Chapter 23: The Mist Rises

“Cannot... devour?”

The Rust Tide could consume all kinds of steel and alloys, but the metal here seemed utterly impervious, as if untouched by its influence. Clearly, these metals were extraordinary.

She gazed into the depths of the temple. In the darkness, the outline of the two-faced god statue emerged, its tightly shut single eye silently watching her. This city was unnervingly strange. Ye Mi clenched her fists, unease swelling in her chest. She had to be more cautious.

Time passed.

A new day dawned—inside the temple. The Grey Hawk Squad, now fully awake and rested, silently looked up at the sky. Except for Ye Mi, the other three wore expressions of shock and disbelief—Raj with his mouth slightly agape, Kira with knitted brows, and Red’s lips pressed into a thin line. It was as if they had witnessed something incomprehensible.

“Will... it never get bright here?”

The pitch-black sky above was thick as ink, with not a single ray of light seeping through, answering Raj’s question perfectly. He glanced at his watch again—it was 7:30, no doubt—but the perpetual night showed no sign of changing with the passage of time.

“Obviously, either the pollution here is worse than in Prism City, or there simply isn’t such a thing as a sun,” Ye Mi mused aloud, finding the latter much more plausible. If this was a planet in an alien star system, then the absence of a sun was to be expected.

“Forget it, let’s just move on,” Red ordered.

The Grey Hawk Squad began leaving the temple one by one. As the last member stepped outside, a deafening roar erupted behind them. They spun around to see the entire temple collapsing like melting wax, stones and metal fragments disintegrating into powder, raining down from the sky.

“Run!” Red shouted.

They sprinted madly through narrow streets, the sounds of destruction echoing behind them. Only after running several hundred meters did they stop to catch their breath.

Ye Mi looked back and saw a blinding pillar of blood-red light shooting up from the heart of the unseen ruins, piercing the clouds and staining the black sky with a dark crimson hue.

Raj’s throat bobbed, his voice dry. “What... is happening?”

Red squinted at the glaring red light and spoke, “Most likely, whoever takes the treasure receives some sort of sign or warning...”

Ye Mi added, “Like an airdrop.”

Her straightforward analogy made it clear to everyone.

Raj frowned, declaring, “It’s too conspicuous! That light pillar can be seen from across the city!”

It was easy to imagine squads coming to investigate, and if they were unlucky enough to encounter the Defense Bureau’s team, their treasure would be violently seized—and losing their lives was a highly probable outcome.

“We must change direction and leave immediately. Move!” Red’s voice was resolute.

The Grey Hawk Squad didn’t hesitate, setting out at once. Their steps were hurried yet cautious, ready for any sudden danger. They walked for an unknown length of time, only slowing when the blood-red pillar was so far away it was barely visible in the sky.

Raj wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed, “Thank goodness the captain got us out fast...”

The other three didn’t reply, instead scanning the city carefully.

The architecture here was uneven, as if twisted by some colossal force. Some buildings leaned into their neighbors, others dripped and solidified like molten wax. Scattered along the streets were bronze statues of various creatures: twisted birds, crouching beasts, and many humanoid forms, all covered in mottled verdigris, their hollow eye sockets silently watching the intruders.

It was as if some mysterious power had frozen them in this moment forever.

Not a living soul in sight—a true city of the dead.

Raj nudged a bronze “dog” at his feet—a canine-like creature, though tailless and eyeless. At the instant his toe touched it, the statue shattered into a heap of metal fragments.

These bronze statues were hollow and fragile.

“This damned place...” Raj muttered, unconsciously lowering his voice as if afraid to disturb something.

Red surveyed the surroundings with gravity, “Stay alert.”

This district resembled a vast specimen hall, and they were walking among the remnants of an ancient civilization.

Suddenly, Kira pointed to a nearby leaning clock tower. Beneath it stood several life-sized bronze figures, posed as if fleeing, their faces twisted into eerie smiles.

The group circled the clock tower, cautiously traversing the silent streets.

When they passed through a plaza-like open space, Ye Mi stopped abruptly.

She noticed that the bronze statues ahead... all seemed to watch them.

“This isn’t right,” she whispered. “Every bronze statue we’ve seen—they’re all watching us.”

Her words sent chills down the spines of the other three.

As if in response, a harsh metallic scraping sounded from afar.

“Prepare for battle!” Red’s ears twitched, and he immediately ordered them to form a defensive circle, backs pressed together.

Several tense seconds passed.

Nothing appeared.

But the sound was real—all four had heard it. It hovered like a sword above their heads, threatening to drop at any moment, keeping their nerves taut.

Red took a deep breath. Staying here wasn’t an option: “Keep moving, and stay alert.”

The Grey Hawk Squad pressed on through the lifeless streets. The bronze statues remained eerily still, but the air began to feel subtly different, tinged with unsettling strangeness.

Ye Mi was the first to sense it.

The beam of her flashlight took on a faint reddish hue.

She looked up. The pitch-black sky was now veiled in a layer of dark red mist, flowing slowly like a living thing.

The fog was thin—almost invisible unless one looked closely.

Red mist again!

Ye Mi suddenly recalled the inscription on the temple’s stone tablet—“On the day the mist thickens, the end will come.”

So that was it.

The countdown had begun!

Her eyes narrowed. She had already deduced what triggered the red mist—perhaps it was the Grey Hawk Squad’s understanding of the rules and the opening of the treasure.

With this realization, she glanced back toward the pillar of light. Sure enough, the sky around it had become entirely black and crimson.

Raj, walking behind Ye Mi, noticed all her movements. He couldn’t help but ask, “Gina, what are you looking around for?”

No sooner had he spoken than he stopped abruptly—his boot had crushed something beneath it.