Chapter 49: Bullet Time

”Phantom Kid, make sure to count the time. The effects of the tear gas have almost worn off. The GCPD’s men will soon launch a full-scale search of the park; the longer you remain here, the worse it will be for you.”

Harry calmly raised the umbrella in his hand horizontally, in which the tip of it was facing Mathison.

With a slight turn of the umbrella, a sleeping dart was shot out of the tip.

Having seen the film, Mathison already knew that it was not an ordinary umbrella. He smoothly sidestepped the dart.

But as Harry had said, it wouldn’t be long before a GCPD search party would find this place, and then it would be really hard for him to run away.

With a determined mindset, Mathison immediately threw out the playing cards in his hands, eight cards in each hand bounced directly together towards Harry.

After experiencing the sharpness of the cards once before, Harry didn’t dare to be careless and opened his umbrella instantly.

This was a special bulletproof umbrella that could not only block a rocket’s blast but also allow him to see through it.

Even so, the eight playing cards did not bounce off but instead nestled on the umbrella’s surface.

Harry could clearly see the playing cards on the surface of the umbrella and couldn’t help but marvel at Phantom Kid’s mastery in flying card skills.

With a glazed look in his eyes, Mathison’s hands once again turned into his playing cards. This time, he threw them out to the sides, instead of aiming directly at Harry.

Harry saw through the back of the umbrella that four cards flew out from each side, bypassing the umbrella and continuing behind him.

Mathison looked at first like a skilless gunman who aimed at his target’s heart but missed it.

”There’s no way he’s making such a useless move.”

After the playing cards flew past the umbrella, Harry felt that something was wrong and, without thinking, turned around and spread the umbrella backwards.

Sure enough, the poker card that had flown to the back magically turned, re-flown back aiming right at Harry.

”Pffffffff–“

Eight cards were once again nested on the surface of the umbrella.

Suddenly, a sense of crisis rose in Harry’s heart. He rolled to the side intuitively and turned back to see that Mathison had flung the playing cards again.

«I don’t think we’ll be able to get rid of them anytime soon without using any special tricks …»

Seeing that he couldn’t take Harry down, Mathison thought.

He took a deep breath, his eyes were strangely red and his heart was beating faster and faster.

”Boom boom? boom boom boom? boom boom boom—”

Mathison heard clearly his heartbeat, getting louder and powerful.

At the same time, his body temperature was soaring and fine beads of sweat were showing from his forehead.

A normal person’s heart rate is around 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm), and even during strenuous exercise, it is essentially between 160 and 180 bpm.

It is rare for someone’s heart rate to exceed 200 bpm.

But at this moment, Mathison’s heart rate easily exceeded 200 and was even approaching 400!

As his heartbeat accelerated, Mathison sensed that the flow of time in the outside world was slowing down, and the movement of all objects was becoming slower and slower.

Bullet time!

The ability that Mathison was now using was the very same ability that he had been rewarded with earlier: the most powerful ability in Carlos’ lifetime of experience.

In a way, it was similar to Inherent Time Control, allowing one’s time flow to be distinguished from that of the outside world.

However, bullet time was certainly more convenient than the heavily self-inflicted Inherent Time Constraint.

Mathison slammed the poker cards in his hand with force.

From his perspective, the playing cards flew out at a slow speed, bit by bit towards Harry’s position.

After an unknown amount of time, the poker flew in front of Harry and stabbed him in the leg at an odd angle.

Throughout the whole journey, Harry’s body only moved two millimetres.

Bullet time, lift!

Beads of sweat dripped from Mathison’s face and his red-filled eyes gradually returned to his normal colour.

Although maintaining Bullet time was not as harmful to the body as inherent time control, a heart rate of 400 bpm puts a huge burden on the body all the same.

It would feel as if you’ve just finished a five-kilometre run.

”Excuse me, Mr Galahad, but I’ll have to ask you to stay here a little longer now.” Mathison bowed in a gentlemanly fashion to Harry.

”What did you just do?”

Harry looked at Phantom Kid with a shocked look on his face, a sharp pain coming from his leg, blood pouring out. During all his years of experience as an agent, he has almost been completely incapacitated for a short time himself.

Mathison laughed and didn’t say anything back. How could he reveal such a superb technique like Bullet time?

”Farewell, Mr Galahad.”

Mathison flang the cloak behind him so that it completely covered his body, only to see the cloak falling naturally to the ground.

And the figure of Phantom Kid had disappeared…

”Eggsy, Roxy, Phantom Kid won’t be heading your way. Soon the Gotham Police Department will be searching the park in full; we shouldn’t remain here any longer, we will evacuate immediately!”

Harry gave the order to retreat to the two rookie agents, and then briefly treated his wounds to ensure that his movement would not leave any bloodstains.

Although a lot of blood had been left on the spot, there was no information about his blood in the official database, so he was not worried about his blood being collected by the GCPD.

Dragging his injured leg, Harry’s figure disappeared as well into the shadows of the woods…

It didn’t take long for Gordon to arrive with a large group of GCPD officers, accompanied by Starling.

”Sir, there are signs of a fight here; several playing cards have been found beside a white cloak. It looks like Phantom Kid was fighting someone here not too long ago.”

One of the officers at the front reported after inspecting the area.

Gordon and Starling went up in sync to check for themselves, and sure enough, they found signs of a fight and even the bloodstain.

”This blood could be Phantom Kid’s, where are the forensics officers? Take a sample quickly!”

”Yes, sir!”

Two forensics officers from the GCPD stepped forward to take a blood sample.

”It seems that the path we chose is the route that Phantom Kid took to escape.”

Starling said as she gazed deeper into the woods.

It wasn’t long before they had as well deciphered the entire contents of the teaser letter. After all, Kid’s plan had already been carried out before their eyes. And when combining everything that has happened, any fool could have understood the contents of the teaser letter.

The three escape routes were of course also seen by Starling and the others.

So they split into three groups: Bob and Johnny headed southwest and due west too, while Gordon and Starling headed northwest.

But the truth was that, of all three routes, Mathison took none.

Because he did not intend to leave Robinson Park now…

In the dense forest west of the central statue, there is a small stone pavilion.

Barbara was alone, sitting there quietly.