After all... staying on my back all the time just isn't going to work!

Whether it looks good or not is beside the point—the main thing is, it's just so uncomfortable.

And besides, what if it decides it doesn't want to possess David Bolton anymore and comes over to mess with me? How should I deal with that?

"David Bolton, you have to wake up. Didn't you have a crush on the school beauty too? I helped you find out—she likes guys who can soar to the skies. Maybe after your mutation, you'll have a chance..."

Muttering under his breath, pretending to be worried for the other person, he absentmindedly scratched his head with his other hand.

In the mirror, his palm slid across the shadow's cheek, as if passing through air—there was no sensation at all, and the other party didn't try to dodge in the slightest.

Can't touch it!

"The mirror can see it... can I borrow it for a bit?"

The Mirror Management Bureau didn't provide any guide. Right now, he was like a newbie in a game, forced to rely on his own ideas and keep exploring.

But he was used to it.

Over a thousand nightmares—no matter how bizarre or dangerous, he always faced them alone.

The mirror can reflect the other party...

And he can enter it—could he treat this place as the main battlefield?

He knew that if he delayed any longer, not only would the other party get suspicious, but Captain Miller would definitely think something was wrong too. William Carter stopped overthinking, and the police uniform on his arm slowly appeared. He reached out toward his reflection in the mirror.

Whoosh!

His right hand plunged into the mirror's surface, meeting no resistance at all.

In an instant, the arm in the mirror and the one outside perfectly merged within the glass. With a grab in midair, he seized the neck of David Bolton's reflection.

"Yes!" William Carter's eyes lit up.

He really could use the mirror to grab the other party!

So the so-called capture had to be done through the mirror.

"???"

David Bolton's shadow never expected that this guy could not only see him through the mirror, but also grab him. His face changed in shock, and he hurriedly used both arms to try to pry William Carter's right hand off, trying to stop him.

At the same time, his knee shot straight at William Carter's back.

He hadn't expected the other party to react so quickly and counterattack at once. William Carter increased the strength in his right hand, veins bulging on his forearm.

Bang!

The shadow's knee slammed into his back. There was no physical sensation in his body, but his head throbbed with searing pain, as if it were being torn apart.

William Carter's pupils contracted.

He'd thought the other party couldn't see or touch him, so even if he attacked, it wouldn't matter. He never imagined the pain wouldn't be in his muscles, but a kind of agony that came from the soul.

No wonder people get possessed... If he let it keep attacking, his soul would probably be torn apart.

"Die!"

Knowing that once it started, it was either him or the other, William Carter's gaze turned cold.

He'd killed himself over a thousand times in his dreams—he was no longer some soft-hearted rookie.

Besides, the other party was a bizarre thing that possessed souls. If he didn't kill it, he'd just be waiting for his friends or himself to die.

His whole body tensed. In an instant, the transformation brought by the body-tempering serum was unleashed to perfection. His spine bent like a great bow, his five fingers like arrows, and William Carter released all his strength.

Creak! Creak!

He felt intense struggle and resistance in his palm.

Its strength was no less than his—maybe even stronger!

His fingers were on the verge of being snapped. Sweat beaded on William Carter's forehead, but he didn't dare let go.

This is the weakest mutant?

This is what's called "Destruction Level"?

Are you kidding me?

Chapter 10: Slaying the Reflection

Though frustrated, William Carter didn't dare relax his grip in the slightest.

It seemed he'd misunderstood both the "Destruction Level" and his own situation.

Well, of course!

He'd only taken a body-tempering serum, refined his body a bit, and gained some strength. He didn't even count as a real mutant. Facing a true mutant, he was definitely outmatched.

Luckily, this guy lost most of his strength crossing the mirror, and had been fighting with David Bolton all night. Otherwise, forget sneak attacks—he'd probably be dead the moment he made a move.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh!"

The reflection couldn't break free and could only pound away frantically. As time passed, its strength grew weaker and weaker, until it finally stopped.

Its eyes were full of unwillingness and curses. With a crisp snap, its throat broke, and the already-weak figure of the reflection instantly shattered. With a "whoosh," it vanished without a trace.

Immediately after, William Carter felt a gentle, warm power flow in through his fingers. There was a "thud!" in his mind, as if something had been unlocked.

But now wasn't the time to check. He pulled his hand out of the mirror.

Gasping for breath, he finally felt pain all over his body—pain in his very soul, the kind that seeped into his bones!

His head spun in waves, as if he might faint at any moment.

"Pain isolation!"

Knowing he was in a hospital and that Captain Miller might be watching through the monitors, William Carter had a thought.

The pain immediately faded away, as if it didn't exist.

After a thousand nightmares, he could not only separate fear, but also isolate pain from his body at will.

Of course... it only meant he couldn't feel it for a short time. The injuries were still there, just like being under anesthesia.

With the pain isolated, his mind recovered a bit, but his face was still deathly pale, like a sheet of paper. He quietly picked up the mirror and slipped it back into his deskmate's pocket.

He had just finished all this when a weak voice sounded: "Where am I..."