It wasn't a team member's gun, but the gun from the sentry post nearby. One shot struck the captain in the shoulder. His body lurched, but he did not fall.
Another shot hit him in the leg.
He dropped to his knees, but his hand was still clamped around the team member's throat, his nails digging into the flesh as blood seeped out.
More people rushed over.
The veteran demon hunters were experienced. Two of them pinned the captain's arms from the sides, one seized him by the neck from behind, while another pulled out a detector and pressed it against his chest.
The device lit up—a deep crimson.
"It's a Mindstealer Demon." The veteran demon hunter released his grip, his expression grim. "This thing can burrow into a person's soul. You can't see it from the outside, and detectors can't scan it. It usually hides in secluded corners, then burrows in when someone passes by."
The captain's eyes remained completely black, but his body could no longer move.
Several people held him down while another wrapped incantation chains around his wrists and ankles. He struggled a few times, letting out muffled roars from his throat, then went still, like an emptied skin.
The strangled team member sat on the ground, clutching his neck and gasping for air.
"He... he was fine just now..."
The veteran demon hunter crouched down and looked at the captain's face. Something churned within those pitch-black eyes, like fish in deep water, occasionally surfacing before sinking back down.
"When did this thing burrow into him?"
"The mine." The vice-captain stood nearby, his face pale. "It had to be the mine. The detector didn't pick it up. It has a talent that lets it hide in a person's soul. When we entered, it came out of