At this moment, the last remaining masked man felt a chill in his heart; three of his teammates were dead, and Rolf had been rescued. Moreover, his condition was poor after the battle; he had less than half of his magic remaining and still had to face three powerful enemies. Since they had deployed an Anti-Apparition Jammer to prevent Newt and the others from escaping, the decision had backfired—now he couldn't Apparate away even if he wanted to.
Just as he was racking his brain for a solution, Newt spoke.
"Remnant of the Silver Spears, you should surrender now. If you continue to resist, your fate will be the same as your comrades—a nameless death. If I'm not mistaken, this area is completely sealed off. You cannot escape." Newt calmly looked at the masked man, then glanced at Alan, who remained quiet nearby. "And to this gentleman, thank you very much for your help tonight. The Scamander family would like to establish a friendship with you. May I ask for your name?"
Alan first looked at the flustered masked man, then turned to Newt and Tina, revealing a friendly smile. Newt and Tina smiled in return when they saw Alan's expression.
But then, something unexpected happened.
After smiling at the couple, Alan suddenly moved, bursting forth with extreme speed as he lunged toward the masked man. As Alan closed the distance, he fired several spells in rapid succession. The sudden action caught Newt, Tina, and the masked man off guard. The Silver Spear wizard instinctively parried the approaching spells, but in his panic, his response was clumsy. Although he managed to barely block the curses, Alan was already upon him.
Closing in, Alan pulled out two Sonic Boom Amulets and activated them at point-blank range. The sudden infrasound waves left the masked man dizzy and disoriented. Immediately after, he was knocked unconscious by a close-range Stupefy.
Alan tucked the man under his arm and raised his hand. The Binding Spirit Lock, Soul-Binding Serpent, and other fragments that had fallen to the ground flew toward him, collected neatly into his sleeve. Afterward, Alan ascended into the air without looking back, carrying the surviving prisoner directly out of the valley.
The series of actions was fluid. By the time Alan had carried the man far away, Newt and Tina hadn't even reacted. Several seconds later, the couple realized that the wizard who had helped them had vanished without a word.
"Who exactly is that person?" Tina looked toward the horizon where Alan had disappeared, turning to her husband in confusion.
"I've never seen him before; his face is completely unfamiliar. However, the fact that he could withstand the pincer attack of two Silver Spears and kill one proves he's not weak. Logically, someone like that shouldn't be unknown." Newt spoke, lightly tapping the metal kettle in his hand with his wand. The clear water that had surrounded him flowed back into the container as if it were alive.
"He didn't seem to have any ill intentions toward us, but why didn't he say a word, and why did he abduct that villain?" Tina frowned, at a loss.
"His abduction of the Silver Spear proves his targets are these individuals. Since he looks unfamiliar, could he be a foreign wizard?" Newt saw that the person had already run too far to chase, so he began to tidy up the scene.
"You mean he's a bounty hunter?" Tina considered the possibility. An unfamiliar wizard whose target was the smugglers aligned with the logic of bounty hunters.
"Possibly. By the way, aren't those bounty hunters most popular in the United States? Do you have no impression of him either?" Newt then summoned a Patronus, preparing to send a message to the Ministry. The incident had given them quite a scare.
"How long have I been retired? I haven't met every bounty hunter, and many of those guys in the States aren't good people; they are bounty hunters in name, but secretly they engage in all sorts of shady dealings." Tina curled her lip in disgust, clearly not fond of the community.
Regardless, Alan had helped them and saved Rolf's life. Realizing they couldn't solve the mystery, they stopped discussing their benefactor. The sudden appearance of the Silver Spears was a more pressing problem. After taking Rolf back into the house, they waited for the Ministry.
On the other side, Alan performed several anti-tracking maneuvers and used a potion to eliminate any scent traces. He knew the Ministry had Tracking Glasses and couldn't afford to be caught. After circling the mountain forest, he finally returned to Kiki's hiding place.
"Is that you, Master?" Kiki was startled by the stranger. After recognizing his attire, she asked tentatively.
"It's me." Alan realized he hadn't removed his disguise. He touched his face, restored his original appearance, and let out a sigh of relief.
"Master, how did it go? I couldn't see anything from here, and there wasn't even a sound." Kiki relaxed when she saw Alan unharmed, then noticed the man. "Who is this?"
"This is tonight's haul." Alan smiled. He had thought he might return empty-handed, but he had managed to keep one alive. He released the Soul-Binding Serpent from his sleeve, letting it coil around the prisoner, and added a pair of Magic-Suppressing Handcuffs. Once secure, he reached out and removed the man's mask.
Beneath the mask was a middle-aged man with short light brown hair and a slight beard. He lay on the ground, eyes closed and face pale.
"Let's go, we can't stay here long. The Ministry might catch up soon. I've used a lot of magic; you help me carry him, and I'll Apparate back myself." Alan didn't offer further explanations, immediately instructing Kiki.