Flames danced in the strong wind, crackling like a devil's sneer, sending shivers down one's spine.
Even more horrifying was the sight of ghostly figures, some old, some young, some male, some female, wailing in agony within the raging inferno, yet ceaselessly rushing forward, as if against their will.
Under the scorching heat of the surging flames and the impact of the intense Yang Qi, individuals among the Guo Family Village ghosts were constantly vanishing into smoke, burning to ashes every moment.
However, in stark contrast, under the desperate encirclement and protection of the Guo Family Village ghosts, A Su, with her disheveled hair and deranged expression, suffered almost no harm.
Li Hai, who had been closely following behind, hitching a ride, also largely avoided the scorching heat thanks to the sacrifices of the ghosts ahead, thus maintaining his condition more perfectly.
But all developments eventually come to an end.
After traversing the vast sea of fire, all the Guo Family Village ghosts, with the exception of A Su, ultimately perished, not a single one remaining.
And A Su, along with Li Hai who was following not far behind, finally reached the edge of the You Forest.
“Guo Lang… how cruel your heart is…”
“Guo Lang… how cruel your heart is…”
Outside the You Forest, Guo Huaijin’s face was terrifyingly grim as he listened to the mournful cries echoing from deep within the blazing inferno.
“How could this be? How is this possible?!”
His pupils constricted and his voice trembled, “A Su… that’s A Su’s voice!”
Muttering to himself, Guo Huaijin stumbled backward, retreating quickly, his legs trembling completely unlike a martial artist.
But at this moment, he couldn't care less.
Guo Huaijin, overwhelmed by boundless terror and guilt, now only wanted to escape from here, to a place where no one could find him.
So, disregarding the astonished gazes of Steward Liu and the rifle squad, Guo Huaijin, like a frantic beast, sprinted towards Guo Family Fortress and quickly disappeared from sight.
“What’s wrong with Master?”
Although extremely puzzled, the rifle squad was still here, so Steward Liu could only temporarily give up and continue guarding the crossroads.
Time, just like that, quietly flowed by.
After flowing to a certain point, the rifle squad, who had been stationed for a long time and were somewhat tired and weary, along with Steward Liu, suddenly felt an intense chill erupt in their hearts, making them shiver in unison.
Then, they watched in utter horror as a charred, tattered female ghost burst out of the fire and appeared in broad daylight.
But before the terrified Steward Liu and the rifle squad could even scream, this terrifying female ghost transformed into a black wind and rushed towards Guo Family Fortress, completely ignoring them.
“There’s a ghost in this forest!”
“There’s a ghost! A ghost!”
“If we burn this forest, will we anger the ghosts inside?!”
“It’s over, it’s over, we’ll all be claimed by evil spirits!”
Upon realizing that the rifle squad was beginning to babble incoherently, Steward Liu immediately climbed onto a small mound and shouted down to them:
“Everyone, don’t panic! Everything just now was an illusion, no need to be nervous! Even… even if there really is a ghost, we have nearly a hundred people here, and everyone has a gun, so what’s there to be afraid of! If you see a ghost, just open fire and blast it to death!”
After hearing these words, the hundred-plus members of the rifle squad quieted down a little and were no longer so panicked.
“That’s right, there are so many of us, and it’s broad daylight, what’s there to be afraid of.” Some calmed down and spoke to themselves.
“Lord Liu said it well! If a ghost really appears to harm people, I’ll blow its head off with one shot.” Some, after their fear dissipated, shouted loudly.
“Lord Liu is our backbone. Without Lord Liu, the brothers would really fall into chaos.” There were also those who seized the opportunity to flatter.
But just as everyone’s nerves relaxed, a faint, pale ghostly figure quietly appeared at the edge of the You Forest.
And the first to discover this blurry ghost was Steward Liu, who was standing on higher ground.
“Huh? Is that?”
He frowned and hesitated, “Why does it feel… a bit like a ghost?”
Before Steward Liu could say anything, the rifle squad members, scattered outside the You Forest, also began to discover the ghostly figure one after another.
“My heavens!”
“It’s a ghost!”
“The ghost has appeared again!”
“So what if the ghost… appears again! Watch me kill it!”
Under the pressure of fear, someone finally couldn't help but fire a shot.
Bang!
The bullet flew, piercing straight through the ghost but leaving no trace.
But no one cared about that.
Because after that gunshot, everyone in the entire rifle squad, as if driven mad, roared and pulled their triggers with all their might, unleashing all their ammunition towards that pale ghostly figure.
In an instant, continuous, deafening gunshots, like a chain of thunderclaps, mixed with the choking gunpowder smoke spewing from the muzzles of over a hundred rifles, plunged this crossroads area into sudden chaos.
But amidst this chaos, a rifleman with a face covered in cold sweat suddenly froze, then displayed a stiff and eerie smile.
With an eerie smile, he immediately shifted his gun, aimed it at another rifleman beside him who had emptied his magazine and was nervously reloading, and fired without hesitation.
Bang!
A headshot.
Instantly, a large splash of red and white splattered all over the faces and heads of the surrounding riflemen, startling them into retching and screaming.
“A Yun, what are you doing?!”
“Why did you kill A Xiao?!”
“Are you f*cking crazy?!”
Listening to the chaotic curses and angry shouts coming from the people around him, the rifleman A Yun, with his eerie smile, said nothing, but raised his weapon again and pulled the trigger without scruple, sweeping it in all directions.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Accompanied by deafening, continuous gunshots and screams of agony, within a short time, more than a dozen riflemen were either injured or dead, collapsing helplessly to the ground.
And the instigator of all this—A Yun—was struck down by the counterattack from those around him, his body riddled with bullet holes, with only a single breath remaining.
“So much pain… so much pain… Ugh, ahhh…”
A Yun, who had just been smiling eerily, now lay on the ground, his face filled with confusion and pain.
He didn't know what had happened, only that he was in immense pain, so much so that he wanted to die instantly.
“Why… why on earth?”
Filled with confusion, A Yun breathed two more times, then died completely, filled with extreme resentment.
“What in the world is this unlucky fellow doing?”
On the distant mound, Steward Liu stared intently at A Yun, who lay dead dozens of feet away, puzzled, “Why would he suddenly open fire and shoot his comrades?”
After a few seconds of thought, he cleared his throat and shouted loudly to the bewildered rifle squad members below:
“Brothers, I’ve found out! That despicable person who ambushed his comrades, his true identity is a spy from another fortress! This unlucky fellow…”
“Wait a moment, Steward Liu~”
Suddenly, a rather familiar voice reached Steward Liu’s ears, “Can you… please not call me an unlucky fellow? How about calling me… a handsome young man instead?”