The immediate danger around them had not subsided, because Ethan remained trapped deep within his own inner demon illusion, unable to extricate himself.

His sapphire blue eyes had lost their usual brilliance and become hollow and chaotic. He gripped his other "Evening Star" pistol, muttering illogically in English and an ancient Egyptian language Lin Jie couldn't understand, his words laced with regret and fury.

At times he called out a certain name, at others he cursed "traitors" and "that damned pharaoh's curse," his body trembling with intense fear, his condition teetering on the brink of collapse.

Lin Jie immediately judged they could no longer remain where they were.

This "breeding ground of fear" was continuously amplifying the trauma within Ethan's heart. If this continued, this elite would likely become a madman due to his mental defenses collapsing, and might even turn into an enemy controlled by this place's resentment to attack them.

Lin Jie issued a concise, decisive command: "William, knock him out!"

William didn't hesitate. He extended his free hand and with a precise, clean motion, chopped the side of his palm against the back of Ethan's neck.

The nobleman didn't even manage a grunt before his body went limp and he lost consciousness.

William effortlessly hoisted Ethan's burly frame over his shoulder like a sack, then shoved the confiscated 【Morning Star】 and the other dropped 【Evening Star】 into Lin Jie's hands.

His voice brooked no argument: "Take them. You're our secondary firepower now. The bullets in these two guns are more effective against spirits than my 'spirit-banishing rounds'."

Lin Jie immediately accepted the two heavy killing tools that possessed artistic beauty. The warm touch of the ivory grips restored calm to his slightly sweaty, tense palms.

He could feel the divine power contained within the two guns causing the mental protective field emitted by the 【Serene Heart】 at his waist to become even more solidified.

The immediate crisis was temporarily suppressed, but a more severe problem now faced them—they couldn't drag an unconscious burden through this perilous mine on an uncertain hunt.

Lin Jie's gaze swept over the surrounding rock walls that seemed to writhe silently under the lamplight. "We need to find the source of this symphony of fear, destroy its command center to quiet this mental pollution domain. Otherwise, Ethan cannot truly awaken."

William responded in a low voice, "Leave it to me."

He adjusted Ethan on his shoulder to a more secure position and raised again the bizarre telescope composed of human skulls and eerie crystals—the 【Zulu's Gaze】.

When the two eyepieces emitting faint purple light again pressed against his eyes, the world before William transformed once more.

The forty-plus gray-black "emotional streams" representing the miners' resentment, which had been raging wildly at the mine entrance, now displayed a more logical flow pattern in his vision.

He discovered these seemingly chaotic streams weren't randomly scattered throughout the mine;

their flow had a clear, unified directionality.

All the small streams and tributaries eventually converged into a main channel. These forty-plus strands of resentment were slowly, deliberately moving through the intricate mine tunnels, ultimately converging unanimously toward some unknown dark point deep within the mine.

At that convergence point, a massive, profound spiritual trail quietly coiled, its dark form seemingly capable of absorbing both light and souls.

It was the endpoint of this entire emotional water system, the final destination for all streams of resentment.

That was the Black Dog's true hiding place.

The ancient UMA wasn't "commanding" the resentment, but rather acted more like a "black hole" or "vortex eye," using its own essence of fear to passively attract and gather all weaker negative emotions of similar nature to itself.

William lowered the telescope and stated with certainty, "Found it. The source of all trails is in the same place. Follow me, it can't escape."

Carrying Ethan, he took the first step into the bottomless depths of the mine tunnel.

Lin Jie, gripping the two ornate Colt pistols tightly, followed closely behind, becoming the most reliable support for this "fearless one."

Thus began a reverse tracking operation deep into the heart of "hell."

The mine's interior was far more complex and treacherous than it appeared from outside. This wasn't a straight passage, but a massive three-dimensional underground labyrinth dug by countless generations of miners over nearly a century.

Abandoned, thoroughly rusted rail tracks extended crookedly into unknown darkness. Pools of icy, bottomless water reflected lifeless light under the weak illumination.

Most of the thick wooden beams supporting the mine tunnels had rotted beyond use after nearly a century of damp erosion, their surfaces growing slippery fungi.

William led the way ahead relying on the 【Zulu's Gaze】 for navigation, sometimes turning left into a narrow side passage blocked by a collapse, sometimes stopping to signal Lin Jie to avoid ground that looked solid but was actually hollowed out by water.

Every step he took was exceptionally steady;

the dark maze was a clear three-dimensional map composed of energy flows in his eyes.

However, the ancient "Black Dog," having noticed its quiet digestion was being disturbed—especially after discovering one of the intruders, William, remained unaffected by its "symphony of fear"—finally began passive counterattacks.

It didn't appear personally, but thoroughly demonstrated its control over this lair, beginning to actively manipulate the consumed miners' resentment to launch more targeted, lethal harassment against the two uninvited guests.

As they passed a relatively smooth rock wall.

A massive, distorted face composed of countless miners' faces pieced together suddenly emerged from the wall. All the mouths on that face opened soundlessly, emitting attacks that directly interfered with the human inner ear's vestibular system, causing instant loss of balance.

Lin Jie felt the world spin violently, his body uncontrollably tipping sideways—directly toward an abandoned ventilation shaft of unknown depth.

William reacted with extreme speed. Despite carrying a person on his shoulder, he displayed astonishing core strength and balance.

He reached out with his free hand and firmly grabbed the back of Lin Jie's collar, forcibly pulling him back from the deadly shaft edge.

The cold water under their feet also grew restless. Hands composed of mud and resentment suddenly reached up from the water, grabbing their ankles, trying to drag them into the icy darkness.

Lin Jie didn't hesitate, pulling the trigger aimed at the water at his feet: "Evening Star!"

A gleaming silver alchemical bullet plunged into the water.

The bullet tip made from "saint relic" powder, upon contacting the resentment-hands, caused a cleansing silvery-white halo to explode in the water with a sound like grease igniting.

The hands, touching the halo, dissolved back into murky water.

William growled, "Well done!"

He strode through the purified water area, carrying Ethan.

They moved like two perfectly coordinated top bomb disposal experts, arduously advancing through this trap-filled maze—one responsible for early warning and navigation, the other for clearing obstacles and providing firepower.

Yet, just as they were about to pass through a narrow passage, the "Black Dog" hiding behind the scenes finally lost all patience and decided to personally intervene to eliminate Lin Jie, who provided rear fire support for the team.

William was walking ahead carrying Ethan, with Lin Jie closely following behind.

At that moment, the rock wall to Lin Jie's right suddenly turned soft and pitch-black.

Then, a headless Black Dog "Projection" emerged from the wall.

Its form was more solidified and venomous than the one they encountered earlier on the surface. The two deep crimson eyes on its chest burst with intense curse light, locking onto the nearby, cornered Lin Jie.

A lethal, unavoidable "Mark of Death" was about to be successfully branded at this moment.

Lin Jie's pupils contracted. The protective field of the 【Serene Heart】 at his chest emitted straining, shuddering sounds under this extremely potent curse gaze specifically targeting souls.

Death had never felt so close.

Yet, just before the curse gaze could completely cover Lin Jie's pupils, an enraged roar brimming with combat instinct erupted fiercely from behind him.

"Scum!!"

It was Ethan.

This noble hunter, who had been unconscious the entire time, was forcibly stimulated awake from his deep mental nightmare by the nearby lethal threat.

His position slung over William's shoulder was extremely awkward, but relying on his battle-hardened instincts, he didn't aim. The moment he regained consciousness, he backhandedly snatched the 【Evening Star】 pistol—which Lin Jie still instinctively pointed forward—from Lin Jie's hand.

Then, without hesitation, he pulled the trigger at the Black Dog Projection that had just emerged from the wall.

The gleaming silver alchemical bullet, with swiftness that struck later but arrived first, hit the Black Dog Projection's chest before the curse could succeed.

Dozens of piercing, pain-filled multiple screams echoed through the underground maze.

It was the collective wail of the miners' resentment.

The nearly solidified projection, after being directly struck by the 【Evening Star】's saint bullet, churned and twisted, finally exploding with a "bang" into several scattered streams of black energy that melted back into the surrounding walls.

Lin Jie was saved.

But Ethan's life-saving shot, though lethal, had successfully enraged this fear lord that had been entrenched here for centuries.

The entire mine seemed to come alive. Tremors came from underfoot, overhead, and all around. Rubble and dirt showered down.

The "symphony of fear" that had been background music instantly intensified more than tenfold.