He was outmaneuvered.
But how exactly was he discovered?
The dozen or so people surrounding him appeared to be young men and women, probably no older than twenty. Most were wearing dark leather jackets and frayed jeans, and some even wore earrings. If these people were tall and strong, they might have looked quite intimidating, but unfortunately, they weren't. They all looked like college students, some perhaps even younger, with acne and a youthful appearance.
But they had over a dozen phones in their hands, all aimed at Hayden. Each of them was surrounded by blue shield spells.
One of the most annoying things about this era is that kids can use apps on their phones to cast spells and kill people.
"Hey, uncle."
Among the young men blocking both sides of the corridor, the leader was a burly young man, round and chubby, but he was wearing a black leather jacket with spiky details, which looked very out of place.
"Put down your weapons and magical artifacts and surrender obediently. Otherwise, we will open fire."
what?
Uncle! ?
Hayden immediately flew into a rage: "Go to hell, you old man! I'm only twenty-nine!"
He won't turn thirty until the end of the year, so what kind of uncle is he?!
Hayden's outburst startled the young men. In the next instant, the chubby youth flicked his wrist, and a [Stun Arrow] shot from his phone. Seeing this, the others instinctively followed suit, unleashing over a dozen dazzling spells simultaneously at Hayden. The explosion was so deafening it shook the entire corridor. Hayden was blasted through the air by the spells, crashing heavily into a wall. His hair cracked with a "crack," his neck twisted at an odd angle, and he fell to the ground, motionless.
For a moment, the young people were stunned.
It wasn't until one of the girls in the group came to her senses and screamed, "What have you all done?! Alastor said we can't kill him!"
"This guy resisted first!" the fat young man shouted back immediately, masking the fear in his voice. "And he might not even be dead! Being blasted by a dozen stun spells and hitting a wall doesn't necessarily mean he'll die! You guys, go check if he's dead!"
Sure enough, two boys ran out of the line upon hearing the noise and went to check on Hayden's condition.
But before they could even reach out to check if Hayden was still breathing, the two boys suddenly began to convulse. Yellow blisters crawled all over their bodies like worms, causing them to writhe on the ground for a while before going still.
"I see."
Then Hayden stood up, easily and casually turned his neck around, and his head was straight.
A dozen or so stun spells hit him, sending him flying against the wall.
But Hayden appeared completely unharmed and unmoved.
Not only that, but a faint emerald glow enveloped his body, rising and falling slightly with his breath.
So for a moment, these young people all opened their eyes as wide as watermelons, staring blankly at Hayden as if he were an immortal monster in a horror movie.
"Hello, friends from Alastor."
Hayden responded with a cold smile.
"I think I understand what game you guys are playing."
But before he could finish speaking, the fat young man shouted, "Use [Bombardment]!"
A moment later, more than a dozen spells flew out of their phones and slammed into Hayden.
Hayden remained calm and unmoved.
"Incidentally."
He says,
"I am invincible."
A gentle, emerald-green aura was enveloping him.
027: Two-Sided Battlefield
After he began researching Angela's secrets, Hayden quickly realized that Angela's "aura" could actually be manipulated by him.
If Angela's aura were used directly, its effects would be highly unstable. It could produce healing effects, strengthen living beings, or even activate inorganic matter. Angela seemed to have a way of controlling it freely, but she herself couldn't clearly explain her methods. Hayden simply couldn't learn her techniques.
So Hayden decided to combine Angela's aura with the spells he already knew, or the magical items he made himself.
So he used Angela's scent to create some bizarre applications.
For example, this one now.
"[Stunning Arrow]!" the fat young man screamed. "[Stunning Arrow]! Damn it!"
A barrage of crimson light arrows clearly struck Hayden, but he didn't dodge at all. Instead, Hayden laughed, a laugh as evil as a devil's.
Why wasn't he afraid of these young people's magic?
The principle is actually quite simple. He mixed Angela's transformative and healing aura into a special ointment, which he applied to his body beforehand. As long as the ointment hadn't completely evaporated, most external injuries that weren't life-threatening would be reversed and healed by the ointment's effects.
Incidentally, there's a side effect: when the reversal takes effect, Hayden's entire body glows with an emerald-like light. He hasn't yet found a way to suppress this effect, so it's not suitable for use in certain situations.
These kids are currently casting a stun spell on Hayden, but Hayden, actually hit, feels like he's being massaged and feels refreshed. If these brats were to throw fireballs at him, things might get a little complicated. But any spell that tries to render him unconscious, tired, or dizzy is definitely useless.
This shows that these young people are still too inexperienced, dominated by immature fighting habits, and in their panic, they only know how to futilely cast stun spells. For untrained people, the realization that they can find another way in the heat of battle is surprisingly rare.
...So what if they actually realize what's happening and throw fireballs at him?
Hayden, of course, had other options.
"【Lightning-Strike Spear】!"
Finally, a young man threw a fifth-tier arcane spell with physical destructive power at him—it was the girl who had screamed earlier. A crackling bolt of lightning shot out from her phone, sweeping away everything in its path, heading straight for Hayden.
So Hayden raised a real bronze scepter, not a cell phone, and simply said "nihil".
This is the Latin word for "no" or "without".
The lightning vanished instantly. Hayden caught the magic with his scepter, holding it at its tip, observing the astonished expressions of the young people, and then softly uttered the words:
"【Thunderclap】".
He swung his scepter wildly, transforming the magic into non-lethal arcane spells for police riot control, which he then unleashed upon the panicked young people. A thunderous roar struck them, tearing through their protective shields, like a high-pressure water jet blasting through the crowd, knocking them to the ground, dazed and disoriented, unable to get up for a long time.
Hayden studies ancient magic, that's true. But don't forget he's also a modern man, a graduate of a prestigious university, a certified eighth-tier combat arcanist, and a top-notch freelance mercenary. Countering magic is a completely different concept from casting your own spells. It's about skill, deflection, and precision. A group of students who haven't even graduated yet can't kill him.
Within seconds, all of the dozen or so young people were blasted away by Hayden, who barely used any of his own magic power—magic power is money!
"How can it be……"
The girl was also knocked to the ground, her eyes wide with disbelief, clearly not expecting such an outcome.
Hayden scoffed: "What era are we living in? Do you think it's still a hundred years ago? What good is it if ordinary students come in groups?"
He said the same thing in the last incident. Times have changed, and the gap between people has widened. Even if the lower classes gang up on each other, they can't defeat the upper classes. Hayden may not be an upper class, but he's still among the best of the lower classes. How could he possibly lose to some kids who aren't even as good as African militiamen?
"No, it's not over yet! As long as I can still move, I will never give up!"
But the girl refused to give up. So she continued to aim at Hayden—and then Hayden stepped forward and stomped on her phone, smashing it to pieces. The girl trembled, and fear finally filled her pretty yet innocent face.
“I don’t kill indiscriminately. If a bunch of kids just throw [Stun Arrows] at me, I won’t retaliate with [Death Finger]. But [Lightning Spear] can kill.”
Hayden said coldly,
"Where is Alastor Dirag, who ordered you to do this? And how did you find me? Answer my questions in five seconds, or I will begin casting the torture curse."
Fortunately, he didn't actually have to do that.
It's too late, but it's soon.
A shockwave suddenly shot out from the other end of the corridor. The shelf next to Hayden was hit squarely and exploded, large chunks of broken support and small plastic fragments raining down on him. So Hayden raised his hand, channeling his mind into the bracelet on his left wrist, activating the rune "eolh," a symbol of protection and deflection of danger. The debris and rubble that flew towards him were all deflected against the invisible shield.
This series of events wasted only one second of Hayden's time.
But in the next instant, something tall had already passed through the dust and smoke caused by the explosion and entered the corridor.
Upon seeing it, both Hayden and the young students paled.
Because the thing that broke in was actually a battle golem made entirely of black metal, with a ferocious and terrifying face, holding a vajra staff, and spitting out fangs, standing more than two meters tall!
"It's a Mitra Group police drone called 'Rakshasa'!"
The fat young man had just gotten up from the ground and was shouting in panic.
"Run! Scatter! Scatter!"
He panicked, which is not surprising at all. Because for both them and Hayden, being caught by the police was clearly a very troublesome, even potentially fatal, situation!
The Rakshasa drone is a land combat robot developed by the Mitra Corporation thirty years ago; essentially, it's a golem based on modern arcane magic. As it became obsolete on the battlefield, and with New Jersey's policing work being outsourced to the Mitra Corporation, these Rakshasa drones were modified for police use and began patrolling the streets of New Jersey.
Their combat power is not comparable to that of the elite troops of a real large company, but underestimating them will definitely get you killed very quickly.
Hayden certainly didn't dare underestimate it. He couldn't even care less about the running kids for a moment, because [Rakshasa] had already turned its head towards him. Hayden just wanted to curse himself for not bringing Angela with him when he left.
Without Angela's help, could Hayden have destroyed the Mitra Cartel's police drones on his own? It's not impossible; after all, Hayden had risen to become a top-tier mercenary single-handedly before Angela's arrival. But the real problem is—the police are here; are you really going to brazenly attack them?!
So Hayden immediately pulled out a protective mask and put it on his face.
(He carries this kind of thing with him at all times. Urban mercenaries who don't carry masks are practically asking for trouble; they'd be in jail long ago.)
Then he turned and ran away!
The [Rakshasa] drone wasn't about to let Hayden escape. It strode forward, relentlessly pursuing him. No narrow corner in the department store ruins could stop its massive size and sheer force. Rusty metal supports collapsed, walls shattered, and the drone, wielding its vajra staff, smashed through every obstacle, its gaze fixed on Hayden.
Hayden took off running. Three months of being fed by Angela had significantly improved his stamina. He could now run even faster than the police golems—but still not fast enough for [Rakshasa] to lose him.
Hayden was really puzzled: Why?
Why would a police drone suddenly appear and chase after him in such a low-level urban area?
Fortunately, Hayden was never short of clever tricks, nor did he lack experience dealing with police golems. So, just as [Rakshasa] was about to pounce on him, Hayden suddenly turned around and shouted, "Emergency Order 911!"
This was a code that Hayden had bought from a police officer he knew. The New Seattle Police Department is now a for-profit organization, making them easily bribed. According to that officer, the code could cause the AI of a police drone to pause for one second, checking its database to see if it had chased the wrong person.
One second was enough for Hayden to escape with his current speed.
Sure enough, for a fleeting moment, the [Rakshasa] drone emitted a strange light—then the light vanished. The [Rakshasa] drone didn't hesitate for even a second. Its already-striked iron fist slammed into Hayden, sending him flying through the air above the abandoned shopping mall, over the exit of the ruins, and crashing to the ground.
Then he jumped up from the ground, completely unharmed.
Having eaten Angela's food for three months, Hayden was already much stronger, and besides, his shield bracelet wasn't just for show. It was his own invention; it consumed magic power (money) every second it was activated, making it very effective.
But Hayden wasn't going to get bogged down in the police drone any longer. He didn't have the money to waste on pointless things, especially since it was just causing trouble for the police.
“ventus”
As Hayden uttered the Latin words, his body instantly dissipated into a gust of wind composed of trillions of tiny molecules, disappearing without a trace. The [Rakshasa] drone, chasing after him out of the ruins, witnessed his escape.
The police golem looked up at Hayden, who had turned into the wind and flown away, and only after confirming that he was unlikely to return anytime soon did it turn around and walk back into the department store ruins.
Those students and young people were still tragically trapped in the rubble. Many walls and shelves had collapsed, some children were trapped underneath, and others were trying to rescue them. But when they saw [Rakshasa] approaching, their expressions all froze.
They're the kind of guys who would get thrashed by Hayden, how could they possibly win against the police's golem?
So these young people could only watch in despair as the [Rakshasa] drone walked up to them and announced:
"Don't be afraid, it's me. The mercenary is gone."
The drone said so.
--------------------------
Since acquiring Angela's aura and integrating it into Hayden's original wind magic, he no longer feels uncomfortable flying in the wind, and no longer experiences pain and nausea.
So while flying, Hayden was able to calm down and think quietly.
Something didn't seem right just now.
Was it really such a coincidence? Just as Hayden was about to arrest the students, a police holster suddenly burst in?
There's only one drone, and it's just targeting him, and it doesn't even accept emergency coded commands from the police? Police drones are usually deployed in teams of at least three for patrol missions.
Okay, if this emergency code is just a lie some cop sold to Hayden, then Hayden should first applaud his entrepreneurial spirit before killing him.
So that's unlikely. An ordinary policeman wouldn't stoop to playing tricks on Hayden. They all know that top-tier mercenaries, when provoked, will kill. If Hayden were truly angered, he could kill someone and then take Angela and flee from New Jersey all the way to South America. The police in New Jersey wouldn't be able to catch him.
So these questions ultimately come back to the same one Hayden already asked:
How exactly did those really weak students manage to see through Hayden's tracking and hiding?
The answer isn't hard to guess, because there are quite a few clues.
There is only one police drone.
Police code commands are invalid.
Alastor Diragh vanished into thin air.
Hayden quickly realized what was happening and understood.