“Outta my way!” The man struck his right palm forward from several arms away. A sudden gust of wind shot at Kevin. Even though Kevin repared, he was still thrown into the air and tumbled on the ground.

  This brief moment of dey was just enough for Marcus to turn bad lu the middle aged man. His left hand fingers pierced through the back of the man’s trench coat and pulled him sideways. The sudden added momentum threw the man onto the ground. Marcus’ cw swung from high to low, aiming at the space right by the middle aged man’s ear.

  Marcus’ fingers dug three holes on the ground, the bursting pebbles from the grou a few scratch marks on the man’s ears. This was but a warning attack, he did not want to actually hurt the man, just wanted him to stop resisting. Yet the middle aged man did not stop or take the hint. The man thrust his two palms upward, striking Marcus in the chest and colr bones.

  Half the air in Marcus’ lungs was squeezed out by this strike. It was a heavy strike, enough to colpse the hood of a car or dent a metal door. But Marcus only coughed, rode the impad floated upwards. His two arms thrust at the middle aged man in rapid succession, each time with his middle and index fingers stig out. Sharp and trated streams of Qi shot from his fitacks, pierg the middle aged man’s trench coat, leaving thin cuts and slices on the man’s body without causing him to lose too much blood.

  The middle aged man did not show any appreciation for yet another show of mercy. Instead, he rushed towards Kevin, with his haending forward ready to grab the civilian without much ability to fight back.

  “Disgraceful!” Marcus roared. This time, he stopped holding back. His right hand fingers ed around the middle aged man’s shoulder and swung him to the side with almost full force. The middle aged man was thrown into a wall, but not before throwing a sharp dart right at Marcus.

  The dart made a metallic k and bounced off on Marcus’ shoulder. It did not even pierce through his inner shirt.

  “Time out. Time - time out.” The middle aged man almost coughed his lungs out and raised his hand. He had to do so because Marcus crushed his gun on the ground with a heavy stomp, while ready to point his own police gun at him. “Please. I give up.”

  “You’re - you’re Br - Brooklyn Payne!” Kevin stuttered.

  “What? I don’t even know - ” The middle aged man shook his head, still trying to deny.

  “Don’t even - ” Kevin cut the middle aged man off with a stern voice: “Following an officer on iigative duty, iion to interfere with official iigation. Those are pretty hefty viotions. Do you ay fines or do you wanna go to jail for a few weeks?”

  “Bullshit. Bull-fug-shit!” The middle aged man scoffed, but this made him cough harder. “There’s no such thing - and interfering with active polivestigation needs official paperwork from your prect to stick.”

  “So you do know the process.” Kevin chuckled: “You’re a former detective, right? You were kicked out of the police for bribery. But I guess you still know the police procedures, since you’ve been a PI ever since.”

  “That’s a cool story and all, but you’re mistaken.” The middle aged man struggled trying to get up, but he seemed to be having a bit of trouble with his shoulders and his waist. “I am just a regur guy. I’m sorry for disturbing your iigation - ”

  “You’re a user of Qi. Flowing Cloud Style, I assume?” Mararrowed his eyes, and decided to take a good look at this middle aged man. It was not just because of his suspicious behavior, but also because he noticed a strange st from him - the kind that smelled like paranormal iion, but also suppressed.

  The sight he gazed upon wheivated his vision stunned him for a brief moment. ed around the middle aged man’s body were thick ribbons and s of almost pletely solid dark energy. As a result his two shoulders were almost pletely covered up, and the top of his head was almost half covered.

  “Whatever happeo you, what you did to suppress it is clearly not w.” Mararrowed his eyes: “You’re cursed, how?”

  “None of your fug business!” The middle aged man coughed once again, blood was mixed into his spit and phlegm.

  “Why didn’t you look for some talismans? Or seek help from an exorcist?” Marcus asked.

  “You think I’d ried?” The middle aged man raised his voice while leaning on the wall he was thrown into earlier.

  “But whatever the situation with you - Mr. Payne. I think it’s high time you tell us the truth.”

  “Like I told you - you are mistaken. I’m not whoever you cim I am.” The middle aged man coughed agairied a few times, but still could not walk away. Apparently, being thrown into the wall was indeed quite devastating for him.

  “How are you doing, Brooklyn?” A familiar voice resounded, it was Captain Ko.

  It was Kevin, holding his phone up, camera pointing at the middle aged man.