What... happened?
Ghost realized that his shadow had suddenly become sharply defined.
No, the lighting was growing brighter at a rapid rate, so much so that the shadows from every other direction were being swallowed up, leaving only the most prominent one!
He whipped around to look up at the dome—
Was that... fire?
The thought sprang into Ghost's mind because he had never seen flames so bright.
They reminded him of the steelworks he had once inspected. Only the molten iron splashing inside the furnace could even come close.
But reaching such temperatures at the steelworks required the coordinated efforts of hundreds of people and a massive, sturdy blast furnace. The man before him, however, had made the flames glow white-hot all by himself.
Then he heard a sharp, piercing ripping sound.
It sounded so ominous, like the mournful groan of a ship's keel as it sank beneath the sea.
"No way..."
Ghost murmured.
He had always treated the others like rats, just like the many rats he had dealt with before. Since they posed no threat to him, he had carried over the same contempt to these people. But only now did Ghost realize he might have been wrong. Rats were ignorant and cowardly, forever unable to break free of their chains. These people were different... their courage and understanding had gone beyond anything he could imagine.
"Sir?" One of his subordinates looked at him in alarm.
"Retreat! Get out of here, now—"
His words were cut short as the thunderous crash of the chandelier falling completely drowned him out!
With the main chain melted, the six ropes around it that stabilized the chandelier couldn't bear the weight. They snapped one after another in an instant. The massive copper chandelier broke free and crashed down onto the audience area. Hundreds of pounds of fuel spilled out from inside, then promptly ignited! The flames crept forward like a long, slithering snake, swept past row upon row of tables and chairs, and lunged at the blue-clad men!
The hall suddenly became several times brighter!
No further signal was needed.
The chandelier's crashing roar and the sudden shift in the flames were all the warning they needed. Qiao, James, Taylor, Naruko, and Zhou Zhi rushed out through the corridor doors and charged at the enemies panicking in the hall! Four against more than ten, yet the two sides' morale seemed completely reversed!
"Are these lunatics not afraid of burning to death?" someone cried out in terror.
"Forget about that! Meet them head-on!"
"Have you gone mad too? At this rate, none of us will get out!"
Whether they wanted it or not, a chaotic melee had already erupted with the fire at their backs. The scorching heat and choking smoke began to test everyone's will and nerves. Fortunately, the four members of the Paradise group had turned their pain sensitivity down to the lowest setting. Even when their clothes caught fire, they didn't stop swinging their blades.
In less than half a minute, the police force's morale had completely collapsed. The reinforcements abandoned their weapons, left behind the comrades still fighting the enemy, and scattered in every direction. Just then, the second chandelier fell, turning the back half of the theater into a sea of flames. If they didn't run now, even victory would leave them with nothing but a fiery grave.
They had lost... Ghost stared at the scene in disbelief, yet had no choice but to accept reality.
Beneath the wildly flickering flames, the figures fighting their opponents were no rats at all, but beasts unleashed from their cages!
His subordinates could flee, but he couldn't.
He was too deeply implicated in this affair. Even if he made it out, he'd be as good as dead.
Just then, Ghost suddenly remembered the reporter on the stage.
Right, he still had one task left—or rather, one last thing he could do... The offering onstage knew too much. He couldn't let them have the chance to speak! If everyone died in the fire, maybe his family wouldn't be implicated!
While the others were still busy hacking at his subordinates, Ghost limped up onto the stage. He looked at Dane, who was slumped on the floor, and drew the sword at his waist.
"Don't move!" A sharp shout suddenly interrupted him.
He looked toward the voice and realized that the person stopping him was a woman.
She held a rifle in her hands. Her face, lit by the fire, was visibly tense and rigid.
"J-Judy?" Dane looked equally surprised. "Cough, cough... What are you doing here? Run!"
Damn it, when had this woman slipped in? Ghost cursed under his breath. His halted steps started forward again. He'd seen plenty of women like her—brave enough to raise a gun, but not brave enough to pull the trigger. With hands shaking like that, she'd be lucky to keep the rifle level. He had no reason to let her threats hold him back. He only needed to deal with the reporter first, then kill the Haiwei slave tied to the pillar...
Ghost strode forward two steps and thrust his sword at Dane without hesitation!
Bang!
A soft gunshot rang out beside him.
Ghost lowered his head and looked at the shirt slowly reddening over his chest, then at the gun barrel steaming faintly in the woman's hands. He fell to the ground.
Judy shakily dropped the rifle and hurried over to Dane. "You're alive... Thank goodness!"
"How did you know I was here?"
"I hired a Detective to find you. He brought me in—" Judy turned around, then froze. There wasn't a single person behind her. "Anyway, I'll get you out first! Cough, cough... This place looks bad. Can you move?"
"I can't muster any strength..."
"It's all right. I'll carry you!" Judy bent down, grabbed Dane, and hoisted him over her shoulder.
"Wait, save that person too—they're still alive!" Dane pointed at the other person on the wooden frame.
"But I can't carry two people!"
"Leave that person to us. You two go first." Taylor and Zhou Zhi climbed onto the stage just then.
"What about the lady and the man who started the fire?" Dane noticed three more people were missing.
"They're gone," Zhou Zhi said, panting.
"How could that be!" A wave of grief welled up in the reporter's eyes... After all, he had witnessed the entire rescue and battle just moments ago.
"Hurry up! Stop dawdling! If you die, our reward goes up in smoke too!" Zhou Zhi shouted impatiently. At the same time, Taylor cut the ropes binding the other victim to the wooden frame and slung them over his shoulder.
The fire had grown large, and thick smoke billowed overhead. Everyone had to crouch as they searched through the haze for a way out.
"This way."
The Host appeared at just the right moment and pointed the two members of the Paradise group in the right direction.
Fifteen minutes later, they finally escaped through the main entrance of the Sinclair Grand Theatre. Flames were already leaping from the theater's windows, climbing up the stone walls and pillars. As the blazing serpents devoured the building, they lit up the entire neighborhood. Everyone could hear the occasional boom and crash of collapsing structures from inside. It was clear that the theater's main structure, built mostly from timber, was coming apart. Before long, the fire would reduce it to ashes. But until then, the Sinclair Theater would be the city's most magnificent Night-shining Lamp.
The commotion was impossible to miss. Lights were already flickering on in the surrounding streets, which meant plenty of people had been startled from their sleep and seen the towering flames.
Dane stared blankly at the theater, his expression conflicted.
"I never thought it would be destroyed by a bunch of people like them..."
"What's so bad about that? It's better than letting them pull off their plan, only for a crowd to lift the curtain first thing in the morning and find a bloody murder scene," Zhou Zhi said dismissively. "Besides, fire purifies everything."
"Let's go. This isn't the place to stand around talking," Judy urged. "Residents will come to watch soon. We can't let anyone see us."
"Do you have somewhere we can stay?" Zhou Zhi looked at the victim in his arms. "This person doesn't look too good."
"I have the newspaper office's key. There shouldn't be anyone there right now."
"No, we can't go back to the newspaper office!" Dane interrupted. "Go to Emerald Street. I have a little house there."
"Fine. Your call." The other survivors raised no objections. Taking advantage of the night, they squeezed into a carriage and raced toward the address the reporter had given them.
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