The moment Li Yunlong heard the FBI was taking over, any lingering interest he had in the case evaporated. Whenever an investigation touched upon supernatural forces, the arrival of specialized federal agents was a clear sign that this was neither an isolated incident nor confined to a single jurisdiction. It was the work of a roving perpetrator, moving from place to place. Short of a stroke of sheer luck, such cases were virtually impossible to solve; given enough time, they invariably gathered dust in some forgotten archive as cold cases. Had it been a purely local affair, Li Yunlong might have been inclined to keep an eye on it. But with an anomaly like the Mirror Game, the culprit was likely long gone. The FBI showing up now was little more than a formality, chasing ghosts to fulfill a procedure-a meaningless exercise in his eyes.
Over the days that followed, Amelia somehow managed to persuade her supervisor to greenlight a special feature on the massive shifts sweeping the beauty and wellness industry. Armed with this official pretext, she began showing up openly, spending her days hovering around the Yin-Nourishing Decoction project. In between his cultivation sessions, Li Yunlong set aside time to refine the decoction's production process, working to translate mystical rituals into a complex pharmaceutical workflow. Fortunately, the Yin-Nourishing Decoction was not an overly advanced formula; its intricate ceremonial rites allowed him to lower the technical requirements for the brewer. The only drawback was the sheer tedium of the procedure, which demanded a considerable investment of time.
To Li Yunlong's surprise, on the morning of May 2nd, a knock sounded at his door. Standing on the threshold were two FBI agents. After inspecting their credentials, he ushered them into his living room, growing even more surprised by how young they were. The man, David, was barely twenty-nine, while the woman, Gillian, was only twenty-six. «Please, agents, have a seat,» Li Yunlong said. «Tea or water?»
«Water is fine,» David replied.
Setting down two glasses of plain water, Li Yunlong resumed his seat. «To what do I owe the pleasure, agents?»
David produced a photograph and slid it across the table. «We understand you are an expert in occultism, Mr. Brook Lee. We took the liberty of visiting in the hope that your professional expertise might help us resolve a few questions.»
Li Yunlong picked up the photograph and examined it closely. It depicted an ornately decorated hand mirror. Though lavishly detailed, the casing was crafted from wood, and the mirror itself was quite small-its design clearly belonging to a bygone era. Li Yunlong pondered for a moment. «Agent David, I assume you are here regarding the Wesley family case from a few days ago?»
David had been sitting there with his eyes half-lidded, projecting the relaxed, almost lazy demeanor of a middle-aged man. Yet at Li Yunlongs question, far from opening his eyes, he narrowed them further until they were reduced to razor-thin slits. In an instant, his slouching posture dissolved, replaced by a sharp, lethal presence that cut like a blade. Yet David simply sat there without uttering a word. Beside him, Agent Gillian blurted out, «How could you possibly know that?!»
Li Yunlong glanced at David, who remained motionless, then flicked his gaze over to Gillian, who was trying her best to put on a stern, intimidating posture. Returning his focus to David, he recognized immediately who held the real authority here. A rookie girl putting on a bad-cop act-who was she trying to fool? Tapping his finger against the photo, Li Yunlong asked, «This is the mirror from the crime scene, isn't it? What I'm curious about is why you came to me.»
David held up a hand, quietly checking Gillian before she could lose her temper. His voice remained perfectly composed. «As I said, to draw upon your expertise to answer a few questions.»
Li Yunlong let out a dismissive laugh. «Agent, let us be honest with each other.» He reached into his pocket, pulled out a business card, and set it down before David. «I am not what you would call a social man. I have walked through fire and death, and I have witnessed wonders most people will never see in a hundred lifetimes. I have chased dreams across the globe, trying to peer into secrets that lie far beyond the scope of human civilization.» Li Yunlong smiled, a quiet, absolute confidence radiating from his features. «I have my pride. I know beyond a doubt that I was born for extraordinary things, and I have never felt the need to hide it. If you dig into my past, you will find plenty of interesting details.» He spread his hands in a clear gesture of openness. «You see, Agent, I have no intention of hiding anything. So can we perhaps drop the charade? I am hardly a world-renowned authority, and I only moved here a few months ago. Even locally, my reputation is known only to a very tight circle.» He paused, offering a welcoming hand gesture. His meaning was clear: I know my own standing, so stop beating around the bush and say what you came to say.
David and Gillian exchanged a quick look. As FBI agents, they were seasoned veterans; since taking on cold cases like the Mirror Game, they had traveled the country and encountered their fair share of eccentrics. They were confident they could handle someone like Li Yunlong. Gillian stood up, brushing back her jacket to deliberately expose the holstered sidearm at her hip. «Brook Lee. We know your identity and your records are completely fabricated.»
Li Yunlong remained entirely unbothered, merely drawing out his response. «Oh…?»
David straightened up, leaning forward over the table to project authority. «Of course, that is a matter for Immigration. It is not our concern. Our concern is the case.»
Li Yunlong measured them both with an amused, sweeping gaze, waiting until their patience wore thin before speaking. «It seems you truly know nothing at all. It is a miracle two greenhorns like you have survived this long.»
At that, it wasn't just Gillian-even David's composure cracked.
Li Yunlong sneered at their reaction, his lip curling in contempt. «Those guns at your waists aren't toys, are they? This table of mine is an older model, and I've been meaning to give it a little character. Do me a favor-put two rounds into it and let's see how it looks.»
Gillian hesitated at his strange request, but David's response was far more direct. Without a second thought, he drew his service pistol and aimed straight at the table, pulling the trigger. Instead of a gunshot, there was only a hollow click. Davids expression transformed instantly. He pulled the trigger several times in rapid succession, but the weapon remained dead silent. Forgetting he was in front of a suspect, he frantically began inspecting his sidearm and found the issue almost immediately. When he ejected the magazine, it was completely empty. That was impossible; as a veteran agent, he knew down to the round how much ammunition he carried. He reached instinctively for his belt pouch where he kept his spare magazines, only for his fingers to meet thin air. Pulling the pouch into view, he stared into it-it was entirely empty. Gillian, who had partnered with David for a long time, realized something was terribly wrong and instantly drew her own weapon, aiming it squarely at Li Yunlong.
Li Yunlong let out a mocking cold laugh, not even bothering to shift in his seat.
Gillians eyes hardened. She dipped her sight slightly, aiming for his leg, and squeezed the trigger. Another empty click echoed through the room. No bullet fired.
By now, David had processed the situation. With a fierce snarl, he hurled his useless pistol straight at Li Yunlongs face. Dropping low into a combat stance, he prepared to spring forward. The distance between them was short; trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat, he was confident he could tackle Li Yunlong and subdue him in close quarters.
The flying pistol abruptly froze in midair, stopping a mere centimeter from Li Yunlongs face, before floating gently down to rest on the tabletop. Li Yunlong spoke in a flat, quiet command. «Sit down.»
An invisible, crushing weight seized both agents from all sides. Even as they grit their teeth, clenched their fists, and strained with every ounce of physical strength to resist, they were like helpless children before an adult. The sheer disparity in power made resistance impossible, forcing them back hard into their chairs. At first, the two agents glared viciously at Li Yunlong, thrashing their heads and torsos in a desperate attempt to break free. Minutes passed. Their breathing turned heavy and ragged, yet despite all their struggling, they hadn't managed to budge their chairs by a single millimeter. Finally, realizing the futility of their efforts, they ceased their movements, doing nothing more than clenching their jaws and glaring at him with wide, furious eyes.
Only then did Li Yunlong smile with satisfaction. «Calmed down now? Good. Now we can have a proper conversation. To be frank, I expected you to start shouting slogans-something about violating federal law, perhaps.» With a flick of his wrist, he snapped his fingers.
The moment the sound echoed, the invisible pressure weighing on the two agents vanished as abruptly as it had arrived. Sensing the sudden relief, the agents exchanged a startled look, slowly moving their limbs to confirm that their freedom of movement had returned. Gillian glanced nervously at Li Yunlongs expression before carefully re-holstering her weapon.
David bit his lip, staring intently at Li Yunlongs face for a long moment before finally speaking. «Who on earth are you?»
Li Yunlong replied smoothly, «A freelance writer, explorer, and researcher of occultism-Brook Lee.»
«Fine,» David said, his voice tense. «If you insist. Then what do you want?»
«To help you cool your hot heads so we can actually talk.»
«Alright,» David said. «We're cool now. What do you want to talk about?»
«The case you are pursuing, of course-the Mirror Game. Do you two have any idea what you are dealing with?»
David and Gillian shared another brief look before David spoke up again. «What are you trying to say?»
Li Yunlong did not bother holding back. «I see no trace of extraordinary power in either of you. The Mirror Game is blatantly anomalous. Why would they send two rookies like you to investigate it? Shouldn't a case like this be handled by professionals?» He truly couldn't wrap his head around it. This was the Marvel universe, where S.H.I.E.L.D. Was supposed to be actively operating. An incident as obviously abnormal as the Mirror Game should have been commandeered by S.H.I.E.L.D. Long ago. Sending two ordinary FBI agents to handle it was nothing short of sending them to their deaths.