Chapter 27. Purple Man

With a plate from the antique shop in her hand, Jessica walked through an alleyway with her hands in her coat.

At that moment, several black figures gradually followed.

"Get out of my way while I'm in a good mood. I don't want any trouble, so get out of my way and don't make me angry."

At the entrance of the alley, sensing the figures following behind her, Jessica stopped in her tracks. She turned her head to look at the men who appeared behind her and spoke with grave eyes.

In the face of Jessica's threat, the opposite parties didn't show a mocking expression, nor did they show any concern. They stood at the entrance of the alleyway, all different in appearance and even in the colour of skin. But they all looked at Jessica in front of them with the same blank expression.

The odd reactions of the men caused Jessica's originally indifferent expression to falter as the scene in front of her began to remind her of a nightmare she had been trying to get rid of but could never forget.

She panicked a little but couldn't make up her mind.

Because that person should have died in an earlier car accident a long time ago.

"I've been looking for you, Jessica."

At this point, a white man with a grey beard spoke up from several people across the alley.

If Ryan were here, he would recognise that the man who spoke was Jack from the laundry shop next door.

At the moment, Jack looked at Jessica with a blank face and said, "In the past, you have been living a fantasy life that I've constructed for myself, and it was only until you came along that I realised my life was no longer boring. Jessica, you are a special being, and only I can show you how uniquely different you are."

"Killgrave!"

Crack, crack --

The ceramic plate in her hand was broken into pieces under her super strength. Jessica ignored the wound on her hand and stared at Jack.

Since the incident, she had been trying hard to get rid of her past demons and nightmares, only to have them find her in the end.

　　...

"What did Jessica tell you?"

Walking into the antique shop, the man paid no attention to Ryan, who was standing inside the shop. He first scanned the decorations of the antique shop with a leisurely look on his face and then picked up something on the shelf and looked at it by himself. Only then did he ask Ryan with a matter-of-fact tone.

"What?"

Ryan was subconsciously surprised by the odd behaviour of the man in front of him. He frowned and opened his mouth to say something when he felt his otherwise calm heart start to beat faster and faster.

"Huh?"

Seeing that Ryan didn't answer as soon as he asked as he expected, the man subconsciously raised an eyebrow. He placed the ceramic cup down and looked over.

"It was just an ordinary transaction."

The response that came out of Ryan's mouth immediately afterwards caused the man to stop his initial head turn and refocused his gaze on the antiques on the shelf.

It didn't appear like he had lost his abilities.

"What's the deal?" The man continued to ask as he rummaged through the shelves of the bogus 'antiques'.

"A ring," Ryan replied with a deadpan straight face.

"Bring it to me."

"Yes."

Ryan nodded, turned and walked towards the counter where the ring was placed.

"You're not under my control, are you?" At that very moment, the man who had been standing in front of the shelf and had been acting carelessly spoke again.

"When did you find out?"

At the man's insight into his guise, Ryan stopped, looked at the counter just a few steps away, and then asked.

"From the beginning." Continuing to fiddle with the 'antique' in front of him, the man heard Ryan's question as he turned up the statue in his hands to look at the Made in China logo on the bottom. He replied, "I know my powers very well, so there's absolutely no possibility of a delayed effect like you just had."

"Although I don't know why my ability won't work on you..." The man put down the statue in his hand and gradually set his eyes on Ryan. "However, I, for one, have always hated surprises, and your existence is a big one for me."

When he said that, the previously careless look in the man's eyes gradually disappeared, and his expression grew colder and more indifferent.

"As it happens, I personally hate threats too."

Ryan sank into a similarly cold expression as he watched the man's fierce expression.

The combination of the man's outfit and the explanation of his abilities...

Ryan was basically sure that the identity of the man who appeared in the antique shop was Jessica Jones's biggest nemesis and nightmare -- Purple Man.

Of course, there was also evidence from the system.

[Reputation points from Killgrave +25]

　　...

The conversation between Ryan and Killgrave in the antique shop may seem ordinary, but there was a hidden danger behind it.

If Ryan hadn't been using the [Wesley Gibson] card without swapping it out recently, he might have been controlled by Purple Man's ability in that moment just now.

The [Adrenaline Acceleration] skill not only gave Ryan exceptional dynamic vision and fast reflexes; it also gave him the opportunity to fight against Purple Man's terrifying ability.

The rapid beating heart made it difficult for the Purple Man's mind control pheromones to infect Ryan.

However, after being exposed to Purple Man's ability, Ryan could feel it. His rapid heart was slowing down, and his originally clear mind was beginning to see fuzzy illusions.

"So, you're not completely immune to my powers."

Noticing the struggling expression on Ryan's face, Killgrave stopped his steps.

Although, apart from the ability to easily control others, Killgrave himself had decent combat ability. However, he preferred to have someone else do it with his orders rather than doing it himself.

"It just delays the time it takes for my ability to take effect."

Killgrave could detect it.

As the person concerned, Ryan was naturally even more aware of his situation. As his heart rate continued to slow, he could feel his increasingly blurred mind and his gradually stiffening and uncontrollable fingers. What should be a simple handshake had now become extraordinarily difficult.

Perhaps, in the next minute, or even the next second, he would lose control of his body. And from what he had said earlier, he could tell that the moment Ryan lost control, there was probably no possibility of ever coming to his senses again.

With this in mind, Ryan immediately stopped hesitating. Controlling his gradually stiffening and rigid body, he lunged in the direction of the counter in front of him.