Chapter 33: The Anomalous Camp

After reading through the documents and taking a hot shower to wash away his exhaustion, Lin Yi found he had little desire to sleep.

Recalling that he still had over twenty minutes of his scheduled online time left, Lin Yi decided to enter the world of Apocalypse to practice the Blazing Sun Blade Technique for a while.

It was 11:00 PM, quite late, and Lin Yi figured that Gu Chenghu, Gu Laosi, and the others at the camp would have already gone to bed.

However, the moment Lin Yi appeared inside his tent, he sensed that something was wrong.

Looking out from the tent, he saw that the camp was devoid of any light. He knew that to defend against the monsters and ghosts of the wilderness, the camp kept campfires lit and sentries on duty every night. Why was there no movement outside today? This was certainly not the case when he had visited at night before.

Moreover, he could feel that the temperature both inside and outside the tent was abnormal—a chilling, piercing cold.

Could a ghost have invaded the camp?

Lin Yi’s first instinct was to log off and leave, but then he reconsidered. His Blazing Sun Blade Technique had reached level 8, and a full-force strike could slay quite a few low-level ghosts; there was no need for him to be afraid.

He drew the Silver-Bloom Blade he had obtained earlier that day. With a blade in hand, a surge of confidence filled him. Whatever kind of ghost it was, he would just cut it down!

Cautiously, he opened the tent flap and stepped outside.

Once out, Lin Yi realized that the entire camp was shrouded in a thick, white mist. Obscured by the fog, his vision was severely impaired; he couldn't even see things beyond two meters away. The temperature within the mist was freezing, and he noticed that the grass beneath his feet and the extinguished campfires nearby were coated in a layer of crystalline frost.

Could this white mist be the work of a ghost?

Lin Yi did not know much about ghosts, but since the Ghost-Stone Soul Artifact on his person was not triggering any warnings, it meant no ghosts were in his immediate vicinity.

The entire camp was now devoid of Gu Chenghu and the others, and he had no idea if they were in danger. However, both Gu Chenghu and Gu Laosi were squad-level leaders with extensive experience; even if a ghost were to launch a sneak attack at night, he believed they would be able to organize a defense in time.

As Lin Yi walked slowly forward, he reached a tent not far away where Gu Chenghu, Gu Laosi, Gu Ale, Gu Xiao-ba, and other members of the militia squad were gathered.

In their midst, a Spirit-Fire Candle was burning slowly. The red light emitted by the candle dispelled the cold and kept the biting white mist, which was constantly encroaching upon the tent, at bay. However, as time passed, the Spirit-Fire Candle grew shorter and shorter, nearing its end.

Just then, Gu Chenghu asked skeptically, "Laosi, did you hear footsteps? Why do I hear footsteps?"

Gu Laosi frowned. "That shouldn't be possible. Aside from us, the only thing in the camp is that Mist Ghost, and it doesn't have feet..."

Gu Ale suggested, "Captain, could it be that the Mist Ghost is creating those footsteps to lure us out?"

"That's possible. It’s a near-professional grade Mist Ghost, after all; its intelligence is quite high."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Gu Chenghu. He frowned and said, "No, it might be Qingshan logging in. He sometimes comes by at night to practice his blade technique. This is bad..."

Meanwhile, Lin Yi was fumbling slowly through the white mist. After walking for a while, he realized he had lost his sense of direction and could no longer find his way back. The white mist around him grew increasingly viscous, and he felt as though he were standing inside an ice cellar.

Forget it, I'll just head back.

Lin Yi attempted to log off, but the system prompted: "Ding! You are currently within a Ghost Domain and cannot log off."

"Damn, I didn't expect that logging in would get me trapped."

Lin Yi was surprised. He had heard Gu Chenghu mention that a hallmark of a professional-grade ghost was its ability to manifest a Ghost Domain. Could the ghost releasing this mist be a professional-grade entity?

At this thought, Lin Yi quickly clutched his Defensive Amulet in his hand and took out some Sun-Water Extract, intending to prepare for the worst.

Just then, the white mist around him surged, and the temperature in the entire area plummeted, as if it had suddenly dropped to twenty or thirty degrees below zero.

*Thump-thump!*

In the next moment, Lin Yi’s heart began to race—the Ghost-Stone Soul Artifact was sounding a warning. A ghost was approaching!

Gripping his Silver-Bloom Blade, Lin Yi’s combat instincts were razor-sharp. He felt a disturbance behind him, wheeled around, and saw a mass of white mist coalescing into a roaring black giant face, charging straight at him.

Crisis loomed over Lin Yi. In that split second between life and death, the silver blade in his hand erupted with golden light.

"Blazing Sun Blade Technique!"

This strike channeled all of Lin Yi’s Qi and Blood; the blade’s light was blinding!

*Boom!*

The massive black mist-face was cleaved apart by the strike, and the surrounding fog immediately dimmed significantly. The residual momentum of the blade tore through the air, leaving a three-meter-long trench in the frozen grass.

Immediately after, the Ghost-Stone stopped its warning, indicating that his strike had temporarily driven off the attacking ghost.

Then, footsteps approached from behind.

Lin Yi turned his head. "Who’s there?"

"It’s us!"

Gu Chenghu gave a low shout, quickly pulled Lin Yi over, and brought him into the tent where the Spirit-Fire Candle was burning.

Lin Yi looked at the group and, seeing that no one was missing, asked, "Captain, Squad Leader Laosi, why are you all here?"

Gu Laosi retorted, "You're asking us why we're here? It's so late—what are you doing logging in? Delivering a midnight snack for the ghosts?"

Gu Chenghu said, "Enough, don't yell. That Mist Ghost was just slashed apart by Qingshan; it probably holds a grudge against us now. It will come back soon."

Upon hearing this, Gu Laosi was astonished. He looked at Lin Yi and said, "Cleaving a semi-professional grade Mist Ghost in one strike—Qingshan, your strength is impressive."

"It's alright, but that one strike drained all my Qi and Blood, and the Mist Ghost wasn't even truly injured." Lin Yi took out some blood-food and chewed on two small pieces to begin replenishing his Qi and Blood.

Gu Laosi said, "You're only level 3; being able to drive the Mist Ghost back is already remarkable. Look, Gu Chenghu and I are both level 10, and even we can't inflict heavy damage on it. We can only rely on the Spirit-Fire Candle to barely hold on."

Lin Yi understood the function of the Spirit-Fire Candle; it could dispel darkness and act as a deterrent and restraint against ghosts. As long as the candle did not burn out, they would be temporarily safe inside the tent.

"Captain, have you notified the village elders? Being trapped like this isn't a sustainable solution."

Lin Yi felt the temperature inside the tent beginning to drop, and the Spirit-Fire Candle was burning faster and faster. Clearly, the Mist Ghost realized they were hiding there and had begun to mobilize the surrounding white mist to drain the energy of the Spirit-Fire Candle.

Gu Chenghu shook his head. "We can't notify them. This Mist Ghost is nearing professional grade; the mist it releases forms its own Ghost Domain, which isolates space. Even if we set off fireworks within the fog, the village wouldn't be able to see them."

"Then what do we do? Wait for the sun to rise? Can the Mist Ghost leave?" Generally speaking, ghosts below the professional grade were terrified of the sun.

Gu Chenghu said, "No, we don't have enough Spirit-Fire Candles to last until then. Furthermore, I’m worried that the players from the Fifth Squad will log in at dawn. If the Mist Ghost hasn't left by then, their lives will be in danger."

Lin Yi thought about it and realized he was right. If not for his ability to sense ghosts and his level 8 Blazing Sun Blade Technique, he would have likely died in the Mist Ghost's attack just moments ago. Compared to him, the players in the Fifth Squad were even weaker; if any of them logged in before sunrise, they would likely die the moment they arrived.

Gu Laosi thought for a moment and made up his mind. "I was originally prepared to fight to the death once the candle ran out. Now that you're here, and your Blazing Sun Blade Technique is so effective against ghosts, I think we can attempt a counterattack to see if we can eliminate this Mist Ghost."

Gu Chenghu agreed. "Indeed. This Mist Ghost was likely attracted by the human vitality we emit. Since it’s wandering nearby, it might eventually attack the village. If we can resolve it tonight and eliminate the threat, that would certainly be for the best."

"But Qingshan, are you able to fight?"

Both men looked at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi checked his attribute panel and nodded. "My Qi and Blood have recovered enough; I can fight. However, I don't have much time left online today. If we're going to do this, we should do it as quickly as possible, otherwise, I don't know if I'll be forced to log off soon."