought.
Using a female ghost to beat a scientist? She had zero hesitation.
She signaled the Pickup Lady—stronger at night—to create distractions, while she crept closer.
The factory temperature dropped sharply as the ghost moved about. The optics doctor stubbornly believed the ghost was a fake projection—just another trick from his enemies.
Sitting still wasn't his style. He cut the ropes binding Cecilia and lifted his handgun, pressing it to her head. His body remained invisible, but the knife and the gun—uncovered by the suit—floated eerily in the air.
"Move. Stand up. We're leaving."
His voice was firm—he was clearly used to giving orders. The woman had no choice but to obey.
What followed was a nightmare for her.
The invisible man was hidden by science.
The Pickup Lady was hidden by death itself.
Bella was hidden by her fledgling psychic illusion.
Three invisible "people" surrounding one terrified middle-aged woman.
The invisible man couldn't see the other two. Bella couldn't see the other two. As for the Pickup Lady... who knew what she could see?
The invisible man kept scanning his surroundings. Concerned his handgun was revealing his position, he put it away and forced Cecilia forward.
The Pickup Lady drifted around like a full-blown horror movie ghost. She didn't attack—she just circled them, appearing and disappearing.
A door on the east side suddenly creaked open—skreeeee—its rusty hinges wailing in the night. Then she flickered across the glass windows on the west side, nearly scaring the woman into a panic attack.
Before the two could steady themselves, a metal barrel clattered loudly at the south end of the factory.
The invisible man whipped around instantly at the sound. His sharp turn exceeded the optical limit of the suit—revealing a faint human silhouette.
"Now!"
Seeing him exposed, Bella didn't hesitate.
She grabbed the fire extinguisher she had prepared earlier, sprang out from the side, and blasted the silhouette and the surrounding space with powder.
The dry chemical spread like mist, revealing the enemy's outline instantly.
Bella had already deduced most of his psychology. She didn't understand optical cloaking... but she did understand his sick obsession:
He liked hurting women.
He had attacked Claire first. He tried to strangle Bella. He stalked, chased, fled, and chased again. He had an unmistakable fixation on assaulting women.
"Try hitting a woman again, you bastard!"
Bella had no technique—her fighting style was "no style." But this time, unlike the chaotic hospital ambush, she was fully focused, with no panic or hesitation.
Her punch slammed into his chest.
The new invisibility suit shattered—dozens of optical lenses breaking loose and scattering across the floor.
Spray, reveal, strike—
Bella's sequence was fast, but not fast enough to prevent the enemy from reacting.