Luo Nan had to admit that he was grateful to the fierce warrior who charged in first.
His opponent's misjudgment gave him a chance to react.
Luo Nan made his decision the instant the shriek rang out. His telepathic thoughts pierced through the heavily chained crow, stimulating the burning wraith. He forcefully jolted it awake from its dead-dog state and left it in place.
The main body of his soul retraced the path he had taken and rolled back.
Luo Nan's judgment was based on the worst possible scenario. He didn't place any hope on luck. As it turned out, his timing couldn't have been better.
The military's reaction was lightning fast. Once they realized the true nature of the screaming second-generation rich kids, they didn't expect any cooperation and immediately took action.
Inside the room, the "Fierce Warrior" who had rushed in first raised the heavy gun in his hands. Amid a thunderous roar, a dazzling electric light shot out.
This was more effective than any order. Although the screams became even more ear-piercing, the group of second-generation rich kids immediately threw themselves to the ground. Aside from the Fierce Warrior, no one remained standing. Everyone scrambled toward the newly opened exit, rolling and crawling in panic.
The Fierce Warrior quickly took control of the situation. He raised his head—encased in a fully enclosed helmet—and aimed the translucent visor toward the empty upper half of the cabin.
To a normal person's vision, there was nothing there except churning smoke.
However, the Fierce Warrior clearly thought otherwise. His right hand swiped over the gun's control switch, changing from empty-bullet mode to single-shot mode.
The muzzle emitted a dull thud. In the next instant, a massive cloud of fire erupted inside the half-closed cabin, nearly engulfing the entire upper half like a violent miniature explosion.
At this point, Luo Nan was already two cabins away, more than a dozen meters in a straight line. However, since the chains were still fused with the burning wraith, it was extremely difficult to sever the connection. Information from the other side continued to transmit back to him.
The moment the fiery cloud surged, Luo Nan's mind trembled. A powerful shock traveled along the chains. Even though he existed only as an ethereal soul, it felt as if he had been punched in the chest, leaving him in terrible condition.
Luo Nan was certain that the true destructive power of this attack did not come from the visible flames. He felt no heat at all. Instead, it was a force that directly struck the soul plane.
If he was affected to this degree, then there was no need to mention the burning wraith still inside the cabin. It had only just awakened from its "dead dog" state and was still disoriented. The red cloud exploded above it, crossing the boundary between reality and illusion and striking its body directly.
In an instant, the burning wraith visibly shrank, clearly suffering damage.
This type of flame-bullet ammunition was obviously designed specifically to deal with Darksider life forms. Its effectiveness was immediate. However, it was not easy to reload. After firing one shot, the Fierce Warrior retreated while reloading, unable to fire again immediately.
But it would be naive to think this created an opportunity.
One person's strength was limited, but they were facing coordinated numbers.
After the first flame bullet was fired, a series of additional shots cut into the cabin from outside. At least five identical rounds entered and detonated. Flames churned violently, and the cabin's temperature rose by at least twenty degrees.
The rising heat looked terrifying, but in reality, it was meaningless. It only proved that the destructive force of the ammunition operated beyond the conventional plane.
The burning wraith, still trapped inside, was the best proof of this.
Not only did the flame bullets directly attack the soul plane, they also had a viscous effect.
The burning wraith tried to flee under the assault, but it was as if the surrounding void had been filled with glue. Movement became extremely difficult.
Perhaps it was some kind of incorporeal yet powerful magnetic field.
As Luo Nan retreated, he continued to analyze the situation. It was now clear that the military had developed effective methods to deal with Darksider life forms. If he had remained behind, the outcome would have been uncertain.
His escape route had been carefully calculated. From Liu Tao's explanation, he understood that the Shadow Mist did not truly "see" Darksider life forms. Instead, it relied on probabilistic detection.
In other words, it was highly likely that the military did not know the true form, number, or relationships of these entities.
Without hesitation, Luo Nan pushed the burning wraith he had just captured into the line of fire. With it drawing attention, he was safe—for now.
However, at that moment, the burning wraith, bound within the cabin, was finally driven into a frenzy after enduring repeated attacks.
Its body, already riddled with damage, suddenly contracted. Its originally incorporeal shadow form became denser, almost solid. For a brief instant, the outline of a physical shape appeared more clearly.
Through the heavily chained crow still connected to it, concrete information was transmitted back. But Luo Nan couldn't interpret it clearly. He only sensed something akin to a ferocious beast.
In the next instant, this incorporeal beast raised its head and roared.
No sound waves were produced, yet nearly tangible psychic waves filled the cabin, passing through metal walls and spreading rapidly outward.
From the moment the gunfire began, the violent flames above had already terrified the rich kids into hysteria. They screamed for help, some too weak to even crawl properly.
Fortunately, the soldiers outside adapted quickly. They reached in and began dragging people out.
But then the burning wraith's roar arrived.
No one heard it.
Yet under the sweeping psychic waves, an overwhelming fear of death erupted in everyone's hearts.
At least three people lost control of their bodies. Some collapsed unconscious on the spot.
But on another level—through the chains and through the burning wraith—Luo Nan saw something entirely different.
Under extreme fear, something began to leak from their bodies.
From their mouths, noses, and even their pores, countless dark red specks of light drifted outward. They resembled dust floating in sunlight, but each dim spark carried a strange, undeniable energy.
They were like spores.
And their source was the trembling group of second-generation heirs inside and outside the cabin.
Almost every person was emitting these dark red particles. They intertwined and merged, forming a thin glowing mist that filled the entire cabin.
The density of this mist increased rapidly. Massive quantities of spores flowed in and out of their bodies, feeding the formation. The concentration grew so high that it began to burn with a dim, eerie flame.
Finally, the glowing mist reached a critical threshold.
It surged inward, engulfing the burning wraith completely. Only a faint outline remained visible.
At a glance, it resembled the sketch Luo Nan had drawn earlier—only far more simplified. Many structural elements had collapsed into abstraction, forming what looked like a massive, strange symbol.
The burning wraith locked onto a target the moment the symbol took shape.
The Fierce Soldier at the front—his body encased in exoskeleton armor—suddenly stiffened as if struck by lightning. His body convulsed violently before he collapsed backward.
At the same time, a faint wisp of "smoke" rose from his physical form… and began to dissipate.