"Night-Shining Lamp"

What happened...?

Ghost found his own shadow suddenly becoming clearer.

No, it was the lighting that was rapidly increasing in brightness, to the point where shadows from multiple directions were being obscured, leaving only the primary one!

He abruptly turned his head to look at the dome—

Was that... fire?

Ghost had this thought pop into his mind, as he had never seen such bright flames before.

It reminded him of the steel mill he had previously inspected; only the splashing molten iron in the furnace could barely compare.

But to achieve such a temperature, the steel mill would require the cooperation of hundreds of people and sturdy blast furnaces, whereas the man before him was making the flames incandescent on his own.

Then he heard a sharp, piercing tearing sound.

The sound was so ominous, like the death cry of a ship's keel before it sinks.

"No way..."

Ghost muttered.

He had always treated the other party like a rat, just like many rats he had dealt with before. Because rats posed no threat to him, he had previously looked down on these people. But only now did Ghost realize he might have been wrong. Rats are foolish and timid, forever unable to break free from their chains, but these people were different... their courage and insight had surpassed his own vision.

"Sir?" his subordinate looked at him in panic.

"Retreat, quickly retreat from here—"

Before he could finish speaking, the rumbling sound of the chandelier falling completely drowned out his voice!

With the main chain melted, the six ropes used to stabilize the chandelier could not bear the weight and snapped in an instant. The heavy bronze lamp broke free and smashed heavily onto the viewing area. The hundreds of pounds of fuel inside spilled out with a roar, and was then quickly ignited! The flames, like creeping snakes, rushed towards the man in blue after crossing rows of tables and chairs!

The brightness in the hall suddenly increased severalfold!

No further reminders were needed.

The roar of the falling chandelier and the rapidly changing firelight were the best signals. Joe, James, Taylor, Naruko, and Zhou Zhi rushed out of the corridor doors simultaneously, charging towards the panicked enemies in the hall! It was clearly four against more than ten, yet the momentum of both sides was completely reversed!

"Do these lunatics not fear being burned to death?" someone shouted in terror.

"Never mind that, face the enemy first!"

"Are you crazy too! If this continues, none of us will escape!"

But whether they wanted to or not, a melee had begun against the backdrop of the raging fire. The scorching heat and choking smoke began to test everyone's will and nerves. Unfortunately, the Paradise team of four had already reduced their pain perception to the lowest level; even if they caught fire, they would not stop their blades.

In less than half a minute, the police force's morale completely collapsed. Reinforcements dropped their weapons, abandoned their comrades still fighting the enemy, and fled in all directions—at this moment, the second chandelier also fell, turning the rear half of the theater into a sea of flames. If they didn't run now, even if they won, they would only be buried alive.

Lost... Ghost looked at this scene in disbelief, yet had to accept reality.

Under the wildly leaping flames, the figures of his opponents fighting were not rats at all, but like beasts released from their cages!

But while his subordinates could escape, he could not.

He was too deeply involved in this matter; escaping would lead to a dead end.

At this moment, Ghost suddenly remembered the reporter on stage.

Right, he still had a mission, or rather, the last thing he could do... The sacrifice on stage knew too much, and they couldn't be allowed to speak again! As long as everyone died in the fire, his family might not be implicated!

Ghost hobbled onto the stage while those few were still hacking at his subordinates, drew the broadsword from his waist, and looked at Dane, who was slumped on the ground.

"Stop!" A sharp shout interrupted his action.

He followed the sound and found that the one stopping him was actually a woman.

She held a rifle in her hand, and her face, illuminated by the firelight, showed obvious tension and stiffness.

"Ju, Judy?" Dane was also surprised. "Cough, cough... why are you here? Run!"

Damn it, when did this guy sneak in? Ghost cursed inwardly, his stopped steps moving forward again—he had seen plenty of women like this; they had the guts to raise a gun but not the guts to pull the trigger. Looking at her trembling hands, it would be good if she could even hold the gun steady. He didn't need to be controlled by her threat; he just needed to deal with the reporter first, and then take care of that Sea Guard slave tied to the pillar...

Ghost took two quick steps forward and thrust his sword at Dane without hesitation!

Bang!

A light gunshot rang in his ears.

Ghost lowered his head, looked at the clothes on his chest gradually turning red, then looked at the gun barrel emitting wisps of steam from the other party, and slowly collapsed.

Judy tremblingly dropped the gun and quickly ran to Dane's side. "You're alive... that's great!"

"Why did you know I was here?"

"I hired a detective to find you, and he brought me in—" Judy turned her head and couldn't help but freeze. There wasn't a single person behind her. "Anyway, I'll get you out first! Cough, cough... this place doesn't look good. Can you still move?"

"I can't muster any strength..."

"It's okay, I'll carry you!" With that, Judy bent down, grabbed Dane, and lifted him onto her shoulders.

"Wait, save that person too—she's alive!" Dane pointed to another person on the wooden frame.

"But I can't carry two people!"

"We'll take care of that person, you guys go first." At this moment, Taylor and Zhou Zhi also climbed onto the stage.

"Where are the lady and the gentleman who started the fire?" Dane noticed that three people were missing again.

"They're gone," Zhou Zhi panted.

"How could this be!" intense sorrow welled up in the reporter's eyes... After all, he had witnessed the entire series of rescue battles just now.

"Hurry up, don't dawdle! If you die, our reward will be gone too!" Zhou Zhi couldn't help but roar. At the same time, Taylor cut the ropes on the wooden frame and slung another victim over his shoulder.

As the fire had grown quite large, with thick smoke billowing overhead, everyone had to move hunched over, searching for a way out amidst the smoke and dust.

"This way."

The Host appeared at the opportune moment, pointing the way for the Paradise duo.

Fifteen minutes later, they finally escaped the Sinclair Grand Theatre through the main entrance. By now, flames had burst from the theatre's windows and were climbing up the stone walls and pillars. These raging fire serpents illuminated the entire block as they devoured the building. Everyone could hear the occasional explosions and collapses from inside the building. It was obvious that the theatre's main structure, primarily framed with wood, was disintegrating and would soon be completely burned down by the fire. However, before that happened, the Sinclair Grand Theatre would be the most magnificent Night-shining Lamp in the city.

Such a commotion would clearly not go unnoticed. Lights in the surrounding blocks had already flickered on sporadically, meaning many people had been awakened from their sleep and seen the towering flames.

Dane stared blankly at the theatre, his expression complex.

"I never expected it would be destroyed by such a group of people..."

"What's so bad about that? It's better than if they had succeeded, and a crowd of people pulled back the curtain first thing in the morning only to see a bloody crime scene," Zhou Zhi said dismissively. "Besides, fire purifies everything."

"Let's go, this isn't a place for idle chat," Judy urged. "Residents will definitely come to watch soon, and we can't let them see us."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Zhou Zhi looked at the victim in his arms. "This person looks in pretty bad shape."

"I have the newspaper office key. No one should be there now."

"No, we can't go to the newspaper office!" Dane interrupted. "Let's go to Emerald Street. I have a small house there."

"Fine, you decide," the remaining survivors agreed without objection. Taking advantage of the cover of night, the group squeezed into a carriage and sped towards the address the reporter had mentioned.