Chapter 25
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Chapter 25: “Night Illuminator”
“What… just happened?” Guster noticed his shadow suddenly becoming distinctly clearer.
No, it was the lighting intensity rapidly increasing, obscuring shadows from multiple directions and leaving only the most prominent one visible!
He swiftly turned towards the dome—
Is that… flames? The thought emerged in Guster’s mind, as he had never witnessed such intensely bright fire before.
It reminded him of the steel mill he had inspected earlier; only the splashing molten metal within furnaces could faintly compare.
To achieve such high temperatures, the steel mill required collaboration from hundreds of workers and robust blast furnaces. Yet, the man before him, all alone, produced flames akin to white-hot brilliance.
Then, Guster heard a sharp, ominous tearing sound.
The noise was foreboding, reminiscent of the lamenting groans emitted by a ship’s hull just before sinking.
“No way …” Guster murmured.
Guster had always treated these individuals like rats, just as he had dealt with countless rodents before. His disdain stemmed from the fact that rats posed no threat to him; hence, he extended this contempt towards these people. However, at this moment, Guster realized his mistake. Rats were ignorant, timid, and forever unable to break free from their chains, but these individuals were different… Their courage and knowledge far exceeded his own perceptions.
“Sir?” a subordinate looked at him anxiously.
“Withdraw, quickly get out of here—”
Mid-sentence, the deafening crash of the chandelier falling drowned out his voice entirely!
Once the main chain melted, the six stabilizing ropes around it could not bear the weight, snapping instantly. The heavy copper chandelier broke free and crashed onto the theater seating area. Hundreds of pounds of fuel within it spilled out tumultuously, igniting swiftly! Flames spread like slithering snakes, leaping over rows of chairs and tables, rapidly advancing toward the blue-uniformed men!
The brightness in the hall increased dramatically!
No further warning was needed.
The thunderous crash of the chandelier and the sudden flare of firelight served as the best signals. Joe James, Tyler, Naruko, and Zhou Zhi simultaneously charged out from the corridor entrance, launching themselves at the panicked enemies! Despite being outnumbered four against more than ten, the balance of momentum had completely shifted in favor of the rebels!
“Those lunatics, aren’t they afraid of getting burned to death?” someone shouted fearfully.
“Don’t worry about that; focus on confronting them!”
“Are you crazy too?! If this continues, none of us will escape!”
Regardless of their willingness, a chaotic battle had erupted with the raging fire as its backdrop. The intense heat and choking smoke began testing everyone’s resolve and nerves. Unfortunately for the assailants, the Paradise Group members had already minimized their pain perception; even if engulfed by flames, they would not halt their deadly strikes.
In less than half a minute, the morale of the police force completely crumbled. Their reinforcements dropped their weapons, abandoned their still-struggling comrades, and scattered in all directions—just as the second chandelier plummeted, turning the theater’s rear section into a roaring inferno. If they didn’t flee now, even victory would only lead to a fiery grave.
Defeated… Guster couldn’t believe what he was witnessing, yet he had no choice but to accept reality.
Under the erratic flickering of flames, his opponents’ figures were far from mere rats—they resembled unleashed beasts!
While his subordinates could escape, he himself could not. He was too deeply entangled in this affair, knowing that leaving would be equally fatal.
Suddenly, Guster remembered the reporters on the stage.
Wait, he still had a task to complete, or rather, one last thing he could do… The sacrificial offerings on stage knew too much; they must not be allowed a chance to speak! If everyone perishes in this fire, perhaps his family won’t be implicated!
While the assailants were preoccupied with slaughtering his subordinates, Guster limped onto the stage, eyeing Dunn collapsed on the ground, and drew his sword.
“Don’t move!” A sudden sharp command interrupted him.
He turned towards the voice, surprised to find it was a woman who halted him.
She held a rifle, her face reflecting clear tension and stiffness under the flickering firelight.
“Z-Zhu Di?” Dunn’s expression mirrored astonishment as well.
“Cough … What are you doing here? Run, quickly!”
Dammit, when did she slip in unnoticed? Guster inwardly cursed but resumed his movement—this wasn’t new to him. Women often had the courage to raise their guns but lacked the nerve to pull the trigger. Judging by her trembling hands, just managing to keep the rifle steady seemed impressive enough. He didn’t need to succumb to her threat; all he had to do was eliminate the reporter first, then take care of that Nepheid slave tied to the pillar.
Guster swiftly took two steps forward and, without hesitation, lunged at Dunn with his sword.
Bang!
A light gunshot rang loudly in their ears.
Guster lowered his head, glancing at the gradually reddening stain on his shirt near his chest, then looked towards the opponent’s smoking gun barrel before slowly collapsing.
Shaking, Zhu Di dropped the gun and hurried to Dunn’s side. “You’re still alive… That’s great!”
“How did you know I was here?”
“I hired a detective to find you; he brought me inside—” Zhu Di turned around, involuntarily stunned as there wasn’t even a trace of anyone behind them. “Anyway, let’s get you out first! Cough cough… This place doesn’t look safe. Can you move?”
“I can’t muster any strength …”
“Don’t worry, I’ll carry you!” Without further ado, Zhu Di bent down, grabbed Dunn firmly, and hoisted him onto her back.
“Wait! rescue that person too—they’re still alive!” Dunn pointed towards another figure on the wooden rack.
“But I can’t carry two people!”
“We’ll take care of that person. You two go ahead,” Tyler said as he and Zhou Zhi also climbed onto the stage.
“What about that lady and the man who set the fire?” Dunn noticed three more individuals were missing.
“They didn’t make it,” Zhou Zhi gasped, out of breath.
“How could this be?!” A profound sorrow instantly filled the journalist’s eyes. After all, he had witnessed the entire sequence of rescue efforts unfold.
“Hurry up, don’t dawdle! If you die, our rewards will go down the drain too!” Zhou Zhi couldn’t help but roar impatiently. Simultaneously, Tyler cut through the ropes on the wooden frame, hoisting another victim onto his shoulder.
With the flames now raging intensely and thick smoke billowing overhead, everyone was forced to crouch low, navigating through the smoky haze to find their way out.
“This way.” The Host appeared at just the right moment, guiding the Paradise duo towards the correct exit path.
After fifteen minutes, they finally escaped from the Sinclair Theatre through the main entrance. By then, flames were leaping from the theater windows, climbing upwards along the stone walls and pillars. These roaring infernal serpents, devouring the building while simultaneously illuminating the entire block, left no doubt that the primarily wood-framed theater was rapidly disintegrating. The sounds of sporadic explosions and collapses echoed within the structure, indicating its imminent demise. Soon, the fire would completely reduce it to ashes, but until then, Sinclair Theater stood as the city’s most magnificent nocturnal beacon.
Such commotion clearly wouldn’t go unnoticed. Lights began flickering on sporadically in nearby streets, indicating that many people had been jolted awake by the spectacle and were now witnessing the towering flames.
Dunn stared blankly at the burning theater, his expression complex.
“I never thought it would be destroyed by such a group of individuals…”
“What’s wrong with that? It’s better than letting them proceed only to have a crowd discover a gruesome murder scene first thing in the morning,” Zhou Zhi dismissed any concerns, “After all, the flames will purify everything.”
“Let’s hurry up; this isn’t a place for idle chatter,” Zhu Di urged. “Soon, residents will come over to spectate, and we can’t risk being seen.”
“Do you guys have anywhere safe to stay?” Zhou Zhi glanced at the victim cradled in his arms. “This person doesn’t look too good.”
“I have keys to the newspaper office; it should be empty right now.”
“No, not back to the newspaper office!” Dunn interrupted, “Go to Emerald Street instead. I have a small house there.”
“All right, your call.” The remaining survivors voiced no objections. As night provided cover, they squeezed into a carriage and swiftly headed towards the address mentioned by the journalist.
